Draper Temple Dedication

What a neat experience for me today to take Matthew, Kynlee, and Karley to participate, by satellite, in the dedication of the Draper Temple. As we sat and watched the slide show before hand, we were reminded of our visit to the temple a few weeks back, as it showed the beautiful rooms inside the temple that we had seen. It was so amazing to see President Monson and the other leaders dressed in white for this occasion. What a sweet spirit was felt as President Monson tenderly recited the dedicatory prayer. As the prayer was being said, I thought about the many times I have heard this wonderful prophet speak and give council, but that this was the first time I had heard him pray. It was a powerful witness to me to hear the prophet pray to our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for a prophet on the earth today. The kids enjoyed participating in the Hosanna Shout. They were definitely glad they went. I hope that we will always remember this wonderful experience. This completed temple makes a grand total of 12 temples in Utah. I feel so blessed to have so many temples around me.

Basketball Star

Matthew finished his 2nd season of basketball. He was lucky enough to have the same amazing coach again. He has improved 100 percent from last year! I am so impressed on how much this boy knows about the game. His team went 5 - 3 this season. Not too bad! I had so much fun watching each game! Matthew mainly played his favorite position, point guard. He is a Steve Nash in the making!:) In this position, he would set up plays, make incredible passes, or take it to the hole himself. He has so much energy on the court...never slowing down until the game is over. Each time Matthew made a basket, I would scream loud enough for him to know that his Mom was excited for him! So fun! I know that he will just keep getting better. I can't wait to watch him in the years to come!Going up for the rebound!Playing hard!There is only one thing on his mind...lay up!

In this short video clip, Matthew drives it to the basket and SCORES! Way to go Matthew!

It's Great To Be Eight

Karley turned the long awaited 8 years old today! She is most excited about being baptised at the end of the month! What a fun girl! You light up my life with your smile and comedic personality. You have a wonderful gift to make others laugh and smile. It's never a dull moment when you are around! You are so special and talented in so many ways. I love watching you play sports...what a great little athlete you are! Thank you for being so kind, loving, and sweet! You have been blessed with lots of family and friends who love and support you. Always know that I am here for you. I love you and Happy Birthday! Karley enjoyed her breakfast in bed...which included: scrambled eggs with a fancy ketchup 8, toast, oranges, and juice. Yum! She loves this Birthday tradition.

I love the excitement on her face as she opens her gifts!
We get each kid their own set of scriptures on their 8th Birthday. Karley loves hers!

Karley gets pretty goofy when she is excited! She couldn't control herself when she saw her new "blue" bike!:) She cracks me up...I love it!

Karley's Birthday fell on a "no school" day, so we had her party today. She had a good group of friends come and also her UT cousins. After eating pizza and chocolate cupcakes, and opening presents galore, we all went to...

...Jump On It! It has a bunch of tramps right next to each other. We all had a blast jumping from tramp to tramp!Taking a break for a picture.

Karley jumped her heart out! She loved it!

Matthew made jumping on the side tramp look easy!

I had to show how much fun Matt was having. Cool action shot!

This is the whole group tackling Matt (on the bottom of the pile). The girls had fun chasing him around!

Later, Grandma and Grandpa Slider gave her a little Hymn book to match her scriptures. She also got some Pokemon cards that she loves.

We took Karley to Wendy's, per her request, for her chicken nuggets, fries, and frosty Birthday lunch. Looks yummy!

Now that Karley is 8, she gets to go to Activity Days with Kynlee. She had so much fun and loved having her big sister with her!

