A to Z

Go, Lily, Go

2012-01-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

Lily, Emma, and Sarah Beth went on a bike ride today. They were so excited and headed off in the direction of Mrs. Gwen's house. Lily was really motivated! :)

When they headed home they were paying close attention and soon it started to rain....hard. I didn't realize it was raining until Emma came bursting in the door....soaking wet. She had left Sarah Beth and Lily in an effort to get home quickly. She thought they yelled for her, but she wasn't sure and she wasn't stopping! We waited and watched for her sisters and then started calling to see where they were. Soon we saw them come into view out at Maplewood Drive. Sarah Beth got inside first and was totally soaked. She said Lily kept stopping and crying for Mama. :( Then Lily came in and was drenched. She came to me for a hug and I told her how proud I was that she kept going and that she did it!!! Now go get a bath.

After her bath, Lily came in for a hug and whispered that she had told herself while they were riding that she could do this. "Actually, I told myself, I won't be a wimp!", she said.

No wimps in this house! haha.

71 and counting................

2012-01-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, today it has been a year exactly since I had lap-band surgery. I have officially lost 71 pounds!! I am so thankful that I was able to have this surgery and that it is working for me. I have changed so many aspects of my eating as a result. It has been a wonderful blessing to me. Recently I have started tracking what I eat on an app on my phone and I think it will help me get the next 24 pounds off.

We have had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season around here. It was so great to be able to talk to Taylor on Skype and to have the other kids all home. I sure love my family. We have such a good time together and they are all so supportive of each other. Boy that sure does warm my heart to see. THAT is the very best Christmas gift I could ever receive.

Just needed to express my gratitude real quick. Maybe I'll post some more soon!!

Andrea

2011-10-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

This perfectly describes how it has been the past week at my house as I have been sick!! I think they all remember now, just possibly!

Leggings

2011-09-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

I just read an article about leggings on LDS Living website. Are they appropriate? Are they a viable option for too short skirts? I wanted so badly to respond to these questions, but I couldn't figure it out, so you get to read my opinions! Because we all know my opinion must be shared!

So, leggings.......I grew up in the 80's. The era of the legging. I don't have a particular problem with them in the shirt you wear is long and covers your whole bottom region, front and back. I like them with skirts as long as the skirt is not too short. I think they are perfect when the skirt is just a little too short to be comfortable.

That said, I have a really big problem with leggings when people wear them to church to make a short skirt modest. In my mind people are really wearing pants when they do that. They are not dressing appropriately because their skirt is not doing its job so you are depending on the leggings.....which are P-A-N-T-S! We do not wear pants at church....nor do we wear pants in the temple, which I have seen before. In my oh so humble opinion, if you are depending on leggings to make a short skirt appropriate then do that outside of places where you are supposed to wear skirts.

OK, I know you all wanted to know so badly.........I had to get it off my chest.

Freezer Jam

2011-09-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our little Sarah Beth turned 15 in May. She is such a fun girl who LOVES to laugh, take pictures and videos, and enjoy life.

Saturday she started Driver's Ed. She came home that day with so much new information about driving. She was detailing out to us the dangers of driving. She seemed fairly confident that she knew most of what there is to know!

When she got finished on Sunday her friend Haley had her dad pick them up. We were still at Mamaw Clara's house eating pizza with her and so they just dropped her off there. We visited a little longer and when it was time to leave Sarah Beth begged her daddy to let her drive the short distance to our house. After all, she was an expert golf cart driver and had 2 days of driver's ed. She was practically an expert!

So, off we go. Daddy is in the front seat with her and I am behind the passenger's seat with the rest of the girls scattered in the back seat.

All was well.........until we pulled into the driveway. As we pulled into the garage for some reason Sarah Beth was going back and forth between the brake and the gas.

All of a sudden she stomped the GAS! definitely not the break. We jerked forward and crashed into the freezer which is directly in front of my parking spot.

If it looks like the hinges are broken off the door..........that's because they are!!! She bowed not just the entire door, but the freezer itself, too. The freezer even crashed into the sheet rock and broke it in the shape of the freezer.

Oh, yes.............I screamed. Emma and I both did.............loud.

There were tears, promises never to drive again, embarrassment, and refusal to get out of the car. At least she was sufficiently humble:/

(Emma went inside with Lily and told her not to ask SB about it and not to laugh....sweet).

After Zack's initial comment, "well that was a nice $1000 drive home........" we set to work assuring her that she would drive again and we did love her. She might as well laugh because she was going to be teased for a long time! Zack had her pose with the freezer and write a message right on the freezer.

She was smiling in short order. And planning a facebook post! And what a story we had to tell Taylor in the next morning's letter.

Here are the comments received on facebook........Zack's is a favorite!

And she did pull the car back into the garage......after an emergency trip to Gwen's to store all our frozen food.

- Mary-Catherine Zachary Goood job babycakes
  Sunday at 8:51pm · · 1 person
- Aubrey Arnold pffttt haha
  Sunday at 8:53pm ·
- Laura Bennett Gardner ‎(snicker)
  Sunday at 9:02pm · · 1 person
- Kristi LeDoux Bult Gotta watch those random fridges.
  Sunday at 9:03pm · · 3 people
- Jenny Laughlin PAHAHAHAHAHA!
  Sunday at 9:06pm ·
- Matthew Allen Well... you have an interesting story. You weren't driving an automatic, were you?
  Sunday at 9:10pm ·
- Mary-Catherine Zachary Yes she was ^
  Sunday at 9:10pm · · 1 person
- David- Zack- Zachary It's not uncommon to hit a deer in a car but SB managed to take out deer sausage.
  Sunday at 9:27pm · · 9 people
- John Sanders Driving... it just gets in the way when your texting. Ha!
  Sunday at 9:30pm ·
- Melinda Chapman Andrews Just what are they teaching in that driver's ed class?
  Sunday at 9:35pm ·
- Sarah-Beth Zachary i wasn't texting...i mistake the gas and brake peddle...
  Sunday at 9:35pm ·
- Melinda Chapman Andrews Don't feel too bad. At least it was not another car!
  Sunday at 9:40pm ·
- Michael Nevils a little bondo and some spray paint always fixes it :)
  Sunday at 9:52pm ·
- Katie Carter haha! this is too funny:) hey sarah beth, try using just ur right foot for both and get used to it so u wont mistake them. my great grandfather was an officer and said the mistake most people that have recks are is when they get in a wreck, they panick and end up using the wrong peddle. if you only use ur right foot, it wont happen..try that! maybe will help;) and btw this is way too funny!
  Sunday at 9:53pm · · 1 person
- David- Zack- Zachary No spray paint and bondo here.....what you can't see is the door is completely off the hinges, and the right side is cratered. Additionally, the whole freezer was impaled into the sheetrock leaving a perfect outline of the freezer.
  Sunday at 10:19pm ·
- Susan Duplantis Afraid to ask...WHAT were you driving?
  Sunday at 10:20pm ·
- Michael Nevils lol.. gota love Sarah Beth!!!
  Sunday at 10:21pm ·
- Wendy Pass Turner I hate it when solid objects jump in front of me and make me hit them!
  Sunday at 10:22pm · · 3 people
- Lindsey Hudson Vichitnand Oh no! My sister did this recently too. She hit some shelving and ended up pushing the back wall of the garage almost off the slab, you could see the grass in the back yard through the crack! Hope that is the only thing that got hurt and not any people or cars! Just take comfort in that you aren't the first person that has mixed up peddles! Good luck with the rest of your driving experiences! :)
  Sunday at 11:47pm ·
- Gwen Dees Pogue I love that the post before this was about driver's ed! This will be a funny story forever and I'm sure your dad will make it better and better as the years go on.
  Yesterday at 12:17am · · 3 people
- Claire Methvin Darn!! I wish I was in the car with you when it happened!!!! Its on my bucket list to be in a car crash!! haha!!
  Yesterday at 10:39am ·
- Claire Methvin Oh by the way.. Love your shirt!!!! haha!
  Yesterday at 10:39am ·
- Andrea Braud Zachary Susan. She does NOT drive the Shelby!
  Yesterday at 11:24am ·
- Susan Duplantis That's a relief
  Yesterday at 11:33am ·
- Wendy Pass Turner Andrea, you should let her drive the Shelby!!! Better yet, you should let ME drive the Shelby!
  Yesterday at 1:41pm · · 1 person
- Karen K Daniels Isn't the pool just beyond the wall of the refrigerator???It could have been a lot worse. You are a real sport SB. You know you are going to hear about this for a while. Good to see you smiling. I think you should practice your pedals in the Shelby.
  21 hours ago ·
- Andrea Braud Zachary You are more likely to drive the Shelby than SB! Come by....Zack will let you! Haha
  21 hours ago ·

2011-09-05T20:24:00.001-07:00

I am so thankful for the horribly dry and hot weather we have had this summer. It was the most wonderful blessing. I could not have asked for anything better.

Strange?

I know...........it made be appreciate tremendously the weather we have had the past 3 days! First, Tropical Storm Lee comes through on Saturday and we have the most glorious rain! It rained the entire day. A good Louisiana soaking! How I have missed those amazing days.

Then overcast Sunday. Love those days, too. Nice and dark with the threat of rain. Beautiful.

Oh my, today was just beautiful. Had it not been for the misery of the past summer, it might have blended into just another sunny day. But, not today. We were outside for 10-12 hours today. The girls swam for that whole time. It was just amazing. The perfect breeze, the perfect amount of sun, the perfect temperature. I am so appreciative.

I will try not to complain when it get hot again, but in the mean time................................

WOW!!

And tonight we were leaving Zack's mom's after a quick visit for her birthday. Lily, after swimming ALL day, wanted someone to hold her.

No one would.....

She promptly told us that if her BROTHERS were there THEY would carry her....She had no doubts..........

And I am glad she knows that!

MC is a Senior!

2011-08-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Do I feel a tiny bit guilty that I didn't do this for the male Zachary's that have already graduated from Sulphur High School?

Maybe a little.....but isn't she cute?

I am taking a picture a day of Mary Catherine's senior year! Just random things. Nothing necessarily special. First Day! August 15.

Stealing my cell phone to do a little "facebooking". August 16.

MC and Sierra, "Si-Si", everyday at noon at our house. August 17

Applying chapstick...all.the.time.....August 18

VB Buddy,Tracy.....August 19

Itty-bitty pony.....known the town over! August 22.

FHE game....SB won....August 23.

cheating on the chocolate fast....August 24.

Sporting Daddy's XXL tees....like when she was little, only a little shorter! August 25..

Cafe Au Clay platter for VB Coach....August 26

VB Buddies....so cute....August 29

First Game of Senior Year!! August 30.

Think the boys will even notice.....or care? She does, though. Worth it all.

2011-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

What an emotional day it has been. After preparing all morning with some last minute shopping and a little lunch at the BYU Creamery, we dropped Taylor at the curb at the MTC at about 1:30. It was way fast. I tried to soak it in, but with Alex and Taylor joking and laughing at me it was a little hard:). I hugged Taylor and he tried to look at me with a sympathetic face, but couldn't hold it together and made all three boys laugh. Oh, well, I decided I might as well let him go. So Alex popped him on the bottom and he took off with a group of about 4 other missionaries.

Taylor is a missionary....Elder Zachary. For so long--19 years to be exact--he as idolized the missionaries we have had in our home. Now he is one. He was so happy and excited to be off on this great adventure.

Of course as we pulled away I broke down a bit. It is really hard to think about leaving your child for 2 years knowing that you won't see him. or even be able to talk to him regularly. But, I love the Lord and His gospel, and i know Taylor does too. No sacrifice is too great. We want to do His will. How lucky we are to be able to give this gift.

We did some running around with Alex this afternoon with only minimal eye leakage. When we dropped him off to his apartment, though it came in a flood. I wondered what he was doing at that moment and we decided he was probably asleep already. But then I worried about my baby being lonely. and I cried. Then I feel like the emotions of the last couple of years just crashed in on me a bit. I am so grateful to so many who helped our family get where we are today. We are truly blessed and loved of the Lord. but I cried. and cried.

As we walked in the hotel we spoke to the young man (probably a returned missionary himself) at the desk and walked on past towards our room.... Wanting to lighten things up a bit, Zack looked at me and very loudly said, "Now what did you say your name was?"!!! I smiled and hit him!!

It did help a bit.......

2011-05-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

It is 12:30 at night and I just can't go to bed. I am so sad. I just keep tearing up.

I went to a funeral today for a friend's son who commited suicide last week. It is just so close to home and I feel Hollis' pain so profoundly. Will was Taylor's age and her daughter is Mary-Catherine's age. They have been to school together since Kingergarten. Hollis is such a devoted mother. She spoke today at the funeral and said that she has been everywhere with Will. She has done everything for him and she wanted to do this last thing for him. I was so impressed with her words. I can't imagine having to go through such a difficult experience. This was a kid who seemed to have it all and be on top of the world. I worry so much about others copying his actions.

Am I doing all I need to do for my children? Am I teaching them to believe in themselves? Am I helping them to find Christ and trust in Him to help them through the hard parts of life? So many questions, so few answers...

Such a beautiful, hopeful life ended. It is just too terrible.

How is my baby 21!!!

2011-05-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is the little boy that sometimes I long for again. I was so young and he has been with me for 21 of my 40 years. Boy was he adored. We just sat and watched him. I am so thankful for him in my life. So to celebrate his 21st birthday I have 21 things I love about Alex.

