Can things get crazier?!? Don't answer that!!!

Well, I noticed that I haven't written since Dallen's birthday, which was at least 6 weeks ago! March is now over, so I guess I need to recap what has been going on around here. Dallen had a fun experience where he got to perform in the St. George Tabernacle with his school choir and two other school choirs. Each school sang together, then they did their individual specialties, and then they sang a couple final songs together. There is just something about children's voices singing that bring tears to my eye. They have such an innocence about them and it filled the room.

My cousin, David, passed away this last month and for him, I am happy. For Sherrie, I am prayerful and for the rest of his family. It is hard to be left behind, but at the same time, I am grateful for the little reality checks that death has for me and helps me to realize and re-evaluate what are my goals and am I headed in the right direction. We had another death, our neighbor across the street passed away (liver failure), and Scott had to conduct that funeral. Death just brings reflection and even though I don't like to cry, I am grateful for the chance to change.

We had five dogs at once for about four days and four dogs for about two weeks. That was exciting. It drove Scott nuts, but me and the kids were in heaven. We love dogs and there was one for each child. One of the dogs we watched has a severe love for Shep. She just had to be with him all the time and got jealous if one of the other dogs were playing with him. So we would have to schedule alone time with her and Shep. She also slept way better if she were in the same room with him. It was cute. We are down to just Shep and Angel and the chaos has calmed down. I didn't think, at the time that more dogs would bring that much more, but the noise level was the biggest part of it...It's all good!

We have been working hard on Eagle projects around here. Calvin completed his. You know, I never thought that an Eagle project would bring so many spiritual experiences in our home. It's mostly been of prayers being answered, but these little teaching moments begin to mold and help my children to develop the faith that I have been trying to teach them all along. Calvin did his project on fixing a trail for the City of St. George. He did ALL the work or organizing it himself. It was really cool to watch him use his strengths and find out things about him that I didn't know were there. Anyway, the day that he was to do the project, it was supposed to be really bad weather. So, I just told him that the only person that could help him clear the weather was Heavenly Father. He was also worried that people wouldn't show up to help, so we gave him some suggestions on how he could go about getting people to come and then offered the advice that if he prayed for that too, Heavenly Father would help. Well, the day came and the weather was AMAZING!!! We couldn't have asked for better weather. Also, he was able to clock 79.5 man hours because a lot of people helped. I am so impressed with those that showed up. He had one whole family that came and helped. A lot of dads with their kids and it was just a great experience. The other experience we have had with prayer is the other night, Derrek and Alec were going to the Eagle Board to get their projects approved so they can start working on them and we couldn't find Alec's papers. I was frustrated because we had worked so hard on convincing Alec that it is something he could do and it would be worth it and here we couldn't find the papers to actually let him do it. He had signatures on them that he needed and to get those again would take time that he didn't have (he's trying to finish it before the cruise). Anyway, he prayed, Derrek prayed, I prayed. It was 15 minutes until they had to be there and we found the papers in the weirdest spot, but they were found by one of us having a thought to look there. The fact that this experience had more than one of us on our knees asking for help. To hear that Derrek was praying that his brother would find his papers was such an act of kindness and a blessing to Alec. Today they had people sign up to help and some of it was needed in the form of money and the boys said that the older men in the ward were so excited that they could help with something (because Calvin's was mostly labor intensive). It has really been a great experience. I wouldn't recommend doing three together, but this is actually how we have done everything with the three oldest. They are practically triplets and it's really hard for us to seperate them. Calvin even asked if he could have his own Eagle Court of Honor so that he didn't have to share that with his brothers.

We had a fun little family hike during Spring Break. Gorgeous area (Red Cliffs, I think it is called). I wasn't feeling well that day, but it was still fun to be there and with family. Rod's family went, my parents and Jenette. Calvin and Ashton were CRAZY and jumped in the river. It was freezing (snow run-off water!). But, it was fun!!!
Dallen and Ashton have started baseball, and I feel I am super blessed because they are on the same team this year. I was stressed, wondering how I was going to make this happen, but I only have one practice to get them to and the same games, so that we aren't there for four hours each game night (just two!). They are also on the same team as Dallen's friend, AJ, and it will be good. Ashton is the oldest one on the team and AJ is actually the youngest. I was torn whether or not to put Ashton in the lower league, but he didn't play last year and when he did tryouts this year, he left with tears in his eyes because he wasn't able to do things like the other boys. So I thought I would rather have him on top than the kid that lost every game (not that he would, but he is so hard on himself!). We start games in a week, every Wednesday and Friday night. I love sports (Scott, not so much).

I think that catches us up right now. We are counting the days until the cruise and are so excited. About four more weeks!!!

Dallen in the double digets!

