Mayor Spence

Spencer was chosen to be Mayor out of a large group of 5th Grade Middle School Kids as they took a Field Trip to a place called Biz-Town. Each 5th grader gets a "job" in the made-up town of Biz Town. They get paychecks, pay taxes & have duties they must perform that full day according to their individual jobs. There's even news reporters, a big screen & tv's across the town. Mayor Spencer was interviewed a number of times on "TV" & also had to give a few speeches and answer impromptu questions at Town Hall meetings. I want to be like him some day when I grow up.

A Dad of one of the boys from our ward went as a chaperone & reported back to us that Mayor Spencer did a great job. Now that would have been fun to see! We never went on Field Trips like this back in my day but I think it's a GREAT IDEA that the kids get to see what grown ups really do to keep America running each day. Spencer said it was fun but a lot more work than he thought it would be. ☺

Steph on Ellen's Show

My sister Stephanie is loving California life a little too much...

She keeps finding herself on T.V. 

The most recent was the Ellen Degeneres show 

where she actually scored like $400 in audience gifts!!

 Sa...weeet!

She's in the front on the right.

Suns Belly☺

-We were recently invited to the Suns Game by our friends the Gardners to sit by them in their awesome seats. (I wish we would've got a picture of them too.)The Suns played the Portland Trailblazers that night. Jill & I might have done more people-watching than basket-watching. John McCain sat a number of rows ahead of us on the court in his suit, next to his wife, with her big hair, that didn't move..and was asked over & over to get his picture taken. 




~My talented sister Sara whipped up this Basketball on my BIG ORANGE belly before we left. And for the record that Belly was the Suns good luck charm and the baby Campbell Suns-Belly helped them pull off a WIN right before it was about to go to overtime!

The funniest part was that we showed up for the game an hour & 1/2 early on accident. It was hilarious. Maybe you had to be there. So we roamed around the local restaurants to find some good chocolate desserts♨=Mission Accomplished. The game started by 8:30 & didn't get over till 11pm getting us home our kids about midnight.⌚ Thanks to my parents for watching our kiddos-especially my feverish Jax.

{Oh & before the game we went to grab dinner- only to find my sister Brittany there with her new beau. I decided to play a trick on her. She is really fun to trick. I had Jill go up to her (whom she did not know) & tell her she had just hit their truck in the parking lot. They quickly ran out of the restaurant & out to see their "truck." We spied through the window like little kids as they came back. We waved through the blinds at my sister & her date as they laughed in embarrassment. Ha-I'm so funny.}

-It was a Fun-Filled, Orange Belly Kind-Of Night. 

Motherhood Is Calling Mondays..

1st of all I don't like Mondays. 

Not Rainy days but "Mondays always get me down."

2nd of all though, I do like my friend Jamie.

She is a Wonderful Mommy & a great writer.

So link up to her Motherhood is Calling Mondays & Enjoy.

She'll make you laugh. She's even funnier in person.

Then on Mondays do a Mommy post. -A Motherhood thought, moment, story etc..

3rd- Ok here goes MY Motherhood Monday moment:

~Sometimes there are those moments where time freezes in my head & I take a mental picture of my children in their sweetness. Yesterday I just happened to have my camera 2 ft away, grabbed it & captured this without them noticing.

Notice the peelings on the floor, the knatted hair & slippers on backwards....LOVE it!

My 5 year old Daylan had just been having an Afternoon-I'm Tired-Meltdown when the thought came to me: "Have him peel carrots." Within seconds he was happy, helping & feeling very useful & needed. I loved that Jaxson just stared in amazement at how remarkable his big brother was.

You know every once in while I have a moment where I see my kids doing something great and I think: "Hey maybe I might just be getting this Mom thing down." HA! -BUT then of course to keep me humble-I turn around & the dog has just pooped on the floor & seconds later 2 kids run downstairs saying:  "He yelled at me..."  and "She pinched me..." 

Oh well.. the peeling carrot moments are the ones I must have in my mind's memory card -Not those other ones.

