JH Roneys

hidden talents

2012-01-10T19:52:00.001-08:00

One Saturday, the girls had pulled the nail polish out and were going to town. Someone decided to give it a whirl as well. It was so funny because he was seriously getting so into it. Can you see the concentration on his face?

He did a "french manicure" his way.

The final results!
Does your man have a hidden talent?

Our visit to Temple Square

2011-12-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas, Kirk and I and Maya and Sage headed down to Utah for my nephew, Braedon's wedding. We stopped in Salt Lake to see Kara and to enjoy the lights on Temple Square. Here we are walking to Temple Square from Kara's apartment just behind the conference center. It had been several years since I had seen the lights. It was an awesome way to begin the week before Christmas.

Every 2 weeks...

2011-12-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

Every 2 weeks we see the doctor about Sage's arm. She had this splint on after surgery for 2 weeks. It was VERY heavy and cumbersome.

Then we moved on to a fiberglass cast. MUCH lighter to carry around, but still on the awkward side. (especially trying to get dressed--it really limited her wardrobe!)

Then we graduated to a removable splint, so she could start a little bit of therapy. It took two of us to take this sucker off...not including Sage!

After our doctor visit today, we were ordered to take off the removable splint and start hard and heavy into physical therapy. Here's Sage a couple of days ago with her therapist. We are SO lucky to have an incredible hand therapy office in Jackson!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

We had SO much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving day! The table was set...

....the pilgrims and indians were invited (thanks to Orson Gygi!)

...we invited these "guys"....looks like their truck barely made it!

...we gathered our family and friends for a sumptuous feast...

...played quite a few rounds of Guesstures...looks like Maya is getting help from Elder Chivers

...and yes, I'm very grateful for this guy!!

I hope your holiday was filled with lots of love and gratitude!

a picture says a thousand words

2011-11-24T17:18:00.001-08:00

Sage right after surgery

she had this lovely road rash thing...she can't remember how she got it (she wasn't wearing a harness seat belt...only a lap belt)

this was pure joy--respiratory therapy...NOT!

Nazi nurses taking her on a walk...you have to appreciate nurses--tough love makes you get better faster!

time to go home and no clothes that fit! i had to scrounge for a top for her to wear home!

Families are forever!! this picture was taken the weekend she got home

group shot of all the girls two weeks after the accident--aren't they beautiful?

Nothing short of a miracle

2011-11-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

We've experienced a miracle in our family. Pure and simple. God lives and has preserved the life of half of our family. The links below are two news articles that will enlighten you concerning our circumstances.

http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=7919

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/61662/Accident-victims-count-their-many-blessings.html

Sage came home from the hospital on 11-11-11. We are grateful and overwhelmed by everyone's kindness towards our family.

Sage turns 14!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-04T15:20:00.001-07:00

It's SO unbelievable that Sage is now 14!!! She is my baby...she needs to stay tiny. (well, she is on the tiny side for her age!) We celebrated with friends and family. She wanted an ice cream cake...literally, no cake...just ice cream. So that's what she got-a block of ice cream that I frosted with some whipped cream! She was thrilled! (check out how the candle flames frame her eyes!)

Blowing out one more candle each year is starting to get a little bit harder.

Favorite gift...yeah, she's wearing it! Given to her by good friends Katherine and Mary Katherine.

I'm sure Sloane picked out this cute dress from her and Ty!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sagee, Yellow Hair, Tiny Baby, Schlage!!! We love you.

a little bit of this and that...

2011-10-24T09:16:00.001-07:00

This post will be just that...a little bit of this and a little bit of that! During homecoming week, the girls were busy dressing up "according to the day"...this day was jocks and geeks. Guess I have a bunch of geeks in my house! (Maya and Mary Katherine)

Then there was pajama day and the onesies were in big demand. Here's Maya, Mary Katherine and Sky.

Sage runs cross country and loves it. She won this medal in the Wyoming Indian Invitational in Ethete, WY.

Mari asked Kirk to paint a picture for their apartment, so here he is getting his creative juices flowing.

Sunrise in Wyoming with Sleeping Indian in the background. I must tell you that I get some INCREDIBLE sunrises. It seems the longer you wait the more colorful it is. So beautiful!

In Memory of Simba 2007-2011

2011-10-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

We've had a tragedy befall our "beloved" cat, Simba. He was eaten by something while he was outside. We don't know exactly what got him, but he definitely know that he is no longer. We found parts of him out in a corner of our croquet court. (if you're that interested, talk to Maya...she took a picture of what was left....I find it too graphic to post...sorry) Yes, we've had a bear in the yard, but I doubt it was a bear that did Simba in; I'm guessing a coyote or a pack of them. Simba loved to go outside exploring. We used to put him on a leash when we first began taking him outside. He had graduated into going out alone this past summer. He enjoyed his freedom to wonder around and take in the sights, sounds and smells. When he was ready to come inside, he would patiently wait by one of our many outside doors. That is, until that fateful day when Kirk went outside to call him to come inside. He came when Kirk called him but was not interested in coming inside at the time, so Kirk let him stay outside longer. That was the last time Kirk or anyone for that matter saw him alive.

Simba was REALLY a Christmas present for Sage. This is a photo of when she first got him. He was just a tiny thing.

Here's another "young" photo of him.

This is Simba's FAVORITE thing to do. He loves to be carried by Kirk over his shoulder around the house. Kirk loved this cat and this cat loved Kirk. He had a special spot in Kirk's office and many times just sat on his lap while he worked at his desk.

Sage is the only other person in the house that could snuggle with Simba.

This is probably the last photo of Simba that we took around 3 weeks before his demise.
Bye Simba....you will be missed....R.I.P.

Once upon a time....

2011-10-03T10:22:00.001-07:00

there was a "little one" who celebrated her 24th birthday...

the decorations were all put up and just screaming "let's party!"

...all the fairys were invited...

...these 2 fairys were the masterminds of the event....

...the purple fairy spared no expense to come...

...the green and silver fairys flew all the way from Utah to surprise the "little one" on her big day !

...OK, I know you're all dying for a "close-up" of silver fairy!

...the fairys made a special cake for "little one"...(OK, I admit we ALL know she doesn't like cake...but "little one's" Mom does!)

"Little one" needed some help to blow out 24 candles! Good thing purple fairy and orange fairy were close by to lend some wind!

"Little one" got some sweet gifts---I think this was one of her most favorite ones!
...and everything happened happily ever after!!!

When the colors start to change

2011-09-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

you know it's time to do some canning! I did some salsa a few weeks ago. Then I put up pears.

My parents came to visit this past week and brought me some grapes and we made 24 qts of grape juice...yum!

...just thought you'd like to see another member of my menagerie...this moose was relaxing in the shade!

Best Buddies

2011-09-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is Lea and her good friend Zac. They went to the prom together several years ago when they were both still in high school. She hasn't seen a lot of him since high school, just around town here and there.

I was talking to Lea's case manager, who also happens to be Zac's as well and she mentioned that Zac wanted to see Lea more often. She suggested to Zac that he set up a weekly lunch date on Mondays. As you can see, it was a successful Monday! (I wonder if they talked and coordinated their shirts?)

what they do

2011-09-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here are just some things that my kids are into "doing". Here's Ty after he finished the bike race LOTOJA. For those of you who don't know what LOTOJA is, it's a bike race from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. Yep, 206 miles of a lot of fun? Ty raced with a relay team, so he didn't ride all 206 miles himself. (but a lot of people DO ride all of it!) His leg was from Alpine, Wy to the finish line, which was conveniently at the road to my house. I had someone snap this photo right after he'd gotten off is bike!

