House progress

Well, aside from the painting we've done recently,

 we have been making some additional progress on our house.

This picture shows the color a little bit better. 

The color is called "Basket Beige".

Dad is now working on our cabinets for the inside of the house.

As you can see, our garage is basically his

 woodshop at the moment.

And you can see how the back door of the garage 

leads outside our backyard and right out to Mom and Dad's house.

Just look at my cute father in law. 

 He is such an awesome craftsman!

And here is my awesome brother in law Mark

working on the tile in our master bathroom.

While trying to save money, we found this wall tile that Dad had left over for our bathroom. We had to match it up with the rest of our colors. In fact the little square sections were cut out and replaced with these little square colored glass stone pieces.  Then strips of the same were cut out to string around the whole shower.  The tile for the floor is next.  Just wait to see the way it all goes together.  I"m excited!

Here's a closer look at the shower tilework.

Great job Mark! 

(oh, and here's the new hired help!  Yes, they are both available)

Stay tuned for more house updates!

California Dreamin'

Okay, so we finally took a trip back to Sacramento California last week after a long year here in Utah.  Since Michael wanted to get out there to visit friends and the old ward, we thought now was a good time to take that trip.  Mike stayed home to work.  So, just the 3 boys and I ventured out.  And we had a blast!

Our first stop was to pick up Sophia! 

 The boys just love her to death!

Then we headed over to our good friends Don and Trudy Somers for dinner.  They were a great help and support to Michael while he was on his mission.  They are great people and they were happy to see Michael again.  I stayed with them all week while the boys stayed at the Hogges.

On Thursday Sandy and I took a bunch of the kids to Lake Natoma to enjoy the outdoors and play in the water.

The kids saw this cute young couple walking along the shore.

  He was carrying a guitar and so Michael stopped them and asked him to play a song for us.  Michael is still in that MIssionary mode....I love it!  So, they stopped and played for us.  He also let Michael borrow his guitar so that he could play one of his songs that he wrote for us.

 Nina reminded us so much of Sophia....and Andrew had a beautiful voice.  Anyway, long story short...They ended up  being members of the church married 2 months and he is the son of a friend from my young single adult days. I dated his dad's best friend and we doubled with his mom and dad. 

 Wow! Such a small world!

That was a blast!

On the way home from the lake, Sandy took me to a shooting gallery.  She has been wanting to take me forever.  Well, she finally talked me into it.  She is such a guy!!  Anyway, I shot a Glock 19 9 mm gun!  Yes, I did! And I have to say it was a bit empowering, having the gun in my hand. 

 If you look closely you can see that I was a pretty good shot!  So, be afraid, be very afraid!!

On Friday we drove to Oakland where Michael and I had the priviledge of witnessing Kelsey and Tyson Ewing being sealed in the temple for time and all eternity.  Kelsey is the oldest daughter of our good friends the Hogges.  It was a fun-filled day for everyone.  Sophia and the boys came with us and there was a nice luncheon for everyone who attended afterwards.  

On Saturday I took the boys up to Roseville where we met my good friend, from my Taco Bells/Roseville days, Trina for lunch.  I just had to introduce them and we had a blast!  The boys wore headbands as they were gearing up for the wedding reception that night (they were doing a dance with the Hogges that they had been planning with a black light....it was awesome btw).  They got a lot of looks especially with Stephen being his regular goof-ball self. 

 Trina loved my boys and I cant blame her! :)

On Satruday night we all got dressed and headed to the Hogge reception for a great time! Got to see alot of our freinds there from the old ward and stake.  We all had a blast dancing!
 And I felt like a teenager again!  

Okay, I have to admit it was way fun taking this picture!  I can't believe Sophia's pose!  I've never seen her do anything so crazy!  I love my kids!

On Sunday morning we attended our old Vineyard Ward where Michael was able to give a brief testimony to the Ward as a return missionary.  It was a great experience as each of the boys got up to bear their testimonies.  I was pretty teary eyed the whole time.  Bryce was the last person to our surprise to get up and share his sweet testimony.  Our whole row and I think a few others in the congregation were pretty emotional during that time.  

Afterwards we got to reconnect with many many friends there.  We felt so loved by the many members of our old ward who seemed so happy to see us again!  I'm glad we took the time to go before heading home that day.

