Draper Temple Open House

View from the West Side

Snuck a shot of the three of us while waiting for the movie. This is in the Dining Room. They don't have a cafeteria at this temple. Just tables, chairs, and a microwave/sink area.

Mom & Grama--two gorgeous chicks!

All the wheelchair parking. Grama got us special access to the whole building- as well as rock star parking!!

View from the South Side

Mom, Grama, and I went to the Draper Temple Open House today. The last one I went to was when the Bountiful Temple opened. It was so nice to be back inside! It was absolutely beautiful. Every nook and cranny would make us ooh and ahh. It really is a peaceful, inspiring building. I wish I could have snapped pics the whole time but it wasn't allowed. I was so touched when I entered the Sealing and the Celestial Rooms. I really have a stirring to go back but I am not sure if it is the right time/thing for my marriage. Eric is very supportive of me going if I want to. But it is hard to be there without your spouse.
I want to go back with the rest of my family to the Open House of either the Draper or the Daybreak Temple when it opens. I think they would really love it and probably have a lot of questions. Thanks for a fun date girls!

Got Milk?

We made Banana Smoothies the other day and had a lot of fun making milk mustaches!

Sierra is having a baby

Now before you go losing your minds- it's just an electronic baby. She will bring it home in three weeks. They have to bring it home for a weekend for a school assignment. She will have to feed, change, soothe, and carry the baby with her at all times for the entire weekend. She has to wear a id bracelet that she scans on the baby every time the baby needs something. The bracelet can only be removed by the teacher. So only she can take care of it. It will cry, and make baby noises if it is happy or mad. Should be fun! So we will get a trial run at being grandparents. Hopefully this will cure her of all desire to have a baby for at least the next 10 years at least!!

Singing Valentines

Give your Valentine something unique & unexpected this year

~A Singing Valentine~!

Voices Women's Singing Group will sing a song of your choice! Your Valentine will also receive a beautiful handmade personalized Valentine, and either a carmel apple, chocolate truffles, or giant all day sucker.

Singing Valentine's are available Friday FEBRUARY 13th ONLY in Salt Lake County for a loved one, friend, etc. at their home, business, retirement center, etc.

Valentine Performances are $40 (Add $10 for additional songs)
Songs available are:
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree
My Guy
Da Doo Ron Ron Ron
Lollipop
Sugartime

Contact Amy Staley for scheduling @ amystaley46@yahoo.com
or Jenn Nugent @ jjnern@aol.com

3 dates in one week?

What the??? Tuesday Eric and I went to the Jazz game compliments of Neways (an atta boy prize from his new boss). We had killer seats on the 13th row!!! They were the best seats I have ever had. We were so close that I didn't even look at the jumbo-tron. Usually I watch the entire game on the jumbo-tron and wonder why I am not at home watching it on TV instead! It was a lot of fun. Although I must admit- it is louder and more fun at the top. I think we were sitting by a bunch a rich snobs who couldn't be caught yelling the cheers or clapping. I did it anyway!!
Then last night we went to a mixer for WGU (my online school). It was at the Marriott and was a semi-formal event. Eric and I got dressed up and head up there to rub elbows with people I have never met face to face. First of all, I was so surprised at how many people were there. At least 300 people by our guess. Most of the party was for those who just graduated (they have a graduation ceremony every 6 mos). There was a band, food, bar, WGU merchandise and pictures. It was really nice to see all the graduates and how many students there are. I guess I am not alone in my studies.
Tonight we were going to go out with one of Eric's old college buddies and his new girlfriend. But our babysitter bailed and went to a sleepover (aka Sierra) so I decided to stay home with the younglings & let Eric go and catch-up. It would have been our third date this week, anyway. Guess we haven't lost our spark yet!

Should I trust my doctor?

Why do I have no confidence in my doctor? Sierra's lump has gone away and she is doing fine. The last two times we have seen him- I had such a bad feeling about his diagnosis- as in I thought he was an idiot! But both times he was totally right. Should I trust my gut or trust my doctor??? I am just glad she is doing better!

