4 things

so, one of my bestest friends ever (even though she is now a distant and not often seen but still very much loved friend), sharon, "tagged" me on her blog. so, here it is:

four shows i watch:
1. the mentalist
2. survivor
3. canada's worst driver
4. food network challenge

four things i'm passionate about:
1. my family!!
2. reading
3. fabric
4. strength training

four phrases i say a lot:
1. really?
2. hurry! we're going to be late
3. sleep tight (every night, without fail, to evan)
4. i love you

four things i have learned from the past:
1. being able to laugh at yourself makes life easier
2. i am never alone in my fears or challenges
3. good friends are priceless
4. worrying is a waste of time....still learning this one:)

four places i'd like to go:
1. italy
2. paris
3. disneyland with the fam
4. hawaii

four things i did yesterday:
1. slept in
2. finished Christmas shopping
3. made a delicious chocolate cake for our ward Christmas party
4. visited with friends

four things i am looking forward to:
1. Christmas holidays
2. seeing and spending time with sharon at the vancouver dental conference in march!!
3. camping this spring with our tent trailer
4. an email from my missionary brother robert tomorrow morning!

four things i love about winter:
1. Christmas!!
2. skiing with my boys
3. snowmen and sledding
4. hot chocolate after skiing and sledding

four things on my wish list:
1. books, books, and more books
2. to pay off our school debt asap!!!!
3. a trip somewhere warm with just brent and i
4. motivation to wake up early and exercise before the kids get up instead of trying to fit it in during the day

four people i tag:
1. Erin Cahoon
2. Laura Neilson
3. Andrea Salmon
4. Maja Russell
.....i hope all these people actually read my blog! although they do leave comments once in awhile so i would think so:)

happenings

since i have last posted, a few major things have happened. things that have tried and tested my emotions, in mostly good ways. things that have been planned for a long time and things that were definitely unexpected! first things first.

one of my youngest brothers, robert, left to serve his mission. he has been called to serve for the next 2 years in the scotland ireland mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. he is currently in the preston enlgand mtc and will be until november 11 or 12. he left from the calgary airport on october 21st. let me first say how excited i am for rob! and (forgive me for saying it!!) how proud i am of him. i know that he will be an amazing missionary as he is an amazing young man. i am so glad that he made the decision to serve the Lord as a missionary. i am so grateful for the example that he is setting for my boys (as they think rob is "the man!") and the growth and strength he will gain from this experience. he is so happy where he is and i couldn't be happier for him. now that i got that off my chest, on to the more selfish side of me. I MISS HIM!!!!! i already miss him so very much!! i have been lucky these past 6 months to be able to spend so much time with rob. we jokingly called this summer our "summer of rob." it seems that he was out here, in cranbrook, boating with us, or camping in the states, or just hanging out with our family almost every other weekend all summer. i had many opportunities to have some real heart to heart conversations with rob and really appreciated the level of trust and love he has for me as his sister...but also as his friend. he is not only one of my younger brothers but one of my bestest friends, as all my siblings are! my kids also have a great love for rob and it was hard for them to say goodbye. my whole family were able to meet for dinner in calgary before going to the airport together to send rob off. it was good to be all together for one last hurrah! to share our love for each other and our great love for rob. there were tears shed as we said goodbye...mostly by us, not so much by rob (which was a good sign:). he was so ready to go!!) not only was i crying for my own heartache but also for the heartache of my boys. i think burton (who really has a special relationship with rob) hugged rob about 10 times and held back his tears until rob walked through security and was really gone. evan didn't really realize what was going on but started his crying once he realized that we really were saying goodbye. and jensen cried hardest of all - my little sweetheart. i think that he was crying for everyone else as much as he was crying for himself. as i already said, it was hard to say goodbye!
needless to say, my emotions have been very close to the surface since he left! we got our first letter from elder swainson last wednesday. it was so GOOD to hear that he is doing so well. he is on top of the world and is so happy that he is serving a mission. it makes missing him not as hard when i know that he is where he wants to be, doing what he wants to be doing, and enjoying it so much. i am again so very grateful for my little brother. and i love him so very much!!
now, on to the unexpected part of my week. i have been serving as a councillor in the young women's organization in our ward for just over 2 years. i got called shortly after we moved to cranbrook. i didn't really know anyone yet and was excited to be able to serve with girls and women (paige wasn't yet born and i was really looking forward to some girl time). as i have served in yw's, i have made life long friends that i love and cherish - with the other leaders as well as the girls. i came to love the women i served with and the young women we served. things were going great. and then the bishop called and wanted to meet with me. any time you accept a calling, you know it won't last forever. but, i must say i was not expecting a change yet - especially not the one he gave me. i have been called to serve as the new primary president in our ward.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