I only have one swimmer this year...Miss Sky. Here she is at the most recent swim meet doing the breast stroke. I apologize for the poor photo with parts of the diving platform in it....but I got Sky swimming!

they adore him

2011-09-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Little boys just ADORE Kirk! These two little guys were over at the house being "babysat" by one of the girls. James and Jackson are so into "Kirky" that they followed him up to our bedroom. Kirk was just coming up to watch TV and so the little guys made themselves at home....yeah, they fell sound asleep.

This little guy is Carson and he loves to follow Kirk around as well. I saw Kirk jumping on the trampoline with him and ran to get my camera. Turns out, he was teaching Carson how to do a drop sit. It was adorable watching Carson trying to do what Kirk was trying to teach him. I love this photo where Carson makes sure that he faces the same way that Kirk is facing.

more....visits

2011-09-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, our friendly bear made a few more visits. After the first time seeing him, I just dismissed that fact that I would EVER see him again...oh no, I guess I have the best berries around! Visit #2 happened on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Kirk, Maya, Sage and I were sitting outside on the back patio....thank goodness Sage was facing the mountain...cuz Mr. Bear was coming up the walkway and was really close to Kirk's feet! She said "BEAR" and we knew what that meant! When we hustled to get back in the house, he hustled away as well. A bit later, I caught him eating berries on the grass outside of my office window.

Visit #3 unfortunately I do not have a picture of him. But we again "caught" him eating berries off the path to our big grassy field. Kirk and I were "sort of" watching him since there is so much brush in the area. We could definately hear him as he shuffled around gathering berries to eat. I was getting a bit impatient at Kirk...and so I raised my voice a bit and then all of a sudden I heard major movement that I thought was FOR SURE coming towards me. EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF! I ran like the able track star I am (NOT) to the house. All the hurried movement was the bear going UP a pine tree! I wished I could have gotten pictures of the bear in the tree, but Lea was waiting for me in the car to take her to work! You all have vivid imaginations, I'm sure you got the picture?

This visitor is welcome.....anytime!

"Beary Scary"

2011-08-31T09:24:00.001-07:00

This brazen black bear decided to make a visit to the Roney household yesterday. When I first noticed him he was outside my office window on the back patio. I was FREAKED OUT because I had JUST read an article in our daily newspaper about a hiker who was killed by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone. So, after my initial scare, I grabbed my camera. He was constantly on the move, not too fast, but he never stayed in one place but a few seconds.

He decided to head up this aspen tree....there is a bird feeder out on it's limb, but he never even swatted at it or try to go out on the limb...guess he figured he was too big to try.

After coming down out of the tree, he was checking out the yard for more treats...we've got tons of berries in our bushes all over the area he was scouting around. I eventually lost track of the bear and hoped that he would find greener pastures elsewhere.

I'm back!!!!! The bear makes another appearance on the other side of the house several hours later. Here, Kirk is demonstrating WHAT NOT TO DO!

Salt Lake City

2011-08-25T17:00:00.001-07:00

On our way home from Lake Tahoe, we decided to make a stop in Salt Lake City so I could investigate some shops for shoes for Miss Lea. We stayed in downtown Salt Lake where we could walk to Temple Square. The flowers were GORGEOUS!

I'm sure Kirk and I have this exact picture from 26 yrs ago!

Ok--so Kara wanted to pull Lea up the stairs and have her touching the doorknob of the temple....this is as far as we got! Lea is a good sport.

I checked out this shop in Bountiful and this shoe was displayed! Amazing yeah? It's a 32 DD!

And here we go playing around with Lea again...we just couldn't resist putting her in this sculpture in downtown Salt Lake!

Week 4: Lake Tahoe

2011-08-19T17:59:00.001-07:00

Week 4 was spent in Lake Tahoe! We stayed on the California side at the Resort at Squaw Valley. This area was made famous for having the 1960 Winter Olympics. I've also heard that this was the first televised Olympics.

As if we couldn't get enough beach time, we headed over to Sandy Harbor State Beach. This wonderful "sandy" beach is on the Nevada side of the lake.

The temperature was wonderfully hot and then you could cool off in the very cool Lake Tahoe. I could've stayed at this beach all day. It was SO pleasant.

Being at a ski resort, we had to take a gondola ride up to High Camp.

Imagine my surprise to find a swimming pool up here! I wished I'd a brought my swimsuit!

It also had an ice rink in the winter and a roller rink in the summer!

Then we went out on the lake on this little number--the Tahoe Gal. We went on a 3-1/2 hour lunch cruise around the lake. It was GORGEOUS!

And of course, we just had to buy the photo they took of us! (sorry--it's so much better, but I took a picture of the photo!)

There was a ceramic painting store at the village at Squaw and we all got our creative juices flowing...even Kirk participated! We were all wondering how his splattering effect was going to turn out.

It turned out AWESOME! And yes, it will grace my countertop at home!

Maya could have LIVED at this place...she totally got into designing and creating a one of a kind bowl.

Here's her bowl with a mug she also painted.

On our last day in Tahoe, the girls went parasailing! Sage said it was the funnest thing that she has ever done! I didn't get very good pictures cuz the boat was cruising so far out on the lake.
And then we came home.....ahhhh.

Week 4: Guess where?

2011-08-15T08:22:00.001-07:00

August Celebrations

2011-08-13T10:30:00.001-07:00

As you can see we have quite a few things in August to celebrate. Besides Ty's birthday on the 1st, Kirk and I celebrate our anniversary on the 8th. Twenty-six years!!!

Kirk surprised me with my "own" MacBook Air...and himself with an I-pad 2!

And these two cute-patooties celebrate their 17th birthday on August 11th! Happy Birthday Star and Sky!

Week 3......CAY*MAN

2011-08-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

Week 3 of our nomad life found us traveling to Cayman for our annual Roney family reunion. It's SO much fun to travel all together as a family. Sitting on the floor of the plane and playing cards with a group of cousins is a ton of fun.

Somebody had a birthday while we were in Cayman. Happy 25th Birthday Ty Kekauoha Roney!

Lea had a BLAST playing in the pool with her newest sister, Sloane and brother Ty.

The sunsets were stellar...

Mom and some girls enjoying this sunset.

Cousins came to play with us and hang out...here's Jarom at his best!

We all did a lot of reading in Cayman. I actually read 3 books while there! (A Stolen Life, Joy for Beginners and The Hiding Place)

Miss Lea sure enjoyed her music

and some of us enjoyed taking naps!

Ty had a great time sharing Cayman with his new wife, Sloane. Here he shows her a cool red starfish.

A family photo on our last night in Cayman.
Bye Cayman....see u soon!

Week 2 in Encinitas

2011-08-02T18:03:00.001-07:00

So, now we'll let you know what we did the 2nd week in Encinitas. This is the beach we went to pretty much everyday. It was called Stonesteps Beach.

And here's why it's called stonesteps beach....here's the view from the beach looking up to the road!

And here's the view looking down to the beach! There are 127 steps total...what a workout!

Went to Balboa Park one day to go to the IMAX theater. Here is a cool building in Balboa Park.

The IMAX theater is housed in the Reuben J. Fleet Science Center and after the movie "Born to be Wild", we explored all the fun, interactive exhibits.

Mari and Maya were "torturing"...oops, I mean helping Lea with a cool aging exhibit.

Maya checking out an exhibit.

As we would be out on our back deck, we would always see flocks of pelicans fly overhead....and sometimes, they would be rather close overhead.

