Happy Birthday to Kimball

It is Kimball's 1 year Birthday. Time flys! He is getting so big. In honor of him turning one we decided to make it a day of firsts. It was the first day he played in the snow, the forst day he ate spaghetti, the first day he ate a cup cake, and the first day to play in a plastic football field. the pictures are kind of out of order, but here we go.....

Dave ran around the Kitchen several times before we got the timer take our picture together.

Yummy that was good.

One! Can You Belive it?!

Look how excited he was. Actually he was just crawling over the present to get to a piece of orange paper. How do you like that?

Tuch Down! Dave stuck him behind the goal post and Kimball got upset, because he couldn't get out. How cute. My two piggy slobs. You gotta love 'em.

"Yes! I finally get to eat that red stuff I have always been so drawn to." Boy did he have fun making a mess.

What a cutie! A hungry cutie.

Ooooo... Fire.

Yikes! He is fast when he wants something. All I wanted was a good picture.

Just chillin' in the snow

He loves to eat snow. When david brought him in he kept eating it off his gloves.

Having fun climbing up a snowy hill.

Like I said he loves eating the snow.

I think he is done!

Becoming a true Member of The Church

My sister-in-law asked, in response to my Pres. Hinckley post, to tell my activation story. I was born into the church. My dad started getting into different religious views and slowly led our family from the church. After my little brother died my mom decided she couldn't take it anymore and divorced my dad. At that time in my life no one in our ward really fellowshiped me and I felt the young women forgot about me. I started to grow apart from the church. When I was 13 my family moved to Orem. Who do you think were the first people to befriend me? Yes they were young women, but the ones that got into trouble. Having felt a desperate need for friendship I followed. It didn't help to have relatives and my dad that would sway me in the same direction as these friends did.

My mom was a good mom and worked really hard to get us back into the church. She always loved me and never stopped, but also made it clear when we were doing something wrong. I still, to this day, will never forget how I made her feel during those years. She claims she never thinks about it or remembers until I bring it up.

I don't need to go into details of the kind of trouble I got into. One night I had a situation that scared me to death and really knocked some sense into me. We were hanging out with a bunch of friends and one of the boys older brothers was around. He tried to have his way with me and I got out of there as fast as I could and made my friend take me home. My "friend" just let me know how it was my fault. I cried all night to my brother Joe. When I told my mom about all my wrong doings she was there for me, let me know it was wrong, and that she loves me. I think my mom and family showing me the pure love of Christ is what changed me. They never gave up on me and that made all the difference.

From that night on I was completely changed. I remember one girl telling me that she felt it was too late for her and all I could think about that night was even if it was too late to make it to the Celestial Kingdom I would work my hardest to make it as close to the Lord as I could.

I lost all my friends and it took a while to gain some again because of my reputation. All the good kids knew I hung out with the trouble makers and all the trouble makers knew I was a "goody, goody" as they called it. Then a young women named Becky befriended me and we became inseparable. The funny thing is later on a few of the friends I hung out with (the troubled crowd) soon followed me after.

As awful as that night was I thank the Lord for it. Since then I have watched several of my original peers get pregnant out of wedlock, end up in jail, etc. One "friend" even drowned in Payson Lake trying to swim across it while intoxicated. I am proud to say I never got drunk, stoned, or had sex out of wedlock. This is probably due to the fact I had a family that cared. This story doesn't make me special, but it makes my family members special to me.

President Hinkley

President Hinckley died today around 6:30 PM. I am very happy for President Hinckley. He is now able to be with his wife and he was getting quite old. I must admit when I found out I started to cry. He was the first prophet I really knew. I wasn't really active until my sophomore year in high school. I just love everything about him. Every time I would see him he would make me smile. He has just done so much for this church and I know he will continue to do so. He was well loved and I will miss him.

When I came home Dave said, "the prophet that no body listened to." I remember when Pres. Hinckley said that and it saddened me. If you think about it how many little things that the prophet has spoken about like multiple piercings, the movies and television shows we watch, and the way we treat our fellow man. There are many more, but if you think about it there are so many of these things that people brush off and think what harm could that do? I hope that I can live in a way that makes that statement false. To me he will not only be the prophet known for dotting the world with temples, but he will be known as the prophet that made a difference in my personal life.

