Breakfast in bed!!

I just have to tell you about my sweet little Ashlee. She has always been such a thoughtful girl,always thinking about what she can do for others. I always get little notes,flowers,and pictures from her. Anyway, for the last month she has been planning a big surprise for mother's day. This morning I was surprised with breakfast in bed. She had arranged for Becky to come over and supervise her while she made me breakfast. There was a wonderful omelet(with the works),sweet roll with lots of frosting,a side of applesauce,orange juice,and some freshly picked lilacs from our garden! It was fantastic. And the best part was that she did all the work. It was so funny, she left a note on my door,telling me not to open the door. She was so excited, that she woke up every hour last night because she was afraid she would over sleep and I would wake up before her!! I love her so much and I am so grateful for the special morning she gave me.

MEMORIES!!

As I was driving down Highland Drive, I couldn't help but feel a little sad that the Cottonwood Mall has been torn down. They are going to build an outside mall(like the Gateway)and a few condos,office complex, etc. It was run down and I guess they figured that it wasn't worth fixing up. Anyway, it got me thinking of all the fun times I had at that mall. That was the place where me and my friends would HANG OUT, eat in the food court, spend hundreds of dollars,and pick up "boys"! It was also the same mall, where James would HANG OUT with his friends and eat at the food court, where Paula and I would go to have pictures taken of our kids at kiddie Kandids,and the many times my kids sat on Santa's lap, and the list goes on and on. It got me thinking of some of the fun times I had as a teenager,and as a mother. It put a smile on my face:)!! I know that things change, but it's a little bitter sweet for me. I'm just grateful for the memories that I have with the ones that I love. The Mall may be gone, but the memories will stay forever!!!!!

Well, my tulips finally bloomed!!

After much anticipation, and alot of complaining,My tulips finally BLOOMED! I guess it is better late than never. With the Weather being so cold, it took them forever to bloom! It was kinda funny, right after they started to bloom, James was playing Basketball and hit one of them with the ball. Oh well. Anyway here is the proof!!!

Josepn and the Amazing Color Dreamcoat!!!

Ashlee has been working very hard lately on her school play! Her School put on Joseph and the Amazing color Dreamcoat. She has had practices every Monday and Thursday after school for the last 2 months. I was actually very impressed with the production(Since it is put on by Elementary School Students). Ashlee was in the Chorus, and did such a great job. I really love this play ,it is one of my very favorites,and I have seen probably every production of it, including the one with Donny Osmond as Joseph. But I even enjoyed this one more, and it didn't cost me anything, but one dollar for popcorn! Yes, they even sold popcorn and drinks. It was so cute, Ashlee's 3rd grade teacher was Jacob. I am so happy that she loves to sing,dance and play the piano. She has a lot of talent and I love her so much. Thanks Ashlee for a fun fun night!!!!

A Visit from the Prophet!!

We have the opportunity of living in the same stake as Thomas S. Monson! For this reason,he will usually came to our stake conference and speak.I think our stake has the best attendance in the church:)I mean, who doesn't love to hear this man speak! So today was Stake Conference, and this was his first visit as our Prophet. Many people speculated that he may not show up. But as we were coming in, the congregation was standing, as he was walking to the front of the chapel. Such an awesome experience!! I have to say that it has been very fun "driving" past his house and seeing the security guards in his driveway. I guess just knowing how close he is!! Okay,I guess I should back up. I don't just drive past his house, James' best friend happens to be next door neighbors with The Prophet, so it is necessary to drive in his circle. Not that I wouldn't do a drive by, after all, he is our prophet. It was so awesome being so close to such a wonderful man, we feel very blessed to live so close to him! he informed us at conference that he will be staying in his home to care for his pigeons etc. Anyway, he was telling us stories of when he was a boy, and after each story he would say "now boys don't you try this". It makes you realize that he wasn't always an apostle but a little boy who got into a little mischief. I think that was good to hear(Being a mother of children who get into mischief)!:) There is Hope!!!

Three Plates and Gaining!!!

Football season is fast approaching, and nobody is more excited than James!! Since Football ended last season he has been working very hard perfecting his skills and building those muscles. He goes every other morning at 6:45 and stays after school for another hour to work out and lift weights! He has really come a long way, the boy is a strong sucker!! He can bench press 225 pounds, squat 345 pounds and power cleans 230 pounds!! His Coach told him he will probably start with the varsity football team as a junior!!! By the way James is #16:)!!

