England Day 1

Mike and me just prior to taking off from the Vegas air port...............(Mom and Kent behind us)

Mike and me just prior to landing in London.....hmmm, maybe it was a long flight.

After arriving in London we took the train..excuse me, I mean the Tube to our hotel. We were given a bit of wrong information and ended up having to lug our luggage about half a mile from our stop to our hotel. (what good is luggage if you don't lug it around a bit?)....(ps for some reason, everything I am writing sounding like an English accent in my head.) I didn't mind the walk one bit. In fact, I was glad for it. (after sitting for a long time!) The weather was mild and I got my first taste of "London living". We were amazed at the quaint neighborhoods and cool old buildings. We passed an awesome cemetery which Mike and I would later come back and explore.

Although we were going on 24 hours with little/no sleep...we were giddy to get our and explore. We had our first meal at a fish and chips restaurant around the corner. Then Mike and I split up from the group and headed back to the cemetery. (Jill's thoughts:..."I want to hear more British accents..."It sure seems like there are a LOT of nationalities represented in London"...."Man, I look like a tourist...perhaps it's because I have dangling earrings on and color in my wardrobe"...."Wow, London is SO cool! I want to marry it!".....)

Once we arrived at the cemetery, Mike and I were as giddy as two little school girls..and boys. (maybe even a bit irreverently so..) I kept getting waves of joy and I think the reason we were so excited is because the cemetery represented all the things I wanted London to be....green,.. old,.. mysterious,.. over grown, and quaint..( I think I might be using that word a lot while describing England...you were right John H!) It was also amazing because it was right in the middle of the city. I love all the history here!
These chunky little squirrel must be VERY use to humans. If I had something to give this little guy, he would have taken it right out of my hands.

After we got home we deliriously called the kids and then went to bed! 28 hours is too long to go with out sleep!...hmm...now that I think about it, maybe this squirrel was just an exhausted hallucination...wait, I have a picture.

After a good nights rest...(for me..the rest of the group didn't sleep very well) We got up and headed to our first day tour. Our first stop was Warwick Castle. As expected, these pictures don't accurately depict the majesty of this awesome place. We took this paper from the top of one of the towers. The Castle wrapped around a courtyard and I am one side of it. So cool!

I am about to be kicked off the Internet so I will post this now and do more tomorrow

Testimony

I'd like to bare my testimony...

I know that my love of Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs is true.

I know that they have more peanut butter then the regular Reeses PB cups. Which is why I love them so.

I know that it was wrong of me to pull them out of hiding the second Ellie went to dance and Mike went to work.

I hope they will both forgive me if I offended them.

I know that if I pray really hard, I still won't be able to resist them.

I am sorry that I have no desire to ban them from my life.

....(ok..so now is the time during my testimony when I have the ugly "cry face" and I start fanning my eyes with my hands...it's hard to continue...)

I know....that in just a few short weeks.....they won't be sold in the stores....again....for a year...(sniff..sniff)...I'm sorry....So I am going to take advantage.....(sob)... of the time I have left and eat as many ....as I .....possibly can....

Amen.

Where's my Mommy?

What kind of Mom leaves their baby for 10 days? I keep asking myself this question!!! I am having major guilt/anxiety about this trip to England. I KNOW he will be in very capable hands. I KNOW he won't remember this when he's older. I KNOW I am suppose to be so excited to go,...but all I think about is what little Jack is going to be feeling about my absence. Am I going to ruin him for life? Will his sense of security going out the window? Will he still be the happy baby I know and love when I get back? What will I miss in the time I'm away?

...PS He rolled over today so at least I didn't miss that. :-) Mindy, if you teach him to ride a bike while I'm gone, so help me!....:-)

PSS I am still excited for my trip and for the chance to spend some time with Mike. I know he will be fine...I'll just miss him and my girls tons!!

Little Leprechaun

Each St. Patricks Day, we have a naughty little visitor come to our home. He's been known to turn the milk green, over turn chairs, put rolling pins in the girls school back packs, put peanuts in their shoes, hide diapers (clean ones) in the sleeves of their coats, place pictures upside down, and one year he even turned Ellie's bath water green. This year he out did himself by making the water run green when the girls tried to wash their hands...(after their sticky green pancake breakfast...ok, I'll admit, it was ME who turned the pancakes green.) We always have fun anticipating what the sly little leprechaun will do next! Casie and her ever creative friend Camille, decided they would try to catch some rare footage of the mischievous little guy. If you look closely, you will see him too!

