Did absolutely nothing!!

This past Saturday I looked on our calendar and saw that I had absolutely nothing going on. The kids had a few plans but nothing for me.

I slept in and then just sat up in bed to continue reading "Breaking Dawn." I'm finally getting around to it. I stayed in my jammies the whole entire day. Anyone that knows me knows that I don't ever do that unless I'm deathly sick. I did eventually move down to the couch and finished reading an Oprah magazine and then back to my book. I didn't cook anything, I didn't wash any dishes, and I didn't shower until 4 pm!

Brendan went to a Young Men's activity in the morning and then to the BYU game with Jason. They took Allison to play with her cousins all afternnon at Brendan's mom and dads since his sister was here from Arizona. Jordan was gone on his day date for Homecoming and Jake was busy making plans with his friends.

I did have to take Jake to Liberty land (but I did it in my jammies.) He and his friends went to volunteer to work in the haunted house. Afterall, they give you a whole candy bar when you're done. But I guess the point is being able to scare people.

Jordan ran to the store to buy a new shirt and tie after his day date. He was running late and so I pulled my lazy behind off the couch and ironed his shirt for him.

With an empty house and my reading in full swing I realized how nice it was to have a whole day without the TV on! We had scrambled eggs and toast for dinner when Brendan and Allison got home. I have to say I had a pretty great day wrapped up in the vampire world of Edward and Bella!

Never thought I'd say this...

...but I LOVE texting!
After a few years of watching Jordan, and now Jake, compulsively hit the keys on their cells phones nonstop each evening I was ready to scream! It drove me crazy that they would be carrying on "conversations" with multiple people at the same time and never actually "talked" to any of them. It has been a blessing that Jordan's girlfriend doesn't have a cell phone so he has been forced to learn to use his voice for communication.

Anyway, it's been so fun to learn how to text even though my kids roll their eyes at how slow I am. I'm amazed at how I can get a long response from my kids before I have even had time to close my phone.

The whole point I'm trying to make is that it's a great tool to keep in touch with your teenagers. Jordan and Jake text me at least once or twice every single day with news about how they did on a test, news from school, to let me know of change of plans, and even to share heart felt personal experiences and struggles. Sometimes we'll talk about it later, but sometimes it's a long conversation back and forth through buttons on our cell phones filled with questions and advice and a feeling of love and understanding. When Jordan leaves on his mission I'm going to really miss our "daily text chats" just as much as I'm going to miss seeing him. Brendan and I have a great time sending "notes" to each other too! LOVE IT!!!

Like with anything these days, there are some down sides and we are still making Allison wait a while longer before she can have one of her own. I know, mean Mom!

Week In Review

Last Monday, after discussing the upcoming events for the week, Brendan and I got a little insight as to why living a polygamist lifestyle could be beneficial....more parents to get the kids to their activities and be there to support them all. But I guess more wives = more kids so it would feel just about the same or worse.
Monday -
Visiting Teaching
Activity Days at our house 3:45 to 4:45
Football Carpool 4:45 to 5:15
Mascot Bowl 6:30 to 9:00

Tuesday -
Football Carpool 4:45
Dance class at Timpview (East Provo) 5:15 to 7:00
That's a 30-40 minute drive each way!
Young Mens for Brendan and the boys 7:00 to 8:30
YW Standards night for Allison and mom 7:00 to 8:30

Wednesday -
Piano lessons 3:00 to 3:30
Football Carpool 4:30
High School team dinner (that was enough work for a whole week for me!) 4:30 to 6:30
Jr. High Parent Teacher Conference (16 teachers worth!) 4:00-7 :00. Brendan did this one on his own. First one that I have EVER missed. It killed me.
Jake did a cute activity in seminary and wanted to do it for a family home evening for us. Jordan protested, "It's freakin' Wednesday!" We did it anyway. Thanks Jake!

Thursday -
Football Carpool 4:45
Dance at Timpview 5:15-7 :30 (extra long practice)
Varsity Offensive team film review/dinner 6:30 to 9:00 (Our house survived this with the members of the Varsity football team's starting offensive line and no parents at home!)
Jake's Football game at Timpanogos (Orem) 7-9 First win of the season!!!!!! Photos coming.

