Life with the Walters

My Missionary Son

2011-09-17T08:18:00.001-07:00

Some Missionary pics of my Boy!

Goodies sent to him in the Provo MTC.
Sportin' the 'stache!

Elder Perkins(comp) and Elder Walters
BEST Volleyball Player Award ...

This volleyball is passed on from the best... to the best. They get to sign their name and put where they are serving their mission. Tylon's name in down in history on the ball.

Beautiful Madrid Spain Temple & Elder Walters

Euros! How Crazy!!!

My Lil Spanish Flag
Sightseeing in Madrid, Spain

Streets of Madrid (they stood out)... Royal Palace in Madrid

Sexy statue in Madrid... ......... City of Madrid

Catholic Church
IN THE FIELD
First baptism in the field...

Elder Lopez (comp), Angelo and Elder Walters

After a LONG day of Missionary Work...

sweaty and a worn hole in the sock!!!

My Missionary with Birthday Wishes

2011-06-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

Tylon's missionary email actually fell on my birthday. Here is a picture he sent while emailing us.

My Grandbabies!!

2011-06-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here are my grandbabies: Kenlee Kay and Tavius Ryan.

Tavius Ryan is Amanda and Jadon's baby boy born May 16th, 2011

Kenlee Kay is Callie and Randon's baby girl born May 25th, 2011

Lil Tavius is not sure here in this picture. Tavius is pretty laid back. Kenlee wants all you attention. They are both sweethearts and are a pleasure to be with.

Can you tell I am a proud Grandma?

Here are the wonderful mothers (they are actually holding each others' babies). Callie with Tavius and Amanda with Kenlee.

Kenlee Kay Walters' Blessing

2011-06-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

My Granddaughter, Kenlee Kay Walters, daughter of Randon and Callie was blessed on Father's Day, June 19th, 2011. She was given a beautiful blessing by her father. We went to Safford to Callie's parents ward for the blessing.

Kenlee is wearing the blessing dress her mother, Callie, wore when she was blessed.

Grandma Again... YAY!

2011-05-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 25th at 6:23pm, a beautiful baby girl, Kenlee Kay, was welcomed into the world by their parents, Randon & Callie.

Although it was a rough time getting here and ending in a C-section by mom, we are so thrilled, SO THRILLED she is finally here (8 days overdue). She weighed in at 7lbs, 11oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

It is so awesome to see your big tough boys become dads and see them gently handle and softly speak to their babies. I can't help but cry.

Beautiful Baby Girl, Lil Miss Kenlee

I am so excited to be a Grandma and so in love with both of those sweet babies!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was truly spoiled on Mother's Day. It was an awesome day filled with family, love, laughter, food and gifts. I did miss my missionary call because he was in the MTC and too many missionaries there with so few phones that none of the missionaries get to call from the MTC.

Krissa and Tylon did make plans in having a gift there for me to open from Tylon.

After opening the gift.

The gift was a build-a-bear that Tylon made, dressed as a missionary. In his paw you push a button that says "Hey Mommy! Goodnight. Sweet dreams and Have a good day tomorrow. I love you and I miss you alot! Smak! (kiss) What an awesome gift made possible with the help from Krissa!

Tylon would come into our room every night and visit with his dad and me. Then, he would come and give me a kiss on the cheek and say Goodnight, I love you, have a good day tomorrow.

Now I can hear that every night he is gone (hopefully it will last 2 years!)

My First Grandbaby!

2011-05-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

My first Grandson! Tavius Ryan Walters came into this world on May 16th, 2011 (his due date) at 2:58pm weighing in at 7 pounds 15 1/2 ounces. He was greeted by his Mom, Amanda and Dad, Jadon. We think he is quite a handsome fellow.

Tavius' first picture

Tavius and dad, Jadon

First time holding Tavius. He is beautiful!

How did this guy fit into his Mom?

Tavius at home with his Grandpa Larry holding him.

Most Handsome Grandson in the world!

Elder Tylon Walters

2011-05-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Elder Tylon Walters called to serve in the Spain Madrid Mission

Elder Walters arrived in Provo, Utah on April 27th, 2011. Jimmy Roberts picked up both Elder Walters and Whitfiled, went to breakfast and then toured Temple Square in SLC. While touring Temple square they ran into (rather ran AFTER) Elder Dallen H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve.

After telling Elder Oaks that they were reporting to the MTC, Elder Oaks gave them some great advice: He told them "Work hard, know who you are and who you represent and that you have been called by a Prophet of God." Elder Walters said it was awesome to hear from an Apostle.

Elder Walters then enter the Provo MTC. He has had an awesome time at the MTC. He has even seen several friends, Elders: Jensen, D'Addabbo, Herrington, Weldon and others.

Elder Walters lives by the motto "Work Hard, Play Hard" This is his work hard studying at his desk in the MTC.

Finally, a picture of Elder Walters pointing to his mission, Madrid Spain, on the famous World Map in the MTC. Elder Walters will be in the Provo MTC for 3 weeks and then fly to Madrid Spain and be in the MTC there for 6 weeks.

Bucket List - Run 10k - Checked off!!

2011-01-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

LONDON'S RUN - Queen Creek 1/29/11

Whew! You hear of a lot of people that had weight loss surgery, or just have lost a lot of weight do marathon's, 10k, 5k... etc. In the back of my mind I always wanted to challenge myself to do that.... well today I did it. I ran/walked a 10k (6.2 miles) in 1 hr 20 mins. I was very pleased with the time. It was a challenge. The dust really kicked up the asthma. I thank Krissa for talking me into it and encouraging me. She ran/walked it too with her friend, Jessica. This is one thing I can now check off my bucket list. WHEW! I DID IT!!!!

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! May this coming year bring much happiness, love and laughter.

We did it... we finally did it! We got family pictures taken. The last family picture we had was 5 years ago and a lot of us has changed. Callie (our wonderful photographer) took our pictures and they turned out awesome! We are a pretty good looking group!

Funny faces! This is hilarious!

The Parents

The Boys

and The Girls

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISSA!!!

2010-12-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

Happy, Happy Birthday, Krissa. I hope you have an awesome day. You have been my right hand mam throughout your life and a true friend. I appreciate you so much. I don't know what I would do without you! I hope this next year is filled with fun, excitement, surprises and lots and lots of laughter.

WE LOVE YOU, BEAUTIFUL!!!

Krissa's picture that she won the Beach Beauty Contest. She's 3 1/2 years old! Such a Cutie!

SPAIN MADRID MISSION

2010-12-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

He got his mission call!!! This was the picture he sent Krissa on his cell phone. The picture says it all... is he excited or what?

He opened it up Friday night so friends and family could be there. Ty and I almost opened it up earlier... for a bonding moment... but we resisted and waited for everyone else.

He was called to the Spain Madrid Mission and leaves for Utah MTC on April 27th. He will stay there for 3 weeks and then go to the MTC in Spain. We are so happy and proud of him. It is going to be SO hard when he is gone but I know it will be worth the sacrifice for him serving the Lord.

Quiet moments for a mom that will miss her baby boy extremely!! Spain is a really far ways away!

Happy 25th Birthday, Zach!

2010-12-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Zach!!

Wow... another year older.... and wiser too!

