I've moved!!!!!!

http://leanne-kempfamily.blogspot.com/

So much to catch up on!!!!!!

I like posting pics, because it reminds me of what we did for the last month, and catching up becomes so much easier. Because I have so much to catch up on, these posts are going to be out of order, and probably so scattered.........but at least I'll have the memory. This pic of Marcus and Santa was taken at Lydia's dance at Tuacahn.

John had not seen any of Lydia's dancing, so he was excited to see her perform. We got there about 15 minutes early, and I realized I had forgotten her ballet shoes. I thought we had plenty of time, so I sent John home to get them.

Lydia performed two songs and John missed them both! She was sooo cute, she just loves dancing. Well, fortunately they were performing twice. It was outside, and they had heaters, and a fire, but it was pretty chilly. After fifteen minutes, they started to perform again. Lydia wanted a drink before she performed, I couldn't find one. Her class was going up on stage, and she was not going to perform until she got a drink. I told her that daddy missed her first performances and he really wanted to see her dance. Well I wasn't sure if she'd perform, because she's pretty stubborn, but I still took her up to the stage and stood there with her. The music started, and fortunately she forgot about her drink. The second time they danced, she told me she was too cold. I begged her again, and she finally stood up on stage, but stood there the whole time shaking from the cold.:) oh the memories!

Marcus(6) Lydia(3) Brigham (1) Payton(8)


I love Brig's face

lydias Dance

This is Marcus and Trey up on the stage Lydia, Jayni, and Brielle performed on. The boots Trey has on are from Jordan....passed on to Marcus(he wore them everywhere).....passed on to Trey(who now wears them EVERYWHERE!)

Jayni, Brielle, and Lydia

Lydia sooooo cold.

Greggy got his MISSION CALL!

We were able to go up to American Fork Monday(December 22nd) on Greg's birthday. We also got to see Tami's nutcracker that her students performed, it was awesome! I LOVE watching Sydnee DANCE!!

We are so proud of Greg, he got his mission call to Colorado Springs, and leaves in February. Maryann and I thought he better start learning to cut his own hair, or have fun butchering his companions, so we got him a pair of scissors, and a razor for his Birthday.

The kids LOVED Greg's dog Diamond. Diamond was very good to the kids.

christmas eve

I took this picture off of Laurie's blog, I was excited someone took a picture of where the kids slept. We had Eleven kids sleeping over at Grandma's on Christmas Eve!

The kids sang, "Christmas Day" for all the parents,

My mom made these horse blankets for all the kids, and the adults. We still love to wrap up in them to stay warm, thanks MOM!!!!!

Then we jumped in Dad's wagon, and went caroling around the neighborhood. It was definitely the highlight of the trip.

kemp christmas party

Because we came up early, we were able to make it to the Kemp Christmas Party at Jason and Mary's. It was the first time in a long time that EVERYONE was able to be there.....This is a picture of Lydia being the angel in the Nativity.

We all enjoyed watching "ELF"

This is Hayden, Corbin, Marcus and Payton playing Joseph and the wise men

We really enjoyed the party, and got a wonderful gift from John's Parents, lots of dishcloths, towels, and money! This is our sorry attempt at a picture with our Family.

Christmas Day

Oh what the best Christmas Ever. The kids were standing down at the bottom of the stairs waiting Patiently to be able to come up. Jordan, Marcus, Bryson,Payton, Lydia and Jayni(Trey is turned around).

Here they Come!

Each family had a corner set up in mom's family room. This is our corner with Brig chilling on the floor.... all he wanted for Christmas was a BOTTLE!

Trey's motorcycle was definitely a hit!!!!

Brigham enjoying his BYU basketball

Brig wondering what in the world was going on!

Payton and Marcus were so excited to give their dad a BYU shirt

Lydia loved her dollhouse, and mom loves it too. All she wanted for Christmas was BARBIES!!! I loved Barbies also when I was little, but I just was getting sick of the barbie thing, so we tried "My Loving Family" dollhouse. It is SOOO much fun, and Lydia didn't even notice she didn't get one barbie for Christmas.

Enjoying all the snow

Because there was SOOOOOO much snow the week we were up at my mom's, we did a lot of SLEDDING!!!!! John and Lydia taking their turn down the mountain

Cam pulled kids behind his truck, that was fun

my attempt at making a picture pretty.:)

Oh I love this boy so much!!!!! He wants to grow up way too fast though

Payton snowboarding behind the truck

Marcus didn't care about much but having fun, and boy did he have it. He pretty much wore this smile all week. Although on the last day, he got a pretty nast burn from the ice on his face.

This is my mom's street. Another highlight of the week was running the old route we used to run all the time. John does not like running, but I'm determined to get him to:)....anyway he came with us both times we went. Running in the snow is so much fun, and I really enjoyed running with my husband.

What has kept me up at night

I'm not sure what it is, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS. A couple of months ago I got called to be the Primary Chorister in our ward(my FAVORITE calling). I knew that the Primary was in charge of an evening for a Nativity, so immediately I started planning. I started out just putting the program together, and I think I really started to make the Primary President nervous, because I tend to go ALL OUT!:)

So for the last week this has been on my mind constantly, and for the last three nights, I have gotten 4 to 5 hours a night of sleep. I have been up making signs and a folder for myself, thinking and thinking again of whatever would help this go smoothly. It was set up as a medley, so there was really no stopping, we went from one song to another, and the kids had to be ready for their part.

Of course if anyone has heard Payton sing, I had to have him sing a solo. He sang the first verse of, "When Joseph went to Bethlehem", and the Shepherds sang the 2nd, and he sang the third. Well when it came to his part, he had to get to the microphone that was on the stage, and Joanne (our pianist) played the introduction, and then started playing the song, well I don't think she noticed Payton didn't start with her, but he jumped right in and sung, 'When Joseph' real fast to catch up. I was so proud, he has a beautiful voice, he counts really well, and really has a feel for music.

I had a cute 3(Breele), 5(Jara), and 6(Ethan) year old sing Silent Night, and everyone that had parts were so good, they knew exactly when to come in, and it was just perfect. The spirit was so strong, and I honestly can say I know good music is so important in our children's lives, and I KNOW that it will and can strengthen testimony, because my heart is burning tonight.

I am sick I didn't take picture of the stage, so if ANYONE took any kind of pictures I want some please, and I wish I had someone video it. We had an awesome manger that Cam (my brother-law) made, and a stable on the stage, and a big star above the manger. While the children sang, "Picture a Christmas", the angels, wise men, shepherds, Joseph and Mary all came out on stage as we sang about them.

Major CATCHUP

ok, this is going to be LoNNNg........... so be prepared! As many of you know, our lap top hit the dust, and I lost lots of pictures from it, I'm still hoping and praying my brother-in-law may be able to save it. So now I have decided that I am going to keep up on my blogs, because a lot of those pictures are on this blog. Here is a recap of our last month or so...........We had Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's and every year I decorate my mom's house for Christmas for her, cause I love to do it. This year, Michelle and I were at Roberts, and Michelle saw a cowboy Christmas tree, and we both loved it.(my mom is a total cowgirl) We called my mom up and asked her if she wanted to do a cowboy Christmas theme. She loved it, and couldn't believe we were letting her do it. Here is her finished Christmas tree, and yes there is my mom's cowboy boot in the tree.
and her banister

Thanksgiving was so nice, we spent it at my mom's and some of mom's brother's(Richard, Bob, Brian, Greg). Mom always loves to get the quartet stuff out and play, I'm glad my cello that I bought and used once got used by Bob this year. I stick to the violin, so much easier:)

Me, Brigham, and GRANDPA JOHNSON, what a handsome guy he is!

Payton played tackle football this year, and it was so much fun for him, but by the time November hit, I was so ready to be done. (his practices were Tues, Wed, and Thurs 5:30-7:30, and games on Saturday). I asked him on his last week, if he was ready for it to end, and he said, "No way, I love football!" He did really well. His team was really big, two more kids, and they would have split it, so he only played defense. He is a perfectionist, and always had his eye on the ball.

This is a picture at his last game, his team won the championship!!!

Here is his first trophy, he is so proud of it!

The night before Halloween, Payton did not have a costume, so guess what mom did til 2 in the morning! He just never could pick, and I guess I was kind of hoping maybe he'd choose to be a football player:) I told him that I would paint a skeleton on his black ninja clothes, and he liked it. I started to paint it, and like I said, "Payton is a perfectionist", he was critiquing me like crazy, "um, mom.... the skeleton's ribs are supposed to get smaller towards the bottom.....um, mom....do you know how many bones to paint.... um, mom...." I finally sent him to bed. In the morning, I got him up, and I looked him in the eye, and I said, "Payton, I was up til 2 am painting, and I don't care if you think this is the ugliest costume in the world, after you see it, the only words I want to hear are, 'I love it'. " He looked at it, gave me a hug, and said, "thanks mom, I love it." I think he enjoyed wearing it especially after getting his face painted!

