A Family trip to Yellowstone

For Memorial Day weekend we had a fun opportunity to take the family to Yellowstone National Park. What started out as a business trip turned out to be a blessing for our whole family! Our one work "requirement" was to deliver a completed Parks and Recreation Vehicle back to Yellowstone... in exchange we had one fun weekend,  put up in a cabin with 3 days to take it all in!

 I was VERY glad that I had spoken to a good friend who informed me that it was suppose to snow everyday that weekend... and sure enough that was what we arrived to find! But at least we were prepared for the weather as well as prepared to have some fun! ~And though it snowed everyday, we had patches of warmth and sun that seemed to come along always at the right moment! It was an unforgettable family weekend...

The Falls at Yellowstone were some of the most beautiful sights to see, and though plenty of the views were overwhelming and a rush to overlook, they were both breathtaking and amazing!

Dallin, Clint, Kambriella, Kierra, Carew, and Gavin ~ Keeping warm and loving the view!The Group Warmth Cuddle Huddle! :)

~More beautiful Falls!~

As we moved around the park we had many opportunities to see the buffalo claiming their territory... through the fields, walking down the middle of the roads, taking a nap by some of the rest rooms...

But THIS moment was a rare one indeed! We were walking down the board walk when a family of buffalo decided to walk UP and OVER the board walk!!! They didn't seem to mind the fact that there were herds of HUMANS right in front of them!!! By the time we got over there to take a picture, this was the LAST one to cross the board walk.. RIGHT in front of Dallin!!! (See that little person in the blue jacket with the red hood? YEP! That's Dallin!)

Kambriella decided that this little stump looked like a great little resting spot!;) So while we sat I marveled at the peace and the beauty of being in the great outdoors... enjoying all the beauties that have been created for us...

 and although I didn't get a picture of it, one of the days we were there was a Sunday and we had the opportunity to attend a Sacrament meeting at the Old Faithful Lodge. For one Sunday we were just a few members of about 40 in a little branch, meeting with other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The meeting was simple, inspiring, and made me realize that I am so thankful for the gospel no matter where I am in the world, and that Heavenly Father loves us all and has given us everything that we have to enjoy and hold dear...

~And here I am with my sweet little hiking buddy :) Kambriella has a "Love~Hate" relationship with the hikes! She loves to run down the paths but hates to hike back up! Thank goodness Mama doesn't mind the company! ;)

I love this picture! Whenever we say "cheese," Kambriella immediately becomes the life of the party! She is always making everyone smile...I think she gets it from her Dad...;)

 ~And although I would LOVE to claim this little snowman family as "our" creative work of art, we did not build them... someone before us found joy in the creating and boy did it bring a huge smile to Kambriella's little face!!! (Even the Japanese tourists were taking pictures of her with her big smile and the snowman family!!!)

 Along with all of the wild life that there was to see in the Park, we always seemed to have a few animals of our own always with us... Here Dallin and Kambriella are being Owls like the ones they saw behind them :)

(And by the way, on this trip, we saw every kind of wildlife possible I think...Buffalo, birds, wolves, moose, elk, and even a bear!) It was awesome!)

The family with "Old Faithful" geyser in the background...and at the Old Faithful Lodge...(Kambriella started crying because she thought this was the only time the geyser would blow! She literally thought she was missing it! ;)

Here we are carefully walking Uncle Tom's Stairs...I can't remember just how many stairs there were to get to the view point...originally it was 500 something, but now it's only 300 something... Quite a feat to watch your children accomplish...

While Yellowstone was many things to me, one of the greatest things that it was for me, was yet another opportunity to build lasting memories with the people that I love the Most!!! I love you all!! Thanks for all of the memories!!! :)

 

Wrapping up another school year... So Much FUN!!!

Another fun and CRAZY school year has already come to an end and it's time to jump into summer fun!!! But not without a quick picture re~cap of some of the "end of the year" partying that went on!!! What a great year we had!!! Here we go...

Gavin and Chase celebrating the last few days of Kindergarten by trying out the 1st grade lunch room!

Chase and Gavin being "Big and Bad Wolves" in their End of the Year performance of The 3 Little Pigs...

This is the Big Bad Wolf's softer side... Loving his big brother Dallin! (Right before we are off again to the baseball field...)

Dallin and Gavin both played baseball this year and Clint got to Coach  and I got to be Team Mom for both their teams!!! Carew and Kambriella were our biggest fans! Go Yankees and Twins!!

Dallin THE Entrepreneur made his very own Duck Tape Wallets that he sold at the 3rd grade "Mini~Mall"...
which he sold completely out of in about the first 20 minutes! Way to go Dallin!