The ironic thing is that this was the anniversary of my brother Spencer's death. I need to go and visit his grave. It has been fifteen years. Wow! That is crazy. Just in case any of you didn't know he was nine when he died and I was eleven. He was a really good kid. I know this sounds cheesy, but I wonder if he was able to meet President Hinckley?

You've Gotta Love It!

David loves taking pictures with Kimball by the bug. As you can see Kimball also loves the bug. I think I am in trouble.

On Friday We decided to have a camp out in our living room. We roasted marshmellows over candles and had lots of fun. Sat morning Kimball was playing in the tent. Dave turned on some Mtv music and Kimball started to dance. I was trying to sneek a video of him on my camera and it ended up sideways. Sorry it is sideways, but I had to show him bustin his moves. It also has no sound. Oh, how much better it would be with sound. I love the thing he does with his hand in the tent. He loves to dance. Anytime music comes on he starts bouncing away. He is my favorite thing in the world.

Different Tastes

It is funny how different every one's tastes are in movies. Have you ever watched a movie or a TV show that you found absolutely hilarious when you watched it with one person and then it was stupid when you watched it with another? I remember several years ago I spent the night over at my aunt Gena's house and she made me watch Galaxy Quest with her. We laughed the entire movie. When Dave and I started dating I told him that we had to rent that movie. We watched it and it was so stupid. He didn't even crack a smile.

Most movies that I grew up with were classics. I loved the old movies with Don Knots, and Tim Conway. They were hilarious. I remember watching shows like Shakiest Gun In the West, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Prize Fighter, Private Eyes and Black Beards Ghost (which doesn't have Don Knots or Tim Conway). I still find all of them hilarious. Dave doesn't find most of them so funny. I think that it depends what you grow up with. I still love to watch the Don Knots and Tim Conway movies. I especially love to watch them with members of my family, because they are all the more funny.

I also have family members that have some movies they think are hilarious and I hate. My sister and brother loved White Chicks and they told Dave and I that we need to watch it and we hated it. They also love Ugly Betty. I have only seen one show and I thought it was pretty dumb. Then again I loaned my movie View From the Top to my sister-in-law one time and she thought it was just OK. I thought it was hilarious. I also recall a time when Dave and I went to see RENT. It was pure crap. I thought it would be this great musical, but it was all about gay couples and the struggles they have. While my friend loved it Dave and I walked out after the first five minutes.

I would say that one of the funniest people to watch movies with would be my brother Joe. He is so funny. He has so many different laughs that even if something isn't all that funny it can become hilarious just because he is laughing so hard. Does anyone else have a person they know that makes movies all the more fun to watch?

I hate dirty comedy stuff. I never could understand why some people make a living being a comedian by just adding a bunch of swearing into their routine. Too many people seem to like dirty comedians and movies. I see previews for movies that look so disgusting or stupid I wonder why anyone would go to it. Some of the funniest comedies I love to watch just use real life, everyday stuff and make it funny. They are clean and don't even have to swear.

Anyway I just thought it was kinda funny how different every one's tastes are. You have those movies that just about everyone loves and then you have those movies that some hate and some love. I know this was kind of a random post.

Who Says You Have To Have Hair To Be Cute?

Bath time is one of Kimball's favorite things. When he hears the water going he stops whatever he is doing and jets to the bathroom. He is so funny. He will stand by the bath and watch the water fill up and bounce up and down. One of my favorite things to do when he is bathing is make crazy hair dews with his hair (the little he does have). He is such a good sport about it too.

Our family is always making fun of his lack of hair. It is coming in, but slowly. When wet, you see his hair a little better, because he does have his mother's blond hair. Isn't he adorable? Who says you have to have hair to be cute?

Staying At Home

I was just thinking today as I swept the kitchen floor for the billionth time this week about an experience I had at work a long time ago. Before I was pregnant with Kimball I worked at the hospital. there was a certain gentleman there that started going off on stay at home mothers. I found myself arguing with him,even though I didn't quite know what I was talking about. He said and I quote, "How many times can you clean a house?" Not really knowing the answer I said that there is much more to being a mother than that. If you are a real stay at home mom then you have a constant engagement with the kids as well. I think I said something to that effect.