Friday -
Help run a booth at the Jr. High Reality Town 7:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Time with Gracie and Michele (so fun!) 11:30 to 2:00
Football carpool 4:45 to 5:15
Jordan's Football game at Lehi 7:00 to 9:30
Peden's Anniversary party 9:30 to midnight (party!!!)

Saturday-
Morning Conference
Quick stop at Costco
Drive up to Sundance to spend the weekend at a cabin with great friends!
Priesthood conference and dinner at Brick Oven for the boys. Brendan, Jordan, and Jake love this tradition with their Brendan's dad and all of his brothers.
Stay up till 2:00 a.m. talking, laughing, and playing games with friends.

Sunday
Get up early to start a roast for lunch
Listen to conference over the radio at the cabin (so hard to do when you are used to letting your mind wander because it's so easy to hit the rewind button on the remote). Good thing we recorded it at home...instant FHE for Monday.
Have a great lunch around a huge table surrounded by friends and family.
Deal with cold, wet kids who insisted that the pouring rain wasn't cold and promised that they wouldn't fall in the river!

It was a very crazy, but very fun week for us. Now try to squeeze in making and eating dinner sometime before 9:00 pm, doing homework (Jake had a huge research paper due this past week), laundry, and two hairbow orders and it makes for a very busy life. Thank goodness we are blessed to be healthy and strong and somewhat sane, for now at least, because this week doesn't look any less hectic! If Jordan didn't drive and if we had more than 3 kids I would definitely start shopping around for a second wife---FOR ME!

Pioneer Trek

This post is really late in coming and out of order, but it was a significant experience and one that is definitely better late than never.

I'm sure the Pioneers weren't quite as excited as our ward's youth were to start on their Trek across the plains. It was a lot of work just to prepare for it and our leaders did such a great job. It was fun going to D.I. to look for authentic Pioneer clothing (a requirement) and running into neighbors and friends there all looking for khaki pants and long sleeved plaid shirts. Everyone was allowed 17 lbs. of gear which they had to fit in a 5 gallon bucket. Not much room once you get started. I found these great green buckets at Cabellas with a cushioned lid which was perfect since their buckets had to serve as their only source of seating. I said good-bye to my boys at 5:45 a.m. on August 7th. The actual trek details as told by Brendan and are as follows...

"What an awesome experience!!! We left early that morning and drove through to Independence Rock, a huge rock formation that juts out above the Wyoming plains. The pioneers and people on the Oregon trail would cut or paint their names on the rock as they passed it. It's called independence rock because the travelers knew if they made it there by independence day they would make it to the coast before winter. We all climbed up onto the rock and looked out over the plains. As I looked down, I could see the highway with many cars and trucks driving 80 miles per hour and I thought, "if the poineers could see what I'm seeing, wouldn't they be amazed at the speeds we travel today". We saw many of the cut in signatures on the rock, some dating back to the early 1800's. We ate lunch then drove to Martin's cove and pulled our handcarts three miles to our campground where we enjoyed square dancing and a fireside.

The next day we were led by a guide into Martins cove, where the Martin handcart company tried to take refuge from the early winter storms. Many of the company died there while they waited for the rescue wagons to arrive. What a sweet spirit that place has. The spirit of the pioneers and their great sacrifices.

I loved just being where the pioneers actually travelled. I looked at the clear night sky, with millions of stars visible, and imagined myself traveling with the poineers and seeing the exact same night sky. I thought of the poineers praying that they would arrive safely in the valley soon. In some places you can still see the wagon ruts along the trail. I looked miles down the trail at the ruts going off into the distance and over the hills and imagined walking along with the wagon train, on my way to the Great Salt Lake Valley. How excited and scared they must have felt.

We had one big scare while we were on an activity called the "Women's Pull". It involved having the men pretend they had been called to go with the Mormon battalion and leave the women behind. The women then pulled the handcarts all alone. The boys went up ahead and were told to stand along a hillside and watch "like angels unable to help" as the girls pulled the handcarts up the hill on their own. What an amazing thing, you could see the strain on the boys faces as they watched the girls pull the handcarts up the hill, unable to help. When we finished, one girl in our group had a serious asthma attack and another girl fell down exhausted with heat exhaustion and dehydration. It was a scary moment as our medical people gave her an IV and we all waited for a medical rescue. We were miles up the trail so it took 15 to 20 minutes for them to arrive by motorized cart. Our bishopric gave her a blessing as we were waiting, then we all knelt down and prayed that she would be okay as she was taken away by the medical team. She ended up being okay after they took her back to the main camp and got her inside some air conditioning. We were able to witness the power of the preisthood and the power of prayer in action. We felt a little of the fear the pioneers must have felt as their loved ones would fall ill from sickness and injury along the trail.

