One Boy, One Girl

We were all so excited! The big day had finally arrived and Jessica was in labor with the twins! After months of being hospitalized and on bed rest, she was finally going to be rewarded with two beautiful babies! L to R: Me, great aunt, or as I prefer to be called, second grandma, great-grandma Jean, aunt Nikki, and G-ma, Debbie.

Kinsley was born on June 2nd and weighed 7 lbs. She is a perfect, beautiful little girl!

Kyson was born on June 3rd and weighed 7 lbs 2 oz. He is a handsome, perfect little boy!

Proud Grandma, my seester Debbie, holding Kyson with Devin helping. Daddy Bryce is sleeping in the backgrond.

Danny loved holding Kyson and we had to beg him to let us have a turn. He will be a really cool uncle.
We are so thankful that these two beautiful babies have joined our family, and that they made it here without any problems or complications. What a blessing!

525,600 Minutes

One year later, on Mother's Day, we decided to re-create my favorite picture with my boys, only this year we included my Man!
So what has changed in the past year? Michael finished his 2nd year at SUU and fell in love. Jaron finished his 1st year at BYU and got into the Young Ambassadors. Devin finished his 8th grade year and was elected Student Body President for next year. We added another family member, our dog Molly.
What has not changed in the past year? We still have each other, and we love being together! We still argue about things that don't really matter, and we still have dreams to fulfill and obstacles to overcome.
One year later, we are still here, and we are still a family. And even though life has it's ups and downs, challenges and disappointments, it also has so many wonderful gifts. I am thankful for the gift of my family. They are my greatest treasure.

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Note** We are not communists and did not realize that there was a swastika in the background of the above picture!

Why I'm Glad I'm a Mother

Of all the pictures I have ever had taken with my boys, this one is my all time favorite. I love the symbolism of it. I am walking hand in hand with my children on the road of life, and I want what is best for them always. I want to be there for every triumph and heartbreak they experience. I want us to always be a strong, united family. I don't want anything to ever tear us apart.
I love being Devin's mom because he is so passionate about life. He loves learning new things, and he is not afraid to be who he is. He loves playing the cello, and has a love of music. He makes me laugh every single day without fail. He is my baby boy, my little buddy, my trusted friend.
I love being Jaron's mom because he is honestly the most talented person I have ever met. He has a giving heart, and will help a friend with anything at anytime. He is a deep thinker, and loves to analyze life and people. He is very wise for his years. He also makes me laugh daily, and my heart spills over with pride whenever I think of him.
I love being Michael's mom because he is such a joy to be with. He has a quiet strength that reminds me so much of my dad. He has a very dry sense of humor, and can also be really silly at times. It is hard to get him to pose seriously for a picture. He has always been an overachiever and he works very hard at whatever he does. He is one of the kindest people I know.
Being a mom is the greatest job in the world, and I am blessed to have been sent three of Heavenly Father's most valiant sons. I love them so much that it makes my heart hurt sometimes.
We goof around a lot, as you can probably tell, but there is always love in all that we do.
Last Mother's Day was wonderful because Michael had just been home from his mission for a few months, and I got to have him with me in person instead of just a phone call. This year will be even better, because all of my boys will be home from school for the summer, and we will all be together as a family for a few months. So whether I get a card or a cake or a book, it really doesn't matter to me, as long as I get to have all my boys with me, it will be the best Mother's Day ever. The biggest reason I love being a mom is because I get to be with my favorite people on the planet, and take a little bit of credit for how great they turned out to be!