While cleaning today I realized that what I said was true, but now I know that you can clean a house over and over and over........and still never stay ahead. I thought I got ahead yesterday. Kimball took a 3 hour nap. I deep cleaned the kitchen, the bathroom and cleaned the living, and bed room. I felt pretty good. By the end of the evening the sink was full of dishes again, the floor needed to be swept again and so forth. I am not really complaining. I am just saying that in answer that guys question...you can clean a house many, many times.

There are plenty of people that I worked with that thought stay at home mothers were lazy. Who ever thinks that, doesn't know what it is like being one. However, I am not saying that working mothers don't do anything either. I know many wonderful mothers that have to work. It can be very trying to work and be a mother. I only did it for six weeks and I had a hard time with it. I am just saying that there are hard working mothers that stay at home as well. Although there are times, I must admit, that I might a have a good book to finish and I let the house fall apart for a day or two. Not very often, but when I do there is neglect on the house cleaning.

Like Father Like Son

Dave got out his tools the other day and Kimball went right to them. Dave loves tools and so does Kimball. He loves playing with screw drivers and such. Dave loves cars and so does Kimball. Dave's brother and sister-in-law sent us a blue car for Kimball. When you push the roof it revs its engine. Kimball loves it. He is even starting to make the noise with it as he pushes it around. Thanks again John and Christine. Dave's other siblings sent us a fire truck, bus, and a car. They all sing the same song with different lyrics. When ever the kids on the bus laugh Kimball laughs with it. It is so cute other than having the song in my head the rest of the day. He is such a boy. Thanks to everyone for the gifts for Kimball. I especially thank Kristen for giving Kimball clothes. Yes, nothing that makes noise.

Kimball is already Dave's shadow whenever he is home. I have a feeling it will only get worse and he will be out working on the cars with his daddy. I love it,but I have a feeling in no time they will be talking cars in front of me and I will have no idea what they are talking about.

I have Yet to See Another Stake Like Ours

I have yet to see another stake like the one Dave and I are in now. Every year we do an awesome stake picnic. They have games, cotton candy, snow cones, hamburgers, hot dogs, and everyone brings a pot luck salad or chip. It is a blast. Our ward does not only a Christmas party, but we do a Chili Cook off among other activities. Keep in mind our ward is very very poor (money wise). Our entire stake is very poor. One year we even did a Stake play. It was The Sound of Music. My favorite of is all is the yearly stake ball they put on. No kids are allowed. It is strictly single adults or date night for couples. There is a different theme each year. There is dancing, all sorts of order vs (chocolate fountain with stuff to dip in it, crackers and cheese, veggie trays, sausages, and meat balls), and there is a mid show of ball room dancers that perform. Even our friends the Anson's continued to come to this one after they moved out of the ward.

I have moved a lot, but have not been active my whole life, but this is the most interaction I with an entire stake that I have ever had. I love it. I also love that the entire stake follows the hand book. I have been in few wards, if any, that strictly follow the hand book. After all the hand book was put out by the First Presidency and should be followed. Anyway I was gazing through some pics and that is what got me going on this post.

Here is Dave and my Brother-in-law Steve. They went to the ball with us in 2007. Our dear Friends that usually come with us moved to St. Louis and we missed them, but we had fun with Sheri and Steve too. The theme this year was ranging from the 50's to the 90's. Dave was excited to put on his Elvis wig that his former clogging teacher, Mr Tucker gave him.

Here is Sheri and Steve. Steve is representing the 70's? Sheri is representing the 80's. Aren't they cute? I am supposed to me swooning over "Elvis." I didn't have a costume so I was just in Sunday dress. A lot of people do just Sunday dress. It is about 50-50 on who dresses up and who wears Sunday dress.

This is Dave and Amy Anson. We are going to the 2006 Ball. I can't remember the theme, but what a cute couple. Ahhhhhh.....

Here are Dave and I. I am pregnant with Kimball here. Yes, I even busted out the moves with this belly.
Dave and David bought these jackets in High School. We had to do a picture of the brothers.

This was 2005. The theme to this ball was Nauvoo. We didn't bring out camera this time, but at least they were doing pictures there. I made the dress and Dave's vest with the help of Amy's mother. Amy and I both made our dress and our husbands vests the day of the ball. We were definitely cutting it close. Thanks Heaven for he mom.