1. He is generally so happy

2. He is generally so silly.

3. He is very dramatic. Right Gwen! (spent the night at Gwen's house as a child and wanted to come home. He got on the phone with me and told me that their mattresses were not comfortable. Another time he wouldn't come out of a tent unless he talked to me and they offered him what he wanted to eat.)

4. He can jump like crazy!!

5. He can play Spiderman with the best of them.

6. He patiently navigated London with his mother and GranJan. And I do mean navigated. Most often we had no idea where we were!

7. He is a great friend to his sisters.

8. His favorite women! haha

9. Man does he love music and musicals.

10. I just love him.

11. He wisely loves LSU!!

12. He really CAN jump...pretty cool, too.

13. He is very artistic, too.

14. He is very creative.

15. Sometimes bored at family functions.....happens when you are the oldest of 13 and the youngest is exactly 20 years younger than you!!

16. Attracts many cute ladies!!

17. Even if they seem him like this! He can hardly be embarrassed!

18. He has the cutest peak in his hair.

19. He doesn't mind hanging out with his mom and dad.

20. He loves his video games!!

21. He has blazed the trail for the rest of these kids. He was our experimental child after all!!

We all love him so much!!

Happy "Vegas" Birthday, Alex!

2011-03-01T20:45:00.001-08:00

Lily came into my room last night and I vaguely remember her crying saying her tummy hurt. So I got her into my bed assuming that if I gave into that I could go right back to sleep. She tossed and turned, whimpered, got up to go to the bathroom, called for me ----Zack woke me up to let me know---- and finally, finally, threw up...........ALOT.

But, she did make it in the bowl Zack got up to get her!! Yeah, Lily!!

And she and I went right back to peaceful sleep!! Yeah, Sleep!!

But Zack didn't. Poor guy!

So, this morning she seemed better, but I thought it was best to keep her home. So, she watched Secretariat, while I scrubbed all my cabinet fronts and cleaned off the countertops --completely. We have alot of cabinets. I am sore tonight.

So right before she drifts off to a blissful nap, she asks what time it is. Only 10:38.

Are you kidding? "When will the big girls be home?" Not for 5 more hours! That's a long time!

So she naps, talks my ear off, reads, lays around while I mop and scrub with at wire brush most of my brick floors, clean the bathrooms, etc, etc. "Is this what you do ALL day?" As I scrubbed we talked about my day and what we used to do together when she was home alone. (I miss those days......we would go to Sam's and eat our lunch) But even then, she was ALL about the big girls coming home!

About 2:00 she asks, " Doesn't the day seem so long?"

I hated to tell her, but not for me! I was tired.

Needless to say, she is ready for school tomorrow. Sorry though, FEVER! Up to 102.5.

Another long boring day with Mama! I love sick kids. All warm and snuggly.......and talkative!

2011-02-26T07:36:00.000-08:00

I am trying to download Lily's notes she made during her Primary class at church a few weeks ago. So adorable. What a girl. I am so happy that she has such wonderful teachers who inspire her to do listen and learn about the gospel and Heavenly Father. Thank YOU!!!!

"Pretend this is God.

and pretend this is you.

God is pure and we are not.

God is becuse He died for us.

So imgine that you were God

what would you die for us for

your family and friends and

everyone. Take it step by step

to get to Hevnely Father. The

higher she can jump the closer

she gets to Heavenly Father.

The 2nd step is to get Baptised.

Heavenly Father dose not force you

to obay. you can choose to sin

if you want to. The Holy Ghost

can bless you only if you repent.

keep the gospel. Helaman 4:24-8

How sweet!!! Love this wonderful girl. She is so thoughtful and dedicated. She has also been reading her scriptures and really trying to understand how things work. Lily is really enjoying reading in the last few months. Mostly Junie B. Jones, but other things, too. Last night I went to turn off their light and she had fallen asleep as I have hundreds of times before.....with the book in front of her face and still firmly in her hands. I laid it down and turned off the light.

Lily also is a wonderful writer. She loves to write letters, stories, and apparently notes. She has done this a few times in Sacrament, too. I love the way her little mind works. We are all so crazy about her. She will call and talk to Alex and Taylor. I often wonder what their conversations are about because they are quite long.

Lily will not ride her bike either. She is afraid for some reason. She has now surpassed Emma as the oldest non-rider in the family. We are working on it though. For now she LOVES to go out on her scooter and ride all over the driveway. She is usually out by herself and again, I just wonder what she is thinking about. You can tell her mind is always moving!

I went for a student-led conference in her class this week and her teacher, Mrs. Clark, told me that she is not the profile for the youngest child. I asked what that meant and she said that she is not whiny or self-absorbed. She works well with others and loves to help the other students.

If only we could get Emma to see this side of her!! Lily thinks that is because she wants to be a teacher when she grows up! Mrs Clark also said that Lily could easily run the classroom. Lily knows it, too. She is quite confident in her abilities.

Another thing we struggle to get Lily to do is to PRAY. She does NOT like to pray out loud or for our family. We have tried so many things. I think Zack finally got her attention this week and she has been some better. Something about her just will not let her show her emotion or feelings in this way. Are there any suggestions? We want her to let all her sweet little feelings and thoughts out to Heavenly Father.

Lily is our baby! She will always be our baby. Last night she was snuggling in my lap and I just wanted her to stay there. I wanted her to be little and sweet and snuggly. For the last couple of years I knew that she would stop being willing to give kisses and I really dreaded that day. It is here. She will just every once in a while. Sad day for me. Lucky for me she give me a little glimpse of a reminder every once in a while. Love that baby girl so much!!

David Slay........died February 8, 2011

2011-02-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

I thought in the last couple of weeks how I would not have come to know this man if we had not moved to Sulphur 17 years ago. I am so thankful to have been able to know him. David is my grandmother's first cousin. I remember visiting him when I was in junior high school and my sister was playing in the girl's Sweet Sixteen basketball Tournament semi-finals in Lake Charles.

As we thought about David after learning of his passing 2 weeks ago, we thought of all the fun things about him. Mary-Catherine reminded us that he always had a twinkle in his eye. He really did even though I never really thought about it until she pointed it out. Always a joke on the tip of his tongue. We remembered him teasing Emma about being a cheerleader after she had a birthday party with a Sulphur High cheerleader teaching all the girls cheers. She would get so upset that he could NOT be a cheerleader. She did end up teaching him a cheer..........T................O..................R................S!!! TORS, go TORS!! He would do the hand motions and she would always tell him that wasn't right. She would get so frustrated and the more frustrated she became, the more happy David was. Even 8 years later, he still asked if Emma could teach him to be a cheerleader and when she would be a boy! Surely she was going to grow up to be a boy! And wouldn't he be a girl at some point!

David had such a way with people. He seemed to have a story with almost everyone he knew. I told his wife, Pat, that I didn't know too many other people who had so many fun stories to tell than we all did about David.

The thing that stands out to me the most was his unique way of bearing his testimony in Sacrament meeting. He always started with some unusual confusing statements.....almost always referring in someway or another to his "cousins" on the front row. He would talk about Mary-Catherine smiling or laughing at him, he would talk about me in some way. The last time he bore his testimony in January, he talked about "his pretty little cousins on the front row". My girls always listened and laughed and would get a little embarrassed. After his silliness David would finally get around to his real testimony. Even with his unconventional delivery, I could always feel the depth of his testimony and his knowledge of the gospel. I would usually end with tears in my eyes as my spirit was touched by his. And I would always look up with pride at being related to him.

Knowing David and Joan, his sister, has made be think about how amazing it was that their grandfather, my great-great grandfather, joined the church in 1898 in Sabine parish, Louisiana. I am so thankful for their strength and wisdom in aligning (that word sounds like something David would say) their families with the gospel so long ago. I am in awe of the numbers of descendants that are still strong in the gospel. Recently I have come to know of even more relatives in the Beaumont area who descend from that family and from Sabine parish. What a blessing it has been to my life that they taught, through words and actions, their children who in turn taught me, again through words and actions, the truth of the gospel. The sacrifices my ancestors gave through service in the gospel strengthens me as I struggle to teach my family.

I hope David is able to know what an impact he had on so many. I hope he knows that his life mattered............even though he was "barely hanging on: most of the time!! I hope he knows that I appreciated his testimony and concern for me and my family.

2011-02-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Once again Alex has the best luck with roommates. They all seem to get along and they seems so much like him. I want to go visit so bad. They have the most fun contests and activities.

A few weeks ago they made "roommate art" to hang in their apartment. It was very cool, I thought. His is the blue one with the butterfly. Love it. If you look closely there are rock climbers hanging off the back of the bird, but it looks like they are rock climbing if his pictures is by itself. Too cool. Love how they are all unique but work together so well.

Last weekend in preparation for the SuperBowl they made racing boats out of duck tape. A Steelers one and a Packers one. I will try to get pictures. The Packers boat won when they raced them in Prove Lake (??Is it a lake or a river....I am not sure!)

Alex came to school prepared with over 30 rolls of duck tape he got from work..........they had extra they didn't need. He found good use for it!!

2011-02-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have a testimony of paying tithing. Just thought I should say that. Sometimes it is really hard to do even with this testimony. I am so happy that Zack's testimony of it shines brighter than my does at times which has been such a blessing to our lives.

Even with this strong testimony some of our kids have struggled at times to really grasp the importance of this principle of the gospel.

It's not Taylor.

He has always been very diligent about this and just to make sure he is accurate will sometimes pay more than he really owes.

So long story short, Taylor worked this summer in Biloxi with Zack on the BP spill. He knew from the beginning that they were not taking out taxes and that he would have to pay them at the end of the year. He did know!!

But going off to school in Idaho was just so much fun. He lived it up his first semester. I would call and ,after watching his account look somewhat like a register at the store, gently remind him that he was poor and that he had to make his money last through the whole year. (I forgot at this time about the taxes, too---not that it's my job!)

Anyway, he ended up spending alot and has just barely enough to scrape through the rest of the semester.....if he sells plasma along the way.

So, last week I decided to visit TURBO TAX and do both boys taxes for them. Well, Taylor it seems, owes about $900!

He doesn't have that much!

Stress, a few tears, worry, frustration with self.....all describe Taylor at some point in the past week.

So Monday I got the mail and noticed an envelope for Taylor from his employer in Biloxi. What could it be?

$1885.00...........a settlement of the contract they had together.........a settlement that severed their relationship for good............a settlement that will pay Taylor's taxes AND give him a little breathing room so he doesn't come home a broken man!

Paying tithing is a blessing. I am so happy that I have been able to see this blessing in my life and now in the lives of my children. He saw it right away.........and even better, so did his siblings.

Heart attack!!!

2011-02-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Family Home Evening Monday night was a sweet heart attack of our own family. What a fun night to show and express our love for each other. The boys will each be getting a package with their own hearts and other "we love you's". Wonderful night!!!!

2011-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet sleeping girls.......yes this is one of the same ones who wore the earrings to school last week......look closely and you can see her baby doll!! My heart was just breaking with love for these two.

2011-02-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have been a negligent mother this year and have not been to the school even once for anything. Not even parties! Emma had her tonsils out on the day of Lily's Christmas party so we sent Alex! Pretty cool really. But poor Lily has not had me up there at all.

In an effort to repent I decided I would go up once a week to eat lunch with the girls. On the way to horseback lessons with Lily I asked her what day she would like me to come.

With a little horror she said, "you're going to come EVERY week?". I said yes and would that be ok.

"Not really......."

So I suggested once every other week. She guessed that would be ok.

Such is the life of the youngest child, I guess. I have never been one or had one. Maybe it's just her!

I will make her endure once every two weeks. I'm sure she can stand it! If nothing else I will enjoy it.

2011-02-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

I have been reading so much about mothering and parenting. I have alway been so proud of my job as a mother and never felt that I wasn't contributing. I was momentarily shaken when Lily started school and I found myself at home all day. I am not a very organized or self motivated person. I have used the kids as a motivator to get things done. But, now with the day to myself, I have floundered a bit to find my groove. It has caused me to think quite a bit about my role.

One thing that I read that has influenced how I think is about being a "deliberate mother". In other words, don't just wait for things to happen and then react to them, but decide what I want to do and work to that. I knew this, but reading it and giving it a name has really help how I plan my days........who am I kidding.....not just how I plan, but TO plan! I realized that I have to know what I want to achieve with each day and over all and make things happen to get me to that goal.

Another thing I have read is the article and then the book "Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother". I read the article from the newspaper first and then HAD to get the book. While I do not agree with the intensity of this mother and definitely not some of her tactics, I do agree that I am responsible to help my children feel successful in school, extra curricular, and even our church obligations (Tiger Mother did not address church....she is non-religious). I can do more than I have done. So Zack and I sat down with the girls and outlined our expectations. We tried to be very clear and help them understand where our expectations come from. I also realize that Tiger Mother did not just lay out these ideas for her kids and then kick her shoes off and relax. She was a very involved part of their day. This is going to require more work from me. Being on top of their work more. Being more in touch.

So, we have changed many things at this house. I have developed what amounts to a behavior modification plan (as I learned from my teacher training) at the Zachary home. All the girls have nightly chores. They are expected to get A's. Now this does not mean that if they get a B we will freak out and punish, but they know that is not acceptable and they need to figure out what went wrong and work a little harder. If they don't do their school work or bring home what is needed then they are responsible for ALL the nightly jobs.....all their sister's jobs. This has only had to be implemented once and let me tell you there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! But it only had to be done once and it has not happened again. ALL the girls' grades have improved and they are being much more responsible with their work.

There is also value in feeling successful in church goals. The bishop has asked the youth to read the entire Book of Mormon by May 20. Not only is there value in the doing of this, but the feelings of success and accomplishment is a real boost to self esteem. The Tiger Mother says, and I agree, "Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't."

