Through the Years I Have Learned

As Mother's day is approaching and also AJ's graduation from high school I have been doing a lot of thinking. As I look back through the years it is very hard to believe that AJ will be graduating and also turning 18. I can still remember very vividly the day he was born. What a beautiful red headed little baby. I didn't think that I could love another baby as much as I loved Karrilyn and then for him to be a baby boy too...
From the minute I held AJ(Andrew James) for the first time he has been very special to me as all of my children are and I was able to love him as much as Karrilyn.
I remember Mike coming into the hospital after working because I was still there because I had a C section so I was at the hospital longer than most women. Mike wanted to go and check on AJ in the nursery and so he did. He came back bringing AJ with him and told me that when he go to the nursery AJ was in a corner by himself and he was wondering what that baby was doing all by himself so he asked the nurse. She told Mike that that baby had been crying and keeping all of the other babies awake and causing them to fuss also. He went over to see what baby it was that was being put in time out (in a sense) and it was our little AJ.
We have always enjoyed having AJ in our family and when he was little and even know he is known as AJ bear because he is so loving and cuddly. I wish I had a scanner so I could post a picture of him when he was little, what a cutie!!!
One of the many lessons that I have learned through the years of being a mom, is to hold your little ones as much as you can and to love them to pieces because they will be all grown up when you take a minute to blink. Moms with little babies and children, are so often discouraged and frustrated with life of cleaning up messes, feading babies, and it seems that we will never have time in our life for us again, so we wish the time away while they are little and wish they were just a little bigger and before we know it they ARE and we wish they were little and that we could snuggle just once more with them.
I love my children as teenagers, but I would give anything to have them be little babies once again and be able to hold and snuggle with them.
To all you mothers with little ones, don't wish the time away, hold them tight and love every minute of it. They are only little once.

The Grades are In!!!!!

Well, the waiting is finally over. I did pass my College Algebra class. I am so glad to have it over. I didn't know if I would ever get through it. I did have my College Algebra professor call me "Good looking" though among some other things that I probably shouldn't publish. It always makes you feel good when you are my age and someone says those things. Don't worry he is a great guy, but if I was a teacher I don't think I would dare say some of those things that he said. He was an awesome teacher though. I also did well enough to keep my scholarship in my other classes, which is a good thing.
Karrilyn passed all of her classes with a C or better. You have NO idea how happy we are down here in Cedar City. My neighbors can probably still hear the screaming because we are STILL celebrating. Karrilyn has worked SO hard.

College Break! YES!

I can't believe that I finally have a break from school, but it will go by very quickly I am sure. This month will be crazy with all of the band concerts, choir concerts, and awards assemblies, along with seminary graduation for AJ and high school graduation for AJ. AJ is going to graduate on May 22 and the next morning we are leaving for Florida and Disney World. I bet you all wish you could come with us. We are going to be gone for a week and I am sure we will be loving every minute of it.
Summer session of school is going to start while we are gone but I will just have to make it up when I get back. There is no real good time to go on vacation this summer because I am taking classes all summer. I don't know if I will ever graduate but I won't if I don't continue.
Karrilyn and I are still waiting for our grades and waiting and waiting. We are so anxious to know how we really did this semester.
All of the other kids are anxious to get out of school too, but they do have a couple of fun trips to look forward to. AJ is going to SLC this week for choir they have made it to State and they are also going to Lagoon on Saturday, which is crazy because Angela is also going to Lagoon on Saturday with one of her many groups in school. I wish I could go!!!!!
Angela is going to Lagoon again next week and Todd is also going to Lagoon next week for physics day at Lagoon with Success Academy.
I hope they have left some room for amusement parks after Lagoon because we will be hitting the rides at Disney World in a couple of weeks.
I will let you know when we finally have our grades back, hopefully soon. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement through this semester with College Algebra, it has been a nightmare.

Blackhawk Helicopter Ride

Wow! What a ride! Last week I experienced a ride that I have never experienced before, a helicopter ride in a army Blackhawk.
Mike called me last Thursday and asked me if I wanted to go on a Blackhawk helicopter ride. I wasn't sure about this but he encouraged me and encouraged me and I decided to go for it. It was a great experience but I do have to say a little scary. It was so beautiful though, we went over Brianhead Ski Resort and also Cedar Breaks. The ride lasted about thirty minutes. I did get a little queasy when the helicopter dipped and came back up, it felt like the biggest roller coaster that I have ever experienced in my life and that is saying quite a lot.
I am so thankful that Mike encouraged me and is given all of these fun opportunities for both of us. It is so nice to experience a twist in life every now and then.

Pictures to never Forget.....

Here is a different picture of the other cadre or instructors that Mike works with at SUU.

I really like this picture. I think Mike must be having way too much fun, look at the smile.

Spring 08 ROTC Dining Out

Every semester at SUU there is a formal dining out or military ball that the cadets in ROTC

are required to attend to help them to know how to act in certain political functions and to know how their uniform should look in public. It is a nice evening that all the instructors and cadets can bring their wives or dates to. It is fun to dress up and have a special evening to look forward to.

The military dining out in the spring is also a chance to give cadets awards that they have received. Their is also a nice dinner that is catered with a speaker. This year was fun because the cadre(which is the instructors including Mike) made up skits that teased the cadets about different things that they might have done during the semester. The instructors acted out the cadets and made skits about stupid things that the cadets had done. It was hilarious. Usually, it is the other way around, usually the cadets have something to humiliate the instructors about. This is was a nice and fun change.

I always love getting pictures at these occasions because my sweetheart(Mike) looks so awesome all dressed up. I hope you think so.

SUU ROTC Run

Todd thought it was the best day ever. He actually was able to barely beat his dad's time on the 5 K Run. Yeah, we wish AJ could have been able to participate with us.

I bet you can't believe the big SMILE. Yes, Mike loves his job. I guess a plus is it is always nice to work with people that you like.

I guess it is worth it if I get a kiss from you at the finish line.

It's nice to know you still love me even if I am SLOW.

Mike and Todd at the finish line wondering if the rest of us are going to ever finish.

I'm TIRED!!!!!

Here we go another SUU ROTC 5 K Run. This is an annual occurence with ROTC and with Mike teaching ROTC it has become a family tradition. I don't know if we are getting any better or in more shape but it is fun to do as a family.

KEEP GOING!!!!