Father and Son Campout

FIRE.

That is what it was all about. Mostly it was keeping the little boys out of it! My boys (Daniel and William . . . Henry is a little too young) were so excited to have this special boy/man trip. This was William's first time camping, ever! He LOVED it! I allowed Daniel to take my camera so this was the campout according to him . . .

William enjoyed sleeping in the tent, but he got pretty cold (it was in the 30's up in the mountains).  He had a pretty lame sleeping bag. So in the middle of the night he got in Daddy's nice and cozy sleeping bag to stay warm. 

 Friends!

 FIRE

 T-Diddy and crew

 Boys of all ages

 This is a cute picture of Matt, don't ya think Rachelle? Nice eyes . . .

 Dan. Mr. Eagle Scout. Awesome. 

 Setting up the tent

 William lovin it! Dirt, sticks, fire -- yeah! 

 Corbin striking a pose . . .

 They gathered and had a quick lesson/talk about the priesthood

 Gathering

 More Fire

 BIG FIRE

 Charles said it was really hard to keep all the boys out of the fire, there were some pretty young kids there. It was also hard to keep them from throwing things into the fire! Food, cups, hats . . . 

William lovin his Smore . . . yummy.

 Some of the guys carpooled to the campground, leaving from our house. They were all set to go and when Brother Nakaya showed up, all the little boys wanted to ride in his truck (pictured below). Apparently what you drive makes you cool -- or not. :-) 

 Unfortunately, Daniel spent too much time next to the fire and he has been sick/coughing ever since. Poor guy. 

 They all loved it . . . but they returned home REALLY early on Saturday morning. I am guessing it was a little too hard to keep the small boys out of the fire! Good thing the moms weren't there! (I am sure we all would have been freaking out, from what I was told.)  No one got hurt though (thanks to the moms praying from home, I am sure!!) Glad they had fun! 

School Program Prep

 The kids have a school program tomorrow . . . it should be entertaining. 

It is about music through time. My kids are doing 50's and 60's.

I showed Daniel a clip from the movie Grease and he decided he wanted to look like John Travolta. I was struggling with Sammi's outfit. Last night (yeah, just in time!), I found one of her dresses, I turned it inside-out, and it worked perfectly! (Yeah, I am a genius.) At least that is what Sammi kept telling me -- she was very happy about it. :-) 

I look forward to the show! The kids have been singing and dancing all over the house. Let the love of music continue! 

(The sunglasses are part of the required costume.)

 Daniel showing off his muscles . . . 

 Let's DANCE! 

 Guess what happened next . . . yup, he dropped her. 

 William wanted to be part of it, too! Love the "peace" signs. 

 Yeah, we are awesome.

 Should be fun! Hope to get some more pictures tomorrow!

I LOVE having older kids . . . here comes the FUN STUFF!!

She Put the Music in Me

by LDS artist Calee Reed

I'm a little late with a Mother's day message, mostly because I have spent my time doing "motherly duties" like not sleeping, and feeding the baby. Oh, sleep . . . how I took you for granted. Oh, how I miss you!!!

I came across this video today and I thought it was beautiful, and the perfect message for my mother . . . WATCH IT!! 

It is WORTH it!

My mother "put the music in me" too.

Every Sunday night we would gather together around my mother and her amazing piano hands, and we would sing. We would sing everything from Church music to Broadway hits. My father would sit in a comfy chair, with a book, and listen -- smiling with delight. We ALL sang. Every one of us. It was not really an option to sit it out. It was family music time. A must, a tradition, a "magic," that bonded our family together -- and still does.

As I have gotten older, I realize how special that time was. I thought it was what every family did -- music time with mama. But no, it was unique. I was lucky. And my mother was the maker of the magic (and still is!).

I feel so blessed to have a mother who would always take the time to play for us, and with us. If I wanted to sing, she would often get up from whatever task she was doing, and come and play for me. I thought that was what she was there for, what she existed for -- my own personal pianist. She never made it seem otherwise.

There were many days and nights my mother spent playing for friends, family, church members . . . anyone and everyone. Who do you ask to play the piano? You ask Sally (my mother), of course! She always made it seem like she loved it, like it was a joy for her to play for you, a pleasure, rather than a chore. SO many people would gather around the piano in our home . . . my mind starts spinning when I think about how many times she has accompanied others. She was also the organist in our ward for years and years, without it ever being her "official" calling. But she is just one of those ladies . . . you know the type. The kind of lady who you can count on, to just do it, and smile.

Music is a gift from God. Life would be rather boring without it. I am so grateful that God "put the music in my mother" so she could bless the lives of so many. What a blessing she has been to hundreds, even thousands of people because of her great gift.

I love you my marvelous Mama.

