cupcakes for dinner!!!

APRIL FOOLS!!! Well they were cupcakes, just meatloaf and pink mashed potato cupcakes.

Zack was less than impressed!

But decided that as long as we had an actual dessert after our cupcakes, that it was an ok dinner afterall!

My big boys!

So it's been a while since I've tried to take nice pictures of the boys. Now I remember why it's been a while since I've tried to take nice pictures of the boys!!! What rascals! They are getting so big! Kolby had his first wrestling tournament last weekend. He tried soooo hard. He just didn't have the edge. At least not this time. I don't think a mother should ever have to see her child try so hard to achieve something, and fall short. I know that is where the lessons of life are learned, but it's so hard! I'm so proud of him. He didn't give up and he earned a 3rd place medal (out of 3 kids) I'm so grateful for my boys! Handful that they are, they keep me young and happy. And I love them so much!

Eternal Family

I am heartbroken this morning, by the loss of my sweet neice. I have been pondering the blessings of the temple today. I took this picture last week. I am so moved by the symbolism of that day. It was pouring rain outside. It seemed to fit the mood. Life seemed as dreary as the day with my niece lying in a hospital bed not a block away. But I was taken aback by the beauty of the temple even surrounded by the gloomy winter day. A pillar of hope. "Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination." I am determined today to live up to the covenants I have made in this holy Temple. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I have such a testimony of the plan of salvation. I know that through my Savior, I will be with my family eternally. I pray for the peace and comfort of that knowledge for all those without it!

REAL Salt lake's Leo Lion!

We had such a fun night tonight. The US Champion REAL Salt lake soccer team brought their trophy tour through Kanab tonight. The team mascot is Leo the Lion. We had a blast laughing at his shenanigans. Part way through the presentation, Leo came and took Kolby's soccor ball and kicked it clear across the gym! Kolby couldn't decide if he should be excited, or mortified that he had lost his ball. But he went and got it and came and sat down by the boys. It's been a long time since I have seen them so excited. What a fun night! It's a good thing grandma came, so I could take a few pix!

The girl side of the family

So we took our family pictures last week, and decided that we needed to have the girls side of the family too! So while she looks happy in these TWO pictures, Shelby was not happy to be out in the cold WAY past naptime. I was so excited to find a couple of really cute smiles. Dusty is one lucky guy to have all these beautiful girls surrounding him every day!!!

Especially Mandy! Isn't she georgous? And 7 months pregnant no less. Now I know what they are talking about when they say that pregnant women glow! You are beautiful Mandy!

My OWN family pictures!

I LOVE Christmas time! I love the snow! And I especially love the snow falling on the red rocks of Kanab. I havn't done family pictures for like a year and a half. So I was VERY grateful for my mom to come brave the snow to take these for us!!! Especially since she is sick! I hope you get better soon mom! I can't believe how quickly my boys are growing up! I love my family so much! I feel so blessed every day to have these boys surrounding me. even the weeks filled with stitches and root canals! But I'll save that story for another post!

The lights at Temple Square

We love to go see the lights on Temple Sqare. It is a magical place. It feels like a fairytale and this year was no different. Surrounded by all of my family, we ventured out into the cold, to ride the train from Aarons work (a few blocks from the Temple) to Temple square. The kids love to be with their cousins! Especially when it comes to new adventures. When we got there you could feel the excitement in the hundreds of people gathering in. We took pictures and had snacks, and waited, more patiently than I've seen my kids wait for anything for a while. And then..... They were on! An Ahhhhh rippled through the crowd, and the kids eyes got wide as they turned in every direction trying to take it all in. What an amazing sight. My favorite part was listening to the bagpipes playing Christmas music in the background. It was the kind of night you pack away in your greatest memory box, and pull out when you need a smile!

Turkey bowl 2009

Gabe loves going up North for Thanksgiving for the annual Turkey Bowl! (Then complains about it for the next week! Ha ha) All the brown boys were there, except poor Kelly who can't kick his sickness. Poor guy! It was fun to watch the big boys and little boys alike! Happy turkey day!