Shred Fest!

Back at the beginning of May Salt Lake City had a "Shred Fest".

You were to bring everything from computer hard drives, papers, cell phones that you wanted shredded and it would be shredded, without all the time involved. So I had just cleaned out some papers from 1994-2002 and was going to spend time with my little shredder that is getting so old it isn't doing it's job anymore, to shred these papers, when I heard about the Shred Fest.

They were trying to break the Guinness World Record Book for the most amount of stuff shredded determined by weight in 24 hrs.

So I loaded the kids up and we went.  There were lines of people and we were there just after they opened.  We stood in line for about 1/2 hr and then we were done.

Sorry I didn't get pictures of the machines.  But here is pictures of the kids!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I don't have a garden. We don't own any land. We live in an apartment. I would love to own some land, though I don't know if I will ever have a garden like my mother's.

Growing up, for those prime years of my childhood, we lived on an eighty acre hobby farm. My dad commuted into the cities to work. In the evenings and on the weekends, we would occasionally have to help dad with the fields. Wheat, oats, and hay are the crops I can really recall. Now about a good third of that land was in forest and swamp, so that wasn't too bad. It provided some supplemental income I gather, or at least reduced the cost of living there. Because of it, I grew up on a wheat diet. Wheat bread, wheat in our cookies, and wheat pancakes.

Now my wife is correct that my mom did have a garden that you used the word "acre" to describe the size of it. It wasn't in back though. One of the fields off the driveway had part of it converted into mom's garden. I remember being told that before we could go to the lake that we had to weed a row of corn. We moaned about it like many kids do when told to work on mom's garden. And although we enjoyed the fruits of her garden all year (corn would be prepared and frozen so we ate mom's garden corn for many months), we would give mom the complaint "but it so long!" or "You cannot even see the end of the row!" Her garden was on a hill, so you literally could not see the end of a row of corn standing at the driveway. Corn, potatoes, beans, peas, carrots, lettuce, and even tomatoes were a few of things mom grew in her garden. The spot dedicated to watermelons and pumpkins was probably as big as many people's backyard gardens alone. And, yes, mom had a backyard garden as well. Probably still bigger than most suburban gardens, but we did live in farmland. There was a large section for strawberries. And I cannot forget the raspberries. Thinking of raspberries, I seem to recall that the raspberries were divided into several groups and not all restrained to just those two gardens. Not all the raspberries flourished while we lived there either.

I wonder how many gardens are prepared by tractor and plow instead of 'tiller.

Mom's garden may have been rather large, but now when I hear others complain about weeding gardens I generally get a good chuckle out of it. I have since learned that when we complain as children that the nature of the task is what drives our complaint and not the scale of it.

I heard that some of the neighbors wondered who was going to maintain my mom's garden when we left. Remember, that large garden measured in relation to an acre was along the driveway, a portion of a field in front of the house. So everyone around had been seeing that garden for years. My parents have moved several times since then, and my mom has often kept a garden. Though none of them on quite the same scale.

As big as my mom's garden was, I seem to have heard some stories of another amazing gardener who worked in a much smaller garden. Someone who was in wheelchair? If I got that right, that is a story my wife witnessed.

Slice of Life # 52 ~ The Book that Changed Me

I love to read, so to say a book truly changed me is hard.  I love reading the Book of Mormon and Bible.  Recently I did read a book that I did really enjoy and some of the things talked about I could definitely apply to me.  I have decided that I need to buy this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book about Larry H. Miller.  My husband worked for him for 8 years.  And reading how his life and  some of the things he did.  I think he had some good things to talk about in this book.

Annette turns 33

Yesterday was my 33rd Birthday!  I started my day off by getting up at 5:45am and driving to Orem to pick up my nephew's Leo and Cole, so that my sister Alysha could go to work at 7am.  I brought them back to my house and was back in time for Dan to go to work.  I then did cereal with all 6 kids for breakfast.  I received a call from a sister in my ward wishing me Happy Birthday, and my grandmother called me.  I got lots of  Facebook well wishes.  When Alysha came she offered to watch the kids while Dan and I walked to Red Robin and have dinner.  While I waited for Dan to come home I scanned some pictures that Alysha needed.  When I came home Wendy was there with a beautiful and tasty chocolate cake with strawberries.  I then scanned more pictures for Alysha and talked with my dad and my mother in law before I went to bed.  I talked with my mom this morning as she had forgotten her phone yesterday and didn't get home until midnight.  I got cloths from my sisters and my parents and I got some add on's for the Wii Fit, that I have tried out already and love!

