L and Amber

WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN?

2010-10-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Can't believe the daily news
It's mostly bad, it’s sad but true
I realize how close the end is near
The world is sinking down so low
More weaked than the days of Noah
Lord we need you, that much is true

So many have no place to stay
Children have no place to play
It's against the law to pray in school
I'm waiting for the day to come when
Every eye shall see the sun till
Then I'm gonna do what I gotta do

You died for us, once before
Sacrificed your life upon the cross
Oh Lord will you be comin in
The noon day sky
Or will you arrive like a thief in the night

Lord you said that you would come
And wipe away our tears, oh Lord
It's been two thousand years since you were here

Lord since you’ve been gone, everythings gone wrong
Just like you said it would do
But Lord I still believe
You're comin back for me
To take me home to live with you
Waitin day and night, for you to crack the sky
Lord, we're comin to the end, tell me when
Will I see you again, my Lord
Tell me when, will I see you again

Learning to Wait

2010-09-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

"Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter."Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect."
Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Teach Children to Pray

2010-09-07T20:54:00.001-07:00

Posted: 06 Sep 2010 12:00 AM PDT

"Parents should teach their children to pray. The child learns both from what the parents do and what they say. The child who sees a mother or a father pass through the trials of life with fervent prayer to God and then hears a sincere testimony that God answered in kindness will remember what he or she saw and heard." Henry B. Eyring

Help Your Children Shun the Evils of Contemporary Living

2010-07-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

"While there are steps that we can take in our homes and families to minimize our exposure to [the] unsavory elements of contemporary living, your daughters and sons cannot entirely avoid the blatant sexual messages and enticements that surround them. You need to have frequent, open discussions during which you teach them the truth about these issues."

M. Russell Ballard

Leading the Women of the World

2010-06-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

“Speaking to the women of the Church nearly a century ago, President Joseph F. Smith said: ‘It is not for you to be led by the women of the world; it is for you to lead the . . . women of the world, in everything that is praise-worthy, everything that is God-like, everything that is uplifting and . . . purifying to the children of men’

Joseph F. Smith

Marriage Should Be Given Priority

2010-06-15T10:56:00.001-07:00

"I urge husbands and fathers of this Church to be the kind of men your wives would not want to be without. I urge the sisters of this Church to be patient, loving, and understanding with their husbands. Those who enter into marriage should be fully prepared to establish their marriage as the first priority in their lives."

James E. Faust

Don't Overschedule Your Life

2010-05-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

"Don't overschedule yourselves or your children. We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows. One mother told me of a time that her children had 29 scheduled commitments every week: music lessons, Scouts, dance, Little League, day camps, soccer, art, and so forth. She felt like a taxi driver."

M. Russell Ballard

Remaining Close to the Spirit

2010-05-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

"We were given our agency. We must use it wisely and remain close to the Spirit; otherwise, we foolishly find ourselves yielding to the enticements of the adversary. We know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ our mistakes can be washed clean, and our mortal body will be restored to its perfect frame." 'For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God' (Moroni 7:16)."There is a perfect manner of communication through the Spirit, 'for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God' (1 Corinthians 2:10)."
Boyd K. Packer

Enrich Marital Relationships through Communication

2010-05-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Marriage relationships can be enriched by better communication. One important way is to pray together. This will resolve many of the differences, if there are any, between the couple before going to sleep. I do not mean to overemphasize differences, but they are real and do make things interesting. I believe our differences are the little pinches of salt that can make the marriage seem more flavorful."
James E. Faust

Our Divine Identity

2010-04-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

"Because of the knowledge of our divine identity, everything must be different for us: our dress, our language, our priorities, and our focus. We must not seek guidance from the world, and if our true identity has been clouded by mistakes or sins, we can change. We can turn around and repent and return to virtue. . . . The Savior's Atonement is for you and for me. He invites each of us to come unto Him."

I AM A CHILD OF GOD!

Share Thoughts with Your Father

2010-04-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

"Trust your father. He is not perfect, but he loves you and would never do anything he didn't think was in your best interest. So talk to him. Share your thoughts and feelings, your dreams and your fears. The more he knows about your life, the better chance he has to understand your concerns and to give you good counsel."

M. Russell Ballard

An Invitation

2010-04-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

"We have felt [the Lord's] forgiveness, His love and comfort. [He] has said, 'I am he [who] comforteth you' (2 Nephi 8:12)."The Lord's desire that we come unto Him and be wrapped in His arms is often an invitation to repent. 'Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you' (Alma 5:33)."

