My ♥ is full...

I always enjoy when I can stop and smell the roses.....(cheesey I know!)

but true!

I'm grateful for many things,

all the little things and big ...

and sometimes it's important to be reminded and remember those things cuz life gets busy and hectic and I sometimes forget to remember!

example...*I loved stopping to smell the flowers at IHOP in Utah before eating breakfast with my mom,dad, and sista

in the late of the evening, they were so kind to indulge with me at my weird request!

we had fun over eggs!

Thanks to EVERYONE in Utah for everything...

D@d's D@y...

We did something a little different this year...

I let the kids each pick out a tie for Kurt,

(going tie shopping with 4 kids was an adventure in itself!)

but first they each wrote him a letter,

between the letters and the ties it was fun to watch the kids' personalities shine through for their dear ole' dad!

They went in birth order;

Candice didn't read hers out loud she just wanted dad to read it... sweet!

Caitlyn sang a rap... funny!!!

Spencer didn't want to write a letter, he wanted to just give it from his heart...cute!

and Lynzie, she has such a sweet way with words, she expresses herself so well!

Each letter was so different, it's funny how as parents you can laugh with a tear in your eye at the same time! After the letters we layed the ties out and Kurt had to guess which child gave him which tie!

and he did it!!!!

he nailed it right on the head.

he really knows his kids, (I wonder if I could have guessed right!)

It was a sweet day, full of lots of love, for one great dad!!!

pajama time...

Grandma Peggy is here,

and you know what that means:

new P.J.'s and chick flicks!!! The Scarlett Pimpernel yesterday.... (sink me!)

and

The Proposal on friday...

(dang, we won't be able to wear our new P.J.'s to the Studio Movie Grill... or will we???)

more locks of....

One little one yesterday and another cute one today!
Amazing gifts from the heart!

Sisters...

Did I mention that I ♥ my sisters
and
we ♥ our mu-mus...

Happy 75th birthday Dad...

YW girls camp Gilmont 2009







Wow,

What a whirlwind of the last week and a half!
I was planning to go to Utah to celebrate my dad's 75th at the end of the month
but
then he called on Monday and said
"plans have changed we need you out here this Saturday"
so
I flipped everything around, jumped on a plane,
and
was enjoying my family at IHOP over breakfast late Thursday Night!
.
.

There is something about going home to Utah
that is so relaxing and healing to me,
I can always receive better insight and things seems so much clearer to me,
I guess just being with family at the base of the beautiful mountains,
(or on the mountain, if your staying with my sister)
the air is clean, and the water is good
where everything is slower and calmer
and there is beauty everywhere you look...
.
.

We haven't been together as a family for over 4 years since my brother Steve passed away and so that is why I jumped at our window of opportunity to go to Utah,
I didn't know how I would feel doing our traditional "family picture" without Steve, and was a little hesitant, it's kind-of funny but that is the one thing I dreaded most is taking a picture with out him and I have worried about it for over 4 years!
I kept thinking how lopped-sided it would be, since there has always been 4 girls and 4 boys,
a lot of thoughts went into that picture, but after looking at it, it feels okay to me, not so lopped-sided because after all Steve is always with us in our thoughts.

I still miss him though.
.
.

After Utah I jumped right into girls camp...
as many times as I have been camp director this year was my favorite!
I loved the camp, the Young Women, the theme of camp this year, and I love the leaders that I was surrounded by...
I will always cherish the years I've been able to spend camping with
Candice and Caitlyn,
it's so fun to see your daughters in a purely spiritual element, I think that's when you really see who they are and what they are becoming, it's like a little glimpse into the future!

Blog ya later...

our weekend treasure...

Bless Lynzie's

generous.fun.loving.wanting.to.give.a.good.home.to.

every.stuffed.animal.that.she.has.ever.seen

heart...

we needed a home for all her special friends

and so when I saw this cute red toy box at the second-hand store

I knew just what we could do...

so we painted to match her bedroom and I let her do the painting

and I helped

and she couldn't believe that we did strips, she thought it was the coolest thing ever!!!

and we had everyone do there hand prints, even cousin Lauren, and we left one side open so who ever comes to visit will get to leave there hand print too!

(now, if that doesn't make ya want to come visit...

I don't know what would!)