Caught Ya!!

Elijah loves the muffins we have each Sunday morning. This morning I caught him licking the bowl after we thought he had gone downstairs. He was mighty proud of himself and definitely enjoyed the batter as well.

Christmas Evening At Temple Square

Christmas night we went to Temple Square again this year. Nana & Papa Vassel, Grandma & Grandpa Curtis, Aunt Andrea, and Aunt Karmen, Rodrigo, Joaquin and Ezekiel met us there. We love seeing the displays and seeing the statue of Christ. After going through the visitor centers we went outside to see the lights. It was mighty cold but worth it again this year as hardly anyone is there.

Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve Day Sledding

On Christmas Eve we decided to go sledding by Park City. This was the first year that we have taken Elijah so we were a little nervous about his hemophilia, but we "factored" him up real good before we left. We all had so much fun. They loved going down the hills with each other then jumping up and racing up the hill to do it again. Mom had the dangerous job of taking pictures half way down the hill. It was fun to jump out of the way!! After it got too cold we brought out the hot chocolate we had brought and had a little snack. We can't wait to go again soon!!

Cookie Making Time

IIt wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't make sugar cookies. The decorating of the cookies was the best part. We also baked up some peanut butter cookies and handed out plates to some neighbors. Yes, we saved some for us too!!

Merry Christmas Caprece

Matt and Cayr went to the Lehi, Ut cemetery on the 18th of December to put a Christmas wreath on Caprece's grave. It was such a beautiful day and the other Holiday decorations around the cemetery were so pretty against the white snow. We've decided that the cemetery is a beautiful place to visit at this time of the year.

Dale Hit By Car

On December 3rd our chocolate lab Dale, was hit by a car. He had gotten out of the yard and we did not know he was gone. It was so nice of the drivers to go house to house until they could find someone who knew the dog they had hit. Our neighbor knew it was Dale they were asking about so she brought them to us. Dale had ran off, on 3 legs, after being hit so a search was started. It was about 7pm and already dark outside so we were worried and finding him could be difficult.

Dale has two play mates, Grady (Dave and Angie Carter) and Kienta (Mrs. Flint) and they went out with the drivers of the truck and Matt looking for Dale. About 20 minutes later Matt found Dale. His back leg was pretty cut up and we did not know if it was broken or if he had any other internal injuries. Matt and Cayr got Dale in the big van and took him to the Vet Hospital.

Dales leg was not broken but the tissue on his foot and leg were badly damaged requiring for them to put him under for surgery to repair the tissue. We did not get home until almost 2am.

It's been about 10 days now and Dale is still needing heavy bandages to keep him away from the foot and leg so it can heal. Dale still does not put hardly any pressure on the foot so it looks like it's going to be at least a couple weeks more of bandages.

The kids have been real cute with him and wanting to make sure he is ok. Below are pictures of Justin and Elijah, both who wanted to just lay next to Dale as he rested.

Olivia's 8th Birthday

On December 1st Olivia McCall Curtis turned 8 years old. This is an exciting birthday for Olivia because when she turns 8 she is baptised into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She has been so excited about this and it was finally here.

The morning of her birthday mom went and got fresh Einstein Bagels for breakfast, a family birthday favorate, and later that day Elijah and Justin helped mom pick balloons to put around the house. Jayd and Chancey made some birthday posters and the presents were all wrapped and ready for Olivia to dive into after dinner. Olivia had chosen "fat noodles" for her birthday dinner which did not surprise anyone. She also chose the Texas sheet cake for her birthday cake.

After dinner Olivia got to open her presents. She was excited about the walkie talkie's, new tennis shoes, pink bracelet, puppy calendar, and a bag to put her new triple combination scriptures in. When our kids turn 8 they receive their "grown-up scriptures" so Olivia was excited about receiving them.

On the 5th of December we went to the church with our family for her baptism. Grandma Jacqi flew in from Kentucky to be at Olivia's baptism. Also attending this special occation were Nana and Papa Vassel, Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, Aunt Andrea, Aunt Karmen and cousins Joaquin and Ezekiel. Some of us also had the beautiful experience of knowing that Olivia's Mama was there in spirit to witness this special day. What a wonderful gift it was to know that Mama can be with us on special days in the childrens's lives.

Olivia looked so beautiful in her white dress. This was a dress that Nana Vassel had made for mom (Cayr) when she turned 8 and was baptised 32 years before. Others who have worn this for their baptisms were Aunt Liz Smithson, Aunt Jenn Orme, and sisters Jayd and Lilah. What a special tradition this is to wear this dress that signifies purity.

After the baptism we went back to our house and continued our celebration with dinner, more birthday presents and birthday cakes that mom had made. Mom decided to make little individual flower cakes with some of them having little butterflies on them. Thank you Aunt Karmen and grandma Jacqi for helping mom finish them...it was a bigger job than we had anticipated and mom really appreciated the help getting them done.

