Surprise!!

Ok family....hold on to your horses! Yes, this is me! You are not daydreaming about me blogging I am actually doing it! So this is for my girls (my fellow bloggers)......and for the hubby who keeps saying "you need to update our blog"!
I just want to say to all of the children who are studying, taking finals, writing papers, doctoring all hours of the day, and packing! I am thinking of you and wishing you well in all your endeavors. To Kell....I'm not even sure what some of those words are that you used on your blog post, but it made me smile. To Col...I love that you like to do your homework in the kitchen. To Ash and Kaitie...I love that you two share your smiles with me everyday and that your busy doing your things. To Nat and Tam (my little mama's)...thanks for holding down the fort each day and taking care of my babies. and To Todd and Bryan...keep doing what you need to do and keep following those dreams. I've been thinking about family lately and family really is everything! I feel so blessed we've been able to spend so much time together and I'm ready for more! Thanks for Mikie who picks up the tab and thanks to my kids who still like to hang out with me. Here's to family, the holidays, and just pure joy...you are all my 'pure joy'!

Happy Day to My Man!

Yep! Michael Jane you are my man! You are wise, kind, gentle, funny, a tough guy when you need to be, a loyal friend, the most amazing father and grandfather, a caretaker, faithful, a great listener, a great debater when I want you to be. You like to tease me and drive fast into the garage, call me a wimp when I won't wrestle, tell me I'm not making any sense when I ramble and then laugh, you are adventurous and always looking for the next fun place to travel to, you provide our family with every need and lots of our wants. I'm so thankful, grateful this day for another year of you in my life and our kids and I look forward to many more. You are my rock, my quiet guide, my best friend and this one will kill the kids...my lover! M & M forever!!!

Our Baby is Sweet Sixteen!!

Wow! Our Kaitie Bug has turned the big 16! Those sixteen years went by in a blink...it couldn't have been that long ago when this sweet girl came to our family. She was doted on by her three big sisters and her big brother. The pediatrician told us all we had to stop carrying her around because she was not learning to crawl and would never learn to walk if we just packed her around all the time! If I ever let her cry when she was a baby, the older kids would tell me that was mean. Kaitie has always been so pleasant to be around and has always had a gentle way about her. When she was growing up she always had to have some project to do. She wasn't one to sit and watch TV or movies...she had to be creating. We even made her her very own 'craft cupboard' that was stocked with things to do. I would set out my sewing machine and give her fabric and she would sew dolls, purses, doll clothes and other fun stuff. When she started singing her Grandma Saundra told her not to hide her talents under a bucket, and very soon after Grandma Sally told her not to hide them under a barrell. Her talents are many...she is artistic, she is the family stylist, she is faithful, she loves the beach, and rainy weather, she is a dancer, singer, piano and guitar player, songwriter, friend, great sister, a caring auntie, a beautiful granddaughter and a very loved daughter. You bring sunshine to our days Bug and we enjoy watching you live your life! HAPPY DAY!

Easter...Spring...New Beginnings

I love Easter. I love my childhood memories of Easter.
Coloring eggs...breaking my leg on Sugarhouse Hill the one year we didn't go to Grandpa's...Grandpa Edison's and rolling eggs down the hill...and throwing them at my cousins!...roasted hot dogs, jello... hiking to the top of Grandpa's mountain...grandparents,aunts, uncles, cousins...Easter egg hunts with money in the eggs!...Grandpa's talks about his love of the Gospel, his wise advice, and his shared admiration for his family. I'm so grateful, especially this year, for a Savior who loved us each so much that he gave His life and it is this day that we celebrate that sacrifice, that gift.

Because of this day we will be with loved ones again...forever.

ps. Mom tell me where you hid the 'golden egg' this year!

Joy...these bring me joy!

Child of My Child~
You are the child of my child

Heart of my heart

Your smiles lift my spirit and bring me joy

I love to hear your stories, your funny ways of thinking

I love to see the world through your eyes.

Through you, I see the future and fondly remember the past

Through me, you'll have a friend that will last and last

Child of my child, you make my heart sing!

*love, Grandma Mel*

"A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

I just can't wait to squeeze all of you...counting the days!

A Belated Happy Day for Miss Niah!

I couldn't go any longer without giving a special blog spot to Miss Niah in honor of her birthday that was in January. When Miss Niah was born her mama and pops were living in Grandma and Grandpa's basement. This was really fun and exciting because we were able to see this beautiful little princess everyday! Your mom and dad had left for the hospital and when they got there the nurses were going to send mom home, but she went walking the halls with your dad instead. She had to make a few stops at a garbage can or two because she was throwing up. When they went back to the nurse, she let them stay. Late morning, Grandma, Grandpa, Colin, Kaitie and Kell headed to the hospital. We called Grandma Saundra and she met us there. We all were waiting in a waiting room area and we were able to go say hi to your mom and dad. As it was getting closer to you being born, Grandma and Grandpa snuck down by the room and stood outside the door in the hallway. We became a little worried when a team of 5-6 people came in with special baby equipment. We weren't sure what was going on. We waited and waited and then we heard the most beautiful sound...our Niah Marie crying! We were so happy you were here and we hurried to the waiting room to share the good news. Your dad came down a while later and told us all that we could come meet you and talk to your mom. That was the most amazing thing...to meet my first grandchild! You were so perfect and beautiful and you made the cutest little faces. You kept sticking your little tongue out and your dad said that was a Mason trait. We were all so happy to meet you and you have brought us joy from that day on. You are so fun to talk to...you always ask "what have you been doing today", or "how are you today?". You make Grandma laugh when you tell me silly stories. You called the other day to tell me that your "Irish Tree" (clover you are growing) was getting really big! and that your dad was not Irish. I love that you love anything princess, disney, and that you believe in 'prince charming'! I love that you have such a 'belly laugh' and that you have a sense of humor. I love that you like musicals like your mom and are such a good singer and dancer. You bring sunshine to my days and you are growing up way too fast! Can you stay four forever?

Dancers are the messengers of the gods. ~Martha Graham

What a delight...what a wonderful experience...to watch our Kaitie Bug charm us with her love of dance. Her closing night of concert was last night and even though she was curled in a ball, colorless, hooked to IV's in the ER just hours before she danced... she danced, she danced anyway and so amazingingly so! It was such a beautiful sight...no words to really explain it! I am so often overwhelmed by the dedication, hours and pain that Kaitie and Kell have endured over the years as they have pursued their love, and I mean love, of dance! It really comes from their soul and it is a true expression of something so beautiful. I always feel so graced to have been a witness to their joy...girls thanks for sharing with me. Don't ever stop!Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays. ~George Balanchine

Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn. ~Sweetpea Tyler