Oh goodness- what am I doing?

Every once in a while, I get a bug. That bug is a workout bug. It makes me feel motivated and anxious to do things that will make me feel stronger, healthier, and happier.

I have the bug.

Recently, I started swimming in the mornings with Melissa. I'm really lucky to have Melissa willing to workout with me. She does marathons and triathlons and is a member of training clubs. She and I used to work out together back before I married Scott. We'd work out several evenings a week after work, we'd do yoga on Saturdays and shared a personal trainer. Over the past 8 years, she's continued to workout while I haven't.

Each time we go swimming, Melissa has a workout plan for us and we've increased our distance and lengthened our training time over the past three weeks.

As of last Monday, I'm now doing Stott Pilates as well. Once or twice a week I'll go and do an hour of the reformer and possibly I'll do an hour of a mat workout. My first 5 classes will be private sessions where I get to learn all about how to hold my body correctly while engaging my core.

I started doing a mat workout with a Pilates video back in 1994 when my friend, Camille, introduced me to it. During the same time, my aunt and uncle started doing Pilates with Jim. (Jim was a personal trainer I worked out with back in the late 80's who became certified in Classical Pilates). There are only a few (maybe 4) people that are certified in Classical Pilates in all of Utah. Classical is very strict.

Since Joseph Pilates' copyright expired in the early nineties, Stott Pilates entered the scene. Stott allows for some modifications of exercises and with Stott, you hold your body a little differently. I really really liked the way I felt during and after Stott Pilates. So much so, I looked into getting certified. I won't be- it's a lot of money and a lot of time. Instead, I'll just keep going to Aspire Pilates.

If Riverton isn't far for you to travel, I highly recommend you give it a try.

Miss Alexis is getting married

Forgive the bad pictures. How unlike me to leave my camera at home. But the truth is, I sometimes leave it just so I don't bug other people. Plus, I had no idea what to expect so I didn't bring it.

Both Ivy and Jade take class from Miss Alexis at the Vibe. We absolutely LOVE her. She is so patient with the girls and understands the difference in the two girls and helps them both. Earlier this year Miss Alexis got engaged and the time has finally come. In preparation for her big day, she had a Bridal Shower at the VIBE and all of her students were invited. It was a great way to let the girls celebrate her wedding, without having a bunch of little girls running around the reception.

Jade had gymnastics until 6:15 so we were really late. (It started at 5). They had done gifts and had a very nice buffet of treats and goodies. I'm not sure everything they had, because it was mostly cleaned up when we got there. Each of the girls got to make a wedding veil. I was really impressed with what a great job they did making Miss Alexis' day special and making it fun for the little girls.

When we got there, they were just getting ready to "dress the bride." Jade was in the skirt group and Ivy was in the veil group, but she changed groups so she could be with Jade. They had a blast and loved getting to help Miss Alexis celebrate.

The First Snow!

October 27th marked the first day of snow for this winter. Ivy was thrilled to have the snow and as soon as the sun came out, she asked Miss Kim if she could play in the snow- before it melts. As it turned out, she could have played in our front yard all day the 27th and most of the day the 28th. But, because of the bitter cold, it wouldn't have been any fun.

The Images of Halloween...

A final wrap up of our Halloween activities.

Jade and Luke have a really cute little dance that they started doing the other night when they were with my mom. They wanted to get it caught of film. Cute silly Grim Reaper and Corpse Bride.

Grandma put together a story of an old withered corpse. It was an awesome story. She spent a lot of time gathering the pieces of Old Man Brown's corpse. As she told the story, we each had to reach in and feel the inside of the bags holding each body part. There were his ears, his eyes, his heart, his brain, his hair, his hand, and his nose. They were all really gross things that we had to touch and Ivy wouldn't touch all of them. Jade was fascinated by them and did a really great job of figuring out what everything was. Here's a picture of all of the bags of stuff.

The moon came up early in the evening and the full moon looked amazing over the mountain.

The girls' loot with their costumes tossed to the side. The girls had to sort their candy as soon as they were both home. (Ivy ended her night a little early because she was cold and "sensitive"). They put them in the following groupings... chocolate, candy, tootsie rolls, suckers and nerds. Ivy's filled one gallon ziploc and Jade's filled 1 1/2 gallon ziplocs. Last year their candy lasted until about a week ago. We'll see how long it lasts this year.