Another activity that impacted me was our crossing of the Sweetwater river. We reenacted the experience of the pioneers by having two violinists play "Come Come ye Saints" while our 17 year old Priests carried all the girls and women in our group across the river. For us, it was late summer and good weather, the river was very low and warm, there was no danger. For the poineers, it was early winter, the river was higher and chunks of ice floated past thier legs. It must have been terrifying. For us, it was a reverent, solemn experience that I will never forget.

We then drove to Rock Creek where the Willie handcart company spent time waiting for the rescue wagons. We saw the mass grave site where 15 were buried after a very difficult and cold night, and we saw other individual grave sites. We had a testimony meeting there. I loved hearing the testimonies of the youth, and how our trek experience impacted them and built their testimonies.I recommend that anyone who has a chance to go and see Martins Cove and/or Rock Creek that they take it. You don't have to go as a youth group, you can go as a family or even by yourself. You don't have to pull a handcart if you don't want to. You can just hike to the cove and feel the spirit. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. "

These photos were taken by a good friend and sent to me which I am so grateful for since Brendan didn't have a camera on him. Our ward put together hundreds of pictures and video and put them on a CD for each participant to have. It's so amazing and helps the rest of us that didn't go to feel the spirit that was there. It will be a treasure in our family forever.

Just a few more weeks

I had to put up this cool picture of Jordan, Ben, and Bo that one of the photographers just took during a game opener. I just love these guys...if you can't already tell since I've replaced our family picture for them. But I'll put "us" back on in November. Football season only has a few weeks left and then the mourning will begin in our family. We've always been able to feel better knowing that there's always next year, but this time there won't be a next year for Jordan and most of his teammates. Of course, they would all love to play college football, but the reality is that it just won't happen for most of them. This is it and we are all trying to soak in every minute of it. Ok, I'm not going to start getting all sentimental yet because we still have 4 games left and I'll host the pity party later. For now...it's game time!

Oh, by the way...It was my turn to be in charge of doing the team dinner last night. "WHEW" is all I can say. It's not everyday that I go buy and prepare enough food to feed 100 people, let alone 100 football players. We served pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, chips, and ice cream with homemade hot fudge sauce. I had help from 5 fabulous team moms so that was wonderful! Allison and Angelina Dew manned the drinks and did a great job. Everyone was fed and a few got seconds but we pretty much ran out of everything! As one of the moms said to me though, "You could have prepared double of everything that was out and it still would have been gone. If there's food left, they'll just keeping coming for more!" So true. Our guest speaker fell through the night before so I tried to scramble for a fun game for 15-18 year old boys (or should I say "men") to play. I came up with the idea of tug-o-war. We did sophomores vs. juniors first. Sophomores outnumbered them almost 2-1 so they won. Then the soph. played the seniors and the numbers won out again. The soph. team then divided up offense vs. defense and so and and so on until we crowned one champion. It got really rowdy and we had to do several heats over because all the juniors and seniors had a hard time not jumping in on one side or the other. The point was to have fun and build team unity. I think it was achieved. I'm glad it's over though. Boy, what a day!

Betcha didn't know...

