A great man is gone.

President Gordon B. Hinkley, Prophet , Seer and Revelator passed away tonight. We were expecting it because of his age, but it still is so sad to see him go. I am happy as well, because he lost his beloved wife of over 60 years a few years ago and we all know how much he has missed her- and now they are reunited again.

He left a legacy of love and acceptance and his firm and powerful testimony of Christ, Eternal Families, missionary work and so many other gospel principles. I got to be around him on four occasions, one of which was a choir performance where I was literally standing behind him, and I am so thankful that I could hear him speak in person and feel of his great love and testimony.

He will be missed, but his example has influenced me greatly as well as many others. Here is the official press release from the church . And a longer article about his Presidencey from Deseret News.

My DIVA!!!

I think the shirt says it all! The other day, she took off her outfit and replaced it with a floatie swimsuit and vest. Here is her "look"- distracted by TV, of course!

Tag! You're IT!!

Gibson went to his first ever Laser Tag Birthday Party!! I was a little nervous because it looked so chaotic, but it all turned out OK!

AW- the love!

10%!

Gibson paid his first tithing last week! I was so excited, I had to document the moment! If he hadn't sneaked off to give it to the Bishop without me, I would have gotten a picture of that too!

He paid it again today, but I really resisted and didn't even take out my camera- for that anyway!

You scream!

Ice cream- a part of the family as long for as I can remember. Gibson was learning the Letter I at school last week and he told me a couple times that he had tried to tell everyone that his favorite ice cream was the checkered kind, but one of his teachers just ignored him and told him to color chocolate or vanilla and the other thought- sure, whatever. So, imagine my giggles when I saw his coloring sheet this week- complete with ice cream colored as a checker board! but the funniest part is that not only is it checkered ice cream- it is officially NASCAR checkered FLAG ice cream! Only my son would let his red neck show in the ice cream he chooses! From New Jersey no less!

Pure Gib-berish!

Ever since he was born, we have had Gib-berish moments. As he has grown older, he has gotten much better at articulating his desires, and his funny comments have become few and fewer. these last three days, however, he has had some cute ones-

1. At Church, he was staring at my profile and touched my made up eyelashes (yes, I actually get make up on for church!!) and said, "I like how you nail polish your eyelashes, mom"

2. This morning, MLK day-Mom and Dad are being SUPER lazy and lounging in bed as LONG as possible. He comes in (about the ninth time by now) and says "Can you get me some milk please?" mom kinda rolls over and mutters slightly coherently- "*SNORT* OK iwillinaminute" he waits a second and says "is a minute gonna be a long time then?"

3. AND today, I finally got my little man to get his haircut after about 6 weeks of fighting with him about it- and having daddy go for one helped too! Well, daddy gets to go first because he is bigger. Halfway through, Gibson tugs on my arm and says he wants to whisper a secret in my ear (something that bugs us since "secrets" can be anything as "alarming" as "i want a Megatron Transformer toy") but I indulged him today and leaned down. He whispers very sincerely "Daddy better not get too much hair cut off or he won't have any left." It completely CRACKED me up!!!

Daddy, however, was not impressed.

and as a two-fer- when Gibson finally started getting his haircut, great MASSIVE clumps of hair were falling to the floor, I took a pic on my cell and sent it to my friends and my BFF texted back "Holy crap. U raising Chewbacca?" so, yeah, mom of the year, here is the picture I sent out!

I will post another picture of my handsome boy post-haircut later!

Family Tree

I have been asked to do an activity station at a Primary Activity tomorrow and I chose to do something on the family since the theme is being a child of God and the Plan of Salvation. I searched the Internet and found some slimmer pickings of a family tree, so I kinda cobbled an idea together and thought I would put it here so you could use it too. Essentially, I took a picture of a bare tree (unfortunately it has some kind of distortion in the background and I used "Microsoft Paint" to erase some of the blips) and centered it and put "My Family Tree" under it, and then printed off a BUNCH of Maple leaves that the kids can color and put their and their family's names on, and then stick them on!

Have fun- maybe a good Sunday afternoon activity! I will try to post a picture of a finished one later if it works!!

Heff-en8or!

So anyone know who Hugh Hefner is? Yes, that one. well, we shut off something on our DVR last night and the channel was on Jimmy Kimmel. "the Heff" was on, not only becasue he is famous for Playboy and who knows what other "free speech", but he has the uber-reality show on right now about him living with his oh-so-realistic-bodied-bimbo wives- yes wives as he calls them- oh- THREE by the way. AND he is getting another game show type realizty show to audition for a few more. So we knew what was coming next, but just wanted to see if we were right and BINGO it happend.