I love this picture. It is the perfect picture of the All American Boy.... t-shirt, jeans and a black eye. He is carefree and happy. Those 25 years are filled with so many fun memories. You weren't afraid to just have a good time. You have such a fun personality and sense of humor.

I hope you have a great birthday and that you know how much you are loved.

Love ya, Mom

My Missionary Boy!

2010-11-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight after a 'missionary haircut' we took pictures of Tylon to submit a photo with his mission papers. I can't believe it is that time already... where has all the time gone? Is it really time for his mission? I don't know if I am really ready for him to go. This is really, really hard!
Here's my missionary boy!

I'm going to really miss this kid. He always makes me laugh and feel good.
He will be a GREAT missionary!

Too Tired Ty!

2010-11-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

One evening after a very long day for Tylon we were all watching TV and Ty decided to go upstairs to bed (since he fell asleep during the movie anyways). He didn't "quite" make it all the way up the stairs... just the first 5 to the platform. There he laid down and went back to sleep. I could not resist taking pictures!

The stair did work out well for a pillow, I guess. We did eventually get him the rest of the way up and into bed. Plum tuckered out!!

Happy 21st Birthday, Shay!!!

2010-11-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Shaylee. I can't believe you are 21!! Shay's birthday was October 22nd... I am just late in my posting!
For a Mom, it doesn't matter how old the kids get you can still see that little child in their face.

Shay and her friend, Liz

I love you, Shay! We are happy you are in our family!

The Truth is....

2010-11-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Wow... it is Wednesday again... not sure how many truths I have.

* When you work out and then have to go to the bathroom and you use those toilet seat protector papers... ummm... they REALLY stick to your behind when you are sweaty. It is like peeling sunburn or something. Ok.. some times I have missed a piece only to discover it later.

* I obsess about food.

* Sometimes only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich hits the spot.

* I like to savor books. I read a little bit (chapter or so) each night and then look forward to bedtime to read some more.

* For the life of me... I can not tell sizes of clothes, of people... of weight. Can't seem to do it. It is hard to tell if someone has lost or gained weight (unless a drastic amount). I can't look at clothes and tell if it will fit or not. Can't size things up.

I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMA... TWICE!!

2010-10-27T18:53:00.001-07:00

I thought of this whole idea of this whole idea of how I was going to blog about being a grandma. I was going to take a picture of both my daughter-in-laws together, just not feeling good with morning sickness and post it introducing the fact I will be a grandma. Then, when Randon and Callie came down we got so busy playing, etc that we forgot to take the picture... SO... no blogging. I am NOT going to hold off any longer.
I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMA... TWICE!!!

Jadon and Amanda are due May 16th. Randon and Callie are due May 17th. It will be soooo much fun! I hope to be the best grandma! I am a little nervous about that...
My poor daughters-in-law are both really, really sick and I feel so bad for them. The end result will be so worth it. I am so excited for my sons to be Fathers. They will be the best.

the TRUTH is Wednesday

2010-10-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have never played this, so I thought I would try! Let's see if I can come up with some truths, I CAN share!

The TRUTH is:

* I do not like water in my face. It drives me nuts. It feels like hair in the face or a fly flying

around your head... and it also makes me feel afraid to breathe. I will inhale the water up my

nose or something and asperate

* I HATE having my toes scrunched. I hate my socks being tight on my toes. I hate my shoes

scrunching my toes. I hate my toes being confined in any way.

* I am OCD about some things. Like while walking to work, I feel comfortable going a certain

way. While walking to work I have a certain area that I jog... and I just can't seem to talk

myself into just walking it no matter how I feel that day. I would feel bad for not jogging it.

* Chocolate make me happy. Bliss Dark Chocolate and Ferro Roche (?) "Golden Balls"

especially.

* CLE (Crystal Light Energy) drink also makes me happy.

* I am nervous about being a grandma. I want to be a GOOD grandma.

Just a bit of Unique-ness!

2010-07-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist NOT putting these pictures in.

Shaylee is the only one of our kids that has her father's "unique" tongue. We have a picture of her as a baby with it and now as an adult.

I bought this "unique" skirt/dress/pants thing at Goodwill... I thought of using it as a swimsuit cover up but since my kids laughed at me... I figured I wouldn't wear it in public. Tylon tried it on and his M.C. Hammer moves came out. He kept us laughing for a while!

Girls Camp 2010

2010-07-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

Girls Camp Theme 2010: CIA
Courage In Action

The morning of Girls Camp.

This year of Girls Camp I was asked to do Capers. My first thought wasn't to excited... "how fun is it to make sure the girls do their camp chores?" My assistant was Bonny Solheim and Stacey Farr. Bonny was not able to go to camp do to work, so it was Stacey and me up at Girls Camp.

Can I say... WE HAD THE BEST TIME EVER!! This was my favorite and best year
We had the "Golden Plunger Award" and along with it came the Hershey Golden Nuggets with Almonds (and if the girls need to be properly taught in Chocolate eating, I taught and certified them.)

The Girls all worked very hard to win the award... even going as far as washing baseboards in the bathrooms. Stacey and I were known as the "Golden Girls". I was so amazed at the great attitude and hard work the girls put into their chores up at camp.

Skit night consisted of a rap about the word of wisdom. My part was to not "overindulge". I had chocolate all over my face as I was licking my fingers. I look like the joker with the chocolate on my face.

I EAT my words... Capers are AWESOME! Thank you so much to may assistants: Bonny and Stacey, they made it so much fun and easier for me! CAPERS ROCK!

Pedicure and Manicure

2010-07-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

For my birthday present from Krissa she treated me to a pedicure and manicure. We went and got it right before Girls Camp so that we had pretty nails and toes! Camp colors were pink and black. Krissa, Kaylee and I all went and got them done together. I had a wonderful sea salt and hot rock massage... it was the best! Here are our pretty toes and nails!

Krissa's cute toes... OUR cute toes!

Thanks Krissa!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-07-07T13:59:00.001-07:00

Yep, I turned another year older. Those dog-gone birthdays just keep happening! I had a great, relaxing day of being spoiled!

Krissa made a wonderful, rich cheesecake from scratch! Thank you for making my birthday a GREAT one!

Earring and Necklace Holder

2010-07-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

After a fun shopping trip and finding lots of fun matching necklaces and earrings, I needed a place to keep them together. I am all about organization. I thought up and designed this holder and had Larry make it. He was great in just jumping right in and carrying the design out. I am so pleased with how it turned out and it is a great help to me. (Before my earrings were just all kept in one long box... mixed up and necklaces just on one hook.) Thanks, Larry, for making this for me!

Yes.... notice the color grouping... I am a little OCD about things.

Happy Father's Day, Lar!

2010-07-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day! You have always been a great father and parental partner to me and the family. Thank you for all your sacrifices and help that you give to us.

I love you!

Happy Birthday, Larmo!

2010-06-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Larry! We won't tell how old you are but you have probably lived over half your life so far. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father provided you for me. You make me happy. You are my best friend and I love spending time with you. I hope you had a nice birthday, even though you have been sick. Know that you are very loved by me and family.

I love you!

Awards and Scholarships

2010-05-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

Top Twenty Seniors from Skyline High School

Tylon Walters ranked #14 (out of 511 students) with a GPA of 4.053

He received the Arizona State University Provost's Scholarship of $30,000 (paid over 4 years, which is $7,500 per year).

