Baptism

Today Whitney made a choice to follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She chose to be baptized. What a beautiful day! Words cannot express the thoughts, feelings and emotions I felt today. It was wonderful to have so many family members and friends witness her special day. I couldn't help but think back to when she was just a baby in her blessing dress. Now here she is dressed in white in her baptism dress. The next time she will be all dressed in white will be on her wedding day.

I took Whitney to the temple grounds to have her baptism pictures taken. Whitney loves the temple and talks about it a lot. She was so excited to be going to the temple to have her pictures taken. She was disappointed when she realized that we were taking pictures outside and not going inside the temple. She always asks me when she can go inside and what it looks like. However, her eyes lit up when she saw a bride getting her pictures taken too. She said "Look mom, she got married in the temple". Whitney's favorite Primary song is "I Love To See The Temple". This song was sang today at her baptism. It brought tears to my eyes. As it was being sung I thought about how much she loves the temple and wants to go inside and be married there. I hope to one day see her in her third white dress inside the temple.

Here is a poem that I really liked and put in her baptism book:

Daughter of a king,
born of royalty.
Sent to earth to learn and grow,
a light for all to see.
You'll take many little steps along the path of life,
some are full of happiness, others full of strife.
But remember God is always there,
his blessings he send to you.
He wants you to be clean and pure
and keep your covenants true.
May the white be a reminder to stay unspotted, pure and clean,
For you are born of royalty,
the daughter of a king.

The most memorable part of the day was watching her step into the font. My mom was sitting next to me and as John raised his hand and spoke the baptismal words my mom grabbed onto my arm and pulled me close. She had a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. This was a special moment for me because my mom has been inactive since I got married. I know she felt the spirit. I watched as my daughter's sins were washed away and she became clean and pure.

After she was baptized we were taken into a room where she was confirmed and given the gift of the holy ghost. The room was full of family and friends. Everyone wrote and little something special that was put into a book for her. Then we took some pictures and headed back to our house for a special luncheon in her honor where she opened gifts people brought for her. The look on her face when she opened her own set of scriptures from mom and dad was priceless! She was so excited to finally have her very own scriptures!

I am proud of her and the decision she has made to follow in the footsteps of Christ. I pray and hope she will always stay on the right path and hold to the rod. I fear I have not done my best as a mother to prepare her for baptism and teach her about the importance of it and the covenants we make. I can only do my best here on out by being a good example to her.

It's Great To Be Eight!

Whitney celebrated her 8th birthday with a pirate party! I went a little "ALL OUT" for this party and it cost "A LOT" of money! The things we do for our kids, right? Maybe I went a little overboard this year. I tell myself every year that I am going to keep it simple next year but it never turns out that way. This time I am "SERIOUS"! Next year it will definitely be more simple. I made it too hard on myself this year with a 4 hour party, lots of time planning, shopping, spending money, decorating, organizing games and activities and putting together invitations.

For the invitations we sent little messages in a bottle. It was a plastic bottle with the invitation and sand inside. Whitney wanted to go to Pirate Island Pizza but I thought it would be fun to have a treasure hunt and do some other fun activities at home. So, we ended doing both!

We went to Pirate Island Pizza first where we ate pizza, played games in their arcade and posed for cute pictures of course! I bought Whitney a pirate costume just for her party so I had to take advantage of the atmosphere. They have a pirate ship, caves, water falls, a jungle and pirate stuff that makes for cute pictures.



After Pirate Island Pizza we moved the party to our backyard. I had it decorated cute and spent a lot of time setting up for the treasure hunt.







I gave each kid an eye patch, earring and bandanna so they could be dressed as Lil' pirates.


First we did some crafts. I had bought little card board treasure chests for the kids to decorate. They had a blast adding gold coins and jewels to their boxes. I also bought little bottles that the kids could put sand in and make there own message in a bottle. We played pin the treasure chest on the X. Then I gave each kid a loot bag and a treasure map for the treasure hunt. I had clues all over the yard. Each clue led to the next clues until they found the treasure. For example: "Go where monkey's swing and sway, you can play here all day". The answer is the monkey bars. The last clue was "buried deep in the ground the treasure chest can be found! So use your hand to dig in the sand"! I had a treasure chest full of plastic coins, gum coins, jewels, rings and necklaces buried in the sand trap on the putting green.



I think this was the highlight of the party. The kids loved it! After the treasure hunt the kids broke open the pinata'. Then we had to take a break because whitney had her batism interview with the bishop. I thought the party would be over in time but it wasn't. So all the kids played on the playground while Whitney was gone. When Whitney got back we had cake and ice cream. I looked on line to find the perfect cake and I had my friend Wendy make it. It turned out so cute!


After cake Whitney opened her presents. She got spoiled rotten with so many presents. She got heelies and a DS game from us and lots of toys from her friends. On top of everything else the kids got they also got to go home with a goodie box filled with more pirate stuff!



