The Bags are Packed.....

.... and I am about ready to go. Top Ten things I am looking forward to..... (in no particular order) 1. Being spiritually fed and uplifted. 2. A good nights sleep without setting my alarm to get up and give a child motrin. 3. No cooking. 4. No Laundry. 5. Being with women who know and feel the same as I do. (for the most part) 6. Spending time with my mom and sister. 7. Listening to our prophets voice for the first time, in person. 8. No fighting children. 9. No whiney children. 10. No house clean-up at 7:30 pm with the ever so familiar cry.... "but I didn't get that out!" Thanks to my wonderful husband for letting me go and being Mr. Mom. Thanks to Tiff for watching my kids tomorrow ( I sure hope they are better for you, than they were for me today). Thanks to my Mom for hauling my fanny there. And most of all, thanks to my kids for being little stinkers today, you made it a whole lot easier to leave! (but I still love you!)

My Sweet Little Kassie B.....

.... is turning 8 in a couple of weeks, and I took her down to American Fork yesterday afternoon to Thanksgiving point and the Timpanogas Temple to get her pictures taken. We have sooooo many great ones to choose from I just don't know how I'm going to do it! My CD drive is broken on my computer so I was able to go over to my mom's today to view them and I only had time to save about 10 on my flash drive to bring home to post. There are so many more, and I will pick our fav's and you will see those later.

Poor girl.... she was a real trooper. She has a recurrence of Strep and had a 104 degree fever we were treating with Tylenol and Motrin, so she wasn't feeling all that great, to say the least! She even had a nap on her cute hair-do because she just couldn't stay awake any longer. (and if you know Kassie at all, you know she must be sick if she's taking a nap!) So I think these pictures turned out great despite all that was trying to keep us from getting them taken!

She will be getting baptized on May 31st, and is so excited! It will be a great day.... I just can't believe she is 8 already. She was not quite 2 when we moved to Bothwell, and that doesn't seem like all that long ago. Now we will have 2 baptized and 2 to go.... that is so weird... it makes me feel old!

6 YEARS AGO.....

.....TODAY! wow, it has gone by really fast, and I remember it like it was yesterday(it was a monday), but it also feels like we have been here forever. We were so excited.... we had never lived anywhere else other than Syracuse, and had never owned our own home. I was so excited to have my own place, that was all new, and that I could do with what I wanted. (and, I'm still not done.) We have loved every minute of it, and are so grateful that our Heavenly Father brought us here, and have blessed us with great friends here!

I am grateful for today....

......because 35 years ago you were born. Happy Birthday!! I am so grateful for you and the fact you are with me by choice, and you love me, and that you are such a great daddy! Thanks for being you and for all you do and sacrifice for us! We love you!! Here are a few little tidbits of info about your birthdate and the year you were born.... * You were born on a Saturday under the astrological sign Taurus. You were born in the Chinese year of the Ox. Your native american zodiac sign is Beaver, your plant is wild clover. You are 420 months old. You are 1,827 weeks old. You are 12,784 days old. * Celebrities who share your birthday: Andie McDowell, Tony Danza, Anthony Quinn, Queen Elizabeth II * Top songs of 1973: Killing Me Softly with His Song by Roberta Flack My Love by Paul McCartney & Wings Crocodile Rock by Elton John Keep On Truckin' by Eddie Kendricks Top of the World by Carpenters Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree by Dawn You're so Vain by Carly Simon Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye Bad, Bad, LeRoy Brown by Jim Croce Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight & the Pips * Your age is equivalent of a dog that is 5.00352250489237 years old. (You're still chasing cats!) Your lucky day is Friday. Your lucky number is 6. Your ruling planet is Venus. Your lucky dates are the 6th, 15th, 24th. Your opposition sign is Scorpio. Your birthstone is a Diamond. Your birth tree is a Walnut Tree, the "Passion". * HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

I LOVE AMERICAN IDOL....

.... I so totally do! Am I the only crazy one? Who do you like? I have been sold on David Cook from the very beginning, but I really like everyone else who is left too. (with the exception of Syesha... she's just okay.) *

This week they had to sing Mariah Carey songs. I felt for the guys. How does a guy sing a Mariah Carey song? Well, they actually pulled it off remarkably..... better than the girls actually. David totally did an awesome job. Then today I find out that his older brother has brain cancer. I just watch the show, I don't read the website or magazines about it. Apparently I'm one of the last to know cuz they are saying he is going for the sympathy votes. Not for me, I have loved him from the beginning, and vote for him every week..... no sympathy votes here!

*

Although I am sad and can so feel for his family. His brother was able to attend and watch it live this week with a medic and nurse with him. David had tears in his eyes after his performance. Who could blame him? Thoughts and prayers go out to the Cooks!