Draper Temple Open House

The kids and I went to the Draper Temple open house a couple of nights ago. It sits up on top of a hill overlooking the city. It's so beautiful! We watched a short video at a church building and took a shuttle to the temple. The whole process was so organized. The kids did good and really liked seeing the inside of the temple. It gives them something to look forward to. Kynlee's favorite room was the Bride's Dressing Room. In a couple of weeks we'll be able to participate, by broadcast, in the dedication. So exciting! We had one of those "almost didn't make it to the temple" experiences. On the drive over, my van was making a nasty sound. I looked down and notice the Check Gages light was on. As I looked, I noticed the temperature gage was in the red zone...we were overheating! Oh no, I knew this wasn't a good thing. We were almost to the temple too. I pulled over and called my father-in-law, because Matt was still at work. He assured me that it was best not to drive it. Luckily, Tim and Donna were not too far from us. They came to our rescue and got us to the temple. I was so grateful to them! While the kids and I were at the open house, Matt worked on the van. He is so amazing...a true Mr. Fix It! Even though we ran into van trouble on the way, I was so glad that we took the time to go. The temple always makes me feel good!

I had the shuttle guide take this picture of us in front of the Temple. It was so windy!

After our tour and while we were waiting for our shuttle to pick us up, the girls stayed warm by the heater. Smart and cute!:)

BYU Cougars

We went to a BYU Men's Basketball game a couple of weeks ago. Even though we had nose-bleed seats, we had a good time. The Cougars have a great team! We had so much fun chanting along with the college fans. The kids like going, because they each want to attend college there someday. Good goal! Basketball is the sport of interest right now in our family. The more I learn about it the more I enjoy watching it.

Matt and the kids. We walked over to the bell tower after the game to hear the victory chimes. The mascot, COSMO, was out mingling with the fans. The kids thought it was pretty cool getting a picture with him! Go Cougars!

XOXOXOXO

Happy Valentine's Day! After getting Matthew off to an unexpected Scout Merit Badge clinic, we started our day with a special breakfast: heart-shaped pancakes, bacon, sausage, and OJ. Yum! For the Mia Maids activity last week, I had them make "Love Jars" for somone special. They turned out so cute, that I thought I would make one for each of the kids. It was so fun! I stuffed quart sized jars with candy and slips of paper with special sayings about them. It was something different and the kids loved it! Kynlee and Karley gave us super cute cards they had made. We chilled out the rest of the day and then suprised them with a visit to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. We haven't been in a long time, so they were all excited! We got so many "Thank You's" before we walked in the doors. The pizza was yummy and they really had a good time spending their tokens on rides and games. They each cashed in on their tickets and got some fun prizes. We'll have to do it again soon...love you guys!

Their cute "Love Jars".

The girls were excited to open their jars full of love. They loved all the treats inside and reading each of their special notes. Matthew enjoyed his once he got back from Scouts.

The girls standing in front of the mechanical Chuck E. Cheese. When the real mouse came out Kenzie didn't want to have anything to do with him.

Dad and Matthew happy with their bellies full of pizza and pop. Time to go play some games!

Kenzie's favorite thing to do with her tokens was to ride in the many cars!

Kenzie usually smiles for pictures when asked...I got a crazy face this time!:)
Kynlee earned lots of tickets playing the fun games she liked!

Karley had a blast! She is being so silly in this picture!

Matthew spent a lot of his tokens on this Basketball Shoot Out game! Each time his score would be higher!

My Little Shadow

I can't believe my baby is almost four. It is just her and I during the day, which I think can be kind of boring for her. She is my little shadow and I love it! If I am upstairs, then she is upstairs; if I am downstairs, then she is downstairs; and my favorite, if I am taking a bathroom break, she is right there with me. Kenzie is my little buddy when I have any running around to do, although she is starting to want to go to a friend's house instead. She is such a good helper in most things. She makes me laugh with some of the things she says in her unique lingo. I can't believe how smart she is getting and how fast she is growing up! It kind of makes me sad to think that I am out of the "having babies" stage. I think that is why I try and enjoy every minute, knowing that each day goes by a little faster. It is not always easy, but I consider being a Mom to this little girl a blessing. These are some pictures that I have taken over the past several months of some of the activities Kenzie likes to do and why she can easily put a huge smile on my face.

Kenzie loves her dance class! She goes every Monday morning. I have so much fun getting her dressed up and fixing her hair cute. She usually has an opinion on what she wants. She cracks me up!