~Emmie's Birthday~

~Remembering ❤Emmie❤ on her special day.~
*In 2 years when we do this, there will be the new Temple right there in the picture; In the background of us & foreground of the sunset. I think Emmie helped pick a good house to live in knowing that her family would be just over the fence from such a Heavenly dwelling.
Meant to be if you ask me.

Warning: Hot Dogs=Danger!

Did you know that 100 kids die in the U.S every year from choking?

*I thought that my Daylan was about to be one of those statistics last night. We were celebrating the Birthday of our sweet Emmie who passed away this last year. The kids were anxious to hurry & eat so they could run back out & play with cousins. As we began eating dinner I hear this choking noise. I run over to a panicking Daylan. He throws up a couple times & yet still is struggling to breathe. He was getting some oxygen but not much. I tried doing the Heimlich Maneuver a few times with no luck. Daylan was jumping up & down and trying to do whatever he could.


*Everything moved in slow motion and after a minute or two or three, (felt like an hour) I began to panic. Uncle Jason stepped in & had no luck with the Heimlich Maneuver either. I thought: "This can not be happening!" Daylan turned more pale by the second and his lips more blue. I yelled out "Someone just Call 911-this isn't working!"


*Right then Jason stuck his finger down Day's throat and out popped this ridiculous sized piece of hot dog-the exact circumference of his esophagus. (They just happened to be extra large hot dogs!) I think maybe the Heimlich really had helped get it up high enough to grab out. I hugged Daylan tight and had to go sit down since I was shaking with fright. {I woke up in the night thinking of the look on Daylan's face when it was happening and couldn't get back to sleep...so scary!}

**I will never look at a hot dog the same again.**

*Here CBS' Early Show tells of how a 4 yr old boy who choked to death on a hot dog!

When I saw this design of a hot dog I thought it was a great idea!

You know that's why Life Savers were created right?...
So kids could have hard candies & if they choked they would still have air with the hole in the middle.

*Here is a Conversation among Moms about the hot dog safety dilemma where people argue whether or not hot dog makers should be forced to reconfigure their hot dogs. I believe it's America and they shouldn't be that regulated, BUT all I know is that if there were hot dogs cut more safely like this, there would be a bazillion moms that would buy them.

Including=

~Happy Birthday Angel Emmie~

~WE LOVE & Miss YOU~

Provo Tabernacle Burns

An aerial before picture:

*photo courtesy planeinsanerc.com

Story from back in mid December:

*photo courtesy John Curtis

{The 100 year old historic Provo Tabernacle was on fire. It burned and burned without much success in saving it. I remember going there a few times growing up with my Grandparents for Stake Conference & other concerts and things. I have cousins, friends & family have very memorable & tender memories of events that took place there like this one from my cousin Kristin. You can see towards the bottom of her post the beautiful sketch she drew as she watched the firemen still trying to put it out. It is a remarkable, historic, nostalgic & special building to a lot of people. It is a building our pioneer ancestors sacrificed so much for. Arson was ruled out, although the center of the building was completely gutted. As far as I know the church does not know if it will be restored or not.} There was nothing that could be salvaged from the fire EXCEPT THIS was found. Take a look at the amazing photo below of a recovered painting: ~A bitter sweet Christmas Miracle~ FIREMEN LOOKING AT THE SAVIOR PAINTING ---SAVIOR PORTION SAVED IN PAINTING OF WHEN "HE COMES AGAIN".... "For most viewing the interior it was a total loss…and then yesterday a fireman removed one of the many pieces of art work in the building…it is the building’s only survivor…a picture of Jesus Christ. The fire had seared the picture all around the frame and most of the picture…except the figure of our Lord and Redeemer….He somehow survived." *Video footage from News Station*

ELP "Flamingo Society"

Ok so I still really don't know what this award quite means but Kaylea was inducted into the supposedly elite "Flamingo Society" in ELP. {She joins her brother who got this award last January.}

For part of the award ceremony the new inductees had to stand on one foot like a flamingo as they pledged to do their best in all they do...or something like that.

Congrats to our Kaylea-Booga! She continues to make us proud.