Brandon's first formal dance

This year Valentine's Day brought our 16 year old son's first formal dance. Of course we all thought he looked mighty fine in his rented tux! He went to the Sweetheart Dance at Bonneville High School with ShayNiel Burch - a very close friend of his! They had a great time and looked awesome!Ashley, Brandon, Tyler, Sara and Max
Brandon and Shay

'til we meet again...

Our family has had an adopted grandma. Oma Jones has been such a big part of our life for so long that we consider her family and we love her like our own grandma. She has been sick the last several weeks and we have known that her time to go home to her Heavenly Father was coming soon. Last Sunday we took all of the kids into the care center where she was to visit one last time. She was not coherent at all but the kids all got the chance to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her that they love her. It was very emotional. The next day Kent and I went back in to check on her and she was actually more coherent and we were able to talk to her. She said she was ready to go home to Don (her husband that has been gone for quite a few years). We told her that it was okay and that we would miss her but that we would all be okay if she was ready to go. Yesterday she was not awake much at all and then at around 5:30 she just peacefully passed away. We will surely miss her but we are so glad that she is now free from pain and we know that she is having a sweet reunion in heaven.Ashley and Grandma OmaThe kids with Oma last October

Life was easier when the kids were in diapers!

For all of you "young" moms out there, this is for you. Enjoy every moment because it goes by too stinkin fast and before you know it, your babies are teenagers/young adults and you lose all control over them!!! I love all my kids and have enjoyed (almost) every moment being there mom. But oh how I miss the days when my older kids would sit on my lap and tell me that they would love me forever. It's so hard to let go and watch your kids transition into adulthood when all you can do is stand by and hope that you have done all you can do to make them want to choose the right. Prayer is a wonderful thing! So far my kids have done great and I'm hoping and praying that they continue to do well. For now I'm enjoying the time I have left with my little ones at home and savoring every moment that my youngest tells me that she'll love me forever. Trust me, it was much easier when they were in diapers!

I think I'm back on!

Okay, so I'm not the smartest computer guru out there! After accidentally deleting my blog today, I think I have all of the latest posts back on and I'm back up and going. I won't do that again! Luckily, I was having a lazy day anyway so I had the time to spend re-creating a blog!!

Christmas Pictures (again)

(This is the post that I originally posted the day after Christmas. I'm re-posting it because I accidentally deleted my entire blog today!) Okay, so I'm not the best at keeping up with the blog but I mean well! Now that the holiday has come and gone and my life is a little more mellow, I'll make a post so I can show off some Christmas pics. We had a great day and got to stay home in our pajamas all day! It was so fun to have all of us together again and enjoy one another. We got up at about 8:00 (a record for late starts in our house) and were just getting ready to open presents when the Morrow Family called to tell Ashley that Jake was on the phone. So we put the presents on hold so Ashley could go over and talk to Jake. He is in England on a mission and this was his first Christmas in the mission field. Ashley and him dated for a couple of years before he left and they have kept writing. We'll see what happens when he comes home in 13 months! Anyway, when Ashley got home from Morrow's, we opened the presents. The kids got a Wii and lots of games to go with it. Kent surprised me with some beautiful opal earrings and a necklace that matches. I also got a new camera. At about noon we had brunch. Kent's parents came over and so did my brother Chris and his wife Ashley. Chris and Ashley spoiled the kids with a ton of new clothes from their favorite store - Aeropostale. (Ashley is the manager of the Pocatello store) After that we just sat around in our pajamas and watched movies and played games. It was the perfect day!

The cutest dog ever!

I'm pretty sure I have the cutest dog ever (no offense Jaxon). We got Max 2 years ago on Christmas and he has totally become part of our family. I just can't imagine what we did for fun before he came to live at our house! He is very cuddly and just loves being in the middle of it all. We love our little Max!
Tired Puppy!
Helping Ashley and Tyler play The T-shirt game
The end of a long day
Kent and Max

Wii wish you a Merry Christmas!

The kids got a Wii and lots of fun games for Christmas. I captured these pictures of Ashley and Tyler involved in a wicked tennis match. From the looks of it, Ashley was winning!