Recent pics...

Summer continues to be busy and full of fun. Here are some pics taken recently from my camera phone. First are from our trip to Pocatello with Braden, Bailee, and Malia, to pick up Sarah Nanine's niece. We all had lunch at the park and a fun visit. Sarah's sister Wendy's husband is very ill and currently at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake. I volunteered to go up and pick up their little girl, Kady, from Sarah and bring her back to Twin to her Grandmother's. Below are the Braden, Bailee, and Malia rockin' out in the car to Mamma Mia tunes.
Kids playing at Jeremy's with Isaak and Mikelle until Sarah and kids got there from Idaho Falls.
We all had lunch at the park before hitting the road again...
Kady enjoying the ride and Malia snoozing on the way home.
Stake 24th celebration featured lots of fun and games and good food....captured these while just relaxing in our chairs...cheesy grins from me and Dale and of course, cute pictures of the cute girls!
Malia came to play while Cameron, Mary, and kids went on a FHE to see Harry Potter last night. She loves to pet our cat, Stormy.

Montana Weekend

Last week the girls and I headed to Montana...ROAD TRIP! It was a blast visiting Alisa and family and nice to get away. Weather was excellent and in spite of construction, we made good time. Hey...Collette did such a great job of blogging our trip, check it out and read it on collettesday57.blogspot.com Thanks Alisa, Grant and kids for a super fun time. Here are the few pictures that I took.Patriotic cupcakes on festive cupcake holderZadyn opened early birthday presents and loved her Disney fairy princesses from Grandpa and Grandma.
I couldn't believe how much Avery and Kyler had grown! And Ryker, too. He liked his birthday present musical storybook from Grandpa and Grandma.
Carousel riders at my favorite park in downtown Missoula.Zadyn's Sunday do Guitar hero experts aka Collette, Alisa, and Kellsy

Collette, Zadyn, and Kellsy...BFF'S

April through June Happenings

I have stressed about detailed blogging... so here are pictures with brief info on what I am behind on posting! I spent a lot of time today transferring pics from my phone to the computer and realized I had a lot, so it will be long....sorry, but wanted to share my wonderful family and wonderful happenings!
For my birthday in April, we went to Chile's. Cameron and family joined us, pics are of me, Mary and the kids, and Collette and Kellsy's craziness.
May featured Mary's birthday at Cold Stone, a favorite spot to gather!
Bailee had a great dance program and looked so cute in her outfits. She won a best dance award (check out details on Mary's blog). Braden graduated from pre-school and did a fantastic program. I was glad to be able to attend both.I headed up to Idaho Falls on Friday, May 29, to help Sarah, Jef's wife, with the kids while she had surgery the first of June. I stopped in Pocatello and had lunch with Jeremy, Sarah, Isaak, and Mikelle and Chad and Bailey joined us, too. It was fun and so yummy! 1st pic is Bailey and Isaak, 2nd is Sarah and Mikelle, and 2rd is Chad and Bailey.I attended Logan, Jef and Sarah's oldest boy's guitar recital that Friday night and took a video with my camera, but the sound didn't work out. You can see him playing the guitar in my previous post. He did a great job and is taking after his father's superior guitar playing! Sarah hosted a party for Ella's first birthday that Sunday, May 31st. She got some really cute sunglasses and thought she was pretty cool wearing them. Jeremy and family and Chad and Bailey also came. It was fun with great food and a chance to have family together.
Isaak loves to blow kisses goodbye and Mikelle likes to smile for the camera!
I took some more shots of Ella and Cole that week as they played and one of Logan helping Ella down the slide at the park. I really enjoyed my stay and Sarah did fine with everything. In spite of the flu bug going through the house, I had fun and I was able to watch Logan play baseball, go to the library with them, play at the park, and watch a movie with Jef's gourmet popcorn in their media room.
Alisa's Ryker turned 1 on June 8th and we will celebrate that when us girls go up next week. Collette's bday was the 9th and we went to of course for Sushi but didn't take any pics. Jeremy and Sarah and kids came down the weekend of the 13th and we celebrated Isaak's 3rd birthday which was on the 12th and Saraha's, which is on the 28th. I didn't get any pics, it was a busy weekend with a funeral, 2 weddings, Jeremy was a best man for one of them. Logan's 9th bday is tomorrow, but won't be able to be there, so a big Happy Birthday, Logan. Malia turned 2 on the 18th and Bailee, 7, yesterday, the 23rd. I got Maila to pose with Grandma out their backyard at her bbq party. We had Gertie's Pizza for Bailee's bday last night and I took a few pics. Fun and food just go together with the family.
I told Braden to pose and he came up with this goofy face! Dale actually smiled for his pic with Collette and Kellsy!
Whew! I know this is a long blog, but just had to share my wonderful and beautiful family and all the fun we are having this summer!