Neil L. Andersen

What is in a color?

2010-04-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

A little girl says to Kya "Hi black girl!"

Kya~ "I am not black!"

Little girl~ "Isn't your daddy black?"

Kya~ "Uuhh.... NO... He is brown silly"

Both Parents Are Righteous Influences for Their Children

2010-04-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

"It is useless to debate which parent is most important. No one would doubt that a mother's influence is paramount with newborns and in the first years of a child's life. The father's influence increases as the child grows older. However, each parent is necessary at various times in a child's development. Both fathers and mothers do many intrinsically different things for their children."

James E. Faust

Love One Another

2010-04-18T18:37:00.001-07:00

"The Savior said:" 'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another. . . ." 'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another' (John 13:34–35)."Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who worked among the poor in India most of her life, spoke this truth: 'If you judge people, you have no time to love them.' "

Parents Must Prepare Their Children for the Ordinances of the Gospel

2010-04-17T11:44:00.001-07:00

"The most important teachings in the home are spiritual. Parents are commanded to prepare their sons and daughters for the ordinances of the gospel: baptism, confirmation, priesthood ordinations, and temple marriage. They are to teach them to respect and honor the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Most importantly, parents are to instill within their children a desire for eternal life and to earnestly seek that goal above all else."

Ezra Taft Benson

Unconditional Gifts

2010-04-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

"The love of God is so universal that His perfect plan bestows many gifts on all of His children, even those who disobey His laws. Mortality is one such gift, bestowed on all who qualified in the War in Heaven (see Revelation 12:7–8). Another unconditional gift is the universal resurrection: 'For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive' (1 Corinthians 15:22). Many other mortal gifts are not tied to our personal obedience to law. As Jesus taught, our Heavenly Father 'maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust' (Matthew 5:45)."

NEVER!!

2010-04-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Most days, the sky is bright and blue

I give thanks to you

for the grace that you have shown

And when the clouds are dark and grey

I may be afraid

I know I'm not alone

Through sunshine and through rain

YOU remain the same

I've seen the seasons come and go

Like a river flows

today is here and gone away

But you constantly abide

Ever by my side

and hope in each new day

For all eternity

I know your with me.

In a world that is uncertain I can count on you! You never change, you never go, you never stop loving me so. Your always there, your always true, your always seeing my heart through. Will there come a time when someone loves me better?? Never!!!

(This a song by Jenny Jordan Frogley. It has gotten me through many a storm. If you have not heard it... you need to google it!! Another good one of hers is "Come as you are")

Our Agency, a Part of the Great Plan of Happiness

2010-04-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

"As children of God, we learn we are part of His 'great plan of happiness' (Alma 42:8)."We know that there was a War in Heaven and Lucifer and those who followed him were cast out without bodies:" 'Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, . . . rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—" 'Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about' (D&C 76:28–29)."We were given our agency. We must use it wisely and remain close to the Spirit; otherwise, we foolishly find ourselves yielding to the enticements of the adversary."

Boyd K. Packer

Teach Your Children to Pray

2010-04-09T18:18:00.001-07:00

Henry B. Eyring

Be True to Your Divine Identity

2010-04-06T20:41:00.001-07:00

"In order to be virtuous and remain virtuous, you must be true to your divine identity and establish patterns of thought and behavior based on high moral standards (see Preach My Gospel [2004], 118–19). These standards are eternal, and they do not change. They have been taught by prophets of God. In a world filled with relative truth, the Lord's standards are absolute. They are given to each of us to keep us on the path leading back to the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ."

Belief in God

2010-04-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

"Some wonder, why is belief in God so important? Why did the Savior say, 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent'? (John 17:3; emphasis added)."Without God, life would end at the grave and our mortal experiences would have no purpose. Growth and progress would be temporary, accomplishment without value, challenges without meaning. There would be no ultimate right and wrong and no moral responsibility to care for one another as fellow children of God. Indeed, without God, there would be no mortal or eternal life."

Robert D. Hales

Courage to Remain Chaste and Virtuous

2010-04-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

"You will need [courage] to be chaste and virtuous. You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you. Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior."Isaiah declared, 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness' (Isaiah 5:20)."Great courage will be required as you remain chaste and virtuous amid the accepted thinking of the times."
Thomas S. Monson

I have been gone!