This birthday was so special for Olivia and our family. We are grateful for Olivia's sweet spirit and her decision to be baptised. Happy birthday Olivia!!!

Halloween Time

On the 29th, our family went to the 2nd annual halloween party at the church. I would guess that 80% of those who attend wear costumes, so when they asked what my costume was I said "I am mother of the year because all 7 of my kids are dressed in costumes and I brought the soup I was supposed to bring." The kids enjoyed the games and activities that were there for them and I enjoyed visiting with some of the 200 friends and neighbors that were there. Matt and Abe stayed home because both of them were not feeling well.

I unfortunitely did not get pictures of the 3 oldest children but Justin wear his black cloak, Jayd was a cowgirl and Chancey a witch. I think the funnest costume was Elijah's as I looked everywhere for the horse for his costume and on one of Matt's and my date nights we were early Christmas shopping and found it!!!

Halloween day the 4 youngest kids dressed again in their costumes and they went trick or treating with Matt while I stayed home and handed out candy to the kids who came to our door. (It was my turn to be sick.) Chancey, Jayd and Justin went to friends homes for Halloween parties and had a great time. Another successful Halloween done!!

Elijah Doing Dishes

Elijah decided that he wanted to start doing his own dishes so last week he pulled a table chair up to the counter and started to wash his oatmeal bowl and spoon. He enjoyed putting the spoon under the water and seeing it go all over the place. I have to say he did a pretty good job on his dish....and getting everything, including himself, wet. Elijah wants to do everything everyone else is doing...the only exception is potty training of course. But we are getting closer to success on that!!

Abraham's Amazing Ears

Isn't this the funniest thing. In kindergarten they cut out the bottom of paper cups and then put them on their ears so "that the sound would be magnified". He was so proud to wear his "ears".

Abe is loving kindergarten. He comes home each day and gets his homework out and always wants to do more than he is asked to do. He now knows how to write both "Abe" and "Abraham" for his papers. Good job big guy!!! We're so glad you are enjoying school.

Lilah Playing Girls Basketball

Lilah decided this year to play girls basketball. She has never played on a team before so it's been a lot of fun for her. Most of the girls on her team are from her school so that has made it more enjoyable for her. We're hoping next year to convince Matt to coach her team. Wouldn't that be fun!!! Great job Lilah...we're enjoying going to your games and seeing the improvements your making each week.

Nana and Papa's Birthday

In September we went to Nana and Papa Vassel's home to celebrate their 29th birthdays....again. The kids love seeing them and going to their house. We are so lucky that they are only 45 minutes away. Cayr made a birthday cake for them and the kids couldn't wait till dinner was over so they could have some.

Jayd Plays Volleyball

Jayd tried out for volleyball this year at her JR High school and she made the team!!! She was placed on the JV team and had a very busy schedule with all the practices. They met 4 times a week after school from 3:10pm to at least 5:30pm then on one morning they played from 6am-7:30am before school. Jayd really increased her skills this year and is excited to try for the varsity team next year. Good job Jayd and the rest of her team!! (On her uniform she is #2.)

Camping With Aunt Chrissy's Family

On the last weekend of September we went up to the Heber Valley Girls Camp with Aunt Chrissy (Lewis/Johnson) and her family. The cousins LOVE to get together!!! We had 2 cabins that we slept in, a great camp fire and an outside kitchen to cook in. The kids had fun making smores and juggling coals from the fire...thanks Uncle Rob for showing them how to do that. I'm not sure how much sleep we got but the morning was beautiful and we even had some deer go past our camp. The kids also played at the sand volleyball court...of course not volleyball but they bburied each other in the sand. It was a beautiful fall weekend and we're glad that we could get the kids together to remind us how crazy they really are. :)
(Courtney, Matt, Chancey, Lilah and Elijah were not able to make it to the overnighter but we missed them!!)

Justin...the assistant bee keeper

This summer Justin worked for Brian Marston helping with his yard. In addition he helped Brian with the bee hives that he had. This was a great learning experience for Justin and he enjoyed it...and with only a couple bee stings for the entire summer. Here are some pictures of them harvesting the honey at the end of the season. They had to take the slats out of the hive. They then moved the slats to where they were harvesting the honey. They put one slat at a time in a bucket that then had a handle that turned the slats fast inside the bucket. This allowed the honey to break away from the bees wax. Thank you Brian for allowing Justin to take part in this!! Unfortunitely we don't have pictures of the spinning process.