The huge mounds of candy came from trick or treating at my office, trunk or treat with Aunt Kat and Uncle Jon's ward and trick or treating in our neighborhood with Dad. Ivy said multiple times that this was her BEST Halloween ever.

I really do love Halloween.

As promised...

The Greedy Witch and the Black Diamonds- Kat posted the actual text of it here.

The Greedy Witch and the Black Diamonds

My Mom and sister did a lot of work preparing for our family Halloween festivities. One of the special activities that they did was the story of "The Greedy Witch."

The image below, shows some of Mom's props and the scrolls that she "found" in the basement of my grandparent's condo.

(Kat is going to post the whole story, but here's a summary. I'll post a link to Kat's post when it goes up).

The story was about a witch who was very greedy and prideful. She wanted to have all of the riches and all of the glory. So she captured some mice and turned them into perfect black diamonds. Every night they would turn back into mice, so she had to make sure to only show them during the day. She would brag about them and show them off. One day she didn't realize the time, so she hurried and sped off on her broom before the sun set. Something went wrong with her broom and she dropped her bag of jewels. The bag was found by an owl that lived in the corkscrew willow. The owl ate all of the little black mice. The next morning, the mice turned back into diamonds. So the owl had to cough them up one by one.

My Mom took the kids out to her corkscrew willow where the kids were able to search and find 3 black diamonds. But they had to be careful about the other little creatures that they mind find. (The each found 2 creepy crawly bugs).

If the diamonds are found by a kind and caring soul, they will stay diamonds, but if they fall into the hands of someone that is greedy, they'll turn back into mice.

Later Halloween night...

Ivy and Jade were each enjoying Smarties from their Halloween stash. Jade asked Ivy if she could trade a pink for a yellow. Ivy wouldn't share and jumped on her pile of Smarties so that Jade couldn't reach them.

"Ivy, do you want your diamonds to turn into mice?" I ask her.

She let go of her stash and jumped on the couch. A few minutes later she says to me,

"Mom, do you think my diamonds turned into mice?"

"I don't know sweetie, are you being greedy?"

"No, I'm being nice. So will the mice be diamonds again?"

I love when stories have lessons that kids can relate to and want to follow or learn from.

This is Halloween....

Have a wonderful hauntful Halloween. It's our favorite! (Halloween, 4th of July and Christmas are all really big with my family).



The witch is my mom, I'm a nerdy librarian, Zach is a dragon, Kat is a vampire, Jade is the Corpse Bride, Luke is the Grim Reaper, Ivy is a Belly Dancer and Harrison is a Vampire Skeleton.

Happy Halloween from all of us!

Ever wonder what I do at work?

I spend my days with these people. They only dress like this once a year. (I'm really glad that it's only once- we didn't get very much work done today)- but the girls got a lot of candy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Reading together

While Jade is in school, Ivy has been going to story time at the library. She gets to memorize different poems each week and pass them off for a treat. She's really loves repeating them for us and we have multiple poems on film now.

Jade doesn't want to be left out of the fun, so while Ivy recites them, Jade enjoys reading them. If she starts struggling with a word, Ivy will help her sweetly.

It is so fun watching both girls so absorbed in learning. They both find so much joy in learning and helping each other learn. Jade has a math mind and Ivy has a mind for words.

Happy Halloween!

Smart Cookie...

Apparently I am a sucker for a good cookie. A dear friend of mine introduced me to Smart Cookies. I'm in love.

The other day I took the girls and Miss Kim to top off our pizza with a sweet treat. The girls both got ice cream and we loaded up on different cookies. The sugar cookies are soft and yummy. There are several different frosting flavors that are all really good. I love that you are not limited to sugar cookies- they have a wonderful selection of milk chocolate chip cookies and semi sweet chocolate cookies with toffee bits, with oatmeal, with nuts -- so many yummy choices.

The girls loved the decor and spent the whole time trying to guess who was in the photographs on the wall. Smart Jade even knew who Amelia Earhart was.

Best Street Display!

My Aunt sent me these pictures of some Mormon Missionaries somewhere in Russia. I would have loved to do that street display with the elders. I can only imagine how successful it would have been.

When I was in the Ukraine, as a missionary, we weren't allowed to do street displays. There were two ways that we could find people to share the gospel with, the first was referrals. Referrals were a fantastic way to find interested people, because they already knew a little about the Church because of their friend. The other way was much harder, we could stop people on the street and ask them about whether or not they believed in God. It was not an easy way to start a conversation.

