Goldie And Brandon Bonewell

Denton's week long extravaganza~!

2010-12-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

We had a birthday party for Denton at the Bonewell's house while we were in St. George. I told everyone they could not buy him gifts because I wouldn't be able to get them on the airplane. They decided to give him money instead. Granpa belt gave him money under 4 layers of envelope and tape. Aunts Jennifer and Stephanie gave him money with a personalized picture of the real life Bat Mobile. Grandpa and Grandma Bonewell gave him a birthday cake and money in small bills that were inserted in birthday balloons. Denton had to pop all of the balloons to get to the money. He had a blast. We also played a "get to know you" game about Denton. His cousin, Awsten, won a whole bag of candy bars. Grandpa and Grandma Coon gave him money in a birthday card.

Denton had a fabulous time picking out his favorite items with the money.

Here's what you bought him:

Grandpa and Grandma Belt bought him "Monsters Vs. Aliens", the movie

Aunt Jennifer and Aunt Stephanie and families bought him a riffle.

Grandpa and Grandma Bonewell bought him a camping set complete with tent, sleeping bag, back pack, and flashlight (he has been wishing for this for a long time!)

Grandpa and Grandma Coon bought him snow pants.

His mom and dad bought him snow boots, a transformer, and a hot wheels stunt set.

When we got home, we celebrated again on his real birthday! So spoiled :-)

Trip Home

2010-11-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

Our trip home was so much FUN! It was a little rough being on the airplane for 4 hours with the kids by myself, but it was totally worth it! When we flew into Vegas, I called my very missed friend to see if she wanted to meet me at McDonalds for dinner so my kids could have a break from traveling. It was sooo nice to visit with her. I forgot how easy it was to talk to her and it made me more than a little homesick. She offered to let us stay and her house that night since her kids didn't have school the next day. The kids had a blast with their long lost buddies!

We enjoyed our 2 week vacation. We stayed at my parents house, but we visited my in-laws, and Jennifer every afternoon. A couple of times we were able to play cards and eat candy at my in-laws house, and I'm so glad.. it's one of my favorite traditions. And, I got to be KING the longest :-) The kids LOVED playing with their cousins. Everynight, I would have to drag Denton away at bedtime even though I could see him yawning and tell he was tired.

We got to go visit aunt Alisha and the kids had fun playing in her awesome backyard.

My brother Adam, and his wife Heather came down to stay overnight and visit me.

My niece, Emilie, and her husband and kids came to visit.

We got to go visit Grandpa and Grandma Belt. They are always too cute and happy to see us. I love hearing all of Grandpa's stories.

I was able to take my little brother-in-law, TJ, to a John Schmidt concert. That was amazing!

I spent a lot of time visiting with my parents since we stayed there. When it looked like my kids were wearing on them a little, we went for beautiful hikes.

This is Brigham Tea.

I took my kids to see this cole kiln. This was one of my favorite things to do in high school. I never imagined back then that I would be hiking to it with my kids someday.

We had a fantastic birthday party for Denton!

We got up at 3am and started our long journey home. The kids did sleep a little on the airplane. I was so happy to see Brandon in the Detroit airport.

When we got home, I walked in to the smell of turkey! Brandon made us a little Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first time that we've had Thanksgiving with just our little family. It was perfect.

Such a fun trip! The only thing that would have made it better is if Brandon could have been there with us!

Halloween Face... after Halloween

2010-11-03T08:44:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday! Cody decided to prank me with his after Halloween, Halloween face. This is what I saw when I went in to get him out of bed this morning. After a brief moment of panic, I saw that he was smiling at me while the blood was running down his face, so he must not be hurt too badly. Then, I remembered that he had a little blood blister on his forehead that popped yesterday. I thought I had it taken care of, but Cody must have pulled the bandaid off in the night and messed with the blood blister again.

Halloween Time!

2010-10-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

Brandon got me excited to carve pumpkins this year. We had a lot of people comment on them and even look inside to see if they were real. It was a lot of fun.

I had a fun Halloween party with my preschool class. We all trick-or-treated from each other, and learned the 5 little pumpkins song.

Denton and Julia are very social. They've made friends with all the neighbors. This pays off on Halloween. Our neighbors gave the kids bags of candy, chips, full-size candy bars, and their own box of count Dracula cereal. Talk about spoiled! This is also nice for me because their buckets were full after 5 houses. We did empty the bucket and Brandon took them for a refill around the neighborhood where the kids weren't so well known.

It's Autumn Time. The Leaves are Falling Down.

2010-10-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, there was a big wind storm. It was literally snowing leaves outside. Leaves can drift like snow does. We found this out because all of the neighbors leaves drifted into our yard. The last garbage day, we had 12 trash bags full and you couldn't even really tell we had picked anything up by looking at our yard. The kids sure have a good time in the leaf piles though.

Pumpkin Patch!!!

2010-10-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

That's Julia on top of the haystack!

Our very own Charlette. I found her in our garage.

BIRTHDAY GIRL!

2010-09-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Yates Cidar Mill

2010-09-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

The Cidar Press

The Petting Zoo

Drinking our fresh apple cidar and eating cinnamon sugar donuts.

We had so much fun at the Yates Cidar Mill. Denton and Julia got to ride ponnies. We watched them make fudge and then enjoyed some. We ate donuts and drank apple cidar on a covered picnic table while it rained down. We also went on a nature walk and fed the goats in the petting zoo.

Denton's First Day of School

2010-09-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

Denton did fantastic on his first day of school.

He was super excited and jumped out of bed, got dressed,

and waited excitedly for time to go catch the bus.

I was way more nervous!

Being the overprotective mom that I am, I waited to see

Denton get on the bus, then I hoped in the car and raced his

bus to the school so I could make sure he got off the bus

and to his class ok. Surprisingly, there was no one there

to great the children as they got off the bus and show them

where their class is.

Two little scared brothers tapped my leg and said they didn't know

where to go. I recognized them as kids that got on at Denton's bus stop.

We helped them find their classes, but I was sure glad I was overprotective

for Denton. I didn't want him to be scared or lost on his first day.

He came home on the bus by himeself though. He had a huge smile

on his face and he told me all about how much he loved school.

Yes!

Car Wreck

2010-09-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

Denton was very excited to be in the back of the police car.

This is the lovely field we ended up in.

My father-in-law pointed out that I didn't post pictures/story of our little car wreck incident back on August 13th (Friday the 13th).

We were going on a little one night camping trip and we were on a long straight road in the middle of nowhere, 2 hours north of our house.

We were admiring all of the huge, old barns. Brandon looked back at the road after staring at a barn and he saw a car stopped in the middle of the road in front of us, waiting to turn left.

He slammed on the brakes, and we skidded for about 50 feet before hitting into the back right side of the black car you see on the side of the road. Brandon told the police officer that he had been looking at the barn and not paying attention. The police officer said since Brandon had told the truth, he wouldn't give him a ticket. No one in our van was hurt, just a little shaken up. A 88 year old grandma in the other car had a huge goose egg on her head, but hadn't even realized she hit her head on anything. She had to go to the hospital.

The rest of the day was long and exausting. The police officer took us into town. From there, the closest place to rent a car was 45 minutes away and we had no way to get there. There were no buses, taxies, trains, planes or anything else to get us out of town. Finally, Brandon called the guy who towed our van and he was kind enough to leave his daugher-in-law's birthday party and give Brandon a lift to the car rental place. Brandon took the boys with him and Julia and I wandered around Mayberry for 2 hours until Brandon came back with a rental. Then, we had to go to the wrecking yard and get all of our camping stuff out of the van. We were so happy when we finally got home.

Duty Calls...