It was a good birthday and I am grateful for my family for making it a special day.

Slice of Life # 51 ~ How Does Your Garden Grow?

I have asked Dan to write this one, but he hasn't so far, but I do plan on having him write down what it was like to grow up on a 80 acer Hobby Farm and his mom had 1 acer garden in back, and a smaller garden in front like I grew up with in front.


I grew up with a garden.  I remember helping to till the ground, plant, weed and then harvest.  I seem to remember having broccoli soup when ever company came in the late summer.  I still like broccoli soup.  I think I should get the recipe from my mother!  I loved corn on the cob, tomatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, zucchini and pumpkin.  As I got older and Grandpa Dillon lived with us he would also have radishes too.

And now as I am raising a family of my own, I want to have a garden to plant and grow food.  Hopefully in the next few years we can do that.

Happy Mother's Day 2011

This week Dillon brought home a Mother's Day Card for me!  What I love is his attempt to sign his name!

And here is a collage of the rest of the card!

It is so nice to be entering into that time in my life when my kids will be bring home all the artwork or special projects for me!  I love all of my kids and can't wait to see what the future holds for us together!

Slice of Life # 50 ~ Happy Birthday

This Weeks Slice of Life is about Birthdays! I have had some fun ones over the years. In 9th grade, my group of friends left a gift for me in each class, and a big balloon boquate in my last class.
My 21st birthday I went to Hard Rock Cafe with my family.  My parents may not have appreciated that, but I sure had a fun time, and I got the sweatshirt I am wearing in these pictures there.

These pictures are from my mission. Since I love Cheesecake or angle food cake as my birthday cake, my parents sent me a no bake cheesecake mix and little shortcakes. I also got a new outfit. My companion and I went on a hike since it was our perperation day, and then at our dinner appointment that night, they had made a cake and put candles on it when they found out it was my birthday. My birthday is this next week, and we may not be doing much, but I feel loved by my family!

Slice of Life # 49 ~ I Am A Mormon

This You Tube clip shares my beliefs of our Savior at this Easter Time.  He is Risen!  I am so grateful for what Christ did for me.  And I Believe in Christ, I know that he lives!  He is my Savior and my friend!

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Slice of Life # 48~ Coming Home

This picture is from the night before I flew home from my mission.
Sister Astle was my MTC Companion and so we also went home from the mission field together. Only, her mom flew in and they went and toured the mission, so I was by myself with the Office sister for that night.

A couple of days before we were to fly home I got a call from the mission office asking for a phone number to reach my dad at work as they had changed my flight. I was going to fly from Onterio, CA to LA to San Fransico and then home to SLC.

They decided just two days before I was to fly home that I was just going to fly from Onterio to LA and then to SLC. Which put me getting in at like 1030am rather then 230pm. I had a phone interview with my mission president as he was so busy with meetings that night that he couldn't do my temple recommond interview in person, so he did it over the phone. The Elders picked me up from the Office sisters apartment on Jan 31, 2001 at about 430am and took us to the airport. I then climbed onto the smallest plane I had ever been on to fly to LA. Of course my camara acted up and the last few picters I had taken with it didn't turn out.

When I got off the plane, there were my parents, sisters and several of my aunts and uncles as my cousin Matt was leaving for the mission field in Ivory Coast, Africa. So I got to see Matt and wish him luck and say hello to everyone else. Then my parents took me to eat and we then visited the brand new Conferance center and took a tour of it.

We made our way home to Pleasant Grove, UT and when I walked in the door there was the Christmas tree, that they had cut down freash and then left it up for me.  My Dad then invited me to go with him on a business trip the next day so that I wouldn't be stuck at home all by myself while everyone else had school and work.

And then my 2nd day home I spent the day taking down the tree while everyone else was at work and school. It seems hard to think that it has been 10 years since I came home from the mission field. But I am glad that I had the chance to serve a mission. It was hard, but well worth it!

