*Future Mechanics?

~So Kaylea was playing at her friend Katie's house yesterday when she decided that Katie needed her training wheels off just like her. The two of them decided to find Katie's Dad's tools, actually found the right tool and proceeded to take off the training wheels. **Don't ever tell these girls they CAN'T do something!!** ... cuz they'll prove you wrong!

*How Many Of Me?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 34 people with my name in the U.S.A.

*So I'm not as unique as I thought... There are still only 22,ooo something people with the 1st name Audra, but surprisingly enough 33 of those have my same last name! How 'bout yours?  Try it: howmanyofme.com

How fast can you type?

50 words *This test was pretty accurate. I tried it 3 times & it gave me the same number. Not anything to brag about, but I did get alot higher than Tim. Try it..it's really fun!

"Mom I spell my name"

Here's Dude proud as he spells his name... D.A.Y.L.A.N.
Yay for Day...you smartie-poo you! He's such a cheese ball!

2 New Arizona Temples!

*The Gilbert Temple will most likely resemble this design (-similar to Draper, Utah Temple) & be in our Stake Boundaries!
*Both newly announced Temples will be located in 2 places that are very special and significant to me!

*LDS Church News Published:

Friday, Apr. 25, 2008

*Plans to build two new temples in Arizona, one in the Gila Valley (Thatcher/Safford) and the other in Gilbert,(Greenfield & Pecos!!) were announced by President Thomas S. Monson. This will bring the total number of temples to 134 already in operation or in the planning and construction phases.

"It is my personal priority to make sure members of the Church have access to the blessings of the temple," said President Monson. "It is here where members learn of their divine origin and destiny; where they are strengthened spiritually as individuals and as families. Temples are sanctuaries from the storms of life."

*There are currently two temples in Arizona: one in Mesa and another in Snowflake. The temples in the Gila Valley and Gilbert will bring the total number to four.The two new temples are the first to be announced by President Monson since he became president of the Church on Feb. 3rd, 2008.

**The history of the Church in Arizona dates back to the earliest days of the western migration of the Church. The Mormon Battalion (personal relatives were in this) marched through the area now known as Arizona in 1846 on its way to California.Various efforts to colonize the area followed with the first large-scale effort coming in March of 1873. By Jan. 27, 1878, the Little Colorado Stake, the first stake in Arizona, was created. Eventually, more than 30 colonies were started, with others in northern Mexico. *These hardy pioneers overcame severe hardships in the early years, including drought, crop failures, difficulties with neighbors and floods. Over the years, members gained prominence and were involved in the progress of the state. They earned a good reputation for their industry and integrity.

*On Oct. 23, 1927, the first Arizona temple was dedicated in Mesa. Prior to that time, members traveled to the St. George Temple in Utah. So many bridal parties traversed the trail during the early years that the wagon road to St. George became known as the Honeymoon Trail. President Spencer W. Kimball, (who my Spencer was named after) 12th president of the Church who served from 1973-1985, was reared in the Gila Valley community of Thatcher. (where I went to college, parents met & dated, dad grew up etc.)Today, membership in Arizona continues to flourish with approximately 370,000 members divided among 84 stakes and four missions.

*THIS Ladies Man

*Isn't this face to die for? Dude is such my Angel Boy!! He is definitely a moody little thing, but when this boy smiles, my Heart just melts!!!

Karate, Basketball & Sleepovers

*So here's more of our Karate & Basketball Events. Kaylea has now caught up to her Big brother and is a GREEN Belt in karate! She's one tough little gal and is the youngest girl that has a belt that high in her karate school. YaY..We'Re So PrOuD oF YoU KaYlEa:)

Here is Grandpa Ron holding Kaylea's shield as she ends her 6o seconds of kicking.

*Celebrating Kaylea's graduation with Sonic Ice Creams (w/ cousin Trenton)!

*Great DEFENSE at your game Saturday Spence! (...even after a long night of video gaming.) You're doing an awesome job learning BaSkEtBall!

*3 Kids in the bed

"3 Kids in the bed and the little one said 'I'm crowded , roll over"...   Oh sorry I was just singing...

*The last couple nights Tim has been playing basketball late and the kids have wanted to lay in "Mom's bed" to fall asleep. Here's a picture of them the other night after just having fallen asleep. This is one of those moments when motherhood is rewarding. -seeing all kids sleeping as they snuggle...as you to listen to peace & quiet. When Tim used to be in Flag a lot, the kids loved falling asleep in our bed & most the time would end up staying there for the night with me. Yes crowded but I loved it.

*Mom's special powers!

Me: "Kaylea when I was gone today did you guys sneak into the Rice Krispie Treats?"

Kaylea: (with guilty look) "How did you know?"

Me: "Well...Moms have special powers."

Kaylea: "REALLY?"

.......about 30 seconds goes by:

Kaylea: "Mom did you look in the garbage can?"

