School Pictures

Most everyone thinks school pictures are the worst, but I have to confess I kind of like them. I like them because they aren't too perfect - they are real. The kids aren't too dressed up; it's their every day look. I love to look at my kids' school pictures and see have they have changed throughout the years. For Kylie's pictures we took the time to curl her hair, but it doesn't hold curl really well. Well, she took her pictures after lunch and all the curls were gone. I guess she told the photographer, "I was suppose to have curls." And the photographer said,"That's okay." Anyway, here's this year's school pictures. Courtney - Ninth Grade

Katelyn -Sixth Grade

Kylie -Third Grade

Cameron - Junior Kindergarten

Book of Mormon Reading Challenge

On June 21 our ward Relief Society challenged us to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. They gave us each a reading schedule and a scripture journal. To read the book of Mormon in 90 days, you have to read about 3 chapters a day. I decided I would take on the challenge and try to read the entire Book of Mormon in 90 days. I knew it would be hard to make the time to read each day, but I also knew I would be blessed for doing it. I was motivated to keep up because Sister Gariety from our ward did a weekly drawing for anyone who kept up with the reading. I ended up winning the drawing a couple times. I got some candy, scripture markers, and a gift card to the yogurt store. I have to admit, I didn't keep up with my reading every day. Sometimes on Saturdays I would have to play catch up for the days that I missed, but I was always motivated to be caught up by Sunday. I wanted to be able to add my name to the weekly drawing. Yes, the weekly drawings motivated me to read, but my real motivation came from the blessings I received from reading the Book of Mormon. Because I read it more than a chapter at a time, I really understood it more and came to truly feast upon the word. Yes, I have read the Book of Mormon a few times throughout my life, but I think I got the most out of it this time. I came to really know and love the people in the Book of Mormon. A favorite scripture I now have is 2 Nephi 2:22:

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, he also has become my salvation."

I ended up completing the Book of Mormon on September 18. Thanks to the encouragement and support of the Relief Society I read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. We had a culminating RS activity with one final drawing for a gift card for a facial. I actually won the final drawing. I felt a little uncomfortable about winning. I wondered if I should give it to someone else since I had just had a facial for my birthday. Well, I decided to graciously accept the gift. I am saving it for a Valentine's Day or Mother's Day gift to myself. I am more than thrilled that I won a facial, but the real blessing came from the reading of the Book of Mormon. My testimony of its truthfulness has grown. I truly believe the quote below:

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that “the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct book of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion.” He said that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (History of the Church, 4:461.) The Book of Mormon was written for our day.

Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with my reading since I completed the 90 day challenge. I need to get back on track. I will always be grateful for this challenge the Relief Society gave us. I know my knowledge and testimony of the gospel will continue to grow throughout my life.

Time Out For Women

I attended my fourth Time Out for Women on September 18-19. This one was held in Pleasanton. Eight of us from our ward got together and stayed in a hotel on Friday night. I drove up with my good friend Cindy. We had so much fun visiting and then even got the chance to read by the pool for a while. We all went to dinner at Mimi's Cafe on Friday evening. It was the best. I loved getting a break from home and being able to visit with such wonderful women. The speakers on Friday night were Sherri Dew and Wendy Watson Nelson. They both spoke a lot about personal revelation. They inspired us to know who we really are. We also need to know what our Savior did for us. And we should be receiving personal revelation on a consistent basis. Revelation on what our mission here on earth and how we should go about fulfilling that mission. The theme of the conference was "sweet assurance." They asked us what we truly know to be true. They also asked us to think about questions or challenges we had that could be answered at the conference. I had a very spiritual experience as I sat there thinking about those things. I had an overwhelming feeling that I literally KNOW that I am my Heavenly Father's daughter. I felt an all encompassing feeling that my Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally. He is mindful of me on a daily basis. He is aware of me. He knows my challenges, the desires of my heart,and He wants me to be happy. It's hard to put the feeling I had into words,but it was a wonderful spiritual experience.

On Saturday there were four different speakers and music by Hilary Weeks. I really like Hilary Weeks sense of humor and down to earth personality. I even checked out her blog! She is a bit of a Mormon celebrity with being a recording artist and going to TOFWs all around the country, but she is also just a normal, every day wife and mother. The other speakers were Kim Nelson, S. Michale Wilcox, DeAnne Flynn,and Kris Belcher. Here are just a few highlights or quotes from each speaker. S. Michael Wlicox reminded us that "Obedience is not perfection." That's a great quote for me that I will remember for a long time. DeAnne Flynn spoke about not making our lives too busy. She discussed the importance of letting things go so we have more time to connect as a family. We can have "less contention and more connection." Kim Nelson was very funny when he pulled out his doily table cloth. He told a story about a sister he gave a priesthood blessing to who would probably be in chronic pain for the rest of her life. Instead of asking to be healed or for things to change, she simply asked , "Please bless me that I will come to love my new life." I think my favorite speaker of the day was Kris Belcher. She is blind. She was absolutely hilarious and had us laughing do hard. She spoke of how she came to be blind and the challenges it brings into her life. She reminded us that with God all things are possible. We need to laugh and have hope for an even better world. The whole conference was a tremendous experience. After I got home from Time Out for Women, I wrote on Facebook, I feel "uplifted, inspired, loved, joyful, relaxed, blessed, and motivated." I am so glad I got to go!