2010-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have not updated my blog for awhile. I thought what do I really have to share or the time share lately. So I found somethings that I find important in my life that I am wanting to share. This one is titled:

Children's Lives Are Shaped at Home

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former United States president George Bush, spoke wisely when in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1990 she addressed the Wellesley College graduating class and said, 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "

Gordon B. Hinckley

I am blessed with Great Friends!

2009-07-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

The other morning I got a knock on the door around 9 am from my girl Cristian. She is a great cook and has a passion for it. She brought me the yummiest cream cheese raspberry french toast!! Thank you girl! I enjoyed every bite!

Kya is a big girl now!

2009-06-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

No more training wheels! Good times!

My Friends little boy!

2009-06-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

~Most of us have children and most of us are blessed to have good health. If you do not have good health, than you can probably empathize with her situation. This is from a friend of mine that I have known most of my life. This is what she had to say.....

First of all I want to thank everyone for the well wishes, thoughts, prayers, ideas , etc. for my little JJ. For those of you that havent joined please join my group team JJ... I also ask that each of you PLEASE post info about JJ and his blog on your page, or send it in an email or in some way help me by getting the word out about his blog and situation. We need all the help that we can get. You may ask, Gee he is almost 3 and they knew he would need this surgery so why are they not prepared? well, for one I cannot work because JJ cannot go to day care, he really doesnt go much of anywhere.. with his liver right under the surface of the skin and protruding like it does, it would be life threatening if he were to get injured before we can get the surgery done.. The other reason is that he was on Medicaid.. well we only found out in May that they were dropping him due to the fact that we have "access" to other insurance through Johns work.. Well, that being said, only a portion will be covered, and it is a very expensive procedure.. we also have to come up with all of our travel costs to and from Seattle from Idaho which is a 12 hour drive, plus time off work, place to stay, meals etc. etc. as you can imagine this could be very costly.. When JJ was born and in the NICU the bill was over a million dollars so I imagine this will be expensive depending on how long he takes to recover and if he goes into the PICU or not. Anyways, Please do what you can to spread the word so that anyone who is able to donate in any way, big or small, they will.. every single penny counts.. AND means more than you know.. Thank you to those of you that have already donated.. it is so greatly appreciated...

JJ's blog is www.teamhelpjj.blogspot.com and there people can donate at the bottom of the page.. you can also go on your update status or "whats on your mind" button and type in the link www.teamhelpjj.blogspot.com and it will put it on your status and main page.. or you can always just forward the info in an email to your contacts in your email..

If any of you have any other ideas let me know..

thanks so much again and again... <3

` and just think after July if we get to go ahead with this.. you won't be bugged with anymore of this stuff from me !! love to you all~

www.teamhelpjj.blogspot.com

AMY, WE WILL KEEP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IN OUR PRAYERS!

Cute Lil Zyan

2009-06-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

I realize that all of my children are quite curious. Sometimes I would consider it pushing curious and just nosey. Dezmon was taking his time in the restroom as he usually does. Curious or nosey, whatever it is that Zyan is doing..... it is just cute to me!

Eagle Mtn Winds took the tramp

2009-05-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has lived in Eagle Mtn knows that the winds can be really strong. A couple of summers ago my neighbor to the west of us, their tramp was a victim of the wind. Flinging it over their fence, through the air, across our back yard and then landing on the fence separating our yard from the other neighbors to the east. Well, now our tramp is the latest victim of the wind. The wind picked it up, taking down our fence in it's path, the tramp proceeded to try to clear the roof of my neighbors house. It didn't quite clear the roof. I did a bit of damage, making some holes in the roof and taking out her chimney. It then went completely over her house and landed in the road on the other side. Glad no one was standing there! (the mangled tramp and a tarp now on the roof of my neighbor)

Happy Birthday Joel

2009-05-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, my brother Joel was my sidekick through out most of my life! It has been over 5 years since he left this earth but he is still a daily part of my life. As I read my uncle Ricky's book about Dennis, I thought of how a book of Joel's life would play out. It would be full of a lot of mischievous times and LOTS of adventure. After he went on his mission, he was an example to us all. We always had fun together! We followed each other around most of our childhood. I am sure that Melanie could tell some stories. They usually ended with her telling my mom on something that Joel and I were doing. I know that he is in a beautiful place now. I am so grateful for this day! If it wasn't for Joel coming to earth... I truly would have had a boring childhood! Love you Joel! Happy Birthday!