Sierra's Health Update

Sierra developed a fairly large lump on the side of her face. We took her to the doctor and he said it was either a blocked salivary gland, or mumps. This scared me because: a. It's contagious, and b. She had been immunized for that. So we finally got the results back from the blood culture and it is not mumps. However- her condition has not improved. We are still waiting to hear from her dentist to see if it is possibly related to her wisdom teeth-which we really doubt. Our doctor said it will improve with time- but if things have not improved in a couple of days, I will see another doctor for a second opinion.
She can eat and function pretty normally- but it is tender to the touch and hurts if she yawns, sneezes or sleeps on it. This girl is always worrying us!!! Pray for her recovery! I am sure she will be fine- but a mom worries anyway!

A New President

Today our first black president was sworn in. Barack Hussein Obama. This is a very historic day in American history. My children are learning a lot regarding race, justice, and equality in school. They don't understand slavery. They don't even really know what it is. They don't know anything about segregation. When I explain these things to them, it is as foreign as speaking French. I'm so glad we live in a country where these things are a thing of the past. I am hopeful that President Obama can turn things around for our country. There is always improvement that can be made.

Bowling Date with Amy & Rob

Last night Eric and I went bowling with my good friends Amy & Rob! We had such a fun time! We dispursed the kids to their friends for sleepovers for the night so we were kid free! We ordered pizza at the lane and bowled a couple of games. None of us were very good so we weren't too competitive-we just laughed a lot. Although I did beat Eric both games~ hee hee! We need to go out with couples more often! It was so much fun! I am still working on a couples party for later in the year! Let me know if you are interested in coming- we would love to have you!

A day downtown/Jazz Game

Sierra's dance team did the Jazz Half-time last night! Sierra had to be downtown at 2:00 for a practice at the ESA (Energy Solutions Arena- the old Delta Center) with her dance team. I pulled the little ones out of school early and we went to lunch. We went downtown, dropped off Sierra and then the little ones and I had an hour to kill. So we walked around the ESA taking pics and sightseeing. We found these statues of Karl Malone and John Stockton. They had so much fun posing!




Sierra was performing with 3 other Stars Teams (Roosevelt, Bountiful, Central Utah, and of course Salt City). There were so many girls there. I think they said 175! Including Justice's best girl friend from school- Sydney! He has such a crush on her. We take her to dance on Mondays because she and Montana have dance at the same time. That is always a fun car ride! Anyhoo- we found Sierra after their practice and headed off to the Gateway for some shopping and dinner.


We circled the mall and went into a million stores. The little ones made a Build-a-Bear. They had never done one before and they were in heaven. I didn't think to take pics, but it was priceless. They were wide eyed and toothy grinned the whole time. Then we went to Happy Sumo for dinner. Tana really wanted to try sushi. So we got teriyaki chicken to share (just in case) and some of my favorite sushi rolls. She put one in her mouth and acted like she was eating dirt. It was hilarious. Needless to say--she did not like it. But Sierra and I were in heaven. Justice was his normal picky self. He had a few bites of rice and chicken and was "full"... uh-huh...ok!

Then Eric came and picked up the little ones and Sierra and I were off to the game. I dropped her off at the dressing room and headed up the stairway to heaven. My seat was literally 3 rows from the top. It was weird sitting there by myself, but the game was awesome. The performance was really great! The girls worked so hard and they did a fantastic job. Everyone around us was congratulating Sierra when she came up to her seat. We watched the rest of the game, bought some souvenirs and headed home! Fun, fun fun!

Yay! Pics!

I am finally figuring out how to make my new camera work with my new editing software- I am slow- but I do eventually figure things out. My goal this year is to put a pic with every post. So these are to catch up from the last few that didn't have one!

Sierra the chipmunk. Just had the wisdom teeth out. Justice is making fun of her.

Christmas Eve party at Grama Laura's.

Trying out the new mic & keyboard! We love it!

