Evans Big Day....

Evan has been waiting so patiently for his Baptism day. He turned 8 back in April and it just seemed like one thing after another came up and pushed his day back further and further. Well, today was the day!! He was so excited about it that he told his Taekwondo instructor last night that he was getting baptized the next day.... He also lost a tooth last night and got his new video game in the mail yesterday. I think Evan feels like he hit the lottery this week!! I wont go into detail about the stress that we went through yesterday trying to find Evan a suit. Let's just say that trying to find a 2 piece suit for church in the summer is probably as difficult as finding a swimsuit in the winter.

I got up early this morning with a great plan in place to get myself and all 3 kids ready and out the door on time. Along with a list of things to bring like the camera, extra underwear etc... and still have time to swing by and pick up my sweet Grandma. Well, I didn't anticipate not being able to find the shirt I wanted to wear nor the ensuing hour of trying to find something else to wear. I did not anticipate Addison throwing up this morning or Ian's shirt being dirty. And finally...I didn't anticipate not being able to find my camera. All things considered being 20 minutes late and making a grand entrance with Addie screaming wasn't too bad I guess!

Ian gave one of the talks on the program. He did a great job although he says he is embarrassed because he started to tear up at the end. He takes after his mother in that area unfortunately. Speaking of which, I gave the closing prayer and had steeled myself to do it without crying. I got through about 4 words before I lost it. Later we went to Chili's for lunch and my brother admitted to making bets that I would break down during the prayer. Nice. I guess he should have put money on it!! It turned out to be a wonderful morning though....my boys are so handsome and growing up way too fast. Thankfully I have 4 years before Addison gets baptized.... (thanks to Nate for taking these pic's on his phone. They are the only ones we got!)

....another little story....

So, in my big ole Mothers Day post I forgot to mention a cute story. This is more for my own memories sake but still cute.... We haven't been to church in the past 3 weeks, I know *gasp*...stuff happens. Anyway, in primary they have been teaching the kids the song about the Stripling Warriors. Unfortunately, my kids hadn't really learned it so yesterday when they called the primary up to the front of the chapel to sing the song for all the mom's, they weren't too sure about going up. But, they marched up there and stood and smiled and didn't care that they didn't know the song....sort of. Miss Addison got up there and stood right in front, chin in hands looking all cute and smiley. Then they started singing and pretty soon I saw her put her fingers in her mouth and her eyebrows got all wrinkled up and I knew, without a doubt, that she was crying. Sure enough, she couldn't keep it in anymore and started bawling. We were sitting clear in the very back so I didn't jump up right away. The primary president came forward to scoop her up and that just made her scream louder....the worst part is that they were right behind the microphone. She just kept crying "I want my Mommy".... very appropriate for the day I guess. She spent the rest of day saying "I didnt sing mommy, I didnt sing".... She was just embarrassed that she didnt know the words. It was like deja vu from her dance recital. Good times :)

Weekend Adventures.....

We have had another busy weekend in spite of the continuing rain. I cant remember a time when we've had this much rain. The storms have been spectacular too....lightening, thunder, and massive downpours. Cool, but starting to get old.
Thurday night was a movie night....at home. We went to Blockbuster and rented some DVD's and stocked up on treats. We popped popcorn in the air popper and watched the movie Bedtime Stories. It was a cute family flick and everyone enjoyed it. We also rented Marley and Me which we are going to watch tomorrow.

Friday night we attended a BBQ put on by our churches Elders Quorum. It was fun to hang out and let the kids play....and it didnt even rain during the event which was a shock! Saturday morning I got up to weigh and go to my daily workout with my trainer. Our scale has been on the fritz lately and we havent been able to get a consistent reading so I had purchased a new one on Thursday. I waited until Saturday to weigh though....happy day, I lost another 5 pounds! This made going to my workout much easier that is for sure. I hope this success continues so that I can make it to my goal weight by April of next year! So far I have lost 9 pounds in 3 weeks..

