Now that Shad has moved away from us, I think it important to send him off in style.
Enjoy Shad Lamm.......
Washington DC
Living Waters
7 years ago
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Popular Re-run
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Happy 70th Birthday DAD!
May 7th-11th, 2008
Behind the scenes there was a lot of buzzing going on as we all were coordinating a surprise party for my Dad for his 70th birthday. Thank you to all who worked so hard to pull the party off. It was so fun and so many family and friends where there. Thank you Ronz who did an amazing slide show of Dads life.
I decided to fly to Utah a few days early to spend some extra time with my siblings. I was just going to hang out at the condo but the day before I left, I got a light-bulb idea to drive to my sister Michele's house in Wyoming. It sounded a bit crazy at the time because I was traveling with the kids with out my hubby because the plane tickets that worked around Marks schedule cost $850, hundreds more than mine and the boys tickets cost put together, argg!! Anyway, the kids and I had a wonderful time. Michele let her kids play hookie from school and all the kids played till they dropped. Between the trampoline in the back yard and the park directly accross the street, my kids were in play heaven.
My favorite part was just talking with my sister. I enjoyed every minute of chatting with Michele. Her ears were probably very tired when we finally went to bed. Sorry Chele. But I have to say the kids favorite part of Wyoming was helping their cousins feed their 4-H pigs. Now, you would think because I was raised on a farm that my kids would know about animals and be so familiar with them. Yes, it is sad to say that most of their exposure has come from a book. Unfortunately my kids are city slickers.
Lukie prided in making funning faces every time I tried to take a picture. I had to get sneaky with my shots.
Here Michele is working her tail off while I'm acting busy while taking pictures of the kids.
Logan wanted to take his cousin for a ride, but luckily for Mallary, he wasn't strong enough to move the wheelbarrow.
These two were just so cute together, unless Logan wanted to show who was stronger, then poor little Mallary wasn't an even match for Logan the heavyweight.
Here is another one of Lukies poses. The "I'm adorable right?" pose is what I think was the look he was going for.
After the rendezvous in Wyoming. I drove back to Utah. I picked Suz and spent all day with her on Friday running errands and getting things done. It was so nice to catch up on her life and....she probably got an ear full as well. I liked having one on one time with my siblings, I feel you get to know them better. It can get pretty chaotic when we all get together after all there are nine of us and if you mix in all the kids then just forget about a quiet room in the house. All of my brothers and sisters (sans Trevor) got together at the condo. I had a great time. The kids loved playing with their cousins. My kids don't even acknowledge that I exist when cousins are around. Sometimes that is nice but sometimes I start to feel like what an empty nester might feel. Here are a few of the pics while we were at the condo.
Suz and Breanne. Little Breannes skin was tinted orange because she ate so many sweet potatoes. I wonder if I could eat something that would make me look tan?
My favorite part was just talking with my sister. I enjoyed every minute of chatting with Michele. Her ears were probably very tired when we finally went to bed. Sorry Chele. But I have to say the kids favorite part of Wyoming was helping their cousins feed their 4-H pigs. Now, you would think because I was raised on a farm that my kids would know about animals and be so familiar with them. Yes, it is sad to say that most of their exposure has come from a book. Unfortunately my kids are city slickers.
Playing in the pig pen here is a little different than their pig pen bedroom back in Cali.
Lukie prided in making funning faces every time I tried to take a picture. I had to get sneaky with my shots.
Here Michele is working her tail off while I'm acting busy while taking pictures of the kids.
Logan wanted to take his cousin for a ride, but luckily for Mallary, he wasn't strong enough to move the wheelbarrow.
These two were just so cute together, unless Logan wanted to show who was stronger, then poor little Mallary wasn't an even match for Logan the heavyweight.
Here is another one of Lukies poses. The "I'm adorable right?" pose is what I think was the look he was going for.After the rendezvous in Wyoming. I drove back to Utah. I picked Suz and spent all day with her on Friday running errands and getting things done. It was so nice to catch up on her life and....she probably got an ear full as well. I liked having one on one time with my siblings, I feel you get to know them better. It can get pretty chaotic when we all get together after all there are nine of us and if you mix in all the kids then just forget about a quiet room in the house. All of my brothers and sisters (sans Trevor) got together at the condo. I had a great time. The kids loved playing with their cousins. My kids don't even acknowledge that I exist when cousins are around. Sometimes that is nice but sometimes I start to feel like what an empty nester might feel. Here are a few of the pics while we were at the condo.
