I'm getting frustrated...

I've made several attempts (over the course of many days) to post some pictures of Cooper's baptism. 
Each time I finish, the photos appear grainy and blurry.
Is it my photos?  They are totally clear before I move them over to blogger.
grrrrrrr...

So to make myself feel better I decided to hop on over to the Pioneer Woman's blog.
And I did feel better.
For two reasons.
1.  I don't have to be to work over at the elementary school until 11:30 today!
2.  Because of #1, I have time to actually hop on over to PW's blog : )

This is what I wanted to share...

In her home and garden section I found these.
They are chalkboard placemats.
You can find them here from b a friend..
I'm getting a set.

It's a splurge, but I still have birthday money leftover.
Well, only if I forego the pedicure.
It's a tough choice but I think I'm going with the chalkboards.

photos from b a friend

photo from The Pioneer Woman

You could leave notes, write a menu, practice spelling words, math facts, play Boggle or Pictionary, even leave a scripture reference to cheer and uplift.

I'm excited.

Now back to my frustration...

another season behind her...

Maddison has finished her second season as a Lady Hawks basketball player.



She played successfully on the JV team and ended her sophomore career with a total of 45 points and a single game high against Basha of 9 points.
In the last two games of the year she is 6 for 6 at the free throw line.

Congrats on a great JV season Sis!

Utah highlights...

Although our trip to Utah was quick, we always enjoy being with family.

Celebrating Burk's achievement of earning the rank of Eagle made it extra special.

Grandpa Stephens checking out Davis' merit badges.

Brent, Davis, Cooper and cousin Burk.

The best part of the ceremony was the live eagle.
Words or pictures can't do it justice.
It was magical to see.
When the bird became restless and wanted to spread it's wings,
I could feel the wind her wings generated blow across my face.
She was magestic and powerful.
The presentation was symbolic and beautiful.

When we woke on Sunday morning the world was a blanket of white.
The boys were in cotton candy heaven!


We were not prepared with winter gear.
Our thin Arizona blood doesn't need those multiple layers anymore.
But the boys couldn't resist the fluff so they braved the cold in their flimsy fleece jackets and gloves.
I was running the clothes dryer over and over again throughout the day.
Maddie and I were content to watch through the window or sneak a picture out on the front porch.
Maddison took a snowball in the stomach which is the price you pay when you enter the realm of boys and their childlike pleasures!

We celebrated Cooper's 8th birthday too.
First a snake party in sunny Arizona and then more cake and ice cream but this time with his cousins in snowy Utah.  It was birthday party overload : )

PC...

  

slowing making our way on Interstate 15:  2-19-11 @ 9:12 a.m.

And the usually unreliable forecast was correct!

PC...

leaving for a quick trip to spend some time with family:  2-18-11 @ 2:56 p.m.

When we pulled out of our driveway it was a beautiful 74 degrees.
A winter storm was in the forecast for our drive to Utah.

PC...

holding snakes:  2-17-11 @ 4:37 p.m.

Four year ago we invited Rich from Reptile Adventures to come for Davis' 8th birthday.  Cooper was four at the time and never forgot it.  He has been asking every year since when he could have the Snake Man come for his birthday.  THIS was the year!

PC...

sending out the email to our family about this upcoming event:  2-16-11 @ 6:47 a.m. 

PC...

sewing merit badges and new cub scout patches:  2-15-11 @ 8:23 p.m.

Davis jumped into Scouting with both feet right from the get-go.  He has never slowed down.
Cooper is chomping at the bit to follow suit.

PC...

happy valentines day:  2-14-11 @ 6:10 a.m.

PC...

looking forward to replacing the signs of a cold winter:  2-13-11 @ 2:14 p.m.

PC...

a valentine's craft:  2-12-11 @ 10:30 a.m.

PC...

keeping up with these three:  any given day @ any given time

PC...

stuffing his head with 2nd grade knowledge:  2-7-11@ 11:37 a.m.

PC...