~And Little Miss Kambriella shared in the fun at the 3rd grade "Mini Mall" by spending some of her play money in one of the booths getting her finger nails painted HOT pink! Oh Ya! ;)

Carew was one happy camper when he got to see his favorite animal at the Hogle Zoo!! (This tiger looks rather calm right now, but we actually got to witness the biggest CAT Fight we had ever seen or heard! It was Crazy!!)

Sweet Kierra getting ready for her band concert to begin...Front and center!
Say Cheese!

A beautiful arabesque from Kierra in "Dante's Inferno" Masterpiece

Kierra's French class was able to invite 2 guests each to attend The LaCaille Restaurant dinner where we were able to enjoy some of Salt Lake's finest French dining...

Kierra enjoying the dessert...Crepe wrapped vanilla ice~cream drizzled with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar...Yum!!!

Escargot anyone? (We all tried it...Clint just made it seem so effortless;)

So many festivities!!! Sooo much fun!!!Time to sit back and unwind and let the summer fun begin!!!

Bon Voyage Kierra!

I can hardly believe that this day has finally arrived! Kierra received a letter of invitation to travel with the People to People Student Ambassador Program last November and was intrigued and ecstatic about the idea ever since. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for her and she chose to embrace it!

She has worked sooooo hard for the past 6 months to try and earn the $7,500 it would cost to get her there... Babysitting, teaching piano lessons, teaching ballet classes, working at Clint's work cleaning on the weekends, selling, getting sponsorships, and more babysitting... And she did it!!!!!! Many thanks to all of our good friends and family who have supported her in this endeavor, it has been wonderful to watch her achieve this dream of hers!

On Monday, June 4th was her departure day...we had to have her at the airport at 10:55 a.m. to check in, check bags, meet up with the rest of her group, take pictures and say good~bye! I was so excited for her, I remember going to Japan when I was her age... so much to look forward too!!!

I hugged her and kissed her and left and only looked back twice...and I didn't even cry! (But I did feel anxious all day thinking about her ;)

She finally arrived in England on Tuesday June 5th around 1:00 p.m. and when she called me to tell me they had made it safely she said, "Hi mom! I'm in London!!!"

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is so crazy cool!!!;)

She has officially been gone now for 5 days and has only 14 to go till she comes home...but I'm not counting. ;)

I have spoken to her everyday for just a few minutes each time, but she says she is having the time of her life all with the exception that the desserts over there don't taste very good... Poor Girl?! :)

So far she has visited the London Eye which is the worlds largest Farris Wheel ~ gone street shopping ~ met with British Parliament ~ ate at a Medieval Banquet ~ explored the Tower of London and THE London Bridge! (I asked her if it was falling down but she said No!;) ~ Cruised the River Thames ~ went to a theater production of one of London's most famous shows ~ Viewed the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace... And that is just the beginning!!! I can't wait to hear all of the neat stories when she gets back, but I just had to write this one down! I am so proud of her, but also can hardly believe how quickly time goes by...and we see our children turn from sweet but helpless little infants to energetic and independent teenagers! It is CRAZY!!!! But I love it! It's a Good Good life!

A Birthday and a Ballet...

   Today was an EXTRA special day that we all got to celebrate together! Not only did we wake up to a beautiful pink sky with a rainbow smack dab in the middle of it, but it was Kambriella's 3rd birthday ~ AND ~ the Dance Recital for Kierra's "Tippy Toes Ballet Academy" that she has been teaching for the past 6 months for her fundraising project! This was a "WIN~WIN~WIN" situation for all of us! Kierra was able to host a beautiful recital for all of the girls and their families, Kambriella was able to celebrate her birthday by dancing with all of her friends, wearing her tutu, and having cake and presents ~ (and all the while she really thought that all of the "hoopla" was ALL for her because after all, it was HER birthday!)
~AND~ I was able to combine the 2 parties~ the 2 celebrations into 1 that turned out wonderful for everyone! What an absolute joy this day was!!!                            
(Kambriella looking on as everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to her;)

Making a wish!

Opening up her present from Papa...

Just lovin' all the girly gifts! Especially the doll from papa and the ballerina jewelry box from mommy that winds up and plays music :)

...But the BEST gift EVER...Her BIG sister!!!

Kambriella and Papa, one of her biggest fans :)

Kierra read a spotlight about each little dancer and how much she enjoyed teaching them...here she presented Kambriella's with a pink rose and a goody bag :)

All of the girls danced in 1 "Free Dance" where they could spin and twirl and do whatever they liked... Kambriella is the one being twirled around :)

Kambriella and her little friend Mia follow Miss Kierra's every move...

The Little Ballerina's

Mia, Annika, Kambriella, and Mya

Miss Kierra and Miss Kelsee with all of the students of the Tippy Toes Ballet Academy

...And of course the little ballerina~birthday girl...

The star of the show! (At least in mommy's book ;)

Can you say, "proud mama?"