Just couldn't get enough of these astounding sunsets--just gorgeous!

Kirk and I also made the drive to Newport Beach to go to the temple with our good friend Justine. (San Diego had just closed for their 2 week cleaning)

Our good friend from San Francisco, Mary Katharine flew down to play with us for a couple of days.

Here's the girls playing in the surf.

Here's Kirk and me with a good friend we met while Kirk and her husband (ex-husband now) were getting treatment in Loma Linda. It was fun to reconnect with her.
Stay tuned for week 3 of being a nomad! (Ok, I"ll give you a hint...it's VERY HOT where we are now!)

San Diego Fun

2011-07-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

We've been loving our stay here in sunny southern California! Who can come to San Diego and not visit Old Town! We ALWAYS go to Old Town to eat great Mexican food. We met up with Teralyn to have a wonderful lunch in Old Town at a very local place called Old Town Mexican Cafe. It was authentic and delicious! Here's the gals making handmade tortillas that get delivered to your table hot with butter! Yum.

We also went and visited the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center here in Old Town in San Diego. We've taken the kids there several years ago, but they recently renovated the visitor's center and it is GORGEOUS and very "disney-ish". There was a lot of money put into this renovation!

I got Star and SKy to jump in the covered wagon for a quick photo.

At the end of the "journey" in the Visitor's Center, you can have your photo taken and it comes out looking old-timey and you can then get a photo right then and there and also you can email a picture to yourself.

We also discovered the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition was going on at Imperial Beach here in San Diego. We went on a Saturday where it was the beginning of the competition. There was a street fair going on and also a children's competition. The BIG competition didn't begin until Sunday, but here was a guy working on a welcoming piece for the competition.

Here's a picture of Imperial Beach on a Saturday...crazy, huh?

And yes, this is the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. No, we don't dare go to Mexico, but there is a great outlet mall on the border called Las Americas Premium Outlet that we have been to before and the girls wanted to revisit.

...and the adventure continues...

2011-07-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

We are having a BLAST here at the beach. Here's Mari and Lea enjoying some sun.

Here is our "entertainment" while we are at the beach. We watch all the kids in junior lifeguard camps run up and down the beach. They've got different age groups and the little junior lifeguard kids are a lot of fun to watch.

We also went to the San Diego Temple or the "ice castle" as it is commonly known by the locals here in San Diego.

We also visited the San Diego Botanical Park here in Encinitas. Since it was a bit inland, it was rather hot and we couldn't wait to get back to the ocean.

The Adventure Begins...

2011-07-24T20:22:00.001-07:00

Our month long adventure has begun! We got the TV working in "Black Sabbath" so the girls were able to watch movies and play the Wii. This kept them entertained for the long car ride. From Jackson, we drove to Utah and saw both newlyweds and Grandma and Grandpa. Then the next day we headed to Las Vegas and stayed in "old" Vegas down on Fremont Street. It was fun to people watch. Then the next day, we headed to California where we had rented a beach house in Encinitas.

We arrived at the beach house only to find out it was a condo. After spending days cleaning our house in Jackson to a certain standard the girls were appalled at the state of the condo. It was gross. Maya just couldn't help herself as I found her wiping the fridge down! And yes, we called the company and they sent over cleaners to clean!
Here's the view from our condo--on the beach!

We've been BUS*Y....!!!!!

2011-07-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

YES...we've been VERY busy cleaning out our closets for our upcoming month rental! Not only have we been cleaning out our personal belongings, but we've also been cleaning up a storm. I'm glad we have all these girls, because they are some really good workers and they know how to clean. It's been all consuming this week and it's only Wednesday!

We've also been packing for our month long vacation. This has been interesting, just trying to figure out what you'll need when you don't really know what you'll be doing? Two things are making it into the suitcase for sure...church clothes and swimsuits.

Everything else gets packed into a box and labeled and put away in the basement. It's been good to go through EVERYTHING and purge...some people are better than others at this task!

And SOME people ( we won't name names...) are not even fazed in the least and go about doing whatever pleases them--like her i-phone and her laptop!

Recovery

2011-07-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

We've been recovering from the recent rash of weddings in our family by enjoying our beautiful yard. It is just relaxing to sit outside and enjoy the surroundings.

We've also had a few "uninvited guests" come and visit as well.

He's married !!!

2011-07-02T09:55:00.001-07:00

June 30th was the BIG day for these two in the Rexburg, Idaho Temple.

SO happy and adorable, don't u think?

there was no shortage of sisters to join in the celebration outside the Rexburg Temple

Ty is all smiles...with his beautiful bride by his side!

She's married!!!!!

2011-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Kara and Taylor were sealed on June 17th in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful day and everything was just wonderful. Here's the happy couple emerging from the temple.

Kara and all her sisters as bridesmaids! Aren't they darling?

the beautiful bride!

June is gonna be....WONDERFUL and CRAZY

2011-06-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, by now you all know that we have TWO weddings happening in our family in June....Kara and Taylor on June 17th and Sloane and Ty on June 30th. We are just THRILLED to be adding another daughter AND another son (Kirk and Ty won't be in the minority around here!).

But I must admit some days I feel like this! Completely overwhelmed!!! Thanks to wonderful family and good friends, my burden is light!

IT'S A GO.......

2011-05-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Prom 2011

2011-05-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Prom was on Saturday night and a couple of girlies from here got to attend. The first contestant was Star and her date Stephan. They both returned from a track meet at 6 pm and I brought them back to the house to get ready. Our house was full of a bunch of girls getting ready in Maya's room. It was a lot of fun. Then Star's room was full of girls getting ready too.

Contestant #2--Sky...alas...she could not go to prom because either you or your date have to be either a junior of a senior and she and her "friend" are only sophomores. And yes...they just got back from the track meet by the looks of them. But don't fret contestant #2--next year you'll be a junior!

Contestant #3...Maya and her date Lucas. She doesn't participate in track and had ALL day to primp and get ready with her gal pals.

Contestant #3 and her posse get a group picture before the rain tumbles from on high.

daddy-daughter picture....ahhhh

our little discus thrower...

2011-05-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Star and Sky participating in track this spring. It is an interesting concept. They aren't runners. Somehow Sky is throwing discus. I know...funny thought...since she is a featherweight compared to all the other girls! Anyway, sorry you have to see her "through a net" but believe me after watching a few girls throw....you want as much protection from them as possible!

Ahhhhh.......

2011-05-05T08:37:00.001-07:00

Lea with "Silverwings"....so cute...need I say more?

MEX*ICO.......Ole

2011-04-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Mari is off to Merida, Mexico for BYU Study Abroad. Merida is in the Yucatan and is 4 hours from Cancun. She will be doing spring semester going to a university in Merida and living with a local family. I've already received an email from her saying how HOT it is there. She said it's like Cayman in the summer....HOT and MUGGY. Unfortunately she can't go to class in a swimsuit...bummer. She is linguistically gifted and this study abroad will give her the confidence she needs to speak spanish. Ole...

the joys of traveling...

