tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9659249444353603402024-03-05T03:08:37.202-08:00Barefoot is Best!!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-68606847918584468302011-02-10T21:41:00.000-08:002011-02-10T21:50:13.137-08:00Huh...?<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaoHjZj5t_0qyN2zmYV85HwnTXF7EGG8PDiusWSo_hjK0PmG6aJcHsSJMVHBdUikxetZjkV3nD3cKyA1FMI0q8R36PPuVOGkw7wrsakfatvwi8nRRUMt5JnWfNHqMXGV2CEvtQ76UnA84/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaoHjZj5t_0qyN2zmYV85HwnTXF7EGG8PDiusWSo_hjK0PmG6aJcHsSJMVHBdUikxetZjkV3nD3cKyA1FMI0q8R36PPuVOGkw7wrsakfatvwi8nRRUMt5JnWfNHqMXGV2CEvtQ76UnA84/s400/IMG_0829.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572304170826410050" /></a> <div> "Why don't I feel like that's funny?" ---said after we were all (except Joseph) laughing at something goofy. That just made us laugh more!</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-47163337374906031332011-02-10T11:38:00.000-08:002011-02-10T13:07:45.997-08:00Natey's Baptism<div>Well, it's been almost a year since my last post...kinda pathetic. My computer is now in a better place where I see it a lot so I'll hopefully think about it. It used to be "outta sight, outta mind."</div><div><br /></div><div><div>So, our Natey turned 8!! And he was actually baptized right on his birthday! He was really excited about that. It's handy when your birthday is on a Saturday!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsVba04K7452xMkTnP8-Fw_tNx6sYqUsiEaAVXdBSn9hG5eJN9s54oWlKY1o1VjvYt5T50zlKvA67RrzfCHWHW9j4whidwAEKvOTkpfHZpLebQw-MI6gD4eCS_lsVMU53_EWykKXnyUfP/s1600/IMG_0942.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsVba04K7452xMkTnP8-Fw_tNx6sYqUsiEaAVXdBSn9hG5eJN9s54oWlKY1o1VjvYt5T50zlKvA67RrzfCHWHW9j4whidwAEKvOTkpfHZpLebQw-MI6gD4eCS_lsVMU53_EWykKXnyUfP/s400/IMG_0942.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572150265822515154" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was fun to be here in Utah and to have so much of our family come. Afterwards we had doughnuts and chocolate milk. He received some very kind and thoughtful gifts. What a great day!</div><div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm-3tfj6NrsJZm49DhwLIgx8cNlOcaNhSM-8zoWY2XklcIqETwyvFdlx7Qo42VjvLA6JZPuGsY6d8RTsAn0Q9aglK3AqR9vUsm8p9XTu04dgwz-bQ-k8uAp756-BjzrbiH9J9gU28DKJn/s1600/IMG_0944.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm-3tfj6NrsJZm49DhwLIgx8cNlOcaNhSM-8zoWY2XklcIqETwyvFdlx7Qo42VjvLA6JZPuGsY6d8RTsAn0Q9aglK3AqR9vUsm8p9XTu04dgwz-bQ-k8uAp756-BjzrbiH9J9gU28DKJn/s400/IMG_0944.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572157537970401602" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-57093736876764107492010-03-09T15:17:00.000-08:002010-03-09T16:44:49.187-08:00Read-A-ThonI just finished reading three great books. So great that I neglected some things...that happens I guess. <br /><br />The first was <em>Little Women. </em>This has become one of my most favorite books and I'm wondering how I missed out when I was younger. I guess I read several sensational (as Jo would call it), popular, not very meaningful books as a young woman. But this one...WOW! I could not put it down and I've continued to ponder on it since I read the last page. So many lessons for mothers, young girls, newlyweds, and those who want to be happy and find their way by doing what they know in their hearts is right. I love that Marmee allowed her girls to make their little mistakes, and to learn from them. She didn't constantly preach to them and she didn't tell them what to do in every situation. She taught them by her sweet example. She taught them by her patience and her love. Consistency...she's also a great example of this. <br /><br />I'm waiting for <em>Little Men</em> and <em>Jo's Boys</em> to arrive in the mail. I'm a fan of older used books (cheap and cool) and so my <em>Little Men</em> is actually the 1913 edition. Hopefully, it's not falling apart, but as it was only $6 (including shipping) I thought it would be fun!<br /><br />The second book was <em>Tarzan of the Apes</em>. I originally bought this to read aloud to the boys, but we hadn't gotten to it yet. I picked it up after putting <em>Little Women</em> down because I was still in the reading mode where you're not ready for the story to be over with. The first chapter heading, "Out to Sea," pulled me in and off I went. Also a very absorbing story though completely different! There have been many movies and spoofs and weird jokes made from this story, but the original is noble and awesome!<br /><br />The third was <em>The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave</em>. What I learned from this book was several things. <br /><br />Be careful what we do in the name of our religion. Our actions should be in line with our faith and our faith should not be an excuse for our actions. <br /><br />The world would have us become thoughtless, ignorant and simply accept what's going on whether it's right or not, because it's what every one else is doing. Taking your own road and going against the grain can be difficult, uncomfortable, and sometimes, lonely. <br />But to believe and feel one thing.. and yet do another... that's hard to live with. Suffocating. If it's right, then do it... fight for it!<br /><br />When we are given responsibility for others, we cannot give in to the temptation (which is usually there) to exercise unrighteous dominion. Though Mr. Douglass was referring to the effect slaveholding had upon slaveholders (causing them to become mean-hearted... even those who had once been kind), I applied it to myself as a mother. <br />I am responsible to care for, raise and teach 4 boys, and a little girl. These are spirits who have existed longer than time, who were faithful in the pre-existence, and who have been chosen by our Father in Heaven to be born at this time because they are valiant and He can count on them to serve Him by loving and helping others. When I feel inclined to be a mean grouch, I need to remember who they are, use wisdom, and treat them with the love and respect that will surely teach more effectively than a sharp tongue.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-22503226662463103692010-02-13T21:07:00.001-08:002010-02-13T22:13:26.745-08:00Valentine's EveWell....I'm trying to pass some time until Jon gets home tonight. I guess I'm avoiding doing the dishes, but I've got to post sometime!