2010-09-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

I guess we can no longer use the excuse that it's summer, or we're new, to get off easy. I feel the full weight of responsibility on my shoulders. When did I turn into an adult? Denton is starting school next Tuesday and I'm having a little bit of a hard time with it, not because I don't think he will do great and it will be very good for him, but because it's an end to him being my side-kick all day. I've joined a group of moms to do a preschool for Julia. October will be my month to teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have also received a new church calling to be the 1st counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. I know I will learn and gain far more than I can give. I'm just feeling like a small child trying to clop around in her mom's shoes. I know Heavenly Father can help me be who and what I need to be and I'm excited to see how things work out, because they always do :-)

Challenging Myself

2010-08-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

So, I decided I need to set a big goal and accomplish it for my own self-satisfaction. After having three kids, and being a total couch potatoe, I've decided to train for a half-marathon. I've never been in a real race (I was in a 4x100 relay in a stake track meet and I made us come in third instead of 1st). I don't think that matters. What I'm setting out to do, is get in shape, and have a tangible accomplishment that I can be proud of. This is my new hobby. Today was the first day of my training schedule that I made at runnersworld.com. My feat, 5 miles in 1hour 20 min. I love the clarity and the peace of mind that comes while I'm running. Four miles into my run, the van pulls up next to me and Brandon and the kids are cheering me on. The kids were also pretending like they were the ice cream truck and they were pretending to throw me whatever flavor I asked for. It was so fun! I managed to run my 5 miles in 54 minutes, blowing my goal time out of the water! I think I'm well on my way... stay posted :-)

Stoney Creek

2010-07-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

We found a beautiful park called Stoney Creek.

On our first visit, we went for a bike ride on the path around the lake.

Then, we went and splashed in the lake to cool off.

The second time we went, we hiked through the woods.

The kids really like to hike. I can't believe how green everything is!

We were prepared with our swimming suits the second time to the park.

The whole family had fun taking a dip in the lake.

We bought a year pass, so we plan on a lot more hiking and biking.

My Baby is 1 now!

2010-07-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun birthday party for Cody. I can't believe my baby is not a baby anymore! The neighbors grandaughter wanted to celebrate with us. Denton and Julia had fun teaching Cody what opening birthday presents is all about. Cody is a sweet little boy. He likes to play with his big brother and sister and make growling noises at them. He can army crawl anywhere he wants to go now. He has no interest in walking or even standing. He loves his little walker that allows him to tag along with mommy a little easier. He's even tall enough he can pull things off of the table when he sneaks into the kitchen in his walker when no one is looking. Cody has 7 teeth now. He will eat just about anything I give him. He has a special little personality that makes anyone around him smile. WE LOVE YOU CODY BEAR!!!

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

The picture above is of Julia and her friend Jasmyne.

Sunday night, we sat with our neighbors in their back yard to watch the fireworks in the easement.

It is illegal to have fireworks that go up in the sky, but it isn't inforced,

so everyone drives a few hours to Ohio and buys professional grade fireworks

and lights them off in the easement.

We had fun watching the fireworks, and eating popcycles.

Saturday night, we went to a BBQ at our friends house with 4 other couples.

There was an OB/Gyn resident, a general surgery resident, a podiatrist resident

a podiatrist, and Brandon, traditional resident...

and all of the wives.

It was fun to watch the guys having so much fun lighting the fireworks.

I think they had more fun than the kids did.

Denton and Julia made a lot of new little friends.

The Drive Was a Long one!

2010-06-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

Julia is hiding under the blanket.

I was wondering why Cody was so loud and hyper!

I drove 3 hours, Brandon drove 27. He wanted it that way. Ok, I say.

We stopped in Salt Lake to say hi to Brandon's cousin Kara. She's recovering from neck surgery.

While stopped in Salt Lake we also had lunch with two of my brothers and their families.

The trip to Michigan was very long. The kids actually did pretty good. I loved all of the wind-mill fields we drove past. I also loved seeing all of the rivers, and corn fields. I would never attempt that drive alone with the kids. If we go home to visit without Brandon, we are flying!

A Week In the Life

2010-06-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

So, we moved out of our home in Henderson on May 28th. We had a ton of help from Alisha, Jennifer, and Stephanie (thank you!) to finish up the packing and then cleaning the entire house. Brandon had a lot of people from the ward come and help pack up the moving van. I was so glad to see Teresa and her kids one last time. During our last few hours cleaning and packing, my friend came to say goodbye and brought a little gift. I was brought to tears as I realized we wouldn't be in the same ward anymore. We will always be friends though! Brandon and I drove to St. George Friday night. Saturday, Brandon and his dad started out for Michigan in the moving van. Brandon and his dad got to stop in Iowa and eat at places Brandon's dad ate at on his mission. They also visited someone Brandon's dad taught on his mission. Brandon spent the week living in a motel, driving around a giant moving truck, and waiting for the house to close. The closing kept getting pushed back, but thankfully, closed and was final the same day Brandon had to return the moving truck (thank goodness for huge blessings!). I have spent the week taking the kids to visit grandpa and grandma Coon, hanging out with grandma Bonewell and TJ, going to the lake and rec center swimming with the Turnbows... all the while feeling like a single parent (I'll have to post pictures later when I get my computer unpacked). Late last night, Brandon flew into Las Vegas and I had to go pick him up. As I came up over the hill and saw all of the Vegas lights, I felt like I was coming home, and felt a wave of sadness as I realized we really had moved out of our home. I told Brandon our bedroom in our Detroit house is going to be decorated like the desert to remind me of home. We still have a few more days in St. George to play. We will be leaving on Thursday to drive to Michigan.

Graduating and Movin' on

2010-05-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

After many short nights, and long hours studying, Brandon is graduated from medical school!

Brandon was in the front row of graduated on the stand. He got board, so he started texting everyone in his family silly comments while trying to hide his phone with his program. He may be a Dr., but he is still a kid at heart.

Afterwards, we had a family get to gether at our house.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2010-05-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

For our 7 year anniversary, we went to the top of the Stratesphere. I was so scared even looking down through the glass. There is a new ride that actually lets you free-fall off the edge of the building. I got a little sick to my stomach to watch people jump off the side of the building. Eventually, I agreed to going on a ride that teeters over the edge 115 stories up. I was scared to death, and to top it off, Brandon wanted to be in the front row! It really felt like our seats were going to go flying off and splat down below. After that ride, we went on the "Big Shot" twice. I felt pretty brave to even agree to go on it. I have the picture to show how chicken I really was.

After the rides, we went in the fancy restaurant at the top, and ordered a dessert and listened to a live band. It was a very exciting date. I love you babe!

Denton's Done with Preschool!

2010-05-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Denton loved preschool at the rec center. He made some good friendships and he LOVED his teacher, Miss Jessica. He learned a lot of helpful songs about the months, numbers, letters, and the parts of his face! I can't believe my little guy is ready for big kid school!

2010-05-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Going Away Party

2010-05-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

I threw myself a going away girls night out. We had a yummy time at Applebees and then went to the movie "Back up Plan". I had such a fun time! I'm glad for all of the wonderful People I got to be friends with.

We are home owners of a house we've never been in :-)

2010-04-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Brandon and I flew to Detroit and spent 3 days looking for a house. We put an offer in on a house but an investor came in and paid cash and got it. We had a great real estate agent who got a feel for what we were looking for. After we got home she continued to send us fact sheets of different houses. I found one I was interested in and asked the agent if she would walk through and take pictures for us. When I saw the pictures, I knew we couldn't pass on this house. We put an offer in and got it! It's 4 bedrooms and 2 baths with a basement! It will be nice to have our own house that we can paint and decorate it however we want. I still wish we weren't moving so far away, but I think it will be a fun adventure. Here are some pictues (don't be jealous of all the green grass :-)

This is our house!

Back of the house.

View out our front door.

Full basement for the kids to play in!

Living room.

Upstairs bedroom.

Upstairs bathroom.

Upstairs Nursery. Not Green!!! (Result of sun shining into camera at weird angle.)

Downstairs Bedroom. (Bedrooms have wood floor under the carpet like is in the living room, so we will probably rip the carpet up.)

Other bedroom on main level.

Main level Bathroom. (The wall paper is going to go and we are going to put tile down.)