Here are 50 things that you may or may not know about me. I'm totally stealing this idea from a friend's blog. It was so much fun to read and learn so many funny things about her that I wanted to do the same (except that I'm not funny like she is).
1. I'm a chicken when it comes to most things except for rollercoasters.
2. I have a special place in my heart for cinnamon rolls.
3. I cannot do math above the basics at all. Good thing I'm married to an accountant.
4. When I'm home alone, I like it quiet. No TV, no music, nada.
5. I love Mexican food, but it can't be even slightly spicy.
6. Jake's smile and dimples melt my heart.
7. I don't have a sister, but always just wanted an older brother. Now that I'm older (and don't have to share my stuff), I wish I had a sister.
8. Life doesn't get much better than when I'm getting a back rub or foot massage.
9. I don't like chocolate very much.
10. I'm a neat freak, but can't seem to keep my office uncluttered or my closets organized.
11. I always liked my male teachers and bosses a lot more than the female ones.
12. I love going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned.
13. Brendan was the first boyfriend that I had that I didn't get bored with or annoyed at after a few weeks. (Typical for a 15 year old, isn't it?) After 6 months went by, I was shocked. Now after 24 years of "dating" I try to not take him for granted.
14. I'm going to be an empty-nester in my mid forties!
15. I enjoy doing paperwork. Even paying bills is fun for me, just not the budgeting part of it.
16. I love having teenagers. I just hate waiting up for them, and worrying about them, and picking up after them...
17. I love watching football games. Jr. high, high school, and BYU only!
18. I love visiting factories and watching TV shows about how things are made.
19. When I'm on a plane, I say a silent prayer everytime during take-off.
20. I avoid politics. I'll vote, but don't talk to me about it.
21. I don't know how to whistle. I've tried. I can't.
22. I hate wasting time.
23. I love the word "LUNCH." I love how it sounds, I love saying it, and I love going out with friends to eat it.
24. I am terrified of drowning. Therefore, I am not a big fan of the ocean, boating, waterskiing, swimming, etc.
25. I love quoting movie lines with my family. Especially from Home Alone and Dennis the Menace---Classic quote material!
26. I don't like haunted houses, spooky rides, or scary movies. I'm a chicken, remember.
27. I HATE being cold, especially when I'm in a restaurant.
28. I love doing laundry. I have my year supply of detergent!
29. It makes me nautious to see gunk in-between people's teeth.
30. I don't mind exercising, it's just that I REALLY don't like to sweat, right Michele?
31. Peanut butter is one of my best friends.
32. Turf Pellets are the enemy.
33. I have an obsession with wiping countertops!
34. I REALLY love the smell of coffee. Been up to the coffee shop in the deli area of the Harmon's in Draper? HEAVEN!
35. I enjoy getting rid of stuff. There's no pack rat in me.
36. I hate getting my hair wet.
37. I love reading, but I can only get through 5-10 pages at a time before I fall asleep.
38. When I'm stressed or mad, I clean . And you wondered how I always have my house picked up :)
39. I have a super sensitive sense of smell. Even thinking of a bad smell can make me gag.
40. I love school supplies. Just walking down the school supply aisle makes me happy.
41. I love a good rainstorm. Thunder and all!
42. I enjoy baking, but (this is copied directly from Stef's blog) "I don't like cooking, anything, ...ever."
43. I don't go anywhere without my camera.
44. I am a home-body.
45. I love making to-do lists and crossing things off of them.
46. I like to travel and one of these days, I'll "bring you all back something French."
47. I get so sidetracked that it's hard for me to finish anything. You know like when you are making your bed and you notice that you haven't dusted your nightstands in months, but while you are getting your dust rag, you find a towel on the floor, so you go put that in the hamper and then you remember you have clothes in the dryer, so you start folding them, and then you see turf pellets all over the floor so you go get the broom....and your bed never got made, your nightstands are still dusty and....Oh ya, I was making this list.
48. I like fake jewelry. Especially earrings, "long dang-i-ly ones."
49. I marvel at people who can sing, who are naturally funny, and who can design cute blogs! That's a cry for help people!

AND #50:
I have way too many things to do to be making lists like this.

Coaching Allison

One of Brendan's passions is coaching football. He's been coaching our boys since they could hold a little soft nerf ball at the age of 1. He was officially their team coach with Jordan for 3 years and with Jake for 2. Well I never thought I'd see the day when Brendan would coach Allison during a football game, but it happened. Not in the traditional sense, but it was still funny for me to stand back and watch.

Brendan was asked to run the clock at Jake's game Wednesday night (probably because he's the one that is always yelling at the ref's about the mis-management of the clock). Anyway, Allison and I got there a little late after her dance class. We figured, why sit on the bleachers by ourselves? We invited ourselves to join Brendan up in the booth. He was having fun running the clock and scoreboard but couldn't keep track of everything by himself. He asked Allison if she could help him by keeping track of where the ball was and entering the information for the scoreboard. She had to look around for a good stool to sit on and got right down to business.