<br /><br />Jon took Danny, Nate, and Joseph ice skating at the Bountiful Rec Center tonight while I stayed home with Mary and Isaac. I got Isaac bathed, jammied, and fed and snuggled up in his bed...and I just have to say that he is the cutest baby. He's just about five months old and he's cuddly and smiley and happy. He loves to play with anything you put into his hands and whatever it is usually gets some serious drool treatment. My little Danny boy picks him up and carries him around the house. He hugs and kisses him and talks to him in such a cute voice. Today he told me that he just wanted to eat Isaac up because he's so cute. Isaac has such a wonderful influence on our home. Sometimes I get irritated or the kids get grouchy, but then Isaac wakes up from his nap and we bring him into the front room and pretty soon we're all cooing and snuggling and kissing his cheeks and we probably sound so funny but we just can't get enough of him. He makes us all so happy! I think that President Kimball said there should always be a baby in the home (I can't at the moment remember where or when he said that) because they are so pure and sweet and they cause us to be less selfish and more loving.<br />So, after baby went to bed, Mary and I had a little nail polish extravaganza while we sang nursery rhymes and looked at her nursery rhyme book. She is such a doll. She was SO excited to paint fingernails and toenails and SO excited that we were painting them pink. I was laughing to myself at her little Mary-isms (which are many) the whole time. Then we got her into her "kitty-cat" jammies and into her bed. I love my little girl.<br />Jon called after she was in bed to tell me they're on their way home. I talked to each of the boys and it sounded like they had a bit of a rough start with the ice skating but then they all found their groove and had a great time! Danny said he was "really good at it" and that he wants to go every week now. Nate said he was a "rock star!"<br />Now I'm just waiting for the rest of my cuties to get home.<br />I feel excited to see them and hug them and hear all about their little adventure with Dad! I love all my little Valentine's and my best Valentine of all, Jonathan. Oh, I hear the car pulling in! Goodnight!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-4425051179228966592010-01-01T23:33:00.000-08:002010-01-02T00:23:21.706-08:00How to catch up?Wow! So much has happened in my life in the last while...I don't even know where to start. My friend Shannon says it feels like a chore to do her blog but she does it to document her life right now. Oh, that made me feel a little guilty. It does feel like a chore to me too, but it's also fun. <br /><br />My sweet husband spent/is spending New Year's weekend in Missouri so that he can get our house ready to put on the market. I can never get over how talented he is...he can fix ANYTHING! He made our home there very beautiful. I was watching the screensaver slideshow on our computer this evening and the tears started to come.<br /><br />Babies, 1st birthdays, more birthdays, fireworks, neighbors, leaf piles, crawling babies grabbing Christmas tree ornaments, kids in trees, children holding smaller children, Easter egg dying, homeschool at the kitchen table, projects, library outings.<br /><br />And then, all of a sudden, we get a new job and off we go....<br /><br />I love my mom and dad, and Jon's parents. I love my brothers and sisters, their spouses, their sweet children. What an incredible joy it has been to see them so much. They are such neat people. I love to be with them, I love who they are, and who they are becoming. So why do I feel so sad about leaving Missouri? <br /><br />I really shouldn't blog in the middle of the night when my husband is out of town and I'm feeling a little down. <br /><br />Our little 7 year old nephew, Jared, passed away on Mary's birthday at the end of November. His parents, Andrew (Jon's brother) and Jaime spoke at his funeral. There words were comforting and beautiful and made the veil between our world and the spirit world seem very thin. Jared will always help me remember that this life is a temporary part of an eternal progression...or standstill. I want to progress. I want to be sealed to my family forever. I want to live with and serve my Father in Heaven.<br /><br />"Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you"<br /><br />Our former home and way of life isn't all- important, though I will always have precious memories of it. What is important is that I recognize the Lord's hand throughout my life. He has watched over me, protected me. He has lifted me up when I was weighed down by grief. He has given me a husband who I want to be with forever. He has given me precious children to be part of my family. He has blessed me with faith, which becomes more important to me as I grow. <br /><br />He has forgiven me. <br />Only through Jesus Christ is it even possible that I can have the peace to hold my head up and be happy.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-11151262675844182432009-10-03T18:01:00.000-07:002009-10-03T18:22:52.657-07:00Pre-Baby Campout<div align="center">This was our last "getaway" before little Isaac was born. We wanted to go camping, but being 8 months along can put a cramp in your style! So we pitched the tent in the backyard and Jon made a fire pit (sorry about the smoke, neighbors) and we cooked hot dogs and s'mores and slept in the tent. It was SO MUCH FUN! Except that I got up 3 times in the night to come in the house and use the girls room. On the 3rd visit I crashed on the couch and said enough is enough! Fun times.<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBVpSRWvApaE14W-eVkGvnngqyPF087DCuGNZA2bLsRGH43K0gSzbCYACQUASYxQA2LfvtfB_m2hKRtHb8uePDVyCQ6GzSCTVRu6UBlwvl6eOYfduKFM2NKAEgN2Iac6-pfQNV6Eua3Ic/s1600-h/100_1330.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 297px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388545797181452786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBVpSRWvApaE14W-eVkGvnngqyPF087DCuGNZA2bLsRGH43K0gSzbCYACQUASYxQA2LfvtfB_m2hKRtHb8uePDVyCQ6GzSCTVRu6UBlwvl6eOYfduKFM2NKAEgN2Iac6-pfQNV6Eua3Ic/s400/100_1330.JPG" /></a> The fire pit feast!</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFfPcI-ipEvdr8OJ4CJ3lL1BjtlERMzZDXSCaV-zweE058JlPuD0qOeqLzLMUs9k9m0wxTN_UmkWsC8vq8T38O9PBmyE1BlmBQPN_RkoDtKuznjf8vMsr1s3kMm8JnD0hXiPC1TdDOG5f/s1600-h/100_1331.