Ring of Fire

So..Adam Lambert is my new hero! That was awesome!!! (if you didn't like it the first time,...watch it again. It gets cooler every time.

PS Tomorrow I am blogging about the leprechaun we spotted today!

We're half way there...

Yes, I love my other kids too...

I know I have been all about the cutie Jack lately, but then it hit me, my other kids are pretty cute too! :-) My friend Jill O. came and took these adorable pictures of my kids. Thanks again Jill!

Annie

What a sweet day when one of your kids gets baptized. Not only was the day wonderful, but the whole week leading up to the actual day was very special. Helping Annie understand her covenants and talking about the gift of Holy Ghost, really strengthened my testimony and brought the Spirit into our home.

It was so fun to see how excited she was on the day of her baptism. We were lucky to be the hosting ward so Annie's Grandma's were able to give the talks. Grandma Madsen gave a talk about Baptism and Grandma Teeples gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Annie and her sisters sang When I am Baptized. She also asked her best friend Sadie and her cousin Eden to bare their testimonies. They did a great job. It was such a wonderful day!

One cute little question she asked before her baptism:

"How long will Dad hold me under the water....like, while he says the prayer?"

Annie's Baptism

Photos and commentary are coming...I just need my mother in law to send me the pictures she took since my camera was out of batteries. :-)

Flash back...Sunday?

Looking at old pictuers.....
Found this one...
Laughed....
Posted.....

Are we dorks?...Don't answer that!

Well, I know that I am not a direct dork, (not smart enough) but I support my husbands dorky behavior and thoughts by punching things into the calculator.

Our past Dorkyisms:
We estimated how long it would take to count to a million. We included potty breaks, eating, and sleeping. I can't remember how long it was though...shoot..now we are going to have to do it again!

Mike always gives me story problems when we are traveling. He makes me figure out things like..." If we are traveling at 75 miles an hour and we need to travel 50 miles, how long will it take us to get there?" Now I know you dorky dorks out there are saying "well...duh..the answer is clearly...blah blahdidy blah blah..." But for me, I need some major fasting and praying to come up with the answer. Mike is determined to help me be better at math, but I think it's bordering on spousal abuse. :-)

Our Currant Dorkyism:
We calculated ( "we" meaning Mike told me what to punch into the calculator) how many unique licence plates the State of Utah could come up with. (using the standard three letters and three numbers combination...none of this RULDS2 business.) It was a simple equation, but for a no-brain like me, I couldn't even come up with HOW to figure it out...let alone actually figure it out! It got me curious and made me want to do my first BLOG GIVE AWAY!! I will send a special "dorky" prize to the first person who comments with the correct answer! May your brain work swiftly and not catch on fire. lol

Spring Fever!!!

I had a hard time posting over Jack's cute little face. Those little eyes seemed to say.."No, Mommy,... I'm too cute...don't do it!" Sorry Jack..I just gotsta, gotsta, say...I LOVED the weather today!! We set up our tramp, scooped dog poop, and hung out outside. It's just a little taste of spring and I'm hungry for more! I want to know what everyone is planning on doing when the weather gets nice. The top of my list is..BIKE RIDING with my family! How about y'all?

Four Months Old!

My friend Jill is an armature photographer who is toying with the idea of going pro. I think she has an amazing talent! Look at these photo's! ( I will take some of the credit for creating such an adorable baby,...and making him smile...but the rest was all her!) I was more than happy to let her "practice" on baby Jack. She is totally reasonably priced (like ridiculously so..) and is looking for some more clients to "practice" on. Let me know in your comments if you want her contact info and I'll email it to you.

Valentines Day

Because Mike was out of town for Kevyns' funeral, he decided to leave us a little surprise for Valentines Day. This is what we woke up to Friday morning. He's such a good and sweet guy! The girls were overjoyed with the breakfast of Marshmallow Maties and pop-tarts AND strawberry milk! He was sweet and rented me two chick flicks!.....(he's smooth..he gets major brownie points for being thoughtful, AND gets out of watching chick movies with me!) My favorite things were the cards. He took time to write something sweet in each of them. I don't want to brag..but I'm pretty sure I have the best husband in the world.

My singing group Voices traveled around on Friday and did "singing Valentines" We made a stop at the girls school and sang them "lollipop". They didn't seem TOO embarrassed. :-)

Kevyns Luthy

Our good friends John and Valerie Luthy lost their son Kevyns last week. I copied his obituary because I thought it was a great description of this amazing kid. At times like this I am so grateful for the plan of Salvation. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who made it possible for families to reunite after death. We love you John and Valerie. Know our prayers and thoughts are with you.