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Easter. The kids enjoyed looking all over for their Easter baskets. Denton asked why the Easter Bunny didn't hide uncle TJ's basket. Thinking on the fly, Brandon told the kids that a long time ago, when he was a little boy, Grandpa Coon had tried to catch the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny didn't like that, so as a punishment, Grandpa Coon and all of his posterity would have to search for their baskets on Easter morning.

We had so much fun coloring, hiding, and finding Easter eggs at Grandpa and Grandma Coons house. We went to Grandpa and Grandma Bonewell's and did egg relays and an Easter Egg hunt.

It's not by accident

2010-04-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had a brief conversation in the hallway at church last Sunday with my stake president's wife. She told me this story: Her husband was transferred here for his job. She did not want to come. She moved her with a less-than-positive attitude about being here. The first Sunday they lived here was stake conference. In stake conference, the stake president asked a question, "How many of you feel like you have to live here because of a job?" She thought to herself, "That's me. That's the only reason why I'm here." Immediately, the stake president said, "You are wrong if that's what you think. The Lord has a purpose for you here. You are not here by accident, or because of a job. You are here because the Lord brought you here and there are things you can do and people that you can touch that no one else can." Her attitude changed after that and now her husband is the stake president and she is very respected in the ward and community. I now have a better attitude about moving to Michigan.

Pictures!!!

2010-03-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

I patiently WAITED over 3 months

to get

Family Photos!

I'll miss you Grandma

2010-03-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Rushton passed away on March 5, 2010. Grandma was very bubbly. She had many friends that loved her. I remember having huge Christmas parties at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandma was well known for her cooking. She could have a 5 course spread on the table with a moments notice. There was always little candies and treats for the kids. Grandma loved to be outside walking around the church. She knew it would keep her in good shape. Everyone was always surprised when they learned her age because she always looked and acted 10 years younger. Grandma, I know you have found joy and happiness with those that have passed on before you. You will be remembered.

Mary Sophia Rushton 1912 ~ 2010 WASHINGTON, UT - Mary Sophia Rushton, 98, passed away March 5, 2010, in St George, Utah.Mary was born February 13th, 1912 to Ephraim and Phoebe Swain. She was the oldest of nine children. She married Leslie Mitchie, deceased. She married Chris Rushton, they were married 50+ years. Chris passed away in 1999. Mary is survived by son, Dale and Barbara Rushton; two step-daughters, Janis and Golden Coon, Verla Kingsbury; plus many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by eight siblings. Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the Heber LDS 3rd Ward Chapel, 240 East 400 South, Heber, Utah. Visitation will be held Thursday from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the chapel, prior to services. Interment will be at the Heber City Cemetery.

Weekend O' Fun

2010-02-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

I had such a fun weekend! My sister-in-law Jennifer, and her kids, Braxton, Awsten, and Hailey, came to spend a few days while Cameron was in Wyoming. Friday was a very chill day. We stayed at home and let the kids play. Such cute little cousins. They really had fun being together. Jennifer and I just talked at each other the whole time... so fun! Then, for dinner, we surprised the kids and went to Chuck-E-Cheese. We got 200 tokens for 5 kids to plays games with and every game or ride is only one token. Jennifer thought 100 would be enough, but I assured her it wasn't. 200 tokens + cheese pizza = 2 1/2 hours of fun. On Saturday, I got up early and went and got my hair cut and highlighted while Jennifer watched the kids. Then, we went to Kmart and found some jackets on sale for Jennifer's kids. For dinner, we went to the mall and ate at Panda express. Brandon watched the kids at the little play area while Jennifer and I went shopping. Jennifer found some cute stuff for Hailey at Clairs. I got some cute new pants (more expensive than I would have liked, but I can't help it that my legs are too long). Then, Jennifer wanted the kids to see the strip, so, we went on a joy ride. The only problem, tired worn out kids and too many people on the strip. The kids weren't that impressed with the strip and Cody wouldn't stop crying (he just wanted to sleep, but there was too much going on for that). We lucked out and got stopped behind a bus right next to the volcano as it was starting to erupt. We only got to watch it for a few minutes, but it was fun to see. We put the kids to bed and Brandon, Jennifer and I played Family Feud. I have to say, I kicked butt at that game :-). We got to bed at 1 am. Today we went and got Cameron from the airport and Cameron and Jennifer headed home. It was so much fun to have them here. I'm sorry there are no pictures. I was too lazy to keep track of my camera.

The lesson I learned, and taught

2010-02-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, a friend and I went to the temple. We got there for the 7:00pm session and we soon learned that was the Spanish session. They told us we could wear translater headsets and listen to everything in English. We decided to just wait for the next session. It turns out there were so many people there for the Spanish session that it filled up and a lot of Spanish speakers had to wait for the 7:30 session. So, we ended up going to the 7:30 Spanish session. It ended up being a great experience. It reminded me that temple worship is important for everyone regardless of what language we hear it in. This was a good experience to prepare me for the lesson I was asked to give at Enrichment on making the temple a priority.

As I was preparing for this 15 minute lesson, I could only come up with two questions and two quotes that I wanted to use. Usually, I over prepare because I don't want to be standing in front of everyone with nothing to say. I really felt like the comments the sisters would add to my lesson would be more important than anything I could prepare. That prompting turned out correct. The sisters had so many things to say that really helped me. I know I needed to teach this lesson on the temple so that I would make a temple attendance goal for myself to go more often. My 5 minutes of prepared material lasted 20 minutes. I really felt the spirit leading that discussion and touching my heart.

Here is my favorite quote on the temple that I found in the True to the Faith gospel reference book:
"The temple is a place of peace and revelation. When you are troubled or when crucial decisions weigh heavily on your mind, you may take your cares to the temple. There you can receive spiritual guidance. Sometimes you may feel that you cannot think clearly because your mind is so burdened with problems and the many things clamoring for attention. In the temple, the dust of these distractions can settle, the fog and haze can lift, and you can understand things that you have not understood before. You can find new ways to deal with the challenges you face. The Lord will bless you as you attend to the sacred ordinance work in the temple. And the blessings He give you will not be limited to your time in the temple. He will bless you in all aspects of your life. Your labors in the temple will strengthen you and refine you spiritually.”

Valentine's Day

2010-02-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I celebrated Valentine's Day all weekend. On Thursday, Brandon came home with a dozen long stemmed red roses. It was a fun surprise. On Friday, I made sugar cookies with the kids and we started eating the chocolates I had already made on Thursday. On Saturday, we took Valentine's treats to some of our friends in the morning. Brandon and I got an amazing babysitter that the kids absolutely loved. We took Cody to Olive Garden with us. It was so nice to have time to sit and talk and enjoy our restaurant experience. We usually only go to places like Denney's where everyone is used to noisy kids coming in. I love Olive garden! Of course I was full of breadsticks, salad, and mozerella fonduet before my meal even came. We came home long enough to feed Cody and put him to bed. Luckily, he cooperated and went to sleep. Brandon and I went to 3D Avatar. I liked to movie ok, but it is more of a guy movie. I was just glad we could go together. On Monday, Brandon came home from studying with a card and chocolates. I thought that was so cute. He said he felt bad he forgot the card on Saturday, so he went out in search of Valentines card on Monday. They had all been taken down already so I got a very sweet Anniversary card that had been crossed out to read "Valentine's Day."

My Lot in Life.

2010-02-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

To all my girls out there raising kids and not living by any family, I feel your pain. This is my lot in life. Besides the three months we lived with Brandon's parents between BYU and med. school, we have never lived close to family. Even being two hours away from family, it is still out of reach of a babysitter and Sunday dinner. I see how young mothers drop their kids off at grandma's house so they can go to the Dr. or on a date. How nice would that be? Instead, I'm left to the mercy of my own pride. I hate asking for help, so usually, I don't. I have been blessed with good friends who seem to take me under their wing, and don't wait for me to ask. I consider these friends to be my family away from family. They are my role models. For this reason, I will have a hard time moving in 4 months, but I know wherever we go, there will be friends that Heavenly Father sends a long to be my family away from family.