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 297px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388545838225197490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFfPcI-ipEvdr8OJ4CJ3lL1BjtlERMzZDXSCaV-zweE058JlPuD0qOeqLzLMUs9k9m0wxTN_UmkWsC8vq8T38O9PBmyE1BlmBQPN_RkoDtKuznjf8vMsr1s3kMm8JnD0hXiPC1TdDOG5f/s400/100_1331.JPG" /></a> The fire tenders.</p><p><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFfuPKydQf7zJGWxakH1bNBzmtIonFhvt_T4oDl3YzBSucIjYnIRlfXPEMNyeaQO4EZ9epv3TlhchpMntAuHgBgYv648-GD4uA7bdP1Qus3xO3ogJR9dbOMKzMMWht_CpxLjToM9QmJbz/s1600-h/100_1332.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 297px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388545854980471138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFfuPKydQf7zJGWxakH1bNBzmtIonFhvt_T4oDl3YzBSucIjYnIRlfXPEMNyeaQO4EZ9epv3TlhchpMntAuHgBgYv648-GD4uA7bdP1Qus3xO3ogJR9dbOMKzMMWht_CpxLjToM9QmJbz/s400/100_1332.JPG" /> <p align="center"></a>OK, if my dad saw this he would say that this is definitely some cushy camping. Blow up mattresses, a tent you can stand up in with 2 rooms, lots of snuggly quilts. It's certainly not the roughing it that occured on our yearly summer backpacking trips. I say, you've got to start somewhere...we'll work up to it!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-34824344502290089982009-09-19T08:04:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:43:24.754-07:00Isaac Wesley<p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxotfGB3s06m4mwPRt5MHpqKxnPaxJV6uvfgSYYSf1CZdWTmCwnDpkJCrFxeh6usMjMvPRcf_1-wMJA1IqkVQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>Isaac Wesley born 9/15 (Tues) weighing 8lbs. 4oz. and 20.5 in. long. Thank you all for your prayers and kindness.</p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-64763929576046850222009-09-16T09:45:00.000-07:002009-09-16T10:10:59.247-07:00Baby Boy!!!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxpN3j1KbvOKgUeB9t9jGl0GgXX9nbjyg0E_8vXH8FzqO0Qszk5x9wEaAlRhivzo40i73qHTvkKA-ypltpI-w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-86010546829967207192009-09-16T09:24:00.000-07:002009-09-16T09:44:17.806-07:00Baby Born Just Born<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzMHREZ5As8d_c-QLbSEbEcUkPzy4P-LknR5IGGcHWts8TI0SlXfS9-vgha6FWaHOGWzCpeBmrVHP6vV3TJ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-45308646434839271492009-09-16T09:02:00.000-07:002009-09-16T09:22:27.725-07:00Welcome Baby Boy Vance<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx88kgCq73E9jnrR9wEnrtwEKR90FxAyxGfSsa2vSN4ZyPezUb71q6AiTX5tqHiBIIdUN_qGpg7CMcG2xGmeQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-21621267805587742642009-09-07T10:17:00.000-07:002009-09-07T10:36:12.533-07:0039 weeks, 6 daysWhy do we even have due dates, anyway? I think they just cause stress more than anything! I actually thought yesterday was the day. I was contracting all afternoon, and then around bedtime it stopped. I was actually glad, because I was TIRED! But today I'm thinking I need to go on a long walk or something. <br /><br />Really, this pregnancy has been a pretty nice one. A couple of months ago, I started praying that I would have more energy to be able to take care of my family and home. Heavenly Father truly answered my prayer. I definitely have days that are more tiring than others, but wow...I cleaned out my closet (that was a crazy job), pulled down the wallpaper in Danny and Nate's room (getting it painted is another matter), and got almost two months of homeschooling done early so we could take a month off around baby time. We've been doing some serious <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">dejunking</span>! <br /><br />It's been great to have Jon home right now too. His company began closing the KC division back in 11/07 but they asked him to stay on with 3 other guys until things were pretty much finished up. So he has been out of work since 8/1. Thankfully, we've been putting in a stronger effort to follow the counsel of our church leaders and have prepared for this time. <br /><br />Anyway, I just really want to hold this sweet little person in my arms. I want to sing to him and nurse him and kiss his <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">widdew</span> (little) cheeks. Come on buddy...come join the family!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-84510978266309672432009-07-19T00:07:00.000-07:002009-07-19T10:02:53.688-07:00Can You Believe This Girl?!!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIUjCsDP10o4n7bWPR1e2GML2GEZwaOTV8uHLKdRHy_1TdCgweyNkQr2geizUc7ndpMW-YUyDigMrxk5lLwgcjQp_U8FvFIBuWpvG4IPLaLNQdfh08dE5DWGXehXQCeyNDt8zKPQndq5y/s1600-h/100_1281.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360213375360404354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 297px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIUjCsDP10o4n7bWPR1e2GML2GEZwaOTV8uHLKdRHy_1TdCgweyNkQr2geizUc7ndpMW-YUyDigMrxk5lLwgcjQp_U8FvFIBuWpvG4IPLaLNQdfh08dE5DWGXehXQCeyNDt8zKPQndq5y/s400/100_1281.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Ready for church? </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">Thankfully, this was after church!</span><br /><br /><br />Jon's always got some sort of project in progress. He's got this big pile of compost in the driveway that he's using for our planters and he's got it all nicely covered up with a tarp. The compost is still exposed around the edges of the pile and, unfortunately for me, Mary Jane didn't take that as a hint that she shouldn't play in it. It happened to be on a Sunday, so she was wearing her pretty little pink jumper...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn91ldRjdx6Hr6NppLGJZa0vf8t5fAw7zw-IAbzayD6NbjWYVo13ZnXW7KQm83-GeFSSaALtDZ371NKzI9GYv3XtemOOoHh9n5wk7HwgNQOohsCHylcNHkRIDB2nhx71QH5SwHPSyUmKZu/s1600-h/100_1278.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360212898866822594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn91ldRjdx6Hr6NppLGJZa0vf8t5fAw7zw-IAbzayD6NbjWYVo13ZnXW7KQm83-GeFSSaALtDZ371NKzI9GYv3XtemOOoHh9n5wk7HwgNQOohsCHylcNHkRIDB2nhx71QH5SwHPSyUmKZu/s320/100_1278.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Co-conspirators</span><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1QsuEUvfTt7ywLLJAiMYCKetrUlL3uDTiFbKc-UJPf918rVO11V5wQOgp_Dsc98pUbKLez-5TUPxy0GhVltigCFPT7GD2ExvXfXuiDfI-qYuWS8brkFhAuD8JJnvZukpYEu2Uo3K6H3D/s1600-h/100_1279.