This week....

This week Mark took his first steps!! He is getting so big. After he started trying, we grabbed the camara and tried to record a bit of it. Mark is so excited to get a cracker from James and James forget to give it to him! Be sure to notice Marks' reaction.

Also...

James made brownies. You'll have to interpret this sign he put on them...hhmm...

Happy Birthday Mark!

Mark's first birthday was a couple of weeks ago. The day was celebrated at a minimum but it was still fun. Mark DID NOT like the cake--imagine that! He did however enjoy the plate the cake was placed on.
I love you Mark!! What a great year it has been!!

Too late parody.....

Love this parody. I love my country and the freedom we enjoy. Freedom isn't free. Its like the parable of the talents. If you hide it and do nothing to keep it, you will loose it.

100 day challenge update

Time to update on the 100 day Book of Mormon challenge. I am almost on track/caught up. I tend to get a little behind on my INSANE days but on other days I try to read extra. I am suppose to be finishing Omni but I am at the end of Jacob. Jacob 5 is my FAVORITE section in the scriptures to read. Every time I read the Book of Mormon I look forward to Jacob 5. I sing about Jacob 5 when I am almost there. I know I'm silly but I just LOVE that chapter. It is all about olive trees, pruning and grafting etc. Well....I studied pruning and grafting in college YEARS AGO. The first time I read Jacob 5 after I had studied it in college my eyes were about the size of a dinner plate. Knowing how difficult it is to graft anything and the exactness of pruning olive trees not to mention the importance of digging about the earth has really strengthened my testimony of the scriptures. The care that the master of the vineyard gives to the olive trees is so caring. When most gardeners would have torched the place and started over.--to me rotting trees are a good sign to give up. Not to mention how SLOW olive trees grow and how LONG they live. They are really a generational crop. Anyway... I love Jacob 5.

A funny thing happened this time I was reading. The Isaiah chapters throughout 2 Nephi have ALWAYS been a struggle for me. It was always one of those sections that I just drag my feet through so I could enjoy the rest of the book. Until this time. This last year I have been reading quite a bit of Shakespeare for my Shakespeare class that I teach. When I was asked to teach the class a year ago I had only read one Shakespeare play way way way back in high school...I don't even remember which play it was--I think it was Romeo and Juliet (stupid teenagers! can't they obey anyone?!?!). Well after I agreed to teach the class I began to read a lot of Shakespeare... A LOT! One of the challenges for the kids is to read/watch/listen to 17 plays and so I knew that I had to dive in! Reading all of this Shakespeare has done something to me...I have found this love for the Shakespeare language. It is enchanting to me. How the language has so many levels...its so poetic..so beautiful..well I love it. Well the writing styles of Isaiah and Shakespeare are very similar to me. So when I started reading the Isaiah I was immediately in my comfort zone of Shakespeare. I still don't understand all of the symbolism but I certainly get more of it. I never knew that learning Shakespeare would bless my scripture study so much. After I finish this Book of Mormon challenge I really want to learn more about Isaiah and his writings. If Joseph Smith said it was his favorite thing to study, its got to have some good stuff in there that I NEED.
Anyhoo...there you have it!
Happy Day!

For those who love Twilight....

My dislike of Twilight is no secret. But I'm not here to talk about the books and what I don't like with them. I am taking this opportunity to post a video that I found hilarious. I have heard many men mention this problem with their wife...although not this extreme..lol.. Its a fun video that was filmed here locally. So have a good laugh!

Book of Mormon Challenge

Our Stake leaders have challenged our youth to read the Book of Mormon in its entirety in the first 100 days of the year.--That's about April 10th I believe. Luke is all fired up about it and asked me to read it with him. Since this is the first of the year, (and my scripture study really needs a kick in the pants) I told him I would. So far we are on top of it....of course we're only 6 days in..lol.. I remember when Pres. Hinckley challenged the church to read the Book of Mormon in four months, so this challenge is a few days shorter. I am very excited to really focus my reading. The last few months I have been reading a lot, but it has been a lot of Shakespeare and political stuff that I have been reading. Sadly, my scripture study has not been as enthusiastic as I wish it was...I am sure this will jump start it.

Who else is going to do this with me?!?!? I need some people to help keep tabs on me and others that I can pester also. :-)

ANYONE????

Christmas time is here!!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was quiet and uneventful. Very nice. The few days before, Mark had a blister of some sort on his gums so we (Mark and I) were up all night crying. Well..Mark did MOST of the crying anyway. I felt so bad for him. He couldn't suck on his pacifier or bottle and wouldn't even close his mouth. Poor guy! This morning his sore is gone and he is acting like his cute curious self. Hooray!

On Christmas Eve we went to the City Christmas program. It was very nice this year. Sometimes the program is on the weak side, but this year they really did a good job involving the community with an enjoyable program. We then sang songs as we looked at the lights around town. We came home and settled in for the evening. Of course, it was a very long evening as I ended up driving Mark around at about 2am to see if I could get him to sleep. It worked until I brought him home again, then he started crying again. The next morning was delightful to watch the boys open their gifts! The living room became a sea of wrapping paper. Later I had the perfect nap and the boys and I had a lazy Christmas afternoon together.


The best moment of Christmas!!

Lights in LaVerkin. That deer is hung up in the tree by his hind legs. A red string of lights is around his neck and drapes to the ground. What a hoot!! A true LaVerkin resident!!



Ben was very enthusiastic with his gifts. Using every body part available to open the presents.



The stocking that Cory won at his work Christmas party. The kids were really hoping that Santa would fill it.


The making of the candy houses a few days before. I would call them gingerbread houses but I have never made gingerbread and I've been to lazy to learn...so they are grahm crackers covered in candy trying to resemble a house.