Spencer's 10th Birthday

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY TO OUR SPENCER!

 I will never forget the night before Spencer was born.  I walked outside to put something in my car and I looked up into the stars and said, "Spencer, I cannot WAIT to meet you and get to know you!  What are you going to look like?  What will your little personality be like?" 

 Little did I know, that the little spirit growing inside of me would turn out to be one of my most cherished possessions----one that brings a smile to my face each and every day of my life!

 Spencer has always made us laugh!  He has such a contagious personality and has the ability to make others happy wherever he goes.  Ever since he was a little boy, he would do these random funny things that would make us all crack up!

Take a look at those eyes . . . NEVER in my life did I EVER think that Tom and I would have a blond haired-blue eyed child.  When he was first born, my mom said, "I don't think he is going to look like your other kids!"  She was right---he doesn't have Kohler and Kelsey's coloring at all . . . and I LOVE IT!


I have a nickname for Spencer---"Sunshine."  I don't call him that very often anymore because it makes him embarrassed-- but when he was really little I used to call him that everyday.  I would sing him this song as I rocked him to bed (if I could sing it without getting too emotional!):

"You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine,

You make me happy, when skies are gray.

You'll never know dear, how much I love you,

Please don't take . . . my Sunshine away."

  The sun gives light and warmth to all who are around.  This is exactly what I think of when I think of Spencer.  I tell him almost every night that my life would not be the same without him in the world.  I love this little boy with all my heart.  He has so much love to give and is so kind to everyone.  I wish him the happiest of birthdays today and can't wait to see what joys lie ahead for him.

Spencer woke up to birthday wishes all over his door!  (it's a family tradition)  Happy 10th Birthday Spencer!!

Confession

OK - so I have a confession to make . . . I am really trying to lose some weight before summer hits.  (well, it was 96 degrees out today so it feels like summer right now! ha) but I mean, before I head to family reunions, vacations, etc.  But tomorrow is my little boy's 10th birthday and I am not going to make him sacrifice just because I am dieting!  He is going to have his cake and eat it too!!  So, we looked through cookbooks together after school and he chose a real doozy----Chocolate brown sugar cake with caramel filling.  What word in that title doesn't sound absolutely divine?  Well, off I went to make the cake.  I thought I would get the cake baked today then I could still go to the temple tomorrow (LOVE my "Temple Thursdays!") and come home, frost the cake and be ready for his family dinner party.  So, in went the melted chocolate, butter, brown sugar, eggs, and lots of other good stuff.



Yeah . . . it was REALLY good stuff.  The insanely good smell of chocolate was more than this mom could handle.  So, after pouring the batter into the cake pans, I did what any normal starving mother would do.  I locked myself in my pantry and licked the bowl CLEAN!  Not one drip did I share with my kids nor did they even know I was in there.  My little daughter came home from her music class and called my name in the kitchen, "Mom! . . . Mom! . . . . . . ."  I didn't make a sound for I knew if I did, the yummy chocolatey remnants would have to be shared.


So, yes---I probably gained 2 pounds from licking the spatula and cleaning that bowl-----but you know, some things in life are just too good and must be enjoyed.  (psst . . . don't tell my kids about this! ha ha!)

Choices

Every morning I wake up and I am faced with a myriad of "choices."  Choices of what to eat, what to wear, what exercise routine to do, what chores to tackle, what projects need attending to, what errands to run, etc. etc. etc.  Most mornings my mind races through all the endless choices of things I need to do and by 9 a.m. I feel like I am already behind.  One of our office staff asked me the other day how my life is having Hailey in school now----if I have lots of time to MYSELF now that she is in school.  The answer was YES, I do have more time to myself and I am able to get so much more done now that she is in school.  She asked me, "So, what do you do during the day?"  I didn't even know where to begin with the list of things that consume my waking hours!  

