Forgot to mention...

Kailee got invited to homecoming...

I remember the days when a guy just called and asked you on a date!

Not anymore!

They have to do something really neat now...

and we thought this was really neat.

She said yes.

Guess we better get out of town and find a dress!

I like to shop... for food storage!

I am addicted... I know it, and I can't help myself. I shop. But my passion for shopping isn't for a designer pair of jeans or bag, nope, I can do with out the new pair of shoes... but show me a really fantastic ad in the paper that week and I will show you a happy ME! This week, 2 of the stores had things that were making me very happy! One had sweet 10 for $10.... things that I would be saving a lot of money on... and so I filled up one shopping cart and thankfully Kailee showed up and get me another cart. We saved so much they needed the key again to open the cash drawer! It was well over $200! And then went and hit another case lot sale to grab more sugar and rice and a few other things. We are working so hard to have absolutely everything we need for our short term, 3 months food supply. It seems like we get it built up and then end up using it for some reason... I am working on getting some things that would make this much more easy if we had to completely live on it. Right now we have several different places for our storage which really stresses Hayden out wondering what we will do if we can't get to it. I laughed and told him we could sit down and go over our game plan! I wish, and hope for a huge storage room one day but even though we have planned it, that plan hasn't come together yet... but I will have faith! For now we have the downstairs laundry/storage room, the upstairs laundry/utility room, the upstairs closet and the cupboards...

I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening cleaning the downstairs laundry/storage room. Reorganized and stored much more effectively and now there will be an individual day of the week to wash.. and only then... yes I am going to be a 'mean mom' and make them follow the laundry rule because well...the laundry in this house is ridiculous and when we let it get out of control then it becomes a monster of sorts. No clothes left on the floor there and every basket will have their names on it. The laundry room down stairs is a food storage room... it looks good, if I do say so myself after working so hard I had sweat dripping off me! Oh yes, I love shopping! It feels good to see the storage grow!

Some of the goodies I managed to get!

This is my best buy... thanks for a friend who snagged a bunch of coupons we managed to get 50 cases of veggies and they OWED us 4 cents a case. The poor cashier was stressed that she owed money for these! Yep, great deal!!!

Sadly... it entertains us

We don't get a lot of entertainment around here. Sad, but true. So when something like a fire on the road right behind us happens I get several phone calls telling me play by play what is happening since I wasn't home at the time. I could see the helicopter flying above me and got home to find the kids, and almost every neighbor within walking (or driving distance) checking out the fire. The helicopter was scooping water out of the marina that is across the street from where we live and Kimi and the little kids had to go check it out. Hayden thought he could get a little too close... thank goodness the police were guarding the area... sheesh Hayden!!!

I have said it before, but it takes very little for us to be entertained because we live in a little hick town! Luckily the fire didn't go far, and didn't last too long. Hopefully the horses were okay too...

Where there if smoke... there is fire... Filling up at the marina....

Nate LOVED watching the helicopter!

Balloon Festival

Saturday and Sunday was the annual Balloon Festival. I had to open at Curves Saturday morning and was sad that I only got to see one balloon one my way to town. But Thayne took the kids out to check out the balloons and Hayden took pictures so I wouldn't miss out. The balloons mostly stayed on one side of the highway this year and some came very close to landing ON the highway but it turned out to be a pretty day and the balloons looked amazing as usual. Thanks Hayden for taking pictures!
This one is one of the top 2 favorites! Love Smokey Bear!!!

Looking out for fires... Smokey Bear!

And THIS is our most favorite!!!

Driving right underneath the balloon....

Young Women Recognition

Kailee completed her Personal Progress and received her

Young Women Recognition last night!

The Personal Progress is such an amazing program and helps these

girls develop great talents and to strive to be the best that they can be.

They are told that they have a noble responsibility to use their strength

and influence for good and that their Heavenly Father has blessed

them with talents and abilities that will help them fulfill their divine mission.

They are asked to use their influence to lift and bless their family,

other young women and the young men that they associate with.

They, like all of us are asked to stand as a witness of God at all times

and in all things and in all places.

That is exactly the type of young woman Kailee is.

She has so much goodness inside of her

and is so kind.

Such an example of all of the things that Personal Progress represents.

I have kind of been in denial that she will be 18 this year.

How in the world did that happen?

Where did the time go?

It seems like only yesterday Kimi and I were praying for a sister

and then we finally got Kailee!

She is a joy to me. A gift.

Truly one of my very best friends.

She has a heart of gold and I am so happy that she has taken the steps in her life

to put Heavenly Father first and to live up to the promises she has made

and that she truly does lift those around her.

Love you Kailee Anne...

You are a great example to me!

Sisters... now and forever! Kassi, Kailee and Kinzee

5 of our 6 amazing daughters!

Kami and Kalli look up to their sisters so much

and I am so grateful that they are the kind of examples that

help them be the best they can be.

Kaylee, Kailee and Jessie all

received their YW Recognition...