Update on our Life

2010-02-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

I always try to wait and blog when I have pictures to go along with it. I watched Julie & Julia last night and realized I should blog more. Not because I want to be a published writer, but because I think I would learn more about myself if I kept a journal. This blog is about as close as I've come to keeping a journal in a long, long time. Anyway, no pictures with this entry, just news and thoughts. On February 8th, we will find out where the next chapter in our life will take place. It reminds me a lot of when I was waiting for my mission call. You fill out the papers, and do the work to get ready, then you wait for the envelope that tells you where you are going. I've prayed a lot that we will be sent where the Lord would have us be. Moving is very hard for me, especially when I know it will take me out of driving distance from my family. That's what life is though. It is a series of experiences that take us out of our comfort zone and makes us grow. Brandon has applied in Michigan and Oklahoma, so that makes those two places definite possibilities, but not a sure bet.

I Elfed Myself

2009-12-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Grandpa? or Santa Clause?

2009-12-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

One afternoon while I was at my in-laws, Santa Clause came bounding through the door. Denton seemed to recognize Santa Clause right away. Julia kept her distance at first, not knowing what to think. Cody was shy and didn't want to look at Santa. Turns out, Denton was right! Grandpa Bonewell really was Santa Clause! The beard is real even. My kids have always been scared of Santa Clause, so this is the first time I was able to get pictures of the kids with Santa without them crying. I think Grandpa Bonewell made the perfect Santa Clause. Thanks! We love you Grandpa/Santa!

Little Rascal

2009-12-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

I put Cody on the floor by the Christmas tree so that he could enjoy it while I put Denton and Julia to bed. He wasn't within arms reach of the presents however. When I came back to check on him, I found the little rascal trying to get into the presents. He's only 5 months old and he's up to trouble already :-)

Festive Pics

2009-12-08T20:31:00.001-08:00

Count Down

2009-12-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

Denton got this adorable Santa-count-down-to-Christmas chart at preschool. I'm really excited about it because we are using it as a count-down-until-daddy-comes-home too.

Smurfette

2009-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Julia came to me asking for a marker and a piece of paper. I grant her request and give her specific instructions: only color on the paper, not on the table, your clothes, or anything else... only on the paper. Up until now, the instructions have worked and my kids have always been really good about keeping it on the paper. Well, Julia decided to turn herself into a smurf. You can tell by her face that she knows she is in trouble.

Let's Bumbo!

2009-12-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you Alisha, for letting us borrow the Bumbo! I was excited to put Cody in it, but he's so used to laying back and he was trying to lay back in the Bumbo. I put toys on the tray and he finally leaned forward into a comfortable position. He still only lasted 5 mintes, and that's ok with me. I'm in no hurry for my baby to grow up. I absolutely love this stage and I'm enjoying every minute. He's on a good schedule and we have a system down. Cody even sleeps 11 hours at night without waking up. I get him up at 7:30am to feed him. He smiles and giggles all the time. At 5 months he weighs 17 pounds, is 26 inches long, and is above the 95 percentile for weight, height, and head circumfrence.

The Whirlwind I call November

2009-12-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

November came and went way too fast. I was happy to have Brandon home, but still didn't get to see as much of him as I would have liked. He made a total of 3 trips to Michigan, two were interviews and one was just to work in the ER of the residency program he is hoping to get into. Every spare minute was spent studying for boards (8 hour long test) that he took on Nov. 17th. We were excited for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a glorious day of food and more food. I talked my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law into going to see New Moon with me Thanksgiving night. I really enjoyed the movie and found it to be much better than the first. Friday, we went to visit my parents and got to visit with Jared, my oldest brother, while I was there too. Friday night Julia and I got very, very sick. We had a very bad stomach flu. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say it gave the ol' abb muscles a work out. Saturday, Denton had his birthday party at Pirate Island Pizza. I wasn't able to go because Julia hadn't recovered from the flu, so I stayed home with her and Cody. I heard he had an awesome time. Thanks to all the family that came and brought gifts. Saturday night, Brandon and Denton got the nasty flu. Brandon was able to get up and go to Hadley's baby blessing while I stayed home with the sick kids again. Sunday evening we drove home and the kids slept all the way. I was glad to be home again, but Monday meant saying goodbye to Brandon until Christmas. He drove to New Mexico on Monday. Tuesday he made it the rest of the way to Oklahoma City. I hope this month goes by fast. Oh, my video camera broke so I bought one on ebay. I will soon have video of my handsome little Cody on here.

My Birthday

2009-11-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

My Birthday was awesome this year! My friend Teresa babysat all the kids for 6 hours while Brandon and I went to dinner and Phantom of the Opera. It was so great to go out on a real date. I loved seeing Phantom. I loved hearing the live music so loud that it shook my insides. I can't believe how many special effects could be used on one stage. It was amazing! I have always been a fan of the music, but hearing it professionally sung was incredible.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night I took the kids to their cousins school Halloween carnival. Denton and Julia had a blast. They played pumpkin bowling, fishing, cake walk, slimey worms and face painting. Aunt Jennifer actually painted Julia's and Denton's faces because the 2 teenagers where taking 5 years. Denton said his spider looked like a fly (sorry Jennifer :-) They had a punch card with 10 punches. When it was time for the party to end Denton started crying because he didn't get to use all of his punches. It was unusually cold for St. George and a lot of the activities were outside. By the end, I was exausted and wanted to just curl up under a blanket and go to sleep. It was a lot of fun though. Thanks for inviting us Turbow's!

I survived the month of October with no Brandon. I'm so glad to have him back! Saturday we picked him up at the airport and had a few hours to get him a costume and get ready for Halloween. Brandon was a blind ref. Denton was Optimus Prime and I was an angel (there are no pictures of my costume because I was the one holding the camera, and amongst the chaos, I forgot to get myself in a picture), and Cody was a sleeping baby. We went to the ward trunk-or-treat. The kids got a lot of candy and enjoyed seeing the other kids' costumes. We came home when we ran out of that stash of candy and started our at-home stash of candy. We had quite a few trick-or-treaters and Denton and Julia loved putting the candy in the tick-or-treaters bags.

Cody's Blessing and Julia's 3!

2009-10-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

So, it has taken me forever to get this post up. Life has been crazy. On September 27, Brandon blessed our very handsome little Cody David Bonewell. I have to get spiritual for a moment. I never feel closer to Heavenly Father than when I have my own little miracle from heaven in my arms. I look at tiny little Cody and feel that he just came from Heavenly Father's presence. It makes me realize how much I treasure my temple sealing to Brandon and to know that my children are born under the covenant and will be mine for eternity. I'm so grateful and blessed for the wonderful family that I have.

We had a fun blessing/birthday party at Leeds park after the blessing.

Brandon is leaving me...

2009-09-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

So we just found out yesterday that Brandon is going to Tulsa Oklahoma for the whole month of October for and ER rotation. It is crucial that he does an internship rotation in ER because he has to have it to apply for residency. He needs to apply for residency ASAP and Touro was not willing to work with him on getting him into the ER rotation next month, so he's off to Oklahoma. The sad part is, he has another one lined up for December in Oklahoma city. If he makes a good impression, one of the two places may even accept him for their residency program. I know these sacrifices are necessary, but I'm really pretty bummed about it.

Cody is 1 Month

2009-08-13T10:39:00.001-07:00

Cody is growing and filling in all his rolls and extra chins. I took all three kids to the Dr. on Wednesday for check-ups and vaccinations. That was a tiring experience. It's a new challenge just getting all three of them in and out of the car. They are all healthy, thank goodness. When it came time for the shots, all heck broke loose. Julia went first and she started the crying. Then, it was Denton's turn after he just watched Julia get tortured. It took the nurse and I both to hold him down for his 3 shots. I hate putting my kids through that, and being the one to hold them down, but sometimes you have to allow your kids a little pain in order to do what's best for them (that sounds like a Sunday School lesson). Anyway, it was a good thing we were the first apt. of the morning and there were no other kids around, because Denton was literally screaming at the top of his lungs. It made me stressed and I'm glad that's over! From the Dr.'s office, we went straight to the dollar store to get rewards for being tramatized. haha.