The worst struggle for me is to keep myself held to these higher standards we have laid down!

2011-02-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

Just ask me how much I LOVE this picture!! Sarah Beth and I went to the store after her physical therapy. We laughed and laughed about her in the cart as we shopped. I love this girl!!

Sleepless Nights

2011-02-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

Sarah Beth had knee surgery on Monday morning. It all went well and we are looking forward to her being able to return to activity, specifically volleyball and bike riding.

But in the meantime, I am suffering greatly from no sleep. The first night we thought we had it right by settling Sarah Beth in the little girls' bed downstairs. I stayed up a little later than normal to give her the next dose of medicine and to ice her knee one last time. Poor girls could not get comfortable and called me about every 30 minutes. Finally around 1:30 we decided to move her to the recliner in the family room. She finally got comfortable and went to sleep.

Of course I had to get up around 5:30 to get everyone up. Yeah, that was difficult. Tuesday was a rainy stormy day. Since I had finally doubled up on Sarah Beth's medicine that night, she was still quite sleepy. ;-)

So we both dozed off and on the rest of the morning. We did wake up to watch Mitt Romney on the "View". I even dozed off for part of it, though. We rescheduled her first physical therapy appointment for the afternoon since the weather was so bad.

Then last night, she woke me up because we had accidently left her ice pack on her knee and during the night it started to leak and she was soaked. We had to change her clothes top to bottom.

She is sleeping now, but I had to get up with the kids right after that and am determined not to go back to sleep.

This toddler is sure making me tired.......this toddler is 5 foot 9 now!!!

2011-02-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Emma came into the kitchen this morning for school, late as usual, sporting some earrings she found in her sister's room. They looked a little large on this skinny little girl. I asked her if they were heavy and she said, "a little". They must have been because when I dropped her off at school on this blistery cold morning she was holding her ears to prevent the wind from blowing them. She looked pretty proud of herself though.

Emma at eleven. Emma is so fun and sweet. She is our most determined child. She has also learned to be very patient with Lily. Some times she gets agitated, but mostly she just humors her and then smiles knowingly at me. Very mature, Emma!! She is really working hard on the violin and loves to tinker around on the piano. She is ready to take up her cross stitching we started during the summer. She is pretty good. She also is wanting me to teach her to sew on the sewing machine. On Saturday she made a dress for her American Girl. She cut the pieces for it by holding the fabric up to the doll and measuring here and there to get it just right. It has a bodice and skirt attached with straps at the top. Pretty impressive. The other thing she loves is to draw house plans. Truly a day can be spent huddled over her writing pad drawing away. As I alluded to earlier, Emma is unbearably slow. She takes almost all afternoon to get her homework done. She is always the last one ready in the morning for school. She is the longest in the bathtub at night. It makes me crazy so many times.

So, Emma will not be winning any races soon, but she sure is a wonderful girl. So innocent and childlike still. She was introduced at New Beginnings in Young Women last week (I can't believe that she was even there!!!) and she told that her favorite TV show was "Arthur" from PBS. No peer pressure there..............yet. How thankful I am to have this great girl in my family.

Girl Baby

2011-01-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

At Christmas we found an ornament that we gave Zack for Christmas the few days before Mary Catherine was born. It was signed from Alex, Taylor, and Girl Baby. It was all he got for Christmas that year. I remember that I got a Precious Moments figure with a little baby perched on a cloud. I loved it. Especially because we were going to have our little girl baby in 5 days. We were poor but those gifts were so sweet.

So now our little girl baby is 17 and so sweet, too. She and her friends had Sarah Beth do a photoshoot for them. They turned out so cute.

On her birthday she had a house full of girls added to our home. Our expert cake bakers and decoraters....Emma and Lily.....made her 2 cakes. One was traditional, the other a theme cake. Since she had girls spend the night, they decided on a bed and made pillows, and a chair out of fondant icing for her. So sweet. Makes my heart warm when they are so thoughtful. And boy were they proud, too.
Her wonderful brothers presented her with this cute horse that Elaine is demonstrating. They had a blast with that thing outside by the fire roasting huge marshmallows.
They boys also had a bolt of inspiration and made her this light bulb hat to show how smart they think Mary Catherine is. Brilliant!! They kept exclaiming how smart THEY were. It took a little electric skills to rig this up. So funny!!

So Happy Birthday to our first Girl Baby. We sure do love you much!!

2011-01-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

So four weeks tomorrow I had surgery to remove my tonsils at 40 years old. I have indeed turned 40. So I had surgery on a Tuesday and this was me on Saturday....

ALL DAY!!!

I would love if I could say that I feel bad about it, but I really loved it and wish I could do it again!

We had a couple of months of surgeries starting with Zack in October having not one but two surgeries. He had the disk in his neck fused early in October and then by the end of the month he had his rotator cuff repaired....... courtesy of wrestling with Taylor.

These two were next........

They both had their wisdom teeth out the Friday before Thanksgiving. Lots of swelling ensued and TONS and TONS of mashed potatoes from Popeye's.

I was next on the 14th of December and then her...........

This was two days later. She had her tonsils out 3 days after mine. She was much more of a trooper than I was. She needed her pain meds for several days but really downed the Tylenol and macaroni and ice cream.

Then 4 days later after this cute kids came home from BYU-Idaho......

he had his wisdom teeth out, too. After he got this great haircut from Alex on the back porch. He was shopping the same day with his brothers and sisters. And again the next day. No swelling, no pain meds after I made him take them the first day. He just went right on.........but still ate tons of Popeyes mashed potatoes.

So 2010 was the year of surgery for us.

Lily helped us meet our deductible early in the year with her tonsils being taken out in March. She was so sweet at the hospital with Zack and me and GranJan. She wore her robe to the hospital and was so talkative. She was quite proud of herself.

So that makes my BYU-again son the lone holdout for surgery this year. Lets hope he doesn't jump into the fray in 2011.

Hope we can stay out of the doctor's office and hospital. We will eat our apples for sure!!

2011-01-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, Sarah Beth made this picture above for our Christmas card but it would have cost a fortune to print. So instead I am making it our header even though it is Christmas. Just pretend it isn't. I LOVE it. She had become quite the photographer, even having a photo shoot that she got paid for.........well it was Mary Catherine and her friends, but still. She is so good and we are impressed with her abilities.

The pictures do tell alot of our activities for the year. I made me think that I should just put our Christmas letter on here to save for posterity! Mary Catherine and Elaine wrote it and I think they did an amazing job..........

(Joy to the World)……The Saints have won!! This year has been the craziest year since Taylor’s birth, but we loved every minute of it. How could it get any better than to start with the Saints unbelievable victory in the Superbowl that in these parts was met with many fireworks and raucous celebration? We were so thrilled to be able to continue our love of the Saints and LSU, even attending an LSU game where we were invited to sit in a suite that was extremely exhilarating. Our other most fun family outing was on a weeklong cruise with Daddy’s goal was to read a book!, Alex’s to get more sun, Taylor’s to eat as many entrees as he could, MC to meet many new friends, SB to break into the older youth room, Emma and Lily to run back and forth between their amazing siblings and their new friends in the Kid’s Camp! Mama just wanted to sit and be served….not disappointed!

Daddy Zack has come back to the land of the living and now resides on Horseshoe Lane once more. For 5 months our beloved Padre was separated from the rest of the family working on the oil spill in Mississippi. In recent weeks he has survived two surgeries and is now in ship shape condition. In the season of giving, none shows more generosity than our dear Daddy.

Mammy Zack is also recovering from a recent surgery and from the intense trauma of turning 40. As mother hen, she is constantly tending to all of us chitlens. She made a spontaneous trip to Utah with a couple of girlfriends, shopped up a storm, and extended a loving hand to all those within a 1,000 mile radius.

AlZachy spent the year expanding his income. He first worked at Books-A-Million where he completely dominated the sales charts. Then he trucked on over to Biloxi to work with Daddy to make the big-bucks. Alex is also returning back to BYU for the winter semester where he hopes to become a physics teacher. We expect him to be the coolest teacher around.

TayBro is the tallest of the Zachary clan at a whopping 6’3”. He graduated Sulphur High in the spring and spent the summer dutifully working on the oil spill, alongside Daddy Zach. Then he took a huge leap out of the home-coop to the frigid wasteland of Idaho to attend BYU-I. What a tragedy for Mother Hen. But he absolutely loves it there.

MCAT,aka MCZ otherwise known as xxpoppinpappinpacxxxx is the health nut. She amazes us all with her stamina to withstand culinary temptations! She passed her driver’s test and is now the terror of the road, but puts her license to good use by helping her mom shuttle the younger ladies. She has flown into her junior year of high school and is going strong. Her life is full of school, friends, volleyball, church………...and writing Christmas letters ;)

sBeth is a barrel of laughs. Her giggles are boisterous and frequent, but never without cause. She has found a new love of photography and if you need fabulous pictures at a good price sBeth photography is the way to go. She is young and fresh and has loads of pazazzzz! She has recently had a knee problem, but that doesn’t stop her moving and grooving. She is a big bad freshman this year and made lots of new friends on the 9^th grade campus.

EmJ received a brand new violin last Christmas and has taken to it like a duck to water. We are all repeatedly impressed by her willpower to get better and better at playing. She loves that she is a senior of the elementary school. She is daily improving her culinary skills and is training for motherhood with the American Girl program. She remains the only surviving blond. She loves to talk and tell magnificent stories to any willing listener. Emma is our cutie pie that is rapidly growing into a young woman.

Lil is the Queen of Maplewood Middle School and runs that place with an iron hand. She has recently started taking lessons to become an equestrian and this has sparked a love for horses that is unparalleled by anything known to mankind. When she comes home from lessons, she is always using terms that half of us can’t understand, yet we still nod our heads and say “awesome.” She was baptized by Taylor this year. Family from all over Louisiana came in to witness the magic.

Though this year was crazy, we find ourselves very grateful to have done it all together and for our Savior’s love and guidance through all we do.

New Year's Eve 2010

2010-12-31T03:27:00.000-08:00

Well it is 5:30 in the morning on New Year's Eve. I haven't gone to bed yet, but I felt like I should write down what I am feeling.

I just watched my 2 sons and my husband drive off for a long trip out west. Taylor is returning to BYU-Idaho for his second semester and Alex is going back to BYU after a year and a half back at home. I am filled with emotion as I think of the last 2 years. I love my boys so much. They are so special. I am proud of them and filled with hope for their futures. I hope that we have prepared them for what they have ahead. It has been a long road........one that I didn't think I could handle when Alex came home. We have all grown so much closer as a family. I am thankful that we had this time to learn more and love more.

I was left in the driveway with the Matts. Alex has one and Taylor has one. I am so thankful for the great guys who have filled our home with laughter and energy. We won't have any boys......at least for a while. We don't know what the future will hold, and it may not go the way we expect it to, but with Heavenly Father's help we will make it. I know he will guide us and show us the way.

There is something about a mother's love for her sons. It is not deeper, but different. I have been so blessed to have these wonderful boys call me mama. They laugh at me and give me a hard time, but I know they love me and that I am crazy about them.

Just before they left, I was filling a small ice chest with some drinks for them and ended up letting 6 fall and spew ALL over the kitchen. They boys watched it happen and you would not believe the laughter that ensued. Our home will be much more quiet now. I will miss their boisterous laughter and fun they bring with them. Alex is almost never in a bad mood and Taylor is almost always willing to help with anything that is going on. They are quite a pair.

Just now, I heard keys in the door and looked. It was Taylor...........don't do this to me...........he forgot his IPad. But, of course, recalling Alex's story when he was ready to come home from a friend's when he was little..........Taylor said, "Alex just needs to spend a little time with his family." I hope they got enough time in our family and can go out now and make their own way in this world. I love them so much!!

Mary Catherine turned 17 yesterday. She will be next to leave. I can't even imagine how hard that will be. What a wonderful girl she is!! Another year and a half. I can do this!!!

2010-09-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

As I talked about earlier, Emma is really changing and maturing. She has moved into Mary Catherine's room while her room is being worked on and she likes nothing more than for Mary Catherine to come to bed while she is still awake and they can lay there and talk. Last night Emma was determined to wait up for her and sat in the chair while MC finished homework, listening to the I-Pod.

The last two days she has come out ready for school wearing Mary Catherine's signature item....Converse. She assures me they are not too big....I am not so sure! Yesterday it was just the red ones........today....one red, one green!

She confidently got out of the car, because, after all, they are MC's shoes and if Mary Catherine wears them, then they must be cool! This was just after telling me that she is for sure the smartest in her class. Humble, too!

I sure love that girl!!

2010-09-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

We have a bishop in the family. My brother-in-law, Ted, was set apart as bishop of the Natchitoches ward on Sunday. It was a great day with alot of our family there especially since we have 3 aunts in the ward. But Ted's family surprised us that morning when they walked into the chapel. We didn't think they were going to be able to make it. But in they walked....both his parents, his sister with her new baby, and his brother. They had come in from west Texas late the night before and had to leave by 3:00 that afternoon. It was so important for them to be there, though. I know it meant alot to Ted.

But by far the highlight of the trip was when these adorable babies arrived later. Julia and Jacques were the main attraction for my girls. They played and entertained. This was them going on a bug hunt. Love the hat, Julia.

Emma and Lily loved how Jacques could play now. They talked about how he laughed and laughed at what they were doing. So fun.

Congratulations Uncle Bishop!!