(Yup ....and there are the 7 empty Rice Krispie Treat wrappers...you gotta love when dads are in charge!)

*Reflections of Christ

*Ok so moving on from my last post about bad guys to the ultimate good guy. Click on the bottom link to go to this moving sideshow. These photographs depicting Christ are beautiful and even if you've seen them look again. The pictures are taken in such a different manner than most making Christ's life so real as opposed to the usual paintings or artists drawings we see. (The photographer (Mark Mabry's) in laws are neighbors of my parents and in their ward.) These are BEAUTIFUL, wonderful pictures that I think are in the Mesa Temple Visitors Center right now. I'm sure some of you have seen this but always worth seeing again to lift our spirits. ENJOY!

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

*Finding the "Bad Guys"

Just so you all can have a rough night's sleep!

*Look up the felons in your neighborhood*

Check This out: www.felonspy.com/search.html

CORRECTION!...

***Ok thanks to my little brother Phylip (who I never even knew read my blog...you little cutie pie you..) I was warned that this cite was probably fake..So I went to Snopes.com and sure enough this is what I found:

Snopes.com confirms that Felon Spy is False!

-Too bad though cuz that stuff would be nice to know.-

(There is a website like this though to search out registered sex offenders in your area)

*Happy Birthday Carrie!

*Yes.. today is Tax Day but it is also Tim's little sister's birthday! Carrie turns 31 although she appears not a day over 21! Carrie, Mason and Tim & I have shared many of the same experiences. From the early days of our dating to our joint reception to the birth of our children, businesses and more.

(Wedding Day May 20th, 1999)

We have joked how similar the path of our lives have been and tell people that the only difference was when we went our separate ways on our Honeymoons. We've experienced the good and the bad but meaningful nonetheless.

(Macey/Spencer 2000

Jett/ Kaylea 2002

Roc/Daylan 2005)

*Carrie is an adventurous, determined, competitive, tough, organized mother of 4.

She has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh! I thought these last 2 pictures described her pretty well. She can hang with the men (winning the volleyball tournament on a cruise) & hang with the big ol' dancing black ladies too (again on a cruise dancing w/ strangers on stage in front of lots of people)! She keeps us laughing!

Happy Birthday Carrie!

*The Weekend

*We began our Friday evening with Kaylea's dance class & then went on a "family date" to CFPK (california pizza kitchen) & Deseret Book; two of our favorite stops. Tim & I had our date watching the movie we rented "Dan in Real Life"..w/ the "Office" guy Steve Carrell?...funny:)

*So normally we have pretty calm, casual Saturdays but not this last one. Spencer had an 8:00 basketball game, came straight home to piano lessons. Kaylea had some preschool friends come play till noon & then drove straight to Spencer's other basketball game at 12:00 that he made a basket in! (I've uploaded the actual play on here, but the camera shut off before the basket was made..dang it.. $#&%*@ ...but it DID go in!! Tim's calling my name because he doesn't think I'm watching...he didn't know I was taping it..i'm just one step ahead of ya honey!)

*Then after the game Kaylea & I met at my parents house and drove with Mom & sisters to a bridal shower for my cousin's fiance Marcy. She is wonderful! Brandon you should've married her a year ago!!! The 

1st gift she opened was a candy necklace made into a bra..it was hilarious!! I just LOVE seeing embarassed brides-to-be!

*Here's a picture of my 2 youngest sisters & 2 cousins at the shower.

~Alena, Brittany, Sara & Kensey~

(Girls someone needs to scan a picture of that old pic of you guys as little girls to put next to this one...anyone have it?) We have always said that they look alike...in fact just as I was putting this picture on, Daylan said "Why are there 2 Saras?" Not that they have the exact features or anything...just at first glance they look alike I think...maybe it's their smiles...?

*Idol Gives Back

* I always enjoy watching TV shows like Extreme Home Makeover and Oprah's Big Give. Shows that we can watch as a family with messages that inspire us to do & give more! No matter how grim our situations may be we live like Kings & Queens to MOST PEOPLE living in this world. The other night watching American Idol Gives Back, I cried when they showed the little children in Africa, especially the little girl with malaria & the family of 4 young brothers whos parents both died. Didn't it break your heart? It made me think of our little friend Tening in Senegal, Africa who receives assistance from us each month. We do this through World Vision who provides her family and others in her village with mosquito netting, clean water, education, immunizations and other medical needs. She occasionally will send us pictures she drew with Thank You notes and we correspond. I know there are many other good programs out there who all provide similar things. Donating this way just makes it all more personal for us. What we love is the teaching opportunity this provides us with our children. The kids are supposed to say "Sorry Tening" as they throw away extra food that they wasted at mealtime...I'm usually saying something like: "Tening would've loved to eat that!" Hopefully this is teaching them how blessed we really are and more importantly how necessary it is for us to help others...even if it's just one person!