He also got the Linda Bartlett Scholarship. Linda Bartlett was a math teacher that taught at Skyline High school and passed away 2-3 years ago. Tylon was one of six that received her scholarship (undisclosed amount right now, will find out amount later).

Front and Back of the Medallion he received being #14 Ranked student.

Congratulations, Tylon, for all your years of hard work and dedication to your schooling. It has certainly paid off!!

WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-16T19:12:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful Mother's day. I was surrounded by my wonderful kids and husband and was royally spoiled! I got a beautiful 3-rose corsage from my kids.

We went to church and then Shay and Zach came over to spend dinner with me. I got really nice cards and wonderful gifts! Thank you so much, my family, for making me feel loved and special.

Farewell to Larry

2010-05-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Larry's last day of work with 'Sales and Fulfillment' area at Bank of America was on April 27th. He was taken to lunch by the other managers. That evening a couple of his associates (people who were on Larry's Team) asked to take him to dinner that night. On the way, making his final exit, all the people in the areas stood and applauded him as he passed by. His manager said that she has never seen anyone get a standing ovation as that. He met up with the 2 associates and was directed to a room where a total of 17 current and past associates (those who were and had been at one time on Larry's team) were there.

They had dinner and then one by one they stood before him and told him of what an awesome manager he was and how he had impacted there life. There were lots of tears and hugs at this final goodbye.

Larry is truly an amazing person who cares about everyone he works with and takes care of all those that are under his direction. They will truly miss a wonderful man/manager/ employee in that area.

On to brighter things: Larry did get another manager job (lateral move) that he started on May 3rd. This was truly a blessing. He wasn't out a day of work to the switch over. He is now currently working in the CIP area (Customer Identity Protection) at Bank of America.

Thank you to your prayers and thoughtfulness.

Thanks for all the Support!!

2010-05-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

I saved this as a 'Draft' and then forgot to finish it and send it out... things got really busy with the end of the school year. We really appreciate all of the Love and Support. Thank You!!

Volleyball season is over. Tylon did an awesome job and was co-captan of the team. He had no quams about sacrificing his body to dive for the ball. We enjoyed going and watching him play. Thanks, Ty, for playing and entertaining us! Thank you also to all of those who came and watched to supported him at his games.

BE the MATCH!

2010-05-11T17:58:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of Be the Match?
I was first introduced to this while my Mom and I were watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover.
It’s a National Marrow Donor Program.
It gives you the opportunity to sign up to be a possible donor.
My Mom brought home a flyer about a teacher in her school district.
Kelly Anderson.

Kelly Satter Anderson, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia a little over a month ago. After a 35 day hospital stay and her first round of chemotherapy inclusive of 5 spinal treatments, her leukemia was put into remission. However, even with 4 more rounds of chemotherapy, she only has a 20% chance of survival. A bone marrow transplant will give her a much greater probability of survival (60%), but no family members are a match and there are no matches currently in the national bone marrow registry. She needs a transplant ASAP to survive. (from here)

So this Saturday there is a location where you can GO sign up to Be the Match.
It’s located on Power and McDowell.
From 2:00 – 6:00 pm
All you do is go fill out the registration and they swab the inside of your cheek.
And your done!
I encourage you if you live in the area to go sign up and register.
And if you don’t live in the area you can register online and they send you a kit in the mail.
{and if you use the promo code "Kelly" you wont have to pay for the kit}

You are more than welcome to repost this information. Spread the word!

Mo-Pro and Prom

2010-05-11T17:47:00.001-07:00

MO-PRO

Tylon and Kaylee Hulsey went to 'Mo-Pro' which is Mormon Prom on April 24th, 2010. It involved several stakes held in Queen Creek. This was to be in place of school prom (but they went to both). They had a lot of fun!

Handsome Tylon in Tux and Princess Kaylee in beautiful dress.

They are sharing a Dairy Queen Blizzard at our house. And... because of the gentleman in him... Tylon gave Kaylee a "piggy-back" ride so she wouldn't get the bottom of her dress dirty.

PROM

Skyline High School Prom was May 1st, 2010. Kaylee and Tylon went with 2 other couples and danced their feet off.

Tylon and beautiful wristlet, then the cute couple! Kaylee's dress is so beautiful and she is beautiful in it. They look awesome.

Goofing off. Crazy, crazy kids!

The Asking and Answering to Prom

2010-05-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

THE ASKING:

Tylon asked Kaylee by sending my friend (Sheryl, who works as part of the forensic unit for the police department) over to her house to tell her that her vehicle was used in a theft/robbery. Sheryl questioned her about where she was on such n' such date, etc. Kaylee was scared to death thinking... "Oh my gosh, I'm a criminal!" Sheryl left by giving her an envelope with detailed instructions.

Inside the envelope was a poem that said: "A theft of my heart is what I claim, and it's you whom I certainly blame. Although you know I love my Mom, it's you who I want to take to Prom. So, assemble the pieces a mugshot you'll view, of the guy who is sincerely asking you." Inside was a puzzle of mugshots of Tylon.

THE ANSWERING:

Kaylee answered by this ransom note that said:

"There has been a robbery. I've stolen your blanket. If you ever want to see it again, follow my demands exactly!" (This was Tylon's blanket that Kaylee made him for his birthday, that got stolen.)

Tylon was sent clue to clue to do various tasks. One of the tasks required him to dress up as the the Burger King and go to Burger King and ask for the next clue. This is him getting his next clue.

The last clue said, "The chase is over, the race is done. Now's the time to plan some fun. There's no need to hesitate, Prom with you will be just GREAT! YES!"

He did get his blankie returned to him, washed even!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day, to my Mom and to all the women out there that have helped the children in the world in one way or another. Thank you to all those that have touched the hearts of my children in love and service.

Me and my Mom

Krissa, Me, and my Mom

The Oscar goes too...

2010-03-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Larry's team has a theme each month. This month was Hollywood stars.

(his office)

They presented Larry with an award for being the

Best Manager and a cake.

It was awesome. His team sure appreciates him, too bad he will be laid off by the end of April. They will really lose out on an awesome employee who really works hard and gets the stuff done.

Love you, Lar, you are always a STAR to me!

Happy Birthday, Tylon!

2010-03-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

My baby is EIGHTEEN (18) years old! I can't believe it.

Time sure flies when you are having fun and it has been fun having you in my life and our family.

You have brought lots of love and laughter with a sensitive heart.

You are going to achieve GREAT things in your life.

We Love You, Boy!!!

Happy 26th Anniversary!!

2010-02-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary, Larry! You're MINE!

You're my lover, you're my best friend.

You're a great sport. You make me laugh and you're there when I cry. You pamper me and you spoil me.

You're my MAN and I Love you!
Here's to our next 26 years together!

Big Man on Campus

2010-01-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

Skyline High School had their annual "Big Man on Campus" competition. Nominees were made by the students at Skyline. The top 36 were then chosen to compete in the "Big Man on Campus" competition. They were also asked to be photographed for the 'Big Man on Campus' 2010 calendar. Each nominee was given a month that he would be photographed for. They were then asked to bring props or attire for that month. Tylon was given the month of February (the BEST month). Calendars were published and sold to parents and students.

On January 14th was the "Big Man on Campus" competition which included: Formal wear, Swimsuit wear and a talent. Two teachers and a former student were the judges for each of the catagories. Tylon did a dance/skit with two of his buddies for the talent part (Tylon is the Mustard).

