"That's what I wooshed for..."

1. 
   
   
   
   
   

Porter and Paden turned 5 on November 15!  Can you believe that?!  It just doesn't seem possible.  In so many ways it seems like yesterday when we brought these teeny, tiny precious babies home.  Small enough to fit both in a little bassinet...  The slept side by side in that little bed.  And now, here they are, 5 years old.  Eager to go to kindergarten, eager to give talks at church, eager to have friends over to play...
For the last several months before their birthday, if you asked Paden how old he was, he would say, "I'm four-five."  And he really believed that.  Just like when he was turning 4.  I kept telling him he was going to be 4 and he would say, "NO!  I'm already 4!"  And when I told him he wasn't, he quickly pulled me into the bathroom, hopped on the scale and said, "Uh-huh!  SEE!" and sure enough, the scale pointing at the 4.  Never mind that it had a zero right after it!
Anyway, so the story of their birthday this year...  Or, at least, the lead in for now...

A month before their birthday, our fabulous friend, Nana Lois, fell and broke her ankle.  She had surgery and ended up in the Peaks, a place they don't call a nursing home, but for all intents and purposes, that really is what it is, only they take young people in too, as necessary.  So, we would go and spend our days with Nana Lois.  Either at the Peaks, or going with her to Dr. appointments and such.  Well, after a month of being there, she'd had enough.  And she started to get a little edgy.  Understandably!  She will be 85 on January 9 and has been alone since the love of her life, Clyde, passed away 12 years ago.  She is very strong and independent and someone I would like to be like when I grow old. (Not that she's old or anything...) And so it was on the day of their party...Now, Porter had told Andy he wanted a surprise party for his birthday.  He had been to one this summer for a 50th birthday of our friend Carol and wanted to have lots of people at his party like she did.  So, I texted the moms of some of their friends about a week before and told them it was a surprise party at Peter Piper Pizza.  So the day of the party comes and after we spent a few hours with Nana Lois, we went to Sam's Club and picked out a cake.  Porter and Paden got very excited and asked, "Is that our birthday cake!"  Well, not wanting to give anything away, I answered, "It's for Nana Lois. We are going to take her some cake to make her happy."  They sighed, but when I assured them she would share with them, they were fine.  So, we hurried home, I gathered things together, we picked up Andy and Tallin and hurried in to town.  When we arrived at the party, they were astonished...  "WOW! Aubrey's here!  The Poulters are here!  The Cains are here!  Look!  There's Amy!  Heath's here too!  And Hailey!  And Cooper!  Look!  There's Bayleigh and John!  Where's Makayla?"  They were so excited.  They ran off and played with all their friends.  The pizza arrived and then it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candles.  It was "the" cake.  Porter had 5 candles on one side and Paden had 5 on the other.  As soon as we were finished singing, I reminded them to make a wish and blow!  Paden got his out in a flash, but Porter was a little more contemplative.  And with a final huff, he blew them all out...  Andy and some of the parents worked on cutting the cake while I took the kids over to the opposite end of the table and we opened presents.  I think everyone knows my boys really well.  Nerf guns! A fun "meat-ball" game, walkie-talkies, and jumping bugs, balls, and more!  Woo!Hoo!  (They have kept them very busy!  Thanks everyone!)We went back to the cake as soon as the presents were opened and stashed for later use...  I started over to the crowd and Porter came up to me, grasping me by the arm and very compassionately asked, "Mom, didn't Nana Lois want her cake to make her happy?"  WOW!  I was speechless.  This little boy is so thoughtful.  I smiled and said, "Oh, I had to trick you and tell you that so it would be a surprise."  His eyes got HUGE, his face lit up and he exclaimed, "A SURPRISE!!! That's what I always wanted!"  As I gave him a hug he continued, "That's what I wooshed for on my cake!"  The humility of a child!  While at his surprise birthday party, blowing out his candles on the very cake he was going to take to an elderly woman to bring her happiness, he wished for a surprise party!  I'm glad I could help make his wish come true!

