Birthday Dinner

As I write about my cute son, every now and then I have to pause to wipe my tears away.  We are just so blessed!  Jared loves seafood and I think for the last three years we have ended up at the Red Lobster to celebrate his birthday.  He likes the captains feast (I think) because it has a variety of fish.  He was hesitant this year to go there because he realizes that it is kind of expensive.  I reassured him that it is fine on his birthday.  I love our one on one time with our kids for their birthdays.  I love just looking at them and seeing how well they have grown up.  I love thinking back over the years and remembering their little journey to now.  Being a mom has been my greatest desire and blessing.  It's all I ever wanted and I have enjoyed the kids that were sent to us.  I love every stage of their progress.  Some stages are harder and cause anxiety but even those stages are worth it when they make it through.  Oh my word....I love my family!  I'm thankful for every single birthday we get to celebrate!

Breakfast with the Birthday Boy

This will be our last birthday celebration with Jared for a few years.  When I realized that I got a gut ache.  I really wanted to make his day a little more special.  We decided to go to breakfast since the afternoon was packed with things and he should probably stay in school.  We got up early and headed to Village Inn.  He did open his birthday present before we left our house.  We got him some nice binoculars for hunting.  I think he might like those better than the luggage I was considering.  I think it's going to be hard to sent this boy our on a mission.  The first was hard and I think my last will be.  The others were hard to but I was good at focusing on the positive and good since they overlapped each other.  I want to cherish the time we have left and for the first time in years I will say that I am glad we have one more year of school.  I pray that my son will believe in himself.  That he will be kind to himself and realize we all make mistakes and no one is perfect.  I hope he knows how much he is loved and cherished by our family.  I wish he could see himself through my eyes and better yet our Savior's.  Jared is a Great Kid!

Jared is 18

This cute son of mine turned 18 years old today!  I find it hard to believe that my baby is that old but let me just say it's been a pleasure watching him grow up.  He was a fighter as a baby and needed to have a strong will to survive.  He has always been so cute and when he was little even men spoke of his cuteness.  As a toddler he cracked us up.  I remember him egging on one of his brothers saying..."you want a piece of me?"  then when they came towards him he rolled right under their feet.  He had quite the imagination.  He would start his stories with "Remember When?"  He had stories of owning dogs and changing Justin's diaper...which he realized wasn't true and corrected himself.  Gramps could always get him started and Jared would go on and on remembering things through his imagination.   As he grew he became more sensitive and tender hearted.  He doesn't like to be corrected and kind of thinks he needs to know how to do everything on his own.  If someone tries to critique him he feels bad about himself.  I feel sad about that.

Jared is a hard worker and Larry loves having him close by to help him.  I think Jared enjoys working with his dad.  Jared is the best uncle ever!  Little kids love him and he is just super fun and loving.  Jared is affectionate and still likes hugs.  He often lays his head on our shoulders to express his love.  He trusts me and tells me things or asks me things that he isn't sure about.  I love that!  Jared is just so kind.  I'm so glad he is ours and that God knew we needed this little guy. (no so little anymore)  Jared is truly a blessing to our entire family!

Kimi's New Do

After growing her hair out for years, Kimleighel decided to chop it all off.  Kimleighel is a girl who knows what she wants no matter how extreme it is.  I think Kimi looks good with any hair style and I love that she tries new kinds.  I'm kind of excited that we won't have long black hairs all over the house for awhile...just mine now. ☺  I love this cute, sassy look on Kimleighel...it fits her to a tee!

Visiting Teaching

I have such a testimony of visiting teaching.  I love it and I know that through visiting teaching miracles can happen.  Right now I have such wonderful visiting teachers...Ruth Dawson and Jeanenne Murdock.  Jeanenne is moving and so I'm not sure what will happen.  I really hope that Ruth will be able to still come to me.  I love them and I feel the love they have for me.  They are such wonderful examples. (I can't believe I didn't get a picture of them when they last visited me)

I am blessed to be able to go to Crystal and Linda.  I love these two ladies so much.  I have a hard time keeping our visits to half an hour.  Actually with Linda they haven't been less than an hour.  It just seems there is so much so say and share.  These two are also such wonderful examples to me.  I learn so much from them and I always feel the spirit as we visit.  I love getting to know others better and through visiting teaching that is accomplished.  I continue to love and care about the sisters that I have visited over the years.  I have been truly blessed.