Out of the 36, 6 were chosen as Finalist. Tylon was one of the Finalists. Each finalist had to answer two questions (they were the same questions for each finalist). Then, by their answers the winner was chosen.

TYLON WINS 'BIG MAN ON CAMPUS' COMPETITION!!!
It was TOTALLY AWESOME!!! He did a GREAT job!

Randon's U of A Graduation

2009-12-30T21:09:00.000-08:00

First off... let me brag about the accomplishment of my first born.

After years of schooling, and huge projects and endless hours of homework...

Randon graduated with his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. We went down to Tucson on December 18th, for his graduation with the other Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers. Then, the next morning he walked with the rest of those graduation from the U of A.

Some of the things he has tried to explain (things way over my head, but he explains them in easier terms to help me grasp it slightly) is just totally amazing. It is amazing how the brain can just expand and comprehend STUFF!

U of A Graduates!

This is Randon in his graduation robes. These are his friends that practically lived at his house studying and doing homework.

This is his WONDERFUL wife who supported, helped and fed the crew during the years of school. They have both sacrificed so much.

Congratulations, Randon and Callie!

I'm a HORRIBLE BLOGGER!!!

2009-12-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

There are so many things that I want to blog about but never seem to have the time, energy and creative juices to just
GET IT DONE!!!
But to recap what I WANT to blog about, it would be:

*2 year Weight Loss Surgiversary
*Randon's U of A Graduation
*Christmas

I know there are plenty of other things too...
but those are at the forefront of my mind.
I WILL get to them all.... some day.

Entertained and Entertaining!

2009-12-30T20:43:00.001-08:00

Do you want to know what a teenager does to entertain himself when he is left home alone and is bored? Take a look...

Now, follow the process ...

Now, for the finale... Tylon says...

"This is what I would look like if I were black."

Silly Boy... he sure keeps us entertained and laughing!

Happy Birthday, Krissa!

2009-12-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you...

My baby Girl..... .... 6 mos old

Little Miss Priss.... Easter Dresses

Graduation....... ...... New Moon Crowns.

Happy Birthday, Krissa, my daughter, my friend.

I love you! You are AWESOME!!!

Birthday Boy, Zach!

2009-12-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Zach! Big Guy turns 24!! Hope you have a great birthday. You have such a great personality and sense of humor. You are always fun to be around. We love you!

Newborn Zach............. All American Boy!

The "Bull" football shirt! ....... Eagle Scout

In disguise..... ............. ........... Zach in his scuba gear.
May your hopes and dreams for the future come true.

We hear BELLS...

2009-11-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Nope, not Christmas bells.... we are hearing wedding bells. Jadon and Amanda (Bond) are engaged. They met at the YSA FHE in our Stake. Jadon is TOTALLY "twitterpated". We love Amanda and are really excited to have her in the family. Their wedding date is set for Spring of 2010 in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. We will keep you updated on details.

Shaylee

2009-11-23T19:05:00.001-08:00

Just some fun pictures of Shaylee before she goes out.

Pretty girl. Love her hair.

Happy Birthday, Shaylee!

2009-10-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
SHAY-LEE-LER!

I hope you have a great birthday. I love you. Thank you for being my daughter! Man, can't believe you are 20 years old!!

Pink Footy Pajamas!

2009-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to admit... I have always wanted a pair of those cute footy pajamas that babies wear... all covered and snuggly. So, we (Krissa , Callie, and myself)found some at Target and could NOT resist in trying them on. We laughed and laughed.. it was so funny.

Come to find out they are really toasty inside!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

2009-10-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

We had a blast!!!

Saturday night, we (my Mom -Audrey Burklund), Krissa and Callie (daughter in law) all went with my friend Sheryl and her daughters & Friend to the Hale Theatre to see one of my FAVORITE musicals... SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. It was AWESOME!!

The poor lady that played Millie (lead lady) broke her foot on the opening night and has continued playing in the performance nightly since then. She did an excellent job and you couldn't even tell she had a broken foot!

(Krissa, Millie (leading lady), Callie, Adam (leading man), Me!

First we start the night off by meeting at Mi Amigos for dinner, then we head to the play that started at 7:30pm.

After the play, my mom, Krissa, Callie and myself went for dessert at Applebees... the Maple Butter Blonde was salivating on our tongue. Bummer to find out when we got there that the sauce did not come in on the shipment... but... they gave it to us with carmel and hot fudge toppings and for FREE!!! (Thanks to Applebees manager, Scott Michaels) We also split a Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. By the end of the night... we were on sugar overload! We had a GREAT time together with GREAT memories!

Me and my Mama!! Merry Christmas, Ma-ma!!

Another Homecoming Date!

2009-10-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Tylon was asked to Red Mountain's Homecoming Dance by a girl in our ward, Meagan. She asked him by making a pizza and having her cousin deliver it. It said: "I know this is cheezy... But... Go with me? HC (Homecoming). Her cousin even dressed up as a pizza delivery guy and all. It was cute. (Tylon is laughing so hard because the pizza a l m o s t slid out of the box and onto the floor!)

Tylon answered back with a DiGiorno's Pizza, which says... "It's not Delivery, its NOT DiGiornos... its De Answer! From De Tylon." Jadon dressed up as a pizza delivery guy and delivered it to her door.

Jadon at the doorstep doing the delivery.

Red Mountain Homecoming is October 24th... Homecoming pictures to come soon.

Tylon in Concert!

2009-10-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tylon's FIRST Choir Concert was September 30. He did great and he looked SUPER SHARP!! Man, this boy cleans up well!!! Here he is...

Shopping Euphoria

2009-10-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get this euphoric feeling when you get a great deal? Wow! I sure experienced it on Monday. Krissa and I had a Kohl's coupon from the front of the Sunday paper that if you buy $20 worth of stuff (clearance, etc) you get $10 off. Since we get 6 papers... we got 6 of those coupons. Krissa and I went to Kohl's and I found some GREAT deals on clothes that were mostly 80% off. For a little over $20 dollars, I got 2 skirts, 1 pair of pants and 7 shirts. It was AWESOME!! I saved QUITE A BIT!! Here are my receipts to see for yourself!

If you can't see this very well... the Total Saved is: $141.80, and I paid only $11.02

This one the Total Saved is: 88.40, and I paid only $10.37. AWESOME!!!
As we wer leaving the store I told Krissa... "start the car, start the car!!" Feeling like I was robbing them from the great deals! Talk about EUPHORIC!! It was GREAT!! It is very, very addicting and you look forward to that fix again. Love Shopping sometimes!

Skyline Homecoming

2009-10-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

September 25th was Skyline's Homecoming Dance. Tylon went with John and Josh and their dates. Tylon took John's dates friend from another school. They went bowling for their day date. Here is the sharp group getting ready to go to the dance!

Tylon's Powder Puff

2009-09-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

Can a parent be any prouder? Here's Tylon (#63) in his Senior Year Powder Puff debut.

Fun Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-10T23:26:00.001-07:00

Our Labor day weekend started off with Randon and Callie surprising us and coming in Thursday night. They stayed with us for the weekend.