Mom's got the POWER...

at least according to Porter!
Sunday he was talking to our good friends, the Cains, at church. We are going to the dunes with them and our other good friends, the Grahams, the week before Christmas. Becky told Porter, "I hope it stays nice and warm and sunny and beautiful until we go to the dunes, and then when we get back, I hope it snows and snows and snows and it just keeps snowing until we get a foot of snow!" Porter looked back at Becky and with a very serious face replied, "Well, you'll have to talk to my mom about that!"

Counting Blessings

Count your many blessings.... Name them one by one.... Count your many blessings see what God hath done! Most of all, I am thankful that there is a GOD. I am thankful that He LovES me and that He hEaRS and answers my pRayERs. I am thankful he provided a SAVIOR for me. I am thankful I have His WORD available to me in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I am thankful that He has provided a ProPhET for this day and age to help us and teach us. My wonderful husband Andy, who is so great at so many things. I am thankful you use your talents to bless our family. Thank you for loving me. Our amazing children! Wynchester Dakota, what a focused young woman you are. You are so good at keeping your sights set on what you really want. I am so very thankful you were able to be HOME for Thanksgiving. Quaelii Rue, you are so sincere and compassionate. I am thankful you are still in high school and enjoying your experiences. Jaeci LaWren, I am so grateful you are so straight forward and fun loving. You bring a lot of energy into our home. Tallin Andrew, your eyes speak so loudly. I am very thankful you are the Best Big Brother! Porter Thomas, you have about as much determination as I have ever seen in a person. I am thankful you love to help me and dad so much. Paden Carl, I am so thankful for your genuine love and excitement for life. You are a true joy! I am thankful my Maternal Grandparents are still with us. Nana, and Bigdad , you are the best! My life wouldn't be anything like it is had I not been around you so much in my youth. Thanks! My dear mother, Pat Wood! You are an inspiration to me. I am honored to be your daughter. And I can hardly wait to see your dreams come true! My dad, Thomas Henry Richards and my Grandma Syl (Johnson), I am grateful I had the time with them that I did and that they are looking down on me and my family. My schweet sisters! Jacquie, I am thankful you are so good at expressing gratitude -- I love the notes you send me and your thoughtfulness. (I would do well to follow your example.) I am so grateful for you and your family! Tanya, I am so thankful you got married and had daughters before me so I could learn from your amazingly organized experiences :0)... ie: dating, graduation, weddings, and all those other things! You are a great mom! I love you and your family. It sure is growing fast! :0) Shawna Lynn, I am so thankful for your laughter and happiness and friendliness. You are so fun to be around. Pam, Janet, ReNae, LeeAnn, Annette, Dorothy, Amanda and Susan, I couldn't have picked better sisters-in-law if I had picked each of you myself!!! My awesome brothers in law -- Eric, Greg, Kenny, Dorel, Roy, Clarence, Kayle, Rex, Larry, and Ross! You make the best brothers! My Whetten in-laws. Carl & Viva, you strive to do what is right and help us to do the same. Thank you! You are so amazing with all the things you are involved in. Keep it up! All my Aunties & Uncles and my crazy cousins and nieces and nephews -- what would life be like without you!! I am so thankful for each of you. My GREAT friends!!! You all know who you are. Each of you is so special to me. I am so thankful I have a warm home, food to eat and skills to cook, clothes to wear, technology to use to tell you all how much you mean to me. I am thankful my children have good friends at school and teachers that truly care. I am thankful I know how to sew, how to read, how to listen, how to make friends, how to clean, how to can, how to paint, how to scrapbook, how to type, how to care, how to serve, how to play, how to work, how to smile, how to laugh. You know, I am learning that when I take a minute to count my blessings, I really have too many blessings to name, but it is still good to sit and try. It makes me HuMBle to know that God loves me so much and has really given me a lot to be GRATEFUL for! And the best part is, He did the same for YOU!

Life is Good!

Andy and I are in Portland, Oregon. He has a conference for work here and I tagged along. FUN! We left Thursday and went up to Aberdeen, Washington and stayed with our new family, Jack & Marti Hollingsworth! They didn't know they were adopting us when we went... But as long as I feed Jack cinnamon rolls, they might keep me around! Tee!Hee! This is us at the Lake Quinault Lodge in the Quinault Rain Forest. It is so beautiful! We also went and saw the "World's Larges Spruce Tree" at 58'11" in circumference! And this amazing waterfall, which was just on the side of the road. Andy and I climbed up these rocks for a kodak moment and when we came down, our back sides were soaking wet! You could have wrung us out! It was so amazing though! I am so glad we were there. Marti and Jack really treated us like family! We were totally spoiled!