Kevyns passed away Monday, February 9, 2009, while courageously fighting to overcome the last in a series of setbacks following a successful heart transplant in November of 2007. Kevyns was born in Langon, Bordeaux, France. He moved to Utah at the age of five, and to Camden, South Carolina, in 2006 at the age of fifteen. Kevyns' unique medical challenges caused him to think deeply about life and things, leaving him with a mature and guileless spirit. He had a love for simple things: being in the outdoors and nature; fishing and shooting; telling fun stories; Louis L'Amour books; playing with Legos; and spending time with his family. At age twelve, Kevyns represented Utah as its ambassador to the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Kids' Summit. Even with his health challenges, he remained active in the Boy Scouts, ending one merit badge shy of the rank of Life Scout. As a student at Camden High School and ATEC, Kevyns won the love of his classmates and school administrators. He was named as a Class Representative and Student of the Month in the health sciences program. Kevyns was also a friend and favorite of many at MUSC Children's Hospital where he spent much of the last two years of his life. He loved his doctors and nurses and felt safe there, and walked bravely with his surgeon into his heart transplant operation. There he also participated in multiple fundraisers to help other children with health needs, never asking for aid for himself. During his last year, Kevyns became a citizen of the United States of America. He was proud to be and become an American, and even while in intensive care, he thoughtfully exercised his right to vote. Kevyns was a member and honorable Aaronic Priesthood holder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a seminary class student he became a Master Scriptorian. Finally, Kevyns was the loving, trusting son of Corinne Valérie Luthy and John David Luthy, and big brother to Élodie. His simple faith in his family and in a loving Heavenly Father never failed. Sign the online register at http://www.powersfuneralhome.net/.

What's cuter than????

What's cuter than three little girls writing on Valentines for their class?

What's cuter than Daddy helping the kindergartner seal her envelopes with a red heart sticker?

What's cuter than a 2nd grader choosing out a special Valentine for her best friend?

What's cuter than a 5th grader feeling too old for store bought Valentines and opting to do suckers with little tags instead?

Annie is 8!!

My sweet Annie turned eight yesterday!.....

THE FUN PARTS:

* letting all the kids stay home from school

* watching Annie share all her precious new art supplies with her sisters

* seeing how excited Casie and Ellie were for Annie to open her presents

* a fun birthday party at Grandma's house

* Eating lunch at Red Robin

THE NOT SO FUN PART:

* Waiting and waiting at Claires for Annie to decide if she wanted her ears pierced

* Annie really WANTING her ears pierced, but too scared to go through with it

* Watching the sweet birthday girl cry because she didn't get her ears pierced

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:

* Annie found peace in deciding that she would get her ears pierced the day after Ellie's birthday.

We love Annie and are so glad she's in our family. Happy Birthday Annie!!!

Favorite Office lines from lastnight....

"What kind of cake do you want imbecile?"


"If you're trying to hurt my feelings you have succeeded, but luckily my feeling regenerate 3x faster than the average man"... (something like that)


"It is your birthday."

Would you like a spot of tea?...UPDATE!

Sorry, of course everyone would like to know if we are bringing the kids. We decided not to bring them this time. We are even leaving Jack behind...:-( Mike and I both agreed that he would enjoy staying with his doting aunt Mindy, (aka babysitter extraordinaire) more than he would enjoy being dragged around Europe. I am having some anxiety about it, but I keep reminding myself that Mindy is a better/funner/nicer Mom than me. :-) (Just wait, the kids will cry when we come to pick them up) Another thing I didn't mention is that because Mike and I really wanted to seal our position as favorite children, we invited our parents along. Mike's Mom and Dave (her "special friend") and my Mom and Kent are coming along. (Dad and Pam, we will get you in on our next trip :-) All of them are seasoned travelers and we look forward to spending time with them.

We are still in the early planning stages of our trip, but I definitely want to go see Wicked. ( I couldn't get tickets to see it in SLC so I HAVE to go to London!) We will be leaving in about two months from now! Of course I will put plenty of pictures when the time comes. :-)

Would you like a spot of tea?

Mike and I just booked a trip to England! Anyone ever been there? Any suggestions on what we should do? We are both stoked! I am practicing my English Accident..(as Annie would call it. :-)