Great girls who are great examples to others.

Our Elder

Tallin is thriving in the MTC...
I can't express how happy it makes me to know

he is having such an amazing experience there.
He is so happy to be a missionary and loves the time they have learning.

He is now teaching in Fijian...

although he says he has to be careful about switching vowels...

He said,

"My biggest problem with the language is I keep switching vowels around

so it can mean something very different... like kune tamata (finding people) with

kuna tamata (hanging people)...

so, yeah, I am practicing that more."

In an email to his dad he said he missed him...

and mom's cooking!

Hmmm... I suppose I will take that as a compliment! :)

He sounds so happy in his letters.

So excited, so ready, so anxious to get on with the work.

The kids love getting letters from him.

Kailee and Kassi now receive letters from elders on a weekly basis.

Poor boys are so desperate for letters... haha!

He said he has learned so much about Fiji and can't wait to get there

to serve the people he is already learning to love.

We loved getting pictures

and look forward to getting more when he gets there.

Au lomani keimuni ~

We love you too Tallin!

I put myself in Time Out..

Last weekend Buffy and I went to Boise to Time Out For Women. I have gone a couple of other times in Denver with Talitha and knew how awesome they are so I was very excited that we were able to get away and spend a couple of days being completely 'fed' by great speakers and great music. It is one of those things that give you absolutely everything you need to feel like you can take on whatever the world can throw at you. We have the ost wonderful husbands who not only encourage us to go, but tell us that we deserve to go and to enjoy every second of it!

The theme of TOFW this year is Infinate Hope. Who doesn't need hope? I walked away hopeful... and grateful for all that I have, all that I know to be true. There were so many different speakers who have had so many different experiences and we can learn so much by listening, hearing what others say, and what others have gone through.

One of the things that really stood out to me and is something that I have always felt was that it is unrealistic of us to think that God will not give us more than we will handle. Because He WILL! Of course He will. Why wouldn't He? That is how we grow, and that is how we learn to lean on Him. Trials are not given to us to discourage us, they are given to refine us. Would we really want to get to the end of our life without being refined? I wouldn't. How would I feel worthy to stand before the Lord knowing that I had resisted being refined? One thought that hit me was that things will be okay eventually, but the Savior can save me here and now. The atonement doesn't just cover sin, it covers every pain, every fear, every joy, every need we will have in this life. I have always believed that we will more often than not be stretched beyond what we think we can handle. How else would we grow? We weren't sent here to have a life of ease, of no trials, no pain, no disappointment. Quite the opposite. We were sent here for opportunities that will stretch us beyond what we could imagine for ourselves. Too often we look at trials as a bad thing. I can honestly say that I have never looked at trials as being bad. They may not be fun while we are going through them, but they aren't bad. And I can stand back and look at the greatest moments of growth in my life, and see that they are directly tied to the times of greatest trial. When I told the Lord, "Thy will be done." And meant it... even before I knew how it would turn out. The Lord knows me, and has an expected end in store for me. Why would I think I know better than God? God cannot lie... if He could He would not be God. Just because life doesn't turn out the way we want it to, doesn't mean it isn't the way it is supposed to be. No experience we go through is wasted... we can be better, stronger, more willing to mourn with those who mourn and to be able to help carry the burdens of others. We cannot expect to inherit the kingdom of God if we are not willing to walk through the fires and lean on Him!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be there... to often hear my own thoughts and feelings put into words. To hear new concepts that settle deeply into my heart as truth. To hold onto hope even if a situation seems hopeless and to most importantly feel the love of our Savior come through the words of those who shared their experiences and taught how they learned to hope as they struggled through some really tough challenges. It's all about our perspective. And I hope that I can constantly keep my perspective turned to the Light that wants to bless our lives.

Still more sights... Madame Tussauds

We had nothing to do but wander around and decided to check out the 'stars' at Madame Tussauds... it was fun to walk through and check everyone out. They say that the body is sculpted in clay, molded in plaster and then cast in fiberglass and the wax heads are amazing. I can't believe how much work goes into making just one 'person'. They say that they are portrayed as accurately as possible which made me laugh when I saw how tiny Brad Pitt looked... or some of the other 'stars'... holy cow they are tiny! I also had to smile at how John and Jackie Kennedy were placed right across from Marilyn Monroe. I'd say she got the best end of the deal because she was standing next to John Wayne... The Duke. Yep, I would rather hang with him anyway! I kind of smiled thinking of how much my grandma loved him! I am glad we took the time to see this. It was definitely worth it!

Marilyn...
JFK and Jackie....
Sing to me....

Love this one!

My most favorite display!

The Duke... and my sweet husband (who is standing on his tippy toes to be taller!!!)

A picture is worth a thousand words... a game of one on one perhaps??? :)

He is TINY... no wonder he wears high heals!

Poor Mel... bet he wishes he was back in his glory days....

Next time we go to Vegas we are definitely going to see this show!