Marcus wanted to be spiderman, I just couldn't get myself to buy a spiderman costume when Bryson had one he could wear, but with no mask, so I asked him if I could paint his face, and he loved it. I decided to dress up at the last minute, because Marcus said he really wanted to see dad and mom dress up, I'll have to work on John next year:)

Brigham was a puppy in the morning, and a dinosaur at night, he hated the puppy ears!

Brig's 1st birthday pics I never got up, or did I? Actually I think I did steal this pic off of Michelle's blog and post it......oh well, he's so darn cute no one will mind.

Some of his cousins, he was really unsure the whole night

Payton gave me the idea for his cake.

LAKE POWELL .....one month late

So these pictures may be old, but I want this trip documented, because it was so much fun! It was a little frustrating at first, because it was a hard time for John and I. John was coaching the freshman football team, and was not going to miss a game! We were going all the way to bullfrog (5 1/2 hours away verses 2 hours to Lone Rock for us). So, I did not want to wait for John to get done with his Thursday night game, and only be there for two days. I wanted to go for the whole week. Well it worked out. Maryann and I went with our kids on Tuesday. I was able to arrange for Brigham to be babysat in the day, and have John bring him with him on Thursday. It was just wonderful to have Wednesday and Thursday to just relax without having to take care of a baby. I didn't realize how wonderful it was until John, Clayton(Maryann's husband), and Brigham came late Thursday night(actually early Friday morning). This is our campsite. It was very private, and so peaceful~~~

Nobody mentioned the little scare mom gave us. My mom is so healthy and strong, so when she got sick on Saturday night, it made us all so nervous and scared. She was playing with the kids on the back of the houseboat, dipping them in and out of the water, when she sat down, she felt shortness of breath. She thought to herself, she was too young to have a heart attack.....We were so lucky to have a doctor on board, Travis tended to her, and after an hour or so, she was starting to feel better, but insisted she go to the nearest clinic and have blood work done. Everything turned out to be ok, but it sure made me realize how much I love my mom!

I don't know if you can see Marcus' smile, but this smile was on him all week!

So Brigham was at a hard age, he was not comfortable walking, so he crawled all over, got so dirty, and put everything in his mouth!

He was trying to hard to hit the ball with the racket!

here is Ken, I mean Greg(Nice hair)!

NICE CHRIS!

The kids, and this is not all of them, there is 6 missing!

Lydia and Trey

Payton got up on the wakeboard, but would never stand up, I remember when I first got up on skis( I was eight), I never stood up either, I skied the whole loop in a squat.

Chris and Laurie catching some rays

Surfing was a fun thing to try. This is Payton and John.

These are my favorite pictures of the kids going off of the slide.

and Cam

Brigham really hated wearing the life jacket and didn't care to be on the boat much.

The air chair........John tried so hard to do it, he was up for a couple of seconds, it looked very difficult, but this is Travis showing off his back flip. That's all folks, sorry so late!

So, until I get my computer working.......

I can't get my pictures from Lake Powell, and Brigham's birthday up, so until then you can look at Michelle's blog, (thanks Michelle)she put some cute one's up. Brigham is now getting his first tooth, and I think he's getting them all at the same time, because he has been really miserable for a week. Of course you can look at Laur, Maryann, Laurie's and Michelle's blog for almost all the Lake Powell pictures, but I still have some I want to put up, so until I can I'll show you the family picture we are printing, Lannie (thanks)did it in a really cool tint for me, and I love them!

Our family PICTURES!

Life has been CRAZY, Lake Powell was a blast, hopefully I can get the pictures up. I can not believe I did not post on Brigham's birthday! I lost my phone, lost my camera, found my phone, found my camera, and our laptop broke, so I have to use our old computer which is slow, and is in Brigham's room. When Brig is sleeping, I can't blog (which is the time I would blog).

But, good news.... one of my best friends from High School came down to visit, and she took our family pictures. It was very stressful, and the place we chose to take it was an old barn I drive by every day(John could NOT see the vision.:)). There was never a time in the evening(because of us) that we could do it, so we did it at 10 AM, and there was only one side that was shaded, it was muddy because of the rain the night before, and trying to get four kids to cooperate it so challenging!!! But the results are awesome! Lydia's picture is my FAVORITE! I have never gotten a real good one of her, because she scrunches her nose and squints her eyes when she smiles, so THANKS Lannie for capturing a perfect one of her. Lannie and her husband shoot amazing photos, and they are up in Salt Lake. I HIGHLY recommend them. It was amazing what they captured in only a very short time (about one hour). Thank you Lannie. click here to see our pictures. You'll have to scroll down until you see Kemp family.

One year ago......

This beautiful baby boy (Wyatt Lewis Larsen) was born to a wonderful family who loves him soooo much. He was on this earth for 5 months and 3 weeks, and returned back to heaven after heart complications. This sweet boy has made a huge impact on my life. His life on this earth was long enough to make me strive to be better, to strive to draw nearer to my Savior, to strive to be a better Daughter of God. Wyatt, I know your family misses you dearly, you are so loved and I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday.
Saturday was the day before Wyatt's Birthday. Lots of friends, neighbors and family showed up to the Larsen's home to release balloons and honor Wyatt.

Derek and Andrea are an amazing couple. Their example of faith and strength have and will help so many.

I didn't think that Lydia really understood what was going on, but today in church, as we were leaving our first meeting, many were giving Andrea a hug, I wanted to also, but because there were others, I decided to wait, and talk/hug her a little later. As I was passing Andrea, Lydia tugged on my arm, and said, "Mom, give her a hug!"

What a beautiful, spiritual sight to see these balloons released. Wyatt was loved by so many.

Andrea and her husband Derek are really a couple to look up too. They grief, and the yearn to be with their Wyatt, but they have been such an example to me, Andrea has a blog that I love to read. If you would like to read her story, (I know I have referred to her blog often, and I hope she doesn't drop me as a friend.:) ) click on her name, leave her a comment, or just gain strength like I have, she has an amazing testimony.

Oh, their sweet little girl!

I had their oldest boy in my Weebelos (scouts) den, and he is just amazing. Such a good kid, and so smart. He never showed a whole lot of excitement at Den meetings, (he's a very much get things done kind of kid) but I remember the Wednesday before Andrea was going to be induced, he was like a boy the day before Christmas. I know he loves his brother so much, and this is not what he had imagined, but he is a strong boy. Also in this picture is their eldest daughter, she is too cute for words, such a sweet, and beautiful girl

Andrea, we love you so much!!! This is the best neighborhood ever, I absolutely love the pure love that is shown by everyone!

Thank you Andrea for your friendship, and Happy Birthday to Wyatt, this day will always be a special day, I know that I will never forget what this day means to me.

Peace of Heart

click here

Here comes the phone calls!

So last night I got a phone call from Payton and Marcus' bus driver. She is a substitute for 6 weeks, and said that Payton and Marcus were not listening. I remember last year when Marcus' teacher pulled me aside, and said that Marcus was being difficult. Well I did a lot of crying that day, wondering where I went wrong! I have grown up a little, and didn't cry, but took it as a chance to help the boys understand the importance of respecting adults.
I actually was really glad for the phone call, because, it has more of an affect on Marcus. He will push limits until he knows there is a line. So last night after a lot of talking, crying, and talking again, I think he understood that there was a line, and he had definitely crossed it. Payton struggles with Marcus, because he tries to control him and his actions, and if you know Marcus, that is not possible. Marcus works with enforced rules, and he will do things to just drive Payton CRAZY! Payton gets really frustrated, anyway, this was our night last night.
translation: Dear Bus Driver, I am so sorry, I will be more helpful I am so sorry I should be more respectful Love Marcus


Marcus was really proud, and finished saying ,"that was really sweet huh Mom?" I said, "yes, doesn't that feel good to help someone and do something nice?" They are really good kids, I love them so much, and I love all they are teaching me. I have been praying a lot to have the guidance to know how to handle each of their oh so different personalities, and the other day, I saw a Popsicle on my coffee table MELTING!!! My first reaction was to grab Marcus' arm ( I was pretty sure it was him) and bring him in and show him WHAT HE DID WRONG! I felt a very strong "NO, just clean up the mess, and when he does something GOOD THEN pull him in and show him what he did good!" I did just clean up the mess, and I am trying to focus on seeing the good things all my kids do.(which unfortunately do not have the same impact as something they did wrong!)