Kya gave herself a haircut!

2009-04-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

I know that most mothers dread the day that their daughter decides to give themselves a hair cut. One of Kya's classmates cut her hair short in a cute bob this week. So Kya decided she wants short hair too. I think she realized that she had made a mistake with her first snip cause she came right down stairs crying to me telling me that she couldn't go to school or church anymore because people would laugh at her. Luckily, her hair is so curly that you can hardly notice. It just doesn't go in the ponytail like it use to. It could have been worse and best of all, I don't think she will try this again.

This one is for Ang! So Ang, correct all of my wrong answers

2009-03-29T21:28:00.001-07:00

I got this from Liz... Ang is the third person on my list so she is the lucky one!

Answer these questions about the 3rd blogger on your list.

1. How long have you known this person? All of my life

2. What color hair does this person have? Blonde!

3. What kind of car does this person drive? Last time I checked it was a Land Rover but I think she has something different now

4. Does this person have kids? Yes, 2 girls!

5. How old is this person? I think 27 maybe?

6. What is this person's favorite food? I have no clue but I will guess Mexican

7. Does this person have a special talent? Piano, gymnastics, mom, wife just to name a few (all of the Rick Dean girls are talented)

8. Does this person like flowers? I would say ... absolutely!

9. Is this person married? Yes to Patrick (at one time it was a requirement to have the name "Rick" in your name to marry a "Rick Dean girl" Patrick, Rick, Dietrick and then Neil broke the mold!LOL

10. What is this person's middle name? I believe it is Evalynn?

Okay now if you are on my blog you should do this!

When people ask what are your talents....

2009-03-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

I always find myself stumped on that question. I know what I enjoy (children, talking, dancing) but are they really talents? So I just spent the day refinishing some old furniture and I realize that I have a talent there! Silly as it seems that I would find that exciting but as most of you know my dad was very talented at things like this so I like to think that I got it from him. I also have found it a way to make some extra cash. Last summer I made over $1000 on getting nasty old furniture and making it nice. I bought this dresser for $5 and with a little paint and new hardware I sold it for $200 and the headboard I bought $1 and sold it for $20. GOOD TIMES!

Happy Birthday Dez!

2009-02-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Today Dezmon turned 16. I never knew unconditional love until I became pregnant with him. He has been a blessing to me in so many ways. Although I could do without the teenage years ;) He is growing into the man he is supposed to be. I am proud to be his mother and thank the Lord that he sent him to me. Happy Birthday Dezmon!!!

Could my baby be 1 already?

2009-02-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Zyan!

Happy Birthday Summer!

2009-02-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that the baby of us all is now 26! And not just that.... the baby is having a baby! I love my sister Summer so much! She is a great help to me in my life! She is talented at many things.... photography, skateboarding, great with kids (just to name a few). She loves motorcycles and animals. I am happy to say that she has met her match with her husband Jesse. I just realized that this is starting to sound like an obituary. Love you Summer! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Melanie

2009-02-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how this happened but Melanie is now 35! We were just kids yesterday!?! She is one of my sweetest sisters and doesn't have a mean bone in her body. I love her so much and am so grateful that we came into this world at almost the same time. She is the closest thing I have to a twin. I know I am not far behind her so I will not give her a hard time on her age =) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL!

Exciting time for Omini

2008-12-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Omini on his way to church. He was a little nervous and a lot excited because he was going to pass the sacrament for the first time. He did really well and did not mess up at all. He said that he prayed allot and that is what helped him.

UFC

2008-12-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

I am not really into watching the UFC. It is one of those things where you don't want to watch but you can't look away. My best girl Monica and her husband are die hard fans and watch every fight. L decided to order this fight and we had a pretty good turn out. These are a few of the people that came. My little sister Summer gets as into them as the guys (kinda like me and football) We might make this a regular event. It was fun!

Kya was on a train while we all slept

2008-12-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

I love being a mommy for moments like this. Kya was putting the play make up on me that she received for Christmas when out of nowhere she says "Mommy, I went on the train last night!" I proceeded to ask her "What train?" She said "The Polar Express! Did you miss me?" I didn't realize that she was out and about while we all slept. I asked he if she was scared at all and she said "No. I had hot cocoa." I told her that next time I want to go. GOOD TIMES! Merry Christmas to us ALL! Remember why we have "Christ" in Christmas.