Friday we played (I got off work early) and the girls made 'Gyoza Rolls' (Dad fried them). They were AWESOME tasting! A LOT of work though. Friday night we drove to Tucson to watch Tylon play football. The weather was beautiful. The game turned out to be frustrating (although Tylon did an Awesome job!).

Saturday went to gym and then Randon and Callie had a wedding & reception to go to.

Sunday after Church and dinner, Callie and I played making cards while the others connected the TVs, made teams and played Halo. I had a blast making cards and being creative with Callie. It was fun! Callie and I made a combined 35 cards!

My cards.

Ironwood Ridge Game in Tucson

2009-09-10T23:00:00.001-07:00

Game #2... we are off to Tucson - Dad, Zach, Krissa and myself.

Here is Dad and Zach.... in the back seat.

Here is Krissa and I. Krissa is driving.

The weather was beautiful. We were worried about rain/lightening stopping the game but it went around us. The sky was beautiful!

The game... well, we had it in the bag the first half ending at half time with a 14-0 lead. Ironwood Ridge decided to show up in the second half of the game with secret weapon #22 on their team. They took the lead from us in the 4th quarter ending the game in a 35-28 (our loss).

Ending with an "I love you, Mom" picture!

(Notice hand signal on jersey)

Best "O-Line" Hard Hat

2009-09-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the "Hard Hat" awarded to the Best Offensive Lineman. Tylon got it after the first football game. Here he is showing it off.

Work it... .. work it....

Own it .... Yeah, Baby!

Skyline vs Chandler

2009-09-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!!! YES!!! Friday, August 28th was the first football game of the season. They played Chandler (who are ranked 4th in the State). They played hard. Tylon did an awesome job (and even got the O-line award... more on that later). We had a great time watching him play. I LOVE FOOTBALL!!

Pledge of Alligance

Tylon in action!

Tylon's sign to me telling me "I love you, Mommy!"

He moves his jersey in and out like he is fanning himself like he is hot.

Football season has begun!!!!!

2009-08-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

I am excited!
Tonight is thee first Varsity Football game of the season.
They play against Chandler.
He chose to be # 63 this year.
(Randon was #63 when he played in High School)
Doesn't he look good or what!

GO SKYLINE!!!!

{I did post the varsity schedule to the sidebar in case anyone would like to go}

Food Obsession

2009-08-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that I have an obsession with food. I am addicted to it. The evening is the worst time for me. All I can think of is..."what can I eat next" and when my alotted calories continue to dwindle away I get even more panicky and more obsessive. I wish I could say I crave fruits, veggies... good stuff (although I eat that because they have less calories) but what I seem to really crave is Cocoa Puffs, chocolate chip cookies, and chips. I try and just concentrate on how my stomach is content and not really hungry, but my brain is (head hunger). I try and tell it to go away and leave me alone. I try and pray it away. It just lingers like an annoying fly. The only thing that really helps is to become really busy... making cards... scrapbooking, etc but sometimes I just want to sit and veg. There it is... "My name is Becky and I am a food addict".

Keith Urban Concert

2009-07-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Need I say more?

Krissa bought us tickets to go to the concert and it was truly AMAZING!! (Picture from Callie and my seats.)

Krissa sat in real close seats with her friend, Erin Runo.

Callie and I sat with my friend, Sheryl Runo, her husband, Dennis, and her daughter Alison and friend, Olga.

Then, Keith Urban came down to a middle stage (closer to us). Woo-hoo!!

It was a totally awesome concert!!

Thanks Krissa and Erin!!!

Sunglasses Le Invisible

2009-07-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Do you have days where everything seems to be going wrong and you feel like satan is just trying to make you CUSS? As the day progresses, more things are happening and you are becoming quite GRUMPY. Then, when you are just DONE and are SUPER GRUMPY and you don't want to put up with ANYTHING... wouldn't it be nice to just disappear and not have to deal with anything or anyone? That is where I thought up the Sunglasses Le Invisible... when wearing these (or any) sunglasses you disappear and no one or nothing can see you or bother you.... everyone and everything just leaves you alone and you can just get a break from LIFE.

I picture these sunglasses on days like those and wish I had them AND that they worked like that.

Tucson Weekend

2009-07-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

We had a BLAST!!! We were planning on going down on Friday (7/17) but Krissa was "sick" on Thursday (cough, cough) and so at the last minute we decided to go down on Thursday (7/16). We had a great time. We played Spades (Randon and I on the same team... winning most of the games), we went swimming (I am just too old to keep having water rush up my nose and my ears plugging), we made cards (Callie and I love to make cards), we made good food (club pizza, chili, fruit salad... yum), we had Smoothies, we had brownies (Yum... love brownies with mini chocolate chips in them), then we got our hair done by Callie's friend, Sabra. Sabra did an awesome job on coloring my hair... I LOVE it!! This is a picture of all of us after hair and make up was done. We are gorgeous!! Thanks again, Sabra, for your time and talent!!

We also enjoyed monsoon storms (with getting rain 2 of the 3 nights we were there). We went to church with them on Sunday and Callie sang a BEAUTIFUL song. She did an awesome job! What a talent! We just really, really had a lot of fun. It is always so fun to go to their place and visit. Thank you for letting us come and stay with you.

Tonsilectomy

2009-07-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

We have had two kids both get their tonsils and adnoids out within 2 weeks of each other.
Zach got his taken out on Friday, June 19th and Shay got hers taken out on Wednesday, July 1st. What a painful, painful time for both of them. This is a picture of what Shay's looks like today, just a week out. Pretty painful looking.

Nasty, eh?

Heaton Ranch June 29-July 2

2009-07-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Lianne Merrill, invited me to go with her to her family ranch in Southern Utah.

I had a GREAT time! The scenery was beautiful. The weather was wonderful.

The bulls were... scary! In the morning and evening Lianne and I would go for a walk. There were areas where the cattle roamed free... no fences, just an occassional cattle guard. One evening as we were walking, we came upon some cattle on the road we were walking on. Lianne told me that they will go away from us, the only thing we should worry about is if one was coming towards us then that one was a bull protecting the cows and calves. So, as we followed this group Lianne happened to glance behind us... there behind us was a BIG RED BULL trotting towards us. I immediately went and grabbed a branch (isn't that what bullfighters have is a stick of some kind?) Lianne grabbed some rocks. She threw the rocks at the bull and he went around us. We immediately turned around and headed back to the ranch, checking periodically behind us. The next morning, I went the opposite direction (alone) for my morning walk. I kept an eye out for any thing coming AT me. Then, I noticed him (BIG BLACK BULL) trotting across the open field towards me. I was scared to death. I immediately turned around and started walking back to the ranch. Looking down for rocks, I noticed I was wearing a BRIGHT RED shirt. I started walking a little faster, glancing back to see if HE was still coming towards me. All I could think of was to get past the cattle guard quickly. Such friendly Bulls wanting to greet us. HA!

We rode ATVs and went on many drives. We saw a lot of deer and even a couple of turkeys.

One day we went out sightseeing and went to the Ice Cave

and to Brian's Head (elevation 10,420).

I really had a great time with some fun memories. She has a great extended family too that stayed there (brother/sisters and their families). It was fun to watch them all playing in the ponds and it was nice to just sit around and visit. Thanks so much, Lianne, for taking me with you and sharing your family and the beautiful ranch with me.

The Month of JUNE!!!

2009-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am a horrible blogger.