Jade and the Sun Flower

Do you ever stop to think about the little things that make your kids happy? Jade, very often surprises me by the ways she finds entertainment.

We were spending the evening at my parent's house. Dad had left a great big sunflower head on the table outside. While everyone else was busy inside, Jade disappeared. We found her sitting quietly on the table, plucking seeds out of the sunflower so that she could feed the birds. She worked very hard on it and was being very serious.

A couple of days later we were back at my folk's house and the first thing she did was run out to the table to see how the birds had feasted on her offering. She was thrilled to find many of the seeds were gone.

I was really glad that mom and dad left her mess so that she could enjoy it days later.

What are some of the funny things your kids do for entertainment?

When will it end?

Honestly, I understand that ice is the limiting factor, but that is a lot of snow on Timp to be playing in the water. These boys are truly insane and I'm shocked neither has come down with some awful head cold. I will divulge that Scott's legs were much more sore after this freezing cold outing than they typically are. Or, maybe it wasn't the cold that caused the pain, maybe it was because he was pushing himself so hard. What do you think?

A friend was sealed...

There are many things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that really make me happy and grateful to be a Mormon. The other day I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend a sealing at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

A sealing is a marriage that takes place for not only time on this earth but for the eternities. It is a blessing that ties you together with your spouse and children after you have left this earth. It is a very special occasion for all who choose to enter into this covenant.

If you would like to read more about what goes on in the Mormon Temples, click here and read about it.

Kris and Dennis have been through a lot to get to sealed for eternity. Sitting in the room with them and their family and friends was so beautiful. The love in Dennis' eyes as he looked at his lovely wife was so touching and sweet. The gentlemen that was conducting the ordinance was so inspiring. He told them to remember that each of them are alive because of each other and that if things get difficult, remember that they are here for one another.

I loved getting to share that very special day with them. Thank you for inviting me, Kris and Dennis. You are an amazing couple!

Blue Lemon- Yum!

Melissa and I ventured out and tried the Blue Lemon in Highland. First impressions were very good. The decor was very fun and very beautiful. Then we looked at the menu and it was so enticing- there were so many amazing looking choices. We narrowed it down to the Chelle’s Famous Vegetable Lasagna and Blue Lemon Portobello Burger with Sweet Potato Fries on the side. We wanted to try the soups but knew that we had more than enough food, so we just sampled the Tomato Bisque and the Butternut Squash. Oh my goodness, the Butternut Squash was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Everything about the meal was fantastic. I would really recommend going to the Blue Lemon for a wonderful meal.

After the meal we walked over to the Bistro and enjoyed a cupcake and an eclair. The treats were fine, but not my favorite. But, their specialty drinks looked wonderful and next time I'll finish my meal with one of those instead of a baked good.

Crazy Hair Day!

I love Red Ribbon Week at Renaissance. I love that Jade has so much fun doing every day's theme.

Monday was Performance Dress Day with Red Ribbons. (Jade missed that one because she had a fever all weekend).
Tuesday was Inside Out Day. She couldn't believe that there were kids that didn't participate.
Wednesday was Crazy Hair Day. As you can tell she really got into that. We put a cup under her ponytail and we have some "Bratz" hair color that washes out with water.
Thursday was Mismatch Day and they didn't have to wear uniforms. She wore jeans, a flowered skirt, a long sleeved shirt and a tank top over it. Jade thought it was a blast getting to wear crazy clothes.
Friday was All Dressed in Red Day. She has been looking forward to wearing her cozy red sweatsuit all week.

It's crazy to think about the theme days we had when I was in school. We had 50's Day, Pajama Day, Backwards Day and as I got older we added Hippie Day. Maybe we should bring theme days into the office. It might be a lot of fun- the closest we have is Halloween in the office and that is pretty fun too.

We have a mouse problem...

I got a text from Miss Kim telling me that a mouse had come out of the fireplace. Another time I got a text telling me one had just ran down the stairs. Then another came telling me that a mouse had run from under the fridge into the pantry.

I hate mice. They creep me out.

So Scott got several mouse traps and we waited. The first night we had the traps set, we were all sitting in the family room watching a show, when we saw a little mouse running really fast behind the TV. I jumped on the couch and the girls followed me. Scott blocked the mouse from running away and the trap went snap. I screamed so the girls screamed. Then we scampered upstairs and hid.

