Grandma and Grandpa with the delightful and entertaining littles!

The awesome and amazing men in my family!

The gorgeous and multi talented women.

What a dreary and lonely world this would be if we had to travel it alone. Our Father in Heaven, in his great wisdom has given us " FAMILY ".

Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles....to help us navigate our way through lifes perils and joys. Special individuals to help and support us, to cheer us on and give us strength as we run the challenging race of life, to pick us up when we stumble and fall, to love us no matter what and to always be there for each other. May we think good thoughts about one another and speak kind words, may we lift and serve and be concerned with the individual needs of each family member.

Yesterday we had our monthly family dinner and birthday party. I sat in awe as I watched and listened to these young people that mean the most to me and make my life so meaningful.

Where did these strong, funny, talented, kind and intelligent people come from. Well I can only tell you that this family must have been close friends in the premortal world.

I am blessed....

Dear friends and family,

May your table overflow with plenty.

May your heart be filled with love, peace and kindness.

May your countenance shine with the spirit of Christ.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I really do have the cutest grandchildren :)

A few weeks ago my wonderful family came together to take new pictures for Grandma and Grandpa to put on our wall. I still have a long way to go before they are on the wall, but I just wanted you all to see the delightful and beautiful grandchildren that are mine.

Thanks to all of my children for the wonderful job you are doing... raising your children... it's not an easy thing to raise little people with personalities all their own. But I think that each one of you are doing a marvelous job.


Love, love, love you all, Mom Y.

Happy Easter

Sometimes I think that what I have to say is not important.
Sometimes I feel like what I have to say is boring to others.
Sometimes I am really shy about putting my feelings into words.
It's like praying in public, you feel self concious and you don't know what to say.

But what I have to say today is very important...

I am grateful for the birth, life, example, atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He is everything to me!
I testify that he lives!
May you all have a beautiful Easter Weekend.

Whoops...

"Finally feeling better" was supposed to be the title of my blog..not the blog itself. I guess I pushed the wrong key because a customer came in or was it because I found myself having a coughing fit for the 3000th time.
Actually after 2 full weeks of the flu (starting the day after Valentines),being quarantined to my house by the doctor, one week of regaining my strength in tiny increments and still an irritating cough I finally felt like putting on make-up again to come to work. It's amazing how many people told me I look good instead of looking like death warmed over.

It really makes me appreciate good health and gives me empathy for people with life long illnesses. Can I just tell you how good it feels to feel good!:D

Finally feeling better

Finally feeling better

Love

Just a little shout out to ya'll...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

It's a good time to remember the things you do to make me smile and bring joy to my life.
Thank-you all!!!!

Why?

Why do we insist upon making our own lives and other peoples lives miserable? Why do we sometimes take life way too seriously? Why do we berate ourselves and look at the negative and dark side of everything? Why do we look for each others faults and not their goodness and abilities? Why don't we see our own goodness and abilities?

It seems that we are our own worst enemy!

Life is hard but that doesn't mean that we have to dwell in the negative or find fault.

There is so much in life to be grateful for! So much that is good!

I challenge each one of us to find 2 positives for every negative.

To think Two good thoughts for every negative thought we have about ourselves, our spouse, our children, our job, our home, our lives, our neighbors, the world we live in, etc...

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox.
Have a nice day :)

I was just reading Noelles blog about climbing 20 foot ladders while being pregnant. It reminded me that I was up a ladder and on the roof helping Greg shingle our new home. I was 8 months pregnant mind you. We moved into our new home 2 weeks later and Adam was born a week after that.
Oh, the crazy things we do when we are young (and have a deadline).

Do you ever have one of those days?

Well today it's my turn.

Living Room, Kitchen and Family are clean. My laundry is done. Life is good.....

Well, what do I write about?

I have hundreds of wonderful thoughts with hundreds of wonderful things to say...But when I sit at my computer actually trying to write...poof they are gone and my mind goes blank!

Does anyone else have this problem?

So maybe I will ramble and something good will come of it.

I sit in an office with hugh windows from floor to ceiling on one side of the room. And let me tell you it is cold. When the morning front desk people come in the temperature is in the 50's. With the help of a floor heater it finally reaches 65 by the time I come to the front desk. Still, I have to have the heater blowing directly on me to keep warm (the fact that people are constantly opening the front door and letting in the cold air doesn't help matters). Do you feel sorry for me yet?

I was thinking about the really cute things children say and I remembered when Krystal was three years old. Greg had been growing a beard for a couple of days. Krystal climbed up on his lap and just stared at the new growth. She gently rubbed it with her hands and then she said,"oo, doesn't that hurt"? "what" asked Greg. She replied," all those slivers in your face"?

One day Erik was about 3 and a neighbor had given the kids plain flour tortillas to eat. "Don't spill", she said. Erik looked at her and asked "does these have water in em"?

I was talking to a neighbor one day about how much I loved children. Ryan who was 4 looked up at me and said " you love little children"? What an eye opener. I realized that I needed to be kinder and more patient. Oh, the things our children can teach us if we will pay attention and soften our hearts.

I am taking an adult religion class at BYU on tuesday nights. The teacher seems to be a marvelous and interesting man named " Ronald Bartholomew. We are learning about the 2nd half of the New Testament starting with the book of Acts.

