Friday, January 29, 2010
The Kids
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Short Video of Earl's Lovely Mom
I hope this link works. If not, I apologize. I'm not very good at the technical stuff. It is a short video that Earl's BIL made for the family and posted on his facebook page. Earl's mom passed away four years ago yesterday. In a car accident.
I can't believe it has been that long. I know she is watching over us. I do all I can to make sure that our kids will always remember their Grandma Rainey.
We made the decision to add another baby to our family after she passed away.
Chloe is so like her.
It just amazes me.
We are so lucky to know that we will all be able to be with her again.
It sometimes still catches me off guard to realize how much I miss her.
I wasn't always the most loving daughter-in-law. It took me awhile (too long) to open up and allow myself to truly become a part of Earl's family. Loraine was always there. Waiting for me to be her daughter. She was the best mother-in-law a girl could ever want. She loved me no matter what. And her passion in loving her grandkids cannot be matched.
Oh how I wish she could be here to see her grandkids growing.
I know she sees it all and doesn't miss a thing.
I just wish I could see her smile as they joke and play with their dad, pass all the amazing milestones they reach for in life and strive to reach the potential that their Heavenly Father has blessed them with.
Many people often say that Brayden must see and talk to her. He often has a smile and a giggle for no reason at all.....no reason other than he is looking at Grandma and listen to her tell him silly stories. I am jealous of his connection to her, but so grateful that she is still able to influence our lives every day.
Love you Mom!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
17th Anniversary
It seems like we have known each other forever, but not like it has really been 17 years.
Does that make sense?
For our anniversary (on Friday), we spent the night in Salt Lake and ate dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
Yummy food!!
Earl has eaten at several CC Factories across the country and LOVES the food.
This was my first time there.
It was SO good!
My angel friend stayed with our kids. It has been many years since we were away from the kids over night. It can be hard to find a good sitter who is willing to change diapers and deal with a possible seizure.
Plus, I'm not the best at relinquishing control and just getting away.
We need to do that more often.
Our kids had a fantastic time.
They can't stop talking about all of the fun stuff they did. Movies, treats, etc.
17 years ago, we were really smart and decided to get married on Martin Luther King, JR weekend.
So we had a nice long weekend with the kids.
The picture on this post was taken when we were in the middle of sanding down the walls in Spencer's room and getting ready to paint. We really know how to have fun!
It has been such an amazing time. Still can't believe it has been 17 years. WOW!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Putting a Face on the Haitian Tragedy
This is a picture of my friend, Lori, and her beautiful family. You can read an article about them from our local paper, the Daily Herald.
Lori posted on her blog this morning that they have Humanitarian Parole.
This means that they will be able to bring their children home!!!
The process won't be perfect, but they will bring the children home and take care of more paperwork after they are all home together.
Please pray for this sweet family, and all of the people of Haiti.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Watch Out World He's A Teenager!!
Just a few recent pics of Spencer.
In case you can't tell, he isn't a BIG fan of getting his picture taken! :)
He is 13 today.
He has been and continues to be a wonderful example to me.
He is loving, kind, patient, accepting, forgiving........
This year at Lincoln Academy he is thriving.
He has a wonderful group of friends and teachers who appreciate his talents.
He is becoming more confident in himself and his abilities.
He has been the most wonderful big brother.
He has a special heart for his siblings and all that comes with being the responsible one.
He is growing up too fast!
He is taller than me......and likes to remind me about it!
He has been able to attend the temple to do baptisms a couple of times this year and I LOVE it!
He is certainly becoming more than I ever thought possible.
More than I have taught him to be.
I am learning from him.
Thank you Spencer.
We all love you so much!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Christmas Day!!
We had a wonderful Christmas Day!
Everyone really enjoyed their presents.
Even Max enjoyed some of the present opening festivities!
And Cinderella joined us for breakfast.
We tried a new recipe for a yummy breakfast casserole. It was SOOO yummy! The kids can't wait for me to fix it again. And they are hoping to try out the other casserole recipes that I gathered while trying to decide which one to make.
After spending most of the day playing with our new toys and just enjoying each others' company, we headed off to Poppy and Nana's house for Christmas dinner with all of the Thurston family. The cousins all played together and talked about their favorite gifts while the adults all tried to relax and recover from lack of sleep.
Now its time to get ready for next year!!
I love the planning and wrapping even if it takes a whole year. It is worth it to see the magic happen for our kids and others who we are able to give to at Christmas time.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