*Click on this link too! The CARE FOR LIFE  Organization is also a great one! It was actually created by my Dad's business partner of many years Blair (& Cindy) Packard here in Gilbert. They are currently serving there in Africa on a mission.

*Darn Ol' Witch!

Thanks to this wonderful green lady...my little Day-Day has been sleeping in our bed the last 3 nights! 

*General Conference!

*Talking with some of you, I've found that many of us Mothers thoroughly enjoyed Elder Ballard's talk. I believe that many young mothers across the globe had tears in their eyes during his inspired words. I think as mothers we all feel so inadequate at times..you know when your kids are whining, complaining & fighting and you think to yourself.."What kind of mother am I?" These are issues he addressed so poignantly.

*Our house became silent when he said "Children...listen up. I'm going to talk to you for a moment..." He went on to ask them to clean up their toys, obey, be good & most importantly give your Mom's a hug. So of course by this time my kids are staring at me instead of the TV because of my loud sniffles & crying sounds. I also loved how he said "The Joy of Motherhood comes in moments.. Live in the Moment because they are fleeting." He also said every mother has times of joys & times of struggles.

If you didn't listen to his talk...do it by clicking here!

*I also had a reaffirming testimony of our dear prophet President Monson and his counselors. I have always loved all 3 of them, but this weekend my testimony grew by leaps and bounds of them. Funny how when that mantle is placed, these feelings are automatic. I know President Thomas Spencer Monson has all the keys and that he will do whatever he can to reassure us & prepare us for the coming of our Savior.

(**To any of you who ever have any ?'s about the church feel free to ask me anything anytime. I'd love to answer them. Or click on this to go to the church's website for our basic beliefs)

*Happy Birthday Heidi & Zane

Funny Thing...but Heidi elected to have her C- section with Zane the same day as her birthday in 2005. Now we get to celebrate 2 Birthdays on April 6th! This is just an example of her selflessness.

*I first knew Heidi as a single mom of 2 cute little girls in my family ward. I was younger and away at college but I got to know her a little bit as I began attending Young Single Adults. One day when Tim & I were already married we were visiting my families' ward & she got up to bear her testimony at church. We were sitting in the front pews with my family and I was very moved by her words & spirit. I had an strong impression come over me that I should set her up with Tim's older brother Brian. As we sat there I leaned over to Tim and whispered with tears in my eyes."I'm setting her up with Brian." He agreed and felt the same way & the rest as they say is history!

*Heidi has an energy about her that I love! She is always gigglin' about something & often has some piece of news to tell us all! She has a tender heart & is often doing things for others. Heidi is so talented..you can just tell her an idea you have and she'll paint it for you. We have been on many trips together from Hawaii to Europe, Mexico or Costa Rica. Here our pictures of the last Family Trip in Italy 2007 & also our 1st Family Cruise in 2001.

Zane was also born on this special day of

April 6th. (We learn in the church the significance of so many things that have happened on this day.) Today he turns 3! Zane is such a cute little thing. I always feel like I'm going to smash him or step on him or something because he's so little. .

*Just as I'm thinking how small he is, he'll come out and say some long ol' sentence & it almost takes your breath away that someone with such a small voice could be so intelligent & vocal!

Daylan enjoys playing with him and being silly. It's funny to see how the 3 cousins were all bald babies together.

These are some of my favorite pictures of Zaners...

*From the mouth of babes...

~Today we watched the 1st sessions of General Conference while the kids had their fun little packets. Towards the end of the morning session Daylan looked at me and in all sincerity said: "Mom-Where's Pwesdent Heentley?" My heart just broke then and there! I tried to explain to my little 2 year old where President Hinckley was. "He died honey & now He's with Heavenly Father & Jesus." Daylan looked at me with a furled brow and then just kinda stared at the wall for a minute as I think he took it all in. He seemed to understand but that was such a testimony to me how important it is for these little kiddos to watch Conference. I had said nothing about conference or watching our new prophet to him other than I just turned on the TV to the BYU channel. His little 2 1/2 year old mind just knew we were watching something special. So many things we have to learn from our little ones!

*Field Trip Week!

*On Monday Tim went with Spencer to the Botanical Gardens. Tim just LOVED learning about the cactus &

butterflies! -(insert sarcasm) Spencer of course thought it was cool that his Dad was there & Tim enjoyed being with him.

*Then Wednesday Kaylea had a field trip at Superstition Farms where her and her friends saw literally thousands of cows, a horse, goats, bunnies & chickens. Daylan got to go too & loved it! ...just not the part where the horse sucked on his hair & scared him! (Look closely & you can see the wet part of his hair.)

~Kaylea with the chicken

..and feeding the black goat.

"AAaahhhhh!" The Goat jumped up to say Hi to Kaylea!

.

daylan, kaylea, friend emily, cousins roc & jett, 2nd cousin kylie, friend ethan

Posing in front of the Hay Maze

*This is my favorite picture of Kaylea & Jett when the cow smell was just too much for them!

"Pee-Yew Cows!"