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360212896849473986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1QsuEUvfTt7ywLLJAiMYCKetrUlL3uDTiFbKc-UJPf918rVO11V5wQOgp_Dsc98pUbKLez-5TUPxy0GhVltigCFPT7GD2ExvXfXuiDfI-qYuWS8brkFhAuD8JJnvZukpYEu2Uo3K6H3D/s320/100_1279.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Mary's classic stinker face!</span><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsBU3KioFCbRWuhk1Z5jOAxtFOao5VgCw8WHJuTZ6MzeQiziUyKcrBJq8o7YUdujRUobu4hegWsrElEVysnWeptDV_flGiloooQTcsLt8T8r0pdQP03eSe3RzfTSapY6TTuZtlpcBOAo6/s1600-h/100_1277.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360212892511769746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsBU3KioFCbRWuhk1Z5jOAxtFOao5VgCw8WHJuTZ6MzeQiziUyKcrBJq8o7YUdujRUobu4hegWsrElEVysnWeptDV_flGiloooQTcsLt8T8r0pdQP03eSe3RzfTSapY6TTuZtlpcBOAo6/s320/100_1277.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">What exactly am I teaching them when they get their church clothes all dirty</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">and I say "SMILE!" and take their picture???</span><br /><br /></div><div align="center">But really, haven't we all had the urge to just get good and dirty! It all came out in the wash anyway (mostly), their giggles and shrieks were priceless, and they're only this little for a short time.<br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:0;"></span></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-76989448724033878792009-06-22T10:16:00.000-07:002009-06-22T11:06:32.447-07:00Danny's Baptism<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHi0NwvX6GNi2D_sLHWP70CjnDw090lXj53kRxfG0A5Xz76161noeSuW2BJy-Yl-3pN71UgZA_2YNcdWZyW5i9BMUdaO8SFz-tGTSx217MqHFQAA2hGD4jaHBYti5e7ii-eUlTwRZ9pEx/s1600-h/100_1273.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350214635920530194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHi0NwvX6GNi2D_sLHWP70CjnDw090lXj53kRxfG0A5Xz76161noeSuW2BJy-Yl-3pN71UgZA_2YNcdWZyW5i9BMUdaO8SFz-tGTSx217MqHFQAA2hGD4jaHBYti5e7ii-eUlTwRZ9pEx/s320/100_1273.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6HUTVPBlYzubKnPDxllFxFMVlCurMxSbBOCW72r72oeLKGHB9Nfa7HnYggz4qaC1sfMIQNfKtpyxr7Jq7IvWOaG4kwaaVJJeKAgB6oToTpoLHfDFWcdV1B7wfm0sMbavL-XsV3xM98B4/s1600-h/100_1275.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350214629287552674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6HUTVPBlYzubKnPDxllFxFMVlCurMxSbBOCW72r72oeLKGHB9Nfa7HnYggz4qaC1sfMIQNfKtpyxr7Jq7IvWOaG4kwaaVJJeKAgB6oToTpoLHfDFWcdV1B7wfm0sMbavL-XsV3xM98B4/s320/100_1275.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdS5n5ANI7wYGNLtlBxAXjMjdS4wOaOJ3Q7P3sj0V1AxsC0CRsoxaJa-B4bfpJ53r9TJT-21AU6FqrKnecFKUZRRTaLfjCpa_k8R-kUsZK7D5GvG5VDoZear3QjPhENo6j7h0cr6MLv7kw/s1600-h/100_1276.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350214621612510738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdS5n5ANI7wYGNLtlBxAXjMjdS4wOaOJ3Q7P3sj0V1AxsC0CRsoxaJa-B4bfpJ53r9TJT-21AU6FqrKnecFKUZRRTaLfjCpa_k8R-kUsZK7D5GvG5VDoZear3QjPhENo6j7h0cr6MLv7kw/s320/100_1276.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>My little boy was baptized! What a wonderful, happy day it was! It sprinkled in the morning, but the afternoon was beautiful and sunny. Danny was happy and excited with a dash of nervousness. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Grandma and Grandpa Vance, Uncle Chris, and Uncle Matt made the long trek from Utah in one day to be with us. They really made it extra special. Grandpa was a TOTAL surprise. He shouldn't have been able to come due to medical treatment he is receiving, but they were able to work it out for him to come. They kept it a secret! When they got to our street, they let him out at the top of the street and then they all drove down to our house and came in. Grandpa walked around to the back door where everyone was in the kitchen. Jon's back was to the door so he walked in. Jon still didn't look thinking it was one of the kids. Then his dad commented on something he was saying....well, Jon whirled around and, needless to say, was completely thrilled and surprised!!! </div><br /><br /><br /><div>We had such a fun day all together on Friday. Then Saturday afternoon was the special day! Uncle Chris gave a talk on baptism and Grandma Vance on the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They were so sweet. Uncle Matt and Grandpa were the witnesses for the baptism. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Jon could hardly find his voice as he stood there in the water with his oldest boy. He is a wonderful, sweet father. His children love him so much...as do I. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>As Jon, Bishop Tanner, Grandpa, Uncle Chris, and Uncle Matt circled around Danny and placed their hands on his head, I could feel the power of the priesthood and felt so grateful for a husband who is good, and worthy to serve as a priesthood holder. As such, he serves in the church, but more importantly to me, he serves our family. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>Daniel was all smiles. I love my boy so very much. He is good, and truly wanted to be baptized. We have taught him during scripture time, family home evening, and just at odd times what it means to be baptized and to receive the Holy Ghost. He developed a strong desire to receive these ordinances. Jon told Daniel that a person makes their own choice to be baptized or not to. I felt very proud of Danny when he made the choice to be baptized, even though at the time, he felt very nervous about it. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>After the baptism, we came home and he opened some gifts. Grandma and Grandpa gave him a blanket that she made which included his name and baptism date on it! </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Uncle Chris and family gave him a Primary Songbook with his name embossed on it. A friend of ours gave him a tote box and a gift card to Ace Hardware (since his interests include pulleys, levers, and other simple machines), we gave him his own scriptures with his name on them, and then Jon gave him his own Swiss Army knife (he instructed him in safety before he let him have it). Danny was very happy and grateful to receive these gifts (especially the knife).</div><br /><br /><br /><div>My boy is growing up. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-45348093025635966252009-06-04T09:53:00.000-07:002009-06-04T10:38:46.057-07:00Danny Turns 8!Wow...been awhile again! We had a fun day yesterday! Danny had breakfast in bed, serenaded by his family of course!<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3TkcuALK5TeXs_yPSqqvWzQ6yijKiukgur1f91RqIZNXY-t66fWrcYv02Fx_x9OkV9Zsf_JMW9FkahFHU0MSd_Gnv3vmIupIsU3rKr93Q7uzxaltSEMlrdo1dosgy2QY1gmqkyrJX63_/s1600-h/100_1207.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3TkcuALK5TeXs_yPSqqvWzQ6yijKiukgur1f91RqIZNXY-t66fWrcYv02Fx_x9OkV9Zsf_JMW9FkahFHU0MSd_Gnv3vmIupIsU3rKr93Q7uzxaltSEMlrdo1dosgy2QY1gmqkyrJX63_/s320/100_1207.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343523271132270450" /></a><br /><br />He got <em>The Little House on the Prairie</em> CD's and was pretty excited about it. We had school time punctuated with some fun little neighbor visits to wish him a happy birthday. Later that day, we had homemade pepperoni pizza for dinner and then headed off to Tunnel Voyage to play. Unfortunately, they closed an hour earlier than what they had told us on the phone, so when we got there, they were wiping things down and getting ready to close. Sad! But they were so nice and felt so bad that they had given us the wrong info that they let the kids go on some of the rides for free and gave us a bunch of half off coupons to use another day! So, it turned out. I got some funny pictures of them. They have a ship that is a small version of the Tidalwave at Lagoon.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vIz-Ia6y_W9rRVKmSYU5IrkA8LysDrQnmIogieI5Bk3a7BiqZTJPJWK9y7xO07e4n3dK1GJ5JGEpJvUmayDwQ0X8riY2uBxlDso9ZKX_T1I5Vhgx2yVcNVDUlbfYza9pOmSf5bNif2HA/s1600-h/100_1209.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vIz-Ia6y_W9rRVKmSYU5IrkA8LysDrQnmIogieI5Bk3a7BiqZTJPJWK9y7xO07e4n3dK1GJ5JGEpJvUmayDwQ0X8riY2uBxlDso9ZKX_T1I5Vhgx2yVcNVDUlbfYza9pOmSf5bNif2HA/s320/100_1209.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343523655577742226" /></a><br /><br />They were all SO EXCITED to get on it until they realized what it was going to do once the gal got it going. Mary had the funniest face! I'm awful...she and Joseph looked so cute and funny. They were fine...until the little teacups that go in an oblong circle.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hwVKGju949Ixum9-ZL1thLDN8pJ0j4lh_y3OPYhaDJSgoZJdO6QmSWLlSdxnu_9_-mwQJ18bgOJU4vQnFyF2NtCGc9tOK5hWQTIGCUAFmt9Alt4AqPcZOTnpD6KXyO6S2zAXU_hLiFF_/s1600-h/100_1210.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hwVKGju949Ixum9-ZL1thLDN8pJ0j4lh_y3OPYhaDJSgoZJdO6QmSWLlSdxnu_9_-mwQJ18bgOJU4vQnFyF2NtCGc9tOK5hWQTIGCUAFmt9Alt4AqPcZOTnpD6KXyO6S2zAXU_hLiFF_/s320/100_1210.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343525016640628818" /></a><br /><br />Mary was into her little cup chair in no time...smiling and saying, "Daddy, look at me!"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPdxrkogfgveJLkrMAYlFNjXUz8bX83LT5BfIwYhDEF7p-qAcw7_Y_j5qs5xiYJC5eqVCrMsqIXUbmrs8DutDT4TP8FsEzAUCjJLzrSVkrvS8N5F2etvVhICJ2BUjxdwvEcTK8C9Qnmgn/s1600-h/100_1212.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPdxrkogfgveJLkrMAYlFNjXUz8bX83LT5BfIwYhDEF7p-qAcw7_Y_j5qs5xiYJC5eqVCrMsqIXUbmrs8DutDT4TP8FsEzAUCjJLzrSVkrvS8N5F2etvVhICJ2BUjxdwvEcTK8C9Qnmgn/s320/100_1212.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343525021664985522" /></a> <br /><br />In 30 seconds, she was off. It really whipped them around the corners. Joseph wouldn't even get on it. Danny and Nate loved it though! Then they all got a free ring pop! Can you beat that? They were very happy. <br />Then we came home and had cake and ice cream.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHuLnTrOCk6ggcLDjigZ4vOFRACwTOj2w7F09kFq-7ls8ETQy2XXCtFrd0iCEnz1eQptCYEPBc7CMN8LUqLUwFHoICeQ0hlAsQ3DZmQj0rPSEWoJlVE1vr1yhL-RXq3lBT3OVsv_79C8d/s1600-h/100_1217.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHuLnTrOCk6ggcLDjigZ4vOFRACwTOj2w7F09kFq-7ls8ETQy2XXCtFrd0iCEnz1eQptCYEPBc7CMN8LUqLUwFHoICeQ0hlAsQ3DZmQj0rPSEWoJlVE1vr1yhL-RXq3lBT3OVsv_79C8d/s320/100_1217.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343525033609299682" /></a><br /><br />Danny got a mousetrap game and was THRILLED.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBzIGt3LWUt3tK5gTjkCHgXyEPFrlOP-r5HEiYCkIawLMGzgG73Ks6cmvDTVtul0MLCofjJ74cooQWRp0zrdWBfJxMMsWTgVTvPnK8ZKkrDH5dpV7yiyk08AcJbZCtpuoMEV762Xhgg7k/s1600-h/100_1215.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBzIGt3LWUt3tK5gTjkCHgXyEPFrlOP-r5HEiYCkIawLMGzgG73Ks6cmvDTVtul0MLCofjJ74cooQWRp0zrdWBfJxMMsWTgVTvPnK8ZKkrDH5dpV7yiyk08AcJbZCtpuoMEV762Xhgg7k/s320/100_1215.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343525029282110738" /></a><br /><br />He didn't really even want to <em>play</em> the game. He just wanted to put the things together and watch it work.<br />Definitely, a happy day in the Vance home! Now looking forward to his baptism!! (which will be on the 20th)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-69456322425047886922009-03-18T13:51:00.000-07:002009-03-18T14:15:07.235-07:00The Yuck!Wow! I don't think I have ever seen such an amazing amount of expelled bodily fluids in such a short period of time! My energy for cleaning up after sick kids that didn't make it to a designated barfing recepticle is waning. The time allowed for movies is increasing...and I just hope Danny doesn't get it (the yuck)!!! Of course, he'd be the easiest to handle since he's older. <br />Jon just got home from Utah yesterday. The Yuck started two days after he left. He got a lovely reception with seemingly healthy kids...but then Nate lost it in the car on the way home from the airport. Then this morning, Mary pretty much exploded all over him, just as he was about to leave for a work meeting. Then, later today, Jon and I were relaxing a little and catching up on things while the boys played outside when Mary had an episode from the other end of her little body. Unfortunately, her diaper had not the strength for containing such a flash flood and Jon's quick efforts at transporting her to the tub were not without casualties! <br />I just read up on rotavirus and other "viral gastroenteritis" (stomach flu) type joys and I found out that 1-2 weeks is pretty much the norm on getting over the back end side of things. The doctor said probiotics and a bland diet are all that you can do to help the symptoms until they're over it. <br />So, if any of you were planning on coming to visit this or next week :) maybe April would be better! Bring on the Clorox!