i must admit, with my emotions being so close to the surface as i previously described, i started to cry after the bishop released me from my yw's calling. not because i am sad to be moving on to primary, but because it means leaving my yw's position behind - working with such wonderful women, spending so much time with such amazing young women, and having so much fun as we strengthened and taught eachother. i felt embarassed for crying:) but i think the bishop understood. anyways, the last few days have been filled with LOTS of self doubt mixed with a few moments of thinking, "i can do this." it is a big calling - i have never been the president of anything before!!! but i have been given some great councillors to work with and, after talking to them, i feel much more able to fill the big shoes that are before me. i am grateful that i have a testimony of callings in the church - that i know they come to the bishop through inspiration and prayer. i know that this is the Lord's church, and if he thinks i can be the primary president, i will be.....i just pray i am a good one:)

so, that's it for now...really. atleast i hope that this is it for now. i think i have had enough major changes to last me for a little bit. now that i am finished writing this novel of an entry, i will finish with this.
I LOVE YOU ROB!!! and i will be the best i can be - just as you have asked us to. you are awesome, amazing, fabulous and i know you will be a greater than great missionary.

back to normal

summer is over - boo! school has started - yay! and things are back to normal - somewhat! we had such a fun and fabulous summer! as busy and hectic and tiring as it was, i wouldn't have changed a thing about it. jensen and burton have been back to school for 2 weeks and are loving their new teachers and being back in touch with their friends. jensen is in 3rd grade and burton is in 2nd...where does the time go!!!??? fall soccer has started and i must say that with soccer 4 nights a week, i am counting the days until it is finished! only 2 more weeks!! we will have to make sure to have the boys' soccer on the same nights in the spring! and maybe brent will only coach 1 team instead of 2??? as fun as it has been to watch the jensen and burton improve their soccer skills and really enjoy playing, it has been crazy! i really have become a soccer mom - washing uniforms, filling water bottles, driving to practices/games, and cheering from the sidelines. it has begun!! and i really do enjoy watching the boys excel and grow in their abilities.

evan started preschool this fall. he goes on tuesday and thursday afternoons and is really liking it. he is such a confident and social boy and already loves his teachers and classmates. and everyone loves evan! with his big brown eyes, cute little grin, and adorable personality, it is hard not to love evan! his preschool teacher has already told me what a special and wonderful little boy evan is and how much she would just love to take him home. and all i can say to her is, "take a number." really, that seems to be the response he elicits from just about everyone he meets. i am just glad that i DO get to take him home every day and keep him forever and ever...because i am his mom.

paigey continues to be a delight in our home. being the only girl makes her that much more special and we all love her so much! she loves to dance, play hide and seek, play with her brothers, and be a part of everything. her hair has lost most of its curl and really bleached out this summer. she loves to explore! and she is my little shadow - she follows me around the house, helping where she can, and gets the biggest kick out of throwing her diaper in the garbage. all i have to do is look at her and she smiles. and as much of a mommy's girl as she is, she is always SO excited to see her daddy when he comes home from work at lunch time and at the end of the day. paige's giggles and smiles bring such joy to each of us. and i love her little, or rather BIG, personality.

things are good. life is great. we are happy!

phew!

so, i am finally sitting down and updating our blog. we have been busy!!!! of all the weekends we have had since the end of june, we have only been home for 2 of them! although the summer has been a blur with all the traveling and activities, it has been G!R!E!A!T!! first and foremost, we have spent so much time with our kids. waterskiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, wakesurfing, tubing, and dancing it up on our new toy - the one that has been sitting in our garage since last november, waiting to be used, our best purchase to date, totally worth the scrimping and saving, and so much fun!!!!!!