IT WORKED

I have been trying forever, to get videos on, because I really want to put the kids really cute hip hop. Thanks Laurie, for your help, I changed the properties, and it still didn't work, but it worked when I downloaded them again from my camera. I was downloading the hip hop video again, and then it stopped and said I didn't have any more space, so that will come soon. This is a video of Brig's first step, ON my BIRTHDAY!

Sorry, no time

But read my Sunday thoughts on my new blog

From the mouth of Lydia, "Flies, get off of my strawberry, go outside and eat your own strawberry!"

SIMPLIFY

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. - Confucius
I really need this! (click on the red word:))and this

What a WEEKEND!!!!

I know that the boys started school August 12th, but I never posted this pic because it was on John's phone, so here it is. They were so excited to start school, and both are doing well.The morning Lydia started school, I was on the phone trying to fix a mistake I made on a bill, and then when I got off, I realized we had like 10 minutes to get ready! So she is eating her breakfast on her way to her school.
I'm really excited that we started this little preschool, because IT'S FREE!!!! There are five ladies in the neighborhood, we switch off, so I will teach once every five weeks!

So the weekend started with this cute performance, Brielle and Lydia got to perform at the High School half time. That was a lot more work than needed, but Lydia LOVED it. She was so cute, not shy, and fun to watch perform. I thought I was recording the whole thing, but I guess I pushed the wrong button.

I have to say though, Lydia has been a little sassy(nice word) lately. She just has such a bossy attitude, she loves to boss the boys around, and at first it was cute, but it's starting to not be so cute. Anyway, at half time, they told us to take our girls to the gate. They wouldn't let us go on the track with them, and it was just caotic with 100+ little girls. Well, my friend's little girl was in there when I went up with Lydia, and my friend was worried that her little girl would get scared again(there was an instance during one of the rehearsals when she got left by a cheerleader). I told Lydia to go find her and help her find her spot. Lydia ran in, found her, put her arm around her, and took her over to her spot. Oh, it made me proud. What a sweetie!

Lydia and her cousin Brielle, this is probably the only decent picture of the whole night.
Saturday morning I got up at 5am to run a 20 mile race. Thanks Michelle for taking these pictures. I am so grateful I had Sara to run with, she kept up the perfect pace, and I just kept talking trying to forget I was running 20 miles! I felt great, we got a decent time(3:06), and as soon as the race was over, I could barely walk(because of a blister I started to get at mile 18), and my head cold was back. I came home slept for 3 or 4 hours, and it took everything for me to get up and go to Payton's first football game!

This is a picture of Sara, me, and Shannon. Shannon is training for the marathon, and she is running her 20 miles on Saturday, ew, ew, I do NOT envy her!

We started the race about 3 or 4 minutes after the gun went off because they only had 2 port a potties, and we were in line, so we spent the whole race trying to catch up to Cam. He ran in about 9 minutes ahead of us.
Where's my picture of Payton's game? Well, it's not here, I'm a horrible mom. It was at 4:20, and it was blistering hot. I had my camera, but I only took video.

These are third graders, and it is intense. We were a little frustrated, because Payton stood on the sidelines the whole first half. Both the coaches have boys on the team, and there are about 5 that are good friends with them.(They're all good players too) John has really stayed out of the way as a parent, because he is a coach, and he knows how parents can get.
It was really hard for me to not think in my head the whole time of what I would do when I would call the coach, email him and say, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Ok, so I probably wouldn't, but it was so very hard.
After the half time Payton got to play, he did play quite a bit the second half, but it was always on defense. He did a good job, he was so nervous before the game. After the game, we hugged him, told him GREAT JOB, and then asked how he liked it. He told us that he didn't think it would be that much fun. He didn't say anything about not playing very much, or not playing offense, and he still loves it.
There was a time in the game where he was the safety and he ran from clear across the field to try to tackle a player running in for a touchdown. He didn't get him, and they got a touchdown. I was really watching Payton's reaction and he pounded on his helmet and kicked his foot a little. After the game, I asked him why he got so mad, and he said,"I am the safety, I should've gotten him, and our coach said that if we won and they were zero, he would buy us all a big texas doughnut!"

WHAT AM I THINKING???

Honestly, 20 miles, am I nuts!!!! I am planning on running a 20 mile race tomorrow, signed up 3 days ago am I ready? We'll see Will I make it? We'll see, doesn't help to have a cold sinus headache!!!!!!!!! If you read this tonight, maybe say a little prayer for me :)

I'M AWAKE!!!!

I remember listening to Sheri Dew speak, and I will always remember one thing she said, and it has stuck with me ever since. She said that when we wake up in the morning, Satan should say, "oh great, she's awake!" Yesterday I had an experience that made me realize that I am going to fight, fight for my family. On Sunday, our Sunday school teacher said something that stuck with me too. Our lesson was on addictions, and he told of an experience he had with a young man when he was in the bishopric. The young man came into his office hurt and frustrated, and very remorseful because of an internet sight he came across that was phonographic. Our teacher couldn't help but think about the what if's, What if his parents took the necessary precautions that would have stopped him from even seeing this sight? I sat there realizing that I could do better. I tend to live my life understanding that the world around us is full of evil and corruption, but I take a stand on the sidelines, and watch our children get exposed to it each and every day, thinking that there is not much I can do to change the way the world is. I know there are things that we will not be able to keep them from, but do our kids have the armor on that they will need, and yes we can take a stand and change some of the things that are happening in our own community! Anyway, I spent most of the morning filled with such a burning desire to do something more! My side ached because I was so filled with fire to step up and fight. I know that this is so important right now, and I wasn't sure what to do right at that moment, but I knew something had to change, so I decided to set up a blog that is designated to my fight for my kids, and my family, and so I can keep this blog for all the fun pictures and fun outings, but my new blog www.standfortruthandright.blogspot.com is where I will daily post things that I know that I need to be doing. that's it for now, no more preaching on this blog, but you're welcome to come and visit me, and leave your comments.

THREE POSTS IN ONE DAY!!!!

Well, Laur had her baby on 19th, and we all didn't want to wait until our powell trip to see him(Crew Charles Reber), so Michelle and Cam headed down Friday, and Maryann and I went down Sunday morning. It was a quick trip, but so worth it! Maryann and Jayni drove down with me , Brigham, Payton, and Marcus. I left Lydia home with John. I loved the drive to Flagstaff, it was beautiful, and while we were driving, I told Maryann to take a picture of the beautiful mountains, and this is the picture she took, you can tell in the picture that she thought she was being so funny!!! Ok, Mares, you are a beautiful creation!
We got to Flagstaff, and were able to eat dinner with Cam and Michelle, and then say goodbye to them, it was perfect though, because we just have way too many KIDS!

Maryann did Laur's hair while we were there, I helped a little:)

We wanted to get a picture of the three of us, so we had Marcus take it, it was very challenging getting a decent one. Jayni thought she'd help.

Good job Marcus pretty decent picture, dang if only we thought of getting one when Michelle was there.

The weather in Flagstaff is beautiful, it was so nice to get a little rainstorm in the afternoon. Marcus was in heaven because he is so active, and there was always so much to do! The kids played in the rain until there was thunder that sounded like a gun shot!

Maryann and I went on a bike ride that Laur and Travis went on all the time before Laur got pregnant. No wonder she got so skinny, it was a KILLER, but very beautiful, and we both forgot our cameras. This is a picture of Brig in the baby seat, I asked Payton to watch him while I ran and got my camera, and this is what I found when I got back.

Lar, Mares, and Michelle chillin', and Sadie in her cute sunglasses!

So, now everyone in my family has one girl, and Every one of those girls are so dog gone cute! This is Sadie(Laur's girl), and Jayni(Maryann's girl).

Payton was so excited Saturday night to see Caden, he came in to my room Sunday morning at 3;00 AM, and told me he couldn't sleep. He was a little under the weather all weekend, but loved every second of being in Flagstaff. Marcus had this smile on all weekend!

MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I did not expect, especially after bombing John's birthday, to have the BEST birthday ever. John asked me in the morning what I wanted to do, and I've always loved hiking and as a guide at the spa, I always think when I'm guiding a hike, that I would love to go hiking with John, so that's what we did. John's not a big hiker, but he didn't even ask why I would choose to hike especially on a hot summer day in St. George. We started later than we probably should have on a summer morning(9:00). John loaded our bikes in his truck, and we rode 2 miles up a dirt road, that I did not want to walk.We parked our bikes, and walked in the sand until we got to the bottom of the mountain on the right.
Oh the dreaded sand, I can't tell you how many times I have heard guests complain about this sand, it was so nice to walk in it, and not have to hear someone behind me asking 'how much longer in the sand?', and 'Do we have to walk back in it?' I actually like the sand, it's a GREAT workout, and yes, we always have to walk back in the sand.