Jade decided she had to see the mouse but she remained scared.

Since that first mouse, we have trapped 6 of them. I think we're free of mice for now, but we will have to find out how they are getting in and block it off.

The girls won't go into the bathroom by themselves because they are afraid there might be a mouse in there. In fact one night, I had to go and turn on the lights at 2 am for Jade.

We can't continue with the girls being scared to do anything, so Scott came up with a really great idea. He took us to the PetsMart to hold a mouse and get past the fears of mice. It was a lot of fun and the girls decided that they really really want a guinea pig and are adding it to the Christmas list.

Are they still afraid of mice? Will they go into a dark bathroom by themselves? Yes- still afraid and no- won't go alone. Sigh, it was a great idea and maybe we'll have to try it again.

Haunted Train Ride...

In preparation for Halloween we went on the Heber Creepers Haunted Canyon. The weather was great and almost everyone had a great time. Jade and Ivy loved everything about the ride. They loved the ghosts, the ghouls and the werewolves. Harrison raved about the characters and Luke covered his eyes the whole time.

It was fun hearing all of the stories about the haunted canyon. Some of them were more believable than others, but all were fun.

My only complaint is that it only lasted 35 minutes round trip.

Halloween PJ's

Last Halloween, my mom made the grandkids adorable pj's and nightgowns. This year, she made everyone really cute pj bottoms and got them halloween t-shirts. The girls LOVE them and look so cute in them.

Last year I had a hard time getting cute pictures of them in their pj's and this year proved just as difficult. Ivy is going through a funny stage where she loves to be "crazy" for pictures. And if you let her do her crazy ones, she still won't be "pretty" for a picture. So- here are the fruits of my photographing labor.

Silly spooks.

Our Relief Society Project

My friend, Rachel, asked me if I had some pictures of the temples that we could use for Relief Society. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ have been asked to have a picture of a Temple hanging in their homes. (There are three things you will find hanging on many Mormon's walls- A picture of Christ, as He is the center of our religion, a picture of a temple, and a copy of the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."

I had already taken some of Oquirrh Mountain and St George, but I didn't have any that I was really happy with of the Mount Timpanogos Temple. So, the other morning, I left early to work so that I could stop and take some pictures in the morning light. Then a few days later, we went to dinner up in Salt Lake, and we decided to take a walk around the Salt Lake Temple, so I could get some night pictures.

Here are the ones we're using for Relief Society. The women get to pick what size frame their 8x10 print will go in, which temple picture they would like and if they want color, sepia or black and white.

For the Love....

Is it really still boating season? Apparently October isn't too cold for my crazy husband and a couple of his equally nuts friends. I guess, the girls and I are almost as crazy because this boys night out, had 3 tag alongs.

Check out my latest post...

At Blissfully Domestic.

Despite the posts of late...

Scott does still enjoy 4-wheeling.

I think I've already said this...

... I love sunsets in Utah. These sunsets are one of my favorite things about going on the boat after work. Each night the sky was so different, but each night it was absolutely stunning.

I'm too sexy...

for my winter coat.

The other night, we were outside, and it was a little cold. This is what my goofy oldest daughter looked like. She had just gotten back from gymnastics and was too cold to be outside in her leo only, but didn't want to get dressed. The sunglasses? Oh, that was just to be cool.

20 years ago...

Scott graduated from Box Elder High School in Brigham City. I know he played tennis and baseball but high school days are rarely a topic of discussion. So, when our friend, Julie, asked if we were attending the reunion, I pushed for us to go.

I thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit more about high school Scott. Sadly, for me, the guys he spent most of his time with didn't attend. There were no stories of "remember when Scott..." or "remember the..." but I'm still very glad we went.

Below are pictures of the dinner, the sign from the class of '89's all night party and everyone from the class that attended.

Halloween Time means Chili

Check out the link here to see the recipe

The Birds....

Do you remember the movie "The Birds"? It was considered a very scary movie during it's time. Scott and I watched it, and it is NOT scary. In fact, it is really really slow.

That being said, if I were Trevor waiting in the water with all of the birds surrounding him, I would be FREAKING OUT! It didn't even phase him, at least not that he let on. Although, maybe the birds were the reason he didn't get up on the slalom ski. -- Let's go with that as the excuse.

We keep thinking that each time out on the boat will be our last and yet we keep getting to go out. It is colder and colder each time we go, and the kids are less likely to get in the water each time we go out. Our wetsuits have gone from shorties to full suits- and I think if Scott had more crazy friends, he would consider getting a dry suit.