2010-09-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Mary Catherine....or Mary-Catherine, as she like to be known!!.....had a tournament in Crowley. With all the construction dust at our house I thought I needed a break and decided we would go to Lafayette to spend the night on Friday. I found this cool hotel at River Ranch. It was so cool. Kind of modern. We invited Lydia to come with us. The girls were so excited about the place. It was awesome.

Super cool bathroom. You can't see it but there is a cool glass vessel sink behind Sarah Beth.....or Sarah-Beth!!! HAHA

Cute girls. Lily sure loves those sisters.

We played a little dress up at the mall!

A little beauty shop at the tournament. Lydia taught Lily how to french braid and even let her practice on her hair.

Lily liked her french braid too.

We had a little brush with wild life in the town next to the frog capital of the WORLD! On a walk around the school I saw hundreds of these tiny frogs ALL over the outside of the school. I have never seen any thing like it. Truly a site to behold. I hope you can see them.

And we came in 2nd place. They players were not too happy with their performance in the last match so apparently Lily was the only one who wanted to hold the trophy. Since she IS the mascot and is now BFF's with all the players!

2 days away from home and

13 hours of volleyball and I was ready to go home......so was my backside!

Here we are!!!

2010-09-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

So, here I am. Yes, I am still living. I don't really know what has kept me from blogging this last year. Just a series of events that left me feeling a little low and feeling like my focus should be somewhere else.

But, does that mean I am just now catching up on your blogs? Heck no!! I still have my little round of blogs that I look at everyday. I am really inspired by many of the things I read there. I kind of pretend that some of the ones I read belong to people I used to go to church with or was a neighbor of. Yes, I do know that is not true:) But, it is fun to pretend that I know them. They are an awesome group.

An update on our family~~~

Zack is in Biloxi, Mississippi where he has been for the past 5 months. He is working on the BP oil spill there. We were so lucky to get to visit him several times this summer. He has also had Taylor for 6 weeks working and now Alex who has been there about a month. He has been so grateful to have them there with him. He will come home Wednesday to prepare for surgery that he is having on Thursday. I am so excited to have him home. Even if that means I have to take care of him. We need him to be here.

Alex quit his job at Books-A-Million to go work in Biloxi. He was not happy with the changes that were happening at the store and realized that he needed to do something to make some more money for school. He thinks he will go back to school in January. We home that will happen. He wants to go to BYU-I. He misses being home, but I think has enjoyed being there with Zack.

Taylor is our college boy. He is in Idaho going to school. So far, he LOVES it. He loves his roommates, his classes aren't that bad, and lots of girls around. Can't get much better than that. He did so good this summer with making money and can just concentrate on his classes and fun. Hopefully with and emphasis on classes! This is the exchange with Gwen on Facebook that Taylor had recently. So cute and funny.

Gwen Dees Pogue September 12 at 11:26am

Something for the two Taylors to remember: Be on the lookout in your new wards.....your wife might be there! Don't fall asleep and snore or anything.

Taylor Zachary September 12 at 11:30am Reply

Well I am in church and I don't see her

Taylor Zachary September 12 at 11:52am Reply

Haha I will find her don't worry

Mary Catherine is deep into volleyball and getting ready for soccer season, too. She is playing on the varsity and junior varsity teams. She loves it but is super busy with that and some VERY difficult classes. She is determined though and hopefully she will be able to keep up her grades. Mary Catherine is also driving! She got her license after 2 attempts:) Just like her Mama, I must admit. We got her this little Kia to drive on one of our many trips to Biloxi. We arrived that night and just a few minutes after we got there we saw it posted on CraigsList and went the very next morning to look at it and bought it on the spot. Needless to say she is thrilled.

Sarah Beth is the other freshmen in our family. It is a rough adjustment, but she seems thrilled with 9th grade for the most part. She also has some really tough classes, is playing volleyball on the freshmen team, and has started seminary, and is on the yearbook staff. She is really blossoming and is such a funny, cute girl.

Emma is in her last year of elementary school....the 5th grade. How did this little girl get so grown? She has been one of our little girls and now she is so big. She is almost 5 feet tall and will be 11 in December. She is playing volleyball with SPAR and is just adorable. Her first game is tonight. She is also going to start her violin lessons again and get back to gymnastics. We sure do love this girl.

Lily is Lily. She is fiesty and loves to annoy Emma. She just gets such great pleasure out of that. More than anyone else. You can see where Emma has had to learn patience, then. But, she is so funny and the older kids still like to baby her. They think she is so cute and tell her so often. We are trying to get her to stop baby talking and I was telling her last night that I loved her when she was a baby, but I love her even more now because we can do things together and talk. She said she didn't understand that because she likes babies so much more than big kids! No wonder she thinks baby talk is the way to our hearts. I reassured her that we love HER!!

If you look closely you can see Lily running as fast as she can after the soccer ball. Flying Lily!!

And Andrea....me......I am just tired and ready to have my husband home!!

2010-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

This is Bishop Gaar. He was my bishop while I was growing up. He did so much to help our family and he and his wife were like extra grandparents to me. I loved them so much. Sister Gaar died in August after a long battle with diabetes. Her funeral was August 18... the first day of school. I was so disappointed that I couldn't attend, but the girls needed me there for the first day. I realized I didn't have any pictures of these people who meant so much to me. So when we went to visit a few weeks later I made sure to get our picture together and then I snapped some pictures of the two of them on their walls. Turned out pretty good.

We sat and visited with him for about an hour. He talked and talked about World War II and things that have happened over the years in the ward. He has actually been Bishop 3 times in Winnfield. I have always know that he preached funerals all the time, but he told us that they figured that he had preached over 200!! Wow! He is a wonderful man.

(Is that not the cutest picture in the world?)

But the most impressive thing about Bishop Gaar is the excellent care he took of Sister Gaar. Like I said she had diabetes and had to have both legs amputated. She was also blind. And he took care of her all by himself. They were both in their 80's. He wore himself out in her service. Such sweet devotion is so inspiring to see. Even with the exhaustion he much have been feeling with all her care, he cried many tears expressing how much he misses her. What a wonderful example of love and service. I am so happy that I felt inspired to write them a letter that they received a couple of days before her death. Thankfully I listened to the prompting to act and the first thing Bishop Gaar said when my mother talked to him was that he had received my letter and that it meant so much to the both of them. I am so privileged to have know them. Sister Gaar was my primary teacher for most of my childhood. I love her and am happy she is not in pain anymore.

Tour Lafitte....we can do hard things!!

2010-05-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Bishop started talking to us about the Tour Lafitte Bike Race that was coming up. I really wanted to participate and so did Mary Catherine but it happened to be on the day of the Priest/Laurel Temple Trip. We had to make the right choice and got to be at the temple, but these cute girls got to participate.

Sarah Beth and her group rode for 28 miles!! Unbelievable!! I am so proud of Sarah Beth. Bishop rode with her and said she had a hard time at a few places, but she pushed through and was so incredibly proud of herself. They ended up forming a group by getting other riders to stay with them and formed a shield against the wind that was really making it hard for them. They really liked the people they hooked up with. How cute.

Emma and Katie.....and Lynetta (no pic) got to ride 10 miles. They were so proud and so cute. Who knew they could even do that!?! What a great feeling to accomplish something you think is so hard!!

Cute, cute biking babe!!

I'm going to Sadies!?!?!

2010-04-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

So, running a little late today to church and as soon as I sat down I noticed that several other people had chosen to wear the same color to church. Seriously, there must have been 6 of us with this bright blue color on. Including 2 boys who wore the same blue ties. After sacrement meeting Susan and I were teasing Travis. We told him we thought we were going to Sadies with him. I don't really think he knew what to think when Zack whipped out his phone and took our picture with him.

We will let you off the hook, Travis, even though we do match really great!

2010-03-03T04:32:00.000-08:00

I am a bad mom. I know you don't think so, but I am. The last 2 days I have let kids stay home, one each day, when I knew they weren't really sick. They were just tired. We should be getting to bed earlier, but they didn't and they were just tired. My heart went out to Mary Catherine on Monday and Emma on Tuesday.

And, boy, am I paying for it now. Now the other ladies are thinking that they need to stay home to get some rest, too. Sarah Beth was playing it full out this morning! She is so funny. I know she wants to stay home, too, but like I told her, the other girls just kind of happened. I can't plan it. That makes me feel too bad.

Birthday Boy!!

2010-02-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

The best day of the year, so far!!!

Happy Birthday to Zack!! Today he is 45!! It is hard to plan a surprise for a 45 year old. I want to do something fun for him, but can't think what. I was going to take him to lunch, but he is out of town today. We will celebrate tonight.

I can't believe he is on the down side of 40. So much has happened in our 20+ years together. It has been good. Lots of growth and sacrifice and loving. I am proud of Zack. He is an amazing person. We sure do love him more and more all the time.

I need to get busy. Lots of plans to make and maybe a little shopping thrown in, too!

Manly

2010-02-16T23:03:00.000-08:00

Zack has been on my case about letting my blog go. He loves that I do it apparantly. So I thought I would make my reentry into the blogging world with a story about him!

Saturday night I was in my room getting ready for the Stake dance when I heard a roar of laughter come from the kitchen. This is the story I was told.

A commercial with a big dog came on and Zack commented that he was going to get that big sloppy dog for Mary Catherine (which he knew she would be disgusted by!!) So he said that it was a manly dog. Alex then replied that we have a dog....Pippin. He said that he was a manly dog. Zack responded, saying that Pippin had surgery....implying that the surgery had made him less manly;) Alex insisted that he was still a manly dog.

Over on the couch, innocently, Lily says, "Daddy, YOU had surgery!!!"

Editor's note: Zack had back surgery in December!!

Secret

2009-11-06T06:40:00.001-08:00

I have a confession to make.........

I LOVE the music of Conway Twitty!! I know........ I even really surprise myself about this. I can remember being in the 6th grade and Mrs. Hall, our PE teacher Mrs. Brewer, and another teacher..Clark, maybe, came to school wearing Tweety Bird t-shirts they had gotten at a concert the weekend before. We thought they were so funny. I didn't really know who that was then.

So, Zack and I love his music and love the story of when he was in high school and went out one weekend. Let's just say he wasn't in a place he should be that night, but an older lady siddled up to him at the bar where he was sitting and in a deep, low voice said, "Darlin', you remind me of Conway Twitty...." So cheesy, just how Conway kind of is.

But, I love his music. I am listening to Conway on the IPOD now. (another secret is that I would love my own IPOD for my birthday........feel free to share that tidbit with my husband!)

Abercrombie

2009-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

The ladies and I went to Lafayette today for a volleyball tournament for Sulphur High and Mary Catherine. It was a long time in the gym, sitting. My tailbone has seen happier days.

After the tournament we went shopping a little. We had a great time at the mall. One of our first stops was at Abercrombie for little kids. We had a great time finding outfits for the little girls to try on. They are so fun to dress. Emma and Lily felt so special and loved by their big sisters who paid such wonderful attention to them. Of course, there was much begging for the things they tried on. We did find some $50 jeans for $10. We got Emma and Lily a pair. What a deal. They fit so great and look amazing on them. I don't even have to cinch the waist on the them for Emma. 10 Slims at Abercrombie (were everything is made so tiny) and they fit perfectly.

After we left there Mary Catherine was excited to get to Abercrombie & Fitch---for big people (well, not really big people! but older people!) She and Emma walked on ahead to shop. I was bringing up the rear. I walked in and was looking at a couple of things when Mary Catherine and Emma came toward me and said they were leaving. MC said the pictures on the walls were so awful and she just didn't want to be in there anymore. Sarah Beth and Lily soon followed with the same problem. At first I was like............"wait, don't we want to look?" Not at the picture, but the clothes. They didn't even wait to discuss it with me. They just left. So, I looked around, then......and, yes, they were awful. So, I followed them. At that moment I realized I had just been taught a wonderful lesson by excellent young ladies. They didn't feel the Spirit in there and didn't want to be there anymore. I am so grateful for that lesson and for their sensitivity to the Spirit. I know that the Spirit can guide them to make more wonderful choices. I hope that they will continue to listen and respond to the promptings they receive with such conviction. There was no question in their minds about what they should do.

Toy Story, revisited

2009-09-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

I am home with Lily today. She is sick. So, I sitting here in the living room, I saw a commercial for Toy Story and Toy Story 2 advertised. A double feature showing at the movies in October. It made me think of a sweet story about Sarah Beth. When she was about 4 she was staying with Gwen one day and Gwen let her watch Toy Story 2. All of a sudden she couldn't find Sarah Beth. She looked all over and finally found her in the bedroom crying. Not an unusual activity for Sarah Beth in those days, but Gwen asked her what was wrong.....assuming she was missing me. Finally, Gwen got out of her that she was crying because of the part in Toy Story where Jessie was laying under the bed...the forgotten toy. Sarah Beth felt so sorry for Jessie and it made her sad. She didn't want to watch that movie any more! What a really sweet . I love her compassion!

Can We Build It???

2009-09-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

We have been wanting to go to Lowe's to participate in their build-it projects they have on Saturday. There have been many really cute projects, but I admit that 10:00 on Saturday morning it just too early. But, we were at Lowe's on Friday night and the s saw the sign. They were up early and ready to go right away. What a cute project. They got all these things and they made the project completely by themselves. FOR FREE!! It made their Saturday!!

The s loved this great activity and are looking forward to the next build project. They will be making Firetrucks on September 26. They will have a firetruck there to look at and them building them inside the store.

Most of the participants were smaller than Emma and Lily, but they didn't let that stop them. They had a great time. And they were able to make it all by themselves. We are so excited for the next project. Aren't they just adorable. I had a fun time. And of course, they wore their safety gear......all of it free, including a real patch they can sew onto their aprons.

