Happy Father's Day!!!

I love any day I can officially honor and thank my husband, dad and Grandpa! I am so blessed to have such amazing men in my life! We had a fun day spoiling Adam and ended the day at a family barbecue in great honor of the father's in our life!

My grandpa has been like a father to me! He has helped me in so many aspects of my life! He has been there for me through thick and thin. He even helped me buy my first car! :) My grandma passed away in January of this year and he has been so strong! I know he misses her with all his heart, yet he still pushes forward. He is such an example of strength and endurance! I love him so much and am so grateful for him!

My grandpa is an incredible chef! He always cooks a mean steak, hamburger, or anything on the grill. He is the Grill King!!

 

 

My dad lives in Roosevelt and I don't see him very often. He has a hard time sleeping at night so he calls me almost every night, that I work, around 2:00 a.m. So I talk to him frequently. He loves to tell stories about our ancestors and I love hearing them! I miss seeing him but at least get to talk to him frequently! I love you, dad!

My dad is as Western as they come. He still trains horses. And boy does he love his dog, Minnie!

 

And then there is my sweet husband, Adam! Where do I begin! He is truly my best friend. I love the way he makes me laugh! I love the daddy he is to my children! I love the friend he is to many! I love the passion he puts in to being a teacher! His students are very blessed to have him as their teacher. He has been honored many times and has been given numerous awards for being an outstanding teacher, and he has only taught for 4 years- AMAZING! I love the way he laughs in funny movies, his laugh is VERY contagious! I love that he makes us dinner every Sunday! I love how smart he is! I love that he uses words I have never even heard of! He is my living, walking thesaurus! I love his strength and tenacity. He never gives up without a great fight and much effort! I love how handsome he looks in a suit. I love that he has been working so hard on fixing our laundry room floor! He has completely torn out the old floor, re-placed the floor and has re-tiled! It looks awesome! I love that he gets nervous when he leaves a message on the phone. I love the way he plays with our kids. I love that he tickles them relentlessly. I love that he walks around with toilet paper sticking out of his nose when he has a bloody nose. I love that he rarely snores. I love that he can pick up most anything with his "finger toes." I love how he treats his mother! I love the respect he has for his father! I love that he loves me for who I am and has never asked me to change! I love that he takes good care of our children while I am at work. Needless to say, I love HIM!

 

 

 

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers out there! Thank you for being our soul mates~ Thank you for being wonderful fathers to our children~ Thank you for working so hard~ Thank you for being our friends~ Thank you for being you!!!

Tuesdays Treasures

It is so funny sometimes how you learn important life lessons. And how quickly one can be reminded of what truly matters in life. I have had a rough last few weeks. Not anything major, thank Heavens, just enough to bring me down and not feel like myself. Last night, while taking a little drive, I found myself bawling like a baby on I-15. (Not the best place to be uncontrollably crying, mind you). I don't really want to go into details, but I prayed and cried a lot on that freeway. :)

Well, after a lot of praying, a lot of tears and probably a few "one finger salutes" from drivers, I went home and went to bed. Today was a new day! I felt a little better, ready to at least do my best. My problem is that sometimes I am hard on myself, and my "best" is not good enough. I am only this way with myself. I can see every bit of effort given from others, just not myself. I know I try hard, but sometimes it doesn't seem to cut it. This, I know, is a fault of mine. I work on not being so hard on myself daily.

Anyway, back to my day and my treasures! I got up and did the morning routine with my kids, got the boys to school, and got in the shower, when I heard the door bell ring.
I hurried and put clothes on, so not to scare my unexpected visitor. When I opened the door and saw 3 of my sweet friends standing there, I must say, I was a little surprised. Did I forget something? (I am REALLY good at that!) Seeing the confusion on my face, they said "We're here to help you in your backyard and with what ever else you need!" My heart instantly started pounding and my eyes filled! You see, my backyard was a jungle. The backyard was one of the selling points when we bought our house 3 years ago. But, every year it is hard to keep up with. It is A LOT of work! Needless to say, I hadn't got very far with it yet this year. A few minutes later there were 2 more of my dear friends in my backyard helping.

Not only did they help me weed, but they helped take down Tayla's crib and put up Tayla's new "big girl" bed! She loves it!!! They spruced up my kitchen, and other rooms. Ana's muscles, loosened something that I have been muscling with for a month! :) Good job, wonder woman!! They were amazing! They jumped in and helped a very grateful friend- Me!! :)

I try really hard not to complain. I wish I could say I never complain, but that would be a big huge lie! A few days ago,while talking to one of these friends, I voiced my frustration on my "jungle" and just being behind in general! Those of you who know me well, know I have a hard time excepting help. (yes, I know, another fault!) I just don't want to be a bother to anyone. And to be honest with you, I would rather just help others than have others help me. These friends of mine, did something that I will never, ever forget!

They read between the lines!

They know me well enough to know that I would say, "Oh, thank you, but I'll be o.k" So they just showed up and gently, how only good friends can, put me in my place! :) I am forever grateful for that. Between the six of us, my backyard is enjoyable to me again! I want to go out there and play with my kids now. I no longer feel the impending doom of endless weeds! But more importantly, I am reminded of the important things of life!
Lately, I have been looking at it all wrong! It doesn't matter how much you get done in a day, it matters WHAT you did during your day! These 5 friends of mine took time out of their day, and pushed their own "to do lists" aside, to show love, kindness and service. That is what really matters. And if, at the end of the day, I have showed any of the traits of these wonderful women, then I have had a successful, productive, meaningful day!