I have these BIG ideas that come in my head and I try and find what I want to carry them out and in the meantime, time passes by and I end up not finding what I want. SO.... I am just going to Blog here about the past month of June. June is OUR birthday month!

June 6th... Happy Birthday, Larry!!

For his birthday, the kids all put in money to get his A/C fixed in his car. Now, he drives back and forth to work in Phoenix with cool air. He is very grateful for that! I love you, Lar, and am so glad you came into this world so you could be with me. You make me so happy!

Surprise Party - Larry's team at work gave him a "Surprise Princess Birthday Party". His desk was decorated like a castle and he was decked out with a tiara and pink boa. The kids and I surprised him at the surprise luncheon.

June 7th - Girls Camp

I was invited up to Girls Camp at Camp LoMIA to teach my Chocolate Eating Class. I am known as the 'Chocolate Lady' in the day that I went to camp every year when I was in the Stake YW Presidency. I had Krissa assist me and we had a great time. Many girls and leaders certified in my class. There were also some that re-certified... which is necessary every few years.

This is the certificate I gave out with their Hershey's Almond Nugget wrapper stapled down in the corner.

Father's Day - June 21st

(Larry with Randon) (Larry with Krissa)

(Larry with Zach) (Larry with Jadon)

(Larry with Shaylee) (Larry with Tylon)

(Family seeing Tylon for the first time.)

You are a wonderful father. I have always said that I wouldn't have as many kids as we do if it wasn't that Larry was always there to help, whether it was changing diapers, cleaning up barf or decorating for a birthday party. He was there for me all the way. I am grateful for all his sacrifices and words of wisdom for his family. I am grateful to have you as my parental partner!

June 21st-23rd Get Away!

It was great for Larry and I to get away for a few days and leave all the world with it's stress and craziness behind. This was part Larry's Father's Day and part my Birthday gift. We relaxed in the hot tub and had some good talks.

Nope, no pictures this time!

June 23rd - Happy Birthday to ME!

Besides all of the wonderful gifts you see, I got a new oil pan for my van and an oil change (the old one was dented and we couldn't get the oil changed).

Isn't She Lovely!

2009-05-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

New member of the family...Fiona (through Krissa).
Krissa's brand NEW 2009 Toyota Corolla. She just got her last night and got an EXCELLENT deal!! She was truly blessed!
Isn't she lovely?

A Sad Day in May

2009-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

May 19th, 2009, Krissa, Amanda (Krissa's friend) and I were on our way to the Seminary & Institute Graduation when disaster hit. Tylon was singing with a group (5 girls, 5 guys) and Krissa was receiving her Institute Graduation Certificate. On our way a car turned left in front of us and we t-boned it. Krissa's beautiful 2007 Toyota Corolla was totalled. Everyone was not seriously injured except for some bruises (which are still healing). The lady was on her cell phone and distracted. Krissa's first thought was to call the police but luckily for us a cop was sitting at that same light in the opposite direction and saw the whole thing. The lady was cited for "failure to yield". It was a traumatic experience. I have never been in a car watching and knowing that you are going to hit another car. I have never had the experience of airbags going off (mine with my lipstick smeared across it). It was really an experience. I felt sooo bad for Krissa and her baby (her car, Phoebe). The good thing was they both had the same insurance so the claim, etc could be processed fast. Needless to say, we did NOT make it to the graduation.

Three Year Anniversary

2009-05-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Randon and Callie. We are SO happy to have Callie in our family. We love spending time with them. They are SO made for each other and are such a compliment to each other. I love seeing how happy my son is with his wife, and I love hearing how wonderful a husband he is. These are the joys of parenting to see their joy with each other.

Happy Anniversary! WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

Mother's Day

2009-05-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day 2009. Mother's day brings such mixed emotions to me. It brings back thoughts of how I wish I was a better Mother, how I wish I did some things differently. It brings back joys of fun things done together and accomplishments my kids have achieved. I had a great Mother's day and truly enjoy all of my kids together (although Randon & Callie were in Tucson we had just spent some time with them at the Senior Project). It was a great day and I got some awesome stuff. I truly have wonderful kids. They turned out GREAT, inspite of my parenting!! :)

U of A Senior Project Day

2009-05-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

On May 5th, Larry, Krissa and I went down to Tucson to University of Arizona's Senior Project Day where Randon displayed his senior project along with 70 other students. Randon was the team leader on this project and put soooo much work into it ALL YEAR LONG. It is amazing how a mind can think and expand like his does. He was given a choice of projects (this one was his second choice) and the team was created. He was chosen as Team Leader. The project was: Measuring Thrust Recovering Valve Performance. They had to design, fabricate and implement the devise to measure aft force generated by a Honeywell Thrust Recovery Outflow Valve (TROV). The TROV is a devise used on a aircraft to regulate internal cabin pressure and provide additional forward thrust by converting outflow of excess pressure into an aft force. GOT THAT??!! It took me a while to understand that and then I have a hard time explaining it.

There were awards presented for senior projects. Due to the type of project, Randon's project would have only qualified for 3 different types of awards out of like 10. They were not expecting even to be nominated for an award, due to 70 teams. There were different pods of judges that went around to listen to the 8 minute presentations and to judge them. Randon and another team member were the ones doing the presentation and you had to be prepared at a moments notice to give the presentation... even while trying to get some lunch in. You drop that burger, swallow that bite and perform. He did an EXCELLENT job. They ended up being nominated for 2 of the 3 awards! They didn't win (judges made a mistake there, that's for sure) but being nominated is a HUGE thing!

I am so proud of him and stand in awe of his expandable brain! Here are pictures from the day. Callie's parents came down too and we ended the day with a nice dinner at Chili's with everyone.

Bummed!

2009-05-11T12:30:00.001-07:00

We just got word that we are officially not doing Havasupai.
We are so bummed about this.
It sounds like they do not want people down there because of the swine flu going around and they do not want that to be passed onto the people of the village.
So I guess we are looking forward to next year.
And we are not doing that mountain anymore. (At least for awhile!)

Beautiful Oregon!

2009-05-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous time in Oregon. Krissa flew me out Friday, April 24th. I met up with her there as she and her friend, Chelsea, did a road trip up the coast up to Oregon. We had a fabulous time. Friday night we visited with my friend, Linda Knight, who I came to see.

On Saturday, we went to the coast/beach. We started off eating breakfast at Camp 18... wonderful food and place.

Then, we went to Seaside beach, saw the beach and shopped at the little stores there. We had a blast. We came across this Hat Shop that was awesome and we tried on numerous hats. Then, we went to Cannon Beach where it has Haystack Rock. It was beautiful and cold! We ate at Mo's again (great seafood!) and headed back stopping at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We got there just 5 minutes before it closed, but enough time to get one of their wonderful ice cream cones. It was awesome!

On Sunday, we went out and enjoyed God's beautiful creations... waterfalls. We went and hiked Multnomah Falls, just north of Portland. It was beautiful! All of that GREEN... the trees, fern, everything was so beautiful it energized me. It was a 5.4 mile hike and we saw numerous beautiful waterfalls. I LOVED IT!!

