*Happy Birthday Steph*

~Oh my little Sissy-Poo! What do I say about Stephanie? Well we've had a love-hate relationship for oh about ...26 years. Just Kidding. My Mom tells the story of bringing newborn baby Stephanie home from the hospital & within hours I (being 2 & 1/2) positioned myself at the far corner of the room, ran as fast as I could and body slammed my newborn baby sister. My Mom thought I had smashed her to death...but nope she was a strong little sucker.:)

~I think by the time she was 3 she was already taller than me. I was always asked if I was the younger one. Ughhh! The two of us have shared many times together..the good, the bad, the beautiful! From cat fights to late night boy talks, to giving of porcelain dolls & blue homemade elephants (inside joke.) As we were growing up she was always known as the peace maker, although she could flick you or pull your hair without Mom ever knowing.

~We are SO different, yet SO the same. I guess that's the true definition of a sister...right? For instance, I always chose chocolate; she always chose the sugary candy. She wanted hot dog, I wanted hamburger. Steph was tall & blonde, I was short & brunette. She was always athletic, ....Uh I could hardly do a cartwheel. I'm always very detailed, she's so easy-going & laxadasical. (I think I even told her what color her wedding flowers would be.. Wait did I?)

~ Yet among our silly differences, we always giggled together at Dad's dancing fingers on the steering wheel, laughed at Mom's dances in the kitchen, sang together at the piano & shared a room most of our lives & talked ourselves silly to sleep every night.

~Now years later & miles apart, it's so funny that as we talk on the phone we realize we've bought the same things at the store, same clothes for us or our boys, made the same thing for dinner. Sometimes we'll hear our voices on an answering machine and not know which one of us it is.

~Steph is a good Mommy, Sister, Wife & Daughter. She was our favorite hair cutter, but deserted us when they moved to Idaho. She is expecting their 2nd child any day...(any minute really!) ~a little boy named Carson.~ We hope to come visit them soon & see the newest addition to our family.

*HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY STEPH* Love Ya Sis!

*Friends Week:)

Back in The Days
.....of 1996

(GIRLS recognize this song???

"Always Be My Baby " was our Friend song that we always played in Jamie's SUV nicknamed the "Froggy"-we later crashed it our Senior Year.)

~Well this last week a couple old High School friends & I got together as we met up for lunch @ Costa Vida. (We went there as Costa Vida was donating 15% of proceeds to the 3 day Breast Cancer fund for my friend Rachel who's raising it in honor of her Mom as they do a 60 mile walk in November.)

It was great seeing SO many people there!!

~We had so much fun that we got together again the next afternoon at a park so our kids could play. So glad Becky (Barlow) Tiffany was in town from Pittsburgh so she could round us all up. It usually takes her coming in to town to do that.

~It's always fun to see everyone's kids & see how they take after certain traits of their Mommys'! :)

*Babies, Babies, Babies!!!

~So in these next few months there will be lots of babies coming!

I wanted to share with you some of these little ones that are joining us.~

*4 Girls & 1 Boy* (3 cousins, 2 friends)

*Jordyn Ray, Rachael & Lyal Ray's first little girl came into the world January 27th, the same hour our Prophet left this world. Isn't she sweet? She was welcomed with open arms to 3 very excited older brothers. (Jacob, Jarom & Jaxon) I feel somewhat responsible for this cute little thing since I set up her mom and dad.

*Next in line is my cute younger sister Stephanie who is far, far away in Idaho. She is going to be having her baby within the next week!! They are expecting their second little boy who will

be named Carson Goodwin. (I'm very proud of Steph that she came up with her name before he was born.-I'm big on that ya know.) Carson & his big brother Ethan will be 19 months apart and I'm sure best buddies for life. We hope to see them all soon. We can't wait!!!

*Elsie Rose Check is due just days later, the beginning of March, to Tiffany (my sister n law) & Jason Check. She will be joining her excited sisters Emmie & Ava. We are praying for Elsie's safety along with her Mom's as she enters this world. There are many dangers with her being born, so we are all anxious but excited for when she will join us and be here safely. The Check's have been waiting a long time for her!