She has so many cute dance outfits to wear that have been passed down from her older sisters. Kenzie likes to bring her stool to the sink and wash the dishes, or play in the water!:)

I love how much bigger her already big eyes look through this magnifying glass. So funny! Kenzie can now ride a bike! She loves going outside to ride it! She likes to play in the snow with our "sandbox" toys. Who knew they would work in the snow too!?!

What a cute snow bunny!Just before Christmas, Kenzie ran hard into the corner of a dresser...it was horrible. She ended up with a black eye. It looked like she had makeup on.

I love this picture of her crazy hair while she is jumping on the tramp. So cute!

Kenzie loves showing me her tricks on the tramp. She can do some pretty cool stuff!Kenzie loves to have her nails painted. It is almost a weekly activity. In this picture, I had painted her fingernails and while I was painting her toenails, she fell asleep! I think that is her way of telling me that I take too long!:)

In this video, Kenzie was showing me that she can do jumping jacks. She has a little suprise! Even though the video is sideways, sorry, it is still so funny. Enjoy!

A'hoy Mateys

We had New Beginnings this last Wednesday for the young women. We did a Pirate theme and talked about how we should "treasure" the Young Women values. It was so fun! All of the leaders dressed up like pirates. I got a black vest from DI, a cheap hook and sword from a party store, wore a scarf as a sash, a bandana around my head, an eye patch, and Donna had the best idea to use canning jar rings as my jewelry (something she did as a kid). I tied yarn through the rings and hung them on my ears for earings and created a necklace using a large and small ring. I also wore a few wide mouth rings as bracelets. Very piratey! Karley has already decided that she wants to be a pirate for Halloween. Anyways, the Laurels did a great job on decorations, the Beehives made the most amazing treasure box cake with coins and jewelry hanging out of it, and the Mia Maids (that's my group) made treasure map invitations and programs. We printed them onto a treasure map template, tore the edges and rubbed ink chalk around the edges to make them have a burned look effect. So cute! The girls and leaders sang "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Righteous Life For Me". Then the leaders participated in a skit. I had fun talking like a pirate...ARRRG...it was so funny!:) We ended with inspirational talks from our Young Women's President and Bishop. The spirit was so strong. I love this calling!

Bed Routine

Kynlee cracks me up! She likes to be surrounded by all of her favorite stuffed animals when she sleeps, not to mention, PINK everything. Each night, she takes the time to arrange spots for her stuffed animals, leaving barely enough room for herself. I think there are 18 dolls on her bed, or should I say on her pillow! She has 3 Web Kinz, a Build-A-Bear, gifts from Grandmas, friends, the Easter Bunny, and Santa. I would say that I have bagged just as many stuffed animals, per kid, that are in storage until we have more room. Kynlee treasures each one and in return they help her to sleep tight!:)

Reading Achievement

I am such a proud Mom! Karley came home from school and showed me a Reading Award she received from her teacher. It said that she has increased 6 levels in her class! Her teacher also told her that she has improved the most in her class. She has come such a long way with her reading. Twice a week she goes to a private Reading class during school. She loves her Reading teacher! It obviously has helped her out. I was so thrilled about this news that I treated her to an Oreo shake. She deserved it! You have worked so hard...keep up the good work Karley!

Musical Number

I played my violin in Sacrament meeting yesterday. I love being asked to play at church. I am definitely not as good as I was in my younger years (which I never thought I was very good), but I always jump at the occasion just to keep up my skills. I usually like to play the 2nd violin part, but the last few times I've played the 1st violin part. I've gotten so brave...it's been fun! Yesterday, I played a duet with one of my Mia Maids, who is Kynlee's private violin teacher. She is in 8th grade and is far more advanced than I ever was. We played my favorite hymn, "How Great Thou Art". It was such a beautiful arrangement and although I didn't make it through without errors, I was complimented on how wonderful it sounded. Thank you! I know that we can feel the spirit through music. I feel that when I play the violin, I am sharing my testimony of the Savior. It's a powerful and amazing feeling! I am so thankful for parents that endured many years of my complaining, drove me to and paid for private lessons, supported me in concerts and performances, and who proved to be my biggest fans. I am more grateful now for this talent and for the opportunities of sharing it once in a while. I look forward to the next time!