2011-04-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Air travel used to be simple. I understand when the weather is bad and you can't fly. I understand spring break....cuz we were just enjoying ours in Cayman. We had MAJOR difficulty getting home. Everything collided into what would be considered "the perfect storm". On our flight from Cayman to JFK, we had to do several "holding patterns" over the Atlantic because the weather was un-landable in JFK. We didn't experience any turbulence because we stayed out of the mess. But we did have a few other issues come up. First, we needed fuel and second,our plane crew"s work day was soon expiring. Two things that are huge in air travel. So Boston was kind and took us in--first sitting on the tarmac for an unmentionable amount of time and then making it difficult to leave. Delta was VERY accommodating and found us hotel rooms 45 minutes out of the city. Why? um...something called the Boston Marathon! The next morning back at the airport, the red coat Delta team worked very hard for 1.5 hours trying to get us home. It basically went something like this..."being a platinum medallion should count for something"...and so that is how we got seats on an oversold and overbooked direct flight to Salt Lake City. Once we landed in Salt Lake City, we had been deemed "Delta Distress". We had a car come and take us to the Radisson Hotel in downtown Salt Lake and food vouchers to boot. Back at the airport the next morning, the Delta folks just couldn't apologize enough (hey, how about a free round trip ticket to Cayman?). After Krispy Kreme doughnuts, we were ready to board our plane to Jackson....arriving just one day later than we should have!

We did a lot of waiting around...thank goodness for i-pods and we caught up on some much needed sleep.

Hooray for Crowne Rooms where we can get snacks and take a cat-nap!

saying goodbye

2011-04-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

On our last evening in Cayman, we rode our bikes out to Starfish Point to watch the sunset. No matter how many times we have done this it is still magical and special.

Kirk and Melanie

Maya and Sage

my studmuffin
bye Cayman....see ya in August!

BIRTHDAYS

2011-04-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

MAYA turned "Sweet Sixteen" on April 15th !!!

we are usually in Cayman for spring break when her birthday rolls around...

we made this fun pirate cake to celebrate the birthdays...

three Roney cousins celebrated their birthdays together...Brolin turned 13 on April 13th, Maya turned "sweet sixteen" on April 15th and Avery celebrated "sweet sixteen" on April 17th....HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUSINS!

no party is complete until everyone is sporting a moustache!!

here are the proud daddies singing to their kids...

ahoy maties....cute little pinata that we broke on the beach

Discovery Cove

2011-04-16T04:47:00.001-07:00

My nephew Brolin turned 13 on April 13th...his GOLDEN birthday. For his birthday, he went and had a dolphin experience at Discovery Cove here in Cayman. We boated across the sound to Discovery Cove and shared in Brolin's experience.

there was also a "jungle path" with exotic birds in the trees

my nephew Avery was the bird guy

we watched one of the trainers work with the dolphins

this was part of the experience...Brolin was too far away from us to get any real photos of him interacting with the dolphins...but if you want to see some SWEET pics of Brolin with the dolphins just check out fb
Happy Birthday Brolin...thanks for letting us share in your once in a lifetime birthday experience!!!

Private Party

2011-04-15T17:41:00.001-07:00

The other day we decided to go and watch the sunset out on the water in the boat. Once we got out of our bay, we decided we'd go over to Stingray City and watch it from there. It was AWESOME as we were the only people out there to party with the stingrays.

all the kids had a great time stroking them as they all came over to get some food...but alas, we brought no food...but it still didn't stop them from checking us out

and yes...the sunset was GORGEOUS

Cousins + Cayman= FUN

2011-04-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

it's amazing how entertaining a simple beach ball can be

this wasn't the smartest idea to shove a billion cousins in a kayak....

but it sure was fun to watch them all dump out !

I'm not sure why they all thought this was so fun...I think they were comparing their tans

and of course...the lovely (and handsome) contestants!
WE LOVE CAYMAN!!!!

Camana Bay

2011-04-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

The other day, we took the girls to Camana Bay by boat. Camana Bay is an all enclosed little community where you can live, work and play. There are businesses, shops, restaurants and living space. They also have the nicest movie theater on the island. While boating through the canal we saw several iguanas perched in the foliage.

There was an international squash tournament being put on at Camana Bay. They had erected a glass squash court with stadium seating on three sides. We actually saw some of the players practicing while we were there. What is squash? Well...to me it looks like some sort of version of racquetball.

We wanted to show the girls the tower at Camana Bay. It's four stories high and we had the girls walk all the way to the top. On the walls of the tower, there is an INCREDIBLE mosiac of underwater life. It is mind boggling to think someone put all these teeny-tiny tiles on this huge space. If you ever go to Camana Bay...you MUST go and see this!

After discovering the Lily Pulitzer store, we had to stop for photos right outside in their cute patio furniture!

good news

2011-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

wanna guess?

the job

2011-04-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Kirk has been busy trimming in the garden since we got to Cayman. The job was to pull all the trimmings to the lot next door and put them in a pile. Looks like the trimmings were some fun toys for these girls!

AHHHHHHHH..........

2011-04-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

no socks, no shoes...sand beneath my toes...must be Cayman! you betcha!

and loads of BEAUTIFUL sunsets...another day in paradise
hope you're enjoying a wonderful spring break too!

just waiting for spring

2011-03-16T13:10:00.001-07:00

I'm tired of all this SNOW.....

I just want it to GO AWAY...

thank goodness for ACS(American Cancer Society) daffodils to brighten my day!

Everybody has one...

2011-03-10T09:20:00.001-08:00

yep, that's right....I'm talking about a HERO. My heros are those people that inspire me to be a better person. Yes, I'm probably talking about YOU as well. My life is filled with people that are kind and generous and just want to make the world a better place. Here are just two heros that have been influential to Lea. This is Dave Braithwaite, Lea's physical therapist since she was a baby. He was instrumental in about EVERY milestone in Lea's life....from sitting up when she was 2 years old....to eventually walking when she was @ 6 yrs old. Lea loved to work with Dave and always gave him her all. She always wanted to work hard just for Dave!

Isn't this just the sweetest look on Lea's face...she's thinking...hey, I can do this walking thing!

This is Lea's 1st grade teacher at Canyon Crest Elementary...Miss Cannon. She LOVED having Lea in her class and made sure that she treated Lea "just like everybody else". Lea blossomed in Miss Cannon's class and made tons of friends.
SO, who are your heros?

Melanie's weekend

2011-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

I left Jackson this weekend to attend the wedding of my niece Kourtney down in southern Utah. My sister Val and I chauffeured our parents. We spent Friday night right outside the Ponderosa Ranch down by Orderville, Utah. My father, who is a national park groupie wanted to take the "scenic" route through Zion National Park. And being the dutiful daughters we are, we agreed and went the long way. My dad had a lot of memories of working at Zion's when he was 18, 19 and 20 yrs old. (btw...Dad turned 80 in Nov) It was a beautiful time of day as we drove through this magestic landscape.

The next morning, we headed back through Zion's again to go to the St. George Temple. This magnificent temple is just blindingly WHITE! It was amazing to me to see palm trees on the temple grounds. The weather was incredible and I can totally understand why so many people want to retire or snowbird in this area.

Here's me and Kourtney's friend just waiting for the bride and groom....and yes, enjoying the warm sun!

Announcing....Mr. and Mrs. Jake Millard !!! check out cute little Kourtney's shoes...they match her hubbies!

FAMILY....it's what it's all about. Here's my brother Keith and his entire family with spouses and his first grandchild, Addison.

GUESS where I went?

2011-03-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

HAWAII!!!!! Went to Maui and stayed at the Grand Wailea with the JAZZ 100 club (thanks Nedra and Rob!)

We went to the whale festival on Saturday and had some great people watching...check out this guy and his dreds! This place was full of hippies....so fun to see.

The Grand Wailea is such a beautiful hotel...we had stayed here about 20 years ago and it's still incredibly gorgeous. Here's a view looking into the Botero bar. There is 30 million dollars worth of original art here in this hotel; all these Botero sculptures are very fun.

