The Proof

These are the pics of Earl's car after the accident. He took them today when he went to get some paperwork out of the car. It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would, but if the damage 'under the surface' is bad enough, it will be totaled. Of course, we had just paid off the car. We should know better than to do that!!

Bear Recipe

After comments from my friends Lisa and Mindy, I realized that I forgot to post the Apple Bear Bake recipe. Sorry! I had intended to do it, but the warm weather must be thawing away all of my brain cells along with the snow!

Here it is:

6 cups thinly sliced baking apples

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine or butter

1/3 cup flour

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1-1/2 cups TEDDY GRAHAMS Cinnamon Graham Snacks

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Toss apples, lemon juice and cinnamon in 2-quart baking dish.

CUT margarine into combined flour and brown sugar in medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in graham snacks. Spoon over apple mixture. Cover loosely with foil to prevent topping from over-browning.

BAKE 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool slightly. (serves about 9 people)

The recipe says you can substitute canned peaches for the apples. We will try this next time because Earl LOVES peaches. In fact, we had peach pie for his birthday because it sounded much better than cake!

When I made the original recipe, I used Gala apples. Our grocery store was out of cinnamon Teddy Grahams, so we used the honey flavor and loved it!

Hope you all enjoy it!

Accidents Will Happen

On his way to work today, Earl was in a car accident. He is fine, but his car is not. So, we get the privilege of waiting to find out if it is totaled, driving a rental car, and getting to be even better friends with our insurance agent. Luckily Steve is a really great guy, and he seems to think we're OK people, also.

I will post pictures of the damage if I can get them. Nothing like a smashed up car to brighten your day!

Have a great one!

More Pics

We had a great week! Especially celebrating Valentines Day with our kids and partying with our family for our birthdays. (Teri's is the 14th, and Earl's is the 21st.) We really are lucky to live so close to Teri's parents and siblings. They are always game to come over and eat dinner and celebrate!

A Good Hotel Trip Can Cure ANY Problem

I don't know how many of you like to travel, but I love it. Apparently that trait has been passed down to Andraia. She loves to hang out at the hotel. Especially one with a swimming pool and cookies on your pillow at night! Earl has traveled for his job for the past few years, so we have been able to take the kids on many different hotel vacations. Recently, Earl was down in the storage room and his 'little shadow' who was following right behind him found a wheeled suitcase that she just had to bring upstairs. After stealing clothes from Earl's closet and making sure she packed her swimming suits, she put on a pair of Earl's socks, his shoes, and her raincoat. Finally, she placed one of her Carebears on top of the suitcase. Just like Dad always had his carry-on bag on top! She is too funny!

Yummy Recipe

I love to try a new recipe! Fortunately my family is pretty brave and will try just about anything I subject them to. Yesterday was my turn to make dessert for our weekly Thurston Family Sunday get-together. I made "Apple Bear Bake". I know you're thinking......"What does a poor, innocent bear have to do with dessert?" Well, the recipe is like an apple crisp only it uses Teddy Grahams in the 'crisp' topping. It was yummy! Andraia loves Teddy Grahams, so I was sure it would be a hit with her. I just didn't realize how many apples she could eat along with the 'bears'! It is a relatively healthy recipe and includes a good serving of fruit, so I didn't feel at all guilty for serving it to everyone. 'Healthy dessert' doesn't have to be an oxymoron! Yipee!!

Baby Pic

My friend, Lisa, just had her baby! I'm so excited! Unfortunately they live in Hawaii, so I don't get to hold her yet. That's worth a trip to Paradise though, right?

Earthquake!

There was an earthquake this morning at about 7:15. It was centered west of Wendover, NV. But, we didn't feel a thing. There were reports of people in Utah County feeling it, but none of them were from us. In fact, I didn't know a thing about it until my friend, Danyelle, called to check on us this morning. Thanks for the calls and email, Danyelle!! We are so lucky to have friends that call to make sure we are OK!

So, the only earthquake I have ever felt has been the big one in Northridge, CA when Earl and I were on vacation at Disneyland. That was in the years before kids!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

UPDATE-- Earl said they felt the earthquake at his office. Their company takes up the entire penthouse of the building and apparently it was pretty wild. Thank goodness it isn't a highrise!

Cute Kiddos

Cute Kids

Just wanted to share some pictures of my cute kiddos. Some of them are relatively recent, others are from the summer. I want to post regularly to my blog, but I'm not always sure what to say. So, let the pics speak for me!

Thanks Mindy and Jamie for the cute stories you have posted of your everyday life with your kids! I love that mine isn't the only madcap house on the planet! You guys make me feel so 'normal'! Not like I'm in competition to be the best blog writer or picture editor!! Its just so much fun to share our life and pictures. I definitely need the creative outlet!

Mindy, notice the pics of the girls in their Christmas pjs? I am sending copies to you in an email. I think they look darling! Thanks!

Thanks everyone. I love keeping in touch!

Wonderful Week!

OK, so I'm obviously becoming a "once a week" blogger. I hope to keep up with it more often, but for now, this is pretty good!

We had a really great week! Andraia and I had a fun date to Playhouse Disney Live. She loved all of the characters. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. Also, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and Tigger and Pooh. She wanted hugs and kisses from everyone. That makes me even more excited for our trip in September!

Earl and I also took the kids to see the Harlem Globetrotters! It was so much fun to take Chloe. She was in the hospital last year when Earl took the bigger kids. Much better to have her with us!!