It was an AMAZING hike, I enjoyed it so much, and it was so nice to hike it with my husband. There is something about being on top of a mountain, and looking down, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mountains, they are truly one of god's greatest creations! I can't ever go hiking without doing a yoga pose on top of the mountain, I know I'm a nerd!

Ok, maybe I'm not the only nerd!

Two of my favorites: My husband, and the peacefulness of the mountains!

Ok, this is why I can't lead this hike, there is one spot where the only way across is to jump this LITTLE crack! If you look further back on the left, you can see where you have to jump across. It is not a big jump, but the problem is, it is not flat on the other side, it's just a mountain, and a little ledge to jump to. I freak out, and every time we get to that spot I have to have someone help me over. I have jumped it once, my first time actually, but I haven't since, and I really wanted to on my birthday, but some things just don't need to be proven.:)

This day was so perfect, the gifts I got were so fun, I love that Maryann gets me a purse every year,and I got a yummy German Chocolate muffin from my friend Andrea, I love the running shoes Michelle got for me, and the sunglasses from my mom and dad, thanks Laur for the visa card (which by the way Laur, I bought the cutest shoes with , thanks), Laurie gave me some cute earrings. Laurie has always been so good at getting something in the mail for each and everyone of my birthdays. I always look forward to Doug and Kristine's(John's sister) phone call every birthday, they have never Missed a year!!! John's mom always gives a gift that I hate spending money on, this year it was temple garments.

I did not expect going to 25 main to eat and have cupcakes would be as fun and successful as it was with NINE kids! It was wonderful though, and I love their cupcakes! I love this picture, all the kids are focused on singing to me, but Brigham is eyeing the cupcakes!

Thank you everyone for making my birthday such a great and wonderful day!

After LOTS and LOTS of practice, it's finally here!

John went two years without coaching football, and now he's BACK! He is the head coach for the freshman Snow Canyon football team. They had their first game on Saturday in Las Vegas. They played the catholic Bishop Gorman football team. This school is very wealthy, their football stadium was incredible! Our team lost, but did very well, John is an excellent coach, and I really enjoyed watching him with a younger team, he will do an excellent job of getting them ready for varsity.John giving the kids some encouragement after losing the game.

In the bottom right corner, John is encouraging a player, he has a talent at making anyone feel special.

This is Payton's football team, he is playing tackle football this year, and is so excited, he is the second to last on the right in the front row.

hard days....

There is so much so much to update on, our trip to Flagstaff, my birthday, the cutest hip hop recital, but I find myself ....after a hard, frustrating, and overwhelming day of being a mom of four, and knowing that I am not cut out like I thought I would be.... finding strength from others. I have a sweet friend Andrea that has a beautiful boy that passed away 6 months ago, he was the same age as Brigham, I check out her blog often, she has beautiful music, and wonderful and uplifting quotes, and her blog always gives me strength, and today, I happened to notice one of her links that said Love the life you live
of course I clicked on it, because I was curious, and she had a beautiful post that was titled, 'Learning to submit'. That is what I needed today. I will catch up, but today, I needed this, I want to share it with my family and friends, so click on the colored words, because sometimes we tend to be so caught up in the way we think our life should be, and well, we do not know what we need, and we can't even begin to think we know what we need. I thank my father in heaven for all of my wonderful blessings, and especially for the opportunity I have to reach the potential that he knows I can reach. LOVE YOU ALL!!!

THEY HAVE A FOREST!!!

As I was walking Payton and Marcus to the bus stop, they told me that they had four cousins who were RICH. I asked who, and they replied, "Bronson, Jake, Bryson, and Caden" . I asked why they were rich, and they said, "Bronson is because they have that big house, and swimming pool."(he is my cousin Micheline's boy, and they just built a beautiful home to fit their 8 kids, and they have a pool.) "Jake because he has a swimming pool." (Jake is actually Bryson's cousin, but we see them a lot, and they live in an area that has a pool for the homes in that area, but we are usually the only one's at the pool, so they think it is Jake's pool.) "Bryson because he has a splash pad, a putting green, and a trampoline!"(Bryson is my sister Michelle's boy, and they just put in the ideal back yard for a st. George family with young kids.) and of course "Caden because...... he has a forest!!!"(Caden is my sister Lauralee's boy, they live in flagstaff Arizona, and right behind their house there is a forest where their kids have built a fort, and they ride their bikes on the trail through it. Payton and Marcus think it is Caden's forest.)

I'm really ticked!

This is a picture of Brielle holding a sign for her mom and dad last year for the St. George marathon. I ran the Salt Lake marathon in '97, wow, 11 years ago, and have not had the desire to do another, I felt like I got a good time, (3hrs 57 min) I made it under my goal of 4 hours, (barely) and just was fine with running one. I ALMOST signed up for the marathon this year, but missed it because I kept deciding and then it was too late. Now I'm ticked because two Saturday's ago, a girl in my ward asked Sara(another girl from my ward) and I to run 17 miles with her to train. I was totally excited, I just wanted to know if I could do it. I did it, and I have been running with her since. We ran 9 miles last Saturday, and I plan to run her 19 and 20 mile runs too, so I've got to figure out a way to run the marathon!!!! I'm so mad, because I really want to do it this year, so I've heard people running with other people's numbers, you're not supposed to transfer numbers, but I think if you just run as that person's name it is ok, so if anyone is not running, I'd love to run for you, I promise I'll try to run fast so you can have a good time on your name.:) Anyway, this picture is actually on the St. George marathon website, I just had Brigham two days before, and I didn't get to go, but at the last minute made signs for Brielle and Bryson to hold up, and sent them with my mom and John, and they didn't even take a picture of them holding the signs, so I thought it was so cool when someone took this and put it on the website!!!

IT'S YOUR.....

Boy do we love you!!!! Integrity, one of your best qualities.
Really do LOVE you!!!


Talented in everything you do.

How we love to just spend time with you!

Dang good lookin!!!!

Awesome DAD!!!!

You are #1 in our hearts, (next to mom of course!)

Happy Birthday

Bon voyage Summer......

It is over!!!! I thought summer would be relaxing, and it was anything but that, we were so busy, and with four kids home all the time I was soooo ready for school to start today. We didn't even go on a vacation this summer, but it still felt busy, and we were always doing something. Brigham is so ready to get some more attention.

Last week we went to jumpin' jacks with some friends, it was really fun, and nice and cool inside.

They had music playing, and so a bunch of girls danced and Lydia tried to join in.

Saturday we went bowling, a request from Marcus. Marcus was sure he'd be good, cause he played it on the wii.



Lydia loved it, and always ran back so excited , not even looking at how many pins she knocked down.Kaitlynn left yesterday, she was so excited to go home, I guess living with a family with four kids under 8 wasn't as relaxing for her as she thought. She said the excercise was harder than she expected, but she was really glad she did it. She excercised 5 to 6 times a week, and helped out babysitting when I needed her. Lydia is excited to get her room back, now if only we can get her to sleep in her room. I'm sure Kaitlynn was so excited to get home to her own room also.

This was actually Kaitlynn's first time bowling EVER! Great form Kait!:)

Kaitlynn's FIRST DATE

Kim this is for you and Ryan. Their first daughter Kaitylnn went on her first date!!! Her date is a boy named KC from my ward. His mom is my visiting teaching partner, and I absolutely love her. He comes from an amazing family!

I did her hair this morning, and then we went shopping for the perfect outfit.

Her hair turned out cute,

and she found the perfect outfit!! Have fun Kaitlynn, I'm sure she'll put more on her blog.

Did Everyone get their copy of 'Breaking Dawn'?

This is Kaitylnn, she was SOOO excited to get her copy of 'Breaking Dawn'. We drove down first to Barnes and Noble at 10:30 PM, and wanted to see what the party was like. Both of us had gotten up at 6:00 to go on a bike ride, so we weren't real enthusiastic about joining all the partying, but there were plenty of people that were dressed up, and many had shirts that said, 'Team Edward", "Team Jacob" ect. We decided to go over to Walmart and get the book cheaper. The line was sooooo long, but it went pretty smoothly.

The check out lines were so long, there were a couple of people that came in just to get a few things they needed, they weren't real happy.

I was trying to be sad because I didn't get a copy. I actually ordered a copy off of Amazon.com, cause I got free shipping, and I also ordered "The Host" which I have not read yet, but I have to say, after seeing everyone walk out with two or three copies, I kind of felt left out not walking out of the store with a copy. We finally got checked out and left Walmart at about 1:00 AM. I have not done that forever!!! I was so grateful that John and the kids let me sleep in until 10:00!!!!! I bought a Diet DrPepper when we headed out that night, because I was already so tired, but I don't think the caffeine kicked in until I was trying to go to sleep. It was about 2:30 before I fell asleep.

