Happy 4th Of July~



This year we joined in the Kaysville festivities because Anna was in the parade again with Show Stoppers Production. They performed to songs from Footloose~ Anna was so excited to tell me all about her costume. It was even funnier when she learned that her costume (minus the silver hair) is what I really wore in the 80's. Anna had so much fun in her drama camp and is looking forward to starting up again in the fall.





Look at all the stuff Carson collected from the parade! Good times~




What was so funny during the parade was waiting for Anna to come by so we could watch her perform her solo part. She got infront of us and my sister Debra started video taping her but they started moving on past us. So there we are running down the street (just like last year) trying to catch her solo performance on video. Sorry to all of those kaysville patrons we ran infront of, tripped over or stepped on. We really did try to time it...kinda impossible though~ But alas we got the video...way to go Deb! And Anna...you rock..."Everybody cut footloose"

After the parade we went back to Grandma and Grandpas for swimming and BBQing and to play our traditional dice game.




Our dear friend from Ukraine; Yulya was introduced to silly string which Davis did not like at all!


That night we went back to our spots in Kaysville to watch a spectacular firework show. What a fun and memorable day we had celebrating our country. May we all become more aware and involved in protecting what our founding fathers worked so hard to create and for all those who have given their lives to ensure these liberties. And most of all give thanks to our Heavenly Father in giving us this choice land.

Take me out to the BALL GAME~

This summer has been a summer of softball! Madalyn played on the city Rec Softball Team....GOOOO Thunder! Their team took second in the season and second in the championship game. These girls played a honest and fair game and are considered first place in my eyes.




She also tried out for the All-Star team and made it...GOOO purple Thunder!




The team played different tournaments and games this summer. Madalyn has made some good friends on this team. I am really impressed with the coach and his wife and the positive example and influence they are for these girls. There were questionable calls made in several games (as there always is in sports) and sometimes they were on Madalyns plays and I am impressed with how Madalyn kept her cool and respected the calls even when her parents on the side wanted to scream.

It is inspirational to watch Madalyn play in any sport. She has natural talent and passion for the game...any game she is playing. With that great passion for playing she can't be kept down. Several times over the past year she has been injured. In church ball there was one game where the older girls (Laurels) "took Maddy out" several times. She was hurt but she got up each time and showed them she would not be taken down for good. She is tough. Several other times during softball she had hurt the same ankle and we feared it was getting worse than what we initially thought was a sprain. We took her in and the doctor x-rayed her ankle. It showed she had cracked the growth plate on her ankle bone. We are not exactly sure when this happened because her ankle has been injured so many times this year. He is very concerned about her tendons and ligaments being torn around the bone. He told Maddy she was done playing softball. Oh wow...the tears began to flow. I don't think he was prepared to have that reaction. My heart broke for her as her disappointment set in. When we told him that she was on the All Stars and had more tournaments he had some compassion. He put her in this lovely boot and will check on her in a couple weeks to see how the healing is coming and if he will let her play the rest of the summer.



Madalyn is realizing it is probably best to rest the ankle and let it heal which means staying out of softball for the rest of the summer. She wants it to heal so she can be ready for volleyball tryouts in a month. See she is tough and smart! I just feel so bad she was struggling and in more pain then she was letting on. Here's praying for a speedy recovery!

June 2010

Happy Birthday Charissa!


I still find it hard to believe my oldest daughter is 15, graduating from Junior High going to High School next year! Where has the time gone?

The things she has enjoyed this year are: ballet, texting, going to regional dances(where boys confuse her for a senior in HS), hanging out with friends giggling, going to movies and out to eat, oh and did I mention ballet?



I am proud of how she has shared the gospel with her friends. It was very impressive when she told me the questions they asked her and how mature she was when answering the tough questions. She has been through the refiners fire and come out with a strong testimony and has independently sought for answers to her own concerns and questions. Oh the faith of this young woman!

Charissa has loved her ballet class this year and has had many accomplishments. One being she is able to land a triple pirouette on pointe. She just received her placement for next year and was advanced 2 class levels. Way to go Sista~



We watched her in her performance and it truly brought tears to our eyes. Seriously...I looked down the row to see my parents and sisters wiping their eyes.




This year at her performance we brought one of my little preschoolers and her mom. This sweet little girl loves ballet and wants to be a ballerina. She looked so cute in her little tu tu her mom made and she sat so well through the entire ballet. After the ballet Charissa met her and gave her a pair of her old pointe shoes and even signed them for her. She told Azriela she could be anything she wanted to be.





Azrielas Mom wrote me... "Thank you SO much for inviting us and and raising such AMAZING children. I really enjoyed all your kids. They really amazed me. Rarely do I meet such out going and kind children. And those ballet shoes mean SOOOOO much to rella. Tell Charissa THANK YOU! Rella is holding them and hugging them as we speak. She told me last night on the drive home "I LOVE charissa!". You and your family are amazing!"



I'm sure this is only the beginning to the many experiences we will watch with Charissa. We love you sis and are sooo proud of the young woman you are!

