Oh my, oh my!!

So the doctor said I need to get my tonsils out! They have been telling me this for years. I am just finally getting my courage up to do it (I think). I still can chicken out! Everyone tells me how horrible it is, but eveyone that has done it, says it's worth it. I guess we will see. The doctor also told me to take it easy the week before, so my blood pressure and body would be ready for surgery. Well, the week became one of the craziest ever.........

MILLENNIAL PRESCHOOL GRADUATES!

We ended the year with a big program! I always miss my preschoolers!

I went to the valley twice this week with my family......

Kalicia, Caroline, and Charlotte enjoying
cotton candy, snow cones, home made ice cream and cup cakes
at the fun birthday party!

We went to the valley one of the times to celebrate
Grandma Lawlor's 90th Birthday!
It was so much fun to see all the family!


Charlotte finished kindergarten and is so excited to go onto 1st grade.
She can't wait to pick out her new lunch box!

We went with Mrs. Davis, Ms. Patsy and Charlotte's class on a field trip.

This was so sweet.....

Austin felt bad that he didn't get me anything for Mother's Day,

so he showed up with roses to give to me after school

while I was out working in the garden.

This week also turned into a very sad week.

Our Friend Rick Jones passed away.

My children were asked to sing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" while I played the piano.

Me, play the piano.....I haven't played really since high school. I stayed up every night late and practiced for hours until I was too exhausted. It was a scary, but wonderful feeling to have to play the piano again. We were announced as Rick's Sweethearts in the Program. He wasn't ever able to have children because of his disablity, so he claimed mine and made them so many gifts.

My girls waiting in the Mortuary with Daddy, while Mommy was cutting Rick's hair. That is an experience I will never forget, very peaceful. I always cut Rick's hair, so the family asked me to cut his hair again to help prepare him for burial. My girls got one last chance to say good bye to him after I cut his hair. We had a nice good bye prayer, said by their Daddy.

Charlotte and Kalicia were so pleased that

Rick is going to be able to run all over heaven now

and even have two legs!

Rick was one of those special talented men. He barely had use of one half of his body, but he could make the most beautiful things with leather and wood.

The very last thing he made was a carriage out of wood pulled by a horse for my front porch. He surprised me for Mother's day. He was always so thoughtful and happy and always looking for ways to serve. My family was and is grateful for his friendship and great example to our family.

He passed away on May 18, 2010

The same day he passed away we were able to go to our

neighbors' adoption of their two cute girls, Elizabeth and Enya.

Then we headed to the valley for more doctor appointments
at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Well, my boys decided not to sing in Sacrament Meeting, so I have this mean rule(got it from my parents), they have to sing the Hymn they didn't sing in church before dinner for the family.
It turned into a spiritual experience! I really do have sweet boys!

While the men went to Father's and Sons........

We had a SLUMBER PARTY at our

friend Tammy's House!

(notice the sign)

GIRLS ONLY!!!!!
We had pillow fights, ate popcorn, and watched movies!
No Boys allowed!!!!

Thanks Tammy for such a fabulous time!!!

Then, when we got home we noticed that the

Butterflies were coming out of their cacoons!

What an exciting surprise!

The girls had just gotten out of the tub and made their discovery!


Beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies......

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

It was a fun day! It started out with my husband and kids making me breakfast, Daddy's yummy omelets! It's a favorite in our house when he makes them. At church I sang with a couple of other ladies for Mother's Day in Sacrament Meeting. All the mothers got a beautiful rose following the meeting.

When we got home from church my family surprised me with all these neat gifts! My favorite are the homemade gifts. My girls painted frames for me. I loved it! Jon made me this wonderfullly crafted wooden bucket for our well out front of our home. The boys got me a haircutting set. Mine finally broke and they said they didn't want to pay for haircuts so they bought me a new set. So thoughtful!

Loren was very thoughtful and got me several pairs of gloves so I could use for gardening.
( He told me he was going to teach me how to use the gloves. hmm... I thought you just put them on your hands. I am learning that each pair is for different things. He is always taking slivers out of my hands.)

Then Loren invited my parents, Keith, Sierra, Winston and Tammy over for a big family Mother's Day Dinner. He grilled up some yummy chicken on the BBQ Grill, Keith made up the Mashed potatoes, Dad made the Gravy and Winston cooked up the carrots. All the men pitched in and made a nice dinner! Yummy! But, what a mess there was! Jon and Austin cleaned the kitchen after! What a fun Sunday afternoon!