Andy got to go out on the Marisha, a dredge boat Jack & his partners built for farming the oysters. They pulled in lots of oysters that day! While they did that, Marti and I went to the beach and watched the waves. The day before, the waves were about 25-30 feet and crashed over the jetti (not sure if that is how you spell it) and washed about a foot of water down the street. Crazy! It was an awesome sight! Leave it to me, however, to provide a "ha!ha!" experience for all the locals... I was standing on the beach, fairly far back and the waves came in and one got up on the beach a little closer than I liked, so I moved back about 20-30 feet. I was taking video and waiting for the "perfect" pictures when I noticed water coming up the beach again. I could tell it was going to get close, so I began walking backwards, while continuing to video, then I was running backwards, finally I turned and ran and still got water half way up my knee! Silly Arizona girl! I just hope nobody was videoing me! Embarrassing!!

And, now we are in Portland, Andy is in class and I have been relaxing today. Tonight we are going to the World Forestry Center? I think that is what it is called. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to go to the Portland Temple! I am so excited!

And since I haven't blogged in so long, I hope to spend some time catching up!

She's a UTE!

Holy COW! You'd think Chesea was moving for a long time or something! LOL! Actually she didn't take much at all. We took her to Salt Lake City on Wednesday and she moved into her dorm on Thursday. Thankfully they had mail-carts you could use to hall your stuff up with. They were great. Too bad I wasn't with Andy & Chesea when she crawled in the cart with the last of her stuff and rolled down the little hill to her dorm -- that would have made a great picture! Oh well!

Thankfully we have a friend, Amber, who came and stayed with the rest of our children while we were gone. The boys LOVED her! It was wonderful not to have to worry about them and how tired they were getting. With the hours we kept, they would have been WORN OUT! We were supposed to come home on Friday, but ended up staying until Sunday. So we also felt very thankful to Quaelii and Jaeci for being such GREAT big sisters! They held down the fort over the weekend!

Chesea got a big surprise when the Jones' came to her dorm to see her. We LOVE ROB, TIF, EMMA AND TATE! Thanks for your support guys! You are the best! Chesea got this cool UofU shirt and was proud to show off her new school spirit. And look at that amazing quilt behind her. She was so excited to get a quilt made by the tender hands of her Grandma Whetten.

The very best part of taking her up there was going to the Salt Lake Tempe with her on Saturday morning. We had said that was one thing we wanted to do, so we got up and did that before anything else. It was a tender moment!

I have done many hard things in my life. It was hard when I left home for college. It was difficult when I had my miscarriage. It was excruciating when I said my final earthly good-byes to my Aunt Hettie, my Dad, and my Gram. As difficult as each of those was, I do believe leaving my first born was harder than any of them. I cried for two weeks before she left. I cried when she and Matt cherished there last few days together, and then he came by at 5:30am on his way to work Wednesday to hold her once more before she was gone... I cried when she hugged Jaeci and Quaelii good-bye and wished them luck in their schooling... I cried when Tallin held her so tightly as he was leaving for school that he almost missed the bus... I cried when she hugged Paden good-bye and he lovingly said, "You're my best riding buddy!"... I cried when Porter gave her a quick hug and said, "See ya, Ches!" like she'd be back tomorrow... I cried as we headed for her dorm -- thankfully she was riding with Andy in her car and I was alone to cry as I wanted to, holding nothing back... And I cried, like a baby, when Andy and I got in our car and headed south on I-15 and she got in her car and headed north... I held my right hand up to the window in "I love you" sign language, and watched as her car disappeared. And as I sit her and tell you all of this, tears continue to stream down my cheeks. She is my little girl. I am so proud of her and I love her so much... I am blessed to be the mother of my Wynchester Dakota! My God has been merciful to me!

MY MOM ROCKS!!!

You see this amazing woman??? This is MY MOM!!