Here are Dave and I posing in our Sound of Music attire. Dave was one of the main Nazis and I played his wife. I got the biggest line in the play "shhhh" I was good at it too. LOL. Here we are posing by Dave's Nazi mobile. The play was lots of fun and I hear we may do another next year.

I don't have a picture of the 03 and 04 balls on my computer. I love to dance. It is great exercise, lots of fun, and I get to act like a total geek. We have lots of fun in this stake and ward even though they do keep us busy with our callings.

A Kid's First Words

Kimball's first words were Mama and Dada. You gotta love those two words. I can't help but feel guilty that his next two were NO and Don't. When you see them get into something they are not supposed to then of course one tends to say no. Then no is exactly what he learns to say. I started trying new words like stop or don't and his next word was don't. I can't help but flip out if I see him speed into the bathroom and head for something to do with the toilet. Immediately the words NO! or Don't fly out of my mouth. What is a mother to do?

Does anyone else have this problem? Better yet, does anyone have a solution? Dave thinks that we should start saying yes, but wouldn't that just confuse him? My friend Tammy told be that if you speak positive to your kids they can learn up to 60 words a day, but if negatively spoken to, they learn a lot less. For example you nicely ask, "what are you doing?" The negative example would be yelling "No." When looking at it that way it is bad to say no all of the time. Then again I think to myself, "how else will they learn what not to do?" I just throw my hands in the air and do the best that I can.

Cleaning House

Cleaning the house is one of the most monotonous thing there has to be. You can work all day and finish every piece of laundry in the house, but before the day is through you could easily do another load. Same with the dishes. you clean all of the dishes and by the end of the day and sometimes even by the end of the hour you have another sink full. I will say that Kimball does love helping me with the dishes (AKA pull them out of the dishwasher and play withthem). I actually don't mind cleaning, all of the time. When I finish the bathroom I feel so good that when my kid follows me in I will be assured he is not picking up as many germs. I do hate it when I just finish cleaning the bathroom and David comes home and shaves in the sink and doesn't clean all of the little hairs off the side.

Which house chore is your least favorite? I remember in one of my sign language classes we had to sign how often we cleaned something. I was pretty good on everything except dusting. I absolutely hate dusting. I will let it go far longer than I should. I don't know why I hate it so bad. My sister said to just get a swiffer and isn't so bad. Maybe I will have to try that.

Another thing about cleaning house that isn't as regular as it should be is getting rid of stuff. I am not a pack rat, but I am terrible at getting rid of old clothes. I always think to myself, "I will loose weight and fit into it again. Lets face it...no matter how much weight you loose your clothes never fit quite the same after having a baby or so I am told. When I wear out shoes I wear out shoe. When it is time to get rid of them it is time to throw them away and not give them away. I still have shoes from Jr high and high school. Dave is always on me about getting rid of stuff. This I find amusing since he is a much bigger pack rat than I. In fact when we went through his stuff in his parents basement he had a box that he kept, labeled Dave's crap. He was all in a rush about me getting rid of my stuff, but his stuff has much more sentimental value. He is so funny and somehow I still find him adorable. Does anyone else have these problems?

Random Thoughts

Before Dave and I had Kids he would occasionally take me out to a nice restaurant. I remember when parents would bring their kids there. I hated it. I would think to myself, "Why would they bring their kids to a place like this?" Last night I became a hypocrite and am now one of those parents. I talked Dave into taking me to Los Hermonos and of course we took Kimball. Kimball has developed this high pitched scream. It sounds like a firework, a pterodactyl, a car squealing its tires. It is one of the loudest screams you will ever hear. He was really on one at the restaurant. He screamed and screamed and screamed. When the waitress came to take our order he screamed and scared her half to death. She said, "He has invented a whole new pitch to screaming hasn't he." I tried stuffing his mouth with food, but every time he swallowed he would scream again. People were giving us all sorts of dirty looks. It was so embarrassing. I guess we can only go out when we get a baby sitter.

On New Years Day when My Mother-in-law and I were shopping we went out to eat at Wendy's and he did the same thing. I think it embarrassed her.

Another crazy thing that happened yesterday. I wrote that big post on friends. Well later on yesterday my friend Amy called and helped me out with some things on my blog and I found out that the reason I didn't have very many people visit my blog was because most of them couldn't get on. We talked and then set it up so she could visit it. It was fun to visit with her.

