She's Eight!

Sunday was a special day for our daughter...her eighth b-day.


She wanted to look extra cute so we did her hair all curly...


and then we wore matching outfits to church.

She was so excited to open her gifts and was glad when church was over so she could discover what was hiding behind the wrapping paper.

She did get a few surprises!

I think she enjoyed being sung to most of all!!

It was a great day to be eight!!

The Big Day

The big day finally arrived! Our beautiful niece was married on Friday morning to her true love.


It was a beautiful day...it was snowing lightly...those big, soft, silent snowflakes.


Our niece's family was beaming! Our nephew was so excited to finally have a brother.

The reception was lots of fun!

We got to hang out with fun cousins...

practice being prince and princess...

we got a small taste of the spotlight...

this guy wanted to taste the beautiful cake,

but settled for eating lots of cheesecake...

Grandma and Grandpa really enjoyed the evening too!!

Congratulations, Wes!! We love you !!

My Best Asset

We had a fabulous Valentine's Day. It was complete with handmade cards from the kids, a massive sugar overdose (thanks to school v-day exchange), a delicious date Saturday night with my Valentine, the treat of listening to our oldest give a great talk in Sacrament Meeting, a wonderful 2-hour nap after church, and the privilege of meeting our newest niece! She is sooo cute and even has a heart-shaped newborn pressure-mark on her forehead!

It was a great Valentine's Day! However...the best part of the day came late in the evening while my husband was talking to some of his teen-age nieces. I only heard the second part of the conversation, but I can only imagine that the question was posed, "What was the first thing you noticed about your wife?" Without skipping a beat, my husband answered, "Her nice derriere." (although he didn't say that word, he used another, less appropriate word)...and in front of his nieces! Anyway, after the shock of his unrefined language faded, I did notice that my derriere did get a few quick glances and I might also add, that I kind of, slightly....okay, really enjoyed the quick glances by the younger generation. I don't know that my best asset is in the same form it was when we met, but it sure felt great last night!!!

A Special Dinner

This weekend we were invited to accompany our two oldest boys to the:


It was a dinner commemorating the 201st anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth and the 99th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. It was a great event that had several great speakers including our state governor, senators, and congressman. Our two boys were invited as special guests and were recognized during the program for their recent 3rd place at a national NRA Precision Rifle Competition. They were able to shake hands with and rub shoulders with some pretty special people. I don't think they fully realize the honor that it was for them to be invited.





Maybe as they get older it will sink in a little. The main message that I got from the evening was that we can gain great strength, wisdom, and guidance for the struggles of our day by studying these two great men and how they faced the challenges of their day. While circumstances may be different, what is at stake is similar and we can learn a lot if we try to walk in the shadows of these two great leaders.




It was a fun, albeit long, evening. My husband loved every second of it (he loves politics!) and I hope our boys caught a glimpse of what it takes to be a leader.

Another First

Last week was a milestone for our oldest. He is now twelve which means he is old enough to attend the temple.

I prayed that he would be able to understand the importance of the work he did while he was there.


Here he is with his first temple recommend. He came back from the temple so excited. He had a great experience, one I hope he can always remember!

Love is in the Air

February is here! The month of love!


The season of roses!



This year it is especially meaningful because....



these two cute love birds are going to tie the knot!



We went to a shower for the bride this last weekend. She invited all the aunts and cousins. It was so fun to see the little girls' eyes filled with admiration and excitement...you know, the "can't wait until it's my turn" gleam. We had a fun time!