Off the Radar

2009-07-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, if you've ever had a newborn, you can guess what I've been up to for the last three weeks... trying to survive :-) We brought Cody home from the hospital and I was trying to nurse him. He was very sleepy for whatever reason and wasn't interested in eating. After losing a pound and a half, his pediatrician told me I needed to bottle feed him so that he could quickly get the calories he needed in the short time he was awake. Basically, there's a lot more detail to it, but, I was pumping 9 times a day along with feeding Cody a bottle 8 times a day. My butt created a permanent indent in the couch. I went to Cody's pediatrician 3 times in one week checking his weight. I felt like they were therapy sessions for me because I always ended up crying. Cody's Dr. (Dr. Dushman) is awesome! He always asks me how I'm doing and if I'm ok. Last week Brandon took Cody in to be circumcised and the Dr. asked how I was feeling about bottle feeding because he knew I was trying really hard to nurse. He had already told me that statistically, if a baby isn't nursing and needs a bottle, he will never go back to nursing. Brandon told the Dr. that I was still nursing and he was shocked. Anyway, Brandon took the kids to the children's museum to treat them to a fun day. They had a wonderful time. The only problem, Denton got the flu. Ya, not fun. The good news... I just took Cody to the Dr. today and he weighs 10 and 1/2 lbs. at 3 weeks old. He's very healthy, we're just hoping he doesn't get sick. All in all, I'm ready for some normalcy. I don't think I'll get it for another few weeks, but I have hope. Brandon goes back to work on Monday. I'm kind of scared to be left on my own with all three kids. We'll see how it goes.

At the kids museum there is a little pretend grocery store. Julia was sad there wasn't really ice cream in the carton. Brandon listed all the things off to me that Julia tried to eat, like the plastic apple, the plastic banana, ect.
This was a fun project to create waterways using the plastic pieces.
>divMy cute little grease monkey.

Welcome To Our Family Cody!

2009-07-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

I finally had the baby! Wed night I started having real contractions and by early Thur morning they were hurting enough to wake me up, but they were very far apart. I woke up Thur morning and told Brandon, "I think today is the day." I continued having contractions throughout the day, but I still got a pretty good nap in. By 5:30pm the contractions were hurting pretty bad, so I told Brandon to call his mom to come. He was hesitant because he didn't realize how bad my contractions were like I was. My mother-in-law was a lifesaver. She immediatly got ready and drove here from St. George to come look after Denton and Julia. We had a girl from the ward come watch the kids until Brandon's mom got here, and we left right away for the hospital. We got there at about 7pm. When I got to the hospital, they ckecked to see how far I was dialated. I was already at a 7!!! They addmitted me right away and called my Dr. in. I had the IV put in right away, and blood drawn. Shortly after, I had the epidural put in. He had to do it twice because it got blood in it the first time. The Dr. came in and broke my water (that's the first time my water didn't break on its own). I could still feel the contractions and I told the nurse, but she convinced me it was just pressure I was feeling. By 10:45pm I was really feeling like I needed to push, but I was only at a 9. I called the nurse back into my room 5 minutes later and told her I was going to start pushing. She said, "The Dr. is coming." I crossed my legs until he got there, and finally they told me I could push. To my grief, I could feel everything. The epidural was a no show. I was going to get that baby out as quickly as I could. Dr. told me to stop and catch my breath and I was like, "NOPE." Within 2 contractions, my precious Cody was born. He was a whopping 9lbs 11 1/2 oz and 20 inches long. The Dr. and nurse were both amazed at how big he was. I stayed in the hospital until Saturday morning. I'm so glad my mother-in-law was nice enough to entertain and take care of Denton and Julia so I could rest and not worry. On Saturday, my father-in-law, and sister-in-law came to see the baby and bring gifts. It was so fun to show off my new little baby. Stephanie (my sister-in-law that came) took a bunch of cute pictures. To see more of cute baby Cody, go to http://www.totalblissphotography.blogspot.com/

Kids Fist Baseball Game

2009-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Brandon gave blood and was givin free tickets to the 51's baseball game, so we went. The sun was just going down when the game started, but I'm pretty sure it was still 120 degrees. Notice in the pictures taken when we first got there, my hair is done and I look happy. I bet you can tell which picture was taken at the end. Seriously, it was fun and the kids lasted all 3 hours. I kept pouring water out of my water bottle on them and then going to refill.

Prego Pic. Session

2009-06-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Baby Shower Fun

2009-06-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Friends from my ward threw me a baby shower. It was so much fun! We played cut the yarn the size you think prego's belly is, don't say the word "baby" or I take your pin, find the safety pins in the rice bowl without looking, and presant bingo. We ate yummy salad, fruit dipped in chocolate or dip, rolls, candy, and huge cupcakes. I got so many great things for the baby, including outfits, blankets, a handmade diaper bag, diapers, bibs, lotions, and spit-up clothes. I loved chatting with the girls about having babies, being moms, and all the funny stuff that happens along the way. I feel so blessed to live in a ward where I have supportive, loving friends.

A Funny Story From the ER

2009-06-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, Brandon has been doing his rotation in the ER for the month of June. The other day, a drunk guy came into the ER. He had stumbled over the dog while intoxicated, and cut a big gash in the back of his head. The ER doctor gives Brandon the razor, syringe, and staple gun and says, "You can do this one." Brandon asked the Dr. to show him how the staple gun worked just to make sure. Turns out, Brandon had already used one like it in ortho surgery. What he hadn't used before was the fancy shaver. As Brandon is shaving the drunk guys scalp, he notices that he just left a big bald spot 2 inches over from the actual wound. "Oops," Brandon thinks to himself. I thought, "Well, if you have to wear a baseball cap to cover the initial wound, it will cover Brandon's little boo boo. The sad part is, the drunk guy wasn't so drunk that he couldn't feel the needle Brandon used to numb the area on his head. The guy went to drive himself home and the ER Dr. refused to let him drive, so he had to wait for his buddy to come drive his car home, then come back to the ER and get him. When buddy came back for his drunk friend, he told everyone that he couldn't get drunk guys car out of first gear. They all laughed and decided if you were going to drive drunk, that was a good gear to be stuck in.

Red Rock Canyon

2009-06-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

Brandon got off of work early so we went hiking at Red Rock Canyon. The kids loved it and so did Brandon and I. It was nice to be outside away from everything. Denton turned out to be an excellent rock climber and Julia hiked a long way before we put her in the back pack.

Girls Weekend

2009-06-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

The dads were very kind to watch the kids the whole day while the moms went and played. Don't be fooled by these pictures though... the water was way too cold.

First, we went to the hair college. Jennifer and Alisha got hair cuts. Stephanie got her brows waxed, and I got a pedicure. I loved being pampered!

Kelsey, me, Stephanie, and Beckie

We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, then we went to Stephanie's house and played games and ate banana splits. It was a ton of fun!

This was at Stephanie and Tim's after the baby blessing. Strange, the baby you see in all the pictures isn't the baby that was blessed. Instead, you see everyone holding Matthew, Jaerick's cousin. Let me just say, Brandon was the one taking picures :-)

Brandon and I after the blessing.

Just me being big and pregnant some more.

Plant a Seed

2009-05-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to spend some family time planting tomato seeds. I love home-grown tomatoes and I knew the kids would have fun planting seeds in the dirt and watching them pop up. When I was a kid my dad loved to garden. He would plant rows and rows of tomato's, cucumber, melons, corn, carrots, and just about everything else. He would spend hours in the garden weeding and fertilizing the plants. It was my job to sit in the garden with a hose and move the water from one row to the next. I would take a salt shaker out with me and eat tomatos while I waited for the water. I have to admit, I hated watering the garden. I look back now at the example my dad set, and I can't wait until we have our own garden and I can have my kids come and plant, weed, and water it with me.

Visit To St George

2009-05-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Julia said she didn't want to swim. She started out just getting her feet wet. She ended up in Grandpa and Grandma's pool with her clothes on.

Denton loves to swim, but we are trying to get him to swim without so much gear on :-)

Grandpa Belt is teaching Julia how to draw circles with a protracter. So cute to watch them interact.