A Headstone for an Awesome Man....

Lamont's headstone was set last week, I have not seen it in person yet, but my good friend Nicole went up to the cemetary and took these, and shared them with me. We had lunch yesterday at noodles in Layton. Most everyone was there, including Lamont's wife Debbie and their kids, Aspen and Marshall. The granite that Debbie ordered for it to be set on is not in yet, so they set it on this one temporarily so that it could be set in time for his birthday. The bronze looks so awesome to me. It brings me to tears to see it, I don't know why but seeing it there, with his name on it makes it more real for me. I just think it is the most fantastic headstone I have ever seen! You really need to click on the picture and get a closer look at the work. I am so excited to go see it in real life! Debbie also bought the plot directly above his so that they could set a bench on it. It is right next to the flower bed, so I think it will be a nice spot for them to come and visit.

*

He is buried right next to that little boy from Idaho who died last year from eating that contaminated spinach. How sad. There is also a little girl buried on the other side and Nicole said that her little girl wanted to know why Heavenly Father takes people back before they are old! What an opportunity to teach your child about our Heavenly Father's plan for us, and how grateful we should be, and blessed we are to have eternal families!

*

My favorite part is the "taught others to see" at the top. He was an Opthalmologist, but the taught others to see had nothing to do with eyesight for me. He was so insightful, and always had a different perspective to share with you. He literally taught me to see things in a new light with greater understanding of the gospel, among other things. He taught me so much. I know you have all heard this before, so I will stop. Just had to share with everyone, even though you did not know him I think we can all learn from this family how to endure with faith.

Busy, Busy, FHE'S......

...Wow we have had a few busy Family Home Evenings the last three weeks. We usually only try to have an "activity" once a month (if that) but lately it has just worked out that we have had a lot going on for family night. Here's what's been happening........ Last night we got a call from C&R that our "new little tax deduction" that we ordered back in March had come in! We were so surprised, we didn't think it was coming until the first of May, so we all piled in the car and in to town we went to check it out! The kids were so excited! Camping anyone???? After all of that, we went in to Pizza Plus for pizza and a few arcade games while we waited. The kids had a ball, and I didn't have to cook! (that's always a +!!)

On the 31st of March, Cory decided he wanted us all to go bowling and eat dinner at the bowling alley for FHE. So off we all went, although we had a lot of fun I would not recommend this one for any of you with a few kids. For one game of bowling, shoe rentals, and dinner it was a whoppin' $60! Ouch.... we weren't expecting that one!

We got tickets to the Beauty and The Beast play at the Old Barn Theater on March 24. We found out later that the Newman's got tickets for that night too, so we all went together. We had so much fun, and the play was really good too! It was a lot of fun for the girls to actually know someone in it too! Thanks Jed!

The girls posing during intermission at one of the pieces of Scenery.

With Gaston (aka...Elton John....aka Jed Christensen) after the play. Kambree is still talking about how Maverick's Dad "was a bad guy....but not in real life."

Way to go JED!! Best Gaston EVER!!

For those of you who missed it..... sorry.... you really missed out!

Today...

.... was one of those days where you look at what you accomplished off of that "to do" list, and don't see one thing crossed off! I hate that..... but I also love it, too. I had so much I wanted to get done today..... like mostly cleaning my house. I have to work tomorrow, so I really wanted my house clean, so I didn't have to do it when I get home tomorrow, or Saturday. I like my Saturday's to be free of all that crap, and to just enjoy the fact that Cory is home, and the kids are home from school. We don't necessarily do everything as a family, but we still have that option, and can just enjoy the day. I guess we'll be cleaning now! Gage and Kambree both have these "colds" that have them grumpy, whiney, and just plain ornery. I didn't think they were really that sick, just a little runny nose and cough. (like what most kids have all winter anyway) But, right from the get go this morning, they both wanted me, and only me, to do everything for them, to feed them, to rock them, to watch a movie with them, to read to them, etc..... and it seemed it was a battle of the wills between the two to see who could get mom to do their bidding. So needless to say, we spent the day playing cars, reading stories, playing with play dough, watching the chipmunks (twice) and rocking in the rocking chair. Kambree was supposed to go to preschool at 11:30, at 11:00 I told her to go put on her grey crocs, but she wanted to wear her pink ones (that did not match) I told her no, so she threw this big fit and went running to her room. I went in about 2 minutes later to help her, and she was asleep on her bed! Like I was going to mess with that!! She didn't wake up til 1:40! Yea! The bad thing was that G didn't go down til 1:00 so that didn't leave me with alot of time to get anything done! Oh-Well! My house will wait, and they are growing like weeds everyday, and they won't want me to rock them for long! Today was a blessing in disguise!