A Story ~ Take My Son

This was sent to me in an email that you forward on.  I don't forward things on, but I like the message, I thought I would share it with you! Netty~    This is great.  Take a moment to read it; it will make your day!  The ending will surprise you.      Take my Son.....     A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art..   When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.   About a month later, just before Christmas,    There was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'     The father  Opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'   The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.    The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.   On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'   There was silence...     Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'  But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'  Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh'S, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'   But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'   Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.  'We have $10, who will bid $20?'   'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'   The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.   The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'     A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'     The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'   'What about the paintings?'  'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!'   God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?'  Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything!      FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE!

Slice of Life # 47 ~ Another Random Picture

This Weeks Slice of Life is Another Random Picture.  When I saw this title, I thought of my daughter Jennilyn.  She can find some unusual places to sleep, including under the bed!
Some times I just have to laugh at the way she can sleep!  Enjoy!

Slice of Life # 46 ~ I Love ... And Here is Why

This one seems to be a hard one for me to write on...But If I ever print these blogs up into a book like I want to, then writing these Slice of Life is important to me so that my kids will know things about me, that maybe I don't outwardly tell them or show them.  I know there are things about my parents and grandparents that I don't know.

Things I love, are reading, spending time with my family, watching a good movie, visiting with friends, traveling.

I love to escape in a good book.  Even though I may not be much of a writer, I still like to read and just let my world slip away from me while I enjoy the world of imagination. Not always a good thing as I tend to ignore the things that I should be doing and can't put the book down!

I love to go places with my family.  I try to get my husband to just get out of the house on Saturdays so we can spend time together with the kids, and sometimes it is a struggle.  As I have been home all week, and he just wants to stay home as he has been gone to work all week.

I do enjoy going to the  movies, but don't go very often anymore.  We do Netflix and Red Box.  We have cut back to just instant play on Netflix as we figured the new release we want to see we can go to Red Box and get them.

I love to visit friends, but it isn't always easy with everyone's schedules, but I sure am uplifted when I do get to go and spend some time with them.

I do love to travel, but don't get to do it very often.  I love to visit places with history, or just to visit friends.  I do love history, so going to places that have a special history makes it even more fun for me.  I am sure that my trip out East with my family 10 years ago this summer will always be one of my favorites as it gave me time to spend with my family, and we visited some amazing places with lots of history in them.

Slice of Life # 45 ~ From Scratch

This weeks Slice of Life is From Scratch....mmmm when I think of from scratch, I think of homemade pumpkin pie, homemade ice cream, dress sewn for Easter, stockings made for Christmas, art drawn, quilts made, homemade pizza....many things come to mind.  Here is a collage of things made by me or members of my family that I had pictures of.

Oh, when I make waffles and pancakes, and some of my cakes I make from scratch not a pre-mix box.
Each of the outfits and blankets my children are wearing and laying on for their blessings was lovingly made for us by either Nana Dillon or Grandma Burke.  The quilt was done for my Grandpa and Grandma Dillon's 60th wedding anniversary, each child and grandchild got a square, and on the back is hand-prints/footprints of the great-grandchildren.  The stockings and Pooh animals were made my my sweet mother-in-law.  The tiny baby is me in an outfit that my mother made for me since I was so small, she used a doll dress pattern to make it.  The chocolate suckers I did for Valentine's day this year.  Dan did the drawing years ago, I just scanned it into the computer.  And a Car Seat cover I made.

I am sure we all have memories of things that have been made from scratch for us to eat, wear, or just enjoy.  I am glad I have these pictures at least so if something ever happens to the cloths, blankets and such at least I have these to remember them by!

Before Birds could Fly

"Before Birds could fly there were two birds playing football...one bird kicked the ball over a nearby cliff and the second bird, while trying to stop the ball fell over...while he was falling to his death he held both wings out and found to his surprise that he could float on the air... he flapped his wings and discovered he could fly.  He picked up the ball and flew up to the top where he told his friend what had happened...the second bird would not try to fly so the first threw him over the cliff...where he held out his wings and flew.

The next day it was Fast and Testimony meeting...and the first bird stood up and told all the birds in the congregation what had happened...the second stood up and confirmed it also...soon the chapel was full of birds flying all over the building.

At the end of the meeting all the birds picked up their scriptures and walked home."

