(I have) ~Sibling Bragging Rights~

{I typed a lot of this post up months ago & am just finishing it
...thus all the words crossed out as time has changed things.}

Some Recent Accomplishments/Happenings:

Brittany passes (phew!) & completes her 1st of 2 years of Dental Hygiene School. She will be the most awesome Hygenist!...a perfectionist at heart. I was Brit's patient very recently & she did great! She will be living her dream job come this next summer!

She has been a dating machine these past few years & here's a cool pic of her & her boyfriend Nate at the Grand Canyon. Although she is now officially back on the market.  {don't kill me brit}

Brittany is a great friend & is lucky to have some sweet friends in her life right now. Brittany makes time for them & always makes sure they are doing okay. She stays so busy with her school schedule but makes sure she can always fit in Institute class. (her college religion course) In her free time she does things such as Swing Dancing, makes Headbands, Teaches Relief Society & Plays with my kiddos.

Danny is taking criminal justice classes with hopes of being a Police Officer/Criminal Investigator. Dan has found the sweetest girl named Kayla. They have a lot of fun together. She is so good to him & "gets him" & his silliness.  She lives in Peoria & they make quite the trek to see each other as often as they do. They both stay busy going to school & working and traveling to each others wards each week. {Reminds me of another young weekend-traveling couple I once knew.} They are two cute little peas in a pod. He will be a great husband someday....soon. Danny continues to crack us up constantly...usually with a ridiculous birthday card...ahem..

They recently got ENGAGED! & have plans to MARRY  in November in the Mesa LDS Temple.

{Stephanie's} Marcus recently graduated from USC receiving his Masters in Real Estate Development.

He's seriously one smart cookie...and has the cutest California boys I know.

(Could someone PLEASE find an opportunity/job here in AZ so they move back!) Actually he just finished an internship & got a new job in  Santa Montica. We are happy for them. Steph is a busy stay at home mom of Ethan (4) & Carson (2). We love to Skype with these cute lil' blondie boys. Ethan just gave his first talk in Primary & can write his name. And Carson thinks I'm the real Pocahontas. ;) Ethan began Preschool this week & Carson can go poopy on the toilet! They enjoy living in Cali right now & have loved all that it offers with activities, parks, museums, game shows, concerts etc. Not too long ago Steph got to sit right behind the judges at "Dancing with the Stars."

Lacey-finished her semester at BYU~Jerusalem...loving every second.

Can you imagine actually being in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday?

(not to mention the whole week of Easter)
She learned a lot and it was so neat to read her emails/blog seeing how strong her testimony was growing of our Savior. It was neat to see her make strong, everlasting friendships.

Lacey in the Sea of Gallillee

Lace continues to wait for her High School Sweetheart, Jordan, who is currently a missionary serving in the Phillipines. He has been gone almost over a year now & Lacey is keeping busy so that the time will go by fast. She'll be is back at BYU in Utah in the fall and will be studying Political Science with hopes of Law School in the future. Lacey also has been accepted to be doing volunteer work in India in the Spring. She is a go-getter & goes after what she wants. Lacey always has great goals & when she sets her mind to them she achieves them. 

And with extremely mixed feelings I announce that Tommy & Jozie move very soon have moved to Hawaii for school...what a place to go to work & go to school huh?! They had their choice of BYU's & chose to attend BYU-Hawaii together! It will be like a long Honeymoon for them.

I'm stoked that we now have an awesome excuse to go there sometime in the next year & 1/2 or so! I'm sad though because we will miss them at Sunday Dinners, Family Events and most likely Kaylea's Baptism. :( But if there are there will be sibling weddings in the near future then & we need them to save up for those. Tommy will be getting his undergrads in order to go on & follow in his Papa's footsteps in becoming a Physical Therapist. My kids will miss their wonderful Aunt & Uncle...they are seriously the GREATEST!

