Pumpkin Patch '09

Well hello my friends! Happy Autumn:) For Family Home Evening last Monday we got together with a group of our buddies and went to the "Linder Farms Pumpkin Patch" for some pumpkin picking, and hayriding fun! It was a perfect day! The weather was crisp and clear and it had that perfect Autumn smell. After picking pumpkins we all had apple cider and fresh apples and caramel. It was perfect! What a perfect start to the month of October. (And to those of our buddies who could not make, you were very much missed!)Ohhhh, I love Fall!

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"Farm Fresh Fun"

After watching so much "Little House on the Prairie" this summer, my cute Hannah has been OBSESSED with milking a cow. So..my good buddy Cindy was taking all of her young women to a farm tonight so that all the ladies would get a chance to actually milk a cow, and she invited us along. My ladies were in HEAVEN and completely convinced that we now need our own farm, lol! They had a blast milking the cow, feeding the baby cows, playing with all the million and one cats and holding the chickens. It was such a fun night and one my girls will always remember. So thank you my friend for making such a fun dream come true! We loved every minute:)

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Happy Birthday Sassy!

This week we have the opportunity to celebrate my little Emee. I can hardly believe that she is turning 9! It is crazy how quickly time flies! I LOVE this little lady so much, and feel so blessed to be her mama. Everything about Emee is so infectious!!! Her quirky sense of humor, her love of adventure, her tenderness, and truly awesome dance moves makes everyone around her smile and want to join in. I am in awe of her zest for life and marvel at her ability to always find the good in others. I love her love of animals and love that she still always wants to be an animal, lol. Sassy, you have been such a joy and wonderful blessing to our family. So Happy Birthday little lady, we adore you!

Channel 7 Interview

Well good morning my friends:) Here is a copy of the Channel 7 "Sevens Hero" interview. It is always mortifying to see yourself on T.V., but aside from feeling a little bit like an idiot, I thought that Maggie did a wonderful job of highlighting Kam and all that she does. I really think that Kam will have the opportunity to touch many more lives because of this story. (Just click on the INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE O'MARA)

Interview with Maggie O'Mara.

(Also, if you would like to check out the KTVB blog on our story just follow this link, by copying it and pasting it into your Internet browser)

1. KTVB BLOG ADDRESS http://blogs.ktvb.com/maggie/

Things That Make Living So WONDERFUL!

When I started this blog a little over a year ago, my intent was to share with my family and friends some of the things that we as a family were up to. As time has gone on, I realized that not only is it a wonderful way to keep in touch, but provides me with the opportunity to keep up on my family history. My sweet friend Annie has offered to make a book out my blog for my little ladies as a special gift to them. Since December I have been making a list of all the things that I believe make this life so WONDERFUL and at times so magical, in hopes of passing it along to my little ladies. On the days when I have felt discouraged or frustrated with my limitations, it has helped me a great deal to sit down, add to my list, and to be reminded of how wonderful this life is, despite the times when we all feel a little bit broken. For the sake of my little ladies I thought that I would share some of the things that I hold most dear. (Because of space I thought that I would share only a few things from my list, and these items are in no particular order)


1. The warm and fuzzy glow of my children’s cheeks when they very first wake up.

2. Climbing into clean, soft sheets to go to bed when I am super tired. I LOVE how good soft , clean smelling sheets feel.


3. The smell of newly fallen rain.


4. The way my sweet husband looks at me.

5. Laughing so hard it hurts.


6. The feel of a child’s hand in mine.





















7. Crying with a friend.





















8. Walking in the doors of the temple and the instant feeling of perfect peace.


9. Snuggling up with a cozy afghan and a good book on a crisp Autumn day.

10. Driving in the car and singing my favorite songs at the top of my lungs. Thank the stars for Josh Groban:)

11. Going on a road trip and coming HOME.

12. Dancing when the feeling strikes you, with perfect abandon.


13. Being with my sister, and playing Phase Ten late at night.





















14. The very first taste of a good chocolate.





















15. Looking into the eyes of my children for the very first time. (I believe that this is one of the most magical moments that this life has to offer).





