Saturday afternoon target practice:  2-5-11 @ 4:03 p.m.

It all started when Cooper had some Christmas money he wanted to spend.  He bought himself a bow and a few arrows.  Today while I was at a Stake RS meeting the boys went out to run a few errands and came back with a couple things for Cooper's upcoming birthday - a quiver for his arrows (it is hard to see in this picture but it is hanging from this belt on the right side) and a large target.
It reminds me of the time I was gone and when I returned we had a pet fish.  Strange things happen when I am away.  I think the Dad is just as much a boy as his two sons : )

PC...

Dressing up for game day:  2-4-11 @ 6:42 a.m.

PC...For the temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty...

 We took the opportunity to serve beside our friends on the temple grounds a few weeks ago.

  

Service at the temple:  1-22-11 @ sometime between 8 and 10 a.m.

It truly was a place of love and beauty.

The building of the Gilbert temple is coming along.   Already there have been protests and anti mormon trash being distributed around the valley.  But we know that the Lord's work will be accomplished.

PC...

 Just me:  2-2-11 @ early a.m.

There are reasons I don't have a lot of pictures of myself on this blog.  Of the hundreds of pictures on here I probably show up less than 10 times.  I just don't like pictures of myself but this one isn't too bad for three reasons:
1.  you can't see my body
2.  i figured out how to hide my wrinkles and the annoying age spots by adjusting the light.
3.  see #1

PC...

Highland Lady Hawks vs. Mountain View:  2-1-11 @ 5:57 p.m.

Love this girl.  And this season she is her daddy's number which makes it pretty great!

PC...

Dining room table dumpsite:  1-31-11 @ 6:03 p.m.

I remember my mom getting frustrated at any given flat surface in our kitchen
because there was always STUFF covering them.
I can SO relate!

PC...

No picture for today because honestly I forgot.

Instead, I'll leave a thought that I shared on my Ward Missionary visits today.  Yes, I'm a Ward Missionary.  I was released as the Young Women's President last May.  Goodness, that was a difficult release and should be a post in and of itself.  But on to my thought...

"Member missionary work does not require the development of strategies or gimmicks.  It does require faith - real faith and trust in the Lord.  It also requires genuine love.  The first great commandment is to 'love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind...The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'."   ~ Elder Ballard

When I was extended the call my first thoughts were "me???  a ward missionary???"  I was sure that there were plenty of other people who were better qualified than me and if I'm being honest I often thought to myself when others were called on any given Sunday "oh man! I'm so glad that's not me!"  Yeah - awful of me, I know.  But after working through some feelings of real inadequacy I've come to settle in to my new calling and it's been wonderful to reflect on my own mission.  It was good to ask myself "why did I go?"  There were events that lead up to me making that decision but in the end it was because I did love the Lord and I did trust Him and I knew that putting my faith in Him would lead to really great stuff.  Not just out in the mission field but also upon my return.

And that's just what happened for me in Korea and what I try to express to those I visit now.  Because our Heavenly Father loves us as does our Savior Jesus Christ and they have promised us in the scriptures that they will go before us and prepare the way so we can accomplish their work. 

Let's get to work!

PC...

Juicing lemons on a lazy Saturday morning:  1-29-11 @ 10:27 a.m.

Although we don't have a lemon tree ourselves we live among generous neighbors who do have these orbs of sunshine growing in their backyards.  They are always so good to share.
Lucky us...a counter overflowing with lemons AND fabulous neighbors!

PC...

Unwinding on Friday night after a long week: 1-28-11 @ 7:53 p.m.

These two are quite a pair. Totally in love with each other. It's a brother/sister relationship at its best. Maddie was eight when Coop was born and she truly was his second mom. Still is. And it never surprises me when he chooses her over me because he often does. It makes me happy.

PC...

Homework:  1-27-11 @ 3:12 p.m.

I'm calling this my Personal Challenge (PC)...

