Family Photos from the summer 2009

We took a bunch of family photos this summer up in the white mountains of AZ, up by big lake. My neice Sterling, took all of them and did an amazing job. Here are some of our favorites:

Hunter's 1st touchdown in high school

Hunter's first touchdown in high school as a freshman. It was so much fun to watch, I was video taping the game and it is so hard to watch and tape at the same time. The best part was that his Grandma Udall, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Marcie, Cousins Tona & Laci were here from AZ and was able to see it. The team won 60-0.

Where to begin......

It has been so very long since I have posted. We have been so very busy and had a fun, exciting summer. I will have to post more about all of that later. I have decided to just start back with school pictures and what we have been up to lately. It hurts my head to think about all of the things I could write about and tell about.

The kids first day of school pictures:

Jessica with her friend Andrea, who came from AZ to visit us for over a week was there still on Jessica's first day of school. This is them before leaving to go to seminary. Jessica is 16 and a Junior this year. She is on the Varsity Volleyball team and loving the sport.

Hunter is a Freshman this year. He starts high school and seminary. He is 15 and is on the freshman football team playing outside linebacker. He has grown to 5'9 this summer.

Spencer is 10 and in the 5th grade. He is currently playing fall baseball and loves it. Taylor is 9 and in the 4th grade. She is playing volleyball at the YMCA. She is the youngest and smallest one on her team, but everyone thinks she is so dang cute. I need to be better about posting and hopefully I will catch up more later, but for now this is all I can do.

Jessica's first Prom 2009

Jessica and a couple of her friends, Shae, Alyssa, and Chelsea all went and had a pedicure for the Prom.

Then my good friend Melysa came to the rescue and offered to do Jessica's hair for her. She did an amazing job. She looked beautiful.

Jessica all ready to go to the Mormon prom. Here they do a Mormon prom for nine stakes down at Georgia Tech University. It is just like any other prom, except you have to adhere to the youth standards. I love that they have this alternative for the kids here in the south. She wanted to get picture done at the Lake so we met her date there.

Her date Preston Burkhart putting on her corsage.

Jessica trying to pin on his boutonniere.

Going down to the dock to get some lake pictures. I just loved this pictured with her dress

Pictures down at the lake at the Gazebo.

They make such a cute couple.

Preston was such a gentleman helping her so she would not fall.

The whole gang that went to Prom was 21 kids. We all met at the church for photo's and then a few of us parents put together a dinner for them. They all wanted to be together and so we thought this was the way and so much cheaper.

Here is a picture of what the tables looked like. We tried to make it extra nice. I made the place cards with my Cricut!!! I love that machine. Here she is at the table with her date and her friends and their dates.

They even had waiters who are friends of theirs who are not old enough to go the prom yet.

Shawn, Dallan and Anna had it going on and were a crack up. We needed to drive the kids to the dance. So five of us couples drove the kids to the prom in downtown Atlanta and dropped them off and went to Atlantic station for dinner and hung out. It was a blast for us and nice for the kids. Here in Georgia, the law is that you cannot drive anyone else besides your family in the car for the first six months of driving. Only a few of the kids had there license that long. So us parents had the privilege of taking them down there. Finally reaching the dance. This is the only picture that I am posting of inside the dance, because it has taken me three days to post all of these pictures and I am tired of this blog.

I am alive, but tired

It has been a while since my last post, and I just have not felt like posting anything lately. Of course I have not felt like doing anything lately. I have been so VERY tired for the last two three months now. I had been sick with strep throat, double ear infections, double sinus infections, bronchitis, poison ivy and poison sumac. I have tried everything under the sun, change of diet, exercise, medications, homoeopaths, blessings, and prayers. My immune system just does not want to cooperate with me. The Dr's even wanted me to stay home from everywhere, even church. To me that is just not acceptable, and with my calling almost impossible. I have had a very loving and supportive husband through all of my sickness. I just hope that I am on my way back to recovery. They have tested my blood and said that my B6 and B12 levels were low, so I am on a supplement of both of them with a folic acid. It does not seem to be working though. I hope to get back to my normal life, cause I feel like it is passing me by. I just am so fatigued. :(

Taylor's Birthday

Today is my baby's 9th birthday. I can't believe she is already nine. It just seems like yesterday when I had her. She is a blessing in our home and we would not know what to do without her. Doug was reminding me of a what happened when Taylor turned three. We told her Happy birthday and that she was three years old now, she replied with "I don't like twoses, I only like threesies." It is bitter sweet for me to see her growing up before my eyes. Doug is always telling me she is a little miniature Renee. She loves to scrapbook, cook, read, play with her barbies, littlest pet shop, she likes Hannah Montana and she just loves her dad to death. His lap is her chair, still to this day.

Well since today was Sunday and General Conference we had a very relaxing morning with our traditional conference breakfast, which Taylor picked for her birthday breakfast too.

She helped make the sugar cookies for the fruit pizza.

Enjoying her breakfast Fresh fruit, with miniature fruit pizza's.

Opening up some presents. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

New Table & Chairs

BEFORE

AFTER

I am a little crazy when it comes to picking furniture out for my house. I have lived in this house for two and a half years now. Since we have moved here I have been looking for a new table and chairs. I have finally found what I wanted. It is all solid hard wood, every bit of it and it is super heavy. The kids can't try and lean back in there chairs now either. I know what I want and I don't mind waiting for it. So now I go from a table that was the one that I group up with, the chairs were just folding chairs to a beautiful table with 8 chairs. I put the two extra chairs in my entry on either side of my piano. Now I am looking for a desk for my office. I think I have found the one I want to, but I will look everywhere first.

I am Loved

Ever since my kids could eat solid foods I made heart pancakes for breakfast for Valentines day. I would always put a note in there lunch with a special treat, and a little box of chocolates. This year it was on a Saturday, so no note in there lunches with a special treat. I did make them our annual heart pancake breakfast. My hearts did not turn out as great this year, but I was in a hurry because I had a Stake Young Women's Leadership meeting in the morning from 10 to 12.

We had some extra special kids with us on Valentines day morning. Who enjoyed our tradition. Jessica and Hunter are not in this picture, because they were just getting up.

I left that morning in such a hurry I did not have time to clean anything up and left my house a mess. I wished everyone a Happy Valentines day and left for my meeting, which was 30 minutes away. When I got home I was really wishing that my family would have cleaned up the huge mess I had made from that morning. This is what I encountered when I came home:

This beautiful note on the back door inviting me:

It immediately put a smile on my face. I walked into the house and it was immaculately clean and the table was set just like this. A peach rose from each on of my kids and white roses from Doug, with a special note/card from each of my children and a love letter from my husband.

With a dinner Menu of what they were going to serve that evening for dinner. I had to wait in the other room till they were finished and they called me into dinner and this is what the table looked like. I wish I would have taken one with all of the kids sitting down. Doug made it all. It was heavenly, and plenty left for the next day and it was just as good the second day. Thank you Doug, Jessica, Hunter, Spencer, & Taylor for making me feel so loved.

I love you!