After I got home we went swimming with the kids....nothing like deflating the recent weight loss excitement by putting on a swimsuit. LOL! The place we went was an indoor pool with a waterslide. The walls are all pexiglass so you can see outside and what a storm we were having while swimming! It was crazy. Both me and Denver got brave and went down the waterslide which in spite of its timid appearance was actually very FAST! It was so much fun.... We were hoping to go to a brand new water park that just opened however, because of all the storms I didnt feel like wasting the $50 it would end up costing and then get rained out. This would have to do for now.....

Once home from the swimming we got all dressed up to attend a tour of the newest LDS Temple which is in West Jordan. Its called the Oquirrh Hills Temple and it was beautiful. It was especially exciting for the kids to go inside an actual temple. Ian thought that we were going to be getting sealed that very night....he was a little disappointed to say the least but understood that we will be doing that in the 'not too far' future.

Evan blurted out at the baptismal font that when he turns 8 he wants to get baptized right there in that temple! And then Addison piped in during the video presentation that she thought the temple looked like Grandpa's house....! All in all it was a fairly entertaining couple of hours.

Afterward we drove up to the Draper Temple which was only dedicated a few months ago. It was dark by this time and another storm was coming in so the sky was looking quite surreal. This is the picture I took and I promise I did not photo shop the sky!! So pretty!

We have made reservations at a hotel in Twin Falls, Idaho for this coming weekend. We are going to go fishing....and then stay the night and explore the Snake River area. Everyone is pretty excited as we rarely ever take any kind of vacation involving hotels. I love using Priceline.com! You can use their "name your own price" feature and basically tell them what you are willing to pay and then they will possibly approve it. If they cant accept your price, they will tell you the cheapest they can offer it and give you the chance to take it. We got our room at a 3 star hotel (The Red Lion) for $55.....not too shabby! We have saved a lot of money on airfare too! Its always worth trying. Here are a couple of extra pictures I took on my phone...not great quality but still fun.

We had a lesson in church today during Relief Society by Ellen Fagg. She is married now and Im not sure what her last name is but I LOVE it when she teaches. She writes for the Salt Lake Tribune. I've never actually read any of her columns, I am embarrassed to admit that. But, she is a writer....something I would love to be. I would really like to sit down with her and find out about how she got where she is. What she studied....how she got this job. She seems like a very interesting person. The reason I love her lessons so much is that she doesnt just read along in the book....she really discusses the subject matter. She allows everyone to express their thoughts or experiences....and then she uses them in the lesson. And, the best part is that she always provides the most amazing quotes, poetry, and/or stories on a handout for us to take home. Today's lesson was on enduring trials and how we can get through them and learn to appreciate them.....understanding that they happen to everyone. Here is the poetry she gave us today. I think you can interpret it anyway you want, either way...I thought it was beautiful.

The Way It Is

There's a thread you follow. It goes among things that change.
But it doesn't change. People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can't get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die;
and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
You don't ever let go of the thread.

~William Stafford

On another note, Denver and I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night. This was a really good movie. Not exactly a happy ending....but what an interesting way to look at life. The character was able to see different stages of life from the opposite point of view. Living as an old man but with a childs mind....and then the reverse...being young in body but having the mind of man who had been through life and was in his "twilight" years. Makes you wonder if you would do things differently having, or not having, the knowledge that life experiences give us.....

Well, I have to admit that we aren't die hard conference watchers. I always record it and then we watch it bit by bit throughout the following weeks. Yesterday morning Denver had it on before I came downstairs and heard the news that his mission president, Neil L. Anderson had been called to the Quorum of the Twelve! That is pretty big news. We watched his talk this morning and I have to say that even though he wasnt speaking about anything really spiritual, I was touched with emotion at the thought that this man guided my husband while he served his mission in France nearly 18 years ago.... Knowing how difficult it must have been for Denver to be away from his family at that age and on top of it all being in a foreign country and speaking a different language....I think it takes a special human being to be a mission President. To be the one that is responsible for these young men and women must have been overwhelming. Not to mention he (President Anderson) was very young himself and his children were still school aged when he was called to go to France...can you imagine! Anyway, I just thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share that this morning.....