Suz and Breanne. Little Breannes skin was tinted orange because she ate so many sweet potatoes. I wonder if I could eat something that would make me look tan?
Here Madison is being the beautician on her aunt Chele.
Logan was passing out the vitamin waters to all who would accept. Paige ended up accepting most of his donations and then would pass them back up the line back to the case of vitamin waters. I don't think he caught on because he did this for about a half hour, thinking he was sharing with everybody. We all had a good laugh.
Jay was trying to make 3 women happy at once. Amazingly enough he had no problems with this tough crowd.
Dal and Misty holding down the fort.
Now for the birthday surprise. Drum roll please. Sorry this is quite a long post but a lot went down this week.
We all headed out to Roosevelt on Saturday afternoon. Suz and I barely made it there in the nick of time. I guess I should have budged extra time so when we came to a stopped fire-engine that was putting out a boat fire, I would have had time to watch it and not be stressed. Pretty bizarre. Well, we managed to get there about 10 minutes before Dad did. We quietly waited at the stake center waiting for dad to arrive.
Russ and Ran had the door covered waiting to jump. Then.....well Dad ended up coming through the back door. You could tell he was shocked. I think it took him a bit to figure out what was going on. Here is a video of the initial surprise. I have to apologize because I was really excited and emotional and I forgot I was filming and so the camera is all over the place. And yes I sound really loud...sorry. Its the only video I have and I would love it if any of my siblings that have pictures or video to send it to me and I'll replace it with the one I have. I'm definitely not made for the media business.
Russ and Ran had the door covered waiting to jump. Then.....well Dad ended up coming through the back door. You could tell he was shocked. I think it took him a bit to figure out what was going on. Here is a video of the initial surprise. I have to apologize because I was really excited and emotional and I forgot I was filming and so the camera is all over the place. And yes I sound really loud...sorry. Its the only video I have and I would love it if any of my siblings that have pictures or video to send it to me and I'll replace it with the one I have. I'm definitely not made for the media business.
Me, my boys and my Grandma Watkins (my dads mom). I can only hope I can as mentally sharp as she is at her age.
A rare siblings only picture. We are missing Trevor here.
A picture with the birthday boy and little Breanne was having nothing to do with anyone else but her mom.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Do you really want a Buzz Lightyear??
Persistence
The problem with persistence is that it is such a great trait to have when we are adults but can be very annoying to us adults when our children are "practicing" this important attribute.
Persistence is something that Mark insists that our children learn. I have to brainwash myself into agreeing with him. But after the boys have asked me for the 10th time for something that I have said "NO" to, I'm not so sure it is a trait that I like quite as much. Especially with McKee, "No" is the beginning of the negotiation. "NO" does not mean no, it means "I have not come at this situation at the right angle" or "I have not asked in the right way". I think my kids continue with the "annoying" trait because Mark always gives them positive feedback when they outsmart their Mom, not to be confused with disobedience, because he is definitely backs me up there. Mark just loves to see how clever they are in asking for the same thing in different ways.
As this old video of our little ol' Mck (age 2) demonstrates, he came out of the womb persistent. It is fun to see how a two year old turned the tables on Mark. If I remember correctly, Mark was questioned a number of times about how Santa could really bring this new gift (an elephant) that was even better then a Buzz Lightyear...... I loved seeing how the hunter became the hunted and how all of a sudden Mark needed to be the clever one in explaining Santa's limited "capabilities". In the end, a little know how of Santa's Sled weight limit rule that Mark found on page 34 paragraph 8 in the Santa's handbook from Santa's website is what saved the day. It clearly goes into weight limits for gifts but thankfully allowed Santa to be as hefty as he likes.
And yes, in the end McK got his Buzz.
Monday, May 5, 2008
I love the whole world!