Later on that day the one friend I wrote about, that I never get to talk to, called me. She had read my blog and knew who she was. We talked for ever and laughed about my post. It was fun to hear from her.

I guess sometimes I get emotional and feel sorry for myself. I do have friends and I love them all even if I don't get to talk to them very often.

Today I was talking to my Aunt and she was saying how she made this huge purchase and felt sick about it (literally sick). We talked about how we were brought up to save money and never had much of it to spend. So we feel guilty, even if we do have the money, when we spend a lot of money. Dave gets literally sick too when we have to spend a lot of money. I think that even if we did have more money I would still have a hard time spending money frivolously. She also talked about how sometimes she gets lonely. I guess I am not the only one.

My friend Becky( the one that called me yesterday) was telling me about how hard it is to be 26 single and having absolutely no prospects. I told her that I have many friends and even siblings that feel the same way. She then said I guess whether you are married or not life is hard and so you better find happiness where you are at or you will never be happy. I agreed. I think all too often we tend to say, "I will be happy when...." The point is that we will never be happy if we aren't happy with ourselves right now. I have lots of things I need to work on.

Here is my New Years resolution list:
Of course the one things most people put on their list is I am going to loose weight and I am going to loose lots of it. I am determined.

Do better at my scripture study

Actually read the whole manual this year. I know this is no excuse, but I am always put in a calling out of Relief Society and it is hard for me to follow when I am not in there. I read more of the manual than I ever had when I was in the Presidency. I must do better this year. It will only do me good

I definitely need to work on the Charity thing and by working on that I am hoping it will help me control my temper.

I will stop swearing. I always say to David I need to work on my swearing and he says I think you are doing just fine with it. Ha Ha Ha. I grew up in a family that swore. Even one of my grandmas swear. I know that is no excuse. I did quit when I was in high school and did really well. When I started working at the hospital everyone there swore. I still did good for a while, but when you are constantly around it it is in you mind. My husband swears and that doesn't help, but I know I can do it. I have to or Kimball's first words will be Da**, He**, or Sh**. We wouldn't want that.

I think that I better stop there or I will get overwhelmed. I will work on other things, but they are better not mentioned. If I list too many tings I end up not working on as many. It must be a psychological thing.

What is a Friend to You?

I was just thinking the other night about how many times I have moved over the years. I recall all of the times that me and my friends would say, "lets keep in touch." (either through letters or a phone call). How often do you think that happened? I remember that there were several times that I would write endless letters and would occasionally get one back. I soon never got any letters written back. In the end I gave up and moved on to what I thought were new friends. Each time I moved it was the same thing. I eventually ended up just like them, saying I would keep in touch and never did. In my later years I started to realize that I never kept any friends for good. When I was a teenager I had a set of friends. they were always there for me. When I moved I tried to keep in touch. I didn't want to loose the first set of best friends I ever had. We would hang out, but usually only if I drove up there. There were even a few times I made the effort to go up there and would get ditched. My friends came to my house all of two times in the three years I had moved. Life got busy and we grew farther apart. One friend was really busy in school and I would occasionally call her and sometimes she would call me back. Eventually I gave up on trying to be the only one calling. Don't get me wrong I still consider her a friend and will a few times a year try to call her and once in a while she will call me back. the other friend I lost to drugs. She then would only call me to see if she could use me for a ride or a run to the hospital at 3-5 in the morning. It broke my heart when I finally had to ignore her calls. I have now noticed a repeated pattern of trying to keep in touch with people via e-mail. I will write notes to them and never hear back except getting the chain e-mails. I eventually give up and then once in a blue moon they ask what is going on and I get excited and start to write again. Once they hear what is going on I cease to hear from them again. Life gets really fast pace and I know people can't keep in touch like they used to, but once in a while it is nice to hear from other people.