I like this short story as it reminds us that we can received a testimony of something and then not apply it in our lives.  Let us all live our lives to the fullest and apply the lessons we learn to better ourselves.

Slice of Life # 44 ~ Famous Places

This weeks Slice of Life is Famous Places that we have visited.  How Ironic that this was the prompt for this week, as I have been thinking about this trip, and had just sent a request to some of my family asking for pictures, as I seem to have lost mine.


It is July 2001, I had just come home from my mission a few months before and the "Jack Dillon Clan" set out on a adventure of our life.  This is one of my most memorable family vacations.  You see most of our family vacations were camping or going to Washington to visit family, we did go to Disneyland when I was 14, but that is the only time I have ever been there.


Back to July 2001.  My parents and my 4 sisters and myself headed to Buffalo, New York on an airplane and then we rented two mid-size cars, to fit all of us and we started our driving tour of the East Coast.  We then ventured to Niagara Falls, going over into Canada and raiding the Maid of the Mist right up to the falls, oh that was so worth the trip!  We then traveled to Rochester, NY and the next day spent the day in Palmyra, NY and saw the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  We then traveled to New York City, our hotel was on the New Jersey side, and we were running late to get to our Broadway play of  Les Misérables, wonderful play, we took the subway from New Jersey into the World Trade Center, and since we were running late we decided not to ride to the top of the World Trade Center.  This was July 11, 2001, just two months before they fell.

The next day we went to the Statute of Liberty.
The line was so long to get into it and then it was so long to wait for the elevator to go up.  But here is the kicker, you can ride the elevator up, but you had to walk the 23 flights of stairs down, unless you had some kind of disability that would let you ride it down.  Well my family decided we had had enough of waiting in line as we had already waited for about 2 hours just to get inside by the gift shop, we decided to climb the 23 flights of stairs up and then the 23 flights of stairs down!  We still made it to the top before some of the other people we had been waiting in line with did.  


We also went to Elise Island and then we made our way to Gettysburg, Washington DC were we saw the sights, some of my sisters spent a lot of time in the Holocaust museum.   Then Jaclyn and I left everyone else at the National Scouting Jamboree, and we went and saw Williamsburg, Bush Gardens, and the Washington DC Temple before we went home. And Mom, Dad, Emily, Wendy, and Alysha visited those sights before they came home three weeks later.  Emily ended up meeting her husband to be at the Jamboree, so I think it was more memorable for all of us because of that!


I still want to go back to New York and see some of the other sites that we just didn't have the time for and get in another play, maybe one day Dan and I can do this type of trip with our kids.  It will be one that I will never forget.  Of course I can't find any of my pictures from this trip as this is before I got a digital camera.


I want to say Thank You to my Mom and Dad for taking us on this grand adventure to so many famous places!  The best part I think is that since we were all ranging in age from 23-16 that we will all remember this trip!
Thanks Again Mom and Dad for all the wonderful memories from not only this trip, but other family vacations.  

Those Silly Americans!

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that those ballpoint pens would not work in 0 gravity.  To combat this problem, NASA Scientists spent a decade and $12 Billion developing a pen that writes in 0 gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including Glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 degrees Celsius.


The Russians used a pencil.

Slice of Life # 43~ Illness

I can say that illnesses have been in my life a few times.

When I was 4 I tested positive for TB, but never really had all the symptoms of it.  I did spend some time in the hospital just to make sure.  I remember receiving a pretty pink doll to keep me company.  I then had to take medicine for 6 months when I went to go on my mission, just to make sure.

When I was 12 I missed two weeks of school because I had a bad case of bronchitics.  I remember my dad taking me to the doctor and they couldn't get a blood pressure reading.

When I was 14 I started getting really sick and tired all the time.  I would sleep all day be up for two hours and then sleep all night.  We found out that I had mono, and no I didn't get it from kissing a boy.  They told us  I could of picked it up from a drinking fountain at school.  It got so bad that by Oct, I was pulled out of school and did home school until we went back to school from Christmas break.  I remember my doctor at the time wanted to give me shots to help my energy.  I had to have a really big needle in my bottom every two weeks.  It seemed to help.  I was told I will always have mono, just it may not be active.  As a result most of my sisters also ended up with mono, just not as bad.

