Kynlee & Tanner Jumpin' Away

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Kids Are Hilarious...

Chandler told me last night that this is what he does to all the girls in his class at school; (he said it like he thought he was way cool and it made the girls think he was Mr. Wonderful) but not Roslynn because that's who he really likes and he would be far too embarrassed. -LOL Gotta love all those missing teeth...

Sydnee's Violin Recital & Kids Bustin' a Move to Ma Ya Hi

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*Don't forget to first scroll down to the bottom of the page and pause the music before watching the video.

A Violinist in the Making~

Sydnee was so excited for her violin recital last night, she practiced really hard and did a great job. We are very proud of her!

Sydnee with her two Grandmas at dinner afterwards.

Sydnee & Great Grandma Elli


Sydnee's been needing and wanting a music stand for a long time now, so Andres & I and my parents gave her this awesome music stand and Andres' parents gave her a cool pair of Heely's shoes, which she has also been wanting forever. To sum it all up, she had a great night and was very thankful for the beautiful flowers and gifts she was given.
Way to go Sydnee!

GiRLfRiEnDs~

Truly GREAT friends are HARD to FIND, difficult to leave, and IMPOSSIBLE to FORGET. -G. Randolf

I was so fortunate to have a spur of the moment evenings time to spend with my best friend who came to Utah for her Grandpa's funeral a few weeks ago. Since moving to Iowa, this has been the kind of meetings we've become accustomed to with her quick visits back to Utah and I wouldn't trade them for anything. She call's and says I'm coming, and it's like the fire drill STOP, DROP & ROLL! Gladly & without hesitation... I STOP at any hour, DROP everything & ROLL as fast as I can to see her.

-Puppy Love-

Pigwit is Tanner's little buddy while the older kids are gone at school all day. First thing in the morning Tanner waits at the door with leash in hand to capture her when we let her back in the house from potty time. This way he guarentees himself permanent companionship and playmate for the day. It's so funny... he walks her around the house in McKynlee's little grocery basket, hooks her onto something where ever he's playing, makes her cozy beds and cuddles up to her, and the funniest thing is when he takes her to my room to watch a movie, he's up on the bed with leash in hand of course and Pigwit's not allowed on my bed so she's down on the floor next to the bed with the leash string going from him down to her.

New Year's Eve

Being silly at the strike of twelve... Chandler & Sydnee were the only kids to stay awake for the traditional celebration of banging on pans and shooting off confetti poppers!

Family Night & A Busy Week Ahead..

We made some yummy sugar cookies and played games for FHE tonight. Last night was our monthly FHE with the whole Sosa Family, so we skipped the lesson tonight and went straight for the activity and treats! The games we played were Leapin' Frogs & Perfection. I could hardly wait to play Perfection. I remember playing that game when I was little in the basement of my parents house. I loved it. We got it for Christmas this year and hadn't pulled it out to play yet. It brought us lots of laughter!

Busy week ahead... Taking down Christmas stuff FINALLY. I know, can you believe it? I don't know what's gotten into me this year, usually it's down no later than the 1-2 of Jan. I'm hosting bunko at my house Wed. night and don't want to greet everyone with "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" when they come in, so it's coming down. Once all that's taken care of, I gotta decorate for Valentines. Sydnee has her violin recital on Thursday and mandatory dance practices for an upcoming performance next week. Homework, three science projects to come up with, scouts, piano, gymnastics, errands to run, etc...

You know how it goes~

What a day..

I awoke this morning to a winter wonderland blizzard out, and feeling ready for the new day and to accomplish many things I need to get done. Soon after getting all the kids off to school, the phone rang and it was my Mom. She was calling to tell me that my Dad had been told that he has prostate cancer. For that I was not prepared... but are we ever? I knew that he had recently had a biopsy taken and I kind of had a feeling; but I was hoping for the best. A sudden sadness swept over me.

I was amazed by my Mom's calmness and strength, although I'm sure she was very worried inside. I prayed that she would comforted. She said that they would be going to an appointment later today to discuss the specifics and available options. I prayed of course for the best possible outcome. That it would be removable/treatable and that my Dad's time on earth would be preserved with quality of life. Sure he has his faults; but overall he is a great man with many exceptional qualities and much wisdom that I so want my children and even myself to continue to learn from as the years go by. I'd like to see my parents have more time together here with their children and their grandchildren, and to cultivate their own relationship too. Of course, I recognize that these are all "my" wants & by the Lord's will, things will be done. So I prayed for strengthened faith and understanding & trust in Him. While I still had hope in my heart for the things which I prayed for.

The day went on and finally I received a call from my Dad. He was very optimistic and cheerful, as usual.. and said that everything was going to be fine. They found only a tiny spec of it and he is scheduled to have it removed in April. His exact words were, "Yah I told 'em, Well why wait... Let's just get in there, cut it out & throw it away!" Because the doctor told him that it was so small that it may never escalate into anything for 10 years, so one of his options was to just wait and have regular check-ups every 90 days. That's my Dad, he's always able to add a little good humor into any situation.

So at the end of this wintery day, I must say... We are blessed and our prayers have been answered!

My Main Goal for 2008~

I often find myself setting extremely high expectations for myself and I am my own worst critic. Therefore, when I feel like I'm not doing just that... I start to find myself discouraged. I was looking through some old books that I'd already read and found this statement by President Gordon B. Hinkley and decided that this is what I'm going to strive to live by this new year:

"Rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know how. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass."

And to anyone else who tends to feels this way sometimes, I hope this thought will insprire you too!

Out With the Old... In With the New..

Things To Remember 2007

-Good Health.

-Our annual St. George trip to see Grandma & Grandpa Oxley, Presidents Day Weekend.

-My trip to Iowa & Kansas to visit with Kim & Sherry.

-Fun bunko nights with great friends.

-Mom & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary.

-Mother's Retreats in Driggs, ID.

-Our annual 4th of July culdesac party.

-McKynlee's 7th surgery for the year that finally succeeded with a miraculous doctor in Philidelphia, PA.

-Marcus & Chandler's baptism.

-Megan & Jake's wedding.

-My annual birthday slumber party.

-Zion River Resort, Fall camping trip with friends & family.

-Platinum Mexican Riviera Cruise.

Things To Forget 2007

-McKynlee's 6 surgeries in a 3 months period that kept failing.

Things To Look Forward To 2008

-Potty training Tanner.

-McKynlee's next surgery back in Philidelphia, PA.

-Taylor & Alisha's wedding.

-The birth of Amber's new baby.

-Establishing new traditions.

-Cultivating a friendship.

-Warm summer nights.

-Camping in Southern Utah.

-Mother's Retreats in Driggs, ID.

-The gorgeous pink blossoms on the tree outside Sydnee & McKynlee's window.

-Planting my flower pots and gardening in the yard.

-Getting gritty to decorate for Halloween.

-A trip to see Sherry & her family in the Fall.

-Voting for and finding out who our next President will be.

-A hopeful 1st year success for Andres' new business.

~Christmas Morn'

As Christmas comes, let it be a time that lights the eyes
of children and puts laughter on their lips.
-Elder Richard L. Evans

Pigwit's taking a peek at Tanner's stocking goodies

Santa always leaves the kids an orange in their stockings to help remind them of the great Christmas story of the orange and the power in giving of oneself.

Marcus gave us this calendar that he made at school

*Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa*

As we think of Christmases past and the joy of this Christmas, may we savor and perpetuate the Christmas traditions which express our endearment and love to each other.
-President James E. Faust