May 2010
Carson has such a passion for animals. He'll be found watching shows on tv concerning animals on land or sea. He'll be found reading books or online researching various animals. So for one of his projects this year in school he chose to learn more about one of his favorite animals...the cheetah.



He wrote a 2 page report and made this diorama with the cheetah in its natural habitat. He spent hours molding and painting with the help of his sisters. It was really amazing to see the finshed product. Except for when I finally got around to take a close up of the finished prodcut I didn't realize the tail had broken off ...oops.



Very Impressive Carson~

April 2010

Happy Happy Birthday
From All of us to you~
We're glad it is your birthday
So we can party too~


Happy Happy Birthday
May all your dreams come true
We hope you will be happy
In everything you do!

Our Madalyn is finally a teenager! Happy 13th Maddy!



This has been an amazing year to watch Madalyn grow in many aspects of her life. This year we have watched Madalyn excel in her sports passions. From making the jr. high volleyball team, to kickin it in church basketball, and now getting excited for the softball season.
She has been called to serve in her church Beehive Class as their secratary and has strengthend her testimony by increasing her desire to do her personal progress. She is developing into a stunning young woman.
Thank you Madalyn for your passion for life and your willingness to serve so many people around you! We love you~

Happy Easter 2010


Easter giving came easier for us this year. Forget the gifts...the Easter Bunny is no fool at our house. Give cash and they can buy what they want.



We enjoyed a relaxing day with our family.








We experineced crazy weather this spring. The day after Easter ( notice the dry groung the day of?) we had a massive snow storm and woke up to the yards covered in 10 inches of snow!

Valentines Day~

Our Valentine Celebrations started with Anna's 50's Dance on Friday. She did a lip sync with a group of her friends. I must say they did an amazing performance. All those "practices" at her friends houses for the last month paid off :)

I have to tattle on Anna here...just a little. Of course I think it makes her mother look worse! I showed up at the performance and noticed all these mothers sticking around and I soon found out there was going to be a dance as well. UMMMM no Anna did not tell me this! Or did she? So of course I stuck around. When Anna came back into the gym and saw me still standing there; the look on her face was priceless! Oh ya...I am here and I brought my camera!! We giggled about it and I didn't want to embarrass her so I took a couple pictures of the group dances and left her alone to enjoy the dance. She can dance circles around a lot of those girls...she has got the moves....love you Anna!

Another confession: Remember...I never said I was perfect!! We have a tradition at our house which came from my mom. Each year on Valentines Day there is a knock at the door and the children all run to see what or who is there. On the doorstep they will find little gifts left by their mother. And often..okay always...I am standing to the side taking pictures. Well this year it was kind of a challenge for me to "sneak" out the front door to leave the goodies. We have windows all over the front of the house. So as I was making a break for the door I literally bumped into a friend of ours who was trying to leave a valentine for Carson. With the commotion my children chose to look out one of the many windows and saw me standing there with the goodies. I set the gift bags down...went back inside and got a little irritated they looked out the window. I mean...seriously? We do this every year...why couldn't they just play along and wait for the doorbell to ring! So here are my wonderful children posing at the front door with their goody bags :) Happy Valentines Day~ Oh wait though...it gets better

About 15 minutes later I am ready to go and deliver goodies to my nephews/niece and I hear a lot of commotion in Anna's room. They are stalling and keeping me from going outside! Finally they agree to leave with me and I walk out to this candy gram ontop of my car!

It reads.... YOU Rock! Happy Valentines Day! You are such a "sweetheart". Not even close to being a "dum dum" and you are as beautiful as a "dove"! You're as sweet as a "sugar baby" and even though you "blow(pop)" up we still love you! Hope you have a "crunch"tastic Valentines. Love, Madalyn, Anna, Carson and Charissa Aren't they the best? Such a humbling moment for me. sidenote....I look exhausted and worn out in this picture! Later that day we met for dinner at my moms house with my sisters and their families. And yes....this time we were able to get the goodies out the door before the children could see. And there I was in the snow capturing the moment!

Here are three of my cutest nephews ever!!

And my wonderfully forgiving children! Happy Valentines Day to you~

Space Derby~

This year Carson was able to participate in the Scouts Space Derby! He was very proud of his BYU cougar rocket! His dad helped him sand it and paint it and later I helped him paint the Y on the side. Okay...let's be honest...Jason and I did most of the work with some help from Carson. Though he really did help a lot with the sanding... which was the most important part! He missed out on the Pine Wood Derby last year and I was nervous about this year and how much work it would take. I was excited and relieved we were doing the rockets instead...they were much easier.



Before the derby I talked with Carson about how important it was to have fun and that winning wasn't everything. We got to the church and on Carsons first trial runs his rocket wouldn't even budge! I'm glad his dad was there to help Carson tighten and rotate the rocket. While I stood still praying for his rocket to at least make it down the line!



It came time to race and Carsons rocket took first place 3 out of 3 races! He was sooo excited!! Now technically there are no official "winners" that were named but we know that Carsons won each time so that put him in the top 3 spots! Remember mom...winning isn't everything! I was so happy for him! GO BLUE~