Thanks, Lowe's

When laziness is productive

2009-09-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

I KNOW it has been too long since I blogged. I will catch up soon......probably not until AFTER I retire!! September 25.......I will have some kind of retirement party. Won't that be fun.

So, I was laying on the bed tonight with Lily and she had a book about the ABC's. She began singing them and when she got to the "L, M, N, O, P" she said, "I love that part......ellmmmnop, ellmmmnnop!!" It was just the cutest thing.

Let me brag on her a little.....I have QUIT reading at night.....except the scriptures......to my little kids. I feel a little guilty because I read much, much longer to the big kids, but I discovered something this summer. What is that you ask? Well, in my laziness, I let the little ladies sleep upstairs with Sarah Beth. She has a reading time each night and naturally told the little ladies that they had to read, too. So, Lily did. Now just let me backtrack a little. ALL of my kids were great readers at the same age. And it is not like it is that early or anything, but all my other kids wanted ME to read. They didn't want to read to themselves at all, because they knew I would read at night and it just wasn't that important to do it themselves. So, when school started, I told Lily that I was not going to read anymore. She didn't understand, but she is enough younger than the others that she didn't know how long I read to them. Well, wouldn't you know, she is reading like a mad person!!! Everything!! And after listening to 4th graders all day, I have to say, her reading fluency is MUCH better than most of theirs. She pauses at commas and periods. Her voice goes up and down with the story line. She understands what she is reading. She is such a wonderful reader........and she enjoys it!

Conclusion...............

I should have been lazier a long time ago!!!!

Too Many Sisters!!

2009-07-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to the dentist, Dr. Moses. He is so funny and interested in our family. We just love him. The boys both go to him still, too. But, yesterday was just the girls. Everyone kept saying how someone was missing. I had to keep telling them it was the BOYS!! Oh, yeah. How soon they forget. Anyway.....they call all the girls back at the same time and we are all finished at the same time, too. So, as we were getting ready to leave I was talking to Dr. Moses and we heard Sarah Beth start to fuss at Lily. She was frustrated because she thought Lily had taken her bag of goodies. So, I look up and Sarah Beth has a stranger by the arm fussing!!! She was saying, "LILY!!" Needless to say, Dr. Moses and I had a great laugh over that. And Sarah Beth was extremely embarrassed. I have heard of kids getting the wrong parent before, but not the wrong SISTER!!

Great analogy!!

2009-07-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

I love this analogy!! It is perfect and describes exactly why it is not healthy as a society to live under socialism.

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK,
we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering,
blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

Love this. Working hard is the best way for all.

2009-07-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

I guess to finish our trip, I am just going to do a quick catch up. We had a beautiful drive from Colorado Springs to Lake Powell. We crossed the Continental Divide at one point. We stopped there to play in the snow.

While we were there we saw a square dancing group that wanted us to take their picture. Then we watched while they danced on the Continental Divide. It was so fun. While we were taking their picture they asked us where we were from. When we responded, Lake Charles, LA, one lady yelled out...."I am from Iowa!!!" For those of you not from here that is I-o-w-AAAAAA. Long A sound. That is a very small town just east of Lake Charles! The group had actually danced in Westlake before, too. Small world!

Sarah Beth in Taylor's shoes to go out and play in the snow!!

We stopped along the side of the road next to this BEAUTIFUL river. Some of us were in our PJs and we weren't looking all that great, but it was sooo pretty. I have decided that I love white water running rivers most in nature....well, second to the amazing oak trees we have in Louisiana. Everywhere we went in Colorado and Utah there were these fabulous rivers rushing. So peaceful..........

The next stop on the trip was Lake Powell. I loved Lake Powell. It was so amazing. Here we were in the water with the rocks growing up out of the water. It was amazing.

We had the best time knee boarding, wake boarding, tubing, and just generally boat riding. Emma was our professional. She stayed on the knee board for at least 10 minutes. She grinned so big and was so proud of herself.

Alex and Taylor were on the wake board. It is tough!! No one else was brave enough to try. I used to be able to knee board pretty well, but I could NOT pull myself up. It was so frustrating. I tried, and tried. Let's just say I was extremely sore for a few days.

Zack had my boys rolling over each other as they fell off the tube. If he wanted them off the tube, they were off the tube! No questions asked.

From Lake Powell we went to through Zion National Park. Wow.....we were able to drive through the tunnel and on the switchback roads that run through the park. That was quite the experience in an RV....made even more interesting by the fact that I was cooking pasta salad while we drove. Yes, boiling water, going down mountains in an RV, looking at the beautiful scenery, while it rained!!!! So, fun!! It really was. The pasta was good, the view fabulous, and the rain cooled it off. Thanks to my husband's superb driving ability we made it safely through. We dropped the RV at our beautiful park and drove in the Jeep.....all 8 of us....to St. George. We were quite the site as we pulled up to the temple and rolled out of the Jeep. It was pretty packed. I couldn't help and laugh at us. People would watch and watch us as we kept getting out.

We met Mama, my brother, John, his wife and baby in St. George.

That night the girls and I went to a performance of Footloose at Tuacahn Amphitheatre outside St. George. It started slow but ended so great. We had a great time, except for when I fell taking a picture of the girls and thought I broke Alex's camera. So fun....

My Garden

2009-07-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

I had one....well, something like that.....request this summer! I wanted a garden. We tried a garden in the front yard last summer and it just didn't really do what we wanted. So, Alex made some boxes for me.

Zack and Lily then worked to fill them with dirt. Zack worked like a dog. He got the dirt from the office they are building for ES&H, mixed it with fertilizer and manure.

Lily had the best time "driving" the tractor. Apparantly she became quite the expert because later this summer Emma tried to convince Zack that Lily could use the tractor to move their playhouse around the yard. She seriously thought Lily could do anything Daddy could do with the tractor.

So, then we went on vacation and when we got back, this is what we found!!

And, then, a little of our bounty!! I love fresh produce. Our tomatoes are really slow growing. I hope I can get them going again. That is my all time summer favorite. I am so grateful for Zack for working so hard to get my garden put in. Beautiful!!

2009-07-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Taylor is 17! I sure do love this boy. He has grown from a little tiny boy to a 6'2" 230 pounder.

Confidence Builder

2009-07-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is Emma and my neice, Kate, in my jacket!!
After the nice week of Claire, Sam, and Sarah Beth, we had Kate, Beth Anne, Emma and Lily. Not so relaxing. Besides that, Mary Catherine and Taylor were home from EFY and Alex came home, too.

Yeah, a little different.

MTC Vacation

2009-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

So, ok, the next day was Tuesday and we went white water rafting with Marion...Zack's cousin. Zack, Marion, and I were in the boat with Emma and Lily and others. The big kids were in another boat together. We had a blast. I was so afraid it would be cold so we wore the wet suits that they provided. It WAS really cold. But, oh, so fun. I loved it. Lily was frEEEzing. Shivering. She and Emma sat in between Zack and I and would move to the back to take turns rowing.

River Rats

2009-07-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

We spent the WEEK 4th of July out at the river. We had a great time. We only had Claire, Sam, and Sarah Beth that whole week. Mary Catherine and Taylor were at EFY and Emma and Lily are in Jena. We had a great time with them. It is amazing how we have been able to concentrate on them and how relaxing it is.

We did have one mishap while we have been out here. Meloni came by and asked us if we wanted to go for a ride in her boat and while we were driving along the motor died. We didn 't know what we were going to do because Bubba and Zack were not at the river. So, we called them, but then some men pulled up in another boat and asked if we needed at tow. So they tied us up and began pulling. We were going pretty slow and so they decided to give it a little more gas. When they did the front of the boat began to sink. Quickly!! Before we knew it half the boat went under and was dragging the other boat back and under, too. It was so scary. Of course we were screaming and they let off the gas. We came right back up, but needless to say it was pretty bad.
Where are those men when we needed them? Meloni acted like she didn't need them, but I am not afraid to admit I would feel more comfortable with Zack there!

MTC Vacation

2009-07-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

The afternoon of the 15th we pulled into Colorado Springs, CO. It was just beautiful there...the first of many gorgeous places we visited. We found our RV park that Zack's cousin suggested and then went to drive around with her and get something to eat. We ate Chinese food and the big kids found a way to entertain themselves while waiting for their food.

MTC Vacation--Day 1

2009-06-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

June 14th--Day One of the MTC vacation--We went to church. After sacrament meeting Alex got set apart as a missionary by President Newton. It was really special. We had so much family there and Alex gave a great talk in church, too. After church we left and went home to finish loading the RV. We pulled out of the driveway at about 4:00....right on time. As soon as we pulled away we realized we left our games at home. Oh well, we decided. We could buy more. Then we started looking for my notebook to get addresses for where we were going. Where is that notebook, anyway?!?! Oh, no, we definitely have to go home for that. Turn the big rig around and go get the notebook. Might as well get the games while we are home!!! Taylor runs to get the notebook where I told him it was. No notebook!! Where else could it be? Oh, yeah, it IS in the RV...put up in the cabinet with my magazines and books (sheepish, sheepishness!) Back on the road, now 30 minutes late....but we had those games!
We drove to Dallas and stopped at Zack's sister's in Carrollton so they could say goodbye to Alex. We had a fun visit with them for a couple hours and then we were one our way. We finally stopped at some truck stop and Zack slept for about 4 hours. We decided that was the worst gas mileage you could get.....O miles to the gallon.

The Last 6 Weeks

2009-06-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am on vacation, but more about that later. I need to update. I really do think I have a great excuse for not blogging. I'll let you be the judge.

April 23: Alex comes home from BYU. Had to drive to Houston to pick him up.

April 24: Finish all Alex's mission papers and over night them to the Church after subbing in the morning.

April 25: Took the Praxis test.

April 26: Church and my aunt, Mona, came to visit.

April 28: Teacher Appreciation night at church. We had a great turnout. Taylor's and Emma's teachers came, and we had a great night. We had such a good time visiting with Mrs. Bowen and Mrs. Fontenot. They are truly the best teacher our kids have ever had.....along with a few others.

April 29-30: I subbed for the next 2 days for Mrs. Blanchard in 2nd grade while Alex got his shots done at the health unit and had a dentist appointment.

May 3: Alex celebrated his 19th birthday!! Wow, I have a 19 year old child. The only hard thing about this age is keeping my mouth shut and knowing how and when to get involved. Alex and Taylor bore their testimonies today in Sacrement meeting. They both cried and it was a very tender moment. Alex said that even though his testimony wasn't as strong as it could be he was ready to serve and knew that this was the right thing for him to do. Taylor was grateful for Alex's example. Wonderful parenting moment!!

Spent the whole next week shopping for suits, slacks, shoes, white shirts.....missionary clothes.

May 6: Alex and Zack spoke at Stake Priesthood meeting. I hear they did a great job. They had to speak about why they want to go on a mission....or why Zack wants Alex to go! I wanted to be there, but oh well. 3 different people that night told Taylor that he gave a great talk and to have a great mission...even after Alex spoke, they still misstook Taylor for Alex.

May 7: Book Club at our house. Also, Sarah Beth had a softball game that night. She was the only child of ours to play this season. She had a pretty good team. Mary Catherine's french teacher was Sarah Beth's coach. She was very happy when her brothers and sisters came to her game. Little things make her so happy.

May 9: Taylor, Mary Catherine, and I went to a Bi-Stake activity in Leesville, LA. We brought some of the kids from Lake Charles with us. We did a sevice project at a camping facility and they played in the water and ate on Toledo Bend at the Lord's property (name of the family who owns it). It was so fun. The property was just beautiful being surrounded by water by about 300 degrees. We consisdered having girl's camp there next year, but have decided that it is just too inconvenient and that we like North Toledo Bend too much to change. But, it is beautiful.

May 10: Mother's Day....last one probably forever with all my kids there. Breakfast in bed and a wonderful day.

May 12: Sarah Beth had award's day at school. She received the "M" award. YEAH!! She found out later she is on the Yearbook staff for next year. I don't know who is more excited...her or me!!! I have always wanted one of my kids to be on the yearbook staff. So fun, and cute pictures of my kids I am expecting. Silly, right?

May 13: Lily had the coolest helper at her Kindergarten Space Extravaganza....Alex!!She was so excited to have him help. So proud. She has been so happy to have him home. The first few days she hung on his legs and followed him around every where he went.

May 14: Stake Young Women Auxiliary Training in Orange. Nervous, but everything came together just fine.

May 15: Alex flew out to San Francisco to apply for his Visa and to visit his roommates from BYU. They had an amazing time. I am so grateful that Alex had such wonderful roommates this past year. They really helped him so much.

May 16: Went to Houston for Melissa Kitfield's wedding. I am so proud of that girl. She waited to get married until she found the right person who could take her to the temple. I was also able to do 2 sessions. Great day.

May 18: Emma to Dr. Thompson for a check up. She has had several week spells at school and home. One day her teacher, Mrs. Bowen, was talking about her brother who was having surgery on his arm. One of the students said they should just cut it off. Mrs. Bowen looked at Emma who had turned a definite shade of green. Mrs Bowen sent Emma to the nurse's office. At the last minute she decided to send another girl with her. When they got into the hall Mrs Phoebe was there and Mrs Bowen asked her to watch Emma. As soon as Mrs Bowen shut the door, Emma collasped on the floor. She had not eaten breakfast that morning--stubborn girl--so they let her lay down and eat some crackers and OJ. She felt a little better but came on home with me. Another day I was subbing and they called me to say that Emma was weak again. So, we wanted to get these weak spells checked out. Everything came out great. No sign of ANYTHING. We can only assume she has a weak stomach and we need to be sure she gets some protein in the mornings. That little girl worries me so much. She was so brave at the doctor's office. She didn't balk at the blood or at urine sample they needed. She talked to Dr. Thompson and was so cute.