As I was walking to the car to change my clothes for Krissa to take me to the airport, there was a group of Japanese tourist getting a picture in front of the waterfall. I courteously waited till they were done then I stepped off the curb, twisted my ankle, and did a tuck and roll right in front of them. I should have just gotten up and did the whole "tah dah" thing but I was too embarrassed! Oh well.... It was an awesome trip. It was great to spend time with my friend, Linda, and it was great to spend time with Krissa and Chelsea too.

Volleyball Season Continues

2009-04-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tylon's volleyball season continues... but don't follow the schedule I posted as it has all been changed around. I don't even have the correct schedule... wonder why? My loud, obnoxious cheering from the bleachers?

I LOVE PEDICURES!

2009-04-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

This past Friday Krissa treated me to a wonderful pedicure. This was after our weekly jaunt up the Brown/Ellsworth mountain. The pedicure was soooo wonderful and I was soooo thankful for her kindness. Here are pictures of our cute toes!

In case you can't see them clearly, mine are the ones with the red tipped lined with silver and Krissa's are the pink with black, white, and silver lines. LOVE them!

Easter 2009

2009-04-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with the whole family together this Easter. I love it when the whole family is together. The home is filled with lots of fun and laughter. There is never a dull moment (except when it is really, really late at night and we are all exhausted from the partying earlier). Here is pics of our Easter egg coloring and our Easter Sunday outfits.

Peter Piper Pizza

2009-04-18T12:40:00.001-07:00

Randon and Callie came down Easter weekend and we decided to all go to Peter Piper Pizza (after seeing the fun time they had there in Tucson). We all had a great time. Thanks to Krissa, we had some great food to eat too. We played games, won tickets and bought wonderful moustaches for our great pictures. We had a BLAST with some fun memories.
Here are a few pics of the good times.

Linda's Visit

2009-04-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

My long time friend, Linda, came to visit me for a few hours a couple of weeks ago on April 4th. We have been friends for the past 27 years. We were roommates at first, we each got married and had babies at the same time, we had our missionaries in the MTC together, and we have been a help and support to one another through this journey called LIFE. Even when we don't see each other for a few years, or even talk on the phone for a few months, we can just pick right up where we left off and it is all the same. I am grateful for her friendship, love and support. It was great being with you, Linda, and I look forward to seeing you again on April 24th when I fly up there to meet up with Krissa and her friend, Chelsea on their road trip up the coast.

Havasupai Meeting

2009-04-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

We had our first meeting for our Havasupai trip that we are taking the end of May. At first, it was all so overwhelming. I don't know if I thought it was going to be a retreat with people cooking and pampering me... but I found out different. We will cook our own meals, pitch our own tents, clean up after ourselves and warm our own water for our showers. It is roughing it, baby. We just will have port-a-johns down there. At the end of the meeting, we (my friend Sheryl, Krissa and I) were all psyched ready to go get supplies. The schedule is a bit odd... we will be sleep deprived for a while, but we will hopefully have adrenaline. We will arrive at the hilltop at 12:30am, take a catnap and hit the trail at 6am. Mules will carry our supplies but we will carry water, lunch, snacks and anything else we may need till the mules make it down with our stuff. We will then have to carry our supplies 2 miles to the camping grounds. We will go down on a Friday morning, May 22nd, sight see the waterfalls down there till we hit the trail at 2am Monday, May 25th. We are excited. It will be an ADVENTURE!! It will also be a BIG accomplishment!

Volleyball Season!

2009-03-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Tylon's in his volleyball season. He is doing great! We just had a game Skyline vs Higley (aka cousin vs cousin... Tylon vs Mike Gabriella). It was fun to watch them both play. They both are awesome players.

Higley won :(

For those of you who would like to support Tylon in his volleyball season...

This is his schedule. Games start at 5:15pm, cost $4 per adult:

March 31st Game @ Dobson

April 2nd Game @ Red Mountain

April 7th Mesa @ Skyline

April 8th O'Connor @ Skyline

April 9th Game @ Westwood

April 14th Mountain View @ Skyline

April 16th Dobson @ Skyline

April 21st Red Mountain @ Skyline

April 23rd Game @ Mesa

April 28th Westwood @ Skyline

April 30th Game @ Mountain View

Scuba Diver Zach!

2009-03-26T19:17:00.001-07:00

Zach just started taking Scuba diving lessons and loves it. He is planning lots of scuba diving trips in the future. Here he is in his gear.

Tylon's 17th Birthday

2009-03-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

We had great fun on Tylon's birthday.

First Krissa, Tylon, Zach and I climbed Brown/Ellsworth mountain.

It was a warm day to do that so afterwards Tylon and Zach (along with Zach's new scuba gear) went swimming.

Tylon got lots of fun gifts. A ukulele from Krissa and a Joseph Smith ring from Zach & Shay.

We watched Australia and ate his birthday treat Brownie Sundaes. Then, Krissa, Tylon and I went to Walmart to get Twilight movie. We stayed up and watched it along with Larry. It was a great time spent together.

My Baby is turning 17!

2009-03-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Where did the time go?

Tomorrow, March 20th, my baby, Tylon, will be 17 years old. I remember long ago I would think... ok... when I am "this age" my kids will be "this age"... all the kids down the line. I thought how weird it would be with them getting all older... at times it was really hard to imagine. Now, my kids are older and my baby is turning 17 tomorrow. Wow... time flies!

Here is my baby, Tylon.

The King and I

2009-03-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

It was WONDERFUL.
My friend, Sheryl, gave me 3 tickets to see the King and I at the Hale Centre Theater for Christmas. I was so excited. I invited Krissa and Shay to go (but Shay had other plans) so I invited my Mom. We were to meet up with Sheryl and her company at a restaurant (Mi Amigos) for dinner and then we would all go over to the show. At the last moment Callie and Randon came into town and finding out we were going to the King and I, Callie was able to get a ticket at the last minute and attend with us. We had a total BLAST!! It was soooo fun! The company was great. The production was great. It was all GREAT! Here are a few pictures from our fun evening.

My Mom and Me

Our Party Group

Me and the Girls

The King and I cast. They did an AWESOME job!

Cheetos

2009-03-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I have been having a craving for Cheetos lately. At work I noticed that they put bags of chips in our little mailbox things. I got Cool Ranch Doritos... hmmm.... but looking around I was hoping to see someone with Cheetos. I saw that there were Cheetos in some of the mailboxes... so ... not to look obvious, I eyed the mailboxes closest to me so I could make the switch. I noticed the bottom mailbox person had Cheetos... yumm.... so I pretended to drop something on the ground and take her Cheetos bag. I, once again, acted like I dropped something and put my Cool Ranch in her slot. With Cheetos in hand, I glanced around the room to see if I had been discovered.... I don't think I was... so off I was to my office space to munch on my much craved bag of Cheetos. I was really hoping that the lady I stole (traded)them from had not seen that she had Cheetos one moment and Cool Ranch the next.

Photo Shoot

2009-03-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

My wonderful niece, Jessica Bright, did a photo shoot of Krissa, Chelsea (Krissa's friend) and I. She did a wonderful job, even hobbling around with a boot on her sore foot. We had a lot of fun.

Thank you, Jessica, you did an AWESOME job!

Too much Exercise

2009-03-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Krissa and I were driving around today and as we were driving ... I found myself looking at the slope of the road wondering how hard it would be riding a bike on it. We passed mountains (some would call them "hills" if they have never hiked up them) and looked for trails going up them wondering how hard they would be to hike up. You see, I am busting my butt exercising to get the rest of this weight off and Krissa and I have been hiking up "Brown Mountain" (Ellsworth/Brown) and riding our bikes (even up a big hill).
So... to say the least... too much exercise can cause you to look at roads and mountains differently.