He said something that really hit home. Something I had always known but never really understood until that night. We were talking about the Holy Ghost and of course we all know that we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost when we are baptized. That he comforts, teaches and bears witness to us of truths (and much more). Well brother Bartholomew said " do you realize that the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhood? That you have been given the gift of having a member of the Godhood with you at all times if you live worthily?

That thought fills me with humility and gratitude to know that we really are of such great importance to our Heavenly Father, his son Jesus Christ and the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. There really is a plan and each one of us is an important part of it. Sometimes I have felt like an ant or even an amoeba when compared with the humungous amount of individuals on this earth. How can each one of us be important? How can the Lord know each one of us?

Well if you think about it we have probably been around for millions of eons of time and, even now,

the Lords time, spacial abilities and dimension is different then ours. Who knows what he sees past, present and future.

I just know that he is aware of me and that he really truly loves me (ask me about it someday).

And if you think about it and remember those special witnesses given to you personally, you too will have a testimony that the Lord loves you.

Remember that I love you too!

Blessings

What a lovely holiday this has been. The greatest joy is my wonderful family. We had a lovely Christmas Day. Everyone came between 10 and 11 am on Christmas day. We talked about Christmas and what gifts each family recieved. Then we had a delicious breakfast of potato casserol ( which I am still eating for lunch today), ham, juices and aebleskivers with buttermilk dressing. It was fun having Adam make them with me and twice as nice having two aebleskiver pans instead of one.

Then we proceeded to open more gifts and just generally enjoyed one anothers company.

Oh, how I love my family. We did miss Grandma Lucy and her phone call to talk with each person and share Christmas with us. That is going to take some getting used to.

Love and kisses to everyone.

LIFE CHANGES

Sometimes I wish I could slow down or even stop this train we call life.

Sometimes I wish my children were little again and we could have family gatherings with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents.

Sometimes I miss old friends that time and circumstances have made distant.

Sometimes I wish those same children were small and home with me again so that I could hug away their sorrows and kiss away their pain.

Sometimes I wish people I love would never leave! I wish they could always be near me in this mortal world where I can see them and speak with them at will.

Sometimes I wish.....

But the reality is....

Children grow up, have families of their own and they inturn hug and kiss away their own childrens sorrows and delight you as a parent with their strength, love and parenting skills.

Extended families still love each other, stay in touch but sadly time shared together becomes less and less.

Friends are still treasured friends, always within the warm hidden recesses of our hearts. But busy with their own growing families.

and...

sadder still....

Beautiful people that we have always depended upon, loved and admired, laughed and cried with, respected and cherished.....

Grow old...

Leave us....

and move into the next realm of eternal existence.

They leave us with loneliness and a broken heart at their passing that will only heal with time.

They leave us with beautiful memories, joyful lessons learned, and hearts overflowing with love and appreciation.

They leave us....

And yet....

They will always be with us. Always a part of who we were, who we are and who we will become.

Last and most importantly...

We will be with them again because of the infinite Atonement and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Until then....

I will trust and be patient.

I am saddened with the loss this week of a beloved Uncle and cherished friend and "mother" of almost 35 years.

I was born on Uncle Gordon Homers birthday, creating a special bond between us. He always called me his girl. It made me feel special. I remember his hugh warm bear hugs, his beautiful tenor singing voice, his positive loving demeanor and love of life.

Uncle Gordon..you will be greatly missed.

And now comes the hardest part.

My precious Mother-in-law (mother Lucy) passed away.

Lucy was my dear friend. She always had words of encouragement and made me feel like I was a good mother and a better person then I really am.

Just a few of her wonderful attributes: She loved gardening and knew the names of most flowers and trees. Her clothing alteration skills were amazing. She loved the missionaries in the MTC. She was a beautiful speaker and loved to teach the spiritual living lessons in R.S. She was always interested in others and enjoyed visiting with them. She loved knowing the meaning of and using unusual words. She liked to learn and understand everything, thus keeping her mind alert. She was very refined in her dress, speaking, actions and loved a beautiful home . She was a perfect hostess to countless numbers of people in her home. She knew the lost art of conversation and preferred to converse with others rather then watch TV. And above all she loved her husband, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, her Father in Heaven and her friend and Savior Jesus Christ.

It has been my blessing and priviledge to be her "daughter".

You have probably seen this before. But I love it and thought you might like to see it again.

Enjoy

Kaden invited me to come to his school and see the Halloween Parade. I remember when my children were young and walked in the parades at Park Lane Elementary and Highland Elementary. Oh for the good old days when my children were little.. Ah such fun ( a lot of work) but such good memories.

Our family Halloween party was so much fun this year. Thanks to everyone!!! The costumes were awesome, the food was delicious and very creative (I wish I took pictures of the food). The games were totally fun and the decorations were creative and really set the mood.

So here are a few pictures. I know you have already seen the same pictures (but not from my camera, so that makes them special).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Don't you just love Autumn!!!

Autumn is....

A chill in the air

Mischievous bipolar winds

Whirling dancing impish leaves.

Blazing golds, reds,oranges, yellows and greens

Roses, amazingly, still on the stem

Snow capped mountain tops

A glowing hunters moon sheathed with ghostly pearl mist

Crisp crunchy golden delicious apples (straight from our tree)

Stretched nights and shortened days

Giggling, squealing, excited children

Halloween frights, candy delights..

Cool, invigorating, mysterious, eerie, magical... glorious AUTUMN!