The hardest part was having to leave Sophia in the parking lot of the church before heading out.  She was so upset and so were we that we had to leave eachother again.  Sophia is definately part of our family.  It is so interesting to me how she just fits right in with all of us.  My boys adore her and really look out for her.  But, no fear, we will be seeing her again soon. 

 The holidays are right around the corner.

We headed out at about 1:00 that afternoon with about 60$ in my wallet.  We left on a full tank and gassed up once in Winnemuca.  We stopped at McDonalds there for lunch and I had $2 dollars left.  By the time we got to West Jordan we were on empty.  But, we made it home to Springville safe and sound.  Yes, we like to live on the edge! ( spent every cent we had but it was totally worth it!)

Thanks to Trudy for spoiling me and making my vacation so awesome! 

And thanks to the Hogges for putting up with my boys for a whole week!

We have great friends in Sacramento California!

Michael's Homecoming

Well, here we all are back together again!  Michael's homecoming has been a week long thing.  Tuesday July 12th we left for the airport to meet Michael there.  I didn't know what to expect as far as how I would react.  I was tempted to be really upset because Mike found out at the last minute the day before that he would not be able to be at the airport.  I finally decided that we were lucky that Mike had a job and if it meant that he couldn't be there then so be it.  However, we had other family members there.  Anyway, It was a great reunion.  I basically lost it!  Didn't expect that.  I had a difficult time controlling my emotions when he was actually back in my arms.  I apologized to him over and over.  It was as though the past 2 years just flashed before my mind in our embrace and I was so extremely happy to have him back. 

After visiting with family, we left and headed back towards home to meet Mike at his job in Provo.  Mike called and told us that he was headed home shortly and would meet us there.

So, Mike finally showed up shortly after we arrived and jumped out of his truck to welcome his missionary son home again.  Yes,  he was teary eyed.....  What a great reunion.

We then took Michael to the Stake President's office where he met with Michael to release him as a missionary.  Michael rejoined us with red eyes and a tear streaked face. We then went over to Cafe Rio for dinner and family time just the 5 of us.  We went home that night and Michael shared with us the many souveniers he brought home for our family, shared some personal experiences with us and then we had a family prayer before going to bed.  It was a beautiful and wonderful day.  Filled with the spirit of love and thanksgiving.  

On Thursday morning Adam and Katie...two of Michael's best friends showed up with a bunch of other friends from home.  That's when the festivities began and it was a very fun reunion with Michael and his friends.  Harry Potter, Resevoir, Games, movies and a whole lotta fun!  On Saturday we had a big welcome home bash with food, volleyball, music and fun.  We must have had about 100 people all in all show up.  

On Sunday we had Michael's homecoming talk and the minute I sat down in the pew I started to cry.  Sitting on the front pew my view was, Michael sitting on the stand in his blue suit, Stephen at the sacrament table in his black suit and Bryce sitting in front of Stephen ready to pass the sacrament in his white shirt and tie.  To see all 3 of my boys fullfilling their priesthood duties all a the same time was just a dream come true.  It was definately a highlight in mylife!  My heart was filled with joy! We were blessed to have many family members as well as friends come to his homecoming.  Stephen had planned to sing for Michael, the song he sang at his farewell which was, "One Voice".  However, the bishop said that he better not sing in church since it would look too much like a missionary homecoming and they are not supposed to have those anymore.

So, after church we came back for lunch at our home and then we had our own homecoming meeting where Mike and I had the opportunity to express our feelings about our first missionary coming home and the blessings that we have recieved over the past 2 years.  Then Stephen had the opportunity to sing his song which was absolutely sweet, heartfelt and emotional.  And then Michael had the chance to share his feelings and give family and friends the opportunity to ask any questions they had about his mission.  

After Michael's words and questions being answered, we ended with a beautiful arrangement of "Come Thou Fount" by a group of Michael's friends.  It was such a great day!

So, this is the rundown of how the reunion went.  It was great and such a memorable time.  I will be back to talk about some other details as I continue to reminise on this glorious event.  And I will be writing about more of my feelings and observations in my Still Standing blog.

BTW Michael is still on fire....and I love it!!!