~Nutcracker '08~

~Me and SiSi~

Baptism Preview

Justice had his baptism preview today. The stake puts on a program to hopefully ease the anxiety of these 8 year olds to be, and shows them exactly what will happen. They showed the kids the font they will be baptised in, and let them all walk down into it. It did not have water in it at the time. They could see the line where it would be filled up to and could determine from that how high it would go to on them. They had someone show them with an older child exactly how they would hold their hands and showed them how they would be laid back into the water. Then they went back into the dressing room and saw the closet full of white clothes that they can choose from. It was very touching to see these wide eyed sweeties so curious and anxious to take this next step in our church. I tried to make sure that Justice had all of his questions answered. I want him to know that this is his choice to be baptised. He wants to do it and is excited. Once he turns 8 he can also start Scouts- which he is super excited about. His birthday is not until Nov. so we have a lot of waiting to do-which Justice is not very good at! Montana was very cute about telling him how it was when she was baptised. She had a giant smile on her face. They would explain something and then she would look at him as if to say "It's going to be so awesome, you will love it!" Justice asked me what it feels like after you are baptised. I told him that it makes you feel very happy. You will have done a really important thing that Heavenly Father wants you to do. I'm so proud of my kids!

58/100

The idea is that you highlight in bold the ones you’ve done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched an amazing lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

I tag all of you!

Voices

My good friend Amy talked me into joining a singing group called Voices. We were in A Capella Choir (Madrigals) together during High School and have so many fun memories of it. I thought I would give it a try. It will be fun for me to get out and hang with adults and perform a little again. Plus I can get my singing voice back in tune. My family actually can't believe I was ever a singer. Everyone in the group is really good, and they can all play and read music. I am pretty much just a singer by ear- I can read a little but I would like to be much better. So I have a lot of catching up to do. It went pretty well for our first practice today. We are going to learn 13 songs for our singing Valentines. We sing pretty much all day on the 13th. We go to people's work and deliver sweet songs from their honey! I am excited. Let me know if you would like a singing Valentine for your honey!! We also do a spring program, and of course Christmas performances. I have lots of practicing to do and hope I won't embarrass myself or the group!! la, la, la, la, la!!

All by myself

Ahhhh. I am sitting in the quiet,alone,for a few peaceful hours. The kids are back in school. Eric is at work. I am working on laundry and dishes and listening to the peaceful hum of the machines. No cartoons or westerns blaring. This is so rare. I am enjoying it way too much. Kids will be home in an hour and then it's rush, rush, rush from lesson to lesson. From one end of town to the other and back. Then quick dinner, baths, and of to bed. Then perhaps a cuddle moment with my husband on the couch. I should be at the gym. I should be doing homework. I should be running errands. But not right now. It's just me and my Calgon moment. Oh crap, the phones ringing. Back to reality!

Justice was right

I was taking the kids to see "Bedtime Stories" last night and I was going a little fast. Justice as he always does, was telling me to slow down. I told him to hush and let me drive. Two seconds later, the flashing lights in my rearview mirror told me I should have listened to my little one. So now I have to go to traffic school-pay a fine- and we were late for the movie. I promise to listen to my little safety monitor now.

Off with a bang

Midnight struck and we all celebrated in our own way. I was at work. Sierra was at a party with friends. Eric and the kids were shooting confetti fireworks at the house. We called each other and celebrated on the phone. Not the best- but it marked the occassion.
I am really excited about this year. Instead of making a long list of resolutions that I know I won't keep ,I have instead made a theme for the year. Nurture. I want to be better to myself, and better to my family. I want to do the things that really matter. I have building blocks in mind. We are building our children into adults. I want to teach myself and my children the things that are truly important in life. I want to create honorable memories. I want to have fun and be healthy. I think of nurturing every morning. Too often I put myself last- I even put my children and husband on the back burner because of pointless things that need to be done. I hope this will bring us closer as a family and make us all just a little bit happier!! Happy New Year everyone.