It's Tech Week

We are in tech week rehearsals of "The King and I" and it's getting really exciting!  Tom, can I just say, is absolutely FABULOUS!  He does such an amazing job up there on stage.  I don't know how he has learned all of his lines, works during the day, still fulfills his callings at church, etc. etc. etc.  :)

I really am super proud of him and I can't wait for everyone to see him!  (Oh, and I have to say . . . Tom really looks super HOT in his King outfits!!  :)

 Here are the royal wives and children.  Kelsey, Hailey, Spencer, and I are all in this picture.  

 Here is little Hailey on the left, with Mrs. Anna.  Spencer is in the background on the right.

There is a lot of "waiting patiently" . . .  in rehearsals.  

 It's sort of blurry, but here is Kohler, playing the part of a guard.

 OH BUDDHA . . .

 Here I am learning a song while my kids wait again . . . patiently.  :)

 Spencer and Me on stage left. 

 Spencer practicing his greeting to the King and Mrs. Anna.

We are singing, "There's no place like home."

Here is one of the backdrops for our show.  It is gorgeous!


The past two weeks we have been on the actual stage and that has made a huge difference.  It's becoming REAL to us all now.

 Spencer loves to draw when his homework is all finished.

 I LOVE ALL OF THIS FAMILY TIME!!

 Kohler, at his "guard post."  He looks pretty tough!  He is actually having more fun at rehearsals because he is making friends with all of the teenagers.

 Kelsey and Hailey are in this picture.

 Spencer and I are in this picture.  "Getting to Know You."

I will try and take some photos tonight.  We are doing full hair and make-up but no costumes, except for the main characters.  This is going to be so much fun!

Alright . . . Ready . . . STRETCH!!!

.................STRETCH LIMO THAT IS!!!!!!!!!!

 Tom and I decided to surprise Kelsey and her friends with a HUGE stretch Hummer Limousine!  It was MASSIVE!!  The girls screamed and got into the car as fast as they could!  It was awesome!

 (See my cute nieces, Sydne and McKenna on the right?

 Kelsey knew about the limo so she could plan the party and do all the things she wanted to do.  But, she didn't know what kind of limo it was and that was a fun surprise!  We bought the girls glow necklaces in two colors to divide up into teams to play a scavenger hunt around the Chandler Mall.

 There was a lot of dancing, singing, and screaming as we drove!  CRAZY!!!

Since we had to upgrade to a bigger limo (Kelsey invited more friends than we had anticipated and she remembered about 3 hours before the party!!?? That was stressful getting that all worked out. . .) But anyway - since we had a larger vehicle, Rylie, Spencer, Hailey, Melanie, Tom, and I were able to ride in the back and tag along.  It was really fun!

 There were neon colors going which made it really fun!

 One bad thing---the air conditioning wasn't working and it got really hot in that big car with all of those bodies.  So, in the back, we had to open the windows in order to cool the car down.  It was great for the kids up in the front, but we in the back got blown away and it was freezing!!  Spencer was a great sport about it!

Here is my rocker daughter, Hailey--closing her eyes because the flash was so bright!  

Here is the limo parked at the Chandler Mall.  What a sweet ride!!

 Well . . . Blogger is not letting me upload anymore photos at this time - so I will have to wait and try again later. Stay tuned for more birthday pics coming up later tonight or tomorrow!

Happy 14th Birthday to Kelsey!!

My first daughter is 14 years old today and my last daughter just turned 6 years old in December.  I can remember when Kelsey turned 6 years old.  Has it really been 8 years??

Here is my birthday princess now at age 14.  Wow!

 (We saw this Happy Birthday crown at Designer Blvd. and couldn't resist it!  C'mon---she's worth it!)

 I can't even begin to describe the joy that this darling daughter has brought into my life.  She is like a best friend to me and is my right-hand whenever I need her.  She is ultra sympathetic and kind to others and tries super hard to please her mom and dad.  