Well, this week we had a couple that was doing the program at the spa who stayed in our basement. They wanted to bring their baby, so we watched him while they were at the spa. He is one month younger than Brigham, bigger than Brigham, and you can tell from this picture has lots more teeth than Brigham. He was a good baby, and slept a lot. Kaitylnn took care of him, I am so glad I had help, I'm not sure how mothers of twins do it!!!

Lydia loves being the mom, she played great with Jackson.

Brigham didn't really like this new baby that was taking up his space.

My Testimony

After reading the Ensign this month and reading Elder Ballards talk titled 'Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet', and listening to his talk he gave to graduating BYU students, (click here to listen) I've decided to share my testimony on my blog. I do have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know that it was restored for these latter days by a young man by the name of Joseph Smith. He was the young man who was an instrument in the hands of God to restore the true Gospel to earth in these the Latter days. I know that 'Joseph Smith has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it..(D&C 135:3)'. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world, he died for us so that we might live again. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, it is a daily guide for us, and with it Great will be our Joy. I know that the temple is the Lord's house, I know that families can be sealed for time and eternity in his house. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us, and is aware of each of us. These things I testify of in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

This last week John and I were able to attend the temple (thanks Kaitlynn for babysitting). Just like the primary song says, "The temple is a place of god a place of love and beauty." As I was sitting there in the temple, my mind wandered, and I began thinking that I really wanted to see just a little tiny glimpse of the angels that I so often felt in the temple. I remember attending the temple soon after a cute cliente of mine passed away. She was a temple worker at the Mt. Timpanogas temple, I knew how much she loved the temple and I was certain I felt her spirit there. Well, sorry back to my story.... I was sitting there thinking that Lamen and Lemuel saw an angel and they were rebellious:

1. 1 Ne. 3: 29
   29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an ^aangel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ^bruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will ^cdeliver Laban into your hands.
   

I know it was silly, and I knew I didn't need to see an angel, what good did it do for Leman and Lemuel when soon after they were rebellious yet again:

1. 1 Ne. 7: 10
   10 How is it that ye have ^aforgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

Still, we had to wait a few minutes in the temple because they were not ready, it was so peaceful and I couldn't help but keep thinking, "oh, I just want to have a little sign" ok, I know, I know that the scriptures also tell us:

1. Alma 32: 43
   43 Then, my brethren, ye shall ^areap the ^brewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth ^cfruit unto you.
   

So I knew my request was silly, but I still couldn't help but think that I just needed something to just keep me moving forward. Well, when we moved into the next room of the temple, I was walking in to be seated, and I happened to sit right next across from my husband, and it was at that moment, I felt a tender mercy from my Father in Heaven. John is truly my angel, he hates when I get too personal on my blog, but his heart is so filled with love for the gospel and for our Savior Jesus Christ, I am just so thankful that I can spend the eternities learning and growing with him. Now if only I could find a way to treat him as the gift he is to me.:) For some reason, I struggle with showing him the same kindness I show others, but it is way to easy to release my frustrations, complaints, my self conscious weaknesses, and my anger on him, the one I know loves me, and takes all the ugly I dish out.

(As I was googling for a temple picture I came across a blog of a young woman expressing her reasons for leaving the church. We now live in a world where there is so much confusion, and I am so grateful that we have a prophet that leads and guides our church in these Latter Days.)

Our 24th!

We started the day out by waking up at 5:30 Am and running a 5 mile fun run at Ivins City. Kaitlynn's mom sisters and brother came down to see her run, and I knew she was in pain because she pulled her muscle and couldn't run the day before, but she really wanted to run this race, and her family was here, so she decided to try it. The trail was a beautiful trail, running along side of the red mountain, and through Kayenta on a dirt road, passing a few ranches, and then downhill . Kaitlynn was in pain probably the whole race, but she wanted to finish, and we did. I was really proud of her. Then we stayed for the Ivins City breakfast and parade, and then on to the lake. John and one of his best friends purchased a boat a couple of weeks ago, and so we took Kim's family and went out for the day. I really do love just sitting on a boat and having our family out on the lake. John has been so busy lately, he gets up and goes to football(he coaches ) at 6 am, and then to work, and sometimes, I don't see him until 9 at night. He also has a new calling in the ward(first counselor in the elders quorum), and I really do try to be supportive, but it's hard to let your husband go help others move, clean up, or just visit, he never complains though, although it takes a lot to get a conversation out of him when he is having conversations all day long, and most of them (because the spa's clientele is mostly women) are women with lots and lots of issues, so spending the day with him on the lake was really enjoyable, it's amazing how I now cherish even riding in the car with him. Then on the way home, the trailer to our boat had a blow out, we had to park it drive all the way back to costco get the tire fixed, and come back, that time in the car with him, I could have done without.:) We got home, and John barbecued his famous chicken and steak. We ended the day with fireworks, our neighbors gave us quite the show. Lydia and Smokey posing for a picture at the parade!

Kaitlynn and I running in, oh the pain she endured. Her mom Kim and sister Makenna ran in the last block with us. Maryann's in the picture also, she ran too, she pushed herself a little too hard, and was sick the rest of the day(she's way too competitive).

Marcus and Payton rode with our primary in the parade.

Yet another busy week......

Brigham standing for the first time without falling soon after.

Kaitlyn is the daughter of my husband's sister Kim. She came down to live with us for a month. She really wanted to workout every day, get a tan, and just get a fresh start for school this year(what teenager doesn't?) So on Monday, we got up and ran the good ol' stop sign trail. Oh how I love/hate that thing. My mom was here with Michelle and the new babe, so she came also. My mom is like the energizer bunny. Kaitlyn did awesome, she ran/walked 3 miles up, and 3 miles down. I took Lydia and Brigham, and left the boys home to sleep. Tuesday Kaitlyn ran it faster. Tuesday night we went shopping for new running shoes for Kaityln, because she was getting blisters with her other ones. Marcus got some new running shoes too, so he wanted to run with us in the morning. So on Wednesday, I took both Payton and Marcus, and can I tell you, it was PURE JOY!!! Marcus ran most of the way, and then jumped in my stroller, which I didn't mind, because it gave me a better workout, but Payton ran with Grandma. He stayed up with her the first 3 miles, and then Grandma wanted to go to the top, so Payton turned around and ran back to me and asked if I needed help pushing the stroller. He was incredible, and not even tired. So he ran back to the 3 mile marker with Kaitlyn and I, and ran all the way back. Along the way, I let Lydia out of the stroller so she could run. For some reason, running with my kids was just priceless. Payton really had the best attitude, and none of my kids were whining, it was WONDERFUL. We went swimming later that day, and Brigham stood for the a very long time all by himself. Thursday, we ran again, Kaitlyn was really sore, and pushed through a lot of pain. I left all my kids home, because Grandma and Grandpa Kemp are here this weekend, except for Brig, I pushed him in the stroller. Kaitlyn pushed the stroller up the last mile, and I ran with my mom to the top. I told Kaitlyn to go as far as she could and try to meet us when we ran down. I knew she was really sore, so I really didn't think she would go too far, but we turned around, and she was pushing the stroller up the last mile which is STRAIGHT up. My mom took the stroller, and Kaityln and I walked up to the top and made it to the stop sign, I was really proud of her, because I knew that she was in pain.

Last night, we sent Marcus home with Grandma Meacham. She was going to take him to Kim's house to stay for a week. So this morning I got Payton up, and brought him running. He is going to play tackle football this year, and I'm really nervous. So, today was not pure joy, try pure headache, he complained almost the whole time. He was able to sit in Maryann's stroller for a little bit, but she got a flat, so he had to get out. Maryann ended up putting Jayni in my stoller and pushing it. I stayed with Payton and tried everything to motivate him. We walked most of it, and he just was stubborn. At one time he planted his feet and told me he wasn't moving, and I told him he could walk home then, and I left. After a while I could hear him yelling MOMMMM!!!! It was an angry yell, so I kept walking(I used to get embarassed about others watching my children throw fits, but I don't care anymore). He started running to catch up screaming and finally said PLEASE STOP! So I did, I let him catch up and I told him to stop screaming it was unacceptable, and we walked in silence the rest of the way. At the end, he started crying and said sorry, we hugged and talked, but oh my what a different experience from Wednesday!!!!

Baby Kade is here!!!