Some days I really struggle with things that need to be done and things I want to get done.  I always feel the need to keep my home clean and organized----that alone-- seriously, could take my entire day, 7 days a week. Keeping up on vacuuming, dusting, LAUNDRY, grocery shopping, home maintenance, paying bills, etc. is enough for a full-time position.
  Then, there are the things that come up that you can't plan for.  "Mom, I left my violin at  home.  Can you please bring it to school for me?"  Of course, I drop everything to help my child because I know they are trying hard to do what's right and everyone forgets stuff once in a while.  (heaven knows my mom did that for me a lot!)

But something I am struggling with today is balancing good, better, and best.  I received a text message the other day from a friend of mine whose health is really poor.  She needed a ride to and from a doctor's appointment in Phoenix and I knew it would be about a 3 hour chunk of my day.  I had planned my day to work on some musical projects that I have been called to help with in our stake for the upcoming Pioneer Trek.  Everyone in our ward knows that I have the calling of Relief Society teacher but hardly anyone knows that I have also been working on writing/arranging songs and also researching and compiling a songbook for the youth to take with them on their pioneer trek.  I have spent HOURS on this project!  My deadline is coming up and I am feeling the pressure to get it done.  So, unfortunately, I texted her back that I wasn't able to help drive her.  I really felt the need to work on this stake calling and I had already set aside time to do so.  In my mind, I was still serving the Lord . . . but all throughout the day, it just kept eating at me that I didn't choose what was BEST.  A line from my patriarchal blessing came to my mind that reads, "I bless you that you will always be found on an errand of the poor and the needy."  It didn't say that "most times" or "occasionally" ---it said, "always."   I decided right then, that if I was to be serving the Lord, that it should be through helping His children first----then, He can help me accomplish the other tasks that are placed before me.  I hope I can get another chance to serve my sweet friend in that way.  I have helped her with her laundry and shopping and know that she really is in need.  I just hope that when the opportunity arises again, I will make the BEST choice and help feed His sheep.  

Snow Surprise!

A few weeks ago, Tom went on a field trip to the Grand Canyon with Spencer.  While the kids were in a morning class, learning about the Grand Canyon, Tom went and had breakfast at the El Tovar Hotel.  He went with Todd Smith from our ward who has a little boy, Harrison, and just happens to be the grandson of the principal of our school, Mike Hallock.  Anyway, they had a really great time and Tom decided then that he wanted to bring me back there sometime for a fun weekend together.  So, last weekend, that is where we went!  

 We stopped off in Sedona for a quick walk through of an amazing art gallery.  The sculptures were absolutely incredible!

 Tom and I really loved the wind sculptures that spun around when the wind blew.  If we had an extra $2,000 laying around, we would have bought one! ha ha

Yes, we checked the weather before we left and it did say that it was going to be really cold with a chance of snow.  But when we got to the Grand Canyon, I was TOTALLY out of place with my cute sun-dress.  Everyone was dressed in winter wear and I was FREEZING!!!  Tom dropped me off so he could park the car and needless to say, I got a few strange looks as I walked into the restaurant from the wiser, winter dressed people.  


The meal was absolutely fabulous and the hotel is very nostalgic and rustic.  I loved it!  

 After dinner, we went to our room and changed clothes (finally!) and went on a walk.  This is a view of our hotel from the other side down the trail.  It is so beautiful!

 This is not a great picture because it was dark and taken on our I-Phone.  But, even though Tom and I have both been to the Grand Canyon before, it still takes your breath away to see it in person.  There is nothing like it in the world!

 After our walk, we didn't want to just head to the room, so we bought some hot chocolate and found some rocking chairs to just sit and talk.  Since it was freezing outside, there was NOBODY else out there.  But, we were dressed for it now :), and had the entire porch to ourselves.  It was heaven!

 Honestly, it was so much fun just rocking and talking---with no kids to attend to, no emails to answer---just a piping hot chocolate to sip as we talked.  Ahh . . . heaven!

Then, the next morning, this was the scene outside our hotel window!

 We couldn't believe it! Seriously, when we read the weather report before we left we thought there might be a light flurry or a snow that would melt quickly as the morning heated up then we could go hiking.  Uhh--that wasn't going to happen!  There was at least 4 inches of snow on the ground and it was still coming down!  We just had to laugh, though, because here we paid for a room with a canyon view and all we could see was clouds!  You just have to laugh at life sometimes . . .