our new boat. we love it! we have put so many fun and fabulous hours on our boat. with friends and family. jensen and burton have both learned how to waterski and kneeboard this summer and get better every time they go. even evan goes out on the kneeboard and has found a new love for tubing. paige loves to "shake it" when we crank the tunes and loves cheering her dad on when he is doing his sweet tricks.

brent continues to amaze and impress me. yes, even after 10 years he still does it for me! i love to watch him wakeboard, pulling flips, spins, twirls, and superman's left right and centre. he really is amazing to watch. and he assures me he loves to watch me ski...

i sometimes wonder if he is just being nice because he is also a brilliant water skiier! regardless of my skill level, i do love to waterski! there is nothing like throwing rooster tails on a lake, skiing across glass like water. seriously one of my most favorite things to do!!!!!

we camped with friends, stayed for a week in a SWEET lake house on hayden lake in idaho with family, welcomed a new niece, gretchen, in to the family (and a nephew, jasper, in may!!), went with my beautiful sister jessica to the temple for her first time, spent a week at the farm with mom/gran and dad/papa, had my brother rob out for a camping trip that turned in to just days at the lake while sleeping at home, went camping again on lake pendorielle
with brent's brother jeff and his family and my brother rob tagging along (again!! i swear it has been the "summer of rob" around here...and i love it!!!!!!!! he is leaving on his mission in october and i LOVE all the time we have been able to spend with him!!! i love him a lot!!!), found a new favorite local spot to cliff jump in to crystal clear water - a truly beautiful little mountain lake!!, not to mention all the day trips to the beach with the kids while brent is at work.

we really have been going and going and going! i must admit that i am starting to feel a bit worn...but i wouldn't have it any other way! we have been able to have so much fun and make some lasting memories this summer with those i love the most - and i wouldn't trade that for anything. it is worth being tired for!! even as i type this blog, my younger bros are coming out for the weekend. i am glad that andrew is able to come this time!! he has been busy working all summer and i have missed hanging out with him! i am grateful for any time that i get to spend with my siblings! so, another weekend of the lake and boating, followed by YWs camp next week, then another week at the farm with my family, my mom's 50th birthday party on labor day weekend and then back home for a while.....just in time for school to start again.

like i said before, PHEW!!!

click here and here for a photo representation of our summer of fun!

rewind

this is a picture of me roughly 27 years ago. i am standing on the stairs at my gran and papa's house.

here is a picture of paige, taken a few weeks ago, on those same stairs.

i love the feeling that these pictures give me. kind of like things coming full circle. i love my grandparents and cherish the relationship that i have with them!! how it warms my heart to have them so involved in my life and the life of my children - that jensen, burton, evan, and paige have a relationship with them and have been able to feel of their love as i have.

looking at these pictures also makes me realize (yet again) how much i love and adore my little girl. how precious is my paigey! how beautiful is my daughter. how blessed i am to be her mother.

Nuts for Bolts etc now open!

so, this post is a few weeks late but oh well! our online fabric store is now up and running. check us out at www.nutsforboltsetc.com. also, we have our own blog for our store so add it to your blog lists! it is www.nutsforboltsetc.blogspot.com. we are so excited to FINALLY have our website up and running!! we have some really great stuff and i encourage you all to check it out....and, all subjectivity aside, we really do have some great stuff:)

2 birthdays and a baptism

we ended our birthday month with paige's first birthday last friday, april 30th. with 3 kids all in april, our house was full of balloons and decorations for weeks! it really was the party house. jensen turned 8 at the beginning of april but we weren't able to get all the family together for jensen's baptism until the last weekend of april. as it was also paige's birthday that weekend, we were also able to have a fun party for her! paige was in good form for her first birthday - charming the crowd, "saying" cheese for pictures, laughing at everyone, and just being her regular happy, delightful, and adorable self.