Of course, I share her with my three "other" sisters. :0)

And seriously, SHE ROCKS!!! See the barrel? Yep, it rocked but then it stayed standing! WHEW! She is 60 years old AND she had MAJOR surgery last September after a horse injury where she broke her leg, right at the top near the hip joint and could hardly walk for 2-3 months. It was the worst break the surgeon had seen in over 4 years, and here she is 10 months later ROCKING the WORLD of BARREL RACING!

I have a video of her barrel race, but I can't figure out how to post it -- yet, but I will!! (Along with my little sister's HAPPY DANCE!)

Anyhow, she won the barrel racing event at the Snowflake Rodeo on my 39th birthday! And she did it in 17.3 seconds! She was awarded this beautiful buckle, and a check for almost $500! She is totally awesome and I am so PROUD to call her MOM!

MarSHmaLLoWs gAloRE!

What is the best thing about a campfire in the forest??? Eating ROASTED Marshmallows, of course! We went out for a special Court of Honor tonight, and afterward I broke out these amazingly LARGE marshmallows and just look at the fun we had!

How EMBARRASSING!!!

This is my first and only post for June! Yikes! That is embarrassing. However, it has been a BUSY month! So, no photos tonight, just a quick update... so later I can tell the stories (maybe).

June 4 was the last day of school, and we had a GREAT party at the park! We probably had well over 100 kids there from 2 - 18 playing and having a GREAT time together! Hope you were there, and if not, well, next year!

June 5 Chesea graduated from Coconino High School. We had a GREAT party here at our home and were so honored that so many of you came to wish here well in her new life. She had a GREAT graduation.

June 8 I was EXHAUSTED! So I was taking it easy when Porter decided he wanted some cheese. He was cutting it himself. He cut cross-wise instead of downward and chopped his index finger on his left hand. He completely severed one tendon and almost severed the other. We rushed to the DR. who sent us to the ER where they stitched up his finger and told us to go see a hand surgeon. Well, Heavenly Father works GREAT miracles even before we pray for them. One of my greatest bread customers is a hand surgeon. I called him. He performed surgery Wednesday morning (June 10). It was a "perfect repair," he said. The day before his surgery I was still totally exhausted and not feeling so well. I ended up with a major sinus infection and cold. I was down for about a week.

June 11 we dashed down to Phoenix (thank Heaven's Quaelii had her permit!!) where Quaelii had a band convention for her position of Drum Major. We had a pretty good time. We were there until June 13.

June 16 Quaelii left for girls camp, and Jaeci left June 17. Andy left for Scout camp on June 17, and Chesea, Tallin, Porter, Paden and I left for Utah the same day. We all had a great time in our adventures. Chesea was able to get registered for her classes. YIPPEE! And I HAD A MARVELOUS time with my FRIENDS! I AM SO BLESSED WITH GREAT FRIENDS!!!

We all arrived home at some point on June 20 to celebrate Father's Day with Andy. I hope he had a great day. Dinner wasn't as good as it was in my head... Ah well. That's how it goes sometimes...

Tuesday & Wednesday, June 23 and 24 I had a GREAT time with 18 CUB SCOUTS at the DAY CAMP I was responsible for. It was amazing! We bowled, swam, had a tour of a restaurant, ate out, canoed, built a bridge, learned how to play marbles, BBQ'd hotdogs & hamburgers for our families and more... It was really a TREAT!

June 25 I took Quaelii so she could get her license!!! Yep! Two Whetten girls on the roads in Flagstaff now... Stay off the side-walk! :0) That night I was in charge of a Dutch Oven cooking class. It went very well. We had yummy Dutch Oven Pizza, BBQ Chicken Cordon Bleu, and 3 different kinds of Peach Cobbler! YUM!

June 26 we took our family and went canoeing on Lake Mary. We had a great time. Got sunburned. Were caught in a little rain-storm, waited it out and canoed some more. It was BEAUTIFUL!

June 27 Andy and I celebrated our 19 anniversary by helping our friends finish the trim for their home. We sealed and lacquered a TON of trim. It was amazing. We worked from about 7:30 am until about 4:30 or 5:00 pm. They were so thankful, they took us to Outback to celebrate our anniversary. Thanks guys!

And yesterday and today, the last two days of June, I have been trying to catch up. Not even close. Good thing I'll have tomorrow!