These friends are my Treasure- not just for today, but EVERY DAY! They are all great examples to me! Each of them, in their own incredible way, make me want to a better person! I love each of you like sisters! Thank you for listening, thank you for being insightful, thank you for all your help, thank you for being my friends!!!
Thank you for being my sunshine during a cloudy time!

You all are truly my treasures and my forever friends!! Love you!!!!

Tuesdays Treasures

I haven't done a Tuesday Treasure for a while and I have missed it! In a world full of busy days, fast food, and running around with my head cut off, it is nice to sit down and evaluate all the good and cherished in my life! Although I treasure so much and so many, today my treasure is simple! Just being alive and healthy and happy! My days seem so full right now, just as I'm sure yours are, that I often find myself thinking about the things I am not accomplishing, and it brings me down. Well, the fact of the matter is, there will never be enough hours in a day to do all the things I want to do! I have so many good intentions that, unfortunately, end at just that- good intentions! So to all of you that were thought of many times and didn't get that needed phone call or nice deed- I am sorry! Please just know that I think of you often and love you dearly. I will try to do better! So, today I am trying to focus on what I DID get done and be thankful for what tomorrow has in store. I guess, in a nut shell, my Tuesday Treasure is about memories of the past, joys of the present and the promise of tomorrow!

Here are few of my favorite people to fill my days with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this old picture of my grandma and grandpa!

 

This is my sweet mom. After trying to find a picture of her, I realized I don't have many pictures of her! So, watch out mom- my camera's coming for you!!! (insert evil laugh here!) ;)

 

This is my dad. I don't see him very often, but talk to him on the phone a lot!

 

Happy Mother's Day!!

I just wanted to say a quick "Happy Mother's Day" to all my wonderful friends- both mothers of children, mothers yet to be, and mothers of the heart! I have the best friends one could ever ask for! I thank you for your strength, your example, your love, your guidance, and most of all your friendship! I don't know how I would be able to survive without such amazing people in my life! I can go days without seeing any of you, some of you I haven't seen in years, but just simply knowing that your are there and that you will always have my back, well, that means the world to me! Thanks for all the great memories! Thanks for being my friends! Thanks for being you!!!

I also want to thank my own mother and grandma! Although my grandma has recently passed away, I have so much love and respect for these two wonderful women! I am who I am because of them! They have been my strength and confidantes for all my life! There are no other women that I would rather pattern my life after and no other women I love more! Happy Mother's Day!

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Many of you have asked me, for months now, to do a photography blog! I put it on the back burner so many times! Well, miracles never cease! I FINALLY finished my photography blog! YAY ME!! :)

So, without further adieu, here it is! I hope you aren't disappointed!
If you like what you see, feel free to put this on your sidebar. I don't advertise, at this time, so all my clients are from word of mouth! Thanks for your help!

www.morethanmemoriesphotography.blogspot.com
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Where, oh where, has my little boy gone...

Where does time go? Why does time have to go by so fast!?! It seems like just yesterday that I nervously brought home my first precious little baby. I remember how nervous I was. I just wanted to do what was best for my precious baby son! He was so perfect. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

 

He soon grew to be a fun, rambuncious toddler. He loved to read, sing, and LOVED Star Wars. At a young age of 2, he would run around singing the theme song to Star Wars and always had a "wah,wah" (the sound of a light saber) in his hands!

 

 

Before I knew it, he was riding the bus to Kindergarten. He always had a big smile on his face as he went to school, and often left his mommy in the background wiping the tears from my eyes! I wasn't ready to send my baby boy out in the "big world" of Elementary School! But Austin sure was ready! He loved school. And with the occasional "math test days", has liked it ever since.

 

He has grown up so fast and has succeeded, with flying colors, in all he sets his mind to. Now, 12 amazing years later, I look at my precious son, but this time not as a baby, but as a handsome young man. Although he has changed leaps and bounds, the feelings I had 12 years ago are the same, only magnified a thousand fold. I am still nervous raising him. I still want to do what is right for him. I still can't take my eyes off of him. And I still think he is perfect!

 

I am so proud of the young man Austin is today! And couldn't have asked for a better big brother for my other precious children.

 

I am so excited to continue to watch Austin grow and to be a part of his journey to adulthood. Which, unfortunaly, I am afraid, will go as fast as the first 12 years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUSTIN!!!! I LOVE YOU!!

 

Happy Easter!!

I saw this cartoon on a friends blog. I think it is hilarious!! I definitely relate more to the chocolate bunny with out a brain!! I have PLENTY of butt these days!:(
If anyone has any brilliant ideas of how to take a big chunk out of it, my big butt and I would truly appreciate it! :)

Anyways, hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I really, really enjoyed the warmer weather. A little windy, but at least it didn't rain! I love Easter! I love the colorful eggs, the Easter bunny, the bright spring colors! But most of all, I love the time to reflect upon our Savior, Jesus Christ; His life, His great example, His Atonement, His death and His resurrection. I am so grateful for the hope and love He brings to all of us! And I am so thankful that we can repent of our sins and move forward in faith, to someday live with Him and Heavenly Father again.

HAPPY EASTER!!