Here's the Botero we passed by everyday to go to breakfast or the beach...kinda reminds me of someone....

My favorite sculpture of all....hula men...saw them everytime I used the elevator to go to my room.

These dolphins greeted you as you went to the "adult" pool.

Nedra and Rob arranged a whale watching expedition on a cool yacht--here's the boys Derek, Kirk and Brooke just taking it easy checking out all the action.

some of us were just messing around....

I apologize for the lousy pictures, but all I had was my little point and shoot and when you zoom SO much it gets blurry...but here was a whale breeching....so awesome to see.

saw a lot of these!!!

this cute chapel is on the grounds of the Grand Wailea....even saw a bride head in there one afternoon

our view when we ate breakfast--isn't it gorgeous?
I hope I made you all absolutely JEALOUS with these pictures....it was such a treat to head out of Jackson and all the cold and snow...thanks again Nedra and Rob!

Winter Ball

2011-02-28T10:41:00.001-08:00

Oh yes, the BIG dance was finally here and I had a couple of 16 yr olds just itching to go! Winter Ball is a girl ask guy kind of dance...and you can better believe that my twins understood that concept VERY well. Once the date of Winter Ball was set, they were ready to ask out their dates. Here they are all ready to go.

Shelley and Star ended up accompanying one another because Star's date got stranded in Salt Lake and Shelley's just up and ditched her! (bad boy...it'll come back to him!)

Sky and her date Harrison

the protector

2011-02-26T14:45:00.001-08:00

the other day I found Kirk "lounging" in the sun with his protector watching over him

and then the protector decided he wanted to play...he'd pull on his arm and bite his hair
good thing the protector doesn't like me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is the beautiful sunrise I was treated to this Valentine's morning.

EVERY year we have a very special Valentine's dinner complete with a small gift for everyone. On the menu this year was teriyaki filet mignon, garlic shrimp and sticky rice, hot crashed potatoes, broccoli, zucchini and onion saute and a special valentine jello for Lea. Dessert was russian cream with strawberries.

Can I open it?????

Star and Lea checking out their gifts.

Ohhhhh...check out what I got!!!!

Me and my eternal valentine....love you baby always and forever.

the "brown" invasion

2011-02-14T13:42:00.001-08:00

Mari and her friends came up for a visit this weekend. Naturally, it was a "brown" invasion. So fun, tho! No visit is ever complete until you have your photo taken in front of the elk arch on town square. Notice the bruddah wearing his "slippers"...does he think he's still in Hawaii?

Playing aggravation with Lea is a must!!

I cooked up a storm this weekend...we made all the favorites for Mari and her gang. We also HAD to get into the Valentine's Day spirit and try these DELICIOUS cupcakes. There's a special treat in each cupcake...a Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle!

We decorated sugar cookies for Valentine's Day....don't think this one Eric made was for me!

Andrew gave the girls guitar lessons...Maya's been dying to do this.

The brown invasion after church...guess Andrew couldn't wait for dinner and was trying to down a banana in the middle of the picture taking!

Happy Birthday to...

2011-02-08T12:08:00.001-08:00

sweet Weldon! We spent last night at the nursing home giving this "youngster" a surprise birthday party. It was pretty fun and entertaining. Guess how old Weldon is? 95 years! He is amazing...sharp as a tack I tell you...he's just got an OLD body.

He especially likes girls, so we brought him a bundle of them...along with the young man in the back of the photo!
You can thank the blue icing on his cake for his cute little blue smile!

For reals

2011-02-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

yep, check out the temperature in my car this morning as I gave Sage a ride to the bus stop!
One would wonder why they don't close the schools when it is this cold...well, this is the rule...if the busses start up in the morning, then we go to school! I've lived here for almost 14 yrs and in all that time, a bus has never failed to start. I wish every other thing in life could be so dependable! Stay warm everybody!!

I suck at this...

2011-01-26T18:43:00.001-08:00

Yes, I suck at giving blood. I had to have a blood draw this morning. I knew in advance that I was going to have to do this and so I made sure that I was PLENTY hydrated. You know plump, juicy veins. I do have a problem which is that I have those horrible veins that don't want to stay put. Yep, got those rolly veins. After two attempts at two different veins in my arm, I finally said, "go for the hand". For some reason this always shocks the person trying to draw my blood. They hem and haw and finally they concede. And yes, it works..everytime.

Only Sage could pull this off...

2011-01-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here she is at @ age 5 being a flower girl in my niece Britnee's wedding...(isn't she adorable?)

And now at 13 yrs old wearing the SAME dress! This dress is a size 4...yes, really.
I found it during the "new year" clean up and Sage just had to try it on. Yes, it even buttoned up the back with minimal pulling. It has now found a home with a true 5 yr old!

One year ago....

2011-01-17T11:58:00.001-08:00

we packed up our bags and left the world behind...

to enjoy 3 months of incredible family time by beautiful, blue, warm water

and absolutely delicious sunsets!

Life in our house this week

2011-01-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

This is what we saw a lot of this week....grey skies...ugh! It gets old after a while...you know what I mean!

I spent 5 days going through every nook and cranny in my office trying to get rid of clutter and stuff. We've lived in this home for 10 years and after a while, you don't know what you have! I decided to pass along to others things that I no longer needed/wanted in hopes of it finding a good home. My family took bags of "goodies" to church on Sunday to distribute to people that I thought would give these items a good home. What you see in this picture has a future date with D.I.!

And this little gal got a new hairstyle! Well, basically all her hair got cut off! We are still messing around with different ways to style it. Lea is pretty easy going about her hair, so that's nice!

Request Granted

2011-01-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ty and Sloane

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T07:19:00.001-08:00

We didn't make any plans for New Year's Eve, rather we stayed at home and created our own fun. First off, we watched the torchlight parade (from inside my house...it was rather cold to be outside!) at the Jacksonhole Moutain Resort. People carry torches with flares on both sides and meander down the mountain. It's a cool thing to watch.

Then the ski resort lit some fireworks--I managed about a minute outside to get a few pictures.

Earlier in the day, I was de-cluttering my office and found a whole canister of glow necklaces. These provided several hours of entertainment. From the decorating one's body to all the cool things they could do with them. There are 5 girls in this shot...can you figure out which one is Lea?

We ended up in the theater in the pitch dark to get these cool pictures.

Then it was back upstairs to do more Just Dance 2...Lea really loves to do this...who would have thought?

The ideas kept getting crazier the later the night became...

Happy New Year from our home to yours!
Hope 2011 brings good things to you all!

Dance 2

2011-01-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

We got Dance 2 for the Wii for Christmas and it was a BIG hit. We all got in on the action....even Kirk!

Christmas Day 2010

2011-01-02T08:03:00.001-08:00

Christmas Day dawned a beautiful day....brilliant blue skies and clear...no snow!

Santa came to these "nice" children.

Ty gave all us girls these pretty silk robes!

the festivities of Christmas time

2010-12-30T18:11:00.001-08:00

Christmas is all about family and I am thrilled to have ALL my kids home for 2 whole weeks! Since we've had a butt load of snow, we've had some fun ski days.

Another activity that we indulged in for the holidays was making and decorating gingerbread houses. OK, so I made all the houses, but the kids had a great time decorating them. Some worked individually, and others worked in teams.

Like this team of Ty and his girlfriend Sloane. The kids were REALLY getting into the decorating this year and a lot of thought and detail were being demonstrated. So, we decided to have a contest and Kirk was the judge....I was disqualified as judging because I kept giving people ideas and items to put on the houses!

