Practice, Practice, Practice......

After months and months of practice, sweat and lots of tears (not wanting to practice)....Halle did a fantastic job at her piano recital. She is the only one of our children that has taken piano lessons for longer than a few months.

 Even though she hates practicing, I know that someday...someday, she will be glad that she knows how to play the piano and that we made her stick with it. I always wished that I could have taken lessons when I was young...I would love to be able to play the piano. I realize that if I really wanted to, I could take lessons and learn how to play....but I guess that I don't want to learn, that bad! I just want to be able to play and have already HAD the lessons, not start now. I am glad that Halle has stuck with it and has developed her talents. Its fun to listen to her.

I can't wait for the day when we all get to sit around the piano and sing Christmas Carols as she plays away on the piano.

ItS A Very MerRy UNBirThday to you...and YoU~

My baby turned 13 today! I can hardly believe how the time literally "FLIES" by. I honestly don't know where these past years have gone...I am grateful for her and can't imagine my life without her in it. She had a rough start to life, coming 2 months early...but has proven to be a fighter and conquered many obstacles in her life. She loves to do things with her family, no matter what it is. She loves to spend time with her friends as well as her cousins. She tells me all the time that she wishes we lived closer to her cousins~she can't get enough time with them. I told her this summer we will have to have a day that they can come over and just hang out and do "girl stuff"!...She likes animals and shopping (there is NO girl in my family that DOESN'T like to shop...its genetic!)...veggies and sweets...science and sewing. She hates practicing the piano, eating breakfast, bugs and work. She is a sweetheart and I am so blessed that she is in my life.

This year Halle's birthday fell on Mother's Day. We had a "family reunion" planned for that day, so we knew that her birthday was going to have to be celebrated days before her "real birthday". She decided on the Thursday before, to have her "birthday dinner and cake". She usually has "hot links and macaroni salad" for her birthday dinner....BUT this year she decided that she wanted me to make "Cafe Rio Shrimp Taco's and Jalepeno Poppers"...all of which baffled me! I had never before even tempted such a task...but, mom's out there, you know...we do what we can to make our children's birthdays special. I worked feverishly all day and ended up with "Shrimp Taco's" (didn't quite taste like Cafe Rio, but very good non-the-less) and HOT jalepeno poppers, which were fantastic! Halle was thrilled. I was thrilled too...all the hard work payed off...luckily she loves "boxed cakes"...so that was no work at all.

The next day Kim and I took Halle and her sweet friend out to the city to do a little shopping. Halle had saved her birthday money and allowance and asked if thats what she could do for her big day. We had to go to Provo for some "college business" so we decided to make a weekend of it. We spent the night at Dayna's on Friday night. She made Halle some birthday cupcakes, we bought pizza and had a little birthday party for her.

Then we took the girls to the Nickel Arcade. They had a blast...it took them a little bit of time to figure out what to do, and how to do it but after they got the hang of it they played game after game and couldn't get enough of it.

We went back to Dayna's afterwards and the girls watched a movie and laughed and giggled half way through the night. (Thats what girls do at sleepovers...but they had a blast)
Then we woke up and went shopping...LITERALLY ALL DAY on Saturday. If you have never shopped with us, consider yourself LUCKY...(you would probably hate it). We hit ALL of our favorite stores (YES all of them), as well as the Malls (2) and anywhere else we want to go. NO, we didn't buy things in all of the stores (I am sure your happy to hear that) but we had to at least go have a look. All of us girls have our favorite places that we like to shop...and living so far away- and NOT getting to the city often enough, we try to get in as much shopping as we can in the small amount of time that we are there....which always ends up taking the entire day. 

We had so much fun, laughed and played, ate (yes, Cafe Rio for those of you who wondered) and shopped, talked and walked...and walked...and walked, until our legs hurt, our heads hurt and we were beat...but, we would do it all again tomorrow and not bat an eyelash (that is...if we had any mulla left)! ..thats how we girls roll. I think Halle had a super fun birthday, even if we had to celebrate it as an "UN-birthday" a few days in advance...it was still a great time for one and all!