The Good Old Days

Maybe it's because I have been working on family history, but lately I have been feeling a little nostalgic for my childhood days. I miss the innocence of childhood, the feeling that as long as I was with my parents I was safe and sound, the long days of playing outside and riding my bike wherever I went. I had a great childhood. I grew up on a ranch in a small town, but I was a city girl at heart. I longed to shop at the mall on Saturdays instead of having to help my dad move the cows. (That means move them to a different field to graze) I thought I was so picked on having to work so hard! Now, looking back, I am so thankful for those experiences that taught me to work, and I realize now that it wasn't hard work at all!
My dad was a forest ranger as well as a rancher. I thought he was a superstar because when we rode with him in his forest service truck, people would wave at him like they knew who he was. I had the coolest dad in the world!
I had the best sister too. We were opposite in so many ways, but she was my best friend and still is.
Our mom hung our clothes on the clothes line in the back yard to dry. You didn't use the dryer in the summertime because that was a waste of electricity.
We lived next door to the elementary school, and when I would be playing outside at recess, I would always look to see if I could see my mom out working in the yard. If I did, I would yell and wave until she waved back. Yep, I was (and still am) a big-time mama's girl.
I had the best mom in the world too! She came all the way from England to marry my dad, only seeing her family every 10 years or so. I never realized how big a sacrifice that was for her until I became a mother, and realized I would have never made it without her help. But my dad's parents lived next door, and they helped my parents raise us. My grandma took us to church every week and made sure we did what was right.

I am feeling very blessed today to have been born into such a wonderful, loving family.

Easter Silliness

We spent Easter weekend at home instead of going to Neola like we had originally planned. Jaron had a performance Friday night, and Michael was job hunting, so we decided at the last minute to just stay home. Instead of getting baskets, the boys played the dice game for their Easter treats.

Michael is so overjoyed with his Mr. Potato Head Easter Rabbit and movie that he can't see straight.

It's hard to tell, but I think Devin was happy with his treats, especially a chicken that poops gumballs. Who doesn't want that?

We did a lot of laughing and acting silly, which is why it's so much fun when all my boys are home at the same time.

Molly was glad to have all three of her "brothers" home for the weekend. She is getting so big, almost 3 pounds now!

She could almost pass for a cute, fluffy little Easter bunny! But she didn't care too much for sitting in the basket, so I guess she will just stay a puppy. We had a great weekend watching conference, eating turkey dinner and homemade apple pie, and just laughing and enjoying being together!

Legally Blonde the Musical!

Laugh if you want to, but I am not afraid to admit that I love Legally Blonde, the Musical. I saw it in New York a few summers back when it was still playing on Broadway and loved it! Then when I found out that Broadway Across America was bringing it to Salt Lake City in 2010 I immediately bought season tickets.

It is more than a light-hearted story about a blonde who goes to law school, although it is that. But it is also the story of a girl who triumphs over her adversities, and in the process learns who she is and what she can accomplish. It's a story of hope and never giving up on your dreams. Its about never aplogizing for who you are and what you stand for. I guess that's why I like it so much, and besides that the music is incredible! So glad I got to see it a second and a third time!

After the matinee show we stayed for the talk back and got to meet Rhiannon Hansen from Logan, Utah. She was on the reality show "Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods" and came in third. She played Elle that day, but most of the time she plays Margot, Elle's friend and sorority sister. She did a great job and it was fun meeting her. What a sweet girl she is!We got to hear from the stage manager and director, as well as cast members Michael Rupert (Professor Calahan) and Natalie Joy Johnson (Paulette, and the original Enid Hoops on Broadway).

More cast members: Natalie Joy Johnson (Paulette), Tiffany Engen (Serena), Rhiannon Hansen, D.B. Bonds (Emmet Forrest) and Barry Anderson (Elle's dad).

As a side note, when we saw the show in New York I sprained my ankle running down the stairs to get the cast members autographs. (Yeah, pretty embarassing.) I was more careful this time and didn't hurt myself!

Southern Carribean Cruise

David and I just returned from a fabulous cruise in the Southern Caribbean. This is me on the zip line through the jungle on the island of St. Lucia.
We toured the largest Spanish fort built in the new world, San Cristobal, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From the top there was a great view of our cruise ship.
Having breakfast on our last day. We went with my sister Debbie and her husband Karl, and their friends Gaylene and Norville. There were also two other couples in our group, and we had a blast with them!
On the island of Dominica we hiked up to see some cool waterfalls, and we also went river tubing. I think that was my favorite island.
This is a private beach on the island of St. Maarten that we visited and had grilled crab and ribs! Sooo good, and the beach was gorgeous! I hopefully have more pictures coming, but this is a little bit of what we did on our trip. We lucked out and had perfect weather the whole week! I sure was tough to come back home!