They sat together discussing the game and the rules. How many 12 year old girls know that in high school the ball is always set on the 3 yard line for an extra point kick? Oh that reminds me, Pleasant Grove had a girl kicker! Ok, now back to the story. Allison also learned that you always mark the ball on the 20 during kickoff. She didn't miss a beat. Once, during a timeout, I was trying to help her with a step she was having trouble with at dance and she said, "Later Mom, I have to watch the game!" I'm sure those words sent Brendan to heaven and back. It was just funny to see her get so technical and interested. I sat back and marveled as I watched the two of them. Can you just picture her saying, "Oh my gosh Dad, that was totally a false start on them!" I couldn't believe it. Oh, the bonding of a father and his little girl. Never thought it would happen up high in a booth at a football game.

P.S. Regarding Jordan's game last Friday against Lone Peak...let's just say that I can't write anything about it because we've all done our best to block it from our memory :(

Just trying to be obey the rules

Jake is such a sweetheart (most of the time) and rarely asks for much. So when he makes a request, I feel obligated to honor it. Within reason, of course. Well, he set down the ground rules for me about football games. Absolutely no photos before the game and then only after the games IF they win. Well, I have been getting a little sad because it hasn't looked like I would get any photos this whole season.

Last night was no exception. In fact, it was turning out to be a blowout. So how did I end up being able to take photos? Jake got to go in as receiver and made a great catch and ran the ball about 5 yards! We all know he got a 1st down, but the refs called it short by inches. He was so excited and proud of himself that he was all for taking a picture or two.

Jake and his sideline buddy, Lucas Draney.

These are two of my favorite boys in the whole world.

After sitting on the sidelines ALL season, he was thrilled to not only actually play in a game, but to have a great catch. It's not that he's not good, it's just that his team consists of a lot boys that are the size of Jordan and it's hard for a little guy like him to get noticed sometimes. He was happy to overhear one of the assistants ask the Head coach, "Why haven't we played him yet?" Hopefully he'll get more opportunites in the future because he will sacrifice whatever he can to make a catch or get up field. What he lacks in height he makes up for in heart and desire. He gives it his all in practice every single day. Brendan coached Jake's teams for 7th and 8th grade and says that Jake is a better quarterback than Jordan, but because he can't see over the line (yet), he doesn't get to play that position. (I'm so sorry Jake...it's all my fault. Not much height to contribute from my gene pool.) When one of his teammates makes a good tackle, or pass, or catch, or run...Jake is the first one on the sidelines to be there to give them a pat on the helmet and say "good job." Every team needs someone like Jake. We're so proud of him for sticking through a tough season and pray for a little growth spurt this winter.

Cheesecake Factory

We all went to The Cheesecake Factory in honor of Jordan's birthday last week. Jordan had to have his two sidekicks and best friends in the whole world, Jordan Dew and Nicole Foster, come along.Jordan Dew said he thought we were going to a REAL cheesecake factory and he was all ready to try all the samples during the "tour." Oh, Dew.....glad, he wasn't too disappointed.
Jordan and I planned a little surprise for Nicole. He asked her out to Homecoming that night. I had excused myself from the table right before dessert and slipped a little sign to our waitress with the request to have her put it on Nicole's piece of cheesecake. Jordan and I got nervous when Nicole and I happened to order the same kind (Raspberry/lemon cream --YUM!) Then a different waitress brought out half of our order and served Nicole first (the unmarked piece). Jordan and I just nervously looked at each other and said, "Now what?" to each other without speaking any words. I was totally rude and said, "Hey, that's supposed to be my piece." Nicole got all embarrassed and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Here you can have it." I can only imagine what the poor girl was thinking...I felt like the biggest loser. I thought it was a simple request. Our waitress obviously was too busy to make it go smoothly. It was all good a few minutes later when HER piece came. The note said, "Nicole I would love to have the honor to 'CAKE' you to Homecoming. Love, Jordan." Totally copied the idea from a friend in our ward. Thanks Julie!Nicole was beaming for the rest of the night. I think she forgave me.

19 reasons for 19 years

19 years ago today, I married my very best friend after he was home 3 months from his mission. I was only 20, never lived away from home, just barely graduated with my Associates degree, didn't know how to cook (not even good cookies), making $4 an hour at a travel agency, but we were done waiting and I was ready to be his wife! It hasn't always been easy, but worth every minute of it!