*One of my best friends in the whole world, Hannah, will be having their 5th child in April. We are calling her for now the Redford Baby Girl. They opened up an envelope Christmas morning (that they saved from the ultrasound) & found out as a family that they were having another little girl to give her sister a playmate:) Phew! This baby girl will join her big brothers Connor, Seth, Easton & big sister Mylie.

*Lastly will be the Campbell Baby Girl due in May. They are deciding on names such as Claire, Paige, Scottlyn, Maddie, Raegan, Paisley or Kyra. Tim's (only) brother Brian wished for a baby girl for their last child. Well his wish came true and I can't think of a better way to complete their family. Again, I have to say I feel a little responsible for this baby girl as I also set up her Mom & Dad. We gladly welcome this Campbell Baby Girl and can't wait to see this combination of her siblings Melissa, Natalie, Trenton & Zane.

~We Welcome All Of These Precious Babies~

*Breaking News!!*

So for any of you who know my cousin Brandon (the Eternal Bachelor), ....Well Believe it or not he HAS proposed to his girlfriend Marcy and they will be married in the Salt Lake Temple in May!! So it's official. Wahoo! Congrats guys!!

*Also as of yesterday afternoon my sister Steph was 3 cm dialated & stationed at 0! If she doesn't go into labor by Monday, she'll be on the induction list. So this little baby of theirs will be here within the week!!

*Fun in Flag

"

~Sunday late afternoon right after church we threw our snow clothes in suitcases & decided to come up to Flagstaff for the rest of the long weekend. Brian & Heidi kindly let us stay in their home and the kids had a blast with their Campbell cousins.

~Spence, Kay & Dude had fun playin' in the snow! They did the normal snow angel makin', snowball throwin, snowman making fun stuff. Daylan unfortunately got a yucky high fever, stuffy nose and cough last night, so he couldn't really have as much fun as he should have. Poor little Guy! While in Flag we visited some of our favorite places like IHOP, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Picazzo's Pizza.

~We decided to stay an extra day so the kids were able to have a cousin slumber party. I also was able to surprise one of my best friends Hannah for her birthday today. We were good friends while living in Flag & hadn't see each others families in over a year! So yesterday I called her up and tried to talk like we normally do. I asked her what she was doing for her birthday and then seconds later, while still on the phone, rang the doorbell. "SURPRISE!" So some things I love about Hannah is that she is the BEST listener, so patient, non-judgemental, always giving, great sense of humor, gives great advice, makes me laugh!*Happy Birthday (again) Hannah!*

*Happy 3rd Birthday Roc!

Cousin Roc...(& he is one) turns 3 today. Daylan sweetly calls him "Rot-tee."(Rocky) Roc Porter Lundell is a Big 3 year old with a big heart. He is a like a big teddy bear always ready to snuggle. Him & Daylan were sitting next to each other in the movie theatre recently, and it was so sweet to watch these two feeding each other popcorn. How many 2 year olds share like that? I wanted to show these different photos of these boys & how they've grown. From Daylan as newborn in the hospital to 1 year olds, to this Christmas to the other day in the shower. Wow they do grow up so fast.    
  *Happy Birthday Roc*

*Valentines Day

~Valentines morning Kaylea & Daylan helped me decorate the house with crate paper & other decor. Kaylea woke up like 2 hours earlier than normal out of excitement for the day. Kay & Dude got to go have "Grandma Day" and go to the new McDonalds.        

* I went and helped in

Spencer's school class with his Valentines Party. It was fun to see the kids so excited about their boxes & giving out Valentines to their classmates. (Wednesday I got to help with Kaylea's class party also.) We all had fun decorating the kids' boxes together the night before to bring to their classes. 

*Tim changed it up a bit this year & sent me a "pajama-gram." It was cute. My father 'n law Lonnie sent his annual beautiful flowers to all his 

daughters & daughter 'n laws. -A sweet tradition.- Tim received a comfy pillow & temple pants. We both had our share of chocolates & goodies! 