Brayden had an interesting trip to the dentist on Tuesday. Lets just say that Valium was involved, but nothing was seriously wrong, so we're all happy about that!

Wednesday was pretty wild! Earl got stuck in the worst snowstorm of the season and it took him 4 hours to make the usual 30 minute drive home. We're just glad he was able to make it. There were elementary children in Highland who had to stay the night at their school!

I had a wonderful birthday! Got to go out to lunch and speak to another adult during the day! So I was very happy! I also spoke to some of my favorite people on the phone and had a fun Valentines dinner with my sweet family.

Today I get to go out to lunch again! I'm so spoiled. And tomorrow we all get to go out to dinner with my parents. It is so nice to spend time with them.

Hope everyone had a great Valentines Day!!

Happy Valintimes!

Yesterday when I opened Bray's backpack after school. He had two 'Val-o-grams.' These are cute little cards that you can buy and have delivered to the students at his school. One was from his teacher, the other from someone named Taylor. The message she wrote said "Happy Valintimes." At parent-teacher conference I commented on this to Ms. Warnick. She said that Taylor is a regular ed. fourth grade student who comes in during her recesses to help in their class. She had used her own money to buy each of the students a Val-o-gram. I don't know that Brayden even noticed, but it sure brightened my day!!

Early Feb Pics

We've already had a pretty great February. Spencer recently started an art class at a local studio and has done some very impressive work. His teacher was so impressed with his perspective drawing that he walked out to our car to tell me all about it! Check it out in the slide show! We also still have lots of snow. Hoping it will melt slowly and not flood the neighborhood! Enjoy!

Pres Monson/Bishop Monson

The church announced yesterday that we have a new first presidency. President Thomas S. Monson, 1st Counselor Henry B. Eyring and 2nd Counselor Deiter F. Uchtdorf. I am so thrilled. President Monson was my dad's bishop when he was a young man. Pres Monson is only 5 years older than my dad and was made bishop at the age of 22. What a great responsibility for a young return missionary.

We had the wonderful experience of being sealed in the Salt Lake Temple when I was about 5 years old. Pres Monson officiated at that ceremony. I don't remember much about what happened that day, but I do remember thinking what a big, strong man he was.

I am so excited to see how he runs the church and shows us his own flair and personality. This will be a wonderful time for the church and everyone who his message touches.

More Snow?!?

Yes. More snow. I have no idea what the snow totals are for Orem, but the drifts and piles in front of our house are easily four feet tall. I can't believe it. Today, it had snowed before we woke up to get ready for church. Earl took time to get the walkway and part of the driveway done before leaving for church at 8:30. It was my turn to stay home from Sacrament Meeting with Brayden. When I left at 10:00 it had snowed so much that all of the shoveling Earl had done was completely obliterated. There was absolutely no distinction between the driveway, sidewalk or the road. And it continued to snow while we were attending the rest of our meetings.

Thank goodness for our wonderful ward! Brother Shippen left church a few minutes early to go home, change into jeans and bring back his push broom. He began using the broom to clean off cars as quickly as he could....in between lifting children over the snowbanks and into their cars.

When we arrived home, Earl once again shoveled the walkway and part of the driveway. Our neighbor drove around the cul-de-sac with his 4 wheeler and plowed all of the sidewalks. Then one of the young men from Earl's Sunday School class came over and started attacking all of the ice and snow on the driveway. You see, we missed shoveling the entire driveway one time after a storm, and it has never melted. It just keeps getting deeper and deeper with ice and snow.

It was so kind of everyone.

And this was all on top of a snowstorm that hit early Friday morning. My friend, Mindy's son, Joseph, was such a trooper and shoveled us out of that one. Spencer and Earl are both very grateful to him for that, because they didn't have to shovel that day. I swear, I don't know how Joseph does it. Some of the snow drifts look like they are taller than he is.

It looks like we may be clear of the storms for at least a few days.....unless Mindy decides to order more snow!!!

Pres Hinckley's Funeral

What a beautiful funeral. I was so impressed with all of the speakers and the music. I didn't realize that President Hinckley had written the lyrics to those songs that were sung for him today. What most impressed me was that his family so willingly shared this wonderful man with us. He was our prophet, seer and revelator, but he was their dad, grandpa and great grandpa.

I was also so happy to watch the biographies and documentaries about him. He was such a wonderful man.

I loved his wit, his gentleness, his willingness to share his emotions with us. I know a short blog entry can't begin to encompass the many ways that he touched our lives, but we love him so much.

I am so happy that he is now with his beautiful sweetheart again. He was truly crushed to be without her. I know that he is happy. I am simply sad for us because we will miss him so deeply. But the Lord has provided such a wonderful way for his work to go on. And we will go on....share the gospel, love your family, do your best. That is what he wants us to do.

This poem was passed along to me by a friend. It is so fitting.

Prophetic Passing

I imagine he's running to Marjorie now,

Yes, running, not waving his cane.

I see him embracing his father and mother

While they keep repeating his name.

I see him now meeting his forebears,

Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.

Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service

That only such noble men share.

I see him embraced by the Savior

While Father says, "Good and well done.

So faithful in stalwart endurance, I welcome

My noble, most excellent son."

I then hear the ripples of laughter

As he says the reception's just fine,

But he hopes that he'll get an assignment or two

Since there's no need to waste any time.

I can hear his clear voice in the stillness

At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,

Have faith and move forward - there's work to be done.

President Hinckley would want it that way.

Anna M. Molgard

January 27, 2008