Grandma and Grandpa Coon have some beautiful roses this time of year.

A Couple Funnies

2009-05-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

We are driving home from church and Denton says, "Repentance (Resurrection) is when you die and then come back to life. That's pretty fun, except for the dying part huh?"

The kids always try to run wild at Lowe's because it is such a big store. I got looking at something with Brandon, we turn around, and this is what we find. I'm just so glad it's new and not used :-)

Crazy Weekend

2009-05-05T17:22:00.001-07:00

We went to St. George for the weekend. Saturday morning we all went to Chuck a Rama for lunch. We are a pretty loud bunch when we all get together! Later, we went to see Brandon's niece, Katelyn, get baptised. That was a really neat occasion. Katie is the oldest grandchild on Brandon's side.
Saturday evening, we went and visited my parents for a few hours. When we got back to Brandon's parents house, Jennifer, Cameron, and Brandon's dad were all ready to play cards. We stayed up playing cards and eating candy until 2am. It's been a long time since I felt young enough to stay up that late. Sad, I know, but we had a blast.
Sunday morning, we had a huge breakfast at the Bonewell's, then we went to visit my parents again. Denton loves helping grandma Coon make cookies and carrot juice. He won't eat any sort of vegetables, but my mom lets him put the carrots into the juicer. Then, he's all excited about drinking carrot juice. Crazy, I know.
Then, we went to Zack and Alisha's ward to see their baby, Matthew, be blessed. Baby blessings are so fun. After that, it was off to the Bonewell's to eat more food. We drove home that night and we were all in bed by 9am. We needed a vacation after that weekend. It's always fun to get together with family though.

Girls Night Out

2009-04-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday was girls night out. Denton and Julia had been sick all day, so it was nice to get out. There were 9 of us (me, Maya Anderson, Tina Covington, Cami Higbee, Camme Chowen, Kirsten Simmons, Nancy Olsen, Karrie Pequeno, and Crissy Tippetts). I'm kicking myself now for not taking pictures, but it was so much fun. We had dinner at Pei Wei (yummy like P.F. Changs). Then, we went to Sunset Station bowling. I was just a little worried about my clumsy prego self with a bowling ball in my hands. I didn't do half bad. It was cosmo bowling too, which added black lights and music videos, very fun. Of course, we had to stop for frozen yogurt on the way home. We stopped at this awesome new frozen yogurt buffet shop. They have 10 different flavors of yogurt and 20 different toppings. You just grab a cup and knock yourself out. You do have to be careful not to overdo it because they weigh it and charge you per ounce. I loved it. I was nice to be out with the girls, eating, laughing, and having fun.

A Good and Not so Good Easter

2009-04-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Zack and Alisha came over to Grandpa and Grandma Bonewell's house and brought eggs to color, cookies to decorate, and games to play. Thanks Alisha! It was fun!

Amongst all the chaos, Denton fell sound asleep. Poor kid had a fever on and off and you can see how red his face is.

The kids had fun getting Easter prizes from Grandpa and Grandma.

We didn't take any cute family pictures all dressed up in our nice church clothes because, well... the kids were sick and up all night coughing. We didn't get to go to church, which was kind of a bummer. We came home early and missed the ham dinner at the Bonewell's. Even Brandon was feeling a bit sick. We did watch a couple of Easter slide-shows set to music that helped us remember the Savior and his Atonement for us. If you haven't seen "Reflections of Christ" yet, it would be well worth your time. Here is the link http://deseretbook.com/video/view/5

Fun at Church

2009-03-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at church was interesting. About 20 min. before church is done, the nursery leaders come running out into the hall to tell me that Julia is throwing up all over. I walked in just as they were ushering the other kids into the room next door. There Julia sat, covered, and the floor was covered. My first thought... where do I start? So, I stripped Julia down to her pull-up, wrapped her in a blanket, and went home. The good part, she didn't get sick anymore. She was hungry right away and acted like nothing had happened. I think it all had to go down at church so I could learn a little more humility. Having kids has stretched me in ways I don't think could have been possible otherwise. I was also reminded how much I love my kids and would do anything for them, even clean up yucky messes :-).

2009-02-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to the fishing pond in Boulder City to try out a new fishing pole. Denton is really good at casting out his plastic fish.

Julia just loves being outside.

This nice grandpa came walking by and insisted on putting a real hook on the line so Denton could catch a real fish. It was cute at how interested Denton was.

We didn't catch anything, but we sure had fun trying.

My Little Bun in the Oven

2009-02-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I went in for my ultra-sound at 19 weeks. I was so anxious to find out what the baby was. Brandon thought it was a girl, and I thought it was a boy. On the way there, he told me I could have one more chance to change my mind. I held firm and should have bet him something. This is the first baby that I was right and Brandon was wrong on. Denton has been wanting a little brother, so he's excited. Denton wants to name him Caillou :-).

Valentine's Day

2009-02-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day was really fun. Brandon got me a snow cone maker, which is fun for the whole family! For our date, we went to the college of message therapy and got messages (YEA!). It was funny though because they didn't really know what to do with a pregnant woman. The girl I got had never done a side lying message before, but she did ok. When we were done, they asked us if we wanted another message for free. Brandon said they weren't offering it to eveyone else coming out. If we weren't so hungry, we would have done another message. Instead, we went to TGIFriday's. The line was so long we went to Taco Bell across the street for an appatizer and got back to TGIFriday's with only a few minutes before being seated. I'm spoiled. I also got a dozen long stemmed red roses, a card, and a few chocolates.

Monster Truck!

2009-01-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

We were driving down the road when we saw a crazy school bus/monster truck with sirens and red and blue lights. We stopped to see what was going on and found out you could buy a ride on the monster truck. Of course, we had to do it. Brandon and Denton sat together and they had a blast. Julia and I sat together and we were scared to death. When that crazy driver went around a corner, it felt like the whole big thing was going to tip over!

SURPRISE!!!

2008-12-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

So, yes... I am expecting #3!!!! I am about 10 weeks along. We are so excited! The picture above is of the announcement that we had Brandon's parents, and my parents open as a Christmas present. It was so fun to see the looks on everyone's faces. 2009 will be busy in the Bonewell family. With two of my sister-in-laws pregnant before me, our baby will be grandchild #13. On the Coon side, our baby will be grandchild #32.

Christmas

2008-12-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

Showing off the new watches they got from Santa.

On the 23rd we went to the Magical Forest which is a little Christmas village. It's all outside and it was really cold. We enjoyed a ride on the little Christmas train and the kids loved all the lights.
On Christmas Eve we had a nice turkey dinner, then we went to mystic falls. In Sam's town there is an atrium type thing with trees that they decorate with lights. Then they have a free show. Their inside waterfall turns into a waterfall/dancing fountain/laser light show with Christmas music. It snows down on you while you watch the show, and we were still warm in the end, which is the part I liked. Then we went home to let the kids open presents from the Christmas mouse (pajamas).
On Christmas morning, we heard Denton get up at about 6 and we heard what he was thinking because he was talking out loud while he thought he was the only one around. "Where are the stockings? Santa must have come!" Then he sees the stockings... "I hope there's chocolate in there!" We had fun opening our gifts, then we drove to St. George and opened more gifts from the grandparents.

Depressing Christmas Songs

2008-12-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

There's a Christmas song by Kenny Chesney that's been around for a few years called "Christmas shoes for momma." I remember the first time I heard it I was coming home from the hospital after just having had Denton. Anyway, everytime I hear that song I start crying. I only have to hear to first few notes to recognize the song and the waterworks start up. Now, I'm ok with songs that have real deep stories to them, but let's not play them on the radio. Seriously, it's embarrasing to be out driving around, wiping the tears at a red light and seeing the person next to you watching you to see if your ok. I just turn the station every time now. I want to be happy at Christmas time, not bawling my eyes out.

My Little Boy Turned 4!

