pot stirrer

Every time I see a post, comment, etc. about Glee I feel compelled to say something and I've held it in and held it in. Now here I am at 8:48 with the kids in bed and Todd at school. There is no one to stop me and nothing to distract me from posting this highly [mildly] controversial opinion.
ready?

Glee is evil guys! I have attempted to watch it exactly 3 times and each time I turned it off within probably 3 min. It is so incredibly sexual/ immoral/ etc. I'm sorry that it is your favorite show and I'm sure the music and choreography are amazing (hello, I'm totally a nut-so freak about all things musical)... but it is NAUGHTY!!!

Now maybe it is complete coincidence, and maybe the three clips that i attempted to watch on Hulu were the most evil sampling available and it isn't all like that, I promise, blah blah blah, BUT even if I did get the worst of the samplings, I'm glad that is all I got. I think it probably a blessing. Maybe if I'd seen the best the first 3 times than I would be HOOKED and would've been unable to turn it off later when I saw the sleaziness.

Some mushrooms are poisonous guys!!!!

No, I'm not perfect. Don't be annoyed. Feel free to call me on my junk.

Finally, A BOY!

Meet Charming. He is our new lil' man around the house. He is almost 1 year old.

We picked him up from the pound on Tuesday (last week) after having picked him out on Saturday.

He really doesn't like to go outside. We have to walk out to the grass before he'll even consider stepping out and if he sees us headed for the door he trots right past us to try and make sure we don't go in without him....

Tori is SOO SWEET with him and he is really loving and sweet with her too. They love to be next to eachother.

Look at my baby (well, both of them)! Tori is getting so grown up!

The girls have already adapted to life with a dog and things are getting quite comfortable.

Gwen loves to look between his toes for "bugs". (He had ticks when he first came home and so we spent a lot of time getting the "owies" and "bugs" off him.

I'm excited for the girls to grow up with a doggy. This is the first time I've ever lived with/had/owned/cared about a dog. I'm already in love with him.

the latest

here is the latest adventure. thank you dandi for taking the time to remember and record it all!
click here. the only thing she forgot was my legs had 100's of bug bites on them. I'll show you guys a picture sometime...

father's day

I am up late entertaining Gwen and she wanted to look at some pictures. We happened upon this fun little video and so I thought I would post it and show off (sorry) how cool my hubby is and how cute my girls are.... go ahead and gag at my shamelessness!!!! or just enjoy!

words

I love when people blog and blog WORDS and I am completely enjoying it and interested. I won't dare to imagine that I can pull that off gracefully or enjoyably, but here is a little practice...
I guess it would've been better to start out with a general topic, story, or idea in mind.

hmmmmmm.......

Thoughts that come to my mind-
I hear my children goofing off... they are supposed to be sleeping.
I could talk about Eclipse??? No, I can't be that honest about how pathetic I am.


AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! I GUESS I AM, SIMPLY PUT: A PICTURE BLOGGER.

if you are feeling unfulfilled, here is what i would do- delighted or a little slice OR rich alger!

recital video

see if this works.

lilli recital

a million

Here are a million pictures from our Ely Family Vacation. Would you believe there is about a million more pictures that I want to post???

The kids are in age groups for lots of fun activities and at the end of the camp they do a show. This year they did Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Gwen (and several other little cousins) were ears of corn from Pharoah's dream.

Heidi, Madi, and Daniel did the Western song... you know, "Father we've somethin' to tell you... a story of our time....." and Heidi was REALLY HAMMIN' IT UP. This is one of several silly pictures I got of her actin' all kinds of Cowgirl.

Lilli's group (with Lucas) did the song "Jacob and Sons". This song introduces all of the family. I was impressed that Lilli had memorized 99% of the words perfectly! I couldn't BELIEVE IT!

Before the show started, all the kids got up and did their groups cheer. "Trompers, Trompers are the BEST. GOOOOOOOO TROMPERS!!!" (gwen was a tromper)

"Who wants to be lazy, sittin' like a housecat? We wanna be CRAZY, come play with the BOBCATS!"