Scott got up on the slalom ski and he declared that he does not need to do it again any time soon- or ever. I still really enjoyed watching him- even if it was really hard work.

The kids did get in the water, and Jade did wake board, but I think their favorite part of the day was when they got up on the "stage" and danced their little hearts out. I could piece together a movie of all of their dancing photos. It was so adorable.

Monkey Girl

My parents have two trees in their backyard that they planted far enough apart to be perfect for hanging a hammock from. Jade has a different purpose for these two trees. I guess they are big enough for my little monkey to climb up.

I was inside watching as she was showing her cousin how high she can climb. It's a good thing she's so strong or I'd worry about her falling down and breaking her arm.

Jade's getting pretty darn good...

Wake boarding is not easy. I know- it's something I'm trying really hard to learn. There are times that I don't even get up. While I'm up, I'm scared of every single bump. I have to get up the courage to cross the wake. If there is a small boat wave coming our direction, I just let go and slowly sink. I have yet to return over the wake, but it remains a goal.

Jade, pops right up. She holds on tight with each bump she hits. If you tell her to stand up a little straighter, she gives it a try. On days that it's cold, she'll still give it a try- if you offer her a shake. She really loves the boat. I really love watching her try new things and get excited about improvements.

They call me ...

Aimichka (Aim-itch-ka)- the little beloved. It's my gypsy name. Because I've become a belly dancer. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not a good belly dancer and I can't do the cool stomach ripple- at least not yet. But, it's our latest challenge.

About a month ago, I got an email from my cousin, Cass, asking me if I wanted to join her in taking a class through UVU. I was so excited when Scott agreed to do bedtimes, without me, every Tuesday night so I could take the class. We've had 4 classes so far and I absolutely LOVE it. So does my cousin, her daughter, my aunt and my mom. We go through the number together whenever we can.

We even get to perform!!!! I am so excited, but don't expect me to post a date and time until after the fact. We've ordered hip scarves and little finger tamborines and we're going to make long skirts and order the unitards that have a mesh belly. (I'm in no shape to really show my belly!)

Hopefully Kat and Sari will join us the next time around- because we are loving it.

PS- our teachers name is Kalista and she dances with the Desert Gypsy Dance Company She's really fun and very good at the belly ripple that we all want to be able to do.

How to make a Tutu...

After my post about Conference Sunday and our activity of tutu making, I've gotten a couple of requests to explain how to make them... so here goes.

It is super easy- otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it.

You will need 3-4 yards of tulle- depending on how full you want it. (PS- Walmart has it for 97 cents to 1.19 for the shiny). There are a few different kinds, I like the kind with the smallest holes, but the kind with the bigger holes is a little stiffer, so it adds a fun texture.

Decide how long you want the tutu to be. (Jade's tutu from Conference is about 14 inches long, Ivy's is 10 inches and the one below is about 6 inches long). Once you've decided how long- it's time to cut your tulle.

Cut the strips 4 inches wide and twice as long as you want the tutu. (The black and orange one is in 12 inch strips).

Tie a ribbon across something so that you can work easily with the ribbon. (You can use elastic as well- but my girls wanted ribbon).

Take the first strip, fold it in half. Then pull it around the ribbon and pull the ends through the loop. Pull it tight. Keep doing this and create a fun pattern. For the one below, I did two blacks, one orange and then two blacks. I'm debating adding a little bit of yellow.

It's really easy and doesn't take very long at all. The girls have had fun with them and their big teddy bears are now wearing tutus.

School Pictures and Tooth #7

Picture day is a special day, it's the day we get our children documented for posterity. We curl their hair, we buy them new clothes, we press their shirts and we mascara their eyes. So we can document each year.

I was supposed to go out of town on Monday, but picture day was Tuesday, so I changed my flight. (As it turned out, I came down with a secondary infection to my bronchitis and a kidney infection, so I couldn't travel after all). I loved getting the girls ready for pictures.

Ivy was so excited, and promised me she smiled pretty. If the professional pictures don't turn out, I'm pretty excited about the ones I got of both girls.

Jade had a very loose tooth, but I made her promise me she would quit wiggling it until after pictures. She stuck to her promise and did a lot of wiggling after her pictures were taken at school. Unfortunately I hadn't gotten any of her that morning, so I missed getting her smile full of teeth.