Happy Birthday TODAY...my Halle Marie...welcome to the teen years!

Spunky Grandma makes a WiSh!

Over the years I have had many opportunities to have wonderful grandparents in my life. My Grandparents and I were always close. As a child as well as an adult, I loved it when they came out to visit us or when we were able to visit them, whether it was for just a day, for a few day or for an entire week...they always brought a sense of light and happiness into my life and I was always excited to spend time with them. I love them and miss them so much. Most of my grandparents have passed on now, I have 2 grandfathers left... and I love them and I am glad they are still a part of my life...grandparents always play an important and loving part in a child's life, no matter how old we get.

When I married Deron almost 23 years ago, I immediately fell in love with his grandparents, both his Grandma and Grandpa Workman as well as his Grandma Wilkerson. (Grandpa Wilkerson had already passed on when I came into the picture) I felt as though they were just an addition to my own family of grandma's and grandpa's and loved the times that I got to visit with them. They have always treated me like their granddaughter and I have loved and adored them from the very beginning. They are all getting older and having a harder time in this life as they prepare to leave this world and go on into the next...something we will all get to face one time or another in OUR own lives.

 Grandma Wilkerson has been in the rest home for a few years now. She isn't able to care for herself like she use to, but she is still just as sharp as ever. This Mother's Day her children threw her a big "Birthday Bash"...and had the entire family come and help her celebrate. We had dinner, sang Happy Birthday, watched grandma make her "Birthday Wishes" and blow out her candles...then we had a good visit with her as well as all those who came.

We saw aunts, uncles and cousins that we don't hardly ever get to see....some coming as far away as Arkansas, California and also many from right here in Utah. I love getting together with everyone and seeing how everyone has changed, their new additions to the family and just reacquainting myself with them all. I've been a part of this family for so many years, that I have seen many of them grow up, get married and have families of their own. They are amazing people.

I sat and visited with Grandma for a while and just "took in" all of her wisdom, her spirit, her spunk and her love for her family. She is an amazing lady and over the years I have learned many valuable things from her. She has taught me what true"eternal love", for your sweetheart is. She has taught me that family should mean the world to you know matter what your age. She has taught me that it's okay to laugh at yourself and to smile and be grateful, even through the toughest times. She and I have spent many "special moments" together when she has shared her heart with me, her sorrows and her testimony. I treasure those times and I am grateful that I have had those special times with her. She is an amazing lady, who has left of legacy of faith in her pathway! I love her and am grateful to have her in my life! She is full of spunk and has always loved life. She enjoys people and is always concerned for the welfare of everyone, family or not. She makes me laugh, she makes me cry and she makes me smile.

Happy Birthday Grandma! I love ya!!!

Mother's Day~

Mother's Day is always such a "unique" (for lack of a better word) holiday for me. I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's the holiday that "at times" reminds me of ALL the many areas that I lack in being a "good mother"...it often reminds me of my shortcomings and times that I have done an all around awful job at parenting. On the other hand it makes me feel happy that my children and husband love me in-spite of my shortcomings and "motherly mess ups"...and continually make me feel loved and very special on Mother's Day (among every other day). I love that I have an amazing husband who loves and supports me...I am grateful and so blessed that I am a mother of 6 FANTASTIC children, whom I absolutly adore, that chose me (among millions/billions/trillions) to be their mom...2 in-law children that are the best a mother-in-law could ever ask for in the entire world...and a sweet grand baby that is on the way....Those are the things that make Mothers Day tolerable and gives me strength to make it through another day.  It's also a great opportunity to pay tribute to, and thank, my mom and step-mom, my mother-in-law, my grandma's and aunts and girl friends, sisters and sister-in-laws, my daughter and daughter-in-law and all the wonderful Motherly examples that I had... and have in my life. I have many wonderful people that help and have shown me by example, what it takes to be a good mother. I have benefited by their mothering, their thoughtfulness and exemplary lives...and it's a great day to honor them.

So Happy Mother's Day to all of you special ladies in my life....I love you all so much! 

I hope that you had/have a wonderful day!