Beginning today and ending in one month I would like to take one picture a day and post it to my blog.
I want it to represent our family now and what we do to fill our days.
The big stuff, the little, and all the in between stuff.
Right here at the beginning of 2011.
Or pretty close to the beginning anyway.
It might be uneventful to others but I hope it will be fun for our kids (and us) to look back and remember us
as we are!

Court of Honor:  1-26-11 @ 7:24 p.m.

Davis earns his First Class and Second Class rank advancements.  He also receives 5 more merit badges plus his Totin' Chip.  Davis always gives his mom a big warm hug after he pins on her pins.  It's really not fair that his Dad doesn't get the pins and/or the hugs.  After all, it is his Dad that walks beside him through this whole scout stuff.
Mom just stands to the side and cheers them on.

If this PC goes well I just might think about keeping it going but I don't want to set myself up for failure.
30 days is going to test me as it is.

Light...

Have you been looking out your window lately??
It's truly beautiful.
The sunsets have been spectacular this winter!

One night during Christmas break we took an evening drive to the temple.  As we drove the freeway I couldn't help but wonder at the sky.  The sunset was so bright and vivid that even these pictures out the front window of the truck turned out wonderful.  I took these shots just minutes apart from each other.  The colors were changing quickly the deeper the sun set beyond the horizon.
We got to the temple just before it was dark.  I was so happy to get these shots.
Isn't light a magical thing!

Quickly the light left the sky and the Christmas lights on the temple grounds were ablaze!

I'm grateful my kids still enjoy this tradition.
And we found the perfect time to go...
Instead of fighting the crowds before Christmas, wait until after the holiday and then go on a week night.
We enjoyed the night so much more as we were able to casually stroll, browse the visitor center and
ponder at the Nativity.  It was a wonderful night of LIGHT!

this is what i've been tappin' my foot to lately...

Go download this album by Mindy Gledhill.

It is a creative collection of songs.

The subject matter is love.

In all it's variety.

The love of sweetheart.

The love of a child.

The love a friend.

And the sort.

It's fun, quirky, sweet, cheesy, sensitive and silly but honestly...

isn't that what lasting love is all about!!

How we rang in 2011...

with a little Ryan...



with a little wrestling...

with a little sparkler dance...

with a little firework display...

and with a little kiss from my sweetheart.
but I didn't get a picture of that : )

A Christmas photo shoot with the Slades...

1.  Kristi to Matt, "Now Matt, move your foot over here just a bit more.  Not quite.  Okay, good.  Don't move.
Davis and Cooper get direction from Dad, "You stand over here.  No, not there.  Here.  No, here.  There.  That's good."

2.  Cooper points to anyone near him to blame the funny smell on.
Megan searches for the guilty face too.
  Maggie is begging between clenched teeth, "Could you just take the picture already!!"
Matt, "I agree with Maggie."

3.  Kristi has turned her back on the whole idea of this working.
Maddison decides she needs a licorice break.
Dave wonders "why do we do this??"
Maggie and Matt are still begging to take the blasted picture already!!
Brent just gives up and walks off set.

4.  Megan, "Oh she's ready???  Okay, here we go!  CHEESE!"
Kristi to Maddison, "Come on! Get that licorice out of your mouth and squeeze on in here."
Maggie, "I've been smiling the whole time!"

5.  Megan, "MOM!  Matt has me in a headlock!"
Maggie, "Now Matt.  Let's not put people in headlocks."
Brent leans in to the boys and whispers, "As soon as we get this picture we are outta here!"
Kristi, "Oh! I think I felt the baby kick!"
Dave still wonders "why do we do this??"

6.  Okay everyone say "Merry Christmas!"

7.  Now squeeze together and pretend like we love each other!!

Thank you Slade family for calling us your own.
And we do love you ~ very much.


As for the Brown house...

Amid the tangle of ribbons, bows, wrapping paper, bags, boxes and Santa string, we had a wonderful Christmas celebration.
Most of all, I feel so grateful that we know WHY we celebrate this blessed day.