I was so proud of all of the hard work that Kierra has put into this project...all of the parents were so pleased, and even dropped a few tears as they watched their little girls in their first performance ;) What a wonderful job you did Kierra! ~ and only 2 days left until you leave for your trip!!! All of your hard work has finally paid off! I love you Miss Kierra! Beautiful Job!!!

...And to celebrate the rest of Kambriella's birthday, we cleaned up the show and then went swimming and out to dinner at Kambriella's favorite restaurant..."Chuck~A~Grandma's!" No not Chuck ~A~Rama's...Kambriella calls it "Chuck ~A~Grandma's!" I LOVE it!!!!! Happy 3rd Birthday Kambriella! Beautiful dancing and beautiful day!

Memorial Day... a day to remember

May 23rd, 2012 was a beautiful and peaceful morning for me.
   Knowing that I would be out of town with my family on Memorial Day, I decided to take an early memorial trip up to Ogden to my brother Kelly's grave. It was 7 months to the day since his passing, and going up there for the 1st time since the funeral to the beautiful cemetery up on the side of the mountain was very calming and healing and very spiritual for me. I went first thing in the morning while Gavin was at school and left Kambriella with her little friend so that I might be able to spend a little time alone in thoughts of my brother. On my way up there I listened to President Monson's conference talk on death and found more comfort in the thought that, "...death is only like going  into another room...in that other room we shall find the dear women and men and the sweet children that we have loved and lost."
   So after spending about an hour there, giving flowers, piecing together the cracked tile that lay where the head stone soon will be, and speaking out loud of life and loved ones and how much we love and miss him...
I said goodbye again for now, but only in body... for I know that through the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we too may live again one day. What a comfort it is to know that in this life we can be sealed eternally as families, and that one day we will get to enter that "other room" to be with our loved ones we miss.
   Kelly, we love you... thanks for all that you have done for our family. Love, your little sis... XOXO

Love Their Mother...

I remember when Clint and I first decided to start our family. He said to me, "Just let me know when you're ready to have a baby because I am ready when you are!"
REALLY? I was soooo scared at the thought of bringing a life into the world and thinking about being responsible for the welfare and salvation of another little soul... I didn't ever feel completely "ready" to start a family, but I knew that it was all a part of the plan and that I could do it with love and faith.
We had been married for almost 4 years by the time our first baby came into the world ~ and it's so hard to believe that almost 15 years have passed since then and now we have 5 beautiful children!
Mother's Day has also taken on a new meaning to me since then too. Not only do we celebrate our own mothers and all of their goodness and sacrifice, but I also get to joy in the blessing of motherhood. After becoming a mother, I have captured a tiny little glimpse of the love that our Heavenly Father has for each of his children. Now, Clint and I work together in a partnership with God to try to nurture, love, and teach these children everything that they need to know in this life to truly be happy... and it all comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You know the saying, "If mama ain't happy then no body's happy?" Well, believe me when I say that being a mom is VERY hard, and yet VERY rewarding too ~ but I have to give MOST of the credit of the happiness and fun in our home to their Dad. HE makes me happy, HE makes me laugh, and HE is so good to me ~ and because he always makes me happy, our home is usually happy too. (No not ALWAYS ;) but a lot of the time:)
As we try hard to teach our children, I am reminded of Sister Dalton's conference talk titled, "Love Their Mother." It teaches Father's to love their wives, and that through the love that they show, it sets a righteous example for the children to follow. I agree whole~heartedly! I think our children have a great advantage on their "life's lessons" because of the example of their dad. Thank you for "loving their mother."

Time for a "big girl" bed!

Little Miss Kambriella has finally graduated from her little crib to a "big girl" bed! We had promised her that when she got potty trained and started wearing "big girl" panties, that she must be big enough for a "big girl" bed! After waiting for weeks for the "man to bring it on the big truck" :) it is finally here and Little Miss Kambriella is feeling anything but "little!"

Here is a picture of her big girl princess bed complete with a little bench for using to climb up into her bed... and perfect for kneeling down beside to say her prayers too...;)

From her bedroom window Kambriella can see many beautiful things... but some of her favorites are the moon at night and the Draper Temple on the mountain.

Isn't it sweet! Pink and white and full of fluff!!! Just perfect for a little princess;)

Kambriella really loves her little polka dotted bench! She loves to rock her babies there and slip on her shoes there too!

...and this sweet little pillow sits right on the bench to remind her to say her prayers! It was so sweet the very first night that she slept in her bed, I was in the bathroom but over heard her saying her prayers ~ "...Thank you for my new pillow, it's SO soft...and thank you for my new bed...it's a BIG one!..."

This sweet little angel face says it all! Such a little miracle...and soooooo happy to have her "big girl" bed! I love you Kambriella! :)