16. Watching the compassion of another lift and build someone.






















17. Late night talks with my husband.


18. The feel of a rose petal on my cheek.

19. HOPE.






















20. The assurance that comes from knowing that we are never alone.


21. A big huge and wonderful HUG.






















22. Watching my children use their imagination and make up a totally random and perfect song.


23. The wonderful and exciting anticipation of Christmas Eve.





















24. An unexpected gift from such a compassionate lady!


25. Quiet moments on the shore of a beautiful ocean.


(Oh my heavens I could go on and on, lol) So my little ladies, on the days when you are feeling down or discouraged, I would encourage you to make your own little list. There is always much good to be found:) I love you!

Interview With Maggie O'Mara for the Channel Seven News- A Tribute to Kam

Today we had the wonderful and unique opportunity to be interviewed by the ever charming Maggie O'Mara with Channel 7 News KTVB. KTVB has a program called Seven's Hero, and each week since 1997 they have highlighted people in our community who are doing extraordinary things to help others. For their next segment Maggie is highlighting my wonderful and truly talented friend Kam Taylor at Photography by Kam. I know that I have often spoke about this sweet friend of mine and what a wonderful blessing she has been to our little family. We were so honored to be asked to tell our story about how much Kam's gift has touched our lives, and what a blessing her pictures have been to us since our little peanut passed away. Maggie was so kind and so easy to talk to and both her and her wonderfully kind cameraman Paul, made us feel so comfortable and at ease. However, I have a sinking feeling that we will not look comfortable or at ease, LOL! Needless to say we were excited to once again say thank you to a truly remarkable lady, and we hope that this segment shows what an amazing HERO she really is!

"It's Time...... To Par-Tay"

Summer is here, and I could not be more excited! Summertime to me means endless time with my little ladies, late nights, visiting on the grass, yummy BBQ's, warm breezes and TONS of PARTIES, PARTIES, PARTIES! We were so excited to have some of our good buddies come over and help us celebrate the new and exciting season! So thank you to all who came, and to everyone who was able to help:) What a wonderful way to start off the summer! Check out some of the most beautiful faces EVER.

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"Laughter Through Tears Is My Favorite Emotion"

A dear and incredibly kind friend of mine, Jennifer Ashby, recently gave such a beautiful gift to my friends and I. If you have not had an opportunity to see her stunningly classic photos, please check her out at www.jenniferashbyphotography.com Jennifer has such an amazing way of capturing every ones individual sparkle and keeps each photograph simple and well...just beautiful! We were all so touched that she wanted to give us such a tender gift. So thank you my wonderful friend. Thank you for giving us such a beautiful gift and for creating such a special and fun memory that we will all treasure. (And didn't Edward photograph "BEAUTIFULLY", lol! Good thing he showed up, lol)



My heart is so full as I look at the beautiful faces of these sweet ladies, and I cannot help but feel so blessed to know each of them. It has been said that a group of ladies who love each other and hang out together can often be a called a "clique", which I guess in my mind has a negative connotation. But when I look at these beautiful pictures, I guess what I would call them is a true "blessing". When Eric and I moved to Idaho a couple of years ago our purpose was to live in a state that would provide better health benefits for my little peanut. We had no idea at the time what path my health would take, nor that every day that passed would one day feel like a wonderful blessing. These amazing women, have held my hand as I watched my son pass away and participated in wonderful milestones with my children. They have shared their joy of the birth of their babies and mourned with us as they have lost their own family members. They have hugged me when I was too sick to do much else, and have been the Mothers to my little ladies when I could not. These woman have made me laugh so hard it hurt and have cleaned, cooked, and served more often than they have had time for. I have been blessed to watch as they weather their own trials with such quiet dignity and marvel at the compassion that they show to all around them. Their testimonies have been such a great strength to me when I myself have felt scared or discouraged. My sweet friend Selina recently made us all little signs that said, "Laughter Through Tears Is My Favorite Emotion". I am so grateful to have known what a gift that is in a great part because of these wonderful women. A "clique" you may say, no my friends, "a true gift".So to you sweet ladies, Thank You, from the bottom of my heart, I love you!