Heidi's group had Pirate Day

Lilli's group had.. can you gues??? Star Wars day. Lilli came up with the Princess Leia hair idea all on her own. Wow, my girls are so cultured... knowing Star Wars!!!!

This was Tiger Day for Trompers.

Frontier Night.. so many fun activities down at Cowboy Town...

Shoot 'Em Up!!!

Lilli's and Heidi's group got to do the Ropes Course.

MATCHIES... Dandi and I tried to match Tori and Nellie Everyday. It was fun. Also all the Ely's had matching shirts (girls pink, boys blue). This picture was taken after one of the many AMAZING lectures that are given by BYU professors.

Okay, I know, backwards order... These were the first night when the kids got together and met their age groups and first learned their cheers!!!!

Grammy and Tori watchin' the show.

This is such a wonderful vacation that we have been doing now for many years. It was hard to come home. Thanks Mom and Dad for helping to make it happen!!!!

angel girl

This is from a couple months ago. I went to get Tori out of the swing and this is what she looked like! I couldn't believe her little pose... all by herself!

no, seriously...

I just looked up the definition of melancholy, as I am trying to put how I feel into words, and I think this captured it quite well.

a feeling of thoughtful sadness

My heart hurts tonight. Over the last while I have had several people that are close to my heart have marital "issues". These people have mostly gone on to become divorced. I know it isn't my place to say what situations justify divorce or not. All I can say is that it completely brakes my heart to see people that I love struggling.

As this evening has progressed I have had several opinions, theories, solutions, etc. go through my mind and I guess I just want to talk about it.

I really like the part of traditional wedding vows that says "for better or for worse". There have been many years of my life that would have to be categorized under "for worse". If my family had "divorced" me- who knows where I would be!!! I am so grateful that my sisters and brothers didn't separate themselves from me even though I was an awful person. I owe everything to my parents for continuing to love me even when I.... well, I was not a good daughter. They [my family], I think, could've easily been justified to the world if they had simply thrown in the towel. But who would've loved me? who would've helped me climb out of my huge hole that I had dug?

We just can't give up on each other. We have to put our own devastation and depression aside and just know that we are being here for you "for worse".

Sometimes our spouse's sins hurt us so deeply. How can you not be personally offended- and when I say offended I mean completely ruined and hurt beyond repair, sometimes- when someone so close, that you have been so vulnerable to, betrays you. But I think we have to learn use the atonement for our pain. Let our Savior heal our hearts and realize/remember/remind ourselves that their sin is about their weakness. As personal as it feels and looks it isn't. No, I'm not saying that they don't get to ask forgiveness and earn back trust and work their tail off to make things right (that is, when they finally come around- be it this life or the next). What I'm trying to say is that we HAVE TO GET OVER IT so that we can MAKE IT WORK.

I feel so desperate in my plea- WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP LOVING! If we don't, then who will? If I don't, who will?

This must sound insensitive to the suffering soul. To the person who feels like they are trying to make it work and being a good person, but getting nothing in return but hurt and rejection. I'm not trying to take away from anyone's pain. I ache for you. My heart is braking for you.

I have been so humbled this past while. Especially today as I learn of one more person struggling. I am humbled and reminded that I am not safe. I have to work everyday. I must follow the commandments. I must heed the counsel of the scriptures and prophets. I must pray. I MUST LOVE AND FORGIVE.

Please Lord, help me to be kind. Help me to do everything I can do to be worthy of the blessings that my family needs.

"I speak to all who suffer, to all who mourn, to all who now face or will yet face trials and challenges in this life. My message is to all who are worried or afraid or discouraged. My message is but an echo, a reminder of the constant comforting counsel from a loving Father to His children since the world began.

'Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.' Helaman 5:12

"I testify of Him, that He has overcome the world, that He will never forget or abandon us, for He has graven us upon the palms of His hands. I testify that those who keep His commandments will grow in faith and hope. They will be given strength to overcome all of life's trials. They will experience peace that passes all understanding. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

The Rock of Our Redeemer

Elder Wilford W. Andersen