Here are 19 things that I love about being married to Brendan.

1. That he makes me feel safe.
2. That his number one hobby is his family.
3. That he is a great listener and that after all these years we can still talk for hours at a time.
4. That he cleans up the kitchen for me after dinner.
5. How he can seriously laugh at the oddest things on TV which in turn makes me laugh or at least crack a smile.
6. The fact that he can fix ANYTHING!!!!!
7. He is able to finish something before moving on to something else and is very thorough about it.
8. Is not afraid of getting dirty.
9. Loves a good challenge, both mentally or physically.
10. Supports me even when he doesn't agree with me.
11. Honors his priesthood.
12. Loves Disneyland as much as I do.
13. Is neat and organized.
14. Is an "on-time" type of person. I guess that's called punctual.
15. Is a really hard worker at everything that he does.
16. Will watch and discuss Oprah with me (only certain ones though, even Brendan has a limit)
17. Calls me EVERYDAY at lunch and on his way home.
18. Is willing to sit by me at football games even though I get mad at him for yelling at the refs and coaches and have asked him, "What's a block in the back?" at least 100 times. I still can't remember.
19. And the number one reason I love Brendan is that he understands me and makes me feel important,loved and cherished every single day!

Happy Anniversary my Sweets!
Love, Me

Oh why did you have to grow up?

Jordan turned 18 today and it's been a really emotional day for me. Because you see he was my little boy just yesterday and today he's all grown up. I've been counting down the years, but I never really thought this day would come.

I remember the overwhelming feeling that came over me the minute the doctor placed him in my arms...all I could think of was, "Oh my gosh! What have I gotten myself into?" I was so scared and so young and so unprepared. But he is here today because I could not disobey one of the strongest promptings I have ever felt in my life. He was to be born at that time for a specific purpose known only to our Heavenly Father. I just pray that I've done my part in preparing him to choose the right and to fulfill his mission on this earth. I don't know. How can any mother ever feel like she's done her job?

I have to reminisce for just a minute...

Jordan was so wild and crazy as a baby that it was impossible to change his diaper alone. I needed someone to hold him down and someone else to distract him while I tried to change him at an Olympic record pace. I remember my mom promised me that once he turned 2 and started to communicate, he would get a little more easy to handle. Well 2 came and went. She then told me, "Just wait until he's 5. He'll be better once he starts school." Really? Then came, "For sure by the time he turns 8 and is baptized." Well, to make a long story short, my mom's latest advice is, "He'll be great once he goes on his mission!" He's not really all that naughty...well, maybe he is, but I've just learned how to deal with him through the years. He just has a very strong personality. The type that sometimes only a mother can love.

His favorite movie since the age of one has been Home Alone. I guess watching Kevin get into so much mischief influenced him just a little.

We used to tell him that he needed to hold our hand when he crossed the street. He would just start walking across the street cupping his hands together and say, "I hold my own hand!"

Jordan's favorite past times as a little kid, besides playing with any type of ball, were playing with his Batman guys and drawing. When he was about 3 years old, my brother Carlos noticed a bunch of scribbles on his Senior Art project that he had been working on for weeks. Jordan denied the whole thing of course, but the problem was that the scribbles spelled J-O-R-D-A-N! Oops! He insisted that it was the "Other Jordan." We have had a family joke for years now about "The other Jordan."

When he was about 4, he was bugging someone or something and we told him to mind his own business. He immediately stopped and declared, "I don't have a business. I don't even have a job!"

As he got a little older he turned more into Will Smith's character on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ever watch that show? That's Jordan exactly. Funny and wild, always pushing someone's buttons, but not always knowing when to stop.

I wouldn't change a thing if I could, though. It's who he is and he makes life a lot more fun and interesting. Next year we are going to miss him so much. He doesn't hang around much anymore anyways, but there's never a dull moment when he's around.

Hard to imagine, but I know next year we'll be saying how much we miss him announcing at the top of his lungs in an opera voice, "I HAVE TO GO PEE!" or turning on Jake's bedroom light and jumping on top of him after he's asleep, or fighting over the radio station or volume in the car, or making my mom cringe everytime he gets near her because she doesn't know if he's going to scare her or pick her up and spin her around, or having to stay clear of him until after 12 noon because he's as far from a morning person as they come.

