Beautiful Broccoli.

We planted it-

and it grew.

But don't get the wrong idea, my garden is truly shameful this year.
It is producing a never ending supply of zucchini and tomatoes but anyone can grow those... 

What it's not producing is the cucumbers, brussel sprouts, and watermelon that I also planted (It's hard to fail with cucumbers but I did).

But nonetheless, we steamed and ate that broccoli.
It was delicious.

Don't really know what to do with all that zucchini. You can only eat so much zucchini bread, you know?

A Story of Labor and Delivery.

About 2 years ago, I became a visiting teacher to a new lady in our ward. She was very shy--her English was heavily accented and made her feel self conscious about speaking to others. She had three little girls under the age of five and I was immediately smitten with them. As time went on she became pregnant and very sick. One time when we were visiting teaching, she spent the entire time wretching into the toilet. She sounded like she was dying. At that point I started taking the girls once a week for a couple of hours so she could get some much needed rest. After some medication and moving into her second trimester she felt well again, but by that time, I was attached to those little girls and so we kept up our weekly visits.

Last Tuesday, I had a hair appointment. It was long overdue and therefore it was going to be a lengthy appointment. Cut, color, the works...but when I walked in and saw another client with her hair in foil, in my chair, I knew that something was wrong. Turns out, my hairdresser had confused the dates. We checked our texts and sure enough, we had agreed on Tuesday but she wrote me in on Thursday. She felt terrible. But I had tons of errands and things to do before school started the next day so I was happy to reschedule for Thursday. I left and starting checking off my to do list. I got home about 3:30--shortly thereafter my home phone rang. It was my friend and she was in labor 4 weeks early. We had agreed that when it was time for the baby to come, I would go get her girls and take care of them while she had the baby. This was that phone call so I headed over. They were all packed and ready to go and she was just waiting for her husband to come home from his own doctor's appointment. She couldn't get a hold of him but was sure he would be home soon. While we talked, she had another contraction and then another...they were about three minutes apart. I assured her I wasn't going to leave until her husband was there and so we waited. She had another contraction, and another, still three minutes apart. Inside, I started to panic. I convinced her to get in my car and we would drop the girls off at my house, then I would drive her to the hospital myself and her husband could meet us there. She agreed. We dropped the girls off and headed to the freeway- her hospital was in Orem. At this point, her contractions were coming about every minute. I knew that wasn't good and I also knew that I could not deliver a baby! I drove like a crazy woman and made it to Timpanogos Regional from my house in 13 minutes. She was wheeled into the labor and delivery room at 4:30, and at 4:39 (it only took that long only because they had to wait for the doctor), she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with one push. Her husband walked into the room AS she pushed. It was amazing.
As I drove home high on the adrenalin of that adventure, I was overwhelmed with the tender mercy of the Lord that day. This friend had recently moved into a new ward. She knew no one and I am about the only friend she has in our area. Had I been sitting at my hair appointment 30 mts. away, without my phone- well, I can't even imagine what she would have done.
God lives and guides our lives. He loves every single one of us and I know He was watching out for my friend that day.
Amen :)
(Cause I realized this sounds like a talk...)

See Ya'll in 18 Months!

 Lindsey entered the MTC this afternoon.  

After a two week stay, she is headed for Georgia.

She is the first of three cousins 

who will head out on missions in the next 2 months.

Best wishes Lindsey, you are in our prayers:)

Another Goodbye.

Yesterday, my friend  lost her battle with cancer. 

 I don't even know how to explain the great woman she was. 

Maybe just one word-

valiant.

 

Love you Shannon.

Almost Gone.

And so the last full week of summer vacation has concluded.
It ends much like the last week of school before summer vacation...with me ready for a change.
It's been a long summer in more ways than one.

So much sadness with friends and cancer.
It's almost surreal the way cancer has invaded our little community in the past few months.
Too many heartaches and heart breaks,
and again, the healing salve of the plan of salvation is what is getting us through...

There have been happy moments as well, and I hope I have documented them enough to remind myself that life is always beautiful and hard-and we all get our share of both.
And when it's my turn for the really hard stuff, I hope I can move through it as gracefully and faithfully as my dear friends are doing right now.

I could not be more ready for the Sabbath tomorrow.
Shabbat Shalom.

Elijah on a Kayak...

Elijah is at Lake Powell.
I am not.
And I'm not bitter about it.
Nope.

A Little Celebration...

With so many cousins close by, more often than not we double up on our Sunday birthday celebrations. For as long as we can remember, Michaela and Kyle have done the dual honors. 

Michaela opted for a little creativity this year with her birthday cake. 

I thought she had long outgrown that desire, but nonetheless, I obliged.

I did a tribute to the Doctor's bow tie because it seemed much easier than baking a Tardis...

My mind is like a whip I tell you. That clever little quip just rolled out of my brain.

Kyle had no preference for his birthday cake this year, and thus he got his mother's favorite cake--
this Heath bar divineness...

And finally, the shoulder angel gave his blessing to this whole celebration.

Thank you Jacob.

 Happy Birthday Kyle and Michaela,

and thanks to all those who helped celebrate, 
like such as....

 ...Jordan and Cody,

 Christine,

 Kaylie and Cassidy,

and Jordan and Hannah (who appear to be having way too much fun)!!!!

Til September, when we will be doubling up again!!!

Happy Birthday To Michaela...

...who is 19 years old today.

I have a 19 year old!!!

Love you Michaela.

May all you dreams come true :)

Especially that one about that one guy...

(eez joke, Michaela, eez joke)

Confessions of a Tired Mom.

Ask any one of my kids- I am a mom of rules.
Especially age related rules.
There is an age at which you can stay up later.
An age at which you can watch PG movies.
An age at which you can wear make-up, own a cell-phone, and obviously date.
The problem is as I get older, I can't always remember the ages or the reasons for some of those ages.
But nonetheless, there are ages.
Case and point: Harry Potter.
When Michaela began to read Harry Potter at age 8, we (I) decided that after book 4, she would need to put Harry on pause until she was 12. I think the reason was that it got a little more intense and a little more grown-up.
Each child thereafter  painfully waited until that age as well.
Until Hannah- who somehow convinced me to let her move on at 11 causing quite an uproar with her older siblings.
And then came Will. He devours books second only to his oldest sister. I wanted him to love Harry Potter like she did (does).
He read the first 4 books a couple of years ago. Then he waited. When he turned 11, he wanted to move on to book number 5.
But being the mean mother/Harry Potter lover that I am, I told him he had to read the first 4 books again in order to move on.
And so for the past few days, his nose has been in books 1,2, and 3.
Today he began number 4.
It just makes my heart happy to have Harry around again.

Happy, happy, happy.

And Then There Were 5.

Yesterday, our two summer visitors left.
Back to California.
It's a little bit quiet around here now.
Will doesn't quite know what to do with himself.
He had a constant companion 24/7 for 6 weeks.
Not one argument, not one bad moment. 
They were joined at the hip.

Molly and Bethany were about the same.
A little bit louder, and a little bit more adventurous-
but nonetheless almost inseparable.
There is a little bit of withdrawal going on around here.
Time to get back to normal, whatever that is.

Till next time...

Girls Camp 2013

There are many, many reasons to go to Girls Camp. 

Faith promoting experiences...

Quality time with daughters...

Cousin bonding time...

Adorable camp hair do's...

...and the strengthening of friendships.

But the real reason I go to camp each year-

Bishop Hopkins' gourmet burgers.
Yowza.