Strut Your Style All Stars

Lindsay has been part of this cute little cheer team for the past year and now all of their hard work is paying off! Yesterday they had a regional competition in Riverton and took First Place! I am so proud of all of these kids, they did so well. California here we come for Nationals!

What a Legacy

My children have been so blessed with 2 sets of grandparents and 2 sets of great grandparents who all live fairly close (no matter the "address" my parents pretend to have ;) I know how unique and lucky this is for them, and I am quite sure they know how lucky they are. When Merrill and I were dating I lived with my Grandpa and Grandma Herbert and I loved every minute of time I spent there. Merrill spent a lot of time there with me and fell in love with the neighborhood while driving to pick me up and decided to buy a home in the same ward they live in...twice! I am not going to go into how I feel about that right now, but one of the very best blessings that has come from that is the opportunity for my children to get to know their great grandparents and see them every week. If you know them, you know how special they are. They are very different from each other, but I love them both very much and I am so grateful for the time I spent living there getting to know them. Grandma is one of the most positive people I know and I absolutely love her personality. I'll ask her how she is doing and she says,"I can't see out of this eye, but it doesn't hurt so I can't complain. I can't drive...but I don't like to anyway so that's okay." My Grandpa on the other hand is very straight forward and to the point. He has never been one to be especially "friendly", but I always knew he loved me. He has ALWAYS done the right thing, even when it was not especially "popular" to do the right thing. I can remember years ago someone telling me that my grandpa had called the city to report them as renting illegally. I could not believe he would do something like that so I told them that I was sure he had not done that and then I called him to verify that I was right. As it turned out I was wrong! I could not believe it, how embarrassing, these were neighbors, I was her visiting teacher, how could he do that? Then he explained to me why he had done it, and instantly I knew he was right, and I totally supported him in what he had done. He has been fighting bone cancer for about 3 years now and while earlier this year he had been given a clean bill of health, the cancer has come back and is quickly killing him. He had intensive treatments the week before Christmas to try and stop the cancer. He was released on Christmas Eve, and we were able to have our family Christmas party with him. What a treasure it was to have him there.

The party is usually at his home, but this year because he needed to be within 15 minutes of the hospital, we had it at the Governors Mansion. At the end of our program he said a few words which were priceless, but the one thing that stands out to me is this,"put the past behind you and look forward to the future, forget about the mistakes you have made and move on." I'm sure that's not exactly what he said, but that's what I heard. He's very ill now with RSV and has been at the University Hospital since the week of Christmas. Merrill and I went to see him last night and I know his days are numbered. I will miss seeing him every Sunday at church. One day he told me (after I had not been to church)," we don't go to Church for the people, we go for ourselves, we go to learn how to be better people". He was full of love for the gospel, and spent his entire life serving everyone around him, and I am so grateful that I lived close enough to see it first hand. I hope he is able to come home, even if it's to die, so my children are able to say goodbye to a man who has played a role in their life and been such a good example to them. In November, he called and said he had 1 extra ticket to a BYU basketball game and asked if anyone wanted to go with him. Merrill had been planning on taking the boys and we already had 2 tickets so he was just going to buy another ticket at the game. I asked Richard if he wanted to go with Grandpa Herbert and at first he didn't want to go, but with a little coaxing, he went. What a treasure for Richard to have been able to spend that time with him one on one. I consider living so close to him all of these years a gift, and if nothing else good has come from it at least my children have known their great grandfather and for that I have to be glad. If you want to read a great article about him, click on "What a Legacy" at the top of this post.

Goodbye grandpa, I love you!

I'm in LOVE

Is it really so bad to be in love with your car?

The more I drive this little beauty, the more I love it!

I know...STUPID. But I still love it!

Happy New Year

2009 has been a great year for our family! A few years ago I decided not to write a Christmas letter to send with our cards and today I realized there were events that I could not remember when they happened because I had not been writing my yearly catch up letter. So in an attempt to "remember" what has happened this past year I am going to journal it here.