Our Caterpillars turned into a Chrysalis (cacoon).....

Now the waiting begins!

My Girlie Girls call themselves the Cowgirl Princesses!

We joined the White Mountain Horseman's Association, Gymkanna.

That means my kids are learning how to barrel race with their horses.

So much fun! Charlotte was so excited. She found something that she is really good at and can do it as good as everyone else and even better!

(She was so thrilled to look the same as everyone else!)

The announcer at the stadium had a good laugh because she was waving with a big smile at all the people cheering her on as she rode around the barrels. She ended up taking second in her event of her age group and got a ribbon!

She has been riding horses since she was 2 yrs. old So she did awesome! We were all so proud of her! When she got home, she had so much confidence she walked with her crutches from her bedroom to the kitchen all by herself. She normally is too scared to try it without help and she did it all by herself. This is going to be such a fun thing for her. They even gave her paperwork, to try out for being Rodeo queen of her age group! What fun!

She is loving this and she is good at it!!!!

Caroline is already having fun on the horses!

She sure thinks she is so big! She can start doing barrels in June, as soon as she is two.
Bobbie(Horse) is so gentle with the girls.
Caroline was sharing her graham cracker with Bobbie.

We Spent all day at the Rodeo Grounds! They loved it and had so much fun!

They were having fun cheering on their friends!

Bobbie is an old Barrel Racing horse, she was back in her game and was so happy out in the arena.

I got a lot of excersize that day because Bobbie wanted to run with Kalicia and I was leading, so I was running! Kalica was awesome and ended up taking 1st!!!!!

Both girls ended up doing three events each! They loved every minute of it and played Cowgirl Princesses, as they call it, when they got home. Gallupping around the house and yelling yeeha!

My Baby Caroline is growing up!

Her first big painting project!

She was so proud!!!!!
Look at that smile!!!!!

We love spring time, even though it still keeps snowing while the flowers are blooming.....

We are having fun having spring time

science experiments!

We are learning about plants and which ones you can eat. We put celery and carnations into water with blue food coloring, we will find out what happens........

Well, they did turn blue! Pretty neat, but you think the kids don't like vegetables and they ate them before I could get pictures. (so if you dye the vegetables' the kids eat them better...? Haha)

Then each of the kids have caterpillars that they are taking care of and they get to watch them turn into butterflies! This is the first stage:

We got to do their absolute favorite thing, play with their cousins at the park!!!

(Meika, Capri, Kendall, and Caroline)
(Baby Jade and Caroline)

Satya, Lucia (twins), and Jesska all have a birthday within two weeks of each other......
So we had a fun time having a night out on the town!! I can't believe we stayed out passed midnight. We had so much fun just laughing together! I love my sisters. They are my best friends! Thank you girls for being so amazing and such good examples!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE COOLEST SISTERS!!!!

Lucia and her kids brought Sierra up for a
fun weekend to visit.
Loren took the kids on a fun "roller coaster" ride up and down the hills on our property.
They all loved it!
(Trenton, Kalicia, Brooklin, Charlotte, and Caroline)



Caroline and I went to go cheer the boys on at their
Blue Ridge Track Meet.
(Austin does long jump and Jon runs the two mile and one mile.)

WOO HOO!!!!! Go Austin and Jon.......run run run!!!!!

Over a year ago, Loren bought me some citrus trees for my birthday because I miss having citrus trees when living in the valley. So we move the trees in and out of the house permitting what the weather will be.......well, it's working! We have been enjoying fresh lemonade!!

They do get heavy hauling back and forth. Also the wind and cold does torcher the poor trees if we don't get them in fast enough, so Loren is building me a nice little green house, so we can plant them in there!

Can't wait!

Charlotte's new crutches, she is getting around pretty well, just needs a little more strength and confidence.


(They had me wear protective covering, so I could be in with my baby.)

My poor girls have been going through lot of testing, therapies, and procedures again lately. BUT....it is all helping. Charlotte is now trying awfully hard to use crutches, she is a little nervous, but we all know she can do it! Caroline has had several surgeries and maybe one more eye surgery, but she sure is making a lot of progress all of a sudden, so we know it is helping. She has asthma too and has to do steroid treatments morning and night, just like her big sister Kalicia.

I am so proud of all the hard work my girls put into growing up!