There have been more, but I think the one I will remember the most was 5 years ago.  In March 2006 we found out we were pregnant with baby #2.  Dillon was just 4 months old.  I went to Spokane, WA in April 2006 to spend two weeks with my in-laws, and then go to Utah and spend two weeks with my parents and attend my baby sister's wedding in the Salt Lake City Temple.  While I was in Spokane, I stared cramping and bleeding.  I went into the ER and they said I was miscarrying, but couldn't find the baby during the ultrasound.  After a day the bleeding stopped and everything seemed fine until one week later, I had gone onto Utah and the day before my sister's wedding I started to hurt and have a bad case of diarrhea, I thought I had eaten some bad Chinese food when we had gone out to dinner.  During the night, I was staying with my friend Jamie, and I was cramping so bad, I got up to go talk to Jamie and I passed out onto the floor.  Dillon was sleeping on some blankets made into a bed on the floor, I am lucky I didn't pass out and fall on top of him.  When I came too I went into Jamie's room and had her call my dad.  Dad and Grandpa Alcorn came and gave me a blessing.  I then was able to sleep, but by morning I was in so much pain.  My dad came back and took me to urgent care.  They took my blood work and said my white blood cell count was sky rocket, I had internal bleeding, which is why I had passed out.  They sent me straight to the hosptial.  I was told I had a ruptured tubal pregnancy.  I had lost one of my tubes.  We called Dan, but he was in New York working, and it took us a while to get a hold of him.  By the time it was done there was nothing he could do, so he stayed and continued to work, so we didn't miss out on the income he was providing.  My dad stayed with me until he had to go to the wedding, and then came back until he was needed at the wedding reception.  They moved me to surgery just after my dad left.  Jamie stayed with me and some family friends had Dillon with them.  As they moved me to the operating table I passed out from the pain again.  When I came too after the surgery, I looked at the clock, and told Jamie, well we missed the wedding.  I ended up staying with my parents for two extra weeks before I went home as the doctor wouldn't clear me for travel until then.  I made it back home to Dan after having been gone for 6 weeks just a couple days after my birthday.  We have gone on to have 2 more pregnancies since this happened.  We now have Dillon, Jennilyn, and the twins Ruth and Irene.  It is a miracle that I had twins since I only have one tube, but I am grateful for them.  When I recently had a miscarriage a month ago, my new doctor was being very cautious because he didn't want me to have to go through this ordeal again.  I am glad I found someone I could trust and who is looking out for me.

Well this is one long post for Slice of Life, but I am glad that I have recorded it, and if I have have my post printed into a book, at least it is recorded for my children to know about my life.

Happy 38th Birthday Dan!

Today is Dan's 38th Birthday!  Here is his cake with all the candles we had in the house totaled exactly 38 candles!  For his birthday we have decided to get a Wii for our family to enjoy.  To start that out, we got a game of the 25th anniversary Super Mario All Stars game.  This has all 4 original Mario games.  I remember playing the original Mario as a kid, and now my kids will get to play it.

Here is a video of Dan's forest fire of a cake!

Happy Birthday Dan!  I hope you had a great day!

Cookie Cutter

I forgot to take my camera with me, but today we went to Cookie Cutter Kids Hair Salon.
They have these fun cars for the kids to sit in while they get their hair cut.  They also get to watch a movie of their chose while their hair is being cut.  When they are done they get a balloon tied to a cookie cutter and a sucker.  The girls did great!  No crying or fighting about getting it cut.  I am taking Dillon on Friday, so maybe I will remember the camera and get more picture.

Ruth

Jennilyn

Irene

Irene side view

Balloon and cookie cutter with Dillon's teddy bear

I loved how Jennilyn's and Irene's hair turned out.  The judge is still out on Ruth's.  I can always take her back another day since I bought a booklet deal, which they allowed me to use three of them today and still have some for future hair cuts.  It did cut down on how much I would pay for all of the kids' hair cuts in one shot since I do have so many kids, but a word to the wise, make an appointment to go.  They do accept walk-in's but I found they didn't have the time for walk in's!

Slice of Life # 42 ~ First Aid

These are pictures of my first experience taking one of my children into urgent care for stitches.  Ruth is still the only one of my children that has had to have stitches.  At least now if we can't tell the twins apart, we just look for the scar.