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-45989241196157638152009-02-22T17:10:00.000-08:002009-02-22T17:21:10.992-08:00Valentine's Day GiftLast Saturday was a beautiful, serene day! We went to the St. Louis Temple without children!! It's the first time we've done it! Don't get me wrong...we've enjoyed taking them along for the road trip and we've done some fun things along the way. But usually Jon or I go into the temple while the other of us goes to the park, or somewhere for lunch with the kids, then we switch. <br />This time, some dear friends of ours agreed to have them stay at their house. So we dropped them off a little after 6am and carpooled with some friends who were also going and we had a QUIET, calm, enjoyable drive. Then at the temple, I was able to go in with my dear husband! Wow, what a sweet blessing. The best Valentine's gift ever.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-24209947847424952582009-02-09T15:23:00.000-08:002009-02-09T15:42:34.360-08:00Dear Sisters...Please excuse my blog absence. I could use lots of excuses...camera issues, pregnancy barfness issues, don't want to do my laundry...that sort of thing. The guilt has piled up and really, when you don't want to do laundry, this really is a great alternative. <br />So...a lot has happened since I last wrote. Mary turned 2. She's so cute (but I think she's also the most terrible 2 I've had)! I guess that's awful to say that about my little pumpkin, but lately she's taken to having <strong>daily</strong> temper tantrums. We put her in her room and she screams so hard it sounds like there's going to be mushroom cloud in there when we open up the door. Before I put her in I try talking calmly to her, singing to her, distracting her, whatever I can think of. Putting on a movie usually works but we can't be watching movies all day at the whim of the 2 year old! <br />Then we had a lovely Christmas! I think the Serpent Spiral K'Nex set was the most exciting gift of the season. Jon and the boys built the roller coaster (as tall as Nathan) and it graced our front room for the next week and a half! <br />Danny and Nater stayed up past midnight on New Year's Eve (Jon however didn't make it). <br />Then we found out we are expecting #5 baby!!!<br />Followed by my birthday (#34), Jon's birthday (#33)(yeah, I'm the older woman), then Natey's birthday (#6). We had a great pirate party!! Jon was the pied piper and led the very eager children around the yard looking for secret treasure map clues and finally the hidden treasure chest. What a great dad! <br /><br />And now, I guess you could say I'm pretty much in early pregnancy blah land! It's all part of the bliss I guess!<br />I love you gals!<br />Toodle-oo!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-71659472489784225912008-11-16T12:32:00.000-08:002008-11-16T13:17:44.472-08:00Nursery, nursery, nursery...Three weeks ago I was released from my calling as Relief Society teacher and was extended a calling to be the Nursery Leader. I have to say that for the first few moments I felt disappointed that it wasn't a "greater" calling, but that initial vanity left me quite quickly and was replaced with a happy, excited, grateful feeling. <br /> For a while the previous nursery leader had no "official" helpers, only parents who would sit in. As a result, it was very difficult for her to have an organized program since there were sometimes over 18 children in there. <br /> We have since started using our new stake center (which is joyfully a maximum of 5minutes away), had a ward split and a new one created, and had some serious reorganization. Now there are 3 of us called to work in the nursery and I think we are really clicking! We still have up to 16 kiddos in there, but in January almost half of them will be sweet little Sunbeams. For our lesson we split and I take all of the Sunbeams-to-Be (plus Mary Jane because well, you know my girl). Man they are so cute! Today we were learning about how we can pray to Heavenly Father. <br /> We switched around our schedule so it goes like this:<br />Check In/puzzles or coloring<br />Circle Time (that's get the wiggles out game/song time)<br />Lesson Time (split)<br />Snack Time (always a favorite)<br />Music Time (Beth did it with puppets today which they LOVED!)<br />Free Play Time<br />Clean Up <br />Story Time/Check Out <br /> I love the new nursery manual, "Behold Your Little Ones." It's perfect for Family Home Evening with small children and is so simple that the bigger ones can help with the lesson planning. It really directs them towards their Father in Heaven. <br /> Anyway, now I'm home and I am pooped! I've got all the kids down for Sunday quiet time and Jon's asleep already. Ringers are off--and I'm going to take a much needed nap!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-33028963424836321532008-11-12T20:29:00.000-08:002008-11-12T20:56:33.055-08:00Homemade Bread!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWXOJNoMdXZvEp4l6HS_ZRQbGk7G7_cfyEaMzicUAOewPSWoK5aUSssGXIl16zPwmduTaldYDMTkY5QhXqVBVAi50XdTBwtgOZixjj3ILNDHJamKp8yMukUAfFV9XUSrKyb5ZpQ6zYRHL/s1600-h/100_1072.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWXOJNoMdXZvEp4l6HS_ZRQbGk7G7_cfyEaMzicUAOewPSWoK5aUSssGXIl16zPwmduTaldYDMTkY5QhXqVBVAi50XdTBwtgOZixjj3ILNDHJamKp8yMukUAfFV9XUSrKyb5ZpQ6zYRHL/s320/100_1072.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267995891505877634" /></a><br />OK, so when Jon saw me staging and taking the bread photo, he said, "Wow, that can only be a blog picture!" Right he was! <br />Well, we finally got a wheat grinder! I'm probably more excited than I ought to be, but I've been wanting one forever! We did a group order with some people in the stake and were able to save $50 (a penny saved is a penny earned!) It's a Blendtec Kitchen Mill and it grinds up loads of other stuff...dry beans, rice, popcorn (for cornmeal), etc., etc.<br />I mainly want it to grind up wheat though. Now I just need to get some since I ground up the wheat from one of my two cans! That's our next home storage installment! <br />I made four loaves in loaf pans and then did the other four on cookie sheets.