Merrill started a new job that he is really enjoying, and I am really getting used to having some security. He works for Aquaveo in Provo as their IT Manager. He is back to working 3 jobs during the ski season and we'll see how that turns out. It's usually not too bad, we still get to see him every evening. I'm not sure how much he loves teaching/babysitting kids at Park City Mountain Resort, (he says he does a lot of counting to what ever number of kids he has on that particular day) but I know he is great at it and we enjoy the season passes it provides our family with each year. Our kids LOVE to ski, and can now ski any run at PCMR. Lindsay tells me I need lessons.I don't like to ski with them because it is so hard for me to keep up, and a little terrifying to watch your 7 year old race her brothers down the mountain. I panic when I can't see my kids, thinking about every bad thing that could happen to them. This panic happens a lot when we ski together so I don't go as often as they do...for my sanity. Merrill has also been writing children's books. Paint the U Blue was his first one and the newest one is The Magic Pencil. They are both great stories and it has been fun for me to see him do something I had no idea he could do. One of the things I love the most about Merrill is his willingness to do whatever is asked of him, for instance, he is still the "physical facilities manager" in our ward...which means he's the janitor. My sisters and I get a good laugh about that one when we talk about it, but he is really good at getting it done, even when people who are suppose to show up and help don't. He even does it without complaint! (something I could learn a thing or two about) Merrill takes his responsibilities very seriously no matter what the situation. You'll notice that our Christmas card this year does not have the usual family photo...instead, just the kids. That's because he had an emergency at work and missed family pictures. I'm still a little angry about that one, but I do admire his work ethic and I hope his boss does as well.

Richard is almost 12 and I am quite sure I'm not old enough to have a 12 year old. Richard is all about whatever sport he is playing at the moment. During the early part of the year he played basketball, he was on the swim team at Riverside and also played lacrosse this past summer, and played tackle football this past fall. I have decided that lacrosse is my sport of choice! It's violent enough for him, not too violent for me, and great exercise. Plus it's really fun to watch. Richard is just as lively as ever and when you talk to him it's hard to remember that he's just 12. He loves to read, and is really smart...if only he would decide to apply himself. Putting his name on his papers and turning them in is "busy work" to him and he really doesn't care if he gets an F. We're trying to get him to learn to be responsible for his own grades, which is proving to be harder on me than him. I have to fight the urge everyday to ask (nag) him about his homework and grades. Maybe this is a lesson I need to learn!

Riley is 9 and he is as sweet as ever. He has the same school teacher that he had last year Mrs. Bevan and we all love her! She has also lived in our ward so it has been double the fun. She pointed out that he is an angel in her classroom...but in primary when Richard is there, they play off of each other and he's not so well behaved. I wonder what I'm going to do about that. Maybe it will solve itself when Richard moves up to Young Men. Riley still wants a dog...and I still don't think I can handle that. He is also loves to read and is smart...and also does not always put his name on his papers and turn them in. However, in his case, I really think he forgets. He gets good grades and loves school. Riley also played basketball, participated in swim team, lacrosse and flag football. He enjoyed every minute of playing time and made sure to let us know if he did not get to play as much as someone else on the team. He's all about the "fairness" of everything. How do you teach a 9 year old that life is never going to be fair?

Lindsay will be 8 in February and is really looking forward to being Baptized this spring. She is still dancing at Jive and absolutely loves every second of it...especially when she gets to perform in front of people. I don't know where she came from! I can't think of anything I like to do less. Lindsay is also on a competitive cheer squad, something I never thought I'd see her do. She has gotten really great at tumbling and really loves doing it. They are going to compete at the Nationals in Anaheim this February and we're all excited about that. Other than loving the spotlight, she is mini me and I love it! She likes to do anything and everything I like to do...especially shop. She reminds me every so often that she is the only cousin without a sister. I feel a little guilty about that, however I can't think of a worse reason to have another baby so she'll have to make due with me. She is my most athletic child and is great at whatever she tries. Merrill likes to tell her that she'll be in both the summer and winter Olympics. I hope he's planning on getting a few more jobs! She is very competitive and does not like to get passed while skiing. Early this past year she was skiing with my brother and they were racing. She needed to use the bathroom, but would not stop to go...instead she thought it would be a good idea to put her ski pole between her legs to "hold it". Lets just say it was not a good idea and she ended up with stitches somewhere she should not have. I think she's learned her lesson.