It made me feel good when Whitney thanked me and told me this was the BEST party ever!

Whitney's Dance Review

This has been a VERY BUSY year with Pizazz Dance Team. I guess we really didn't know what we were getting into before we started. Whitney and her friend Shandelle wanted to take dance together. My friend Melanie had a neighbor who danced with Pizazz and that is how we heard about it. It's a professional dance team with a lot of technique and structure. There were endless mandatory practices and performances. They performed at "The World Senior Games" and during basketball games at every High School in the valley. They also competed in a competition. Here are some pictures from the dance review. It was a special night. Everyone dressed up, each dancer got a rose, was escorted by their father, had their name announced and had a special daddy daughter dance. I of course got teary eyed as I watched John hold Whitney in his arms as they danced to "Butterfly Kisses". I thought back to my wedding day when I danced with my father to that same song. Time really does go by too fast! I don't even want to think about Whitney's wedding day.

I do however LOVE to watch Whitney dance and reminisce back to when I was a dancer. It was fun to watch her perform at the basketball games. It reminded John and I of being in that high school moment all over again! LOL

I have to say my favorite moment was watching Whitney perform her ballet dance for the first time. It took my breath away! She was so beautiful and graceful. She had so much poise! She must take after me because ballet was always my stronger point. I didn't care much for jazz and I was not very coordinated. But when it came to ballet it just came easier for me. Whitney always talks about wanting to do ballet. That was the whole reason I signed her up for dance. I guess I need to find something that focuses more on ballet and less on jazz or hip hop. Her ultimate goal is to do ballet on point but you have to be at least 12 years old to start.

Whitney decided she didn't want to do Pizazz again next year. I think she was too overwhelmed with all the practices and performances on top of school, homework and no time for friends. I'm still hoping maybe after having a break she will want to take a ballet class because she is so good at it!


Whitney before the show


Whitney being escorted by her daddy


Whitney dancing with her daddy


The Pizazz Team


Whitney and Shandelle


Whitney and her friend Emma


Whitney in her ballet costume after the show

Garbage Man Truck

My cute little boy LOVES the garbage truck. He calls it the garbage man truck. Every Friday when he hears it coming down the street he goes running outside as fast as he can while yelling "the garbage man truck is here!" He will stand at the curb and patiently wait for it to get to our house. As the truck drives up he says hi to the driver. He watches intently as the garbage cans are dumped. Then he waves bye to the truck as it drives away.



Well, Caysen had a special visitor come to his pre-school. That's right, the garbage man truck came. Caysen was in heaven! He showed the kids how the truck worked and also talked about recycling.



Then he let Caysen dress-up in the "garbage man truck" clothes.

Kitchen Remodel

The day we bought our house I hated the counter tops. They were grey, white and black speckled fir mica. Soooo ugly and they didn't match anything! Finally, after seven years of living here we got new granite counter tops in the kitchen and both bathrooms. We decided on a nice neutral color of granite. We made the kitchen counter step up so we have a bar. John had to build a wall so it would step up and to support the weight of the granite. We had to put bead board on the front to cover the 2x4's john used to build the wall. It turned out really nice. I love it! It is a nice face lift for our home and makes a big difference. Here are some before and after pictures.

Easter 2011

This year we spent Easter in SLC with my mom and dad because we were already in town for my grandma's birthday party. I love spending holidays with my family. I don't want my mom and dad to be alone. With my kids being the only grandkids it makes it fun for Papa and B-Ma to spend the holidays with their grandkids.

Aunt Courtney helped us color eggs. This is always a favorite for my kids! Our tradition includes coloring eggs the night before and leaving them out for the Easter Bunny to hide. Then in the morning we have to find the eggs so we can eat them for breakfast. This year the Easter Bunny had new hiding places because we were at B-ma and Papa's house. He hide Whitney's basket in the closet downstairs in the play room and he hide Caysen's basket behind the curtain in the living room.


My kids got spoiled with three egg hunts! Before we went to SLC our ward had an Easter breakfast and an egg hunt for the kids. The day before Easter we took the kids on an egg hunt at the park with our friends April and Richard and their kids. The kids got to see the Easter bunny and have their picture taken with him. Then on Easter B-Ma put together an egg hunt in her yard for the kids. She filled plastic eggs with prizes like candy, money and toys! The kids loved it!


Another tradition is to buy new matching church outfits for the kids and take their pictures. Here are a few of the many photos I took.

My Grandma Turns 90!

My only grandparent I have left accomlished a new milestone. She made it to the grand age of 90! I love my grandma Eulalia May Blair. She will always have a special place in my heart because I was named after her, I was born in the month of May, I named my daughter Whitney after her and she was also born in the month of May. We took a trip to SLC for the special event. We had a big birthday party in my parents backyard. All of the family came which was great! it had been a long time since I had seen a lot of my cousins. My Aunt Beckie had a video put together as a surprise for my Grandma. It included photos of my grandma growing up, photos of her children and grandchildren and interviews from her children. It was a touching video that brought tears to my eyes and many others. We had a nice BBQ meal with delicious sides and some homemade cupcakes for dessert. Grandma got spoiled with gifts and had a great time!