Labor Day River Rafting Adventure

I really enjoy river rafting. I am totally a summer girl and I love laying in the warm sun as I slowly float down the river. It's become a bit of a tradition to go river rafting for my birthday,which is usually right around Labor Day. This year my whole family agreed to go river rafting at my request. It was an adventure for all 11 of us!

In Boat 1 we had Bryce, Courtney,and Conner.

In Boat 2 we had Katelyn and Chareen.

In Boat 3 we had Cameron and Lloyd.

In Boat 4 we had me and Kylie.

And in Boat 5 we had my mom and Jay.

We didn't float for too long -less than an hour. We wanted it to be short for the kids. It was great to have all of us out there on the river together. A few of us went off a rope swing at the end of the trip. Here are some pictures of my cuties:

I feel so grateful that I have a family that agreed to come with me on this little adventure.

My Birthday

The night before my birthday I went out to dinner and scrapbooking with my friends Natalie and Stacey. Stacey treated me to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Strings. Italian food is my favorite and I just love that place! Then we went scrapbooking at the home of Karen Monschein in Oakdale. I love going scrapbooking at Karen's! I always have so much fun there. There are lots of other moms there and we love to share stories and laugh. I love getting caught up with my scrapbooking too. I'll never be caught up, but I do my best to stay on top of it. My actual birthday was on Kylie's baptism day so it was pretty busy. We had to go to Costco and get all ready for the baptism. I was excited that Kylie was getting baptized on my birthday because that was the same day I got baptized. We celebrated my birthday after the baptism. My biggest gift was my road bike. I had done three triathlons on a Target mountain bike and I patiently waited to get a road bike for my birthday. It wasn't really a surprise because I bought it myself on ebay. Lloyd assembled it for me though and I told him I didn't want to see it until my birthday. Here Lloyd is bringing in the bike while I close my eyes. I am so happy and excited! The waiting is over. The bike has taken me a little getting used to, but I love it!

I also got to enjoy two batches of my favorite -mint brownies! The one with the candles was made by my friend Ashleigh (I had already eaten half the pan before the evening of my birthday) and the other batch was made by my friend Tami. I was a lucky girl. I absolutely LOVE these brownies. Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water! Well, I'm 36 now -that much closer to 40. I honestly don't feel that old, but when I see how old my kids are I realize time passes in the blink of an eye. Each day I try to take time to enjoy my beautiful life. I am so very blessed.

Kylie's Baptism

Kylie's baptism was on my birthday, September 5. It was a perfect day! We were all so excited for Kylie.

Grandma and Grandpa Jay came. Grandpa Jay sang at the baptism.

So did Chareen and Bryce. Chareen gave a beautiful talk. Lloyd baptized Kylie. He felt blessed to baptize his youngest daughter.Kylie's friend, Erinn Messer, was baptized at the same time. They looked so cute together. The most precious part of the baptism was when they sang "I am a Child of God" together. They were holding hands and looked so sweet.

Kylie and Erinn each had their own cake. All the guests enjoyed a fabulous meal of taco salad and nachos after the baptism. It was a perfect day for two beautiful girls.

We are so proud of Kylie and her decision to be baptized. When I asked her if she wanted to be baptized, she said "Of course, I want to become a member of the Church." Her testimony is beginning to grow. We love Kylie's desire to be obedient and to be kind to others. She is a strong spirit with a lot of determination. We feel blessed to have her in our family.

It's Great to Be Eight

Our littlest girl is eight years old. It's been a little sad for me not having any more little, little girls. We've given away almost all our baby dolls, tiny dress up clothes, and ballerina stuff. I try to use a ribbon or bow in Kylie's hair when I can, but I know that soon we won't be needing those either. I have to admit, I have saved just a few little girl dresses that I couldn't part with - I am hoping my granddaughters can use them. Kylie's birthday fell on a Thursday this year,and there was no school on Friday due to an inservice day. It was perfect for her slumber party. All the girls have been allowed a slumber party for their eighth birthday. Kylie got a new bike for her birthday. I feel bad because she was with us when we bought it so it really wasn't a surprise. In fact, for the two weeks before her birthday she saw it every day in the garage. Even though it was in the garage, I told her she couldn't ride it until her birthday. So the morning of her birthday she rode it to school. I rode my bike along with her. Yes, I feel bad I didn't try to wrap Kylie's bike or even put a bow on it, but what was the point in doing that when she'd seen it every day for two weeks. Anyway, I think it's an adorable bike. It's my favorite color -pink and the plaid accents are really cute too. Kylie loves riding it to school almost every day. Kylie's cute friends loved playing in the pool at the party. Such cute, fun, and silly girls.
With all the birthday cake at our house, Kylie decided to get something different. She got an ice cream cake from Coldstone!
The girls had fun wearing their PJs, camping out in the living room, and watching movies until after midnight.

In the morning, the girls had donuts, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Yummy! They also had fun playing Twister. Kylie is so lucky to have such cute friends!