Another Testament of Christ

As a child my parents taught me about Jesus Christ. Right from the beginning I knew in my heart and soul that He lived and that by living His teachings my life would be better. As I grew that knowledge expanded and my testimony of His mission on earth has helped me through trials and disappointments. It has also given me much joy, comfort and happiness. I can honestly say that I KNOW that my Savior lives.

I love to read the scriptures in the New Testament of Christs' amazing birth. I marvel at His understanding and knowledge as a 12 year old as He taught the people in the Temple in Jerusalem. I cherish the words as He taught, administered, healed, and lived among the people of Judah. As I read of Christs' suffering in Gethsemane for my sins and for the sins of the world, I feel such love and appreciation for Him. Then as He is crucified I cry that He endured so much yet loved us enough to do His Father's will. I get chills when I read of Christ, as a resurrected being, appeared to Mary Magdalene.

In John 10 Christ teaches "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep" (vs 14) and that "I lay down my life for the sheep" (vs 15). But in verse 16 He says "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." What is Christ meaning about other sheep not of this fold? I have come to believe that Christ is teaching that there are other children of God that need to be taught by the good Shepherd and yet the New Testament says that Christ descended into Heaven and left the people of Judah.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I have learned that the "other sheep" are people that lived anciently on the American continent. Christ left the people of Judah and came to visit and teach the people in this continent that we now live on. I have received a strong testimony that this is true as I have read and studied the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon are scriptures of those ancient people who lived on the American continent and also tells of the time of Christs' visit to these people.

Starting 4 years ago I made the goal that I would read the Book of Mormon 2 times each year. I love what I learn and how I feel when I read it. I hope to continue this goal until the day I die as I know that it has given me with direction, hope, faith and the knowledge that my Savior loves me.

The following video is a beautiful representation in pictures of Christs' visit to the people in the America's. I hope that you will feel the same spirit that I did when I first saw it.

Labor Day Fun

As I was growing up in New Jersey, Labor Day was the weekend we would come home from our month on Martha's Vineyard and school would begin the next week. Being in Utah now the school year starts the 3rd week of August but Labor Day still marks the time that summer time seems to be officially over.

This year for Labor Day we decided to go as a family to Raging Waters. This is a water park in the Salt Lake area. Aunt Andrea was very nice to offer to watch Elijah for the day so Matt and I took the other 6 kids and headed to the water park. Wow...there were a ton of water slides, a lazy river and kids water areas. There was plenty for us to do. We put down our big blanket and we were off to conquer the slides.

Life Is Precious...Don't Waste A Second

Our family certainly does not need to be reminded how fast things can change in our lives but today we were hit with something that stopped us in our tracks and made us reevaluate how we live our lives. One of our neighborhood and Ward members 8 year old son was riding his bike to school when he didn't pay attention and ran into a cement truck. He was life flighted to the hospital and all indications at the time were that he would have very extensive injuries throughout his body.

It was comforting for me to arrive on the scene and immediately be there with others from our Ward and neighborhood. Offering comfort, help and love to his parents as he was being flown away was hard and yet brought all of us closer. We talked together and planned how we would help them in the coming days for the next 45 minutes. None of us seemed to want to leave the comfort of each other. After the parents left we cried more, hugged and gave support to each other as we realized it could have been any of our kids that this could have happened to.

At the scene of the accident he was given a Priesthood blessing. How comforting that was to know that the power of the Priesthood and the prayers of all of us were with this child and his family. As we left the scene we all talked about how we would discuss this situation with our children.

It's been hours now since the accident and he will need to have a lot of reconstruction to his leg but there is not one bone broken in his body. This is NOT what we expected from the reports of all the possible injuries from those who helped him at the scene of the accident. Cole Larsen has been truly blessed and a miracle has happened today. Many of us have had a hard time today in going on with our daily tasks, but hopefully tomorrow we will be able to continue our prayers but move forward. I have volunteered to bring dinner into the family tomorrow night and hope that I can find other opportunities to help the family as it is sure to be a long recovery for him.

I am grateful for my absolute knowledge that we have a Savior who helps us at these difficult times. I know that prayers are answered. I know that with faith miracles can happen. I also accept that God can hear our prayers and feel our faith but God's will is more powerful. Learning to accept His will in our lives is what is hard to learn but the experiences that we have in this life WILL help us to return to Him if we but accept it.

I've hugged my children and husband a little more today. Maybe the lesson I was to learn from this was that I need to not wait for something like this to remind me that I need to hug and love them more. My family is so precious to me. I've waited so long to have a marriage like I have with Matt. What a wonderful man he is. I am truly blessed to be his wife. My 7 children are a gift to me. I want to spend more individual time with each of them on a regular basis. I need to not let the busy aspects of our lives interfere with that quality time together.