I have to admit that the Discovery Channel's commercial: I Love the Whole World, is one of my all time favorites. It gets me right down to my soul whenever I see it. I could see it over and over and never get tired of it. I don't know why but tears start to well in my eyes and I start feeling all tingly inside. I've thought that maybe is it the music that brings me back to my childhood days and brings the flood of memories of elementary school and music class....ahhh back when life was magical and there were so many things to wonder about. Yes it is true that I have bonded with some of the shows it advertises like Dirty Jobs, Survivor Man, Deadliest Catch, Myth Busters, various animal documentaries, etc., yup pretty much everything on the Discovery Channel. But I think most of all, I watch in awe, definitely humbled to see the amazing creatures and creations God has made and feeling (through the tingling and singing along with the commercial at the top of my lungs) of how blessed I am that I get to be a part this amazing world. How awesome is that!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Grand Canyon
If only we could tie our children up to an old hitchen post.....
Here are some pictures of the Grand Canyon from last weeks trip. The Cowboy hats were the best part of the Trip. Mark did not want the kids to get burned so he put a historical story about how the hat was the Cowboys best friend in the west, even more important then their gun.... you could not get the hats off the boys after that.
This is a walkway 4000 ft above the canyon floor. Logan and Mark were fearless.... The rest of us had to walk very slowly.
The Boys were getting way to close to the edge for me..
Monday, April 7, 2008
We've been tagged!
I think we've been tagged before but we didn't know how to play the blog tag game. Now that we think we know how to play, here it goes...
How did you meet your spouse? I met Mark at a intro class called Survival at Utah State University. We weren't in the same class at the time but some of his friends were in my class. I was introduced to him through them even thought he basically says that he stole me from them. It sounds like I'm an object or something. Well...... ya know, I am a trophy wife.
Where did you go on your first date? Marks memory is better at these types of details. All I remember about our first date is the chinese take out container with his phone number written on top. I guess that was impressive enough for me because I went on many more dates with him, and yada, yada, yada, we're married with 3 boys.
How long have you been together? Technically we've known each other for 15 years but have been married for 11 years from this past March.
Who eats more? uh? Mark.
Who said I love you first? He did. When he first started saying "I love you", I used to say "I know" or "Thank You." but I've learned to share the love more easily.
Who is taller? We're neck and neck. Mark is only 10 inches taller than I am. It's too close to call.
Who sings better? Mark sings louder and I sing more often but neither of us can carry a tune. Which hasn't stopped us from thinking that we have what it takes to be on American Idol.
Who is smarter? Mark. Even the kids think Mark is smarter than me. I won't even argue this one.
Who does the laundry? Only I do. Mark and I only fight over 2 things in our marriage and laundry is one of them. No, people, get your mind out of the gutter, sex is not the other one. I dare say he has done a couple of loads of laundry since we've been married.
Who does the dishes? I do, but sometimes I can bribe my boys to do them.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Mark does, that side of the canoe is deeper.
Who pays the bills? Funny enough I do even though his profession is a financial advisor.
Who mows the lawn? Mario, and what a fine job he does.
Who cooks dinner? I do, but when we go out to dinner I let Mark take the credit.
Who drives when you are together? Usually Mark does unless he has just purchased a new gadget and is trying to figure it out and then he hands over the reins.
Who is more stubborn? Neither of us are are very stubborn, but Mark gets his way more often.
Who is the first to admit when they’re wrong? Definitely Mark because he is usually wrong.
Who kissed who first? Mark kissed me. It all went down at the Utah Theater. Really, who can turn down a man who shows up at my doorstep with the pimped ride of the Seitec truck (The Seitec truck was a u-Haul truck but white, that Marks parents used for their business.), then he pays for my movie at the dollar show....AND he had Diet Coke breath? Simply irresistable.
Who proposed? Mark did. He wined and dined me at El Sol. Then he took me to the Logan temple and dropped the question. It was simple and so sweet.
Who is more sensitive? I am, unless were watching a movie, then Mark becomes the baul baby.
Who has more friends? Mark is friends with pretty much anybody who smiles at him but our friends are the same.
Who has more siblings? Marks family of 12 siblings out does my family of 11. (I am including ourselves and our parents in that number.)
Who wears the pants? This is a no brainer....Mark. He's pretty much wrapped around my finger though so this doesn't threaten me.
How did you meet your spouse? I met Mark at a intro class called Survival at Utah State University. We weren't in the same class at the time but some of his friends were in my class. I was introduced to him through them even thought he basically says that he stole me from them. It sounds like I'm an object or something. Well...... ya know, I am a trophy wife.