Then came the drive home.  We got stuck in traffic because of an accident and sat in our car for over an hour.  But, you know--that was one of the most fun parts of the trip for us.  We were safe, we were warm, we had some food in our cooler, and we had each other.  

We put on some fun music and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and decided to plan our future family vacations together.  We talked about when Kohler was leaving on his mission and when Kelsey would be leaving for college and what places we wanted to go visit before our family started leaving home.  We only have 3 summers left before Kohler leaves for his mission (which blows my mind!) so we really thought things through and discussed what was important to each other.  We shared our hopes, our dreams, discussed realities, and concerns about our kids.  We laughed and even cried when a sentimental song came on our I-Pod---but we both felt a little sad when the cars started moving again because that time seemed to pass so quickly and we didn't want it to end!

This was what it looked like from our car---we were stuck in a spring blizzard!

When we got home, we both mentioned to each other how much fun we had just being together.  It didn't matter what we did or weren't able to do because of weather.  We just loved being together.  We never get sick of each other or tire from being together.  Tom and I both say we could hang out together 24/7 and still have things to talk about.  I am so thankful that we have a relationship like this.  It makes us excited for our future knowing that we look forward to being together forever, even when our kids will be grown and gone.  

Man, I love this guy!

Weekend in Tulsa

Last weekend, Tom and Spencer flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be with Tyler at his Eagle Court of Honor.  Tyler is Spencer's first cousin and is 14 years old.  They are great buddies and it was super fun for them to hang out together!

Yes, I forgot to pack his jeans that is why he is wearing shorts!  Oh dear . . .

 Tom said it was a wonderful event with lots of family around.  Of course, Lisa had it all planned out from what the daily activities were to what the meals were each day.  That is SO Lisa!  She is amazing!

 We are super proud of Tyler for receiving his Eagle!

They were there for Easter Sunday and the Easter Bunny just happened to know that Spencer was in Tulsa!

 He got a new tie with tiny Moroni statues blowing his trumpet all over.  It looks great on him!

 Of course, our two girls had to make a grand "Welcome Home" sign for them since they had been away a total of three days!

 They used Hailey's new sidewalk chalk "eggs" to make the super colorful mural!

 When Dad and Spencer got home late that evening, they were really surprised to see the huge drawing all over the driveway.  Isn't it great to feel loved?  I hope Tyler felt that way with all of his family supporting him.  I truly believe that feeling loved and loving others is one of the best kept secrets to living a life filled with happiness!

More fun Easter pics!

Last Thursday, Hailey had an Easter party at her kindergarten class. We hid Easter eggs, decorated cupcakes, made a duck with their handprints, and sorted/graphed colored jelly beans.  Fun fun!

 On Friday, there was NO school!  So, we grabbed the Hoover kids (Hailee and Jaxon) and headed for San Tan Mall.  Kelsey and Hailee went to get pedicures while I took the little ones to Dairy Queen.

 It's so cute how Hailey and Jaxon are best buddies!

 This was Easter morning.  I absolutely LOVE this Easter dress.  It was Kelsey's when she was 6 years old.  Hailey wore one just like it 6 years ago when she was just a little baby.  Kelsey pulled it out of storage and we decided we liked it better than any other "new" dress we could buy.  

 She did, however, get some new Easter shoes.  (again, these are "clippy clopp" shoes----high heels---her favorite!)  I painted her toe nails especially for Easter!  

 She looked so pretty!

 My two daughters . . . how could I be so blessed to have two sweet angel daughters like them?  They truly are such a joy in my life!

 I know I went a little crazy taking pictures of Kelsey - but her outfit matched the bougainvillea flowers so well!  She looked so pretty too that I just had to post all of them!

 Hailey got this book for Easter.  It's a beautiful book with artwork about the Savior - but there are hidden pictures in the background.  It's really fun for her to find the hidden objects.

I just love this picture of Kelsey.  She looks so beautiful and so happy.  It's the kind of look that radiates from a young woman who is clean and pure---and trying to be obedient in all she does.