Jimmy Kimmel (JK): So have you publically endorsed any of the candidates yet?
Hugh Hefner (HH): No, not really, i am following it though.
JK: Oh, well I would think that you would be behind Mitt Romney with the polygamy and stuff

(both chuckle ruefully and eventually discuss Hef doing a nude layout of Hillary *ack!*)

Ah- the butt of yet another joke. Lovin it!

all I can ask is: why?

Now I am not going to do this all the time- infact I don't try soap box often, but this editrial said something I have been thinking about alot and said it well. Think about what you have heard, and think about what you know of me- does it make sense to you? I don't represent my faith half as much as i should or am always THE BEST Christian, but I think it is obvious who's team I'm on....

Why is it still this way? Check out this editorial- so many of my non-Mormon friends have asked me "why does it matter so much?" or "why do people work so hard to hate you guys?" My thoughts exactly!!

Better duck — if you're a Mormon

By Doug Robinson
Deseret Morning News Published: Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 12:58 a.m. MST

I missed the memo that said it's A-OK to make disparaging and often erroneous statements about Mormons. Apparently, they are fair game. Sure, these are hypersensitive times, when name-calling or perceived bias against any group will get you the Don Imus treatment, but you get a free shot with Mormons. You can say what you want about them with impunity.

If you denigrate a racial group, you're racist. If you denigrate women, you're sexist. If you denigrate Mormons, you're hip. No one would openly suggest that you shouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton because a woman can't lead the country, especially an ornery one. Nobody would dare say that you shouldn't vote for Barack Hussein Obama because he's black, or of Muslim descent, or because he has a name that sounds like a terrorist. One Clinton worker even apologized for alluding to Obama's use of drugs as a youth, so apparently it's wrong to disparage former drug users, too. But nobody is shy about saying you shouldn't vote for Romney simply because he's a Mormon. It doesn't even register on the PC-O-Meter.

Just like that, 6 million Americans have been virtually disqualified from running for president. They've been rendered second-class citizens. They're foreigners living in America. They face a glass ceiling. How un-American is that? It would be one thing if most of those who oppose Romney did so because they disagreed with his politics or character. But Romney is one of the few candidates who has no character issues, a "squeaky clean" man who has a distinguished record of accomplishments, success and service, with no divorces, no affairs, no scandal. The only thing opponents can say about him is that he belongs to a church they don't understand. A Harvard law professor called Romney the most qualified of all the candidates and "the perfect candidate for this moment in time." But there is his Mormonism, he noted.

Even the self-styled PC chief of police, Al Sharpton, once jumped in on the action, saying, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways." Mormons don't believe in God? For his penance, all Sharpton had to do was endure a family home evening in Utah. It's open season on Mormons. A few days ago, Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard stated on ESPN and in the newspaper that part of the reason fired coach Cam Cameron failed was because he got stuck with a Mormon quarterback — not a rookie quarterback (which he is) but a Mormon quarterback. "And you'll have a hard time finding a leader anywhere in sports who was as unlucky this year as Cameron," Le Batard said, noting that because of injuries, Cameron was forced to play "a United Nations huddle of a Mormon quarterback, Mexican receiver, Samoan fullback and some guy named Lekekekkkkerkker." Now Mormons are foreigners? Ignorance makes no difference. You can say Mormons have four wives or that they aren't Christian, and no one cares. Imagine the uproar if Le Batard had written that the Dolphins suffered because they had to play a black quarterback for part of the season? Or a Catholic?

The Salt Lake Tribune has had a field day for more than a week since learning that Mike Leavitt and some of his like-minded cohorts met early in the morning to discuss Mormon theology and governance while he was Utah's governor. What if it had been a Bible study? Nobody seems to mind when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says his religion "defines me." Or when Obama says his church guides "my own values and my own beliefs." People worry that Romney will take his orders from his church leaders. They don't worry that Obama will take orders from his church, whose "10-point vision" includes two references to its "non-negotiable commitment to Africa," with no mention of America. Oh, and the church statement begins by noting on the Trinity United Church of Christ Web site, "We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black."