Volleyball Season...

2009-03-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

... has STARTED... Yippee!!! Tylon is playing Volleyball and Skyline's Varsity Team.

Krissa and I are his #1 fans! Go TYLON!!!

Desert in Bloom

2009-03-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

Umm... Ok... I have lived here in Arizona all of my life. I have heard people say how beautiful the desert is and I am like... ummm... it is? I mean, it is rocks, cactus and scrub brush, so.. if you like that... then... I guess it is beautiful. Then.. walking home from work one day (it is a 31/2 mile walk) my eyes were open and I saw such beauty in bloom.

Such beautiful colors... everywhere... up out of the desert.

Happy Flowers!

2009-03-07T19:43:00.001-08:00

These flowers make me happy!

THESE flowers make me giddy with laughter!

I look forward to these flowers every year!

My Beautiful Blog

2009-03-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Krissa, for creating a beautiful blog for me. Krissa won a free designed header and she had one created for me! THANK YOU! LOVE IT!

Tylon's Eagle Court of Honor

2009-02-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Tylon, on your great accomplishment of getting your Eagle Scout Award. You were diligent in working on your merit badges.
I am proud of you!

Tylon gave me 3 dozen roses at his ceremony (he had to out do Jadon by a dozen. Jadon was my first Eagle Scout to give me roses and he gave me 2 dozen.) It was a nice surprise.

It was really nice to have the whole family together for this. Tylon was supported well by all his family, friends, and leaders that came.

New Year's Eve

2009-02-20T23:11:00.001-08:00

I am kind of going out of order in this blog, but want to catch you up on our life.

We had a fun time! The girls did tried out my new exercise video "Zumba". We learned to do lots of latin dances. We had fun AND burnt calories! We had fun food, friends and ... fireworks (that got a little scary!). It definitely was a night to remember . . . and we all survived!

Don't let these dogs fool you, they had a great time too! They are just not wild about the head dress thing!

Happy 25th Anniversary!

2009-02-20T22:42:00.001-08:00

Engagement Picture ... Wedding Picture

February 10th, 1984-2009

... then 25 years later Picture.

For our Anniversary we went away to Payson and had a blast! No kids, no job, no bills, NO WORRIES! We stayed 3 nights in a place called Majestic Mountain. It was a very nice room with our own in room hot tub and fireplace. Our kids surprised us with an "Anniversary Basket". Loved it, it was wonderful! It was filled with candy, games, and MONEY!

The morning after we got there, we woke up to a blanket of 4 inches of snow... it was BEAUTIFUL! I had to make a Snow Angel!

Then, the night before we left it snowed 6-8 inches. We were kind of hoping to get snowed in. Once again, we had so much fun and it was all like a fairy tale.

I enjoy so much getting away with Larry, because it is just US. We just enjoy each other and renew our relationship and friendship. I love him so much and am so happy to be married to him. In one of the questions games we played, the questions was asked "in one word, how would you describe your spouse?" My answer "selflessness/unselfish". He spoils me rotten... and I kind of like it. Happy 25th, Honey!

Horseback Riding

2008-12-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

Wow! I haven't been horseback riding since I was ... young... like 13 years old. My friend, Sheryl, and her daughter, Erin, invited me to go to Cave Creek and go horseback riding. Erin had her own horse out there at her boss' place and that is where we rode horses. Wow! What an experience! It was a lot of fun and a little scary too. I didn't remember so much of how to ride a horse and they taught me a lot of things too.

Pulling on boots (tongue action helps). My horse's name was "Chancey". I would say it was taking a chance on me!

They taught me to wash the horse and give it a drink (notice the help I give it with my tongue?).

Squeegee the excess water off.

Carry my saddle out and heft it on the horse.

Then... we RIDE! This is me and my friend, Sheryl.

Whew! We had Fun!!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T09:28:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas 2008! This was the first Christmas in 3 years that we have had the whole family together. With Zach on his mission, then Jadon, we now have the whole family together and we had a blast!
This was our Christmas tree that Santa stocked with the stockings laid out where everyone sits.

Before Santa came, the family played a game "The Office" trivia game. Then we do our white elephant gift exchange and the siblings gift exchange. We started off the evening with two new traditions: a taco dinner with homemade salsa, and a "shaker" gift where you shake the gift and try to figure out what is in it and if you get the most right, you get the gift! These were traditions that I copied from some of the ladies I visit teach. Christmas eve is not Christmas if you don't watch "It's a Wonderful Life" (another tradition).

We have our "traditional" brunch that the kids look forward to which is hard boiled eggs, ham, pickles, cheese and ritz crackers.

Callie got a yoga DVD and mat, so I brought mine out and we had a fun time straining our bodies to follow the instructors. Wow, we sure hurt in places the next day.

Last but not least, is me and my honey (Santa). He is a good man and spoils me terribly!
Hope all of your Christmas' were wonderful.

Tylon's an Eagle Scout

2008-12-30T09:23:00.001-08:00

My Eagle Scout. I am very proud of Tylon and all his hardwork in accomplishing the requirements to be an Eagle Scout. He finished his Eagle project last year and it has just taken us some time to find a date to do his court of honor. For those of you who would like to attend it is Sunday, January 4th at 7pm at the Crismon Building. We would love for you to come and share in our celebration of his accomplishments! I Love you, Tylon!

ONE year Surgiversary!!!

2008-12-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

December 7th, 2007 I had the RNY (Gastric Bypass) surgery. It has been quite a year, full of quite a few adventures. First off, I am very, very glad that I had the surgery done. It has changed my life in many ways. Second... I feel very vulnerable in showing my before and after pictures as I feel I am the same person (just a little different on the outside) if you know what I mean. But, here it goes. They say to wear an outift that will show the "weight" no matter how bad it looks... and it is not a pleasant sight. I put the outfit on at one year and was really amazed at how big they were and not even able to stay on my body. So, after one year... a loss of 140 pounds and down to a size 14-16.

A Visit with the Kids

2008-11-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

Randon and Callie came down this past weekend and it is always a whirlwind of fun and activity when they are here. There is NEVER a dull moment. Callie and I made some cards. We all played "Maffia" (a group game) and just had FUN!

Homecoming Dance

2008-11-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Tylon going to his first Homecoming Dance on October 25th.
He took Kylee Stradling.
Tylon is practicing on Zach putting on the 'wristlet' corsage.

Aren't they cute!

Tylon and Kylee doing what comes naturally! Crazy kids!

The Homecoming Couples.

Ask and Answer to Homecoming

2008-11-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

Tylon asked his "friend", Kylee to homecoming. He told us of how he wanted to do it and I was not quite sure about it.... boys! He bought a Potty Chair and put "urine" (apple juice) in it with his name on a card at the bottom. On the roll of toilet paper it says, "I am 'URINE' to go to homecoming with you. Will you go with me?"

She answered back with the same potty chair that said, "Whether I don't or whether I do go to homecoming with you, you will have to look through the 'POO'"(melted chocolate chips). The answer was on little travel size scrabble tiles. After seeing the way she answered him, I see that they are on the same wavelength! They are a match!