how we love our paigey cakes!!! what a wonderful addition she has been to our family. i can hardly believe that it has been a whole year since she was born!! i LOVE having a little girl - i love having a daughter. she definitely holds my heart in her hand. one look with those big blue eyes and i am all hers - and i think she is starting to figure this out!! not good. i think this will eventually catch up to me but for now i can't help but spoiling her with all the attention she asks for and more! paige says a few words - hello, hi, daddy, mom. i think it is funny and somewhat telling that her first word was hello and she always says it when the phone rings...indicative of things to come!? this girl will never be getting her own cell phone! unless she smiles really sweetly at me with those baby blues. then i just might change my mind! seriously, we are all so in love with our little paigey!

moving on, jensen was baptized on may 1. i found my self questioning whether i was even old enough to have a son getting baptized!!!?? and, yes, sadly i am! actually, not sadly as it was a wonderful weekend with my oldest son! how touched i was by the spirit as i looked at my oldest boy, all dressed in white, with his dad, waiting to be baptized and then entering the waters of baptism. what a sweet and special boy he is and i am so thankful and feel very blessed to be his mother. it really was a wonderful day, filled with family and the spirit. how i love jensen! and how thankful i am that he is gaining his own testimony of our Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation.

i feel very blessed.

and last but not least, we celebrated brent's 33rd birthday a few days after jensen's baptism. i am so in love with my man and am fully convinced that he really is the world's best husband. after all, he has to put up with me and all the angst that i must cause him!

and poor brent - all i "made" him for his birthday was drumstick ice cream cones! really, i was so birthday caked out that i just couldn't muster the energy to make another one. with 3 birthdays and a baptism in 4 weeks, can you blame me?? the kids and i made up for it by taking him out to dinner on the weekend. the birthday dessert they brought for him was WAY yummier than anything i could have made!! we sure love you brent - even if you are an old fart!

another birthday

this little baby turned 4 today. my littlest boy, my sweet evan is now a whopping 4 years old. i remember jensen was 4 when evan was born! and now our evan is 4. wow! and he is just as adorable now as he was then - seriously....



this last year with ev has been especially fun for me. with jensen and burton both in school all day, it has just been paige, evan, and i at home. and it has been a great experience for me to spend so much time with evan. we play bakugan's, transformers, animals, pets, finding eggs, and all sorts of other made up games. we color, do stickers, make stuff, play video games, read books, draw, snuggle, watch movies, go to the library, go swimming, and ride bikes. evan is my number one helper, whether we are grocery shopping, running errands, or just hanging out at home. he is always up for a snuggle and loves to give me, his mom - who, for whatever reason, he adores! lucky me!!! - special things (which are hugs and kisses). he thinks i am the best mom because i let him be in charge and make up the rules when we are playing. evan has a handful of imaginary friends that he likes to play with and talk on the phone to - annika and stephen (they are both boys) have been around for about 9 months now. others, like zeebee and coleman, have just recently joined the group. he talks about these friends as if they were real and sometimes brent and i wonder if they just might be? we sure hope not as annika and stephen are both 48 and live in australia. evan constantly makes us laugh with the grown up things he says. and also makes our hearts melt with his big brown eyes and sweet and sincere personality. he really is a blessing in our home and we love him to pieces!!!


happy birthday evan!! or, as evan said today, "happy furball!!" apparently that is how you say "happy birthday" in spanish.


p.s. funny evan story - this last week evan and i picked up decorations and a pinata for his birthday party. he was so excited that he wanted to have his party that day - i think it was on thursday. we weren't having his party until saturday (yesterday) and i kept telling him that we couldn't have his party that day. finally, after asking a million times and getting the same negative response, evan looked at me and said, "mom, if you tell me one more time that i can't have my party today, you're fired."
nice.

nuts for bolts etc. blog in the works

so, i will be creating our own blog for nuts for bolts etc. in the next week or two - as soon as i find the time to sit down and do it!! but, for now, this will work. we posted some more pictures of some new flannel we just got in on our facebook page and flickr site. click here to view (the last 7 pics are the new ones)! my mom and i are getting together this coming weekend for jensen's baptism (yay jensen!!) and paige's first birthday (that came fast!!!!) and will be sitting down, finalizing our price list, final checking our inventory, taking pictures, and getting ready to open our online store!! we should be good to go by the second week of may!!! YAY!!!!!!! i am nervous and excited! i guess if we don't sell anything, we will just be stuck with some really great fabric that we will have to use - i guess there are worse things:)

