THE END IS NEAR!!!!!

I am so glad that the end of the school year is just about here!!!
James has been so stressed with class projects. I was ready to send him some
place else while he finished because he was awful!!! Brynna has continued to have
homework every night this week. She was up until 1:30 the other night finishing one of her projects. Kae Lee is trying hard to finish her suit jacket before the end of school. So much to be done and most of kids have no interest to do any of it---I think they are just ready for summer and want to be done with school. I AM TOO!!!!

James will have Seminary Graduation this Sunday, High School Graduation on June 5, and his Eagle Court on Honor on June 14. Wow---so much going on and it is all good!!
It is great to have kids that do well in school and want to get the good grades. It takes a great deal of work and time but it is well worth it in the end.
I am very proud of my kids----they are just simply amazing!!!!

MY SWEET SIXTEEN KAE LEE!!!!!

Today is Kae Lee's 16th birthday!!!! Happy Birthday to my first born daughter!!!!
I remember this date all too well back on May 18, 1993. I was ordered by the doctor to go and have a non-stress test done at the hospital because Kae Lee was already at her due date and I was showing no signs of delivering a baby anytime soon. The doctor told me that he would let me go one more week before scheduling a C-section. I wanted to see if I could deliver this baby without a C-section--it wasn't meant to be. I spent quite a bit of time at the hospital doing the non-stress test and my stomach was just grumbling because I was SO hungry. They did the test twice but didn't say much to us afterwards. They told us that the specialist would take a look at it and we could wait in this room until they had the report back. I was so hungry so Michael went and got me a candy bar---a Butterfinger to be exact. I inhaled it because I was just so hungry. As soon as I ate it and threw the wrapper away, the nurse came around the corner and said "Did you just eat something?". I told her that I just ate a candy bar. She told me that they needed to take me to labor and deliver immediately and that I was having a baby today. So, I became "the one who just ate a candy bar" to all the nurses and anesthesiologist. Don't you know you aren't supposed to have food 24 hours before surgery? OOPS!!! My Bad!!!
So----they scheduled an emergency C-section for Kae Lee. She was certainly not an
emergency compared to James' emergency C-section!!! We were never told what the problem was with Kae Lee, we just knew that the doctor wanted to get her out ASAP!!!
The C-section went smoothly and we had a beautiful baby girl born to us that afternoon about 4:00pm and she was just so perfect. She was a big baby weighing in at 9lbs. 8 Oz's. and 21" long. She was just really swollen in her face when she was born. Maybe she was supposed to come sooner. Who knows? It was a very happy day for us to finally get this bouncing baby girl. She was beautiful and such a good baby.
Now that baby has grown up and she is more beautiful than ever. What a delight Kae Lee is to our family. She is cheerful, creative, very good at art,funny, loves children, kind to everyone, plays the piano, loves music, strong in the Gospel, loves her brother and sister. She is just an amazing young lady. We love her so much and we are so proud of her. Michael and I feel very blessed to have her as our daughter. Happy Birthday Kae Lee. Hope today is a special day for you!!!

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SERVICE

Last week I went and spent a couple of hours helping at the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake putting together kits to send to Mexico because of the swine flu epidemic.
I had never been inside of that place and I was really impressed with all the stuff they do there. It was a great experience for me to be a part of that large group of people putting together these kits that would aid them in helping to stop the spreading of the sickness. I was glad that I went to give of my time.

On Saturday, the youth from our Stake had a service project out on Antelope Island. We went out there and picked up trash---there really wasn't that much to pick up.
We were literally eaten up by the bugs. Michael looked like he had a bad case of the chicken pox by the time we got home. I had bites in my hair line, on my ears, nose and the back of my neck--pretty much everywhere. But, we did a good deed and it felt good to be of service to someone.

Yesterday I spent 3 1/2 hours cleaning the Ogden Temple. It was a different type of service to do in the Temple but it was very needed. I was asked to help wash the windows on the second floor. It was cold outside at first and my feet were soaking wet. As the sun started to warm us and I got my body moving from scrubbing the dirty windows, I felt good inside for the service that I was able to render. It was actually very gratifying because we could see immediate progress.

I am so thankful that giving service is so gratifying and makes me appreciate what I have. I know that I could always do more for others. I know that I get more out of it than the ones that I serve. I just hope that I have taught my children that giving service and working hard can be fun. I know that I could be a better example for them in this area. I will try to be better.

ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON...

James and Keegan competed in a Dutch Oven cook off at his High School and got best main dish. They had so much fun preparing their dish of Italian and Cheesy Pheasant with potatoes, tons of cheese and special seasonings with vegetables. It looked really good. I didn't get to try it but James said that the flavors were just so different but so good. They were pretty proud of themselves. These boys LOVE to COOK!!! They got so sunburned that day, they were outside for most of the day.






Kae Lee is taking a sewing class at school and she has become a sewing machine---literally. She sews every chance she gets and she is REALLY good at it, too!!!
This is a picture of her and Brynna with denim jean skirts that she made. She is going through every pattern that I have and checking to see what fabric she can use and then goes to work making whatever her little heart desires. Go Kae Lee. I told her that I was so glad that she found so much enjoyment in sewing. She helps all the other girls at school because she knows what she is doing and they appreciate her help. I know this is a skill that she will be so thankful that she has. She is a chip off the "old block"!!! Good Job---Kae Lee!

Brynna earned an award from her Math teacher for trying so hard in class. I was proud of her for sticking to it and never giving up. She is the Little Engine who kept saying " I think I can, I think I can, I think I can". Math is hard and she works so hard to get good grades. Thank goodness her Dad is right there to help her with her homework. She is a great student and she is doing so well in school. We are so proud of you Brynna. Keep up the great work, you are almost done with this school year. Yippee!!!

Michael and I are so proud of our kids---is that okay to be proud of your children?
They work hard in school and they are so good to each other. We are so blessed to have such amazing children. They must get that from their Dad. Love you kids---you are the very best!!!!