Will my tulips ever bloom?

Ashlee and Jake's Piano recital!

Today was Ashlee and Jake's Piano recital. Their Piano Teacher had the recital at 10:00 A.M. this morning. It is always a struggle on an already stressful Saturday morning. Anyway, they did a VERY good job, and I was very proud of them!! It was actually a nice way to start our day. I'm always so happy for my kids progress. I guess all the nagging and harping on them to practice is paying off! Oh yeah, I can throw away the ear plugs now. Sorry about the quality of the pictures, the lighting was terrible!!

Picking up sticks!!!

We have trees lining our driveway, most of the time we love them, but they occasionally lose small branches and sticks. Because of all of the wind storms, there were more than usual. So last night for Family Home Evening(much to my kids dismay), we gathered up all the branches and sticks from the yard! All of the kids pitched in and did a pretty good job. They only had to be told a couple of times to pick up more than a few sticks at a time. So, after we finished we decided that we would take the kids out for ice cream. I love bribery!

Say goodbye to your tip!

As you read this story, keep in mind that Don is a very good tipper. The other day Don and I went out to lunch. We often go to this particular restaurant and haven't had any problems in the past. The meal was good, but the waitress was a little to be desired. She was rude, didn’t complete the order as we requested and basically forgot about us. When it was time to pay the bill of $21.79, we gave her a Twenty Dollar bill and a Ten. When the mediocre, if not bad waitress returned, she had brought us only the receipt. She had kept all of our change. A good waitress would have gotten $5.00 from us but, she was not a good waitress, and she knew she didn't deserve a tip. So she helped herself to a nice tip of $8.21 (a tip she definitely did not deserve) hoping that we would forget, or be too embarrassed to ask for the change. Don kindly asked her for our change. When she brought the change, she brought back only the bills and kept the coin. Don didn't want her to think that we forgot to tip her, so he tore the corner off a $5 bill and left that for her. So Instead of getting a $5.00 tip, she got 21 cents, and the corner off a bill!!!!!!

I LOVE my FAMILY!

ASHLEE HAS A BLOG!! CHECK IT OUT!

Hi everybody, I just wanted to tell you all that Ashlee has started a blog! She thought it would be a good way to keep in touch with friends and family far away. She did it almost all by herself. Check it out!

http://ashleenhulet.blogspot.com/

The Best Mom & Grandma Ever!

My Mom has always been a good example. She always stayed close to the Lord and taught us to do the right things.

She always tried to keep the family close.

I remember some of the fun things we did together.

-She always let the grandkids have sleepovers and she would take them to the Rainbow Gas Station and let them pick out their favorite treats.

-She planned fun parties for the grandkids.

-She would let the older grandkids sleep over on New Year’s Eve – They would have a party with lots of treats and they would go outside and bang on pots and pans to ring in the new year.

-Every year she has an Easter egg hunt for the grandkids and great grandkids. She even made the kids bunny ears and baskets.

-One time she hosted a big cousins camp. All the grandkids brought their sleeping bags, tents and other things for a three-day camp. They took the bus downtown and had lunch, and took a tour of the church museum. They made crafts, had workshops, swam, ate, had a talent show and Sunday they all went to Church with her.

-Every year she has a Halloween party. The kids all wear their costumes and go trunk or treating. She also serves one of her famous yummy dinners. The big highlight of the evening is the flaming ghost cake.

-Every year she holds a Christmas Eve party. From the time I was little it was always the big event of the year. She always made new pajamas for all the kids that we all opened on Christmas Eve night. I was impressed with her valiant effort to continue making PJs every year for all of the grandchildren. Eventually there were so many grandchildren from the ten of us that it became impossible for her to continue. But she did pull it off again a couple of years ago.

What a great grandma. I cherish these traditions so much they live on with my children in our home.

Girls Night In.............

So, I always love conference time. I love the opportunity I have to listen to all of the amazing leaders of our church, I love them so much. It's so fun for Don, and my boys to go to Priesthood Meeting, and I get the opportunity to spend some "girl" time with Ashlee. Tonight, we had her favorite dinner, PIZZA. We spent time making them together, and they were so yummy. Afterwards, we went to McDonald's for a Mcflurry, which are another of her favorites. I am so grateful for the time we get to spend together!

Happy Birthday Casey!

Casey and his brother Clifford are turning two! It is very appropriate that their birthday falls on April fools day.