TTFN!

more pictures

so, more nuts for bolts etc. pictures as promised!! i added a bunch more pictures of fabric we have just ordered. click here to view. also click here to see samples of the finished products we will be selling.
please feel free to leave comments so we can see what everyone thinks!!
ttfn

our fabric obsession

my mom and i have a common obsession with fabric - we LOVE fabric!!! after becoming frustrated with the lack of canadian websites selling high quality, unique, fun, and vibrant fabric we decided to launch our own, legitimate online fabric store.
after much discussion, deliberation, paper signing, and planning, my mom and i (along with the artistic talent, vision, and input of my 2 beautiful sisters) are starting our own online fabric store. we will be selling hard to find, high quality, beautiful flannel, fleece, and minky fabrics. we will also be selling hand made children's wares, such as receiving blankets, taggy lap quilts, ribbon dolls and lizards, and really adorable ponchos for little girls.

click here to see some samples of the fun things we will be selling!! we will be adding more pictures as we receive shipments of ordered fabric to sell and as we make more stuff!

we are planning on launching our online store in may so stay tuned for the website link!!!

my sweet boy

jensen turned 8 on monday. my first baby is 8...wow! and what a delightful young man jensen is growing in to!

i remember being pregnant with jensen. i always wanted to have a boy first. i loved having an older brother growing up and i wanted all of my subsequent daughters to have an older brother to watch out for them (little did i know at the time that we would only have 1 daughter at this point and she would have 3 big brothers to look out for her - ha!). as the little baby inside of me grew more and more, i knew that he would be a boy and i was so excited to meet my precious son.

how we loved our baby jensen! he was such a sweet and happy baby. and grew in to an adorable little boy...

and now a handsome, young "almost" man.

jensen has fabulous, brown eyes - just like his dad. he continues to approach life and learning with an insatiable curiousity and inquisitiveness. jensen is a lover of all things to do with animals, bugs, and nature and is still determined to be a zookeeper when he grows up. he is always thinking of something (just like his mother!) and has an amazing imagination. jensen is kind and tender hearted. he loves hugs and kisses (still!! i hope he never grows too old or "cool"). he is a good example to his younger brothers and adores his little sister. jensen is SO excited to be starting cubs and is looking forward to earning every badge:)

jensen will be baptized at the end of the month. brent and i are so happy with his desire to be baptized and with his understanding of what this means. jensen is a special boy and i feel very blessed to be his mother - to learn from him as i try to teach him. to love him. to have him as my son.

we all love you so very much jensen.

love

i love my camera. i love taking pictures. and i love when i look at a picture i took without really thinking about it and i get a result like this

or this

and i love my beautiful daughter. my adorable and precious paige.

you make my days so bright with your endless snuggles, kisses, noises, smiles, giggles, and grins. i love everything about you.

i love you paige.

spring break 2010

our kids had their spring break from school a few weeks ago. we spent most of that time at my mom and dad's farm and we had so much fun, as always, spending time with them here are a few highlights, in no particular order:

*burton learned how to drive the rhino (a 4 wheeled utility vehicle). i wasn't sure how comfortable i was with that - until i sat in the passenger seat and had him drive me around my dad's field. i must say, he was very cautious - not the wild child he typically is - and did a great job. i had to remember to breath as i flashed forward 10 years - picturing 16 year old burton behind the wheel of a car, as i sit "calmly" in the passenger seat. i also questioned the wisdom of introducing burty-burt to motorized vehicles as he buckled himself in to our van yesterday, while accompanying me on my grocery run, and asked me, in all seriousness, "can i drive?"