Thanks for the Music. Thanks for the Magic.


(I can't wait for you to bring your piano to our home, and create even more magic moments!)

Home For Rent

Home Sweet Home

We are renting out our home in SE Boise. It is available now. 

If you know anyone who might be interested contact me at: 

mari4u@hotmail.com for more information! 

• 2 beds
• 1 bath 
• 932 SQFT
• Fully fenced backyard
• Pergo throughout
• New interior paint
• New bath/shower
• New fence
• Washer and dryer included
• Updated kitchen
• Garage with remote
• Private backyard
• Movie projector/screen
• Surround sound speakers 

The backyard has a beautiful view of the foothills, and an open view of the sky. Brand new fencing. Perfect for entertaining, or relaxing. 

 The kitchen has ample counter space, with lovely travertine tile. All appliances included. 

 The dining area opens into the backyard with a brand new slider door. 

The living room is cozy and perfect for movie nights with the projector and screen. Surround sound speakers included. 

Living Room 

 Hallway

Updated bathroom, brand new tub

 Master bedroom includes walk-in closet and ceiling fan

 2nd Bedroom/Office

 Back neighbors are on over and acre, so the backyard is very private and open . . . with great views! 

The open sky view provides perfect opportunities for star gazing/weather watching!

Please contact me for more information! Thanks! 

Look out Ladies

Only 7 more years . . . and this guy can date!!

Dan the Man is 9! 

(I was in the hospital for his birthday, April 25th.) 

Happy Birthday Dude!

Sir Poops-A-Lot

"Are you poopy??"

The answer is always . . . 

YES!!!

Poop. Poop. Poop. 

Good thing he is . . .

Cute. Cute. Cute.

I love being Mormon!

Charity usually shows up in the form of food, glorious food! (My favorite!) 

The Relief Society in our new ward is bringing us food this week. (A perk of giving birth, lots of love is sent your way!) Yesterday, 3 different women came and brought lots of yummy things to eat. My heart was full to the brim. We have also had meals brought to us by people from our old ward. (I was gone, so I did not get pictures!) I am overwhelmed with gratitude. It always amazes me how giving and loving people are. 

I have had other people offer to bring dinners. For those of you who are just dying to bring over something (Melissa, Rachelle) -- next week would be super! I will accept food with open arms. :-) Just e-mail me if you can't live with yourself until you have brought offerings my way . . . I will not answer the phone (see post below).

e-mail: mari4u@hotmail.com. 

There have been so many acts of kindness that I can never repay. Beautiful blankets, and clothes, gifts, balloons, chocolates, chocolate-covered raisins, yummy breakfasts, dinners, helping repair/update our rental house, babysitting my children . . . you know who you are, and I know who you are. I am SO grateful for the love that has been shown to me and my family. I am far from worthy of such love, but I am so very grateful. Thank you. 

Thank you SO MUCH!!! 

iPhone

Hooray for iPhones!

I just wanted to say how grateful I have been for my phone in the last couple of months. For years I have gone without a cell phone -- no big deal, since I rarely answer my land-line anyway. (Yeah, friends/family, I know you are laughing . . . I should say, I NEVER answer my phone.) But in the last few months, life has been a little busier than normal, and I have been driving to-and-fro, all over town. I have had tons of appointments and places to go and having my phone made me feel a little more "safe." I especially loved having it when I was pregnant, just in case. 

 Just a few things I used/use my iPhone for: 

• Texting Charles on a regular basis, love it! 
• Sending e-mails
• Taking photos of anything I see, then e-mailing them directly to my mother moments later. That came in handy at the hospital
• Facetime. I Facetimed with my parents before and after giving birth. I could have kept it on during the birth, but that would have been nasty. :-) 
• Phone and voicemail. I have had so many phone calls my voicemail box was FULL. From doctors, nurses, insurance, pharmacies, labs, family, friends, school, church, well-wishers, etc. The messages started pilling up. Sorry if I have not gotten back to you -- it has been NUTTY! 
• They used my cell to call me for breastfeeding time at the hospital. It would ring every hour and a half. I need to change my ringtone -- it makes me jumpy now. 
• Pictures, pictures, pictures! All of the images from the hospital post below were taken from my phone . . . it is just SO EASY to snap an image and e-mail it. AWESOME! 
• Scriptures. I can read them anytime, anywhere. 
• The Internet with me ALL the time. If I am waiting for the kids in the car after school, I can look up a recipe, check the weather, go through e-mails, check my favorite blogs, and catch-up on the news. It is WAY too handy . . . I think I am becoming addicted. 

I went so long without a cell phone, and I thought nothing of it. But now, if you took my phone from me . . . 

I think I would FREAK!