I know more times will probably happen, but so far we haven't had a lot of first aid problems yet!

This is written for Slice of Life feel free to join us!

Slice of Life # 41 ~ We're going to the Zoo

"We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo, how bout you, you, you?  You can come to, to, to.  We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

We use to sing this song every time we went to the zoo growing up.  We use to take the kids to Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I think when it warms up Dan and I will have to take the kids to the Hogle Zoo here in Utah.

My sister in law Sarah sitting waiting for the next seal show!

Dillon and cousin Nathan getting ready for lunch while we were at the zoo.

I think I have lost some of my pictures, as I can't seem to find the ones with them and the animals.  Maybe this spring will be better, as now I have 4 kids that I think will enjoy the zoo!

Now I have that song running through my head and am singing it too my kids!

Had Fun Shopping!

Yesterday, Dan and I went shopping while we left the kids with a friend!  Then we went to the Adult session of Stake Conference.  It was so good to spend some time with Dan.

We have been talking for quite awhile about buying this:

Now we can put away the booster chairs as there is someplace for everyone to sit.  It matches our table really well.

Then we went to DI (a thrift store).  They have brand new mattresses and furniture you can buy for a fraction of the cost (as well as used things).  So we decided to buy a full size bed for Ruth and Irene to share.

Jennilyn is helping Irene up onto her new bed after already helping Ruth up.

Here are the girls on the new bed.  It was fun to watch Dillon help Dan set up the bed, and then to put the bench together.  He is growing up!  We bought the new bedding at Walmart and I like it.  I looked for a bed in a bag for the kids, but they were selling them in individualizes things (ie sheets one price, comforter another price, not all together in one bundle), and I couldn't justify spending $70 on bedding.  I spent only $40 instead.  The girls went to bed with a lot of giggling, but then once the door was shut, they settled down and went to sleep. The girls slept really well last night, and didn't get up until 6:40am!  You have to understand they have been waking up and running to each other's room at 5am, so for them to sleep a little longer was great!

We had to strap the box spring onto the top of the van (thank goodness we keep straps in the van for this very reason) and the mattress slid into the back of the van. (we had left all the car seats at home so we could lay down the seats in the van to slide the mattress in on top of the seats.

So we had a great day, and I am glad for the time spent with Dan, and to see the smile on my kids faces when we brought everything home.  Now we get to see how the girls sleep from here on out.

Slice of Life # 40 ~ Candlelight Dinner

Irene, Dan, Ruth, Jennilyn, Dillon, and Annette (clockwise around the table)

For a Wedding Present we got the candle stick holders and some candles.  So every now and then we set up the table and have a candle light dinner.  Before the kids started coming we had it more frequently to make a night special, now we just do put them out once in a while.  This picture was taken New Years Eve 2009.  I was just about to take a picture when my sister stopped by to drop something off and so I had her take this family picture of all of us.  The kids love when we turn off all the lights and light the candles.  We haven't had a candlelight dinner since this picture was taken so I think it is about time to do it again.

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't t...he only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

They are growing!

My kids are growing!

Dillon is getting so heavy, that I  am not able to carry him much.

Jennilyn is getting so active, and is loving to sing.

Ruth is talking more and is wanting to  sleep in her sister's bed.

Irene is also talking more and is wanting to sleep in her brother's bed.  Today Irene told me to let go of the milk jug so she could carry it to the table for me.

The twins are becoming so independent in everything they do.  Dillon is talking more and becoming very opinionated in what he wants.  Jennilyn is a ball of energy.  She loves to learn and sing.

I love my kids.  They are growing and are fun to watch as they learn new things.

Slice of life # 38 ~ Sports

Sports, what sports, other than following BYU football, I don't watch or cheer a team on.  Maybe that will change if Dillon ever gets involved.  Of course Dan isn't into sports much either.  We do enjoy going to a game once in awhile, but we don't follow any on TV or radio, other than looking up the scores online. 

I just told Dan the Packers won the Super Bowl, and he told me he didn't care. :) 

The last time we went to a game was the summer of 2005 when my work gave us tickets for a Buzz baseball game.  I was pregnant with Dillon at the time.  We sat with some of my friends from work and when the game was going on Dillon was kicking and being so active it was quite funny.  We moved away the next month, and we haven't made it to a game since.   Maybe this next summer.