Joze will be leaving left an awesome job as she has got to assist in seeing the process of the Gilbert Temple progress. She will be living close to her old stomping grounds in Hawaii & she hopes to get her Masters degree while there. {They both just got great new jobs in Hawaii- Jozie at the Polynesian Cultural Center & Tommy with BYU-H's Production crew!}


Other news: It has been over a year now since Tommy's massive tumor was removed in his arm. Recently his oncologist said that everything looks great..."Tony the Tumor" is no more!

And there's Sara who I recently posted about as she graduated from High School is now officially in the Young Single Adult ward & will be 19 this year....it's freakin' me out! She had a really hard last half of her Senior Year as she dealt with a serious case of Mono meanwhile still taking some classes that I'd never be able to even think of taking... Sare-Bear is so stinkin' smart & earned an amazing scholarship paying for most everything all 4 years to any University of her choice in AZ & has chosen for now to use it at ASU. She's trying to decide what she wants to do for a career, but with those brains could do ANYTHING!

She dazzled it up this last school year in Orchestra playing as one of the best chairs. {Their Orchestra gives you chills when you listen to them.} She is also amazingly creative & can create almost anything you imagine that is crafty or artsy. Cute Sara continues to be an awesome Aunt to my kiddos making time for them. She is the big sister that Kaylea never had. Sara is the Ultimate Example to Everyone!

Prom~2010

Ashlyn will be moving here has moved here from Laguna Beach to Gilbert/Queen Creek and attending her Senior Year here. She is sad to leave for her last Year but we are so excited to have her be our neighbor. (They will are even be in our ward.) Ashlyn has continued to stay busy with school, Young Womens & the HS social scene. She was diligent in attending very early morning seminary this past year every day & she even got to have her parents as her teachers. She even was on this Church YouTube video highlighting a friend of hers. Ash still plays the piano wonderfully & has become best friends once again with her sister Lace as she's been home from college.

Ashlyn was awesome this year in Cross Country Track & was quite the lil' running machine! She recently just lost her closest pal "Bear." Their toy poodle passed away & we were with her when she got the news. It was terrible to see her so sad. Her & that dog were bestest pals since she was a little girl. We also got to see her experience extreme joy when she got a new puppy later that week to help ease the pain. {It has been a hard year for her with her Mom's heart attack, losing Bear & her angel niece Emmie.} We are excited to have her living close really soon! ...that she is now our new neighbor.{Ash is now the cute new girl in town & has already been asked to two different Homecomings.}

Phylip is Mr. Busy. He dates & hangs out, dates & hangs out some more. The ultimate social bug; yet also the biggest Mama's boy. He loves people, school, his activities, entertaining & being silly. He did a great job this past year on the school Volleyball team although can't do much this year since he broke his foot. He is so obedient yet can still clown it up & have a great time. He always seems to be doing his home teaching, or fulfilling a church calling.

Phylip had a blast, as always, this summer at EFY in Provo. He has a way of making people feel comfortable & has a lot of friends. He seems to always be the hit of the party. Phyl entertains us with his piano pieces & is seriously the most awesome artist! Here is one of his most recent paintings of Christ...amazing huh? (Now WHY did I not inherit this talent again?..I honestly can't draw a good stick figure...not fair!)

This year our parents will both be experiencing their youngest graduate from High School. Ash & Phyl are the babies of each of our families & are both be Seniors in High School this year. They were 5 turning 6 when we got married...(& Daylan's age when we were dating.) I get a lump in my throat thinking about it. Tim & I have talked for years about this day in time and can't believe it's here, but we are so happy for the exciting futures all our younger siblings have. Youth these days are truly so amazing! From their magnificent talents to their tremendous strength and faith with all that they face that this world throws at them. And I guess they have to be here in these last days-the courageous, noble spirits they were in the pre existence. And not just because I'm biased...But because they are seriously awesome.

We are so proud of all our younger siblings; Of their accomplishments & dreams!