I stay busy driving kids around to various activities. My life is different now because the "retirement program" Merrill has been selling to me all of those hard years when my kids were young is now here. I have the whole school day to myself...and I love it! Things are still hard in different ways (mostly emotional), but I love the ages my kids are at right now. I am thinking about going back to school, or working a little more, so we'll see what 2010 brings for me. I am still keeping Sweet Baby Beads alive...but just barely. I am so sick of it that I don't give it the effort I should. We just bought a new car so maybe it's time to pick things back up again so I can pay for it! Today I was released as the enrichment leader and called to be the Mia Maid advisor and I could not be more excited. I have never had a calling in the Young Women program, but have always wanted to have one. When I was pregnant with Riley I was asked to be the girls camp director for our ward. I knew I was pregnant and would be delivering a baby 2 weeks before girls camp but we had not told anyone yet about the baby. I explained to the counselor the situation and he decided that it would not work. I was sad to not have that calling, but I am going to get my chance now and I can't wait.

Life is good for our family and as my grandma Herbert would say "I can't complain". The struggles we face are nothing compared to what others face. I truly believe that my Heavenly Father loves me and my sweet family and he will never give us anything we won't be able to bear. I love each member of my family so much that there don't seem to be the right words to express it. Each one of them teaches me in a little different way how to be more Christlike and I love them dearly for that. I am thankful that they are willing to put up with me and truly love me completely. I am also thankful for the relationships I have with each of you reading this. You brighten my days without even knowing it. Thank You! May 2010 be a wonderful year for us all.

Merry Christmas

50 Life Lessons

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

Written by Regina Brett

Thankful Thursday

I just found this gem on someones blog

while I was "blog stalking".

I don't know her, but I already like her!

Today I am thankful that I am NOT ALONE

in this job called motherhood.

It's nice to be able to laugh with other women who face the same struggles I find myself facing on a daily basis.

Rules of Mommy Hood

I have come to learn with being a mother that there are certain tricks, rules, if you will of nature. I have listed some choice rules in our house below:

• The Rule of the One Messy Room- at no one given time may all rooms within the household be entirely orderly. One room must take the fall... usually mom's room.
• The Rule of the School Aged Child- you will never be able to wake your child early enough to avoid: the morning rush, banshee screaming/yelling, slow eating, lost shoe.
• The Rule of the Toddler- this child must act like a blender with the top removed especially at: the grocery store, the toy store- heck, any store...
• The Rule of the Teenager- anything a parent states must result in rolling of the eyes and a muttering of some sort. In most cases the uttering resembles, "whatever..."
• The Rule of the Laundry- it shall never, ever, ever, ever, ever be done
• The Rule of the Dishes- *see rule of laundry above.
• The Rule of the Potty- no matter how many times a child uses the restroom before an outing, once leaving the threshold of any given residence, will need to use the potty immediately. This rule is usually most in use during car rides when the nearest restroom is either at least an hour's driving distance or filthy beyond all reason.
• The Rule of the Ratio- 50:1 amount of time it takes mom to clean a room to how long it takes to be completely unrecognizable i.e. trashed.
• The Rule of the Food- only the food on mom's plate is desirable, even if it is the exact same food on everyone else's plate.
• The Rule of the Good Book- a child is equipped with ultrasonic hearing in that a page ruffle or spine crack of a good book is heard at distances between 2 and 40 meters from reading site. The child has two choices at that point: make trouble or play shadow.
• The Rule of the Toothpaste- a child may never leave more than 30% of current toothpaste in tube remaining in the tube.