"The Joy Of Being The Mama"

"Hannah"

Today is such a special day when we have the opportunity to remember Mother's. What a beautiful opportunity it is for me to reflect on my own sweet children and how grateful I am to be their Mama. This post is a little harder for me to write, due only to the fact that I can barely talk about what a joy it is for me to be a mother, let alone write down my feelings without crying. I am not always very eloquent, and I wish that there were words beautiful enough, or strong enough to describe how I feel about my sweet children. I have felt truly blessed and honored to have had the chance to be a Mother, and to have been a Mother to such choice and precious little ones. My children have brought unmeasurable joy into my life, and I have often felt inadequate of such a tender calling. I cannot imagine my life without these special little ones, and I feel honored every time they call me Mama. I love you little ladies, and to all of you AMAZING Mother's out there, I hope that today is such a special day for you!

"Emee"

"Aubrey"

One of my most favorite quotes about Motherhood, was by Sheri Dew in the January 2002 Ensign. She said,

"As mothers in Israel, we are the Lord’s secret weapon. Our influence comes from a divine endowment that has been in place from the beginning. In the premortal world, when our Father described our role, I wonder if we didn’t stand in wide-eyed wonder that He would bless us with a sacred trust so central to His plan and that He would endow us with gifts so vital to the loving and leading of His children. I wonder if we shouted for joy at least in part because of the ennobling stature He gave us in His kingdom. The world won’t tell you that, but the Spirit will".

"Caleb"

"In Remembrance"

This week we have the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life of my sweet son Caleb. I am amazed at how quickly these past two years have flown by. As I sit here thinking about my little "peanut" I am so overwhelmed and so grateful for the blessing that he was to our family. When I think of my little man, I truly believe that he represented everything that is good and pure in this world. His sense of humor, joy in all things, unconditional love, and endless strength is still such an example to me today. It is always so amazing to me how healing time is. As I think about him now I can't help but feel so much gratitude that our little family was given such a tremendous gift. So my sweet son, here's to you little man! We adore you!

The following is the video that we played at his funeral. We still love watching it and seeing his tender little smile:)

" A Beautiful Gift From A Beautiful Person, Thank you Kam"

Our family has been given another very special gift from my sweet friend Kam. We met Kam when we very first moved to Idaho a little over two years ago. I actually heard about her and her incredible photographs from a nurse that was taking care of my sweet son, one of the times that we were in the Emergency Room. The nurse had told me about this amazing photographer that took stunningly beautiful photos and had a program for families with terminally ill children or terminally ill parents who had children. The first time I met her was when she came over to do Calebs' pictures with our family and I just feel in love with her. Kam is one of the warmest, most giving and most compassionate people that I have ever met. With all of the many reminders of the struggles that exist in our world today, I am truly grateful for small acts of kindness that remind us that there are so many good people doing good and kind acts of service for others. She is a constant reminder to me that so much good does indeed exist in our world today. So thank you my sweet friend. Thank you for your beautiful gift, and thank you for being the person that you are. Your kindness has truly touched us all, and will be such a wonderful blessing to our family in the years to come. We love you!

If you would like to see some more of her beautiful pictures check her out at Photography By Kam at www.photographybykam.com. You won't be sorry, her pictures really are so very tender!

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" A Special Memory From Build-A-Bear"

Yesterday was a really special day for our family. Build-A-Bear has a special program for children who have terminally ill parents or siblings. So, the wonderful people at Build-A-Bear paid for my sweet little ladies to have new bears with my voice inside of it. It was so fun to be able to record a little song that I have sung to them since they were tiny. We were also able to do the same thing for my ladies shortly before Caleb passed with his little laugh in it, and it has been one of the greatest blessings for them. It is so special to be able to snuggle something so tight when you are feeling so sad. Build-A-Bear was so good to us, and made the experience so sweet. I was so touched by how sensitive they were to my situation and to my sweet girls.



My little Sassy got a bear that she said had my same hair color, in fact she named it Apes The Bear.



Hannah also got a sweet little bear that she named April. I LOVE that we get the chance to kiss a tiny heart and that it will always be close to their heart. So Sweet!



So thank you to Build-A-Bear, and thank you to my sweet little ladies and husband for such a special memory, I love you!