Zucchini Bread and Gazpacho with Nana

Yesterday Nana came to visit us while the other kids were in school. We decided to make Zucchini bread and Gazpacho. Gazpacho is wonderful cold tomato and other vegetables soup. Elijah was excited to help us as we began and even put his own apron. As mom and Nana began to make the food Elijah decided to "help" and arranged the different vegetables in the baking pans. Wasn't that helpful!! Thanks Nana for spending the day with us. Elijah LOVES the bread and doesn't seem to want to eat anything else now.

First Day Of School

It's that time of the year again....back to school time. This summer has been wonderful but we're all ready for school to begin.

Justin starts high school this year at Layton High School. I can't believe he is in 10th grade already. He is excited to continue playing the baritone tuba in the school's concert and marching band. He's going to have to stop his karate lessons because the school games that the band plays at are the same days as his lessons...but hopefully he can start up karate another time.

Jayd is in the 8th grade and as our social butterfly very excited to see her friends again from school. The week before school she attended the volleyball camp and then the first day of school tried out for the school's team. She made first cut and on the 2nd day of try outs she was told she made the team. Isn't that fun!!! Jayd is also interested in later trying out for the basketball team and then doing track in the spring. Yep...she is our over achiever. Chancey happily leaves elementary school behind and goes to Jr High School with Jayd as a 7th grader. She is more confident this year and very excited to start this new phase of her life. Chancey loves having the "block class schedule" which means she only has 4 classes a day instead of the normal 8. Chancey has always wanted to learn how to play tennis so she will be starting some tennis lessons in September for 4 weeks.

Lilah is the "older sister" now at the elementary school. She is now in 5th grade and was very excited about being in a class with two of her best friends Payden Dicks and Samantha Bernards. Lilah has started running and is hoping to follow Jayd's example and join the track team when she is in Jr High School. She has two years to prepare so we're sure she'll be ready by then.

Olivia is in the 2nd grade this year. She enjoyed meeting her teacher before school began at the back to school night so was very happy to start on the first day of school. Olivia has no problem making friends so we're sure that once again this year will be a fun year as she meets new people in her class that she has not had before.

Abraham starts kindergarten this year. Wow...can you believe it? They have put him in the all day kindergarten class. We think this will be good for him as he seems to like learning better from people other than his family. :-) He is excited to eat lunch at school and be big like his older sisters.

Elijah will be home with mom each day as we do our "house" stuff. We hope to go to the gym at least 3 times a week so he will be able to play with some kids in the day care there for a little while.

Need Shade For Our Back Yard

We have been looking around for different ways to shade our back deck from the summer sun. One of the options we have found seems pretty cool and economical - a retractable awning for our home. It looks like there are a bunch of different manufacturers for them and most seem to have the same basic folding arm and Sunbrella canvas topset up and styling. We are really impressed with the Taylor Made Awning retractable awnings products and prices the most. We would be really interested in hearing has anyone else has had experience with these awning products?

Family Trip to Wyoming

This year for our family summer trip we chose to go to Wyoming. We were able to rent a cabin in Alpine, Wyoming that was big enough for our family. Each day we had fun activities and took lots of pictures so that we could remember our week and share our experiences with friends and family. When we were not out exploring the area we played lots of card and board games in the cabin. This was a great family trip!!!!

The backyard of the house we rented had lots of tire swings and everyone loved playing together on them. There was also a fire pit out back and one night we enjoyed roasting marshmallows and making smores.

On Sunday afternoon we walked down to Palisades Reservoir. The activity the kids enjoyed the most was throwing rocks into the water and picking out their favorite rocks to bring home. It was a beautiful day.

On Monday we drove to Teton National Forest and Yellowstone National Park. It was a little farther than we hoped it would be (3 hours 1 way) but we were able to see some beautiful lakes, amazing mountain ranges, water falls, geysers etc. The animals we saw were 2 gray wolves, buffalo, elk, hawks, moose, pronghorn, trumpeter swans and chipmonks. It was a long day but we were glad we took the kids to see this beautiful area.

In Yellowstone we pasted Lewis Lake and had to stop and play for a while. The kids enjoyed playing at the boat ramp and taking fun pictures of each other. Elijah even picked some flowers and gave them to me.

On Tuesday we found a great river in one of the canyons next to our cabin so we had to go back on Wednesday and play in the river. We wear our dirty cloths and went in the river. We played games in the water and enjoyed just having fun. It was fun watching the children clinging to each other and the river current was strong...but not enough to stop the fun.

The highlight of the trip was Thursday when we rented 4 horses for 4 hours. WOW...we didn't know how much fun it was going to be. All 7 of the kids just could not get enough of riding them and everyone had a marvelous time. At one point Matt had Elijah on the horse with him and suddenly Elijah took off his hat, waved it in the air and said "hee haw". The kids are still trying to convince us that we now need a horse of our own. Not likely...but good try.