Three houses made the semi-finals. Interesting enough these were all the houses produced by a team of people. This was Maya and her friend Morgan's log cabin. This won the popular vote....meaning more people voted for this house.

This is Ty and Sloane's house on some major acreage. This house won the best landscaping of them all.

Kara and Sage were the winners picked by Kirk. It's a cute, little skiing chalet!

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-28T11:50:00.001-08:00

Producing a Christmas card every year is not as easy as it looks. Kirk and I have taken a family Christmas picture every year since we've been married...that's 25 years...except one. (and that's the year, we almost lost our Lea...1988) Anyone with a large family knows that first off, it's hard to gather everyone together ( Ty is graduated from college and lives in Provo full-time). Then comes the question..."what will we wear?"...this gets tougher every year too since most of the girls wear the same size...and there's usually only ONE of a certain top or outfit. Thankfully, Kara has taken on this job the past few years and I basically leave it up to her color wise and style....then when the arguments come, I just let Kara take the flack! And the last thing that factors into producing a viable Christmas card is everyone's ATTITUDE. It can be awful trying to get a good photo when someone has been crying or there are hard feelings floating around. It used to be such a production when the kids were little to get them dressed and keep them clean and keep them in the spot where I want them to be....and to look at the camera and SMILE! What used to take a seemingly LONG time to get a good shot now takes us literally minutes. It is true...my kids now know the rules and that if everyone cooperates it only takes a few minutes! Practice makes perfect...well, you know what I mean! Hope your Christmas has been merry and bright and full of the the Savior's light.

Traffic stoppers

2010-12-18T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is what we ran into (not literally) the other day as I was taking Lea to work. There was a whole "line" of elk and the car in front of me stopped for them to cross the road. There were about 15 of them and there were several males with antlers a growing.

Around here, these guys have the right of way. There are several places that are considered "wildlife corridors" on my way to town. So, you gotta pay attention!

He's REAL !!!

2010-12-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

Yep, I still have a believer!! I love it...keeps Christmas in our home so much fun. And her innocence is so sweet. We just had our ward Christmas party and when Santa walked into the room, I thought she was going to levitate, cuz her arms were flapping so fast and furious cuz she was EXCITED that Santa was there. Maya quickly got her 1st in line to see Santa and she was the happiest camper all night. Looks like this Santa could stand to eat a few more cookies....he's SO skinny!

She visited with this Santa after Kara had a Christmas dance recital.

This looks like a Santa from another ward Christmas party.

Santa even came to Nuskin this year!

But our favorite Santa of all time....had to be this guy...Dave Braithwaite. He was Lea's physical therapist when she was a tiny one and he would come every year to our house to see Lea and bring her what...naturally, a book.

It's beginning to look a lot like ...Christmas!

2010-12-13T18:04:00.001-08:00

From all the snow we've gotten...

From the Christmas lights in the town square....(sorry so blurry...)

From this crazy person's Christmas lights...(wonder what their light bill is?)

To wrapping presents...yes, I've already wrapped a bunch and I haven't even done my own family yet!

To this Christmas tree in my family room....
I'd say it's definitely looking a lot like Christmas!!

Thanksgiving-Part 2

2010-12-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here we are just sitting down to have our Thanksgiving dinner. Yum.

Then we had to play some Wii Fit to help with all the extra calories consumed.

The whole gang...aren't camera timers great?

I told you we had a bunch of moose in the yard, and eating was not all they were trying to do!

Enough is enough, the husband says...time to go and eat someone else's yard! (he looks pretty mean with that dust mop...don't you think?)

Thanksgiving--Part 1

2010-11-29T15:08:00.001-08:00

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving this year! All the kids were home and even Grandma and Grandpa came! Kara showed all the girls how to make these cute flowers out of fabric.

We played lots of Aggravation!

Kara led the girls in another craft project...folding our dinner napkins in the shape of a lotus flower. They were darling!

Grandpa enjoyed seeing Koa again...and thoroughly spoiled him rotten!

These were our uninvited Thanksgiving guest...yes...all five of them! They enjoyed all the willows and berries around the house and then headed for the pond.

Thanksgiving 1997

2010-11-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

As we look forward to Thanksgiving this year, I am reminded of some wonderful memories of Thanksgivings in the past. This one was in 1997...here's the lowdown....we had moved to Wyoming and had been there for 5 months...gave birth to Sage 6 weeks before...my parents had gone on a mission to Nauvoo and had been there for 6 months. We decided to spend Thanksgiving in Nauvoo and to introduce them to Sage. Here's a photo where the girls can't get enough of Grandma...and she's trying to get acquainted with grandchild #27!

Grandpa showing Ty and Kara something about the house they were hosting.

Grandma...why is there a rope there?

Cute family photo...with missionary grandparents!

Thanksgiving dinner with a few of our closest friends...around 200 missionaries!!
How are your Thanksgiving preparations coming? This is what I know...there will be tons of food....Grandma and Grandpa are coming....all my kids will be here...and maybe a few more friends!

Oh Christmas Tree...Oh Christmas Tree...

2010-11-10T09:28:00.001-08:00

It was the state of Wyoming's turn to "gift" the U.S. Capital Christmas Tree this year. The tree was selected from the Pacific Creek area of the Bridger Teton National Forest. (approximately 1 hour north of Jackson) It was fun for our small town to have this celebration.

Little saplings were given out for free so we could all plant new little trees. The community band provided the music and the culinary students from the high school (of which Star and Sky are part of) handed out homemade, warm applesauce and ice cream.

Here's the tree just as it entered north of town...all the action was happening on the town square.

Here's the view as it passed by where I was standing.

The tree was stopping while some school kids were going to sing a special song written for the occasion. We are the only town to see the tree before it makes it to Washington, D.C. From town square it went to the fairgrounds where it was cradled and crated to make the long haul across the nation. It's heading to Georgia and then turning north to it's final destination.
This morning, as I was taking Lea to work, we noticed a bunch of police lights and realized that the tree was leaving Jackson on it's journey to the capital. It was completely enclosed so it couldn't be seen at all. There was also another truck following the tree and it contains several small trees that will be housed in various federal offices. It was a cool thing to watch and it was fun to see friends gathered together to welcome the tree and give it a festive send-off.

Lea's door

2010-11-05T16:18:00.001-07:00

at Disneyland in Fantasyland...you probably all know this door...well it caught our eye "way back then" and now every time we go to Disneyland our trip is not complete until we get a picture of Lea and "her door"!

there's about a 17 year difference in these photos!

My ONE and ONLY

2010-11-02T08:37:00.001-07:00

trick or treater! Yep, actually got one this year...OK, so he lives down the road past my house. He's our buddy Carson and as you can see he was a gorilla for Halloween. Isn't he cute?

He came over and showed us "his gorilla-ness" by attacking Kirk!

I could just eat him up! Sweeter than candy!

Halloween thru the years...

2010-10-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

On the road again....

2010-10-27T15:39:00.001-07:00

to Laramie, Wyoming!! Why? Lea needs to go to the eye doctor. Yes, Laramie, Wyoming...where the University of Wyoming is located. We go to this particular doctor because she is that GOOD. It's a good 6 hour drive from Jackson. Here are some of the highlights as we drive along...especially on I-80. This is Sinclair, Wyoming...guess what they do there?

When we see the wind farm, we know we're less than an hour away!

Lea and I make a fun time out of it...staying in a hotel and going out to dinner. Just the two of us.