It's a different set of rules for some out there. You can print newspaper cartoons disparaging Mormons. You can harass their families as they walk to their biannual conference with all sorts of foul language. When someone commits a crime, you can note the criminal's religion, but only if he's Mormon. You can make them a one-liner on Leno. Good luck reconciling all this with the paranoid political correctness that's so in vogue. Meanwhile, the most politically correct presidential election field ever assembled — a woman, a black, a Mormon, a Baptist, etc. — has gone politically incorrect, but only when it comes to you know who.

Mega- tired.

So today was a big day! Gibson finally earned enough to get His Holiness, the Blessed Megatron.

For those who aren't aware, or don't know any 5 to 10 year old boys, pubescent geek-type males, or middle-aged geek-type gents (hello, my SPOUSE!), Megatron is a Transformer- no not just any Transformer, but apparently THE Transformer- the Arch Nemesis, his royal bad-ness- you know the kind that little boys quiver over... and of course the hero, the protaganist, Optimus Prime was brought along so that instant battle could insue as soon as Mega-baby was out of the wrapping!

We all went as a family with his money in a little gold box (transferred over from his rather large and impressive treasure chest that he uses as a bank, of course) and picked up said ROCKSTAR from our local Target. Luckily we got a cashier who put up with all my gushing, and picturing and learning- experiencing and played along. (I snagged a couple of their Eco-bag thingies- which the cashier kept trying to put in a plastic bag for me!! HELLOO!!!)

so here is my boy learning how to be a consumer with cash and not just, well, with consuming....

Then we made a night out of it and ate a Subway while Gibson alternatively trembled with joy/Shook with rage at the new plastic dinner guest who has two "plasma" projectile thingies I might add! Delaney blithely relished the distraction because it meant she could sneak more of Gibson's raisins and chips while he was preoccupied! Derick just wanted to go home and put everyone to bed (where he is already I might add!)

YAY!! RENEWAL!

I know I sound dramatic- but I love when I get a good haircut- and with Erica I have never had a bad one!! Here is the newer sleek 'do

and obviously some really dorky looking photographs of it.... (like the dirty mirror??!)

aw, Crap!

So yes I chose that word on purpose- and I realize it may offend a few- especially an old high school buddy that I found out reads my blog (Yes, JTS the PT, that apology was for you!) but it is relevant I promise!

So yesterday both kids were home because Gib was getting over a bug, and I though- I can put them down for a nap, do dishes and laundry while I watch this movie I got from the library that no one seems interested in. Well- Delaney was "struggling" to do her "business" (OK parents- we deal with this conversation topic ALL THE TIME!) so I was gonna giver her a few minutes, then get them both ready for nap and chill for a while. I was looking over the paper when Gib comes in the room and goes "what's that?" and there is this STUFF all over the ONLY carpeted room in the house- at first I thought it was just some smooshed cookies from earlier- but no- you guessed it- someone had a leaky diaper-then danced in it, and dragged it across the floor- I of course turn white and hiss "Where's Delaney?" and Gibson starts a giggly jig and gleeful chant of "follow the poop trail!! follow the poop trail!" I found the little stinker (literally) and had to plop her in the bath because she had nasty all over her! then I had to attack the not-so-nice-anyway-rug with Clorox wipes and pray I got it all!!

Needless to say I didn't finish the movie until today!
But I did get my haircut!

Night Visitor

Gibson at 1 month
So it is now 6 am on a Saturday after going to bed extremely late (or early, depending on your perspective) and Gib stumbles in (quite literally) at 5 am mumbling something about being alone. We sleep in a king size bed, and by the wee hours of the morning, we have moved to our separate sides, usually in tight little balls leaving a nice 3 1/2 feet "no man's land" in the middle. While this would be an excellent hidey-hole for a sweet, lanky five year old, it did not happen. Since he woke me up, my brain kicked in on all the things I could be doing- run (no, too early and dark *read dangerous*), work on the quiet books (church in the afternoon this year will be brutal!), Clean off the computer desk (creative minds are seldom tidy), or dining room table (read computer desk again) or try to go back to sleep with this sweet little body heater squished against me, sucking his thumb like Maggie SImpson (yes he still does it!!). I had pretty much decided on the latter after scooting him more toward the center of the bed, when in a perfect stage whisper he said " what time is infinity?" and kinda giggled. I rolled over to ask him again, only to realize he was dead asleep when he said it.