So there it is in a nutshell. Sorry it is long & boring, but putting it like this helps me understand why I haven't posted all month... :0) Jen

I LOVE SAVING MONEY!!!

Just look at this big bootie! Oh my gollie! How much do you think I spent for this?? Huh? How much? Come on, just take a guess! What? You can't tell what all is in the photo? Okay, how about I give you a list...

• 5 Kraft BBQ Sauce*
• 6 Kraft Salad Dressing*
• 30 Yoplait Yogurt
• 5 Avacodos
• 6lbs. Bananas
• 8 Weber Grill Seasonings*
• 5 Sour Cream
• 2 Cottage Cheese
• 14 Bar-S Hot Dogs (1lb)
• 5 Cases Nestle Water Bottles (24ct)
• 1 Gallon Milk
• 1 Total Colgate Toothpaste*
• 6 Trident Gum*
• 4 Banana Boat Sunscreen
• 6 Hefty Paper Plates (50ct)
• 2 Hefty paper Bowls (50ct)
• 14 Dial Liquid Hand Soap*

Still don't have a guess? I will tell you the dollar value of it, if paid full price for, and maybe that will help. The total dollar value is $301.96. So, what do you think? $150? That would be pretty good. $75? Close...

Okay, okay! I'll just tell you since you're gonna be that way... :0)

I ONLY PAID $40.18!!!! That is an 88% Savings! Isn't that AWESOME?? And, to top it off, all the items marked with an asterisk* were FREE!! Yep, I said FREE! I love Coupon Sense! I LOVE saving so much money for things I USE anyway!!! Uh-huh, oh yah. I'm doin' the Happy Dance. Are you doin' it with me? I'm not a rep or anything, but if you want to know more, let me know and I will get you the info...

Have a Happy Day! I get to go get ready for CUB SCOUTS!

This last week...

Where has the time gone!? I have had so much fun the last week.

Last Thursday I took my Cub Scouts to the city pond and we went fishing. It was so fun. It was a pack meeting, so the twins got to come too. Look at the fun we had!

Tallin was awarded his Bobcat badge and two activity beads. That means he is half way to earning his Wolf Badge. Yippee! Way to go, Tallin!

I planted my flowers last week too. They look so good. I am so excited. Paden, Porter and I also put up my decorative split rail fence. I don't have pictures of it, yet. Then Paden, Porter and I dug up a leaky pipe in our driveway. It was a horrible leak, thank heavens Andy is Mr. Fix-it, because he fixed it. Now he is fixing the rotor tiller so I can plant my flowers along the split rail fence. What a guy! Thanks, babe!

Saturday night Chesea had some friends over for card and board games and dance lessons. We taught them the 2-step, the waltz, and the Cotton-eyed Joe! It was quite fun, I will admit. I hope they didn't mind me hanging out with them...

Sunday Jaeci, Quaelii & Chesea sang in church. They did great!

And for a little laugh... Chesea was in charge of dinner last night. She was making "Hot Wings." Only we don't use wings, we use thighs & drumsticks mainly. So, as they were sitting there eating, Chesea said, "I thought I got thighs, but I got boobs." Porter didn't skip a beat, he simply replied, "Quaelii does too. Dad, look the stars are coming out." Too funny!

She's got a BEAUTIFUL SMILE!

From THIS...To THIS!

Just look at those PEARLY WHITES! So exciting! Quaelii got her braces off yesterday! (I wish I had an easy-access photo of her BEFORE braces... Oh well!) It was a BIG day! She had been counting down the days. Everyday she would get up and say, "Guess What!?" As soon as you would acknowledge her, she'd answer with how many days she had left, and finally, how many hours there were to go. So bright and early yesterday morning she got a text from a friend asking her, "Guess What!?" She just couldn't stop smiling. Dr. Peterson and his staff have been so amazing with her. They are her friends. Good thing we like them so much, Jaeci will be starting soon! Dr. Peterson gave her a big bag of candy to celebrate, and then Andy and I took her to lunch. Her friends kept texting, "When are you coming? We want to see you!" She told them they would just have to WAIT! When she got to school, she had people CHASING her to see her BEAUTIFUL SMILE! I love you, Quaelii!