I-80 is quite the interstate...I have seen some REALLY interesting stuff traveling on this road...like these GIGANTIC tires.

And the scenery isn't much to see once you're on I-80, but we were lucky to have bright blue skies and some cool cloud formations.

the welcome to the new week...ugh

2010-10-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Oh..just imagine my "joy" when I awoke this Monday morning and saw THIS outside my window! (actually, I get up pretty early and it was daw gone dark, but I could still tell that it snowed!) Three inches have graced us this morning.

I thought this was quite a contrast, with the yellow aspen leaves and all the dreariness around it.

I'm sure all the ski bums are fist bumping at this snow...I'm just sad that we didn't get out deck furniture put away while it was dry!

the visit

2010-10-22T13:29:00.001-07:00

Mari came home this past weekend for a visit and brought some friends as well.

Lea was excited to make some new "brown" friends.

They decided to go for a shot of wheatgrass before heading back to school. Notice they each have two cups, one with a shot of wheatgrass and the other..a chaser(a.k.a. another type of juice)..to "chase" the wheatgrass taste away.

After the shot....take a look at their faces....priceless.

Birthday Girls!!!!

2010-10-21T10:17:00.001-07:00

Yes, these two beautiful girls share a birthday! October 19th...Kara turned 22 and Sage turned 13. How many people can say they got a baby sister for their birthday? I know...what are the odds?

I had just attended a 50th birthday party and so I "copied" the decor for Sage's birthday celebration.

My newest teenager!!!!

ALWAYS an oreo cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream!!

Working girl Lea bought this cute journal for Sage...all on her own!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS....WE LOVE YOU!!!

Fall Sports

2010-10-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Volleyball, Swimming, Cross Country, Horseback Riding....oh my! These are the things that have kept our family of girls REALLY busy this fall since school began. Everyone had practice after school (except Lea..thank you girlfriend!) and they all ended at different times and in different places and usually all the way across town from each other! It was a juggling logistical nightmare. But now, they are all over and this mom is shouting Woot Woot! Maya was our volleyball player.

Check out how high this girlie can jump!

Sky doing the "fly"!

Swimmer twins

I know, lame picture, but I don't have a photo of my runner girl running...her in her uniform will have to do. She loves it though...is this kid mine?

And last, here's sweet Lea who just returned from Special Olympics held in Casper, Wyoming. She did horseback riding and garnered two golds and one silver. Woot Woot...go Lea!

I'd highly recommend...

2010-10-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

this book that my sister-in-law Chantale recommended to me...it's called "Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together". It's by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent. It's an excellent book and highly inspirational. I just finished "Driven: An Autobiography" by Larry H. Miller and Doug Robinson. Great read as well. And now you ask...what am I reading now? Well, actually, I'm "reading" two books. I'm listening to a "playaway" (aka..audiobook) entitled "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer. Obviously a historic book about the revolution. It's in this cool, compact 2 by 3-1/2 inch devide which uses your own headphones. I listen in the car as I'm driving (cuz you all know how much time I spend in my car!) and I even listen as I go about doing mindless housework. It's 19 hours..so, it'll take me a bit. The other book I'm actually reading is "Follow the River" by James Alexander Thom. It's a novel based on the true ordeal of Mary Ingles. I'm always looking for another good read, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I'll add it to my list.

they ARE real....really!

2010-10-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

This past year I've been working on scanning all my negatives from past years. It's a lot of fun to look back and see how our family has grown and changed. Seeing this picture, I can vividly remember the night these two boys went "hunting". This was in Kauai when we shared the house with Sandie. Many of you remember the frogs there and the noise they made each and every night. We were totally in disbelief when the boys produced the "booty"! Do I remember what they did with the "booty"? Nope, probably just let 'em go.

They're Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack........

2010-10-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, they're back...my moose family. They came and lingered around for a couple of days. It's a momma moose and her twin babies, except they are not really babies so much, but growing teenagers. I am happy to let them roam around my house, but the rule is that they MUST stay on the other side of my circular drive. (Kirk's rule) Well, the kids had ventured across the driveway...uh oh...

Daddy Roney got wind and went outside and with his arms flailing wildly up and down, and him shouting at them, they retreated to their momma on the other side of the driveway.

And here's the momma moose look to end ALL....DON'T YOU BE MESSING WITH MY BABIES! (just to give you perspective because it's hard to see in the photo...her head is as big as the upper half of my body!)

Grandpa and Grandma come to visit!!!

2010-10-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa came for an extended weekend visit. It was great fun to have them around. Lea especially enjoyed their visit. They went to a swim meet to watch the twins and to one of Maya's volleyball games.

Lea created this "love treat" for Grandma and Grandpa with the help of her provider Jules! Bet you wish you could have tasted this too!

My sweet boy Carson had his 2nd birthday and Saturday afternoon, Kirk, Sage and I went and celebrated at his party.

Grandma and Grandpa brought me grapes from my Uncle Woody and we made 20 quarts of grape juice. I love it when it's FREE!

After the Sunday morning session of conference, we had a nice lunch outside in the WONDERFUL sunshine.

---my conference craft was this wreath made of coffee filters--Lea would separate the filters and Maya would fold them and then I would pin them in place on a straw wreath. It ended up being this GIGANTIC wreath that looked like a coconut donut!

"I heard it's your birthday..."

2010-10-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

Yeah, you heard that right! This cool gal just turned 23 years old! What did she do on her special day? Well, she went to the hospital and spread a little joy around, along with the weekly newspaper and some juice. Then she went horseback riding with a good friend at JH therapeutic riding. She is one HAPPY girl!

You all know that she doesn't like cake, or pie or ice cream or candy....SO, one has to get creative with her birthday treat. I do know that she likes unfrosted, plain sugar cookies. So, being inspired from all the cooking shows I watch on TV, I came up with this. I think it turned out rather cute.

It took her a few tries to blow out her candles....then some sisters decided to help.

The next day, Lea planned a party for herself with the help of some girlfriends. She is quite pleased about it by the look on her face.

Another birthday treat? Yep, this time it is a strawberry jello with mandarin oranges in it...yeah, she LOVES jello! This time we only put two candles...much easier to blow out!

The whole gang...Crystal Lee, Samantha, Jules, Katharine, Lea, Micah and Heidi. After a feast of pigs in a blanket and some jello "cake", they watched the movie "Grease 2". Lea had a great time with her girlie friends!

Sunday's visitors

2010-09-27T10:56:00.001-07:00

...were not invited. They were not our home teachers nor my visiting teachers. They were free-loaders checking out our delicious willows and berries! I know it's hard to see, but there are three moose in this picture.

Tired from all the grazing, these two decide to take a load off!

Who...me?

You got that right buddy...hit the road!

the color of the day is.....

2010-09-24T09:58:00.001-07:00

ORANGE!!! I got home from taking Lea to work and these gorgeous nasturtiums caught my eye. There isn't much color left in our garden, but these were so brilliant, they were hard to miss.

Then there was this very orange" cinderella" pumpkin...

and then more pumpkins...

..and then there's this orange thing stuck in my yard! Go Maya, my volleyball player!

every morning

2010-09-23T09:47:00.001-07:00

Kirk has a shot of wheatgrass...yes, we grow organic wheatgrass and I juice it EVERY morning for him. I can't drink it...it makes me hurl.

Then I make a "green" smoothie that we share. It's actually a really pretty drink before you blend it...then it looks like poop! So, I don't look at it when I drink it..kinda grosses me out.