When she was a little girl, people would say to me, "Oh, your daughter is so pretty.  You'd better watch out when she grows up!"  Well, now she is at that stage when she is maturing and has become beautiful INSIDE AND OUT.  (But Tom and I still keep a close watch--he has a baseball bat close by in case any boys get funny ideas now that she can go to stake dances!  ha ha)

 Kelsey and her friends are obsessed with mustaches!  So - I had to put a mustache on her birthday decorations this morning!

14 years ago today actually at this very minute (it's 11:59 a.m. the very time she was born!) Kelsey came into my world . . . and my life has never been the same since.  She is such a wonderful example of purity and she radiates the pure love of Christ in all she does.  I have never had to get after her for the music she listens to, or the clothes she wears, or words she uses.  She is the epitome of "grace" to me and I want to be more like her in every way. 


I love you Kelsey . . . you are an angel daughter to me and I will eternally be grateful to my Father in Heaven for trusting one of his most precious daughters to my care.  Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Pineapples Anyone?

Every year when Tom and I drive home from Utah, one of the main topics we always discuss is our staff retreat.  What do we need to focus more on this year?  What can we improve on?  What can our theme be that will hit home and be a remembrance all through the year?  Tom really felt like our staff needed to focus more on improved customer service.

So, I came up with a great idea.  

Tamara:  " I know what our theme can center on . . . PINEAPPLES!"     . . . .

Tom:  "huh???"

 I remembered that Tom's mom told us how pineapples were used a lot in the south as decor in furniture, entrances to peoples homes, and in dining serving pieces.  It is a symbol of hospitality, welcome, and graciousness to the guests who enter your home.  I also knew that we were wanting to surprise our staff with an orthodontic conference in HAWAII, so what better theme to use than pineapples!  

I did some research on the pineapple and found out some really interesting things.  I also found a folk tale about how the pineapple came to be and shared that with our staff.  I typed up a small paragraph about how the pineapple can be a symbol of warmth and welcome to those who enter our orthodontic office.

Tom was super prepared with production numbers and goals to set for the office.  He sure takes his work seriously and honestly cares about the welfare of those who work in our practice and their livelihood.  

I always like to do some sort of "give-away" - so this year I found some white pineapple wallflower scent plug-ins from Bath and Body Works (my favorite store!)  The scent oil is called, "Seaside Escape."  (fitting for an upcoming trip to Hawaii, isn't it??)  Then, I found this amazing candy store!  Sweeties  It's right in Chandler and it has every candy you can imagine!  I found pineapple gummy bears that are so amazingly yummy and pineapple jelly bellies.  I even found yellow gumballs that have a smiley face on them--to remind the girls to be friendly and provide excellent customer service to our patients.  Oh, they also got to take home a pineapple.  

I had pineapple candles burning and halfway through the meeting, I served my mom's famous pineapple/banana slush.  It was a hit!  Then, for lunch, we had Rumbi Island Grill cater some luau pork and teriyaki chicken for us.  It tasted so delicious and everyone loved it.  Actually, this retreat was probably one of the best we have ever done.  We were so happy to give our staff the trip to Hawaii.  Tom and I won't be going, though.  We are saving our money for another trip later in the summer.  But that's ok--our staff need this bonding experience and they have worked very hard this past year.    I hope they walked away feeling very loved and appreciated by both Tom and me.  :)

What a wonderful world

Today, I am just so grateful to be a wife and a mother to four amazing children.  I look at them and feel like I do when I look at this picture.  I feel as if I am staring at a wonderful life ahead of us--filled with amazing adventures, happy times, sad times, but when we experience it all together, it sure makes for a wonderful world.

I just wish that sometimes I could slow the clock down.  When did my babies grow up?  These photos were taken over 4 years ago and each child has changed so much.  It's unbelievable to me . . .

Even though time passes quickly, I am so grateful that these wonderful people are in my life.  They make me smile everyday and they give me a reason for living.  They are my world!