*i took the boys to a place called the hot pot studio with my mom, sister, and sister in law. they have unfired and unpainted pottery pieces that you can pick out and paint. they then fire them for you and you pick them up and take them home. it is a great place. anyways, while we were there, evan was talking nonstop, about anything and everything. it was hilarious. at one point, my mom was asking for color advice for the garden gnome that she had chosen to paint. evan gave his color suggestion. my mom thought it was a great one and told evan so. she also told him that she should just save herself time and ask him any time that she had a question because he is so good at answering them. he reminded her that this is because he is a scientist. goading him on, i asked him:

- evan, why is the sky blue?

- ummmm, i don't know that one.

jensen and burton then eagerly supplied their "scientific" answers. then evan said:

- mom, ask me another question.

- evan, why does it get dark at night.

- oh, i know that one. because Jesus turns out the lights.....on His whole body.

!!!!!!!! when he noticed that we were all trying VERY hard (and failing miserably) not to laugh, he said:

- scientists aren't funny guys.

seriously....how could you not adore this kid??

*the boys spent a lot of time upstairs, in rob's room, with rob and andrew. they wrestled, played video games, and did "man" stuff. my mom went up one night to check on them and made a comment about how they were all hanging out in the "man cave." burton looked at her, straight faced, and said:

-so, get out.

nice that the teenage boy attitude is manifesting itself at 6. how excited am i for the teenaged burton?

*it was my big brother's 30th birthday party the day before we left. it was fun to be there with everyone and celebrate steve! how i love my big brother!! and am very glad for the friendship that we have developed as we have grown up and become adults...not that we weren't friends when we were young:) i have just come to value him more and more as the years pass. only bad thing - with a 30 year old brother and me next in line, my turn is coming fast!!!! good bye 20's...almost!

all in all, it was a fun trip. brent was able to join us for part of the time. and i really missed him when he wasn't there. i came away from mom and dad's feeling very grateful that i have such a wonderful family there - brothers, sisters, mom and dad - and very happy that i have such an amazing man to return home to.

life is good. click here for our spring break pictures.

lately

we have been having so much fun OUTSIDE lately!!! what a wonderfully mild winter we have had - and now we seem to have jumped right in to spring! the kids have been riding bikes and i am loving being able to send them outside to play. i am almost sad that paige isn't walking yet as she wants so badly to join her big brothers outside:

our little paige is growing up so fast!! she will be one in two short months. i kind of thought with her being our last baby (unless lightning strikes or we have some other obvious sign that our family is not complete!) she would stay little forever. it is always a bittersweet thing to see your babies growing! so exciting and fun to see all the changes but somewhat sad to see that baby phase passing. paige's new favorite thing to do is stand up....not by herself but holding on to something and getting in to a standing position. she especially likes to look out the windows and scream excitedly at all she sees (as is evidenced by the above video). she continues to be such a DELIGHT in our home - we all love her to pieces...really. really. really. i often look at my beautiful girl and wonder how i could be deserving of such a wonderful and blessed little spirit housed in such a beautiful little body. i thank the Lord daily for my sweet little girl - and my rambunctious but still wonderful boys too:)

brent and i had the opportunity to go to the temple in spokane a few weeks ago. brent's brother and his wife watched our kids while we attended a session together. it was wonderful! i truly enjoy the feeling of peace and renewal that comes with attending the temple. to be reminded of what life is all about. and to feel the love that our Father in Heaven has for us, as His children. i am so very grateful for the covenants i have made and for the promised blessings that will come as i am true and faithful to those covenants. our Heavenly Father truly does love us and has blessed us in so many wonderful ways.

as we were getting ready leave for spokane, we asked burton if he would say a prayer. we always say a prayer in the car when we are going on a trip - that we will be safe, etc. it was so heartwarming to hear our burty-burt pray for safe travel and give thanks that we were able to go to spokane so that "mom and dad can go to the temple." i am grateful that he is able to see, through our example and the example of others, the importance of temples. it is gratifying (and also somewhat daunting!) to realize just how much our children are watching us and learning from us. they do get it some times!!

i love my family - we have been spending a lot of time together. skiing with the kids, watching the olympics, having movie parties. i love my husband. he is a good father and a good man. i really am so blessed!

for pictures of what we have been doing lately, click here.