2008-12-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Denton has been asking for months when his birthday is. Well, it finally came. Since his birthday was on a Sunday, we celebrated Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Saturday Grandma Bonewell got Denton ice cream and a dinosaur cake. Alisha, Zack, Katie, Taylor, William, and Joshua, and Grandpa Belt came over to eat cake and celebrate with Denton.

Sunday, we drove home and it was pretty uneventful, so Denton said it was his "pretend birthday." On Monday, we went to ChuckECheese and we all had fun eating pizza and playing the games. Denton finally agreed that he was 4 now that we had been to ChuckECheese.

I'm a Chef

2008-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a recipe I made up. It was really good. I call it...

Shrimp Utopia

5 cups bowtie pasta
1 jar ragu alfredo sauce
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 clove garlic
30 pieces small shrimp
10 leaves spinach
1 romano tomatoe
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp lemon juice
5 or 6 croutons (optional)

Boil the pasta in water. In frying pan add Olive oil and finely chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic is golden brown. Add peeled shrimp, chopped spinach, chopped tomatoe, basil, oregano, and lemon juice. Saute on medium heat, stiring frequently, until it makes a thick sauce. Drain pasta and stir in alfredo sauce. My kids don't like vegetables so I dish them out the noodles and pasta. Then, I fill the adults bowls with alfredo pasta and stir half the shrimp sauce into each of those bowls. Add crushed croutons on top. Yummy!

Shrimp sauce makes 2 servings but I can feed my kids too with the pasta.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Denton had fun helping Brandon carve a pumpkin. I did Julia's for her but I'm the camera holder so you'll just have to imagine it :-)

It was so warm that I didn't make the kids put shoes on until we were headed out the door to go trick-or-treating.

This is our decorated trunk at the ward trunk-or-treat. We went for a half hour and there were just swarms of kids. So, we went home and found swarms of kids on our street so we just sat on the drive way instead of answering the door a hundred times. Someone came to our door while we were at the trunk-or-treat and left a fart bomb on our door step. It was nasty, but kind of funny that kids actually tricked us for not giving them candy.

Our Fantastic Trip to San Diego

2008-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun trip to San Diego! I was surprised at how well the kids did and how much they enjoyed all the activites we did. We came home exausted but completely glad we went.

We went to Sea World the 1st and 4th days we were there. That park is so big we were glad to have two days to see it all. I loved "Believe," the killer whale show with Shamu. Brandon loved the dolphins, and the kids really loved the sea lions and the play land with Elmo and other Sesame Street characters. I thought it was really cool to pet the sting rays and the star fish.

2008-09-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Second Day in San Diego we went to the zoo. We walked our legs off looking at all the animals. We also rode the bus and the little gondola ride the goes across the park. The great thing about going in the fall is there weren't a ton of people. I guess in the summer time you have to stand in line to look at the animals. We just zipped through and saw everything.

2008-09-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

The third day we found this cool museum named Maritime. You get to walk through all these boats that are in San Diego Bay. We went on a ferry from the 1800's, a Russian submarine used against us during the cold war, the ship used on the movie "Master and Commander," and a full-scale-still-in-use ship called the Star of India. We also went on a smaller boat to take a short tour of the Sandiego Bay. There is a huge US naval base right there, so we could see a bunch of war ships and carriers.

2008-09-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

From the museum, we went straight to mission beach. Brandon bought a cheapy boogie board and we played for two hours. We went back to our motel and showered and got ready again, then we went to a cute little shopping area called seaport village. We ate clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl and walked around looking at all the shops.

2008-09-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Brandon and his dad went on a 3 day ATV/camping trip on the Piute Trail in central Utah. From what he told me, they got lost quite a bit and he was saddle sore, but completely loved it.

Julia turns 2!

2008-09-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Julia had a very fun birthday at the park. She loved the gifts and cousins and eating suckers and cupcakes! Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us! I can't believe my litte girl is getting so grown up!

Denton's Blog

2008-09-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,
I just wanted you to get a look at what Denton's doing in preschool. He's having so much fun. Look on my side-bar at the buddy blogs and you will see the one that says, "Denton's preschool." It sends you to the blog for his preschool! It's so cute!

First Day of Pre-school

2008-09-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today was Denton's first day of preschool. I decided to put him in at the last minute because he kept begging to go to school like the big kids. He's very social too so he needs friends. When we got to his teachers house he said, "ok. I can go by myself." Off he went, with his backpack on his back and a big smile on his face. When we started to drive off, Julia was in the backseat saying, "Denton, Denton." We told her he had to stay with his teacher. She said, "NO." After we got home, she decided she liked being an only child for a couple of hours.

This is Denton with his teacher Ms. Stephanie. Stephanie is going to start a blog all about the 8 kids in her preschool and what they're learning. I can't wait!

Exhausting

2008-08-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

So yesterday Brandon decided it would be fun to go for a bike ride. I was on my bike and Brandon was on his bike with the kids in the cart behind him. We drove to a trail then took our bikes off the car to ride. We started at the top of this huge hill but it didn't look too big. As we got going, we had a great time flying down one big hill, and then another, and then another. I got thinking, "This is going to be excruciating to go back up." We were having so much fun though, and of course I wasn't that tired so we kept going. Once we got to Lake Las Vegas Brandon admitted he was very tired. Again I thought, "I'm not very tired. I'll just ride back real quick and get the car." So, we agreed to meet at the bottom of all those hills where I could pull the car in. I was tired before I got to the bottom of those hills and I was puffing like the out of shape person that I am (we haven't exerted any energy since the summer started 3 months ago). I had to walk my bike up all those hills and I would ride on the tiny little dips in between. I think I took well over the 15 minutes I thought it would take to get back to Brandon. He was glad to see me when I finally made it back with the car. Next time we are going to leave one of our cars at the end of the trail.

2008-08-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

We went sight-seeing and found this really neat look out spot just past Nelson, Nevada

A Dream Vacation

2008-08-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I love to just look up cool vacation places on the internet and just dream. I have a couple of dream vacations.

For just me and my hubby, I would want to go to Fiji. http://www.likulikulagoon.com/home.cfm It just seems so cool to be half way around the world in a completely different culture. The fact that the ocean is beatiful is important too. I found this resort that looks way cool because you can stay in these little huts out over the water. Then if you want to snorkle, you just jump in, off your back deck.

Because I'm a huge fan of the olympics, I would love to go to the 2012 summer games in London. I've been to London before but I would love to go again and just be there for a week. There's so much more to see and do then I got to do the 2 days I was there last time. Especially if I did go during the olympics, I would want to go to as many events as I could.

For a family trip, I would love to go to Atlantis, in the Bahamas. http://www.atlantis.com/ It would be so fun to stay in a huge coastal resort like that. They have everything from waterslides to swimming with dolphins. If you look at the website, notice the water slide that darts you through a tube surrounded by sharks. COOL!

Please leave a comment about all the cool places you dream of visiting!

Who RA!

2008-08-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

We just got Brandon's board scores back and he passed!!! That means we can have a fun September with NO studying!

OLYMPIC GLORY

2008-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

The Olympic creed, "It is not to win, but to take part."

I have been totally enveloped in the olympic games these last two weeks. I love to watch the comptition, but just as much, I love the stories of the individual athletes. They put so much dedication into training for years so they can go to the olympics and compete with the best in the world. Some come from backgrounds of extensive training from the time they are small, and some come from the streets, but they all have one thing in common... drive. Not only is it about the competition, it is about the pride of wearing your countries letters on your shirt knowing everyone back home is cheering you on. I was caught off guard many times to find myself getting choked up as I watched athletes from our country lose, or win. My favorite moments of the games...

Kobe Bryant was asked if patriotism being cool was a thing of the past and he said, "It's still cool to me. I'm proud to represent the United States."

Of course Michael Phelps in every race.

Nastia Liukin taking gold and Shawn Johnson taking silver in the all-around.

Shawn Johnson finally getting her gold on the balance beam, the very last event. They showed her mom in the stands crying and the commentator told how Shawn's parents has mortgaged their house so that she could continue to train for the olympics.