He's here, and we're so excited. He sure is cute though, sorry I didn't take very many pictures, Amie (Cam's sister) was snapping a bunch with Michelle's camera, so I only took a few, so hopefully CAM will post a few on their blog soon. Laur and I walked in with Michelle's kids, and Michelle could not hold back her tears. She has four beautiful kids, and there is a special spirit that comes with each newborn that puts life back into perspective. Congratulations Michelle, you are amazing! Here he is 20 minutes after Birth!

All three of Michelle's kids are so excited to have Kade in their family.

Kade is mom's 17th grandchild! This is Laur's little girl Sadie, she is soooo cute

As we walked into the hospital with ONLY four kids under 7, someone made a comment about how big our group was, good thing we left 6 kids home! This is Sadie and Jayni walking with Grandma. Sorry the pictures weren't too good, hopefully you can see pictures soon on Michelle's blog.

This is for Cam!!!

My brother-in-law hates being seperated from his kids, so this is for him, now tell Michelle to have that baby!

Our 4th of July weekend

(This picture accidentally got erased, so that is why it is up here.) Payton, Marcus, Lydia, and Jordan enjoying the firework show at Grandma and Grandpa's.

We weren't planning on going North for the weekend, but John's brother Jason and Mary just got back from a year in China, and so we wanted to see them. On Friday, John went golfing with his brothers and then when he got back, we went over to Jason and Mary's house. We walked over to the park to play volleyball. I used to love to play volleyball, but haven't really played since High School. We played 2 on 2 (Jason and Mary; and John and I). It was a blast. The kids just played around, and we played some serious volleyball (so I thought) . We played three games, and we actually won one of them. (Jason was easy on us, he has a MEAN spike-ouch!) I didn't have my camera, but I wish I would've, cause Payton took some really cool pics with my phone, but I can't put them on the computer. We came back to my mom's and roasted marshmallows, and watched fireworks in my mom's back yard.

Grandma and Grandpa came out for the fireworks show too.

Greg always loves to be around his family. He loves each of his nieces and nephews, and it is fun to see him get so excited to see each of them.

Greg really wanted to celebrate in style, so he got a sheet, and set up a projection screen outside, and we watched 'Spiderwick'. It was so much fun, we watched 'Vantage Point' the next night also.

(This is a pic of Greg catching some rays, and Chris and Laurie staying out of the rays). On Saturday Lydia and I went with Chris and Laurie on their boat, and John took the boys golfing, they actually chose golfing over boating. John thought it was going to be crazy because of the 4th, but it actually was not busy at all.

I didn't get to wakeboard at all last summer, because I was pregnant, and we haven't been out at all this year, so I really enjoyed getting out on the lake again. The water got pretty choppy, so I decided to try the tube(not a good idea). On Monday morning, my back KILLED!

For being such a girly girl Lydia's pretty tough. I never blogged what happened to her last week; she got hit with a bat (a foam one marcus was swinging), and cut her eye. I thought she'd go bezurk when she saw blood, but all she said, was "o-my gosh, o-my gosh, o-my gosh". She absolutely loved the tube, and smiled the whole time. ( This is my nephew Jordan and Lydia)Ok, I have to stop, we have a crazy weekend ahead of us, my sister Michelle's kid's are sleeping over, because Michelle is so close to having her baby. Kim(John's sister) and her girl's are on their way down to spend the weekend, and leave Kaitlynn for a month, and Laur(my sis ) is traveling down tomorrow to be here for Michelle's baby, and spend time while Trav is in Alaska, and my mom and dad are coming down tomorrow, so I need to STOP BLOGGING!!

Brigham is 9 months today

9 things in 9 months1. Crawling. Brig is now crawling everywhere, but mostly to mom's feet to beg to be picked up.

2. Standing. He is now getting comfortable with pulling himself up. Unfortunately our coffee table is metal and tile, and when Brig smiles, he bounces up and down, then hits his mouth on the table.
3. Teething. No teeth yet, but he has been chewing his hands like crazy for the past two months. He loves to bite anything, especially mom's chin.
4. Eating. He loves to eat all the time; bottles, rice cereal, fruits and veggies, crackers, and he especially loves Popsicles. He still likes to nurse, but mostly at night or in the morning or when we're out and about, and I forget to bring his bottle (which happens more often than not).
5. Kissing. Oh, how he loves to kiss. He grabs the back of your hair, pulls you in and slobbers all over your face; the best kisses ever. He is also the king of pinching.
6. Talking. Mama, dada, and as Lydia tells everyone, "My brother Brigem says, 'Blah Blah'." The kids love to try and teach him new words.
7. Sleeping. Finally Brig is out of mom and dad's room, and in his own crib in his own room. He sleeps through the night, but mom loves the middle of the night feeding/bonding (every ONCE in a while). Naps are whenever and where ever we can, in the car seat, at the pool, in the stroller, but my favorite is in his crib for 3 HOURS. We still all fight over cuddling and falling asleep with him.
8. Growing. He is already wearing 12-18 month clothes, he is growing up so fast. He is now a whopping 20 lbs. The doctor says he is above average for his weight, but below average for his height. He's a solid chunk.
9. Playing. Brig loves to jump in his jumper, he loves stroller rides, he loves to go swimming, and he loves to play with his brothers and sisters as long as I am close by. He always looks back at me with a look of fear when his brothers and sister take him away to play.

Oh, how we learn...

I spent most of the day Saturday doing laundry, and washing load after load. When I clean I don't listen to music, I just talk to myself. My thoughts were turned to how I was going to answer at judgement, when I am asked how I managed my finances. On Friday night, I decided since John was at a football camp, I would pack all four of my kids in the car, and go shopping. I'm sure my mom is gasping about right now, and asking, "Why would you do that?" I don't know, I had a target gift card for $30, and oh ya, I needed to pick up Brigham's crib bedding. After 8 months of being in my room, I think it's about time he sleep in his own room. I found a crib set for $69, you can't beat that!!!! So anyway, I headed to target, and oh ya, Target also had my wallet that I lost 2 weeks ago, I canceled the cards, and got new ones, but at least I know someone doesn't have it. So, we're at Target, my kids are doing pretty well; I decide to shop around a little. I bought some stuff that came to about $40. I pulled out my new wallet, and my gift card wasn't there? I don't know where I put it, so I just used my debit. We stayed and got popcorn, pretzels, and chicken fingers at Target(gross). Then I decided that I wanted to run into Children's Place to see if they had a swimsuit for Lydia, they didn't, but had some great sales for Brigham. I got him a cute pair of shorts and a shirt for church, no he didn't really need them, but I thought I'd use them for our family picture I intend to get someday soon!!! Then Lydia came up to me with this purple dress. Lately she has decided that she loves PURPLE. She carried it around and told me she "Weally wanted to get it!" I thought it was on sale for $9.99, and thought it was kind of cute how she was so determined that she wanted it, so we found purple flip flops to go with it for $1.99. She was so EXCITED! Well, I didn't find a swimsuit, but managed to spend money for clothes we didn't necessarily need, and her dress was not on sale, it was $14.99, but I caved. So we walk out, and I thought I should check Gymboree for a swimsuit. I didn't even have a stroller for Brig, I was lugging his car seat. So we all walked down to Gymboree. Of course, they were having a HUGE sale. I found the cutest swimsuit! I was so excited, it was on sale for $9.99. The kids were watching a movie, so I shopped around a little, and found a cute skirt and shirt for Lydia for only $11, and come on, tell me it is not fun to go to church with a cute new dress. So, I went up to the register, and of course had to buy the cute matching swimsuit cover up for only $7.99. While I was at the register, the lady at the counter asked if I saw the cute plaid shorts that matched the shirt I bought for only $5.99! How can you not buy them? Well, the kids were tired, and I still needed to get Brig's bedding. Why do I tell you all this, because all day today, I have been thinking, thinking about why finding a good deal makes me feel so good, and it is so easy justifying a good deal for shorts when in reality I really don't need them. I mean, am I really going to look back at my life, and say,"Oh, I remember those shorts, I got them for such a good deal." I know that I could be better, I think I find a good deal, but always end up buying more than I need. Just a thought, I have a feeling, that I am not the only one who thinks about this. I know we hear over and over again, that our generation is the generation of more, more, and more. I don't necessarily think that it is evil to shop or buy stuff, I absolutely LOVE Lydia's swimsuit. It makes me smile when I see it on her, because it is so cute. The other stuff was not necessary, Lydia would probably not even remember today that I didn't buy her dress. I just want to be smart, be conscious of my wants, and my needs, and my daily choices. On Sunday, I taught Payton's primary class, the lesson was on making choices. I told them to imagine they were alone on a raft in the middle of the ocean. They discover that they must lighten their load because the raft is riding low in the water. They must throw overboard all but two items of their supplies: Life jacket; first aid kit; chest filled with gold; Fishing pole, tackle and bait; Case of one dozen bottles of fresh water, Two-way radio, Box of emergency flares, Large can of shark repellent. This activity posed a dilemma, choosing would be difficult because they would not know what would happen in the future: they might sink and need the life jacket, become thirsty and need the water to drink, become hungry and need the fishing pole, encounter sharks and need the repellent, need the radio to seek help, get hurt and need the first-aid kit, need the flares for a nighttime rescue, or get rescued in the next few hours and wish they had kept the treasure. Anyway, how fitting that a lesson I was teaching to 8 year old children helped me so much. I am thankful that I have the choice to learn more to be like my savior. He is the true example, and it might take me all my life, but ultimately it's not about the choices that we think will make us happy, we do not know the future. I am grateful that I have the knowledge that we are here on earth to learn and grow, and we will make mistakes, and then we will learn to recognize those mistakes, and strive to be better. I am thankful to know that "The Lord is my Shepperd; no want shall I know. I feed in green pastures; safe folded I rest. He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, Restores me when wandering, redeems when oppressed. I really felt like I needed to add this, because I struggle with this, and want to strive to make better choices not only for myself, but for my children to learn that they can't make choices by themselves without the help of the Holy Ghost, no choice is a silly choice, because each choice we make is another step closer to where we want to end up, and for me, that is back with my Father in Heaven and to hear him say, "Well done, way to make good choices!!!(or mostly good choices:)) "
Brig's new bedding, what a steal!