I was waiting for Jade to get home from school, so that I could take a few pictures of her and Ivy before Jade rushed off to gymnastics. It was starting to get late and Kim called to tell us the bad news. Jade had been wiggling her tooth while she was waiting for the carpool. She wiggled it so much, it fell right out. While she was holding it in her hand to display for the boys, she dropped it. Crushed, they looked and looked and looked- but didn't find it. Jade was upset about it, but not because the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to give her money, she was upset because I always take a picture of her and her tooth. Kim gave her a little treasure chest to put under her pillow in place of her tooth. We'll need to write a note to the tooth fairy explaining what happened and then put it with the chest.

Well, this time we didn't get to fun pictures of her and her tooth, but she'll always have a story to tell of how she lost her 7th tooth. (Crazy, that she'll be able to read back in this journal to know how she has lost all of her teeth. I don't even remember how I lost my first- let alone my 7th.) So, below you will see the picture of her pointing to her hole, and that's likely the best we'll get for that tooth picture.

The girls weren't being overly cooperative for their pictures, but at least I've got some from this year, similar to what I got last year. (Those of you that click on that link- can you believe how much they have grown up in the past year? Especially Ivy!)

I LOVE Picture day!

Beautiful Sunset

Sunsets in Utah are so beautiful!!!

Boys Night Out is different than family boating...

Some nights the girls can't join Scott on the boat so he goes out with the boys. Boys Night is very different than when the family goes out. Scott and his friends get to try different tricks and use the equipment in creative ways. They have surfed with a wake board rope and tried to jump the wake. They've (Scott) has used the surf board to get up to barefoot. Together they learned how to surf correctly- without the rope. (I don't see me trying that).

They've had some great nights out there. It's too bad that the days are getting shorter and the lake is getting colder. It's a great time for Scott and for his friends that have joined him.

PS- all of the shots are taken by his friends. Each trip they have come home with over 500 images and everyone has fallen in love with my Nikon. Their wives may want to start asking for one, now that their husbands have seen the light. Of course, in addition to a DSLR, they'll also need to ask for additional hard drive space- internal or external. Seriously 500 pictures in just a few hours!

Happy Birthday Anne and Kat!

October 2nd was Anne's Birthday. We're really glad she joined our family.





Kat's birthday is today. We're lucky to get to live near her and her boys!

Happy Birthday! We love you both!

Our Conference Sunday project...

I love General Conference. I love getting to hear the words and counsel of the Lord's servants. I love making a special breakfast and gathering the girls to listen to the Prophet of the Lord speak. I love when the Mormon Tabernacle sings and Ivy asks if they are from our church. I love picking a task that will keep the girls quiet and in the family room listening.

This fall, the girls made tutus. They were really easy and fun to make. The only downside is that they didn't even take as long as the morning session. But, the girls love them and Jade has been wearing hers ever since we finished them. Both girls adorned themselves with eyeshadow and lipstick.

I remember Conference Sundays when I was little. We would gather in the family room to watch our church leaders share their testimonies and give us guidance. One of the memories I have of every conference is of painting our toe nails and finger nails. Isn't that funny? But we always did it. I also remember doing cross stitch and crocheting around the edges of towels. As we got older, we would take notes in our journals of the things said that impressed us.

***Conference is a special time for Mormons. It happens twice a year and there are 5 sessions that are each 2 hours long. There are 3 sessions on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Our prophet and leader, President Thomas S Monson addresses us, as do others that have been asked and invited to serve along side of President Monson. During these meetings we learn about the things that we need to focus on and be reminded of. It is also a time when we learn of the progress the church is making and the announcements of temples that will be built.

To learn more, please visit www.lds.org.

BYU Campus for a day...

Scott and I had bronchitis. Neither of us were feeling very well, so my parents were kind enough to take the girls for the day. They went and had a blast playing at BYU.

First they played at the Bean Museum- a famliy favorite. Grandma held a snake, Luke wore a shell and Jade kept herself busy doing the scavenger hunt.

After going to the Bean Museum, they walked up to the bells and had fun getting their hair stuck to the wall. Jade's did it the best and Luke required a little help from the rest of the kids. (note the small picture on the top left corner).

What better way to finish up a visit to BYU, than the Creamery on 9th. BYU really has some of the best ice cream and the price is right. The kids were very creative in their demonstration of how to eat ice cream.