And then my brain went to that sweet story I heard once about a child asking his father how old God was, and the father answered that he should pray about it. The child came back a few minutes later and said "Daddy, how old is infinity?" Now, I don't know if Gibson was dreaming of that or if he was just musing on his precious numbers- for some reason five-year old's LOVE them and making up miraculously huge sounding numbers and using them for silly things such as "mommy, do you have 40-2-100-million-55-thousand-hundred- and -five minutes until you get me some water?", but it was sweet to think about how close our children are to sacred things sometimes. Our daughter's cheery, peaceful manner reminds us of this everyday, while the blustery five year old has some chunks of time where he doesn't. He is a gift from God that is true, and we are so blessed by how much both are flourishing & growing and that they are healthy and strong.

And on that line, we had a semi-Buddhist, very-skeptical-of-over-organized-Western-Religions friend with us in the car the other day, and my phone rang- now those of you who haven't called my cell wouldn't necessarily understand, but I now have "The Pirates Who don't do Anything" by the Veggie Tales as my ring tone AND on a wild hair, I got it as a RINGBACK tone- meaning that whenever someone calls me, instead of hearing ringing while they wait for me to pick up, they hear "The Pirates Who don't do Anything" by the VeggieTales. Many oftentimes I have answered my phone to either people laughing and singing along, or more commonly, "what the H*** was that?!". Well, my friend kinda said that in a manner of speaking (she was around both of my kiddos) and I started telling her how funny and cute the VeggieTales were, when from the back seat Gibson says "we like VeggieTales because they talk about God and Jesus". Now this is a very true statement, but I was shocked that he said it so plainly like that, and was just kind of astute to insert such a relevant piece of information about them into our conversation. Of course my friend looked Thunderstruck and cracked up immediately and i made some crack about him having a gun collection at home, too (once a Republican, I guess), but again, it made me see the simple sweetness of my son's testimony of truth.

And on that note- we saw the MOVIE "The Pirates Who don't do Anything" yesterday and enjoyed it immensely. Here's the NY Times Review (although the comments reviewing the review are more accurate) . While I didn't find as much "adult" humor in it as their videos have, it was still pretty silly and cute! Nor did it have a blatant 'faith' message, but it was certainly in there for those of us paying attention *read adults*. I encourage all parents and interested parties to flood the theatres so that Hollywood notices that clean, G films are NEEDED and DESIRED by this country! OK, enough soapboxing. but I thought I would share a little slice of my life (especially this early in the morning!)

Holi- Daze!

There was alot of things that happened in the last two months, so again I am playing catch-up!

We have lots of fun pictures of family and friends and of Christmas, so bear with me!!!

Here are the kids on Christmas morning! Laney was sleepy and kinda grumpy but she LOVED her Car- so did Gibson- as a stool- he also loved stealling it to terrorize his sister.

Here are some cuties- huh?? They are in a top bunk (yes dangerous!!!) we love this family! both of us moms feel we need to arrange a marriage between the two, but the dads roll their eyes and ignore us when we bring it up!

So one of my closest friends who is out of the country a good chunk of every year finally was in the US and came to visit and this is the ONLY picture we got! it was on my cell phone and it was 1 pm on New Year's day and we were still in our jammies! We didn't party too hard- just fondue and a movie with Derick (we watched Stardust again- Please go rent this movie, we got it for CHristmas and I LOOOVVVEE it!) Thanks for coming LAM- we just don't have too much photo proof of it!Here is our buddy on his birthday! It got a little crazy!!!

We headed to Judy (Derick's Step-mom) after New Year's and here is a picture of all of her grandkids! it is amazing how fast a family can grow, and how fast they grow up!!!

Here's "all us girls" with Judy (my sister in law [who's preggo with a girl!), her two daughters, and Judy in the middle).

Here's "Just us Girls" at my mother-in-law's!

Here's Derick's mom with her biggest wish from her Christmas list- someone tall dark and handsome- so my sister-in-law found this hilarious plaque that says " May all your wishes come true, especially the tall dark and handsome ones!" It was Perfect!!

Here is the whole Gang! After all the Christmas fun!

So now, we are all trying to get back on track. Supposedly, Ali and I are running a half in February and I am trying to get my running in- but there is a samll problem- I hate it and it makes me tired and feel lazy- but I have some great motivation- from the time I ran my last half and the day after CHristmas, I gained back 8 1/2 inches. THAT tends to humble a person and get their buns back on track! and attempt to get them in shape!
While the last two days have been stunningly beautiful with record high temperatures, teh last week was frigid- here is a picture of me getting ready to go out in it to run!

So with this wave- Goodbye for now!

Leave plenty of comments so I feel cool!