Slice of Life # 37 ~ Emotions

Emotions~ This week was full of them! We had happiness, sadness, angry, stubbornness, loneliness, you name it we had it!

This week Dan was out of town.  It was a long hard week, and I was so glad to get to go pick him up on Friday night!  When we first started having kids he was gone a lot with his job, as it required him to travel, but when he took this job he currently has, that all changed, and it is wonderful to have him home more than gone!  Next month he has to go out of town for a week again, but other then that he is home at nights.  Glad for the change in pace as the kids have gotten older, but it sure gets lonely without him when he has to go out of town.

Love you sweetheart!

Slice of Life # 36 ~ Commercialized

We don't have cable, satellite, and we get barely in reception with the antennae, so we don't watch TV much.  We live on Netflix, Hulu, TV.com, etc.  But when I saw this commercial one time, It was so me.  This is my dream mini van.  I want the 8 passenger one.  But I could see myself totally like this woman in it.

Enjoy!

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Christmas 2010 Pictures

Here is our Christmas pictures from 2010.  Sorry it took me so long to get them posted.

Slice of Life # 35 ~ The Family Business

1960's a little boy wants a horse.  His parents told him he needed to save his money for one.  So everyday Monday- Saturday he would get up with his Dad at the crack of dawn and go work for Mr. Skinner in his orchards picking fruit.  His Dad would help him for awhile until it was time for him to go to work, and then he would spend the day picking by himself, until Dad came back after his job.  It took a couple of years, but he finally got his horse.

This is what my Dad did when he was young.  He kept that horse until I was just a baby then he sold it.  This has taught me a lot about hard work.  We can do anything we set our mind to.  Sometimes it is hard to keep the faith and keep working hard so we can have what we want, but if we keep at it, we can achieve our dreams!

Thanks Dad for setting the example to us, that we can do anything we set our minds too.  Love you!

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Happy 2nd Birthday Ruth and Irene!

Two years ago today we welcomed two very beautiful girls!  Ruth and Irene!  Happy Birthday Girls!  This next year is going to be fun as we watch you talk more, potty train, and grow!  Love you!

Slice of Life # 34 ~ Pets

Over the years my family has had pets, but I can honsetly say that I am not a pet person!  But there were a few pets that I did like more then others.  I loved, Sandy, Bonnie, Buck,Gidget, and Moon Doggie.

We got Sandy as a puppy when I was 12 and we lived in Richfield, UT.  She was a golden Lab.  I enjoyed playing with her from time to time.  She was killed when she was hit by a car when I was 19 and living away at collage.

Bonnie, was my Aunt Patty Persian Cat that was given to us. We would shave her hair all off during the summer.  When we just as we were moving we realized that she wasn't around.  We think she might have been stolen, or ran away.


We Got Buck and Gidget about the same time.  Buck was a Alaskan Husky with beautiful blue eyes.  Grandpa Dillon would take him walking and it would be hard to tell who was walking who.  Gidget was a tea-cup poodle.  Black. I loved that little lap dog! Both of these great dogs have passed on due to old age.

Moon Doggie is a tea-cup/toy poodle mix was brought home to my parents home the weekend I got married,  He was to be Gidgets companion and hopefully we would have puppies, but Moon Doggie was too young and Gidget too old.  Moonie now lives in Washington with my grandparents.  He was used to bred a lab for Labradoodles.  He is enjoying a quite life.

As for me I told Dan that if we have an indoor dog it need to be a Labradoodle from my Aunt Hiedi or it was an outdoor dog.  I don't like the hair the dogs and cats leave around, but I can handle the fur from the Labradoodle.

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Slice of Life # 33 ~ New Beginnings

We all have new beginnings in our lives.  Starting High School, going off to college, mission, new jobs, marriage, having kids, new home, etc.  Many things are new beginnings in our lives.

For me this year I am going to start a new beginning.  I have a decided to start getting in shape.  I want to lose 50 lbs in the next 6 months.  This will put me back to pre/post mission weight.  It isn't my final weight goal, but I think this is a good start for the next 6 months.  This is a new beginning!  Wish me luck on my new beginning!


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