1, 2, 3...smiLe~

Each time that our graduating child prepares to leave home and take flight we get to go through the long, crazy "month of May" where the world seems to revolve completely around that "big-GrAdUAtiON day". It all begins with the graduation announcements, graduation parties, graduation practices and finally the big, dreaded day when they say good-bye to their peers, their teenage life and step into the big wide world of "Adulthood". This past weekend we began our crazy month with the "taking of the senior pictures" ritual. Deron took up photography several years back and has since taken all of our kids pictures for their graduation announcements...(among other times as well). He knows just the right lighting to use, he knows how to situate them perfectly, yes, he pretty much just knows all the ins and outs of what works and what doesn't with all that photography stuff...and I am always proud to say that he does an amazing job with the pictures that he takes. On the other hand...I don't know all the "stuff" about photography but I like to goof around and snap pictures anyway (I only wished that I could be half the photographer that he is...maybe someday). 

While he was snapping some "real" photo's, (sorry, none of his pictures are featured in this blog post) I had my camera going as well, getting a few snapshots (because mine aren't nearly the quality that his are...mine are classified as only "snapshots") here and there along the way. We had hoped to get some pictures up at the lake with the water in the background, we thought that would look really nice. So Saturday we started out taking some there, but the wind was blowing so hard that it was impossible to take any "photo's" worth keeping (snapshots are always worth keeping though) while we were there. 

We ended up going up to Grandpa's farm and getting some adorable photo's of her there. She is so photogenic and beautiful that we had a blast taking picture after picture of her. 

But Sunday, after church, the weather was  looking a bit more calm toward the lake...the wind wasn't blowing, the sky was blue and gorgeous, so I asked Kim if she wanted to run up to the Lake and take a few pictures with my camera...nothing fancy but some fun ones, hoping that maybe a few would work for what she wanted them for. 

Sad to say as we got closer to the Lake we could see the skies turning darker and more black...the wind was blowing and it got colder and colder the closer we got...but we were going to give it a try anyway...we were going to make it work! We were able to get a few fun shots before the snow storm (yes-its May and we're getting snow) came rolling in over the lake and chased us away. 

It would have been better had Deron been able to go with us and use his "Real Camera" and capture "REAL photo's" but...that didn't work out this time BUT I thought the ones that I took turned out pretty good (even if I do say so myself)...Although, I can't wait to see how the pictures turn out that her dad took of her, I am sure they will be AMAZING...because they always are. 

     ....and so here begins the roller coaster ride of the CrAzY MonTh of MaY...

BEFORE graduation!

No Vacancy!

Saturday night, I was sitting in the kitchen working on the computer when I hear commotion on the back porch. I thought maybe the wind had started to blow in a bad storm because it sounds as if sticks and debris were being thrown up against my back door. I ignored it for a while but then got curious to see what the "storm" was doing to my yard. I opened up the back door and right there in front of me were these "tails" hanging from the molding around my door. I jumped and slammed the door because I thought we had bats....and I DON'T like bats!...I snuck out the front door and came around back to snap a picture, thats when I figured out it was a line of "Swallows". I had seen them earlier that morning out flying around the yard, eating the bugs in the air...I guess they thought that they could perch here for the night as my way of showing them appreciation for getting rid of the flying insects in my yard,

 but I thought...NOT....

SO I scared them off, I didn't want them to get too comfortable and start to build their gross mud nests right above my back door...nope one bird family near our home is enough for one year...

I'm not opening and Aviary...I hope they spread the word!

Move IN DaY!

Gloria has officially moved in. I saw her unpack her bags yesterday morning. 

I assume that she 

has laid her eggs and will sit there on them until they hatch....

I am just hoping that she is a friendly Ol' Girl~

After all-she is right outside our front door, I would hate to "ruffle her feathers" and 

face her wrath....I've seen her chase off a few unwanted guests (I am starting to think

that she isn't much for company)...and I don't want her coming after me. 

Maybe I will make her some cookies or something...

that way  she can warm up to me and we can become friends...

thats what I do with all of my other neighbors! *wink, wink*

.......and so the story continues~