We're off to the Valley! We're having Thanksgiving with my family this year!
Can I just say that I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner!? I only eat turkey (besides the lunch meat kind) once a year...(okay...more than once...but all in the matter of like 2 days!) ...and I think I eat enough in those 2 days to make up for it! I love leftover turkey sandwiches...but not as much as I LOVE pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream! I miss my mom's homemade rolls though. Since she's been working at the bakery...she doesn't make them as often. I guess it's easier to bring fresh ones home. If I were GOOD...I'd make the rolls...and I DO know how to make rolls...but the last time I baked in my moms kitchen...well...I wont share that story....
I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
{{(gobble gobble!)}}
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
I highly recommend reading the post Angela and Kevin have on their blog about Kaiya. It's something we all need to hear and remember I think.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
This Weekend.....
We just got home from the Valley. We left Thursday. We got to Mesa at about 7:30 p.m. and went directly to my friend Jami's house. She, Skye, Liz and I got together there and planned out who needed to be in charge of what for the fundraiser breakfast. It was fun to chit chat and work together...but...by the time we left...I was beginning to feel like there was NO way we were going to pull this thing off in two weeks. We got to Brandon's sister (Mindy's) house and Mindy told me about her neighbors who did a car wash and earned a GOOD amount of money...and that got me thinking that a car wash would be a WHOLE lot easier to plan and probably be as lucrative. I was nervous to bring this up to the other ladies...but when I did...they said that they were having similar thoughts...SO...we're going to have a car wash! (I am a little sad to not being eating breakfast with Santa. That would have been SO fun!)
Friday morning Brandon and I attended Kaiya's funeral services. (a BIG thank you to Mindy for watching our kids!) We arrived early and were able to see Kaiya. She looked so perfect and peaceful. I loved watching her big sisters interact with her. Emma, Riley and Kaiya wore matching lockets containing pictures of them and their family that I thought were precious. Angela looked beautiful. Honestly... I have always thought that she's pretty...but Friday, she really looked great! It was SO good to see her and give her a hug and to hear her laugh. I love Angie's laugh! It's contagious! Kevin had put together a slide show on his lap top that they played. While watching it I realized that little Kaiya got to be a nudest in only a diaper her whole life! I mentioned that to Angie and she said the first time Kaiya got to wear clothes was when she dressed her in her pretty white dress.
After the viewing we went into the cool breezy day and gathered around Kaiya's grave site. So many people had showed up that there was standing room only. I was touched by the arms I saw wrapped around the person next to them. Angela had asked me to take pictures during the service. I was grateful for this for two reasons. Number one...it kept me busy (and my eyes free from tears...I am not against crying...but I knew if I started crying it would be hard to stop and crying would make it hard to take pictures.)...and number two...it was an honor. I consider it a privilege that I was able to capture those memories for Angela and her family. Someday, I hope that they will be able to look back on those pictures and be grateful for the feelings they invoke...and I pray that those feeling will be ones of love for their tiny daughter, peace found through their Saviour, increased compassion for others who grieve and hope in the promises of Eternity. The Bishop who was conducting the services said something that I thought was touching. I wish I could remember his exact words. But he said something to the affect that Kaiya's life may have been short but it was full of love and that the love her life created is still here..and because of that love, those who know love her now have a greater capacity to love. Kaiya may not be here but the that love is and it will continue to grow. It just made me think that if we could all love each other in that pure and perfect way...then we'd know what it truly means to have charity which is "the pure love of Christ". I have to mention an act of charity I witnessed at Kaiya's services: It was pretty windy outside. They had placed Kaiya's casket on a stand and the wind was making it so wobbly that it looked like it was going to fall. The thing that touched me was that a man from the funeral home knelt there through out the whole service (probably about 30 minutes) and held that platform still. He was an older gentleman and I am sure it got uncomfortable to kneel there but he never showed it. I really think it was a great lesson on how we need to reach out and help others even if it makes us a little uncomfortable.
Well...after the services Brandon and I picked our kiddos up from Mindy's house and went to the luncheon at Angela's in-laws. I just loved being able to talk to Angela in person...and her whole family is just so warm and welcoming.
After eating, we went back to Mindy and Chad's. Mindy had asked me to take her family pictures. We ventured out to do it...but we ran into a couple issues...we were losing light fast and Karalee wasn't feeling too photogenic. We got a few shots and called it quits. We went back to their house and ate pizza and some yummy salsa that Mindy whipped up!
This morning Mindy and I went garage-selling! I LOVE to shop garage sells...but I seldom get up in time! Mindy's neighborhood had some good ones! I didn't really think I'd find anything I'd want to buy...but I found a few things! My best deals were an old wooden sled for $5 and a big mirror for free! Mindy scored pretty good too! She got a bin of craft things and a sewing machine (that works) all for $10! After our yard selling adventure, I edited pictures for the Hodges then we loaded up and took them to Angela. After that we got some lunch and went to my parents house to eat. The kids were happy to see Grandma and Grandpa...they even got to see their great-Grandpa Newbold! He drove over and we all sat in the front yard visiting while the kids rode bikes and scooters. My mom rode a bike today for the first time in probably 20 years...and I rode around with Kaitlyn for a little bit too....then we left to drive home! The kids did great...they're so used to the trip...we don't even use the DVD player to keep them entertained anymore!