Harvest time

2010-09-21T07:47:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year when we gather the "harvest" and prepare it so it can be used in the future. Since I can't grow a garden here in Jackson...we only have 45 days a year that doesn't freeze at night...I have to rely on my neighbors in Utah and Idaho for my harvest. I always plant tomatoes each year and this year I was smart enough to bring them inside before the first freeze killed them. So, I am now enjoying tomatoes because they are ripening in my house. I used tomatoes from Utah to make a batch of salsa.

We have a great farmer's market that is open Thursday thru Saturday during the summer. I picked up enough fruit to make a frozen fruit cocktail.

Idaho provided me with peaches and pears. Usually, my friend goes to Brigham City and brings me back peaches each year. This year was no exception....except, she went the weekend I was in Arizona, and Ty and his friends were here, and well....when I got home, there were 10 peaches left! They were that good. So, had to get them in Idaho and I canned up a bunch of them.

As I was canning my pears, I didn't have enough to fill the canner, so I thought I'd just dry them. I completely filled a quart baggie with dried pears and my kids devoured them in an evening. Guess I'm getting more pears...
What kinds of things do you like "putting up" from the harvest?

catch up...

2010-09-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Seems like I am always playing "catch up" with everything. I always have to catch up writing in my journal....catch up with the ironing....catch up with the cleaning. So, guess that goes the same for blogging. Life has certainly been busy in our home as I'm sure it has been in all of yours. Hopefully this will "catch you up" with our lives! Mari is gone (B00 HOO!!!!), gone to college at BYU. Yes, she's an official "zoobie" and is LOVING going to everything and doing everything! She's been called as the Activities Person in her ward...pretty appropriate huh? These little guys miss her terribly, they remind me that I'm driving "her car" on Sundays when I pick them up for church!

This is my pride and joy. About 5 years ago, Kirk bought me four hydrangea plants one summer. The first summer, one plant was incredibly gorgeous, full of blooms! The next few years brought NOTHING. Last year, we decided they needed to be moved to a different location in the yard and this summer two of the four plants bloomed! I love hydrangeas...I just wish I could grow them year round!

This is Carson. WE LOVE THIS BOY! He is my neighbor's son and we have babysat him quite a bit this summer. We even go and get him from his Mom because we need a Carson fix. He calls Kirk, "Dad" and me "Mono". Maya is his favorite though.

Here's Lea participating in Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Association's Horse Show this summer. She's ridden all summer long and is even starting another session today. She's looking forward to going to Special Olympics in Casper, Wyoming with all her friends.

What do you do when it's raining outside? Well, jump on the trampoline...silly. Sky and Sage and friends, Morgan and Matt just messing around one afternoon. I'm sure this activity ended in the hot tub!

I attended my nephew's wedding in Mesa, Arizona over Labor Day Weekend. Mental note: it is HOT, let me repeat, HOT, HOT, HOT in Mesa this time of year! Congratulations Kyle and Leah! Love ya!

Got to reconnect with most of my family at the wedding. It was my brother, Keith's son who was married. They flew out from Virginia and we had a fun weekend. We were only missing my younger brother, Wade. Maybe next time!

"Sweet Sixteen"

2010-08-20T08:14:00.001-07:00

Star and Sky turned "Sweet Sixteen" on August 11th! Happy Birthday twinners, WE LOVE YOU!

Cake Boss

2010-08-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our household is a BIG fan of Food Network and basically ALL cooking shows dealing with cake! We started with Ace of Cakes and now we really enjoy Cake Boss. For Star and Sky's birthday, they decided to "play" Cake Boss and make a stunning creation for them. I made a couple of batches of marshmellow fondant to cover the cakes. The girls got a work-out rolling it out nice and thin.

Maya, Sage and Mary Katharine (our favorite friend from San Francisco!) all pull together to get the fondant smooth.

Kara came home and decided that she was going to decorate the fondant covered cakes...much to the chagrin of some hard-working girls!

Ta-da....the finished project!

Family Fun in Cayman

2010-08-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

Our family reunion in Cayman was a BLAST! With a plane full of ONLY family members, it's a great time for all. Playing games and visiting with one another is high on the list.

The cousins playing games on the floor of the plane...good thing there was a BIG area, cuz there are tons of cousins!

This little guy was not invited to the family reunion, but came anyway! We found him between the slats in our walkway....and we saw him all week long!

Another new addition to our family is this moray eel, who took up residence under our boat dock.

This was the FUNNEST thing ever....thanks Derek and Becky...the RELAXATION STATION!

The girls went back to their "stash" and found this beauty.

Sage had a scuba diving lesson with Andy Croft.

I grabbed this photo with all the kids as we were leaving the island.

One night there was this MAGNIFICENT sunset that only kept getting better and better.
Bye Bye Cayman....till next summer....

It was only yesterday...

2010-08-09T18:35:00.001-07:00

when he was celebrating his 1st birthday!!

Now, celebrating his 24th birthday (and still sitting on his Daddy's lap!) on an airplane on it's way to Cayman.

Here is my son...handsome fella, don't you think? Hope your birthday was fabulous...just like you! Love you.

Miss Lea

2010-07-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

...was given The President's Volunteer Service Award for giving 8 years of service to St. John's Hospital in Jackson, WY!! She was invited to a volunteer luncheon last week and she invited her provider for the day, Katharine to attend with her. When Katharine brought her home, Katharine went on and on about how Lea was honored. (along with 4 others as well) We had not realized that she'd volunteered for 8 years! Way to go Lea Bo Bea!!

ANNOUNCING..... the new

2010-07-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

SKY!!!! She decided to get her hair cut and this is what she got...

...the opinions in our house range from one extreme to the other!

...what do I think? I say...as long as she likes it, I'm happy. And yes...she loves it.

Yellowstone

2010-07-23T18:07:00.001-07:00

Teralyn came for a visit this past week and we had a great time showing her around the area. Tuesday was slated for visiting Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. Here's a picture of the lineup taken from Jackson Lake Lodge.

Kirk and Mel at Jenny Lake in GTNP.

Kirk and Teralyn cooling their feet in the water at Lewis Falls in Yellowstone.

Bison...one BIG BOY...he's crossing the road in front of our car!

Probably the most spectacular view of all in Yellowstone...Upper Falls.

This elk was just grazing on the side of the road!

Old Faithful...we drove into the parking lot and it started to blow...we walked towards it as it was spewing. We didn't have to wait at all...next blow time was @85 minutes later!

Naturally have to go inside the Old Faithful Lodge and take a peek. It's an AMAZING structure.

one thing leads to another...

2010-07-17T16:45:00.001-07:00

...because I had decided to make this strawberry tart! and because my oven was already on...

I decided to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. and because my oven was STILL on and I had leftover pumpkin...

I decided to use it up by making pumpkin bread.

ALL IS WELL

2010-07-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

Lea had a lump in her breast...it looked very suspicious on the ultrasound. She underwent a lumpectomy on Thursday morning. We got the results and it is only a fibroadenoma, which is noncancerous lumps in the breast tissue. Lea is doing well and was a very brave young lady. Here she is BEFORE the surgery....not very happy and pretty anxious. I gave her my cell phone and she called her grandma and grandpa and Ty. Talking to them calmed her down.

Daddy snuggling with Lea after she came out of recovery. She still doesn't know that she has an IV in her hand! They put it in after they gave her a "mask". She's still bundled from surgery and hasn't seen her hand.

With the IV out, she's ready for a breakfast of french toast!

Here we go again

2010-07-10T13:28:00.001-07:00

Time to put braces on the bottom teeth!