-The best part of Valentines..right?! 

*My little sis, "Aunt Sara" was sweet enough to watch the kiddos as Tim & I went to Morton's Steakhouse in Phx for a nice dinner. -filet mignon with bearnaise, asparagus with hollandaise, lyonnaise potatoes, the chocolate lava cake & the raspberry souffle. YUM, YUM! 

*My parents gave us & the kids some balloons & a basket full of fun goodies. (I loved Valentines day as a kid. We always felt just as "loved." I hope our kids feel the same way and don't think it's just a day for couples.)

*So we got home & of course watched the Suns 

game & our tivo-ed shows. We gave the kids their valentines surprises. Here's a picture of them at the end of the night in their new p.j.'s. 

(Unseemingly important details are for journaling purposes.:)

*My Valentine*

So here a just some random pictures of Tim & I over the years. We realized last night that this was our 10th Valentines Together! Wowsers!

*Happy Valentines Day everybody!*

*Spencer's Jog-a-Thon

*So the younger 2 & I went to Spencer's school Friday and cheered him on as he ran in the Jog-a-thon. For every lap around the track he earned money for their school. He did an awesome 11 laps!! Kay and Day were so proud of their Big Brother!

*You can see him in this picture above at the start of the run as they ran through the banner; And below are some of the runner-kids in his class as they cooled off popsicles.

Romney Suspends Campaign

Romney Suspends Campaign

~So I've been in denial for a couple days now about this. I was so upset when I heard the concession speech on the radio, I had to pull over into a parking lot. I think I've finally come to grips with it. *Romney is definitely a class act.*

*Speaks for itself!

*I just couldn't resist! I saw this on my cousins' blog and couldn't pass it up. I have to say I literally got sick the night of the elections. So sad, so sad!

*Happy 7th Birthday Cannon!*

*Happy 7th Birthday to cousin Cannon! The 4th of 5 Simas kids. When Cannon was first born he had to be hospitalized for a while because his little body was not ready yet for this big world.
A year later at his 1st birthday party, I remember him doing a scooting bum dance on the floor as he made us all laugh. He is full of that same energy still:)

*Happy Birthday Cannon!*

*Sick Family

*Ok so sorry this picture is a little gross...but you know what?...throw up is JUST GROSS!! So our throw up story is this:

*Kaylea began throwing up in the wee morning hours of Sunday. She threw up close to 20 times ..we lost count! Her first meal she was finally able to keep down was dinner Monday night. Then in the middle of the night (early monday morning) Tim threw up too! And that is just strange cuz I think he's only thrown up like 3 times since I've known him in 10 years. So the rest of us didn't get it..but I sure have been fighting it!!. Not to mention the HUGE holes in my mouth that are still hurting! So anyways, 8 laundry loads & 3 days later we're all good.

(Ok funny-Kaylea just came in & looked at this picture & said "Ooh- Mom why is there a fish popping out of the toilet into that guys mouth?" Haha:) Aw....funny Kids:)

Gov. Romney On The Importance Of These Times

*V*O*T*E!!!

*Get Out TODAY & VOTE! What an Election this is!! We have been following the debates & political coverage for many months now and feel very strongly about our choice with Mitt. Our Country is at such a pivital point. If you don't want our ..Constitution to "hang by a thread".. then help by

...Voting MITT ROMNEY!!!

*For Posterities Sake

Getting to Know All About You :
Directions! Here Is What You Are Supposed To Do ... Delete My Answers And Type In Your Answers. Then Send This To A Whole Bunch Of People That You Know...And Send It Back To Me So I Can See Your Answers or Blog Your Anwers. The Theory Is That You Will Learn A Lot.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? not really named after anyone, but my mom liked the character name of Audra Barkley on the "Big Valley"-70's show. My middle name Lea is also my Mom's middle name. (That's why my daughter's name is spelled Kaylea.)If I were to have been a boy, I would have been Spencer after President Kimball.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? during Pres. Hinckley's funeral.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Uh...sometimes, not usually

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? hum.....probably turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yeah...they are my life!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Never! Hah!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope! gone since summer before Sr. year of HS