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNTXYmK5qeKCHd3C9_mKNSmXy8TapqsqWouCDtzXXLvD7znoefr5jIl8jMqe6UVw0kDob1Vg6DxKKK1P1tXA-YDtpF8WukT3rItzLoo8ts1S5i7v2-ZiB_FaGYivJgsb6iV9ySvpKtPma/s1600-h/100_1070.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNTXYmK5qeKCHd3C9_mKNSmXy8TapqsqWouCDtzXXLvD7znoefr5jIl8jMqe6UVw0kDob1Vg6DxKKK1P1tXA-YDtpF8WukT3rItzLoo8ts1S5i7v2-ZiB_FaGYivJgsb6iV9ySvpKtPma/s320/100_1070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267995896646273426" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsoeaObJGtT2DJAuuGNCrqrbup-E5hyphenhyphenuhSG1tmsMZrj7rhNVJpbZsTISi7NxqgAcuvGk9TThDrr7JpgHuBftuPwPq_1HCFiR5vSpOzWo5fcp5HnLLNuiGqOT23PrckkwsboR57xF33aUd/s1600-h/100_1068.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsoeaObJGtT2DJAuuGNCrqrbup-E5hyphenhyphenuhSG1tmsMZrj7rhNVJpbZsTISi7NxqgAcuvGk9TThDrr7JpgHuBftuPwPq_1HCFiR5vSpOzWo5fcp5HnLLNuiGqOT23PrckkwsboR57xF33aUd/s320/100_1068.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267995902037434706" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDWk84MsD05aCiUxarln49X2avxmr3ruzbSByxevPVLmMMkKoZITKmAgpS1sav_C0MSACCpe92wYS86nYAeReFviV8wC0ygUnUC9XnMYxGzkGqzmKsAdy46GA88jnjj5URsyNzXqQDFZJ/s1600-h/100_1069.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDWk84MsD05aCiUxarln49X2avxmr3ruzbSByxevPVLmMMkKoZITKmAgpS1sav_C0MSACCpe92wYS86nYAeReFviV8wC0ygUnUC9XnMYxGzkGqzmKsAdy46GA88jnjj5URsyNzXqQDFZJ/s320/100_1069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267995917244002674" /></a>. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tXFWlGBNIVQHGMU13iwyYfwVx3lFHkPvOpNOva0ulVLOTusXVx7JYL-p4kDoylKiyp9a1HvbTbQsAQoLLF4K6Z6Bh73uFzSr6SdIpiyXiKmUf-Q6hBZbi-oIjAepNKEft7JeFpeW1ZX1/s1600-h/100_1067.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tXFWlGBNIVQHGMU13iwyYfwVx3lFHkPvOpNOva0ulVLOTusXVx7JYL-p4kDoylKiyp9a1HvbTbQsAQoLLF4K6Z6Bh73uFzSr6SdIpiyXiKmUf-Q6hBZbi-oIjAepNKEft7JeFpeW1ZX1/s320/100_1067.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267995910005668034" /></a><br />And I had LOTS of EXCELLENT help! (Yes, Lib, I purposefully made sure the blue dough cutter was in the picture...thank you, I love it!)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-20926385929254949732008-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:002008-11-01T13:55:16.346-07:00Good ol' HalloweenTwo Sheriffs, Dorothy, and a Red Dinosaur...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiBjwtR4p6ZFsCAP8FSUmWWqp4MJDtpWmKaqFOqrGD8GeCZW6eam8SF55_F4m2Be_bzHCD7STUxtmXgQy9hHqxwl0bOcGQyLrBJmG2zTLq0n23DZiJq1sMFq3-QGwSqmo14W3PS5yVf8u/s1600-h/100_1074.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiBjwtR4p6ZFsCAP8FSUmWWqp4MJDtpWmKaqFOqrGD8GeCZW6eam8SF55_F4m2Be_bzHCD7STUxtmXgQy9hHqxwl0bOcGQyLrBJmG2zTLq0n23DZiJq1sMFq3-QGwSqmo14W3PS5yVf8u/s320/100_1074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263786750657778338" /></a><br />Our little pumpkin carvers.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmcZ6PgMTErzf_0RUjarrbgiG5Gwz_HfN9Buh8Eu7wekiPoBquJEvZA-GBzAUq9_H6KYC2jj_JZsDR41ZnAPPFfggvW8o-O_QVED1LPsBTAdnkZB8mlbdZNF4VfTGiiDzPVJYhNGkmbKs/s1600-h/000_0526.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmcZ6PgMTErzf_0RUjarrbgiG5Gwz_HfN9Buh8Eu7wekiPoBquJEvZA-GBzAUq9_H6KYC2jj_JZsDR41ZnAPPFfggvW8o-O_QVED1LPsBTAdnkZB8mlbdZNF4VfTGiiDzPVJYhNGkmbKs/s320/000_0526.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263786745475900994" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBhfj2auo333WhGABFcagkp8nVtRXrcX81e0GFoZyvUAffrWVRS4lxlQtB2QrQf5KldBX-jKTnjjoFxp7omZWFZaPcEM7aoqAVdUPzpofdWf4Ce-BQR3sxd0EbsTyLP_asYhGCcWro2rP/s1600-h/000_0527.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBhfj2auo333WhGABFcagkp8nVtRXrcX81e0GFoZyvUAffrWVRS4lxlQtB2QrQf5KldBX-jKTnjjoFxp7omZWFZaPcEM7aoqAVdUPzpofdWf4Ce-BQR3sxd0EbsTyLP_asYhGCcWro2rP/s320/000_0527.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263786737735189458" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBoCQqN-9PwSRHRBYt9S3Rqg_hG3ORA7BFluAV6ZoK2FnKewt9b015d8G8ARJW00VihJU2d_KuXdqw5XzK7nw3soQCPvvMHr7pa1DxASIq2q_MC-VxEXvFXORK7Wvjm-DV6fN8M5zvc-7/s1600-h/000_0529.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBoCQqN-9PwSRHRBYt9S3Rqg_hG3ORA7BFluAV6ZoK2FnKewt9b015d8G8ARJW00VihJU2d_KuXdqw5XzK7nw3soQCPvvMHr7pa1DxASIq2q_MC-VxEXvFXORK7Wvjm-DV6fN8M5zvc-7/s320/000_0529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263789677147401538" /></a><br />Last night, I took the kids out trick-or-treating while Jon manned the door. We never go any further than around the block, patroning both sides of the street naturally, and we ALWAYS get SO MUCH candy! Of course, it is the only time I see a few of those neighbors. By the time we got within 5 houses of our own...Joseph and Mary Jane would sit down for a while on the neighbors steps and required some prodding to get up. They like to walk but aren't used to carrying (ie dragging) heavy bags along the way! I offered to carry them or their bags but they (especially Mary Jane) WOULD NOT have it! They only let me hold their little hands and Toto (Emily) in his basket. This morning, Joseph informed Jon that he wanted to go out trick-or-treating again today! (No, thanks!)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-63026388625864906172008-10-22T10:11:00.001-07:002008-10-22T10:48:45.814-07:00Aaaah Weddings!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJb7BCI6uLa-ehpWnL0JHHk8pRi07ljrDRGquiMMZPqNuGeqyvcEjRLnepnsrOxAZ0P6uurkUyhvb4XTGlEzThgqE6UULMJi7DznG-EGsvq7l7RwQoI-2QhrhTA6F8EpSCK6EeQt1pr2M/s1600-h/100_0998.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJb7BCI6uLa-ehpWnL0JHHk8pRi07ljrDRGquiMMZPqNuGeqyvcEjRLnepnsrOxAZ0P6uurkUyhvb4XTGlEzThgqE6UULMJi7DznG-EGsvq7l7RwQoI-2QhrhTA6F8EpSCK6EeQt1pr2M/s320/100_0998.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260028749999848450" /></a><br />Jon's getting pretty good at the art of self portrait!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhtJ4q-9v-PSyJBttKfB0mKy5e8_DjkT3P3SszHtwt5kKaQ9aQ2kn_vr1CR2dqWiwRFwD_fGTt2dr9Ygbvcf0jeN8u3WzXr8se0KQy_6N1RzTnHV4VmBn_st45tjNi_TkJrbUc9u03gOd/s1600-h/100_0994.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhtJ4q-9v-PSyJBttKfB0mKy5e8_DjkT3P3SszHtwt5kKaQ9aQ2kn_vr1CR2dqWiwRFwD_fGTt2dr9Ygbvcf0jeN8u3WzXr8se0KQy_6N1RzTnHV4VmBn_st45tjNi_TkJrbUc9u03gOd/s320/100_0994.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260028754458152210" /></a><br />All dressed up! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiqus5_qTA3smAZg0ey7rOpuEj7WWLGpuSP8KwhXomdgVNX2vW80DzfPua0X1nx-IaYfzjbglpfPJ_CnQY7HSJoC65aHCAETIYLvExxVil-3jgnV2E1NF1JkSVYINh2rsqroEcq3DqtYu/s1600-h/100_0999.