May 21: Sarah Beth's 13th birthday. We celebrated by going to lunch with her then a little birthday shopping and later, dinner with the missionaries, even the sister missionaries. She had a sleepover the Friday before, just a 3 or 4 girls from school that she has just recently gotten closer to. We went to Que Pasa. On the night of her birthday we ate Tortilla soup for her and crawfish etoufee for everyone else. That is one of her favorite things. I hope next year will be a little more smooth for Sarah Beth. Puberty is hard.
The same day we had Elder Brian Graff and his mother come to visit. He was a missionary in Sulphur a couple of years ago. He was a favorite of our family and all of Sulphur. He had such an impact on so many kids AND adults. They came to dinner with us, the missionaries, and Rip. We had 17 for dinner that night. It was really fun, though. I think Sarah Beth had a happy day.

May 22: Emma was the narrator in her class production of Little Red Riding Hood, the musical. She did a great job. It was fun to see her be so careful. That is how she gets when she is performing in front of others. Very serious and careful. And so, so cute.

May 23: What a fantastic day!!! Alex went to the temple today for the first time. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I have always looked forward to the time that we would be in the temple with our children. I think he was a little overwhelmed, but had a good experience. I love being in the Celestial Room with him and Zack and Mama. I can't wait to have the rest of our family there. I had a realization that if Alex can make these covenants then he can make his way in this world with out me controlling him. It was a tender moment.

The next 2 weeks were full of getting ready for girl's camp, finishing school, meetings, ball games, finishing missionary preparations, getting ready for our trip, sewing capes for camp, fixing swimsuits to be more modest, making preparations for so many other things my head was spinning at times.

June 6: Just enough time to squeeze in a temple trip before we leave for Girl's Camp. We had all 4 kids there in the temple together. Talk about being torn between two things. But, I just didn't feel like I have enough time to get everything done. And we had just been 2 weekends in a row 2 weeks before. Alex was able to perform baptisms. I love that they were all there together. Hopefully it will help them remember that they want to be there together again someday. They had a good time on the trip, too!!

Taylor looks happy in this carload of Young Women!!

June 8-12: Went to Girl's Camp at North Toledo Bend State Park. It was the best girl's camp I have ever been a part of. We had a very spiritual experience together. We had lots of opportunities to talk to the girls and get to know them in a way that I didn't before. I love that. We had a blast, too. The tradition at our camp is that each night ends with dancing. Those girls just love it. We have several "special" girls in our stake that add such a deeper feeling to all the things we do. It is such a blessing to be able to have them participate in camp. They bring their special spririt to all the activities. We seriously had no problems except getting Sarah Beth to sleep each night. They girl's were excellently behaved. The crafts were fun and cute. The food was good and below budget. The budget looks good, too. All in all, it was a great week.....but very exhausting. I stay up too late. It is too appealing to just sit up and visit with friends. I am worse that the kids.

July 14: Alex is set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after speaking in church. We had 3 aunts, 1 uncle, 3 grandmothers, 3 cousins, and a good friend of our family, in addition to our ward family and our family. There was a great spirit there that day. I am so grateful that they were all able to come. It is wonderful to have the support of so much family.

That is the last 6 weeks at a glance. I know it is probably a little boring, but I had to get it all down. More on the vacation later.

Waahooooo!!!!!

2009-05-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

I PASSED MY TEST!!! That means I can be a certified teacher and earn real pay. I can also sub for $20 more per week, now. YEAH!! I am so impressed with myself. I haven't taken a test in 16 years and I didn't just squeak by to pass, either!! Isn't that fantastic?

Sorry for the absentee blogger.....been too busy and had my mind on too many other things, although I still have found time and interest to read all of YOUR blogs! Thanks for your patience. I will be back!

2009-04-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Taking the Praxis test tomorrow to get certified to teach!!! Yikes!! Wish me luck....I may be taking it again in June and July. I am getting nervous.

2009-04-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

We have had a great few days. With all the excitement of opening Alex's mission call on Thursday, we still had an action packed week. We had my niece, BethAnne with us from Wednesday to Sunday while her parents were at a dental conference in New Orleans. We had fun with her, including ME playing hide and seek with her on Thursday while the ladies were at school. That is so totally not like me that it made me feel more like her grandparent than her aunt. But she was happy! We also made play-do that I used to make with my kids all the time. She loved it and sat up on the counter playing for a long time. Then, Friday night after the Fire and Ice activity at church we went out to our camp on the river to spend the weekend and watch conference. Yes! Zack hooked up the satellite so we could watch conference AND play in the beautiful weather. That night Zack was surrounded by 8 ladies--me, our four ladies,our niece, and two friends!! Saturday morning we had to come back into town for Katie's baptism where Emma and Lily sang with Katie. It was interesting that we came from the river, because the ladies kind of looked like river rats. Emma chose her outfit and it was interesting to say the least (Lynetta if you will email the picture, I will add it to my blog!!)

The picture doesn't quite do it justice......Cute, and a wonderful spirit at the baptism.

Taylor took the ACT that morning and then he and Mary Catherine participated in the high school softball tournament all day. They had a great time.

Back at the river we enjoyed the sunshine, fishing, eating, conference, and a bonfire. Emma, Paige and Lily enjoyed fishing. They were constantly casting and casting and casting. Zack, of course, was on worm duty. Baiting and baiting and baiting.

I just love General Conference. Instead of coming away from it depressed at how much I have to do...I come away feeling like I can do anything. I hate for that feeling to fade. I feel so inspired to act and make changes in our family and my life. I love the boost it gives to my spirit. You can check out what the message was by going here.

Last night we went to Prien Lake Park for Family Home Evening. We brought our supper to eat out there and did, but the wind was so crazy that even the top of our sandwiches were being blown away. We finally sought refuge behind a brick wall. We could finally eat our food only having to be mildly careful. Taylor and Zack tried dutifully to get our kite to fly. Last time we went there to fly a kite there was no wind and this time there was WAY too much. It would just take our kite and spin it like a top. It was so funny to watch them struggle with it.

So, I didn't go to Rome, even though I had a wonderfully generous offer from Gwen and Brad, but I did have a great weekend with my family. I am very thankful for them and their love and patience with me.

Elder Zachary you are hearby called to serve......

2009-04-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

So, yes, Alex is going to MADAGASCAR!!! It is too unbelievable for words. I am thrilled for him, but not nearly as thrilled as HE is. I hope has come back down to earth this morning. I think he wanted something unique so much that the Lord gave it to him. He will be speaking French and entering the Missionary Training Center on June 24. There is so much to do between now and then. We have many things to buy and my mind wrapped around the whole thing in just 2 1/2 months.

We are so proud of Alex. He has done alot to get to this point and has done some maturing this semester. I know that his life and ours will be blessed from his service. I also know that he will be a blessing to the people of Madagascar, too. He will be very far from home, but will be doing the Lord's work. I will not worry about him because I know he is in the Lord's hands. I have faith that He will teach him all he needs to know.

Go here to learn a little about his mission.
Go here to see a funny thing that Whitney posted!
Go here to leave Alex a message!!

Call coming

2009-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

I have created a new blog for Alex's mission. I know it may be a little premature, but we are expecting his call Wednesday or Thursday. Go check it out here and leave a message with your guess as to where he will be sent.

Strange Bishop Aaron

2009-03-28T09:18:00.001-07:00

The first item of business on this absolutely glorious day in late March is a birthday party for Katie Young....well, after Taylor got off at 9:00 for ACT prep and Mary Catherine and Sarah Beth left for a bike ride and run! So, I need to do a little background on this story I have to tell. At New Year's the Young's have been having a sleep over for Katie and Sarah and their friends to ring in the New Year. But, to avoid staying up ALL night they set all the clocks in the house back a couple of hours. Well, in past years this has posed no problems, but this year for Christmas Emma received a watch. Sarah Beth was the first to think about the problem this could cause for the Young's. So when we dropped the Emma and Lily off we informed Bishop Aaron of the problem. We didn't really know how to handle it and finally he just said, "Emma, you have a watch! You're going to have to give it to me. We don't allow anyone but ME to have watches in our house." Emma seemed confused, and reluctantly gave it to me to bring home. Well, ever since then, when she goes to play with Katie she will just give me her watch. Nothing is said, she just kind of rolls her eyes and hands it over. So, today for the party, she had already hopped out of the car and got to the door where Bishop was, when she wheeled around and ran back to my window where she tossed the watch in to me! It is so funny. I guess we should tell her at some point. I don't know.

Did I mention what a wonderfully beautiful day it is today? It is in the 50's this morning, warming to the 60's with big bright blue skies overhead. Not a cloud in the sky and the new leaves on the trees are just shinning! It is amazing. Makes me happy to live in the South on days like this. And Zack and I are about to go out and plant some fruit trees! Finally!

And remember.....Do not wear your watch to the YOUNG's!!!!!!!

Aunts and Uncles

2009-03-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

My brother, John, and his wife, Kristy, and their baby, Julia, are in Park City for John to attend some continuing education workshops....and to play. They went to Provo on Tuesday to visit BYU and Alex. Today, they invited him to come to Park City and ski with John. Alex had a great time. I am so grateful that they did that for Alex and that they got to spend some really great time together. And see that really cute baby that Kristy is holding. Can't wait to hold her at Easter!!

It got me thinking how grateful I am for all the aunts and uncles that my kids have. They all add something great to our lives, either by example or by action.
1. Aunt Ang--Alex started calling her this when he was little. Funny, because she doesn't really go by Ang at all, but that is what we call her. She is a lawyer and stay-at-home mom to my 4 nieces and nephews. Angela is extremely well read. She loves politics and knows something about just about everything. She is very organized and my kids love to go stay there in the summer and best of all they are moving to Natchitoches this summer and will be so close we can go for the day! Can't wait!

Of course, there is her husband, Ted. He is a dentist and the reason they are moving to Natchitoches. Ted is always on the go. He loves to play, loves bad weather, and doesn't mind watching a load of kids. He is a committed man and just good.
2. Uncle John--John is a doctor and just moved back to south Louisiana. He is such a great example to my kids about staying in school and working hard. He also challenges the kids to think. John also likes to play and entertain. I have to say, as much as I think Angela knows about most things, John knows more. He researches absolutely everything. To me he knows something about all things.
Aunt Kristy is also a doctor but has retired to stay home at take care of baby Julia. I am so proud of her decision to do that and am glad that my kids can see her make such an important decision. Kristy has always been sweet to do cute things with the kids and be a great aunt to them.
3. Aunt Tara--Tara works at the LSU library as an archivist and has a Master's Degree. She has always done sweet, thoughtful things for the kids. Recently she crocheted Lily and Emma little blankets for their babies. She sent Alex homemade cookies at BYU. She is a great cook and is always thoughtful of everyone. Such a good example to our kids.
Harry is a professor at Southeastern University. Although we should have known, because he is a professor, Harry has his doctorate in history and has even taught at West Point. He is such a humble quiet spoken guy that we didn't even realize this until Zack googled him one night. He is a great professor, too. He often takes his students on "field trips", even in Europe. He and Tara love to travel, making several trips to Ireland.

4. Aunt Stephanie-Stephanie has a degree in Education from LSU and had a successful career before she quit to stay home with Rebecca and Erica 17 years ago. She is extremely well organized and a great mom. She is also very thoughtful of our kids and has gone out of her way to know each one of them personally. She is such a great example of how to run a home. I am grateful that my kids have had her in their lives.
Uncle Rick-Rick is a partner in an Architecture firm in Dallas. He has been very successful in his career and is a GREAT dad. He is very involved with his daughters. He is funny and fun. Rick is just an all around nice guy. He is always interested in what is going on with the kids...spending time talking to them and playing with them. I am grateful that he is their uncle.
5. Aunt Jill-Jill has worked with Zack for many years...putting up with him!! She is currently back in school working on her degree. I am so proud of her and am grateful for my kids to see that it is never too late to do that. She is very dedicated to her work and makes straight A's. She worked hard for years raising her 2 boys. She is a great housekeeper. I admire that.
Kevin and Jill have been married for several years now. Kevin works shift work at one of the plants. He is an avid Dallas Cowboy fan...giving Taylor lots of opportunity to trash talk! He is a father to two teenage s and has stayed very involved with them. He and Jill like to go to Toledo Bend on the weekends and fish and play.
These are Jill's supercute grandkids who made Zack and me Great Aunt and Uncle!!!

As I sat here to write about our aunts and uncles I got overwhelmed by the diversity that we have in our family. They are all great people who add a different dimension to our family. I love that they all have sacrificed in many different ways for their families. They are a great example of commitment and love for family. I hope that my kids will follow their examples and know that they always have them to turn to. Thanks for all you do!

2009-03-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

Alex submitted his mission papers kast night!!! It should take 2 weeks to find out were and when he will be going. We are super excited, but probably not as excited as he is. He is off to Washington tomorrow with his roommates, John and Dustin. They are going to have a blind date and do a mystery dinner date for the girls. How fun! John is also going to the temple in preparation for his mission. I can't wait. It feels better than Christmas as a kid!!!

Finally...........

