Olympic Message

Every night during the Olympics, Jeremy would go down to watch until it ended. He decided that it was a good time to for "mommy & me" time.

Since I don't watch t.v. very much, he would bribe me by saying, "Mom, it's Olympic time. If you come down and watch it with me, I'll rub your feet!"

Of course I took the bait and found that not only did I actually really enjoy watching the Olympics with my boy,

But that I miss it. More than I ever have before!

I'll look forward to winter in two years. With great anticipation!

A little magic

I figure that since my last post was some time in June, I am WAY overdue for an update! Needless to say that we've been overly busy around here. But these last few days have given me some opportunities to get caught up on household duties while Steve and the older four boys have been on a trip to Utah. They left on Thursday the 16th to take Bryon to BYU, Provo.

I've been trying to gear up for this for quite some time and don't feel that I was too successful in keeping from feeling the effects of his leaving.

At present I can't enter his room without getting an uncomfortable lump in my throat, and if you ask me about it in person, I just tell you I can't talk about it. So I don't.

All the while the boys have been gone, though, I've had the opportunity to enjoy the little ones on my own as well as get things TRULY clean and organized around the house. Here are just a few of the projects I've been working on.

I know it's the raw, ugly, bare truth of it all.

But it is what it is.

Cleaning neglected

and projects being put off for WAY too long.

But I'm getting a handle on things. Bit by bit.

Here is a preview of one of my completed projects!

I love it.

Didn't Alyssa do a wonderful job with her magic wand?!

Stay tuned to see what other magic she's done!

My Father's Daughter

  Today I want to attest to the fact that I am my Father's daughter. I have always sworn that he was the best fire builder in. the. whole. wide-WORLD! During my childhood I have fond memories of enjoying the blessings of many a fire made by his hand. Early in the mornings in the winter, nightime in front of the television as a family, and occassional marshmallow roasting.

                                 (Picture from my baby book. I remember this night sitting on the hearth by

                                                              the fire, although you cannot see the fire behind me.)

And now I am proud to say that this legacy lives on in me. How can I prove it, you ask?

 How many people do you know of that can build a blazing fire in the POURING RAIN?! 

*Wink*

Love You Dad!

When your First born Graduates

It's a sobering thought when your first child graduates from High School and you realize how fast time passes you by. It's difficult to believe how quickly those precious moments pass, putting things into a completely different perspective. For us, this reality came last Thursday the 7th of June as we watched Bryon's graduating class' ceremony.

 It was very well done. The best and most enjoyable graduation I have ever attended, (Steve even took a book expecting to be bored, only to never crack it open. It was that captivating. Sincerely. The couple pictures I got of speaker and performer are so blurry, they arn't worth sharing, and other performances were so enjoyable I completely forgot to take any pictures at all! *bummer.) and obvious how prepared these youth are academically to move on.



                                (Bryon is on the 3rd row, 4th from the left, sitting between his 2 best friends.)

( Bryon's AP Lit. class recited a poem with accompaniment from the guitar, far left. They did it in sections, Bryon's being the last row. He is the first one on the far left.) 

 The funny thing is, I didn't bawl my head off like I did on his baptism day. That day was a defining moment for me, where I doubted if we had done all we were supposed to do to prepare him for the important coventants he was making. No, I didn't feel that same weight of responsibility as I watched him walk across that stage. I think it's because I knew that he had prepared well all these years for this moment, to take the next step and move on.

 His efforts throughout the years have been demonstrated in his grades and achievements. This year he recieved the award for AP Chemistry Student of the Year. He graduated with honors and is a great example of hard work and prioritizing.

Yeah... he's ready, and he's earned his way  through...

being a good example to all his younger brothers and sisters...

Blessing his parents with his desire to do well,

 Making good choices,

and choosing good friends.

                                                                                        We are grateful to call him our son.

                Here's to the beginning of a bright and promising future!

Sunday fun!

Sunday afternoon Jeremy and Michael were helping me in the kitchen. After they helped, they began playing on the littles toys. It was a riot, here are a couple short videos I just had to share!

Stair Sleepers

If I recall correctly, each one of my seven children have fallen asleep on the stairs once or twice. Amy just did this for the first time.

Funny thing is

                                                        They all seem to be comfortable.

 Either they are so tired they can sleep just anywhere, or

             the stairs are truly more comfortable than they look like they'd be. Either way...

(photo of me taken  from my baby book)

It must be hereditary!

Dad's Birthday

Because Steve was out of town until late for his birthday this year, we decided to surprise him by hanging balloons over his bed and a sign to wish him the best birthday ever!

                      We then celebrated the next night (Friday) with ice cream and his favorite cake.

We learned that 46 candles is A LOT of fire on a cake!

(I love this picture because of the lap full of love. Look at the way Amy is looking at her Daddy. This image is so typical of how she feels about him.)

The celebration was sweet, but I think we left the fire on the candles a little too long...

        judging by the immense amount of smoke that lingered in the room, and the of wax left on the cake...

Birthdays are such a wonderful time for our family. We enjoy celebrating the life of each member so much and look forward to the continued memories that we are blessed to create through another year that their beautiful lives contribute to each one of us.

How grateful we are for THIS member of our family. The vital roll he plays and the blessings we recieve through his diligence and faithfulness.

WE LOVE YOU!