Tug-o-War

Even though its been a hard couple weeks, and I have spent a lot of time at my parents house helping sort through stuff... I still have 6 kids, which didn't allow daily life to stop for me for long. That was good and bad. I still feel sad inside all the time. I had a little breakdown today.

But I did get some cute pictures of poor Lily's crazy Tug-o-War mishap.

On friday Lily came in screaming and crying, with a really bloody mouth, 1 front tooth gone and the other barely hanging on. She was apparently playing some kind of crazy "Tug-o-War" game with her friend, tied a jump rope to the swing set, and was holding it with her teeth. Someone let go... and both front teeth were yanked. {OUCH} Dallin found one in the grass 5 feet from where she was standing, it flew! Poor Lily. Luckily they were baby teeth.

She barely tolerated me taking the pictures of her missing teeth the next day. She just wanted to get back to playing her game with Sophie and Emma, where she said "the whole family room is a tree, the bean bag is a nest and we're birds feeding each other grapes"

I loved sitting on the couch listening to their sweet pretend play.

Good-byes

My cousin emily emailed me this collage of some pictures she took. I didn't even know she took them. I didn't take any pictures that day.

My Aunt Bev made the chili pepper arrangement. I cried when she walked in with it, so my mom.

The picture above is probably kind of weird, because a few people were smiling. My dad, my 2 sisters and the grandkids were all standing around to say our last goodbyes after the graveside prayer. Then some people took our picture, I think its instinct for the kids to smile when they see a camera. However, quite honestly, we laughed and cried at the funeral. It really was a celebration of my mothers life and everything we learned from her. We told multiple funny stories but also many sweet ones, and we cried because we were sad too. But all I really cared about was that my mother was watching from heaven and felt our love and gratitude for her.

Mom

Dora Jean Blake

September 1952 - March 2012

My mom and dad were married February of their senior year in high school, because they were pregnant with my oldest sister Chrissy.

I think my mom is pregnant with me below.

Us 3 girls at our family cabin in Pinetop that we went to all my life.

My parents and I on Christmas day at my grandparents house. Funny how they are in shorts and flip flops in December, and I am in a ball gown?

I was in high school here.

Last year, at my parents house.

Yesterday was my moms funeral. It was a bitter sweet day. Just my 2 sisters and I spoke. My mom did so many crazy things, that listening to all the stories was so funny. But it was so sad. So hard to believe thats all the stories we'll have in this life. The musical numbers were beautiful. The funeral was at an LDS church. Generally only church hymns are allowed in the chapel, but we got special permission to have my cousin play soft Beatles/60's songs on the piano instead, since my parents didn't go to church. It was so so neat and perfect for her. We made a picture video of her life, and put music on it that my parents liked. I watched it on repeat all morning. I cry every time it gets to the end pictures. I am so thankful that even though my parents had many hard years, they stayed married and made it work. I can't tell you how much it means to me that they stayed married, it still makes me cry. I am so proud of them. I learned from them that you can work through really hard times, and find love even amidst struggle.

Family was everything to them.

I love you mom.

My Mom

Last wednesday night I got the worst phone call of my life.

My sister called me to tell me to come to dads house fast, and that my mother had died.

It was very unexpected, she died in her sleep.

It has been the saddest, hardest few days. My poor dad. He is not doing well. It breaks my heart to see him hurt so much.

Her funeral is this wednesday.

I asked my cousin Mckane to play the below song at it. He had me come over tonight and he sang it for me, it was so beautiful I cried. So kind of him to spend so much time working on it. I have listened to this song on repeat hundreds of times this week.

My poor mother, her sweet chariot came down and carried her home.

Book Report

Ashlin walked in the door from her tennis match tuesday night

yelling how excited she was that she played a good game and won... then as she walked in the kitchen, still yelling about the tennis match, she saw the big mess everywhere, stopped and said,

"Woe- whats going on in here?"

Emma had to make a DIORAMA

about a book she had read.