Top 10 Reasons I LOVE Being a MOM

1. LAUNDRY! Do you think I would have mountains of laundry like this if I wasn't a mom? Well, maybe, but then I wouldn't have anyone to blame this mountain of laundry on. And, each article of clothing has a special memory, you know, oh, she wore that when she did this... or he is wearing the shirt Tallin wore when... or just a help me remember how fast they are growing. So yes, I love laundry.


2. PURE HONESTY! You all know what I mean. You want to know if you look fat? Just wait, and one of your kids will say, "Mom, you look like you're having another baby!" (Yep, that was Paden yesterday!)


3. SHOPPING! I get to go shopping quite often, and I love seeing how much I save. With 8 of us at home, we have to be a little frugal, so my kids have helped me learn how to shop smartly. I shop thrift stores and clearance racks and use coupons at the grocery store. I save a LOT of money thanks to my kiddos! ;-)


4. TOYS & BOOKS & STUFF ON THE FLOOR. Okay, NO! I really don't like them being on the floor, I get a little aggitated, but when I take a deep breath, it reminds me that my children feel at home in our house. They are comfortable here. They know this is a safe place for them and their belongings, and a great place to have FUN. So, yeah, I guess I do love stuff around my house... (a little)


5. COOKING! Seriously. I love being a mom because it allows me to make some really yummy foods. And I LOVE that my kids LOVE my cooking. They often tell Andy and me that we should open our own restaurant. So, we do, well, Andy does. At least once a year, Mother's Day. This really should be one of the top 10 in and of itself because he spoils me. He opens "Cafe Andre'" every Mother's Day and prepares a feast fit for a... Queen! It is really wonderful!


6. SMUDGE AND FINGER PRINTS... All over everything! You go to turn out the light, and wow, how did that switch get so dirty? Try to look out the sliding back doors; get the windex first! They are EVERYWHERE! And yet, when you know you are done having kids, it is kinda hard to wash it off, because you know there won't be any more little ones to make more...


7. MEMORIZATION! Yes, I have memorized so much since I became a mom. I know most of the Barney songs, I can tell you what time of day Clifford comes on, I can even quote many lines from Disney and other movies.
   
8. LATE NIGHTS! I am not a night owl. At all. I love mornings. Well, I used to. But since I have high schoolers that stay up late, my body is confused. Oh well. I do so enjoy when my girls come and FLY onto my bed. Yes, they FLY. They haven't smoothened out their landings very well yet, but they are still flying, and that's what is important. They fly in and talk to me after dances, or work, or concerts, or field trips and we talk and talk. Sometimes they talk and I sleep, but I LOVE having them there with me. It is a really special thing for me.
9. ART. My kids are artists. Every one of them. And I love the things they make for me. From cards to posters to ceramics... Just look at these cute cards Quaelii and Tallin made for Mother's Day. It really doesn't get any sweeter.



10. And my BEST reason I love being a mom, is... Well, 6 reasons! CHESEA, QUAELII, JAECI, TALLIN, PORTER AND PADEN! I really am blessed to be the mother of these special Children of God. And I am so grateful Heavenly Father trusts me enough to be their MOTHER!

And a Little Child Shall Lead Them

About 3 1/2 years ago, in the still of winter, we walked out our back door at night to find a fluffy white cat that didn't look like it would survive the night. While its coat was quite fluffy, it was skinny as a rail. Its fur was matted and it could barely make a sound. We decided to give it a little tuna and warm milk -- its last meal, so it could die with a full belly. Poor thing. We had no idea whose cat it was, no collar, nothing. There was 6 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. It was the least we could do....
Well, the next morning, the cat was there and looking a little better, so we invested in some cat food. Day after day, the cat grew stronger and, well, I guess you could say we adopted each other. He hunted the gophers and praire dogs and mice. We always knew when he got one because he always left the head on the front mat... In return, we gave it a nice warm blanket to sleep on, and mad sure he had plenty of food and warm milk. As Porter began to talk, he called the cat a "mee-now." (He called everthing by the sound they made. Meow -- mee-now, it's all the same, right?)
This morning our cat succombed to a painful bout with kidney or liver disease. We were so sad. The boys and I dug a nice grave and said a prayer and a little good-bye. At breakfast, Porter asked me, "Mom, do you know Jesus' number? Maybe you could call him and ask him to raise our cat from the dead." The faith of a child!