Dallen had his 10th birthday on Friday. His day started out kind of rough. He came home from school and was just sad. I wasn't able to do what I normally do for birthdays because Scott and I have both had to work at our Parade Home and it had consumed that day, too. So, he got home from school and was bummed and since I wasn't able to take him out to lunch, we had invited his two best friends (named Ashton) to go do something fun with us on his birthday. So, Dallen chose ice skating. Did you know that had an ice rink in St. George?!? It's new this year and not permanent, yet. They are trying to raise money to make it more permanent, but for now we are enjoying it until it gets too warm. So, Alec had been many times and said he would stay with them while I went home and make Dallen's birthday dinner (and wrapped his presents!!!). It was crazy. But, Dallen and friends and brothers had a great time...falling down a lot! Then they came home and we ate dinner (Chicken Crescents) and then we had family and his two friends come over for cake. He wanted an "I-pod" cake and I had just got this recipe for fondant (it's in my "recipe of the week"), so I decided to try it. I forgot to add color when I was supposed to, so he got a white I-pod, but I was so proud of myself for making my own fondant and it actually tasted way better than the store-bought stuff. All in all, it was a great day and thanks to family to make it that much better. He really needed the attention and I am grateful that they would take time on a Friday night to do that. This is a picture of Dallen with his three best friends named "Ashton" (including his brother).


Derrek went out on his first real double date, in the sense that he actually asked a girl to go on a date with him and he paid for everything! They went and played laser tag. Got the 50 piece McNugget meal (yuck!) for dinner and then went to the spinning park (that's what we call it because everything there spins). Then when they were sick from spinning, they called it a night. The group took our big van and had a great time. It was fun to hear him talk about his night.


Like I said before, Sunwest has been doing their Parade of Homes this week. It actually has been a really good 10 days. We have had A LOT of people come through the house, and hopefully just one will want to buy it from the customer we built it for a couple years ago. The decorator did an amazing job and she has had a lot of business come from this, too. It is just amazing to see the Lord work in these few lives with this one event. I was going to have to miss church again today to be there (I had to miss last week), but I am grateful to my sister who had the thought to come so that I could go to church. It was a great meeting. But, it is just cool to see His hand in all the little things as well as the big things. I know the house will sell for our client. I don't know what will come of it for Sunwest...maybe nothing, but I do know that we were supposed to do it. It has been good.

Another Priesthood holder in our house!

Today Ashton was ordained a Deacon and right after church, the Deacon Quorum President took Ashton to do Fast Offerings...nothing like initiation! He was really wound up today, but I think the excitement of getting to do the things like the older boys was almost too much! Even if his brother's complain, there is still an excitement of being one of the boys that get to do those things. He had a good birthday. He had to wait until the evening to open his presents because I bought a present that he already had (I had re-arranged his room and found he had already purchased the present that I had bought). So, I had to go back to Wal-mart the day of his birthday and exchange it so that he would have something to open that he didn't have! He didn't mind, too much. I pulled him out of school during lunch and we went to Panda Express and wasted a little time because he didn't want to go to Math class, but I told him if he didn't, then he would have homework on his birthday. He managed to get all his homework done for the day and had no homework that night...happy birthday to the both of us! We had all the family, that possibly could come, come over for cake and ice cream. It was a fun night, and thanks to all those who could come. It made him feel special. He's my quiet one and really doesn't ask for much, but when he kept asking if people were going to come over that night, I was just praying that it was a good night for it to happen, and you all pulled through for him. I knew it was important to him.

This is Ashton's cake. In the pot I did chocolate cupcakes topped with brownies to look like dirt. Then we stuck fake leaves in to re-create the Toy Story scene with the army men. Lego put out a new line of Toy Story Legos and the Army men were what Ashton wanted on his cake...

Two are ready to shoot at anyone who trys to take the presents!

One is on the look-out, while the other is on the radio giving the orders. The jeep is below ready to take them wherever they need to go!

This Sunday is/was Scout Sunday, and so I HAD to force my kids to take this picture, but I don't get this opportunity to see all my young men in their Scout uniforms together. The sad thing is that Calvin and Alec were practically busting off the buttons because they are four times bigger than they were when they were 11 year-old Scouts! It is time to invest in bigger pants and shirts. Poor Alec, his sash didn't even fit. He seriously has shot up in the last six months and I feel I am buying him new clothes (especially church pants!) every other month! Anyway, they were good and wore their uniforms and I am grateful for the Scouting program and the things that they have learned and experience because of it. Dallen didn't feel like one of the boys because he had the blue shirt on, but I reminded him that in a couple of weeks, when he

is a Webelos, he can have a brown shirt, just like his brothers. They are quite the group of young men. I love them tons!