This photo is from the amazing glen lakes ward youth temple trip. I didn' go, but my life was touched through my brother, father, and many many friends experiences. It's so strange now to consider what it must be like to be living here on this earth and not to have a knowledge and testimony about what it is all about.
I am grateful for FOREVER, and knowing that that is how long I have to be with my husband, and children.
I am grateful for Temples. The peace I feel when I am there. I don't know if there is any other time in my life that I can feel so CLEAR MINDED, CONTENT, and SURE.
I am grateful for my little bro. who is serving the Lord in FREEZING Idaho. What a sweet thing to see my little brother being so COURAGEOUS and setting such a WONDERFUL example of building, seeking for, and sharing your TESTIMONY of the Savior.
I am grateful for my husband who's BOTTOM LINE in life, the deepest truest desire of his heart is to be a RIGHTEOUS, good husband and father. I know that whatever bumps we hit along the way, it will all be okay. because? bottom line- he is striving to find out and do whatever the Lord requires of him.

I got "tagged" a million years ago about 6th folder, 6th picture.... etc. So here it is...
This is Heidi when she was a little little baby. Todd had gotten her the elephant booties, so I must have been taking a picture to show them off. She had more hair than Lilli or Gwen. In fact, Gwen is now almost 2 and barely has that much hair. Heidi has two callicks (sp?) on the back of her head... so it always created a cute little mohawk.
Heidi has always been our little monster. She is so much more emotional than Lilli was, but always one to growl and attack!

how do you keep your house clean???? what are your top three tips???

rusticness

i haven't been non-ward camp out camping since i started my family. what a mistake. i loved it sooo much. i always knew i loved camping, but ward camp outs always felt stressful with the girls. i realized it's because it is FAKE camping. it was so nice to not have to worry about my kids bothering anyone else, or getting lost in the madness of everyone wandering around. ward camp outs were social events, not camping. it felt so good to man my own fire (well, not JUST mine), cook my own food, take my kids on a little hike, let them get DIRTY and not feel like an unsanitary parent if my kids ate with,

heaven forbid, dirty fingers. plus you always get a good spot around the fire. and when gwen was screaming all night, i didn't have to feel bad for anyone else, except of course my hero husband who was up with her all night!

Thanks ben to the awesome potatoes in the dutch oven, and nan, great breakfast, and jessi, good job bringing the leftover hamburger buns and hot dog buns and ketchup and lettuce and onions and mustard from your ward halloween party!

gwen is about to sneeze...... wait for it......

















AHHHHHHHHHHHH MUCH BETTER!

as mentioned, gwen had a little bit of a rough night

they were playing in a bunch of sawdust. it was really messy, but they were having sooooo much fun.

sweet little gwen was getting so tired but wasn't too sure about the whole tent + sleeping bag thing.

ben made this delicious potato dish in his dutch oven. sooooo yummy definitely a highlight. the

big jacket? you ask???? my mom's down feather jacket. let me just tell you that i could cold easily, seriously... i wear my fuzzy wintery bath robe over my clothes when i'm at home year round.

i was very scared about being cold so my mom handed my the coat and said not to worry. i will never camp again with out it.

remember, I warned you about the dirty kids? well, i wasn't kidding, here they come. it was so wonderful to just "surrender" to nature, as in the nature of little children to find or make a mess and nature, also as in... dirt. oh, i have a funny story. we were playing bocce ball, and ben was really good at it and tried to be cool by throwing the ball somewhere that we couldn't see. so he threw it over this big fallen log. oh yeah, the point of the game is to throw your ball closest to the white ball (the white ball is the one that ben was going to throw)..... okay, so ben throws ball behind log. todd jessi nan and ben try to aim for unseen target. they excitedly go to see if anyone was close to the mark and SURPRISE there is the rotting carcass of a coyote on the other side of the log.... nice, really nice.

i'm ready to start camping every weekend. i'm already craving to go back. i'm even thinking of how cool would it be to go camping on christmas eve, decorate a nearby tree, sing christmas songs around the camp fire, read the nativity story, then wake up and open presents around the fire.

cool? or crazy? i know it would be cold, but i'd have my mom's jacket, so we'd just have to work something out for the kids and the hubby....????

ben's super cool hammock! thanks for the rope knot class! let's go camping this weekend to see if i remember anything!!

halloweenishness

okay, so to finish up with the sexy eighties party...

jammin' out at the tanner's!!! soo much fun. thx jen

todd was really feeling some sort of zoolander vibe (notice his sexy face in our close up).

here are our two little angels, heidi and gwen. it's funny by the time halloween comes around and all try-ons/ trunk-or-treats are over, the kids are sick of the costumes and the mom is worn out with the red hair spray and careful attachment of wings, etc.

