Baptism!

Abby was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on September 13, 2014. I am so proud of her and her choice to be baptized. She has been looking forward to this day for a long time. It was strange and hard to not have Mom there physically, but there isn't a doubt in my mind that she was there spiritually. I could feel her presence. And lets face it, Mom would not have missed such an important occasion for two of her grandchildren. There were family and friends there for both Abby and Jake. The talks were beautiful, the Spirit was strong. After the baptisms they were both given the Gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmed a member of the church. Both Pug and BJ gave wonderful blessings. We have some extremely valiant spirits here to take care of!

Here are some pictures of the happenings of that day:
Daddy and his baby

Pug, Abby and me. Before the baptism

My amazing little family

Abigail and Jakob

BJ and his family

My good friends Tony and Melissa with Abby

Grandma "Little Piggy" AKA Great-Grandma McCullough

Heather and Abby

Papa Bob and Grandma Laura

Grandma Stoddart and Abby

With some of the Stoddart cousins and Aunt Nic

Baptism Pictures

I took Abby's baptism pictures for her invitation on a rainy day in August- ok, so the whole month of August was rainy! We were blessed because the day we took it we have about an hours window where it wasn't raining! It made for a beautiful background. If you notice, there is a faint rainbow in the first one. Abby was also able to be baptized with her cousin Jake, who is 6 days older than her!

I may be a bit biased, but I think I have some of the cutest kids around!

It's Great to be Eight!

September 8th. That is the day my baby turned 8 years old. It seems so strange that my youngest is that old (don't even get me started on how old my oldest will be!). Abby is the most caring little girl I know. She is the one that will share anything and everything. If she goes to a party and comes home with a goody bag filled with treats, she shares them with her brother and sister (unlike others who take them down to their rooms and hide them so only they can have them!). She never wants to disappoint you. She always tries to do her best. She has a strong testimony, but isn't afraid to ask questions. When she gets an answer- even if she doesn't fully understand- she give 100% of what is asked of her. She has an amazing spirit. I think she has a strong connection with those on the other side of the veil. There have been several instances and experiences where she has had visits from ancestors that have passed (especially her grandma!). I am so glad that she is a part of our family. Happy Birthday to my silly, sweet, fun loving little girl!

Ogden Temple

We were able to get tickets to go walk through the newly redesigned Ogden Temple. It was kind of sad to see all the changes. This is one of the temples that Pug's grandfather, Emil B. Fetzer, designed. But with newer technology and better seismic advances I know it needed to be redone. It is a beautiful temple. The outside is wonderful, the inside is glorious. There is no other place on earth like the temple.

They had a little "photo booth" type thing there, where they took your picture and emailed a copy of it to you. I wish we had done a retake. We all look a little awkward in this!

Then they dedicated it a few weeks later. It was really neat to be able to be a part of that dedication. And to make it even more special, we were all able to go to the dedication. Abby was baptized the Saturday before, so she could go to it. What a neat experience for our family.

One Year...

It's amazing all that can happen in a year. It's amazing that life continues on even after tragedy strikes. It's amazing the growth of a person when you have to face the reality of a situation. When we hit the one year mark of Mom's death it was harder than I thought. I miss her like you wouldn't believe. I still look at pictures of her and think, "There is no way she could be gone! She is so full of life!" I can still hear her laugh. I look at my couch and can still see the way she would sit on it, the way she would move and adjust herself to get comfortable. I look through my kids clothes and toys and still see the things she has bought for them. I look at my dog and know that she was the one who gave him to us. She is still everywhere around me. And yet she's gone- physically at least. I have felt her influence in my life. I dream about her a lot. I cherish those dreams. To me they are her coming to tell me she is still around. I can't usually remember what they are about, but I know she is in them. I love her, I miss her, I wish I could still have her talk to me. I still have her obituary on my fridge, I can't seem to take it down (funny, it's right next to my Dad's wedding invitation too!). I wish she was still here, but she isn't. I don't understand all of the "whys" but I know it was her time. Luckily for me and my family we have never questioned that. It still sucks. It will always suck. But I am grateful for the time I had with her, for all that she taught me, for the example she has set.

I love you Mom. I miss you.

Balloon Messages

For the one year anniversary of Mom's death the kids and I got together some balloons and wrote message on them. I told them they could write anything they wanted to on the balloons. I never read them- because they weren't meant for me- but I know they each miss their grandma so much! We let the balloons go out back and watched them float away. We talked about life and death, and our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation. They each knew that those balloons weren't going to actually go to heaven, but they also knew that their grandma knew what was written on them and that she is always there for them, no matter what!

First Day of School 2014

First Day of School!! I love that my kids were all more than ready to go back to school. And for the most part they REALLY like school. Sometimes I think they like the social aspect of it more, but they consistently do well in all their classes. McKenzie started 8th grade this year, with Cameron in 6th grade (the BIG fish now) and Abby in 2nd grade (in a brand new elementary!).

Made the Team!

I am so proud of this little cutie. She has worked really hard and has made the competition team for gymnastics! So now all of my kiddos are on competition teams. Oyi! The time! The money! The amazing time watching my kids grow and achieve their goals. I love being a mother to three extremely active and talented kids!

Lagoon!

We had promised the kids all summer that we would go to Lagoon. But time got away from us (or money!) and we never made it. Then we found out that it was Pug's parents Stake Lagoon Day and they had some discounted tickets. So we made the hour long trek up there to spend the day having fun! My best friend Melissa and her family live about 5 minutes away and have season passports there. So they came over and enjoyed the day with us as well. Sometimes I guess it is worth spending the money to have great family memories.

Cowabunga Bay

The kid's orthodontist has a patient appreciation day every year. The last two years have been at Cowabunga Bay- a water park. This year we got a few extra tickets and brought along a few friends. I love that my kids are old enough now that I don't have to stay with them and watch their every move. I was able to sit back and relax a bit in the sun. Good times!

Bear Lake

I am not going to spend too much time on this vacation, because I made a separate book with all the pictures. BUT This past July we were able to spend about a week in Bear Lake with all of Pug's family. It was so fun to be together (all his sisters live out of state) and have all the cousins play. We went to the lake, to Minatonka Cave, and Bloomington Lake. It was fun to go out and explore all there is around Bear Lake. I am so grateful for amazing in-laws who spend money on these vacations for all of us so we can have these great memories of being together.

Here are a few of the pictures that I took (not in order at all- not sure why??)

Thanks again Glen and Margaret!