Where did you go on your first date? Marks memory is better at these types of details. All I remember about our first date is the chinese take out container with his phone number written on top. I guess that was impressive enough for me because I went on many more dates with him, and yada, yada, yada, we're married with 3 boys.
How long have you been together? Technically we've known each other for 15 years but have been married for 11 years from this past March.
Who eats more? uh? Mark.
Who said I love you first? He did. When he first started saying "I love you", I used to say "I know" or "Thank You." but I've learned to share the love more easily.
Who is taller? We're neck and neck. Mark is only 10 inches taller than I am. It's too close to call.
Who sings better? Mark sings louder and I sing more often but neither of us can carry a tune. Which hasn't stopped us from thinking that we have what it takes to be on American Idol.
Who is smarter? Mark. Even the kids think Mark is smarter than me. I won't even argue this one.
Who does the laundry? Only I do. Mark and I only fight over 2 things in our marriage and laundry is one of them. No, people, get your mind out of the gutter, sex is not the other one. I dare say he has done a couple of loads of laundry since we've been married.
Who does the dishes? I do, but sometimes I can bribe my boys to do them.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Mark does, that side of the canoe is deeper.
Who pays the bills? Funny enough I do even though his profession is a financial advisor.
Who mows the lawn? Mario, and what a fine job he does.
Who cooks dinner? I do, but when we go out to dinner I let Mark take the credit.
Who drives when you are together? Usually Mark does unless he has just purchased a new gadget and is trying to figure it out and then he hands over the reins.
Who is more stubborn? Neither of us are are very stubborn, but Mark gets his way more often.
Who is the first to admit when they’re wrong? Definitely Mark because he is usually wrong.
Who kissed who first? Mark kissed me. It all went down at the Utah Theater. Really, who can turn down a man who shows up at my doorstep with the pimped ride of the Seitec truck (The Seitec truck was a u-Haul truck but white, that Marks parents used for their business.), then he pays for my movie at the dollar show....AND he had Diet Coke breath? Simply irresistable.
Who proposed? Mark did. He wined and dined me at El Sol. Then he took me to the Logan temple and dropped the question. It was simple and so sweet.
Who is more sensitive? I am, unless were watching a movie, then Mark becomes the baul baby.
Who has more friends? Mark is friends with pretty much anybody who smiles at him but our friends are the same.
Who has more siblings? Marks family of 12 siblings out does my family of 11. (I am including ourselves and our parents in that number.)
Who wears the pants? This is a no brainer....Mark. He's pretty much wrapped around my finger though so this doesn't threaten me.
We tag Linda, Kolette, and Lizzie.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
'Ey Mattie
How does a 16 month little boy scratch his eye? I couldn't answer that, but somehow Logan did. We started noticing that he was favoring that eye and always trying to keep it closed. He was a grumpy one. I took him to see the doc, who by the way is wonderful. I had to pin Logan down so the doc could put an orange dye in is eye. Oh, he was sooo mad. Mad enough that he held his breath so long that he turned blue and passed out. It was scary but I was kinda of glad that the doc saw it because lately when Logan gets mad he has been doing that. Anyway the doc said it was normal and not to worry but to keep watch were he gets into one of his fits so he doesn't pass out and fall off something or on something and injure himself.
Once we got the dye in his eye, you could plainly see what the doc called a large cornea abrasion. It is extrememly painful and won't heal without medication and a patch. So for the past couple of days Logan has been our little Pirate. He kinda of liked the pirate patch on his eye but hated the band-aid eye patch.
I didn't realize how having two good eyes effected your balance. We had a few sorry laughs when he ran into random objects around the house because his depth perception was so off. I'm glad that it is healing fast and he is doing so much better.
I didn't realize how having two good eyes effected your balance. We had a few sorry laughs when he ran into random objects around the house because his depth perception was so off. I'm glad that it is healing fast and he is doing so much better.
On a side note Logan has such a cute yet dominate personality. Yesterday, Mark was hooking up our water purifier when Logan decided he wanted to be held. He retrieved his favorite toy, the X-Box game controller, squeezed behind a small smace behind the fridge and plunked himself right smack in the middle of Marks project and sat on his lap. He thought he was so clever and he was. We all had a good laugh though Marks project was delayed till bedtime.
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