The Joy of Grandkids

I have spent some fun times with my cute, adorable, crazy grand kids in the last week. Here are some pictures to verify my bragging rights!

First 100 Days

I am sure that we will be hearing reports and different takes from many people of how the first "100 Days" in office went for the Obama administration. I will be reflecting back on my own historical (0r hysterical?) "100 Days", as I was called to be the Stake Relief Society President on January 20th. I thought it was about time I blogged about this!
I am blessed to have three great women of faith that serve with me and keep me on track. The process for selecting them was truly an "Enos-like" experience and they were selected from assurance in my mind and in my heart. We have grown in unity and love already through attending the temple together, fasting and praying together, and visiting and loving the sisters in our stake together. I was called right in the middle of ward conferences and spoke in two wards and also with a high councilman in a sacrament meeting the first three weeks!
We so enjoyed going together to Salt Lake on April 1st to attend New Leader Training held in the tabernacle. I was able to hug Julie B. Beck and tell her how much I appreciate her and her leadership. We gleaned so much and it gave us great focus and sweet confirmation that what we were doing so far was what the Relief Society General Presidency taught.
We held our first Auxiliary Training on April 16th and used the wealth of information from training to teach the importance of 1-On-1 Ministering As the Savior Did. Also, we are finding out that this is an undaunting task to encourage and inspire sisters to make sure that every meeting, activity, and lessons are fulfilling the purpose of Relief Society.... to increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen home and family, and serve the Lord and His children.
We took over the big task of carrying on the Stake RS Enrichment Activity scheduled from the past presidency for April 25th. We had a hard time getting it put together with the focus and theme that was already planned, but through more training, counseling with the priesthood, and fasting and prayer, we changed plans and put together what we hoped the Lord wanted us to do. We had a wonderful activity, "Back to Basics With Spiritual and Temporal Self-Reliance"...how often have you heard about that subject lately? I was concerned that it wouldn't be received very well, but the Spirit bore witness to me during SL training that it was the right thing as a big discussion took place about things that the wards and stakes needed to do to promote and encourage that very topic. All the suggestions that were given were what we were trying to put into place for our enrichment activity. We also took a line from Sister Beck's talk on the recent welfare DVD that "one sister with one skill can be a blessing to many" as we encouraged our stake to work together to help teach and learn self-reliance skills. I had a very special young single adult with a marvelous skill draw me the picture of past and present self-reliant women, as we also added verses to the Primary song and sang to the sisters..."you don't have to push a handcart to be a pioneer". We had several displays and talks on spiritual and temporal self-reliance from sisters that the Lord directed us to use. Our decorating committee created an inspiring and beautiful atmosphere, the few pictures here doesn't even do it justice. The table clothes were different checkered gingham and the cherry blossoms were popcorn spray painted and glued on branches. The picture is an early stage of the decorating, there were many more springy things placed on the tables and the displays along the side of the gym were wonderful. The Lord heard and answered my prayers when I prayed that the sisters would come....we filled the chapel and the gym and everyone was spiritually and physically fed. I have felt the Lord's arms around me many times and have felt so strongly about the issues women face. It is amazing how the Lord qualifies you to complete what He asks you to do. I feel blessed with being able to serve in such a great organization of women...one that Sheri Dew has said is "...the most important gathering of women on this side of the veil..." I learned to love Relief Society through the example of my mother and her dedication to serving her family and neighbors all her life...from my grandmother who served as a mid-wife to help women during the depression...and from many, many more friends and family that have inspired me to stay strong to a cause that was divinely organized.
(Here are just a few pictures I took with my camera)