2009-03-20T04:08:00.000-07:00

Mary Catherine and I went to the eye doctor yesterday. I needed some new glasses and she was complaining of trouble seeing. I probably should have taken her earlier, but it's been hard to believer her because she wants glasses so badly. In fact, she has wanted them VERY badly for years and years. She tried to tell me she needed some in the 3rd grade so we signed her up for an appointment, only to be disappointed when they said she had PERFECT vision. What in the world would they say that for? Didn't they know how they disappointed a little girl? So, Aunt Tara was sweet enough to give her for Christmas a fake pair of really cute glasses. After the holidays she began wearing them to school everyday. One day she just didn't wear them and left them in her backpack. Her teacher noticed that she didn't have her "glasses" on and sent her to get them on. Well, in those days Mary Catherine was pretty quiet in school and didn't want to tell Mrs. Blaire that they weren't real, so she just went and got them and wore them the rest of the day!!! We have laughed and laughed about that story over the years. Then last year Whitney got real glasses and Mary Catherine loved them, but she didn't think she could still get them, because it would look like she was copying Whitney. So, you can see that glasses to Mary Catherine has very little to do with actually being able to SEE! So, finally she has been able to justify real glasses after 6 years of trying really hard to get some.

Mary Catherine is doing so great! She is a very genuinely happy girl. She smiles all the time, flashing her beautiful pearly whiles. Recently, a friends daughter got her braces off and asked her mom if her teeth looked as good as Mary Catherine's. She loves to show them off! She is also doing great at school. She is on track to earn a 4.0 for the year end grades. In French she has to make a 99 on the last 2 six weeks AND the final to pull out an A, but instead of thinking it is impossible, she is trying! She is being much more careful about her studies and is very independant about it.

I love Mary Catherine very much and am very pleased with the Young Woman she is becoming. She is a great example to us all of happiness and reading the scriptures and making good descisions. And now she will be able to happily wear her glasses, too. I will post pictures tomorrow.

I already have butterflies

2009-03-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

I went to Maplewood today and Mrs. Goode, the principal, stopped me and asked if I would be interested in taking a 6-week maternity leave at the very beginning of school next year. There would be a 1st grade or a 4th grade. Oh, wow, while I AM very interested, I am also VERY nervous about this. I need to think about it, but I think that it would be a good fit. Emma will be a 4th grader and Lily will be in 1st grade! We would have the summer to prepare for the changes by getting the house in tip-top shape and I would have that time to prepare for the teaching. Just the idea makes me nervous.
But, first things first....I have to get certified. My pay would just be a sub pay unless I was certified and then my pay would increase more than 4 times. THAT is a big difference. So, I have to take the Praxis test and then apply for certification. It shouldn't be that big of a deal.
I feel changes coming that I have been nervous about for years!! There will be lots of prayer about this.

Goals for Monday, March 16.

2009-03-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

1. Clean all floors in house
2. Clean bathrooms
3. Make Menus for the week
4. Cook supper
5. Plan Famiy Home Evening
6. Feel happy and what I got done for the day

Albert

2009-03-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

So, the other night, Thursday, to be exact, Zack went out with one of the missionaries to visit people. After they visited all the people on their list, Zack suggested they visit the widowed mother of a friend of his from high school. We have remained close to her over the years and she is so sweet and kind. So, they went to the door and when she answered Zack introduced "Elder Cox" to her. For those of you who do not know, we call all missionaries "Elder" as their title along with their last name. She quickly responded, "Well, hello Albert!!" Not wanting to draw attention to it or be rude they didn't correct her. They visited for a while and when they were leaving she again said, "well, Albert, it was so nice to meet you!" Zack came home and told us the story and we all just laughed and laughed. So funny. So, as we were all laughing Sarah Beth, also laughing heartily, came bouncing up to me laughing and laughing and said, "Who is Albert Cox!?!...HAHAHAHA" Sweet Sarah Beth, but that just prompted more and more laughter! We sure do love her innocence.

My cute little-soon-to-be- missionary!!

2009-03-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

If this is not just the cutest thing....

....Alex's picture to go with his mission papers as he applies to serve a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This seems so much more real than before. He is getting SO very excited. This has been a very good process for Alex. He is taking a mission prep class at BYU and just loves it. We are way excited, too.

2009-03-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is for all the Smith boys out west!! This is Zack's 1970 Chevrolet. It is his "Other 1970 ". I am the First one.

2009-03-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

Lily and Emma went to Bret Anderson's 6th Birthday party today. It was a Scientist party. Lily was really invited, but Emma is friends with Paige, his sister so she tagged along. When we got there they gave out kid sized safety glasses. Too cute. Emma immediately asked me if SHE could have some glasses, too. Thanks, Mrs. Lisa. They made slime that was hard if you poked it quickly and soft if you slowly pressed your fingers in. Very cool. Then they each got a bottle of their own to do volcanoes. Next, they did homemade rockets. Lisa told me that after the first few launchings the other kids wandered off, but Emma and the Dads stayed around the table and played! This is right up her alley. All day she has been asking if she can have a scientist party when she turns 10! Well, ok, seems a little old for a girl, but, hey, this is Emma we are talking about. She doesn't care what is typical. So, even though we have 9 months to go till her birthday.....scientist party it is.

When we got home we worked in the yard. Emma left those safety glasses on ALL day. When the wind blew leaves into her face....what a relief that she had her glasses on. It didn't get in her eyes!
When Daddy was cutting some boards....no sawdust in HER eyes! She had her glasses on.
So, still tonight she had them on when Zack asked, "Who wants to put lotion on my feet?" Emma and Lily both yelled, "ME!!!!!" What wonderful fun. They used their safety glasses and their medical gloves. Probably the best need for them all day.

2009-03-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Sarah Beth and I were at Walgreens today when she decided that she must dye her hair. Now, I do not like dying hair and especially not in 12 year old ladies, but for some reason she hit me right. I have to say no to her alot because she is constantly asking to do something or go somewhere. And this seemed harmless enough and the kit was on sale for $3.50. She chose Strawberry Blonde and we brought home a Blonde in case she chickened out on the Strawberry part. So between digging in the garden I put the dye in her hair and we have a new red head in the family! Zack told her that my red hair was why he married me. So she said, "I want to be mama's daughter!" To which Zack replied, "Don't worry, you already are!!!" If she only knew how much she is just like me she would be very afraid!!
Mary Catherine and Sarah Beth spoke at New Beginnings on Wednesday. MC about Individual Worth and SB about Divine Nature. They did a great job....so cute and sweet. Sarah Beth was honored as the only new Beehive from 2008. Coneen (the president) asked me to write a few words about SB. This is what I wrote:
Sarah Beth is a super sweet . She loves children. She has done more to influence the schedule in our home than anyone. She also appreciates the traditions that we have established in our family. She is very proud of these things. It is diffucult to be lazy with Sarah Beth around, because she is always encouraging us to do something. She is self motivated to do right things. She worked and achieved her Faith in God award almost entirely by herself. She had a deep desire to do good, to follow the commandments, and to learn. Sarah Beth loves to design houses and is thinking of being an interior designer or a pediactric dentist when she grows up. I know she would be wonderful at either one. But, most of all Sarah Beth desires to be a mother. I know that she will be an excellent mother and teach her children many wonderful things. They will be lucky children to have such a mother as she is learning and growing to be. I love her and am so proud of her.

2009-03-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

Taylor has been invited to Barbe's Prom. He is excited to go and immediately started talking about what he would wear...because apparently both my sons are now clothes hounds. Taylor has been wanting a suit so he decided that he would wear a suit to Prom instead of a Tux. So, the next week I went to Dillard's and found one on serious sale. He is very proud of his new suit. He said that he definitely needs to do something that he can dress up in everyday when he grows up. He suit even came with a vest. This picture is from Wednesday when he went on splits with the missionaries and he came out with the vest on. Zack told him that was too dressy so he took the vest off. He even splurged for the tie with his own money and ended up spending 1/3 of the amount of the whole suit on just the tie!!
Taylor has been very good with his money, though. He cashes his check every two weeks and immediately divides out his tithing, long term savings, short term savings, and spending money. All of these have different compartments in his wallet. I am so pleased that he was willing to take a little advice from mama and daddy about his money. I know it will do him well if he sticks to those principles about money.
Taylor has been struggling with working so much at Subway and getting his school work done so this week we decided he would just quit and be poor. School is more important, after all. So he went in to his boss to quit and his boss said...how about you just work weekends? So, now Taylor only will work Friday and Saturday and can take those off if he needs to. It pays to be a good employee who people are willing to help out. He is doing so good. I'm a proud Mama!!

Relections of Christ

2009-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Weekend before last the ladies--what I will be calling girrls from now on since our computer will not let me type girrl without misspelling it (CyperSitter!) and I went to Jena because Zack had to go out of town at the last minute and would be gone for Friday and Saturday. Taylor had to work and go on a campout, so we left him here! So, Mama already had plans with her sister and aunt to attend a display at the church in Alexandria of "Reflections of Christ". It is a photographers portrayal of the the life of Christ. It was held at the Methodist Church in Alexandria, but was sponsored by our Church. The missionaries were there to greet and usher people in and out. Let me just say, it was fantastic. We first watched a video about how the shots were staged and the Spirit they felt while making it. The music was heavenly. The images divine. It was so wonderful and my "ladies!!" and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect. If it comes to a town near you, you should make every effort to attend. No one will try to get you to purchase anything. It is worth the effort, seriously.

Not to mention that this is my all time favorite song. I bought the CD later and have been listening. It is inspirational.

Stake Conference

2009-03-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to speak at Stake Conference during the Saturday night session this past weekend----for the 3rd time----but who's counting!! I keep messing it up and so keep getting asked! I thought I would post my talk here so I can have it in my book when i print it. Sorry, if it is that boring. It was interesting to research, though.

I have been asked to speak about the difference between the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law”. I have quizzed many people and done much research on the topic. When I mention the letter of the law most people reference the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law was given to the people of Moses at a time when they needed something strict to hold on to. They needed an exact cause and effect type principle so they could begin to understand that their actions would have consequences. Although this Law has been referred to as the “preparatory” law it did have much value. If lived as intended it would teach the people obedience. But while the Mosaic Law provided a basis from which to begin to come to Christ, it wasn’t and isn’t enough.
In an Ensign article from 1983 Stephen E Robinson, an assistant professor of religion, wrote…… The Savior himself in the Sermon on the Mount had shown that the old rules were no longer adequate and that those who wished to enter the kingdom of heaven must subscribe to a new standard of righteousness. (See Matt. 5:20.) Even the Ten Commandments, the ethical heart of the Law, were represented by Jesus as insufficient for salvation except as encompassed within the higher principles of the gospel.
For example, the Savior expanded the commandments “Thou shalt not kill” and “Thou shalt not commit ery,” by now commanding Christians to avoid even hatred or . (Matt. 5:28, 44.) Merely abstaining from ery and murder was no longer sufficient. Christians must now change their very hearts, and this was more than the old Law had required.
In other words, we must now be willing to follow the Spirit of the Law and the Letter of the Law. Of course we know that some of the exact practices of the Mosaic Law were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and were no longer necessary to perform. But some incorrectly assumed then that we had no reason to follow any law with exactness. President Boyd K. Packer has said, “The commandments found in the scriptures, both the positive counsel and the “shalt nots,” form the letter of the law. There is also the spirit of the law. We are responsible for both.” As before living the Letter of the Law becomes the basis from which we begin to come to Christ. I understand that it is by living the law with a degree of exactness that our Spirits are prepared to receive the inspiration needed to live the Spirit of the Law, too. Now, sometimes, we like to think that by living the Spirit of the Law we are somehow above the letter of the Law. We say to ourselves, “well, I am going to the store on this Sunday because I am living the Spirit of the Law and so am not strictly bound by exactness to live the Sabbath Day.” We allow ourselves to use the Spirit as an excuse to do what we want to do. Just as the Mosaic Law was to prepare the people for the coming of Christ, living the commandments today prepares our hearts for Christ. It prepares us to enjoy the blessing s of the Spirit and to be led by the Spirit. I know in my own life as I have learned to live a principle of the gospel and do so regularly, the Spirit is opened up to me and I am able to feel the Spirit of the Law, the reason for the Law, and to find ways in which I can improve. The Spirit of the law allows for much progression in the gospel. It provides for a “glass ceiling”, in other words---a glass ceiling in understanding and receiving all the blessings the Lord has in store for us. As I live the commandments I am blessed. As I am blessed I have an increase of the Spirit. As I have an increase of the Spirit I can receive inspiration. Inspiration helps me to see more ways in which I can strengthen my Spirit and bring me closer to my Savior. Inspiration is used to do the work of the Lord here on the Earth. It brings a sensitivity to the Spirit that allows me to act differently. President Monson said, “In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul the Apostle urges that we turn from the narrow confinement of the letter of the law and seek the open vista of opportunity that the Spirit provides. I love and cherish his statement: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:6). I would not imagine this open vista that President Monson is speaking of to be attained by living the commandments less strictly. But, that there is so much more to be gained than just living the commandment. We have the opportunity through the gospel of Jesus Christ for so much more than just the letter of the law. If we stop there and just focus on the letter, than we miss out on the beauty of the Spirit that can be invited into our hearts and guide us to higher principles. President Newton, in talking about temple attendance, said that we could assign people to attend the temple “2 or 4 or 6” times a week or month. But, if we asked them to attend the temple as much as they can, they can seek the Spirit for guidance, will judge for themselves and probably attend more than the original assignment.
I find it interesting when I think of the progression of the church today to see a move from being told exactly what to do to learning to be guided by the Spirit more. We see it in the lessons we are provided to teach. The missionaries used to memorize the discussions and teach them in a very exact way. It left little room for being moved by the Spirit and teaching by the Spirit. Today, they are given an outline and are to use the Spirit to guide them in their teaching. To do this, they have to learn to be sensitive to the Spirit and in living their lives with exactness to the commandments the Spirit is able to flow through them.
Now living the Spirit of the Law also opens us up to doing the will of the Lord. Sometimes the will of the Lord supersedes the Letter of the Law. It was a desire to live the Spirit of the Law and being in tuned to the Spirit that allow Nephi to know that he was to kill Laban. The Lord’s will overcame the Law that said, “thou shall not kill”. But, it was only Nephi’s dedication to living correct principles that prepared him for receiving the Spirit and making such a decision and one that he surely wrestled with greatly. I have always been amazed at how much he must have understood the Spirit to be able to do that.
One of the beautiful aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are all able to begin this process of coming unto Him at different places, yet His grace is sufficient to save us all. After all that we can do, He will do the rest and for each of us that amount the He did will be different but no less amazing and wonderful. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to continue to come unto Christ and that He will help me to see MY weaknesses as I humble myself and submit to His will. I hope to be led by the Spirit in the manner in which President Monson is. There have been many times in his life where he was redirected from an assignment or a meeting to bless the life of someone and be about his Father’s work. He tells the story of being re-assigned to attend the Shreveport Stake Conference. He was told of a young gravely ill with cancer who had requested that he give her a blessing. There seemed to be no time in the schedule for him to go see her and she was too ill to come to him. He thought he would not be able to see her. As the meeting began, he felt the prompting to go to her…to make the drive to visit her and bless her. Having learned to follow such promptings he got up and left the meeting in the hands of the stake president. He had someone take him to their home where he went into her room while she lay in the bed near death. The little , Crystal Methvin, told him that she knew he would come. He gave her a blessing and she died a few days later, peacefully and ready. I have heard this story all my life and then later heard President Monson tell it several times in conferences. Crystal was a relative of mine and I was and am still touched by how much Heavenly Father loves each of his children and that this little was more important than a meeting. Learning to live by the Spirit can provide us with these kinds of opportunities. I hope that I can learn to listen to the Spirit and do the work that Heavenly Father wants me to do And to reach the full potential that he wants me to achieve.

