Story Of My Life

*UP*

We took the kids to see the movie "Up" today!  It was sweet, smart, and funny!!!  I cried.  I am continually blown away at the talented group of people that work for Pixar!  Their creativity has no bounds.  I can just imagine them sitting around bouncing ideas off of each other, acting like kids, and feeling the adrenaline rush that comes from a superbly great idea!  I am amazed at the awesomeness of their creativity.  It makes me smile:)  If you want to see a great "adventure" head to the movie "Up"!  It rocks!

*Memories*

I came across this picture from August 2005.  I cried.  My sweet little ones are going up too fast.  Way, way too fast.   They are my heart...my soul...my life!  

*What's Up?*

Right now, for me?  Let's make a list shall we?

• I have a cold sore the size of Texas on my lip!  It's only the second time I've had one in my life and it is painful.  The entire left side of my face is tingling and weird!  I am not a pretty sight.
• The final countdown begins for summer vacation!  The kids and I can't wait!  We are really looking forward to some R & R! 
• End of the school year projects include: making 52 journals, making a scrapbook for the PTO President, end of the year DVD for 5th grade, helping to decorate the District bulletin board, last Scrip order (it's my final one!!), field day for 1st grade, end of the year teacher & staff gift, and final PTO meeting.
• Exercising and dieting...again...to prepare for some fun summer time activities (Hawaii??).  
• A trip to Disneyland & California Adventure NEED to happen in the next week (We finally broke down and bought annual passes, so we should probably use them, right)! 
• Advertising for 4th of July Flag Rising Ceremony for the Stake! 
• Planning Summer's 11'th Birthday Party! 
• Finishing Summer's School Album from Kinder to 5th grade! 
• Father's Day! 
• Girls Night Out to celebrate summertime birthday's! 
• Planting & Fixing up the backyard!  
• Ordering and installing new carpet. 
• Fixing the paint in the house...big, big task!  I do not like painting! 
• Planning Mom's 60th Birthday (I'll be calling/emailing everyone about this one, so please be thinking of some ideas!)  
• Stake Conference Booklets. 
• Vallen's 40th!! 
• Planning a family vacation!  

Need I say more?   Life is busy.  I really do love every minute of it!  I just wish there was more time in a day to accomplish it all.  The kids are doing great!  Vallen is doing great!  We are ready for the summer to begin!  Good times:) 
  

**Summer Loves to...**

It's teacher appreciation week for our school.  Each day the kids are assigned to bring in an item.  Monday was a flower; Tuesday was a thank you note; Wednesday is a special sweet treat; Thursday is a school supply for the classroom; and on Friday they present a memory gift and have a little party!  It's really fun and the teacher's get pampered...they deserve it!  If I haven't said so before our school is awesome!  It really feels like a private school.  The teachers are fabulous.  The PTO and community support is amazing!  I am happy to celebrate the wonderful teachers at our school, it's the least we can do with all the time, effort, patience, kindness, and dedication they have.  This year is particularly sad because of the budget cuts.  We have 12 teachers that will be leaving our school at the end of the year, that's almost half of the staff!!  It will be a very, very sad day.

Anyway, Summer was asked to create a scrapbook page for her teacher's memory book about the things she loves to do most.  We took the following photos:

 

Summer LOVES to:

• Cook!  She loves to cook! It's a talent!! She makes cookies, chocolate-chip pumpkin bread, Scandinavian pancakes, and smoothies! She is great at following recipes and is constantly looking for new ones in The Friend!  
• Play the piano!  She is quite the pianist!  She has even played  "Popcorn Popping" and "Book of Mormon Stories" in Primary.  We love to hear her play!  It fills our home with such a sweet spirit! 
• Read!  I can not tell you how thrilled I am that Summer loves to read!  It's a favorite past time and she can cruise through a book in a day!  Her room is filled with books she loves!  At night when I tuck her in she has not less than 5 books stacked on her night stand!  She joined a Book Club at school and LOVES it!  She has even recommended books for me to read!  We have decided to start our own Book Club over the summer time:)   I can't wait!
• Listen to her IPOD!  She loves music!  She can be heard singing along to High School Musical, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, Journey, and Taylor Swift!  "She hears Music wherever she goes!"   
• Emailing her friends!  This is new!  A true sign that she is getting older!   

Doesn't she look gorgeous!  A true beauty, both inside and out!  I love Summer for so many reasons, too many to list, but here are my top 5:

• I love Summer's sweet testimony of the gospel and how she wants to always choose the right. 
• I love how she is a good friend to others! 
• I love how committed she is to being modest in her dress! 
• I love that she wants to grow up and go to BYU and be a Mom!  I am amazed that at the age of 10 (almost 11) she has the commitment, motivation, and drive to achieve all her hopes and dreams!
• I love Summer because she is a true gift to our family with her sweet smile, her strength to do right, her love to be the best person possible, and her desire to have a happy life! 

Summer is a fabulous girl and a fantastic daughter!  I can not believe she will be heading to middle school next year.  I can remember, like it was yesterday, when I would hold her in my arms as she napped!  I love being her Mom!  I'm excited for the potential her future holds!  I love you Summer Daye! 
  
  

**Happy Mom's Day & Other Stuff**

It's Mom's Day!  Have a great one to all the Mom's out there!  Love you!

Today has been a great day!  My hubby is awesome to me and so are my sweet kids!  They gave me some amazing cards, bouquet of flowers, balloons, mentos & a pen (Summer's finds), a Mom's Day poster, homemade notepad & basket of coupons, and a new pink Ipod Nano!  

We had Earth Day on April 22nd.  The kids school celebrated by having an art show where they created nature items from recycled trash.  The kids got really creative and with our help made a flower and a snake!  

Leadership meeting was this Thursday!  It went wonderfully!  I believe everyone enjoyed themselves!  I can say that for me it was a Spirit filled night.  I enjoyed giving my message and sharing my thoughts about magnifying our callings and creating unity within our presidencies.  Here is my talk: Download Brighten The Corner Where You Are (just in case you are so bored you need a little light reading).  Our theme was based on this poem titled "Brighten The Corner Where You Are!" Download LEADERSHIP Brighten The Corner Where You Are  Once again I appreciate and love the women I serve with, they are amazing!  I am so blessed to call them my friends and sisters in the gospel!  Love ya ladies!

NEXT!!  Lots of things on my to-do lists...life keeps moving and I am so, so thankful for that:) 

Hugs!

*Ciria is Famous!*

Just kidding!  Ciria ran into some of our favorite bloggers at Women's Conference this weekend! Go here to see her picture!  Fun times!!!