Isn't She a Princess!

A touch of make-up, precious pearls, a dress that spins and a handsome prince to take her to the ball... Chesea truly was the fairest of all.
Wasn't it just yesterday that she was spinning around our living room in her pink and purple dress, saying, "Look, Mom! It Spins!" And now, here she is, heading off to her senior prom. (She did have to make sure this dress would spin too, by the way.) My, time does fly.

Her date, Matt, was a perfect gentleman, so courteous and kind, and wonderfully nervous :0). It was really awesome to have her treated with such wonder and respect.

And then, there were her little brothers... When Matt and Shane (Alyssa's date) attempted to come back in the house after going to the car to get Alyssa's corsage, Paden held the door shut and asked, "What's the magic word?" They tried to not make a big deal of it, but with Porter's and Nathan's (Analiese's date) help, Paden stood firm, making them say, "Meeska, Mouseka, Micky Mouse!" (I think Grandpa Tom was laughing quite hard, making the heavens roar!)

They all had a really good time, with a nice dinner at Charly's followed by "A Night on the Nile" at the CHS prom. Matt even got Chesea to dance a few times, which is a HUGE accomplishment! One of Chesea's most amazing friends, Deshara, was crowned as Prom Queen, but immediately asked if she could make an announcement, saying, "There is somebody here who has done so much for our school and doesn't get half the recognition she deserves. She deserves this so much more than I do. Give it up for your Prom Queen, Wynchester Whetten!" Chesea was quite embarrased and felt very undeserving. She even tried to leave, but Deshara and many others insisted, therefore, Chesea became the 2009 Prom Queen for CHS. I am so inspired by Deshara and her kindness and thoughtfulness; she is an amazing person and this is just one of the ways the world can see her inner beauty.

They went to the CHS after-hours celebration at the Elk's Lodge for a while, and then over to Alyssa's house to play games. Matt & Shane had never played Candy Land, so Chesea and Alyssa provided them that opportunity. FUN! Then we gathered back together mid-morning for breakfast at our house -- crepes with logan berries, boysenberries, and strawberries, scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon and a delicious smoothie. They all had such a great time.

And I must say that I truly enjoyed it too. I am so glad that Chesea is surrounded by good friends that share her values and help her be OUR PRINCESS!

(Annaliese, Nathan, Alyssa, Shane, Chesea & Matt)

Chesea's Going To...

The UNIVERSITY OF UTAH!! She finally made her decision after we visited up there last weekend. It was a HUGE decision for her. She REALLY wanted to go to UofA in Tucson because she really values her relationship with Chris and Amarie and wanted to be close to them. She is hoping they will move to Utah so she can still have that college help from Amarie. (Amarie has a degree in Chemical Engineering and is a GREAT motivator with Chesea. I'm not sure motivator is the right word, but anyhow, Chesea really looks up to her and believes Amarie will be a true asset in her college experience.)

I'm not sure when she will move up there, but classes begin August 24. How exciting!! GO UTES!

We're TWINS!

Paden and Porter are so much fun. They make our home a happy place. The other day I was talking to them about what they were going to do when I went to Salt Lake City with the girls. Porter said, "I want to play at Amy's house!" Paden piped in, "I want to play at Amy's house, too!" Porter looked back at Paden and said, "WOW, Paden! I want to, too!" So Paden exclaimed, "We're TWINS! Yay!" They grabbed each other in a big ole bear hug and jumped up and down shouting, "We're TWINS! We're TWINS!" Yep, it's the little things that make being a mom so rewarding!

Well, we'll give it a try...

Okay, so I have had this blog address for about a year. I just haven't figured it all out. I still haven't figured it out, but perhaps there is hope. I mean, my sister figured it out, so she can teach me, right??? I may need some serious help so my computer doesn't die a not-so-slow-and-painless death. (I'm not very patient when it comes to computers.) But my kids are so dog-gone cute that I want to share them with the world -- or at least my friends and family! Thanks for all your inspiration. You guys are so great!