Broken Femur

I went to SLC for a photo shoot. John was supposed to stay home with the kids but he wanted to go snowboarding with his friends. He called and asked my friend Melanie if she could watch the kids while he went snowboarding. I had my photo shoot for the Mrs. Utah pageant. After the photo shoot I went to the mall to shop for an evening gown. I was enjoying myself when suddenly I got a phone call from John's friend Sam. He told me that John had broke his femur but that he was going to be okay. I was in a panic thinking about my kids and the fact that I was out of town and now John would not be returning home to them. I immediately called Johns mom but she did not answer. I called his sister Becca and she didn't answer either but I got a hold of her husband Fred. He said they could come to St. George to care for the kids and be at the hospital with John. I was thinking maybe John was trying some kind of a crazy trick but he said he went to the side of the slope by the trees and followed his friend over a little bump. There was a turn after the bump and John didn't have enough time to turn and miss the trees so he threw his body to the side but his leg hit the tree. He tried moving his leg but only the top half moved and he knew it was broken. His friends got help and they put him on a sled and took him down the mountain to the clinic. He was in excruciating pain but they claimed they were not aloud to give him anything and that he had to wait for the paramedic to come. The ambulance ended up getting stuck in the snow on its way up Beaver mountain. John was put in the back of a pick up truck and taken down the mountain to the ambulance. By this point it had been 2 1/2 or 3 hours with no pain meds! They gave him morphine when he got in the ambulance but that didn't do anything for his pain so they gave him something stronger. He was taken to Cedar City but they did not have proper equipment for surgery so the ambulance had to drive in a blizzard to St. George. The ambulance ended up having engine problems along the way so they stopped at a Wal-Mart in Cedar city to get parts. The driver did not know how to fix the problem so John had to walk him through it while he was drugged up and laying on a stretcher. He finally made it after a 4 hour journey from Beaver to St. George. I left SLC first thing in the morning so I could get back to the kids and see John. He ended up having surgery. He had to get a steel rod drilled through his hip and down through the center of the femur with a screw to hold it in place. it will be permanent. It is going to be a long recovery and he won't be able to wake board for awhile or work for a couple weeks. HE is using a walker right now and will slowly graduate to crutches. Here is a picture of his x-ray.

Mrs. Utah US Continental

I can't believe I was crowned the new Mrs. Utah US Continental. After several pageants I finally got to experience my crowning moment as my dream came true. My husband, kids and parents were there to support me during this journey. My journey was long and exhausting as I prepared mentally, physically and emotionally for the pageant. I spent countless hours finding the perfect evening gown and the best aerobic wear that was the most flattering for my not so perfect body. I spent more time at the gym than usual trying to get into shape for the pageant. I spent a lot of time filling out my application and judges biography form. I also spent time driving to SLC for meetings and photo shoots and the actual competition. Of course you can't take part in a pageant without all that glamorous stuff so I spent more time getting my hair done, buying new make up, getting a tan, getting my nails done.....But, I think I spent the most time preparing my platform. I put a lot of thought into what would be the right platform for me. I decided on "Reach Out And Make A Difference". Because of my experience with fund raising, community service and helping others I felt it was a perfect platform for me. I am so excited as I embark on this new journey.

Disnayland

It's a tradition every year that my mom and I take the kids to Disneyland over spring break. This year Grandma Z came with us. Usually St. George has an earlier spring break than everyone else which ends up being the last weekend before the busy peak hours start. This makes it nice because the lines are not that bad. For some reason this year Disneyland was PACKED! I guess the spring break schedule changed for some states. Instead of it being the last weekend before the peak season it ended up being the first weekend of peak season. It was horrible! We tried to make the best of it. Whitney went on the Tower of Terror the last time we came to Disneyland and it scared the crap out of her. This year she absolutely refused to go on it again but my mom and I talked Suzan into going on it. She didn't know what to expect. It was so funny to see her reaction. I think it kind of scared her too. Caysen was in car heaven when he saw Mater and Mcqueen. He was checking out the wheels and their mouths. He was starring and touching and loving it! He couldn't get enough and we had to drag him away! Even though Whitney is seven years old she still insists on being in a stroller. She says it's not fair that Caysen gets to sit in a stroller. So we always rent a stroller. Besides, it makes it easier for us to get around and do things faster if we can just push the kids. Whitney NEVER takes naps! Ithought it was funny that she actually fell asleep in the stroller. Crazy how us adults are the ones doing all the work yet we have more energy than the kids and can't get enough of Disneyland but the kids get so worn out LOL. I wonder if she will still be in a stroller when she is 10?