{I love making dioramas}

She was doing it on her own when I got home from Cub Scouts... I immediately got involved. Which I am sure Emma has love/hate feelings about. She wanted me to help her make the water... but didn't want me TOO involved because she likes to be independent. At one point I started to glue something and she said, "Mom- can I glue it, this is my project?" Then I went over to Bruce and laid my head on his shoulder and grumped. I said, "Why can't someone give ME a diorama assignment, then I don't have to let the kids do it?" :(

I am a dork officially, but dioramas are so fun.

I loved the cute little rope hanging from the tree, to swing across the river, like in the book.

I loved the darling sun Emma came up with on her own, she stuffed it with tissue paper. And the cute little wood plank bridge across the river.

I LOVEd the darling little book we made out of cardboard and paper, to show the characters in the story read under the tree.

Good Job Emma!!

{Ashlin did a photo shoot of Emma last month for photography, she took this}

And guess what?

Today is Bruce and my anniversary.

Bruce surprised me and made me breakfast in bed.

I love him. How does he ever put up with me?

I am SO excited to give him my surprise gift this afternoon.

Lunchy

Bruce is off every wednesday, I LOVE it.

So its tradition that we go out to lunch every wednesday with Sophie and Lily. {**Did you know taking SIX kids out to eat is a pain and expensive? Only taking 2 is a treat}

Guess who I sit by every week??

{Sophie}

Bruce says I always "get to" sit by the 2 year old since I am the one who always thinks its so fun to have another baby. It always makes me laugh when he says this... cuz its the truth. Soooo, I always sit by Sophie.

Today we went to Red Lobster,

instead of the usual Chipotle.

Today Sophie spilled her strawberry lemonade on my pants, TWICE. She wouldn't stop banging her fork on the table or standing up. She dipped her hands in the ranch and smeared it around the table, threw her fork and cried and wouldn't eat her meal.

{You know, typical 2 year old agenda}

Then as we got in the car to leave she had the nerve to say, "I'm hungry"

ha ha

House

Oh, and the OTHER thing we do every wednesday when Bruce is off...

visit our home site!

Feb 19

Feb 14: (framing basement)

Feb 16

This is the family room in the basement!

Then today when we went, they were pouring the cement for the footings for the rest of the house.

March 7:

It is fascinating to watch how they build a house.

AND, when I see this many cars from workers on the 3 houses being built, it makes me happy that its giving this many people work.

Vanessa's Big Day

This is a picture of Ashlin and Vanessa 2 years ago when they begged me to take them to the Gila Valley Temple Open House.

They have been friends since 4th grade.

Last month, Vanessa was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It was probably one of the neatest events I have ever gone to. We had to do all the talks in the chapel of the Stake Center because there were so many people there. The chapel was almost full with youth and people there to support her.

Her buddy Alex baptized her,

here they are picking out white clothes.

Ashlin cried all night. The feeling was so special that evening, I think everyone felt it. There was such a feeling of unity. These kids were all so excited for Vanessa that her parents finally allowed her to be baptized. She had been wanting to for 5 years.

I was so honored Vanessa asked me to give one of the talks. She has spoken in Sacrament meeting like 3 times over the last few years (even though she wasn't baptized). The first 2 talks I helped her write. The last talk she gave she told me she could do on her own. I was crying my eyes out as I listened to her give that talk, I could just see how much she had grown in her understanding of the gospel and its importance. I was SO proud of her, like she was my own daughter!!

Here she is with her family. They are great people. We LOVE them, they're our dear friends. At the Baptism, our Bishop stood up and invited Vanessa's dad to come up to the microphone. He invited him to share his feelings about Vanessa. Our Bishop said to him, "Years from now, I want you to remember that you spoke at your daughters baptism". It was so special to hear the things her dad said about Vanessa, her choices, and her friends. He is such a great father. I was CRYING!

Afterwards everyone came back to our house for refreshments. I didn't count, but I think there were a million people here.

I was SO happy for her that she could feel so much support.

In my talk I said the thing I am more thankful for than anything in my life is that I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It changed my life. All of my dearest blessings have come from that one decision. Ashlin and I were just talking the other night about how people cannot understand how wonderful it is.

We are so happy for Vanessa!! I know that someday she can look back and realize that all of her greatest blessings have come from this one big decision also.