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way!!!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Raisin Bran Crunch

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not if I don't have to.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Emotionally- I'm a cry baby. Mentally? Yes. Physically? Getting stronger with each additional child.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Dippin' Dots of course! (Actually we just sold our stores, but still have freezers in our garage.) *Mint Chocolate Chip

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smiles & personalities

15. RED OR PINK? Both; Pink-anything girly/ Red-decor

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The Bells Palsy-affected right side of my face, tummy

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Danny & Steph

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Yes, I love reading about other people ... even if we have done the same questions a few times already.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS OR SKIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? pink pajamas

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? chicken noodle soup/toast

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? silence, kids are in bed

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? clean kids right out of the shower, orange blossoms, campfires, pines in the mountains, baking chocolate!

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? sister Brittany

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yup! Been friends with Becky (barlow) since Junior High

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Uh.. I'll say basketball to make Tim happy; Gymnastics during the Olympics

27.HAIR COLOR? Dark Brown

28. EYE COLOR? Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? nope, hubby does though in just one eye.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? I love everything! seriously. It's amazing I'm not fatter. Love salmon, steak, salads, Chocolate!...am I pregnant? NO! Why am I listing foods?.. I think after eating jello & applesauce for 6 days I just miss food!!!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Always HAPPY!!

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Juno

33. FAVORITE FLOWER? Tulips

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer In Flag/ Winter in Gilbert

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Double Chocolate Brownies right out of the oven

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Alison? Danae?

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? don't want to go there..

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Book of Mormon with kids every night, I've also been reading my old journal entries lately. Very inspiring & insightful.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Family Pic

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Super Bowl ..oh wait that was the night before...Uh... political coverage.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Music & laughing children

43. FAVORITE CANDYBAR? all...twix, butterfinger & 3 musketeers

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? St. Petersburg, Russia

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Uh...I guess writing music; doing the Elvis lip

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Flagstaff, Arizona

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone!

*The New 1st Presidency*

-Photos were taken at this mornings press conference as

the Church announced the new 1st Presidency.-

Prophet~President Thomas S. Monson

1st Counselor~President Henry B. Eyring

2nd Counselor~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

*Tears came to my eyes as I recognized the significance of this above picture of our new Prophet, President Thomas Spencer Monson. Look closely.

~As hard as it is to see President Hinckley go, it is reassuring that the Gospel still goes on. I've never seen President Monson nervous until this morning. There is not one more worthily prepared for this calling then him, although you could sense his humility. That mantle has definitely been placed upon him. I support and sustain our newly appointed Prophet of God,

President Thomas S. Monson.~

~I have been thinking a lot about the early days of the church when Joseph Smith had been martyred and there was much confusion among the members of the church who should be the next prophet. Some felt it should be a relative, most understood it should be Brigham Young. How neat it would have been to be there when the members say Brigham Young was speaking and a miracle happened among the Saints. All present saw the Prophet Joseph in Brigham's face. There was an overwhelming confirmation to the Saints that he was to be the next Prophet of the Lord. What a blessing now to know the succession of the prophets. Just as in the days of Old Testament, we believe the Lord has given us prophets for our day. And why wouldn't he? These-the last days before Christ comes again. When this world is at it's best yet at it's worst. How reassuring to know what we know now.

*True Valentines Together Again*

~Gordon & Marjorie Hinckley~


President Hinckley speaking of his wife a few years ago:

"May I be personal for a moment? I sat at dinner across the table from my wife the other evening. It was fifty-five years ago that we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. The wondrous aura of young womanhood was upon her. She was beautiful, and I was bewitched. Now, for more than half a century, we have walked together through much of storm as well as sunshine. Today neither of us stands as tall as we once did. As I looked at her across the table, I noted a few wrinkles in her face and hands. But are they less beautiful than before? No, in fact, they are more so. Those wrinkles have a beauty of their own, and inherent in their very presence is something that speaks reassuringly of strength and integrity and a love that runs more deeply and quietly than ever before."

.....and this is why we Loved our Prophet So Much!