Emma's New Do

Today I decided that Emma needed a new hairstyle.  She doesn't keep barretts and elastics in her hair, so I thought a short cut would be way cute.  Plus it would keep the hair out of her face.

She looks so adorable with her hair this way.  It looks tons thicker too.  She sat so quietly while the stylist cut it.

We got chicken nuggets from McDonalds for being so good.

Daddy wasn't very excited about getting it cut.  He likes long hair.  But I know that he will think Emma is still as cute as ever!

A Little Vacation

Finally after all the stuff that happened in September we were able to have a little family getaway.  We went to St. George for the weekend and went to Zions National Park.  We walked the trail that takes you to the beginning of the Narrows.  It was fun to play in the river.  The kids had a blast!

Waiting for the shuttle.

Beginning of the trail.

Playing in the river.  It was quite cold!

Emma liked playing in the water.  She kept asking to go in the "iver".

Taking a rest.  I bet their behinds are freezing!Preston took this picture of Mommy and Emma.  Just taking a break from the cold water.

Saying Goodbye Again

Today I am saying goodbye to my grandpa.  My Grandpa Dearden passed away yesterday, September 17, after a long battle with prostate cancer.  He was 89.  I know that he is at peace now and out of pain, but that doesn't stop those of us left behind from missing him terribly.  He was such a great man.  He and my grandmother went on 2 missions.  They served in the Phillipines and in Illinois.  They worked at the Ogden Temple for many years.  During their time there, they did sealings.  My grandpa performed the sealing when Randy and I went thru the temple.  He had such a wonderful testimony of the gospel and I know that he is with our Heavenly Father and he is watching over his great family.  I know that he will be a guiding angel for me and my family for the rest of our lives.
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Grandma and Grandpa have 5 kids...Cathy (& Mel), Kent (& Rhonda), my dad Craig (& Sheryl), Gaylen (& DeeAnn) and Paul (& ReNae).  They have 36 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren (if my numbers are correct).  I have to admit that this time has been one of sadness and happiness.  We have been gathering at Grandma's house over the past week and it has been nice to see all of the family.  My cousin Kristi flew back from Washington.  I miss all of the times that we get together as a family. 
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I remember Thanksgivings at Grandma's when we would set up tables that ran the length of the basement and we still didn't have enough room, so the adults would go upstairs and eat in the living room. I remember going upstairs to sit with the adults because the kids were too noisy.  I may have been a kid, but I didn't like hanging out with the kids.  What can I say....I have always been old. 
Christmas was the same.  We would pack ourselves in Grandma's little house and play present games.  We would all bring a white elephant gift and then we would sit in a circle and pass the gifts around.  By the end of the game everyone would be fighting for the orange sticks or the chocolate covered cherries.  Grandpa would sit back and shake his head.  I know that he was thinking we were crazy.
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I will miss him very much.  I love you Grandpa!!

(I am posting this at work, so I will post pictures when I get home.)

Saying Goodbye

Today I said my final goodbye to my dear friend of 23 years.  Tracie was a very big part of my life for a very long time.  She was like a sister to me.
We met in the 7th grade in music class.  She was sitting next to me and some how we just started talking.  From that moment on we were inseparable.  We have done just about everything together.  I have so many memories of our times together and I hope no one minds if I share just a few.
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Tracie and I shared the same birthday.  In high school we celebrated our birthday by sluffing school and going to Salt Lake to stay at a hotel.  We would spend the whole weekend shopping, swimming, eating out, and watching movies.  Even after I got married, we tried to celebrate our birthday together.  The year we turned 23, Tracie took Randy and I to Wendover.  She came home with $50 that she won on the quarter machine.
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We worked at Fred Meyer together during our senior year of high school.  We had so much fun!  I remember one day we both played hooky from work and took my dad to a movie, mini-golfing and to lunch for his 41st birthday.  We thought that we were being so sneaky but we were lucky that we didn't get fired.
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After Alex was born, Randy and I went to Las Vegas for a week.  We asked Tracie if she would like to come with us.  We had a BALL!!  We walked the strip and took Tracie to Hoover Dam.  The funniest part of that vacation was when we went to Hoover Dam.  We took the tour where you get to go down inside and while you are on the tour they ask where everyone is from.  They got to us and we told them Utah.  Shortly after that we were walking down one of the tunnels and a lady tapped me on the shoulder.  She wanted to know if we were polygamists.  I guess she figured that since it was Randy, Tracie and me with a baby in a stroller and we were from Utah, that being polygamists was the logical situation.  We couldn't help but laugh. 
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We went to Vegas again with Tracie when Alex was 4 and Preston was 3.  It was another trip that I will never forget.  We took Tracie to the Venetian Hotel.  Randy and Alex wanted to go on the gondola ride.  I was pregnant with Connor and didn't want to go on a boat ride.  While Tracie, Alex, and Randy rode the gondola, I sat and watched the "statues".  They are dressed all in white and their faces are painted white also.  They are actually real people that pose.  When everyone got off the ride, I told Tracie to go stand by a statue so I could take a picture.  She stood next to a male "statue" and while I was taking the picture, the man reached over and wrapped his arm around Tracie.  She screamed so loud it echoed off the walls!  It was the best time!
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I will never be able to write down all the wonderful memories that I had with my friend.  I will never forget her and I will miss her everyday.  My kids were like her own and they loved her very much.  She gave them everything she could and I know that their lives have been enriched for having known her.

I love you Tracie and I know that you are at peace and living with our Heavenly Father.  You are my guardian angel and I know that you will watch over my family and keep us safe and loved.

School Has Started!!

Yesterday was the first day of school and everyone seemed excited except Alex. He started Jr. High this year and I think that his dad and I overwhelmed him. We told him to expect a lot of homework and tried to talk to him about getting involved in clubs and sports, but I think it was too soon. We should have given him a little while to get used to everything. It all worked out in the end and he had a good time at school. He did come home with some homework, but it wasn't much and he enjoyed doing it.

Preston started the 6th grade. He is now the big man in elementary. He got the same teacher that Alex did last year and he was very excited. When we went to Back to School night, he checked his school books and he got all of Alex's books from last year. He teacher told him not to be offended if he was called Alex for a little while.

Connor started the 3rd grade. I am so excited for him. I hope that he will have a good year this year. He enjoys socializing...sometimes too much...but I know that he will make a lot of friends. I just don't want it to get in the way of learning. He loves to read, but we need to work on getting him to read at home. He likes to read to Jonah and Emma so I think we will start reading stories before bed.

Jonah is starting kindergarten this year. He doesn't start until August 31st and it is killing him. He is counting down the days on the calendar. I wish that our school would offer full day instead of half day. I know that Jonah would enjoy being there for the whole day. He could walk to school and walk home with his big brothers.

Our schools just started offering breakfast this year and the kids couldn't be more excited! They have left for school early yesterday and today so that they can eat breakfast with their friends. I am thrilled that breakfast has become an option. There have been many days that they leave home without breakfast because they get up late or don't like anything at home, so now I know that they will not go to school hungry because of time restrictions.