Misty May and Kerri Walsh winning the gold, the first ever sand volleyball team to do it two olympics in a row. It brought a ton of emotion when Misty May scattered some of her mother's ashes on the court after the inital celebrating of the gold was over.

My heart broke for LoLo Jones. In her race she pulled out in the lead and it looked like she would win the gold metal. After nicking the 2nd to last hurdle, she was unable to place at all. They later showed her standing under the stadium alone and just crying.

Dara Torres, 41 year old, mother of two showed extreme sportsmanship by holding up a race while a fellow competitor went and changed out of a ripped swimsuit. Dara, the oldest woman to compete in olympic swimming, won the silver.

Jason Lezak anchored the 4 x 100 meter freestyle for the US. It looked like he would come in 2nd until the last 25 meters when he hit the turbo boosters and touched the wall first creating a new world record. He also beat his personal best by over a second. When asked in an interview after the race he was asked how he felt about helping Michael Phelps create history he replied, "I didn't do it for Michael Phelps. I did it for me."

The drummers in the opening ceremony blew me away. I couldn't believe how exact they were. It was amazing.

I hate to see it end.

2008-08-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Playing in the Sand

2008-08-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

I took Denton and Julia to the park because Denton wanted to play with his sand bucket and shovel.
Julia's not having a good time.
Notice how she's holding her feet up because she doesn't want to touch the sand in any way, shape, or form. I think she was mad at me for sitting her down in the sand.
Denton sure had a good time.
"Where are my legs mom?"
Now that she's in the grass, she can finally have something to be happy about.

Brandon's Life

2008-08-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

So here is an update on what Brandon is up to. He made it through the first two years of medical school and now he's doing rotations. Rotations last 1 month and he just started his second rotation yesterday. He's doing internal medicine right now, which is one of his 2 top career picks, the other being ER. He just found out his schedule for the next couple of weeks. The sad part is, his next day off is August 16th :-(. After 19 days straight, he will appriciate a weekend off. The good part is, he will have the whole month of September off and we can Party!

The Impossible

2008-07-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

I never get pictures of Denton and Julia together with both of them looking at the camera and smiling. I can try for a half hour and still nothing. Then, out of the blue, Denton and Julia sit together, Denton says, "Mom, go get your camera," and both of them are looking at me and smiling when I get back. What are the odds I'm also going to win a trip to Hawaii soon?

Denton actually took this picture all by himself. I'm quite proud.

Installing a Car Stereo 101

2008-07-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

So Brandon got a new car, but it came without a stereo. He's been going crazy with boredom driving all over town everyday with nothing to listen to. Being the good wife that I am, I went on ebay and bought him a stereo. Then, the problem arises that we have no instructions on how to install this stereo and we don't want to spend the money to have someone else do it. We waited until the kids were to bed and we went out in the garage armed with a small table lamp (gives good light), an installation guide (printed off the internet), and a pile full of tools. As I'm sitting in the sauna of a garage with sweat dripping down my back and I'm staring at all these different colored wires, I realized that I was kind of bored and miserable, but I didn't care because Brandon and I were doing it together. We did get the stereo installed and it works great.

Play Day

2008-07-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Denton and Julia had their friends Lucy and Samie come over and play. We all wore pirate masks. Julia didn't want to keep hers on very long...

After putting on the mask myself, I realized they're not very comfortable.

Lake Day!

2008-07-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

Our friends Maya and Josh invited us to go boating at the Lake with them. We were so excited to go. Even when we woke up Saturday to dark clouds, lightening, and thunder, we wanted to go to the lake and see if it would clear up. It did clear up and we had an awesome time! We stayed from 9am until about 5:30pm. We were all very sore the next day.

This is my first time ever to get up on a knee board and it only took three tries.

Crazy Brandon and the other boys jumped off of a very high cliff.
Chrissy and I jumped off a lower cliff. Still scary but very fun.
Jed up top and Josh diving in.
Denton and his friend Ethan riding the tubes like big kids.

Denton LOVED the boat.
Julia preferred to sleep while the boat was moving.

Kendall, Ethan, Noah, Denton, Julia, and me posing on the back of the boat.

My friend Maya.

Saturday, July 26th

The Big Date

2008-07-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Brandon took his boards on Mon. July 21st. The test took 8 hours. We are both so relieved that he got that over with. On Wed. July 23 I got a phone call that was for Brandon to confirm his table for 2 at a really nice restaruant inside Red Rock resort. I thought it was so weird, so I *69 it and found out it was the number to the clinic where Brandon is doing rotations. I started to text him all kinds of questions. He was giving me little clues back. And then, I had an order of cinisticks and pizza delivered to my door and a note that was supposed to say, "You are being TREATED to a fancy date." When I asked Brandon what the pizza was about he told me that was dinner for the kids. He would be bringing the babysitter over at 6:30 and he and I would be going out for dinner and a movie. I was so shocked that I thought maybe he had cancer or something terrible. Turns out, he just wanted to take me out for getting through the last 2 years. We had so much fun and I was totally impressed he made all the arrangements for that last week without me even knowing.

July 4th Weekend

2008-07-07T11:58:00.001-07:00

On the 4th we lit some little fireworks in front of our house then we went to Anthem Hills Park to watch the big ones in the sky. Denton was worried about the noise so he kept his hands over his ears from the time he got out of the car until the time he got back in. We all loved being at the park and even the kids liked watching the fireworks.

On the 5th I took an early flight to Salt Lake to go to my nephew's funeral.
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July 5th

Christian Bo Widerburg 1973 ~ 2008 Christian "Bo" Widerburg, born April 18, 1973, died an accidental death June 28, 2008. Bo was a natural born leader. He was president of Twality Middle School in Tigard, Oregon, where he helped raise over $50,000 for a classmate with cancer. He earned the honor of an Eagle Scout with his project of raising $5,400 for Dorn Beckers Hospital. He served a mission for the LDS Church to France in 1992. Bo was married for seven years. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree in French from the University of Oregon. He was a manager for Cinemark Movie Theaters at Tinsel Town in Layton, Utah, and worked for this company for 10 years. Bo was very giving and kind, all who knew him loved him. Survived by his parents, Paul and Calla Widerburg; sisters: Crystal, Sadie and Chantelle Widerburg; grandparents, Beth Widerburg and David and Janice Coon; and by his dog, Foxy. "Bo will truly be missed" Funeral services will be held Sat., July 5, 2008, 1 p.m. at the South Jordan Stake Center, 2450 West 10400 South. Interment, Valley View Memorial Park. Arrangements under the direction of McDougal Funeral Home.
Published in the Deseret News on 7/3/2008

I really have some great memories of Bo. When he started at BYU I was 14 years old. He would come stay at our house on the weekends and I got to spend some time with him. We did projects together like painting my parents living room and I would stand by him while he cooked because I was amazed at how many ingredients he would put in without even measuring. He had such a fun sense of humor and he was always laughing. He marched to his own beat and he had a way of making everyone else around him just want to join in. He was one of the great and he will be truly missed.

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My brothers and sister (L to R): Aaron (4th), Adam (6th), Paul (5th), Jared (2nd),
Calla (1st), Me (7th), Tammy (3rd-not pictured)

Me and my niece Crystal

Aaron and Kristen

Heather (sister-in-law) with Ivory, Emilie (niece) with Spencer, and

Jodie (sister-in-law)

2008-07-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

We had a ton of fun in our little 10 foot pool in the backyard. Denton would swim for hours and hours if I would let him. Julia, on the other hand, would rather just chill in the swing. Too bad our pool popped last night haha.

2008-06-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

My three sister-in-laws, my mother-in-law, and I had a girls weekend in Vegas with no kids. It was a blast. I have to admit, I felt touristy and was exausted when it was all over.
This cool "smirking tree" was inside of the Belagio.
We loved M&M World.

Our fun day at Bonnie Springs, Nevada

2008-05-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Bonnie Springs on our 5 year anniversay. It's a ranch with old west buildings, a petting zoo, and a train. The kids absolutely loved it. It was fun to watch them get excited over everything. Denton loved riding the train.