Dinner Party in Omini's honor

2008-12-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

L and I regularly get together with the Mills and the Brents and do fun things. The Brents are in Georgia right now so they missed out on this one but we did invite Justine's father Brian and my sister Monica along with the Mills for a dinner party. It was reason to celebrate since Omini recieved the Aaronic priesthood yesterday. I am so grateful to have a husband that honors his priesthood and is worthy to bless my son with it as well. Rachel brought Mariah in a very similar dress as Zyan. They are so cute together!

Winter Fun

2008-12-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

We have had a bit of snow out here in Eagle Mountain so the girls and I took advantage and went sledding yesterday. I only have a picture of Kya because Zyan was bundled up in her Baby Bjorn inside my jacket. It was fun. Even though I couldn't see Zyan's face I could hear her smiles as we would pick up speed. We went to the amphitheater in Eagle Mountain. Kya only relates to the amphitheater as to when we see Jericho Road in concert. Our good friend Abe Mills is in that group and Kya kept asking when Jackson, Jordan and Tyson (his kids) were going to get there. One thing I love about the holidays is sledding and then drinking some hot cocoa.

Happy Birthday Omini

2008-12-10T23:23:00.001-08:00

It is hard for me to believe that my baby boy is TWELVE!!!! Where have the years gone?!?!? I LOVE MY OMINI! He has taught me so much over the years. I am truly a stronger person because of him and I thank my Heavenly Father for him. He is special! He has the kindest heart and can be so helpful when he wants to be. He has a GREAT love for his baby sister Zyan and will be her protector all of her life. He is amazing at playing chess and can probably beat most people. It is always entertaining watching him play on his Xbox. He makes funny noises and tightens all of his muscles when playing it (even his toes point in funny directions). One time he was so intensely involved in his game that his hand charlie horsed on him. Dezmon wanted to help him but found himself laughing instead. HAPPY BIRTHDAY OMINI!

DADDY AND I LOVE YOU!

DAD

2008-11-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, my dad left this life last week. I have made several attempts to post something but could never do it. I know that some people were not able to make his funeral so I will just leave it with the talk that I had the privilege to give.

I am lucky to say that I have one of the best Dads in the world!! He was the most generous, caring, sweet, loving man that I have known and probably ever will! He was a man that would not stand for injustice. Especially if someone was being picked on or mistreated. He taught me from a young age to defend the underdog. There were many occasion that he would bring a homeless person home or just someone in need. There were not cell phones back then so there was no time to prepare my mother as to who he might show up with. It just became somewhat of a norm in my family. I remember one time he had brought a homeless woman home after he saw her getting beat up in an alley. I remember studying her appearance. It looked as if she had not bathed in weeks or had combed her hair for even longer. My dad treated people in need like they were his best friends. There were many times that my dad would stop to help someone on the side of the road. One time on a road trip he back tracked a couple of hundred miles to take someone in need where they needed to go.

It was not uncommon for my dad to leave uplifting notes. He would include sweet flowers with smiley faces inside them. One quality that I wish I had of my dad's was his green thumb. He loved to garden and would bring the most beautiful bouquet of flowers to me that he had picked from his own garden. He was also an amazing artist! All of the paintings that you see here were from his hands.

The smell of home cooked bread always reminds me of him. One summer he had broken his leg and was home more than usual. He spent his time filling the house with smells of homemade bread. He was a great baker always cooked the best chocolate chip cookies. He was also a talented crafts man. He would build us a tree house in every house we lived in.... in one house he even built us a two story tree house. He would take us camping and explore old mines and help us look for gold in the mountain streams (we never did find any). He was my basketball coach and not just mine but my sisters too. With as many children as he had, he found time for each of us. He even made special time for my children. Allot or the times we would go to his house, he would be painting. Omini would love to sit and watch him. My dad had a special canvas always ready for Omini so he could join in my dad's talent. My dad finally just asked me to leave some extra clothes for Omini so that when he was there he could paint to his hearts content. Dezmon remembers my dad throwing him high in the air as he did with all of us kids growing up.