Lydia, showing off her PURPLE dress she picked out all by herself! The purple flip flops were only $1.99, she has a ton, but we're always looking for flip flops when we leave the house.

The shorts I was easily sold on.

Lydia's cute skirt for church. My justification,"They are both 4t, so they will fit her next year too."

The swimsuit that should have been my only purchase for her!!!

Who needs a Wii?

We almost bought a wii last year, John was checking every Walmart from American Fork to St. George, and we were so close to getting one, but someone snatched it up before us. Well, after failing at getting the wii, John decided to get the xbox 360. I wanted the wii, so the kids could at least get some excercise, and not just sit and play. Well, Payton can NOT play the xbox while sitting still, so I guess it turned out ok.

52 blessings #6 grateful for a sister who does HAIR!

Ok, I'm so bad at this blessings once a week Laurie, but maybe I'll get 52 before the end of the year. :) OH, how nice it is to have a sister who does hair. Today Maryann came over, and we did each other's hair. I decided to go a little blonder for summer. I wanted to get a picture of the both of us, but Mares was in a hurry. I didn't do much to her hair, just fixed her much needed roots.:) She's still the cutest blond ever. Thanks Mares, I love my hair.

Proud moment for me.....

so much has happened, we had a wonderful Father's day, I actually got all four kids up and ready by ten minutes to 9, and we were to church on time (very important to my husband, and very hard for me, usually he gets the boys ready, and I get Lydia ready, and we barely make it). Breakfast in bed was not possible for me, so we had a brunch when we got home. John got himself a phone , he is the king at finding a bargain and got a $400 phone for $130. John has been really busy, he has started coaching football this year, he just has a passion for it, and he took a break for 2 years, but is so ready to get back into it. He is coaching the freshman team at Snow Canyon. He has had a football camp every Saturday for the last three Saturdays, and he gets up every morning at 6 to go to practice. In his spare time, he takes the boys to the High School, and throws the football around with them , and they absolutely love it! So, I've been trying to keep the kids busy in the summer, not as easy as I thought. The highlight of this summer so far has to be a silly 5k run/walk that we signed up for because Michelle wanted to do it for her birthday. On Saturday morning, we woke up at 6:30, and went to St. George town square. I needed to register my kids, so I wanted to get there early because I wanted to beat the crowds, well it turns out we were the crowd! Not very many people signed up to run, maybe 30 or so signed up. Well, there wasn't really a start, they just told us to start running. We started running, and I was prepared to NOT get a workout, thinking I would spend most of the time trying to get Payton and Marcus to keep running. The kids started running with Maryann (she wanted a workout), and then started dropping off except for Payton, he kept running with Mares. Well, about a mile into it, I decided to run up and catch up to Mares and Payton, so Maryann could get her workout. I tried, I ran as fast as I could(I was pushing Lydia and Brigham in the stroller), but I couldn't catch them. I finally caught up to them at the very end. I just couldn't believe Payton, he was jogging with Mares like 3 miles was NOTHING! He ran in to the finish, well we didn't really know where the finish was, there was not much of an ending, but he was the FIRST one in! It was incredible, I was so proud. We got some water, and headed back to cheer everyone else on. Marcus and Bryson were next to run in. Before the race, they were handing out free candy to all the kids, and Bryson and Marcus both got a side ache soon after they started running. I took video of the race, and thought it'd be fun to post it Play by Play, so if you want to get the real effect, start at the bottom, and go up, I posted them wrong, so the first video clip is the end of the race. I ended up sweating a ton trying to catch up to this guy!

Marcus did really well, but wasn't sure why Michelle wanted to run a race for her birthday

We won for being the biggest family to run, thanks Michelle for having a fun Party!:)

(start with the last clip first and then end with the first)(ok, I threw the very last clip in, it was funny, because both Bryson and Marcus had side aches because of the candy they downed right before the race, and yes that is Michelle ready to have her baby any day RUNNING! )

Happy Father's Day Dad

I just wanted to wish my dad the Best Father's Day, and reminisce through the years of my childhood. After having one girl myself, I can't imagine raising THREE more. I think my fondest memories of my dad were in the car. Because I chose to go to Lehi, my dad drove me every morning, and because I was a teenager, I had no concept of my dad having to be to work......oh the drama of not having anything to wear, and not finished with my hair.......and of course if I got into the car, and dad thought my shorts were too short, I had to march back into the house to change, of course the shorts would go into my backpack to change into when I got to school(sorry dad). I have many memories of sitting in the garage and helping my dad (really just keeping him company, and fetching his water) with the little blue Renault that my parents let me drive to school. I knew if I didn't stay in the garage until it was done, I wouldn't have a car to drive. I remember holding up sheet rock in the basement while my dad went to find nails. I remember hiking Timpanogas mountain with the family, and my dad always trying to teach us to be prepared in any situation. I remember the many, many, many times my dad would be out looking for me in the wee hours of the morning. Now that I cherish sleep so much as a parent, I am so sorry for that. I always hoped that he would be asleep when I got home, but NEVER did that happen. I remember running the Salt lake marathon and I passed my family at the end, but the only one at the finish line was my dad, I collapsed in his arms and had such an overwhelming feeling that I was witnessing a little bit of how it will be when we return home to our Father in Heaven! I remember my dad going to everyone of my basketball games, and being so supportive. I remember my dad taking me to UVSC every day the first year I went there, he always tried to get me to memorize, scriptures, or Articles of Faith. Mostly I remember the importance of Family Prayer, and Family Scripture EVERY day were to my dad. Dad never missed an opportunity to have Family Prayer. I am so thankful for my Father, and want him to know how much I love and appreciate him. Love you Dad. Greg, where did you think your good looks came from?

I love the expressions on my mom and dad's faces.

What a great example you are to all of us dad.

Payton's baptism and more birthdays

So much has happened, I hate playing catch up, but I'm going to try because I know it is important to document our lives, so here it goes. On May 31st we had John's parents, his sister's Kristine, and Kim and their children, and my parents stay with us. We had a full house, but we had a great time, and the kids were in heaven. The baptism was more than words could express, the power of the Holy ghost is real, and to witness one of our own children receive that precious gift made all our endless efforts to try to be the parents god would want us to be so worth it. I am so proud of Payton. Payton and a little girl Tegan were the only two getting baptized from our ward, so after they were baptized, we went into the primary room, and listened to my sister Maryann play primary songs on her violin(thanks Mares) while we waited for Payton and Tegan to get dressed. The bishop said a few words, and then Tegan and Payton sang, "The Things Jesus Asks of Me" it was so cute. Plus, Brigham slept throught the whole baptism.( a tender mercy :) ) All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, thank you everyone for coming and supporting Payton on his special day.

How cute would this family picture be if it wasn't blurry!!!! Dog gonnit! Grandma and Grandpa Kemp thank you for coming

I love this boy!

We celebrated Grandpa's birthday on Sunday,

Grandma and Grandpa Meacham, thanks for coming

Payton's cousin Joshua

Payton's cousin's Jordan and Bryson

Payton's cousins Jasmine, and Mckenna, and of course, his cute younger brother Marcus who looks up to Payton so much.