Now we have next week to look forward to! Kaitlyn has her Thanksgiving program on Tuesday that I am so excited to go to! Then Tuesday night (or maybe early Wednesday morning) we are driving back down to Mesa! I hope to get in a little more visiting time with Angela! I also have plans to meet up with my friend Amber (from my MCC days) to take her family pictures. They live in Huston (but will be in the Valley for Thanksgiving) and just found out that they are moving to China! Then Thursday we will have dinner with my family...and Friday I hope to get some Christmas shopping done...and then we'll come home on Saturday!
Hope you all are doing great! I have to go get my kiddos in bed now!
Love ya!
Friday morning Brandon and I attended Kaiya's funeral services. (a BIG thank you to Mindy for watching our kids!) We arrived early and were able to see Kaiya. She looked so perfect and peaceful. I loved watching her big sisters interact with her. Emma, Riley and Kaiya wore matching lockets containing pictures of them and their family that I thought were precious. Angela looked beautiful. Honestly... I have always thought that she's pretty...but Friday, she really looked great! It was SO good to see her and give her a hug and to hear her laugh. I love Angie's laugh! It's contagious! Kevin had put together a slide show on his lap top that they played. While watching it I realized that little Kaiya got to be a nudest in only a diaper her whole life! I mentioned that to Angie and she said the first time Kaiya got to wear clothes was when she dressed her in her pretty white dress.
After the viewing we went into the cool breezy day and gathered around Kaiya's grave site. So many people had showed up that there was standing room only. I was touched by the arms I saw wrapped around the person next to them. Angela had asked me to take pictures during the service. I was grateful for this for two reasons. Number one...it kept me busy (and my eyes free from tears...I am not against crying...but I knew if I started crying it would be hard to stop and crying would make it hard to take pictures.)...and number two...it was an honor. I consider it a privilege that I was able to capture those memories for Angela and her family. Someday, I hope that they will be able to look back on those pictures and be grateful for the feelings they invoke...and I pray that those feeling will be ones of love for their tiny daughter, peace found through their Saviour, increased compassion for others who grieve and hope in the promises of Eternity. The Bishop who was conducting the services said something that I thought was touching. I wish I could remember his exact words. But he said something to the affect that Kaiya's life may have been short but it was full of love and that the love her life created is still here..and because of that love, those who know love her now have a greater capacity to love. Kaiya may not be here but the that love is and it will continue to grow. It just made me think that if we could all love each other in that pure and perfect way...then we'd know what it truly means to have charity which is "the pure love of Christ". I have to mention an act of charity I witnessed at Kaiya's services: It was pretty windy outside. They had placed Kaiya's casket on a stand and the wind was making it so wobbly that it looked like it was going to fall. The thing that touched me was that a man from the funeral home knelt there through out the whole service (probably about 30 minutes) and held that platform still. He was an older gentleman and I am sure it got uncomfortable to kneel there but he never showed it. I really think it was a great lesson on how we need to reach out and help others even if it makes us a little uncomfortable.
Well...after the services Brandon and I picked our kiddos up from Mindy's house and went to the luncheon at Angela's in-laws. I just loved being able to talk to Angela in person...and her whole family is just so warm and welcoming.
After eating, we went back to Mindy and Chad's. Mindy had asked me to take her family pictures. We ventured out to do it...but we ran into a couple issues...we were losing light fast and Karalee wasn't feeling too photogenic. We got a few shots and called it quits. We went back to their house and ate pizza and some yummy salsa that Mindy whipped up!
This morning Mindy and I went garage-selling! I LOVE to shop garage sells...but I seldom get up in time! Mindy's neighborhood had some good ones! I didn't really think I'd find anything I'd want to buy...but I found a few things! My best deals were an old wooden sled for $5 and a big mirror for free! Mindy scored pretty good too! She got a bin of craft things and a sewing machine (that works) all for $10! After our yard selling adventure, I edited pictures for the Hodges then we loaded up and took them to Angela. After that we got some lunch and went to my parents house to eat. The kids were happy to see Grandma and Grandpa...they even got to see their great-Grandpa Newbold! He drove over and we all sat in the front yard visiting while the kids rode bikes and scooters. My mom rode a bike today for the first time in probably 20 years...and I rode around with Kaitlyn for a little bit too....then we left to drive home! The kids did great...they're so used to the trip...we don't even use the DVD player to keep them entertained anymore!
Now we have next week to look forward to! Kaitlyn has her Thanksgiving program on Tuesday that I am so excited to go to! Then Tuesday night (or maybe early Wednesday morning) we are driving back down to Mesa! I hope to get in a little more visiting time with Angela! I also have plans to meet up with my friend Amber (from my MCC days) to take her family pictures. They live in Huston (but will be in the Valley for Thanksgiving) and just found out that they are moving to China! Then Thursday we will have dinner with my family...and Friday I hope to get some Christmas shopping done...and then we'll come home on Saturday!
Hope you all are doing great! I have to go get my kiddos in bed now!
Love ya!
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