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiqus5_qTA3smAZg0ey7rOpuEj7WWLGpuSP8KwhXomdgVNX2vW80DzfPua0X1nx-IaYfzjbglpfPJ_CnQY7HSJoC65aHCAETIYLvExxVil-3jgnV2E1NF1JkSVYINh2rsqroEcq3DqtYu/s320/100_0999.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260028763334394194" /></a><br />Weddings are soooo much fun!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RKjimXK61o4nVH_hGzROxqqPiTzi6_DxJMTKKE0mE6vqAM07G2qweSC9i9RVgHNG-SYjskwrsa7plhYkp5M9bBwaamA6XTHc2KOwFZel0xQjhR23_MqqiaIeMVO7cvaIDvcXvY_dP8mC/s1600-h/100_0991.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RKjimXK61o4nVH_hGzROxqqPiTzi6_DxJMTKKE0mE6vqAM07G2qweSC9i9RVgHNG-SYjskwrsa7plhYkp5M9bBwaamA6XTHc2KOwFZel0xQjhR23_MqqiaIeMVO7cvaIDvcXvY_dP8mC/s320/100_0991.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260028771947877922" /></a><br />Dreaming of trains! Who wouldn't?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />My sister's wedding was absolutely beautiful! Fantastic job wedding planners, Jill (bride), Lib (sis), and Mom (mom)! Here's some sad news...I just loaded all of my pictures onto my computer and am now realizing that I don't have any pictures of the bride and groom! Crazy! And, well, it <strong>WAS</strong> crazy trying to wrastle four children into being sweet and cute for that amount of time! Can't wait to check out your pics Veronica--queen of great pictures! Love you Jill and Mike! Congratulations!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-64969898614737068632008-10-21T14:00:00.001-07:002008-10-21T14:03:27.229-07:00All I Want For Christmas...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0R5XiEhCuceocK74GJlaSOtBMlZHYwiGEqonuZh1DyOxbWl0FKRfYUP3KSqGW8g8FMLXlxf2emp24hZv0LNXps4cBle8Tdmle8NNb1FrGi_taNInxyYeRXW8ALQHvIUNyULUaUJi8Yfa/s1600-h/100_1054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0R5XiEhCuceocK74GJlaSOtBMlZHYwiGEqonuZh1DyOxbWl0FKRfYUP3KSqGW8g8FMLXlxf2emp24hZv0LNXps4cBle8Tdmle8NNb1FrGi_taNInxyYeRXW8ALQHvIUNyULUaUJi8Yfa/s320/100_1054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259715254137225490" /></a><br />Bye, bye baby...<br />Danny lost his two front teeth! I get a kick out of his ssss sounds! Cute boy.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-89308906799509231212008-10-18T23:44:00.000-07:002008-10-18T23:53:02.771-07:00Midnight Church Clothes Laundry!I ask myself why....pretty much every week. Why do I do it to myself? I don't know! I don't mean to do it...I just got so busy. So, here I am in the middle of the night, blogging while I wait for the clothes to...well, dry. I guess I could go to bed now. Although it will save me a lot of stress in the morning if all the clothes are hung up and not wadded up in the dryer, right! <br />But really, I could've done this a little earlier. Next week....NO MIDNIGHT CHURCH CLOTHES LAUNDRY!!!<br />By the way, little Danny boy is now a front-toothless wonder! He lost one top front tooth last Saturday and the other one while we were grocery shopping today (technically, yesterday). Pictures to follow.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-424156324451526342008-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:002008-10-06T08:52:59.340-07:00Yubboo!I have been here in Utah for 2 weeks minus a day now. It seems like our little Mary has had a language explosion and her shyness is waning. She actually said a full sentence, "He ate it." She'll repeat anything we say and it is so sweet! "Yubboo" (love you) is a delightfully common occurence now! In the airplane on the way here, it was just Mary and me, I was trying to keep her toned down as we neared SLC so I pointed out the mountains and said BIG MOUNTAINS. She caught on to BIG and kept pointing to them and saying BIG in her high volume vocals. She has now since gotten the MOUNTAIN part down. Last night, on the way over to Andrew and Jaime's (Jon's brother and family), she repeated MOUNTAIN the entire way on maximum volume which, for Mary, is VERY LOUD. <br />My baby....Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965924944435360340.post-50059756705309540712008-09-29T07:06:00.000-07:002008-09-29T07:29:02.388-07:00GrandmaWhen I think of Grandma, I can't help but think of her home. My sweet childhood memories of that place are the kind I would wish for ever child to have. I remember driving up the big hill and looking at the trees in that little wild place between her backyard and the road and knowing that adventures were awaiting me there. I remember pulling into the driveway and running up the green-carpeted steps, swinging wide the door to a house full of delicious smells, welcoming arms, love, and acceptance. <br />Grandma and Grandpa's home was the kind that, for a child, contained all sorts of teasures. There were nooks, closets, and cupboards that had to be explored. There was the backyard, the enormous garden, the toolshed, that WONDERFUL rotating clothesline, Grandpa's shop with all of its little drawers, and tools, and this and that. The dark and rather mysterious basement with a kitchen where bottles of peaches, pears, pickles, and tomatoes lined the shelves. I can't bring up all these things without mentioning that FANTASTIC laundry chute. I don't know how many times I made that short trip from the bathroom to the laundry room, but I do know that I never got in trouble for it. Maybe they didn't know I did it, but more than that -- I think they made allowances for their curious little grandchildren. I think Grandma and Grandpa loved us so much, that they just wanted us to be happy. <br />Grandma's greatest joys were her children, her grandchildren, and then her great grandchilldren. She didn't scold, but gave her love in the form of kisses, cookies, and yanks on my braids.<br />I have been taught by many people all my life that I should serve others -- as Jesus did. I think that I truly learned this principle from her, my dear little grandma. She served me. She served all of us...with an unconditional love. She never thought less of us for our mistakes.<br />So when I think of her home and all of the precious memories created there...the happy, cozy, warm feelings fill up my heart and I know it is because she was there...making it that way.<br />I love you Grandma. I miss you.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15749767519943667496noreply@blogger.com2