Ian's Baptism.....

So, today was the big day. Ian has patiently waited an extra month for his chance to get baptized. We bought him a nice suit for the occasion and he looked very sharp. His own words this morning were...."I look pretty handsome in this..." He was very composed and I am so very proud of him. Dad got up and introduced him to the congregation and listed a few of his favorite things: Fave Primary song: "Called to Serve" Fave scripture story: Daniel in the Lions Den and also what are some of his Christlike qualities. Denver said that Ian's was love. He loves people and has always had a hug for anyone who would let him do it... ever since he was 18 months old. We decided to wait for his confirmation to be done tomorrow during our church services. After the baptism, we went to the Olive Garden for lunch. This was Ian's choice for "fancy restaurants to eat at on his special day" . Nate and Alisa & Soren came with us as well. It was a really nice day and most importantly, Ian is happy. Here are a few pics from the day.

Evan really wanted to try on Ian's suit.....funny thing is that it nearly fits him anyway. We just recently discovered that the boys have the same size foot already. I think Evan is going to be VERY tall.

An update.....

Well, no new pictures really but I will just give a quick update. Sunday was our ward Primary program at church. Each child was asked to come up with a few sentences about certain subjects. Of course I helped them a little with theirs but the best part was that Evan completely memorized his and my sweet, shy little man got up there in front of everyone and said every word all by himself. I was so proud. He says he wasnt nervous one bit...wink wink. So cute. Of course Ian being the seasoned speaker that he is...ha ha...did great too. The teachers, as well meaning as they are actually hinder some of the kids from doing it themselves. As a panic measure they keep a copy of the whole program on the podium in case a child needs help or wants to read their part. During practice Ian kept reading his part even though he knew it by heart. So, just before the actual program, I told Ian not to look at the paper and to look out at the audience and find Daddy and Addison and tell them his little speech. Well, he got up there and pushed the paper aside first (to show everyone that he didnt need it) then looked straight out at everyone and spoke like a grown man. I had people ask me afterward if I thought he might run for President some day.....too cute.

So, today, it was mommy's turn. A few days ago I had to run some pictures of me and Denver down to Ian's school because he had forgotten them. They were our Air Force portraits. The school was doing a little Veterans Day program and asked the students to bring in pictures of family Vet's. Anyway, I had to bring them to his Principal who then proceeded to beg me to speak at the assembly. She ony had 2 other speakers and needed help and so reluctantly I agreed. It is strange because although technically I AM a Veteran, I feel like I dont deserve the title since I only served 6 years. I look at men and women who give 20 or 30 years of their life to this country and serve in wars and I think that is who that title belongs to. I understand that everyone who serves plays their part no matter how big or small but it still feels weird. Anyway, I represented the women today. They had a young guy from the Army who had just joined a year ago. Then they had me and then an older gentleman who was a retired Air Force Colonel. 29 years as a fighter pilot! He was so cool. The kids loved it. So, I spoke about my job as a Linguist and I got the kids to interact with me by asking them questions as I spoke and I was doing pretty good until I got to the patriotism part....of course I cried (because Im such a boob) but I dont care because I am VERY proud to be an American. That is something that being in the military really brought out of me. I didnt realize I had that in me and I really want to pass that on to my kids. Afterward, I asked Ian how he thought I did and he said "great mom! Except when you cried...I said 'oh no, dont cry' but then I cried too...." It was a great experience and Im glad I agreed to do it.

While I was speaking at Ian's school poor Evan had a partial root canal. I had to give him this kiddie cocktail of demerol, xanax, and phenegran an hour before to knock him out. Literally 5 minutes after I gave it to him he started getting groggy. Denver had to carry him into the office....poor baby. Now he has a silver cap on his tooth and he thinks it is pretty cool. He thinks it will get him more money when the tooth fairy takes it! He took 2 naps later in the day too....it really threw him for a loop. Im glad it is over with.

So thats about it really. Its been a nice week and we are gearing up for Turkey Day. I have so much to be thankful for in my life and Im really going to try focusing on that every day this month.....