So, last night I starting thinking about all of this and was feeling a little lonely. Can you believe that I feel lonely when I am married and have a baby? I guess it sounds kind of funny. Anyway I started thinking about what a real friend is to me. A real friend is someone who forgives you of your mistakes. A real friend gives you a chance to apologize if they have wronged you. I hate it when a person wont talk to you about something that you did to hurt their feelings. Most of the time a person is unaware of it and is just wondering why you are mad at them. A real friend takes at least five minutes even if it is only once a month to tell you what is going on in their life whether it be by a phone call, e-mail, or comment on your blog. A real friend accepts your opinion even when they don't always agree. A real friend is willing to share their differences and be open to yours as well. A real friend will just sit and listen to you when you are having a hard time. To me a real friend wont break a promise and if they do they apologize. A real friend tells you the truth even if they think it might hurt your feelings. I know I would always rather hear the truth than keep doing the wrong thing. I know that life gets busy and a person can't be there 24/7, but it is nice to know that you are cared about. ti is nice to hear from someone even if it is once a week or once a month.

Looking at this list I know that Dave is my best friend. He is, however, stuck with me, but he loves me just the same. So then I ask myself why do I still feel lonely sometimes? I guess in being a mother and a wife I sometimes feel like I don't have anything for myself. I guess I just want someone there for me that I don't constantly have to look after. Don't get me wrong I love taking care of my son and husband. I don't know if this really makes sense. Does anyone else ever miss having a friend there for you outside of the home? maybe I am just being silly, but it is good to evaluate myself and see if there is something that I need to change so people will want to be around me. What is a real friend to you?

Does anyone ever think about how many people would attend their funeral if they died? I know it sounds morbid, but I just wonder how many people I have really effected or that really care about me. When I was in the Relief Society Presidency I remember seeing people that were hermits. They didn't even have family that visited them. I felt so sorry for them. I guess I am luckier than most in knowing that at least my family really cares for me. They are always there for me when I really need it. I guess I have more best friends than I realized. Venting does a world of good for me. I usually, at the end of it all, can see the positive side to things. Thanks to those who read about me venting and let me know that they are the same to.

Christmas Vacation

I just realized that i have not updated anyone on our Christmas vacation; so here it is. Dave and I went to a family Christmas party at his Grandma Stone's house the week before Christmas. He finally got his afghan that she would give the grand kids when they graduated. He was so proud. He was able to get the entire week of Christmas off (much to our surprise). He lounged around in that blanket. Here is a picture of him eating the entire plate of brownies my visiting teacher brought me. He is so funny.

Here is a picture of our Christmas tree this year. It was fun to decorate. It looks a lot better in the dark with the lights on. Dave bought some of the lights that bubble when they get hot. He was so excited for them. They didn't work and so we had to take them back. I never did get the new ones up on the tree, because I had gotten impatient and already put the ribbon up. Oh well, we will do it next year.

This was Kimball's first Christmas. Doesn't he look excited? We didn't open presents until like 11:00. That is probably the latest I have ever opened presents. We were waiting for Dave's dad to get up and by the time he did Kimball was napping. So we ate breakfast and started opening them. It was funny to see how overwhelmed Kimball got about all the presents. He finally left the toys and started playing with the ornaments on the tree. He got spoiled.

Dave and Kristen kept laughing about how Christmas morning pictures are the ugliest pictures. We were all laughing about it after a minute or two. It all started with Kristen not wanting her picture taken and anyone who knows David knows he will have something funny to say about it. So here's to ugly Christmas pictures.

Christmas afternoon we went down to my families and had dinner. Dave was really excited, becuase he drove us in his dad's new BMW. It was way fast and he gave my brothers and brother-in-law a ride in it. It goes 0-60 in 5 Sec. It has 300 horse power and is a twin turbo V-6. You know that Dave made me put all of those stats in there. It was fun to see everyone. I was really mad that I forgot to bring my camera with me. Hopefully family members will send me some. While we were there we played games, told stories, opened presents and ate a ham dinner. Christmas didn't seem to last very long. I am sad that it is already over. We hope that everyone had a nice Christmas.

As far as new Years went. It was my grandpa's B-day and so we went down to a party that Tammy, my uncle John and Aunt Pat put together for him. We had snacks, put together puzzles and then played a way fun game where we had fake money to bet on prizes. We had lots of fun and I am mad that I forgot my camera again. After the party Dave spent the rest of the evening writing a paper for his class. I slept at his parents so I could go shopping with his mom in the morning. New Years just isn't the same anymore. We were able to find a few good things at the sales. Kimball was a pill the entire time. I can tell he doesn't like shopping much just like his mom and dad. I missed Dave a lot. After shopping we came home. Dave and I spent the rest of the evening rearranging Kimball's room. Happy New Year everyone!