Larry and I have assignments together to visit the Mark family...another favorite of mine.  The Marks aren't active but they are the best example of how families should love and support each other.  They are so close to one another and are absolutely wonderful.  We also get to visit a single mom that just recently moved into the ward.  Erin has walls up but allows us to break through them just a little.  Her little daughter is the cutest and we love interacting with them.

I'm a fan of visiting teaching.  It's powerful and important.  When the Marks lost their little preemie they knew to call us for the help they needed.  Visiting Teaching Blesses Others!

Family Pictures

Today we did family pictures before dinner.  We take our pictures on a Sunday that everyone comes.  I'm not going to lie....I get a little stressed.  This year I wrote down the pictures that I wanted.  I checked them off as we went.  It gets crazy and the kids get restless and before we are through I can't think and have no idea what I want.  I still didn't get all the pictures that I had hoped for and have another plan for next year.  (I think I will ask the married kids to be responsible for taking their kids pictures even if they have to take turns with our camera)

We got a few pictures with our original family.  When the kids first stared getting married I didn't like this idea but have changed my mind about it.  I like having a picture of just us.  One of the gals said that we should get one of just those that have married in...☺I seriously love them like they were born into our family.

We only took a few of us all together.  I think it's because we took these last and everyone was done.  Next year I think we will take the ones of all of us first and then split into families and take a few families at a time using a few camera's.

Gramps was watching and so we had him step in and join us.  He is the one that started all this!

Our hug pictures make me laugh because we don't care who's looking or what faces are being pulled.

Larry and I feel so blessed to have each other and to have been blessed with each of our kids.  We love the ones that marry ours and adore the little's that join their individual families!

 Trichelle's family....

 Justin's family....

 Kevin's family......

 Braxton's family....

our three not married......

Larry and I and our cute grands.....

We took hundreds of pictures and not one of them turned out perfect but each one brought a smile to my face.  We had a lot of closed eyes, a few grumpy faces, some tears, heads turned, upside down and a few with the wrong couple and even missing teeth. ☺

All in all.....they were perfect!  I love my crazy, fun family! I'm thankful that they show their love to me by dressing up and taking the time to have our pictures together. 

Heber Valley Girls Camp

Barbie and I went up to the Heber Valley Girls camp to check it out.  We are taking the Special Needs group there in June.  Even though I have attended a camp there once before I wasn't sure what we would need to do and know.  It was good we went.  The missionaries have a lot to offer but each ward or stake is responsible for planning there camp.  Everyone gets assigned to a challenge course.  It must have been lightening when I was there because our ward couldn't do the course at their scheduled time because of the weather.  So seeing the course was a new experience.  Barbie and I decided to climb the telephone pole and walk across a rope and zip line down.  I loved the zip line but I did not like getting to it.  It was hard climbing the pole.  The pegs for your feet and hands were really far apart and half way up I was tired and scared.  My body started shaking and I really didn't want to continue.  I didn't want to quit either though and as everyone encouraged me that I could do it I would lift myself again and go one step higher. (the pole wiggles) Walking across the rope wasn't as hard or scary even though I continues to yell "I hate this".  I focused on the valley and didn't look down.  Soon I was across the rope and on the platform for the zip line.  I screamed again when I zipped but not because I was scared...it just came out.  I felt very good when we were through.  I was so glad that I didn't give up and kept going.  I'm not sure I'll try it again in June but I suspect I will.

Larry knew a few of the missionaries serving there and so while we looked around and inspected our camp site we also found his friends.  One was Lew Glass who is a good customer at TJ Trailers.  He was really nice.  There was a Sister Missionary that was also really nice and drove us to where we could find Brother and Sister Clark.  Gary Clark and his family lived in Roy when we did and we were great friends.  Gary had contacted Larry a week ago asking him about work stuff.  He told Larry he was serving at Heber and Larry told him I was going there on Saturday.  Gary told me to find him.  He serves on Course 5 and that's where we found him.  It was good seeing Gary again.  I always thought Gary was a nice guy.  I like his wife too...she seems nice.

It was a fun day.  We got a lot of information and we have a great idea of everything we need to do. We mostly do it all.  The challenge course will be nice and they also have people that will come to our camp and give talks on three different subjects.  We will take advantage of it all.  I saw a gal that grew up in Hooper and her girls will be attending the same time and so I think I might see if they's like to come play games or do skits with us.  I'm excited and love the mountains and the Heber Valley Girls camp.  It's so beautiful!