Calling High

I have been serving in the Primary organization for 10 years. I have been a Nursery teacher, Activity Day Leader, 2nd Counselor, 1st Counselor, Substitute Chorister, Cub Committee Chair, Substitute Cubmaster, President, and my latest callings have been a team Primary teacher with Matt, Webelos Den Leader, and Cub Advancement Chair. I think I have almost done it all. I have loved being in the Primary, especially since my kids have been in it. I always pictured any other organization as being scary. Well, on Christmas Sunday, I got called to serve as 1st Counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. AHHH! Actually, when Bishop came to give me the calling, I was excited! As the day went on, I remembered how much time I spent praying to know who to choose for my Counselors in the Primary, and I was humbled to know that the new YW President had done the same and Heavenly Father had confirmed my name to be one of her Counselors. I am definitely overwhelmed as I learn of and try to keep track of my responsibilities. We had our first activity last week and I had a blast! It was so fun to see their personalities come out. This last Sunday, I taught for the first time. I am over the Mia Maids. It went better than I expected...I wasn't nervous, they willingly participated in reading scriptures and answering questions, complimented me on a good lesson, and hugged me before they left. In just a short time I think I have been accepted by these sweet girls!:) I have been on a "Calling High"! It just feels so good! I do feel like this calling has come at the perfect time in my life. Matthew is in YM and I am excited to be able to participate with him. Also, Kynlee comes into YW in less than 2 years. I know that this experience will help me be a better Mom to my sweet daughters as I prepare them to be righteous Young Women. I am so grateful to serve and I hope that I will be an instrument in the Lord's hands.

Snow Hut

Over the break, Matthew and his best friend, Cameron, built a snow hut at the green belt behind Cameron's house, just across his back fence. They have a "SNOW" camp out coming up soon for Scouts and wanted to get some practice with building their sleeping quarters. They worked hours on it, shoveling and packing snow into a huge pile, and then digging and scraping the cave out with little garden tools. They even made spots inside for the candles to go. After working so hard, they put a bunch of sleeping bags down on top of a tarp. Yes, they planned on sleeping in it! We let Matthew stay over for "practice" reasons.:) They ended up going inside at 4am, not because they were cold, but because they were squished. I don't know how they withstood the freezing cold air on the way inside. Once in, they made some hot chocolate and after talking and laughing for an hour, they went back to sleep indoors. They learned that, when they go up this weekend to build their snow hut for Scouts, they are going to make the space inside bigger. Only crazy boys would be so excited to sleep out in the snow! In this picture you can see the candles they used to keep them warm and the tools they used to dig out the hole. They also had a makeshift door.

Two big boys snug as bugs in a rug!:)

Standing outside of their hut. They were so proud! Can you blame them? It's awesome!

Polar Bear Swimming

In our desperate attempt to find something, other than playing in the snow, to do with the kids, we finally decided to go swimming. Yes, I said SWIMMING! I love having a pool that we can swim in all year. Once the kids were in and warm, it wasn't any different than swimming in the summer...except for the SNOW in the scenery. They even got out and went off the diving board! The kids have had so much fun doing things with their Georgia cousins. It was very emotional when we had to say goodbye. We love you and will miss you tons!

This picture cracks me up! It shows how cold it was, because the kids wore their robes and snow clothes. Doesn't the steamy water look inviting?:) They couldn't wait to jump in and warm up!
Matthew, Kynlee, Karley, and Kenzie
Matthew and Jarod

Kynlee and Grace

Uncle Nathan had fun making snowballs and throwing them at the kids while in the pool. It was probably the only time they liked getting hit with a snowball! The snow melted instantly once it hit the water.

The kids hanging out in the hot tub.

Jarod's feet were so cold that when they were in the water they felt like they were burning. He kept sticking them out of the water to cool off. It was so funny!