He's been one of my greatest challenges, but also one of my greatest joys. What a blessing it has been to raise him and have him be a part of our family. I'm so thankful that he has been a good leader amongst his friends and also for their examples to him. I'm thankful that he is such a hard worker when he needs to be, but is also able to chill and relax and have fun. I'm thankful for the laughter that he brings into our family. I'm thankful that he honors his priesthood and is preparing himself to go on a mission and gets up at 6:30 on Sundays to go to his Missionary Prep. class. I'm thankful that he has always been able to excel in school and in sports. I'm thankful for the experiences he's had on the football field that have taught him the payoff of hard work and also how to lose and pick yourself up again. I'm just so thankful that we've made it this far and I can't wait to see what great things our Heavenly Father has planned for his future. I may not be the center of his life anymore like when he was little and loved his mommy so much, but I'll always adore him and be his number one cheerleader. I'll always stand tall and proud to say that he's my son!

Happy 18th Birthday Jordan!

I love you from here to space to the North Pole!

I can see!

Allison's been telling me for a few weeks that she sits in the back of most of her classes and can't see the board very well. I've been putting off the eye doctor appointment because I've been in denial that my little girl needs glasses. But yesterday we took the plunge and took her in. I realized that she has never had an eye exam, other than the little chart thing they do in elementary school each year. She thought the whole thing was quite bizarre. The doctor's assistant asked her if she was having any problems in school. Allison got a puzzled look on her face, hesitated, and then replied, "Oh, you mean like in seeing things?" I'm sure she was thinking why does this lady care how my grades are or how my jr. high social life is going? Problems in school? It was funny at the time, but it's one of those things you had to be there for. Her eyes aren't too bad...just slightly nearsighted and her perscription is only -.75. Nothing compared to Jordan's of -4.25! Poor guy, he's blind! It took her only about 10-15 minutes and about 10 tries to get her contacts in. We picked out some cute glasses too, just in case. The picture above is not one of the actual frames that she chose. She tried on so many that I stopped taking pictures. She walked around the store in awe of what she could read and see. She was thrilled to be able to read signs in the parking lot that she hadn't been able to see before. We talked about the blessings and miracles of modern technology and medicine and how lucky we are that we have them. This morning was a bit rough. She couldn't get her contacts in and ended up missing the bus. But she'll get the hang of it soon enough. That leaves me as the sole survivor in our family without contacts. I'm sure my day will come...especially as I'm quickly approaching old age, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do the whole contacts thing. You have to stretch your eyelids so much which can't be good for the whole wrinkles around the eyes situation. I think my mom is probably the only one who gets what I mean and is nodding her head as she reads this.

1st down, 6 to go...

You were all thinking this was another football post with 1st down and 6 YARDS to go, right? Did I fool anybody?

Allison has been working hard on finishing all of her value experiences and her project for Knowledge in her Personal Progress. She only just got serious about it the last few months but there's no stopping her now. Six values left to go. For her 10 hour Knowledge value project she decided that she would learn how to make bread. She got up early on Sunday and got the dough ready for four loaves of sourdough bread. Since it's made with a homemade starter, and not store bought yeast, it takes a long time to rise so we couldn't wait until the afternoon. I walked her through it and gave her some tips, but she was so proud of herself because she did it all by herself. She told her Dad, "Mom didn't even touch the dough!" I think Jake snuck a piece of the braided loaf before I could take a picture of it. Later this week we will finish it up completely after she makes some wheat bread and also some rolls and breadsticks for dinner. Before you know it, I'll be sitting around reading a good book, while my kids make dinner. Ok, well I can dream, can't I?

Check out these great photos!

I finally got the pictures that I ordered from the team photographer. I'm so glad that we have these as we would never be able to take these from the stands.

LEHI VS. SPRINGVILLE

LEHI VS. PROVO

That last photo is my all time favorite! It was Jordan's reaction right after Josh Miller caught the winning touchdown pass with 1.4 seconds left in the game!

Go Nicole!
She's the ball girl, but at just 5'2" it's scary to go out amongst the big guys in between plays!

The photographer caught Jake and his friends in the stands doing the "Peanut Butter/Jelly" dance!