2009-02-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

Book Club has been reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for the last few weeks. I have wanted to read Jane Austen for a very long time. I even checked out Emma once and gave it my best effort. But, I am going to admit, it was just too hard for me. The language was so difficult to follow. So I gave up. I suggested it for book club and everyone liked the idea. Rita suggested that we get started with it by checking out the book on tape to get into it and then pick up the book to finish. Well I got the tapes and loved it. I never moved to the book.
So, today I had to tutor but started listening again on the way home between classes. Well, I don't have a tape player in my house and I was getting to the end of the book.....the good part. So, I sat in my car for 1 1/2 hours this morning with the windows down while I listened. Thoroughly enjoyed myself....although I must admit I fell asleep briefly a couple of times. I hope I didn't miss anything too important. Then after my 2nd class I pulled up in the driveway and again listened for another hour. I felt like I did as a kid when I would sit in the car waiting for mama outside church. The wind was blowing and it was a little warm. Perfect for listening to a great book. How grateful I am that I can take the time to sit and listen to a great book. I know I am very lucky.
So, I love the book. I especially, I think, like the reader. She had such a wonderful English accent. I have been catching myself thinking in that accent and using those words. I love the characters and how silly they seemed to be so concerned with social positions. I wonder if I am like that and don't recognize my own silliness. I am so happy to have read --or listened to-- my first Jane Austen. I checked out the movie, Sense and Sensibilities, and am excited to watch it.
OK, side note. I hate to admit this, but I can't remember how to punctuate books and movies. Isn't that terrible. It hasn't really been THAT long. But, if anyone would like to educate me, I would be appreciative.

2009-02-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a 44 things I love about Zack in honor of his birthday, but I am so bad at those things. I have tried and tried, but just can't finish them. Oh, what the heck....I will try

1. He loves Drew Barrymore. Ok, I don't know why I put that, esp. first, but she is on Jay Leno and I think she is really funny, too. Interesting, but funny.
2. I love his smile. It is so cute.
3. He has gray hair when it is dry, but looks coal black when he has his gel in it.
4. He is just as Republican and Conservative as me.
5. He noticed Nancy Pelosi being obnoxious at the State of the Union address tonight all by himself. I had too. YUCK!
6. He loves sushi like I do.
7. He has aged wonderfully. I think he gets better looking every year.
8. I love that he reads my blog.
9. I love it when he makes his smoothies and makes me one.
10. I love that he bears his testimony to our family often.
11. I love his sweet way with the s.
12. His favorite scripture is Ether 12:27. I love that.
13. I love his ocean sounds music he listens to to go to sleep at night.
14. I love to put my feet on him at night.
15. I love when he puts his hand on my arm during the night.
16. I love that he calls random people when he travels. People from our past, usually older ladies.
17. I love that he takes good care of his mom and mamaw.
18. He is funny....
19. He loves his Blackberry and his computer.
20. He encourages our family to be our best.
21. I am grateful that he works so hard for our family.
22. He wants to get out of debt.
23. He sends Alex random notes and emails just to let him know he loves him.
24. He does lots of random acts of kindness, often without telling even me.
25. He is good to find others needs and help out.
26. In the hotel he lays his toiletries out on a wash clothe very neatly and organized.
27. He cries at movies.
28. He is tells his sons he loves them, very often.
29. He appreciates me and what I do for our family.
30. He tells our family that (#29) all the time.
31. It freaks him out that our s are growing up and all that includes.
32. He is 6 years older than me!
33. He quit drinking coke. Seems like a hard thing to do.
34. He has overcome some really tough things.
35. I love when we work together on a project and really connect over it.
36. He loves to work in the yard...and even though it doesn't look like it now, he finds great pleasure in it.
37. He loves his truck that is my age.
38. He was 38 when Lily was born and that is how old I am now......glad we don't have a baby when I am 38.
39. I love when he comes home for the day.
40. I love when he works from home and we are together all day long with no kids around.
41. I love when he does thoughtful things for me.
42. He likes to dress neatly.
43. He brings his own clothes to the cleaners, now. Little thing, I know, but.......
44. He likes to hold my hand. Last time we were in church in Winnfield with my mom we held hands during sacrament meeting and the s were sitting with my mom on the stand so we talked and laughed a little during the meeting. Vicki, a lady I have know there my whole life, came over after the meeting and asked how long we had been married and said we were "gagging" her with our sweetness. Last Sunday when I was there she asked me where he was and said she missed us being "all over each other". We weren't all over each other, but.....he does like to hold my hand, and I like him to hold it.

Happy 44th Zack--------I love you!!!

Birthday Events

2009-02-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Well, Zack's birthday was yesterday. Yep, he is 44 years old. Wow, I just can't imaging where the years have gone. We have been married almost 20 years, now. Unbelievable. To celebrate...and hide the fact that I didn't get him anything....I tagged along with him to Houston on a business trip he already had planned. We got a late start and stopped in Beaumont at Tokyo of Japan for sushi. Yummy! Then on into Houston. This morning Zack drove me to the temple to do a session and then meet the kids who were there on our annual Mardi Gras temple trip. It was wonderful. I have never done a session strictly by myself, but I really enjoyed it. I thought about how nice it would be to be able to go once a week. Maybe one day in another season of my life. I am excited to go to the temple soon with Alex and texted him that earlier today, to which he responded, "I'm pumped". It was very satisfying to be there in the temple with Taylor, Mary Catherine, and Sarah Beth. They have wonderful spirits and strong testimonies. I am so grateful for that. Not to mention how very cute they are!!!
Funny story....Taylor spent the night here at the house with Bryce Anderson. MC and SB stayed at the Newton's. So, last night President Newton was asking me if I thought that Taylor could wake up in time to meet at Kroger this morning. I was so sure that he could and would be fine. Oh, YES, I told him. No worries. So, last night I lectured Taylor on all the things he needed to be sure and take care of that night. Lock the door, set your phone on loud, keep it near you.....etc. Usual things when mom is not home. So, Taylor didn't really want to take time to listen to me. He could handle it.....no prob, right? Well, this morning Sarah Beth calls me at 5:45 saying that they couldn't get Taylor to answer the phone. Ok, ok, go ahead and get ready and Daddy and I will keep calling. So, we call and call and call. No answer. Then suddenly Taylor answers the house phone and says that President Newton had to come over and wake them up. According to President Newton, he let himself into the house (no locked door!!!--I know Lisa, scary, right!) to find 6'2" Taylor asleep on the 4' ottoman in front of the TV with ESPN blaring! Lights on everywhere. So Taylor jumps up to go wake up Bryce. This all occurred at 6:15 and Taylor and Bryce arrived at the Kroger at 6:35. Taylor was right to say, "Good thing I took a shower last night"--and that Daddy brought your shirts to the cleaners and they were ready for you!

"I'm getting really excited about going on my mission"

2009-02-19T04:21:00.000-08:00

How can those nine words make my heart sing? I called Alex last night to check up. He was so happy and excited. He was waiting for his dorm room to be inspected and was just as upbeat as he could be. So I asked him what was going on. He told me that that day he went to the MTC with a friend from here, Deneka Mahana, to see another friend, Lake Alvis, into the MTC. He said it was so cool. He was the last one to hug Lake before he went into the MTC. I called Sheila last night to tell her the details....as much as I had been given:) Anyway, Alex went on to tell me how he had some really great experiences lately that made him so excited to go. The MTC was one. Another was in his religion class the professor bore his testimony about prophets for the entire class period. Alex said it was awesome. And then in his Mission Prep class they practiced teaching a discussion. He liked that, too. I guess all these experiences have really helped to light his fire. He seems to be growing. Wow........sure does make it all worth it. And while I know that there is an awful lot this

AND this

going on out there at BYU, I think things are moving along really well. Please pray that we can get these papers filled out and get this boy on a mission in the next couple of months!!!

Breakfast Pockets

2009-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have been reading many blogs about having a "cooking day" set aside to put many meals or at least parts of meals up in the freezer. I am very interested in trying this. I think I will start this week on Thursday. This is the first thing I will try. I looks awesome and I know my kids would LOVE it. I think I could do it with pepperoni for hot pockets, too. Let me know if you have any more ideas for freezer meals. Anything you have tried that I should try, too. I have been thinking of muffins, but we eat them so quickly when they are fresh from the oven!

These Homemade Breakfast Hot Pockets are a great "Baking Day" project. Take the time to make these on an afternoon or morning while you will be home. These take a couple of hours from start to finish to make, but they can be frozen and will provide a hearty breakfast for your family for a while.

If you do not have time to make your own dough you can use refrigerated bread dough, but your hot pockets will not be quite as large. Or, you could also substitute crescent rolls and make them in to "breakfast in a blanket".

Dough Ingredients:
9 cups flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks melted butter

Put 9 cups flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center.

In a separate bowl beat 4 eggs, than add 1/2 cup sugar and 4 1/2 tsp. yeast.

In another bowl, scald 1 1/2 cups milk in microwave for 3 minutes. Then add 1 1/2 cups water. Add this mixture to the egg mixture. Stir in 1 tsp. salt. Mix all ingredients well.

Pour this mixture into the well of flour in the large bowl. Do not stir. Put lid on and let sit for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, add 2 sticks of melted butter and mix well.

Cover and let sit for 1 hour. Now that your dough is made you are ready to make hot pockets.

Egg Mixture:
12 eggs
2 Tbs. butter
1 roll of breakfast sausage
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 half onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped

While you are waiting on the dough you can be making the breakfast mixture. Using butter or margarine, scramble 12 eggs over a skillet. In another skillet, cook and crumble 1 roll of breakfast sausage.

In another bowl combine scrambled eggs, sausage, onion, bell pepper, and cheddar cheese.

To Make the Hot Pockets:

Pull off a round of dough about the size of a baseball and flatten on counter. Place about 1/2 cup of mixture in the middle of the hot pocket (or about 1/4 cup if you are using crescent rolls). Bring opposite sides together and pinch together. Then do the same with the other two sides.

Place onto a greased cookie sheet, or baking stone. Let rise for 30-40 minutes and then bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

Now, all your prep work and cooking are done! Once these are baked and cooled, you can freeze your hot pockets. When you are ready to eat them, just pop them in the microwave until warm.

This recipe yields 30-36 hot pockets, depending upon how large you make them.

What day is it?

2009-02-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

So, in preparation for some dental work I had done today, I took 3 benadryl! I know! One knocks me flat on my back, but I was really nervous. The doctor offered valium, but I thought that benadryl would be safer. So, needless to say I have been asleep ALL afternoon much to the frustration of my children. Apparently they tried several times to talk to me and I would shoo them away. One time I loudly said, "Powerade!!!". Yeah, I'm not really sure, but I kind of vaguely remember dreaming something and it was fairly appropriate. On the upside, though, it worked. I was fairly relaxed during the procedure and only a little more to go till my mouth is as good as new!

2009-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago on Martin Luther King Day I invited myself with my s and Paige to go to Andrea's house at Swamp Surburbia to horseback ride. Lily has had a long time love of horses and was so excited to see some up close. Andrea let each of the s take a turn riding and even let them run.......a little! The wind was really blowing that day. It was really nice out. Of course, my s were a little afraid of the DOGS out there, but weren't afraid of the big horses at all.

Emma and Paige had fun climbing on the fences and riding. They played with Andrea's baby and watched the goat playing around.

But, Lily was all about the horses. She fed them carrots, helped give them their feed, and patted them over and over. I don't know what it is about horses. She just loves them. She remembers all of their names and tells me what each of them like and don't like.