The broken collarbone

On Tuesday June 28th after dropping Stephen off at a one day camp session of BYU football, this is the way I saw him next when I received a phone call to pick him up at the Out patient medical center in Provo.  It seems that Stephen tried to run thru his opponent instead of letting him tackle him and he was successful in knocking him down and he believes even giving him a consussion.  However, what Stephen had not been successful at is staying in one piece when he was finished!  He had broken his collarbone in half!

He was looked at by one of the many doctors that work on some of the BYU football players and the following week he was operated on by one of BYU's orthopedic surgeons.



  Stephen felt very confident in Dr. Kimball.  He knew what he was talking about, kind of a no nonsense kinda guy.
Dr Kimball did a great job putting Stephen's collar bone back together!

BEFORE

AFTER

So, now Stephen has a metal plate in his shoulder with 7 screws holding it together.  This will help it heal correctly though and get him functioning and back to normal in about 6 weeks.  Poor Stephen!  It's been a tough road but he sure has been a trooper!  

Well, at least we got the surgery done before Michael returns. 

 So, now he can heal and we can get on with the party!!

The Gathering

Last night we drove to West Jordan for a break- the- fast dinner and fhe with the Mark Nelson family.  Mom and Dad also joined us as we enjoyed the last fast sunday meal with Brittani before she heads off on her mission to Germany and the last fast sunday meal we will have without Michael here.  It was an emotional time for all of us.

Mike was aksed to prepare a short fhe message on Independence day/Missionary work.  He didnt bring anything with him just the knowledge in his head and the testimony in his heart.  I was very impressed with the message he shared with us about our freedom and the people who made it possible for us to enjoy what we do today.  He then related this to the gospel and the importance of the work that missionaries do to teach Heavenly Father's children what they need to do in order to be free in this life from Satan's grasp and to return and live with him again.

This led into a discussion about the advice that our children have been given to help them stay close to the spirit.  Which led into a discussion about the blessings of the gospel in our lives and the experiences that some of us adults have had in our lives that have strengthened our testimonies.  It was a very heart warming and touching evening with our extended family.  Mom and Dad sat quietly as some of us shared our feelings about how this family has had such an important impact on our lives.  Dad, in particular, is a man of few words and so I asked him to share with us some words of wisdom.  He was speechless at that moment.  However, it led me to think about the reason his words mean so much to me.  You see, Dad gave our opening prayer.  When Dad prays there is a very deep and humble spirit that accompanies him and all who are partakers.  When I mentioned how his prayers touched me, Stephen nudged me from behind and said, "that's what I was thinking".  So often the spirit speaks so much louder than the words that we say.   Uncle Mark then shared a personal experience about a simple prayer that he heard spoken by his grandfather and how it changed his life.

It is times like these that I cherish and make a difference in my life.  When I say that dreams really do come true.....this is what I mean!

Summer so far

Bryce went to Scout Camp and we went up on Parent's night and the boys 

did a silly puppet show for us.  It was very fun!

Bryce came home from Scout Camp...didnt shower all week.....GROSS!

The Robinson's moved here from Arizona last week and Stephen and his friends

helped them move all the heavy stuff into our basement.

The Robinson's...our new next door neighbors...

when we move into our new house they will moving into our current house.

Bryce has found himself a great group of friends through dance.  He's been spending 

a lot of time with them this summer and we had them over one night for a movie night.

Great kids!

Stephen brought the blender into my bathroom to make himself a milkshake

one day because Dan works from home and was on a conference call.

Had to get a picture of this!

We took a trip to the Timpanogos Temple last week with the Mark Nelson family

so that the kids could do baptisms for Grandma.

We had 5 kids and they did a total of 70 names!

Then of course Stephen broke his collar bone and his friends came over to comfort him.

So far it has been an interesting summer...

A walkway and a patio

The walkway leading up to the house was poured yesterday.

Love my new walkway!

And the back patio was poured as well around the back of the house coming from the 2 back doors from the kitchen area.  There will be stairs leading down this part of the back patio which will lead to the 

lawn area of the back yard.

This part of the back patio on the east side of the house there will be another set of stairs

 that will lead down to a lower patio area.

 Dad has a good friend across the street who has been doing all the concrete for us.

He is a great finish concrete guy!  So, coming up soon will be the back lower patio as well as the driveways out front.  So, stay tuned! 

 We are getting there slowly but surely!