My dad would also wander in what I have now named "Victorland". There were many times that L and I would see him driving down the road or find myself next to him at a red light. We would honk and honk and the boys would have their arms flailing out the windows yelling "Papa Papa". You could just see him in deep thought or peacefully enjoying the music that he was listening to. We would follow him for awhile unsuccessfully trying to get his attention. There was one time that Lindsey, Summer and I were in the living room and my dad was reading the paper. We asked him a question and he didn't answer. So we said Dad again but still no response. We started to figure that he could hear us but just didn't want to be bothered and wanted to enjoy the peace he was finding in whatever he was reading. But we tried again calling "dad?" He just kept reading. So then we started in song Dad, dad, oh dad, we know you hear us dad. As we went on with song for about a minute, we realized that he had absolutely no idea that he was the topic of our new found song. We continued in our attempt to get his attention. Our song went on for several minutes and the longer it went on the funnier it became. By the time my dad looked up, Lindsey, Summer and I were on the floor, hysterically laughing. He said confusingly "what is so funny?" After raising so many children, especially a teenager like me, who could blame him for finding "Victorland".

My dad gave the BEST hugs! Whenever he saw one of his children, he would never let the time pass without saying "I am so proud of you! Or you are such a good mother!" He would say it with such sincerity. How I took those words for granted! I look forward to hearing those words again.

No matter how many mistakes I have made in my life, he never showed disappointment. My dad truly showed me the meaning of unconditional love!!! If you can take anything good from my Dad's passing.... PLEASE do not take your loved ones for granted. Tell them you love them regularly. Do not let petty things get in the way of your relationships, for they can be gone today and there might be so much that you wanted to say. I am not sad for my father. I am sad for me.... I am sad for all of you that will miss this great man.

I LOVE YOU DAD! THANK YOU FOR BEING MY DAD!

Kya and Zyan

2008-09-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that my sister Kristy is an amazing photographer. Here are just some of the photos she took of my girls =)

DIVA IN THE MAKING!

2008-09-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

We went to Auntie Summer's today. She dressed up Zyan. SOOO cute she is!

Valerie

2008-09-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

This day thirteen years ago was a hard day for me. My best friend Valerie died in a tragic car accident. I reflect back on the last thirteen years and see how much my life has change. There is not much left of the person I once was. Valerie was my best friend from when we were both wearing pig tails. Although we were eager to get rid of them and grow up too fast. All of my teenage years are memories of Valerie. Valerie loved animals and loved spending time with her kitties. She could burp her ABC's and would have many burping contest with her 5 sisters. She loved to laugh and there was rarely a dull moment with her. It makes me a little sad to see how life goes on and our loved ones that have passed just become memories. I am so happy for Valerie! I know she has progressed and has learned so much. I am sure that she has had a hand in my progression here on earth. I love you Valerie! Thank you for all of the GREAT memories! (these few songs were important to us)

Omini and President Monson

2008-09-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Omini has been spending time with his dad, Sam. Omini, Sam and his wife Sara were out to eat this morning and in walked President Monson. Omini said "Hi!" to him and President Monson wiggled his ears at Omini and said that he only does that for kids with yellow shirts =). What a blessing it is to live amongst a prophet! I remember when I was a little girl, I met President Hinckley. He was one of the twelve apostles then. I never forgot the amazing feeling that I felt that day.

2008-08-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Some of might of already seen this but I thought I should still share it. My neighbor showed me this picture and was curious if Kya was the model for it. I absolutely LOVE this picture! The likeness couldn't be more like Kya. It even looks like she is standing on her tippy toes like Kya does. I love my babies!

Happy Birthday Rachel

2008-08-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was my good friend Rachel's birthday. Justine and I went and kidnapped her bright and early. Her husband Abe assisted by making her stay in bed (She is thought he was making her breakfast). We snuck through the garage and up stairs to wake her. She was fast asleep and Justine and I kept laughing cause she didn't wake up through all of the picture taking. We went out to eat at Kneaders.... Yummy! It was a lot of fun. I felt like a teenager again. I even thought about doing a Chinese fire drill ;) I took some pics of her but Justine has more on her blog. I just realize that Justine and I will be blogging allot of the same things since we do allot together. So if you want to know about my life and I haven't blogged for awhile, just check out Justine's blog. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACH!! LOVE YA! I can't figure out how to get multiple pictures yet (or how to add friends)..... so go to meetthebrents.blogspot and Justine has a bunch.

Kya's Birthday

2008-08-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

So it was Kya's birthday on Saturday and my little girl is now 4! How time flies. We had a good time and some of us adults were able to be kids again! The Brents, minus Josh (had to work), and the Mills came. A couple of family members showed up as well. L and I are lucky to have such good friends! They are like family to us.