brotherly love

i have 3 brothers - one older and two younger - and i love them!! i am grateful for the relationship that i have with each of them. that being said, this post is about one of my younger brothers, robert.

rob came to visit us in cranbrook last weekend. we were sad that andrew wasn't able to come too as he was working. we had a really fun time with rob - skiing and just hanging out. for whatever reason, burton has a special bond with rob. burton thinks rob is the coolest ever. anything rob does, burton wants to do too. they wrestle and play together. burton likes to talk to rob on the phone just to say hi and ask him how he is doing. burton loves rob.

the night before rob came to our house, i was tucking the boys in and helping them say their bed time prayers. because rob and andrew will be turning 19 soon, we have been talking a lot in our family about them getting ready to serve missions. burton thinks this is very cool and prayed in his prayers that night, thanking Heavenly Father that rob and andrew can be missionaries. after he was finished, i made the comment that we would have to make sure we send rob and andrew lots of letters when they are on their missions. burton looked at me, puzzled, and asked why we would have to send lots. i said because they will be gone for two years and we won't be able to see them when they are gone; we will have to write them letters and send pictures and stuff like that. burton's face fell and his eyes filled with tears as he realized what it was that i was saying - that he won't be able to see rob for the two years he is on his mission. burton looked at me with his sad eyes, soundlessly crying, and said, "i thought it was only two weeks."

poor burton!

needless to say, i changed the subject by saying that we didn't need to worry about it for a while as andrew and rob don't turn 19 for several months. we haven't really talked about the 2 year absence since then but, burton has still been praying for rob and andrew, the future missionaries. what a sweet boy!

as much as we will MISS MISS MISS rob and andrew, i pray that they will choose to serve missions. i LOVE LOVE LOVE them and know that they can be such powerful tools in the hands of the Lord if they dedicate themselves to His service. i will love them always, regardless of what choices they make in life - i just hope they do choose to serve missions. they will learn and grow in ways that they otherwise might not. as a sister who loves them so very much, i want to see them grow and strengthen their testimonies of the gospel as living the gospel and serving the Lord is where true happiness lies.

i love you rob and andrew!!!

9 months

my precious paigey is 9 months old....i can hardly believe it.
now, as much as i love all of my children, this post is dedicated to my beautiful daughter. how i LOVE her! she is the sunshine in my every day, the smile in mundane things, a never ending source of happiness. paige is so adored by all of us - she is a delightful little girl who knows she is loved and loves us all back. she has an engaging personality that reaches out to all around her -paige makes everyone smile. i have a quote in paige's room, on the wall, that says:

"a daughter is a flower always in bloom."

paige is our little flower. she brightens and refreshes our home with her giggles, squeals, hugs, and kisses. we love our paigey cakes!!!

here are the latest pictures of paige - especially for you, gran!

eh o canada go!

so the olympic flame came to cranbrook last friday on its way to vancouver. and was it ever awesome!! i love, love, LOVE the olympics and it was so fun to get the kids all excited about seeing the olympic torch. i remember seeing the torch when i was a little kid - it came to red deer on its way to calgary for the 1988 winter olympics. i remember feeling excited and awed by the flame and what it represented. because seeing the olympic torch as a kid was such a memorable experience for me, i really wanted my boys to be excited about seeing the olympic torch and watching the upcoming olympics. so, we made our own torches, wore our canada clothes, and welcomed the torch to cranbrook!! i love what the olympics represents - the whole world coming together to celebrate athleticism and accomplishment. it was awesome to see the looks of amazement on jensen, burton, and evan's faces as the torch ran by - to be more excited by their excitement - as we cheer on our country and celebrate the vancouver olympics. GO CANADA!!!! click here for pictures of our olympic celebration.

2009 in Review

so, i made this picture slide show of some of my favorite pics and highlighting some of the fun things we did this year. it ended up being a lot longer than i thought! i guess 5 seconds/picture adds up quickly:) so, be warned - it is about 15 minutes long....i'm pretty much only putting this up for those who really love us and would like to watch 15 minutes of davis family fun. also, here is a link to our latest pictures - burton's birthday, Christmas, etc....enjoy!