Happy Halloween!!!!!...details later.

having fun

The model homes are right across the street from our backyard, so we were having fun taking pictures right before a monsoon, with the big flag blowing in the background. Silly maybe, but fun!

gossip girl

Okay, so I was so sure that I wasn't a long story, deep thought kind of blogger...

I will do my best to not be deep, or long.

So, I was giving a friend of mine a hard time about gossipping (how the heck do you spell gossipping? two p's????) and this friend wasn't really even being a gossip, I was just giving her a hard time. However it led to thoughts and a conversation with my sister. Let's make it clear-

I am guilty of gossip, in general (not making any big, public, confessions).

The biggest reason I was making a big joke or fuss of the gossip thing was more because I didn't want people to think of me as being okay with gossip. Yes, I know, I already confessed that I am guilty as charged, but I figure if people don't think you're okay with it to begin with (which truly I'm not okay, even though imperfect in the area) than they will be less likely to start a whispering, tattling, gossipy conversation with you.

Why am I going on and on? because I did feel hypocritical to even tease someone else about something that I am not perfect at.



Great, now everyone will be afraid to talk to me because they think I'm some big gossipy brat-

Let me explain where I come from on the whole "gossip rule".

I went to a private school for 2 years of high school. Our rule was that you were not even allowed to use someone's name unless you had specific permission from that person. Maybe this is extreme, well of course it is, but it made a definite impression on me and it sure did make it easier to not gossip. Even if you wanted to tell some herrendous story, you weren't allowed to use any names, thus eliminating the gossipy-ness.

"What a ridiculous rule, like anyone actually followed it!!"

Actually, we did. At least myself, and my group of friends did. Seriously, you got in trouble if you got "caught".

It was a unique time that I'm sure can't be recreated in "the real world", but it still made an impression and set a standard in my life, that yes again... I confess I do not maintain.



And the long, but not deep conversation with myself, for everyone in the world to read, is DONE. (don't flatter yourself, only about 3 people check your blog, and Jen T. you barely count... you and you're sarcastic comments... ;)

more family reunion fun!

In case you needed proof that I'm a total nerd....This was our Family Reunion Birthday, and I was definitely a hit with all people ages 10 and under... Woo HOO

More birthday fun...

PEEK A BOO!!!

Todd's sister Joyana and her daughter, Brooke. Yes, I did make that balloon flower... I know, you're totally impressed. (aren't we all?)

Mom and Dad Young...

All the Young Grandchildren in order of age... this is a priceless picture to me... it's not some great portrait quality photo, but it marks that moment in time so well... I can't imagine when I'm Grandma Young looking at what me and Grandpa Young have helped to create. How Awesome.

Lilli and cousin Brooke hanging out on the fake rocks.. this was a really cool park. Could make a girl want to move up to Idaho.

I'm not sure who in the family took this picture, but it's really cool... All the older cousins playing at this really cool park filled with BIG musical instruments. There are constant songs and sounds filling the park... REALLY COOL!!!!!

Here is our daddy playing on the rocks... I don't know who did this picture, but thanks. Love it.

Thanks again to someone's creative efforts, Joyana's I'm guessing. Lots of big girl cousins constantly tending to my little ones. It is sooo nice except they get spoiled with all the attention and I get spoiled with all the time off. It's hard to come back from a vacation like that. Thanks Girls... and Mason.

Brynlee, Jessi, Adria doing girl stuff?

Let the Hool-a-hoop games begin!!!

Everybody loves Uncle Andy! (todd's brother)

girl cousins

boy cousins plus uncle andy

Todd's Triplet Older Sisters opening their birthday card!

Boggle... good times

photo shoot time...

We had such a great time. Thanks to Mom and Dad Young for making it all happen. Love to all the Youngs! from the Youngs!