I had to throw this picture in, I've been telling Lydia for like the last year that when she wears underwear, she can take dance. Well, she has been really good, so I signed her up for ballet. We went and bought her and her cousin matching ballet outfits and got all ready to go to dance when five minutes before AAAAggggghhh Lydia had an accident in her dance outfit!!!! We took it off, and she had to go to dance without her cute ballet outfit, she was so sad, but got over it real quick, and had a blast at ballet. This is a picture of Maryannn, Jayni, and Lydia stretching.

MORE DRAMA! Recently Lydia got my hair scissors, and cut her hair. I had to cut it into a cute little A-line bob. I put up all the scissors in the house, and then one day, I found her with her hair chopped up by her ear!!! She got scissors from Payton's back pack, and they are not sharp scissors, but she managed to do damage. I really didn't know if I could fix it and make it look cute. This is a picture of the damage, it was just chopped everywhere!

Here it is, the cut I probably would never have given her if she hadn't cut her hair, but I think it turned out so cute, it definitely suits her.

Here is my cute Brigham. He is now 8 months old, and oh we love him. This picture was taken at Jayni's 2nd birthday party, he got sunscreen in his eyes, so he had tears the whole time, but that doesn't stop him from smiling. It was a swimming party, and while we were there, I laid out my towel to try and get a few rays, and Payton laid his towel next to me, and said, "This is the life isn't it?" Kids really notice so much more than we think they do.

My mom's surprise party is after "May is too Crazy"

May is too Crazy!!!

Payton's 2nd grade programPayton friend Lauren

Payton loved his teacher, Mrs. Westover

Payton gave me the cutest book it was a journal that he kept at school, I love it!

John, Lydia, and marcus at Marcus' kindergarten graduation

Brigham being occupied by a popsicle at the boys baseball game, we have one Mon, Tues, Weds, and Thurs.

John and I with John's sister Kris' baby sydnee on her blessing day

Lydia telling Uncle Ryan how her brothers don't let her play with them

Kaitlyn and Brig

Payton, Bryson, and Brielle celebrated their b-days together at Jump on it, and chuckt cheese. Thid is Lydia at jump on it

Love the costco cakes

ok, we were at chucky cheese with Toby and Josie Christensen, and Toby recognize a BYU football player he played with, and I guess he went on to play pro, so we had him sign Payton's football he got for his birthday. I don't remember his name, I'll have to ask John and get back to ya.

Payton in the ZONE

Greg we know how much you love CHUCKY CHEESE

Michelle and Brigham with their cute matching outfits

What a busy month, I am still trying to get the post done for my mom's birthday surprise, the biggest day ever, it was so much fun, but it'll probably be under this post so keep checking for it, hopefully tomorrow I'll get it up.

The surprise of a lifetime

About a month ago Grandma J thought it would be a fun idea to celebrate my mom's retirement from teaching 26 years of violin. In 1983, my mom decided that she wanted all four of her daughters to play violin. She bought two violins for Laur and I, and then bought a tiny little violin for Michelle that cost $250 (Laur has that violin, and has taught all three of her kids on it). She started teaching us, and decided to teach others. Her first students were the Kelly girls. Their mom did hair, so my mom just traded violin lessons for hair care. She taught using the Suzuki method. For the rest of my child hood I grew up listening to violin music .
As I was calling her old students, I was able to hear just how much she truly had an impact on all of their lives.
Well , with much planning, we were ready on Saturday. Laur and her family drove to St. George Friday night, and we all headed up on Saturday. We got there, and spent the day setting up and getting ready. I can't believe we kept it from my mom. Jordan was at my mom's on Saturday helping his dad work on my parent's deck, and my mom said after later that she was a little sad he didn't say anything about it being her birthday. (Good job Jo!) Well, we got it all set up, and there were probably 70+ people there ready to surprise her.
My dad took her out to eat along with Grandma and Grandpa J, and Grandma M. Grandma had told my mom earlier that she wanted to go to a concert that was being held at the City Hall.
They finished eating at 6:30, so my dad was sweating trying to think of how to stall for 30 minutes. We told him not to be there until five to 7:00. So he sat in the car for a while and slowly ate his mint he got from the restaurant, and when my mom asked why he wasn't going, he slowly put his seat belt on, and started going. To make life harder for him, we called him and told him we needed him to stall longer, and so he told mom he had to run home and get something for my brother Chris, and that did not make mom happy, she hates to be late especially when they are going somewhere with her mom. Then, I think he tried pretending he got sick from the restaurant and needed to find a restroom and literally stopped the car and started walking down the road. :) Oh dad, we love you and your efforts!!!

Well, they made it, and we were ready, and mom had no idea. It was so wonderful to surprise my mom like that. I tried so hard to add more clips of the program, but was unsuccessful. I think they were just too long. The first video is of course my mom's reaction. Then, we started the program. Dad got up and gave a few comments, and then two of mom's recent students played the violin. Then Doug (my oldest brother) got up and talked about mom telling him to practice the piano so he could palm the basketball one day. His daughter Sydnee(aside from being the best dancer/gymnast) played the piano, then Bryson(Michelle's boy) played the piano, and the second clip is of my Marcus playing. Laur's three kids; Caden(7), Matthew(4), and Sadie(2) got up and played the violin, so so so cute!!! Then Chris(my brother) got up and talked about playing the cello, and told of how he'll never forget- E 2 2 3 11 A 1 2 3 E E E. (that is one of the Suzuki violin songs we heard mom saying over and over in lessons). I told him I'd write down some stuff I wanted him to mention, but I knew he didn't need me too, he did a GREAT job, very touching and you could tell he loved his mom very much. Then Laur played a beautiful solo on her violin. Then Greg(my baby Brother) got up and gave a few comments, he did such a good job, he's got such a special relationship with my mom, he showed such gratitude towards mom, I don't think there was ANYONE who wasn't crying. Then Serena(mom's student), Lisa (mom's student), Laur(her daughter), Michelle (her daughter), Maryann(her daughter), me, Amberly(her niece), Graig(her student), and Taren(her student) all got up and played the Bach double duet. It is a graduation piece. Then, I got to introduce Serena. Serena flew from Los Angeles to be here. She is incredible! She started when she was three. Her family came to America from Korea, and my mom was a wonderful friend to Serena's mother. Serena was a natural, and graduated all of the books from Suzuki so fast. She has become a professional violinist, she has played in many, many orchestras, and her achievements are far too many to write. She has played for many movies, and is in an upcoming movie. Serena stood up and gave a very touching tribute to my mother before she played. I wish so bad the clip would have worked to upload on here, it was absolutely breathtaking. You have to pay a lot of money to hear someone like her. Her violin piece was AMAZING, and I still might keep trying to put it on here, because I don't think very many people have heard anything like it. Well, after Serena, we asked my mom to say a few words. She said, "This is Heaven". She was just taking it all in, she wanted to look at everyone, and in the middle talking she'd recognize an old student, and ask about them and what they were doing. My mom is such an inspiration, and to have a role model like her to follow is good and bad. Good, because I strive to become a daughter of God like her, and her example helps me through many of my own trials. Bad, because oh I want to be lazy sometimes, and I try to remember when I have every not seen my mom working hard, and I can't. Then her kids and spouses and their kids(all 29) sang, "Thanks for the music".

It was a perfect night, and I just want to thank all those who helped make it possible. Thanks Grandma for the idea and for getting us the perfect place to have it. Thanks to all those who helped with refreshments. Thanks to all of her students who made such an effort to be there to celebrate with us. Thanks to Laurie for spending so much time remembering the little details, and making the beautiful program. Thanks to Cam for making the dvd that was playing by the refreshments. Well to end the most perfect night, my mom drove away in a brand new SUZUKI car!!!! What a night!

Brielle's Dance

I sure hope this worked. I don't think the sound did, but one of the things that made me sad to leave American Fork was missing seeing Sydnee dance. I loved going to all of her dance recitals, cause she was the best one and was so animated, and good. Well, now we've got Brielle to watch here in St. George. She surprised even her mom, she was so, so, so cute, and fun to watch. Good job Brielle, I can't wait to go to your next recital!!! Brielle is the second to last girl on the second row to the right. I can't wait to get Lydia dancing, Jayni and Lydia have ballet class next week. Natalie Jackson(Brielle's cousin)is right in front of her.

Happy 8th Birthday Payton

Payton loves Star Wars. He was showing off his moves in this picture(age 6)

Ok, I do hair for a living, so everyone of my kids (except Brigham of course ) has had this process done, Payton was just not too thrilled. He was 3 in this pictureHe is 2 years old in this picture

Payton is obsessed with Spongebob!

Happy birthday Payton!!!!