Family pics 08

Just wanted to tell Ashley how great I think she did with our family's photo shoot!! She was not only fun & PATIENT, but I think she did a fantastic job with the photos!! I love them! Thanks again Ashley- you're a talented lady!! You're the best!

Happy Birthday Colby & Sadie!!

Yes- this is a little late! But things have been a little chaotic attempting to recover from Hawaii & I'm just beginning to catch up on life!
Colby Cameron entered our lives 14 yrs ago. After being in labor for over 26 hrs (he was posterior, wouldn't drop completely into the birth canal so he went into fetal distress) the Dr. did a c-section & out came this 8 lb 3 oz boy with a full head of hair & dimples to die for! Cam & I were ecstatic & Drew (who was only 15 mths at the time) couldn't get enough of his baby brother! Colby was born w/a Ventricular Septal Defect in his heart (a hole between the ventricles). We spent many sleepless nights that 1st week of his life, which was full of visits to Primary Children's Hospital. I remember thinking to myself how precious this little boy was- but what a trooper! The hole healed after 2 yrs. on it's own & he's been going strong ever since! He was the type of baby who smiled with his entire face! I loved it! In fact, he's still got that same smile w/that same infectious laugh that holds the slightest hint of mischieveness! He's a jokester & a natural athlete, just like his daddy! He is incredibly kind & thoughtful. He is tender-hearted & always willing to share or sacrifice for another. (I included a pic of Colby w/Cam's younger bro, Ryan, who passed away 2 1/2 yrs ago, because we always thought there was such a resemblance! They have some of the same mannerisms, same laugh that always means trouble ;0), and they both have a fetish for shoes & accessories like necklaces & hats.) I think the boy is as adorable today as he was when he came into this world! Wow- 14!!
Sadie Meakalia was born 4 yrs ago. Her middle name means "the long-awaited one". It felt like an eternity for her to get here safely. I was only 16 weeks along when my placenta ruptured while I was up at work at Davis Hospital. I had just felt her move for one of the first times a few days prior. I thought I was having a miscarriage, but the Dr. in the ER informed me that it was my placenta rupturing & that it was on the way to completely tearing away from the uterine wall. She said if it did, she would spontaneously abort. The Dr. told Cam & I that there was only a 50% chance of her surviving as well as many health concerns in regards to me. I'll spare you all the even longer version of this story by summarizing that it was an extremely long road after being put on complete bed rest from that point on, with it being full of blessings from my husband & other faithful Priesthood leaders & my other 4 kids having to all pull together with other friends & family to take care of me & make sure she arrived into this world! Which, obviously, she did! And for a reason too. I know with all my heart that Sadie came into our lives, even though Cam & I both believed we were done having kids after Jess, for the specific reason of helping me through the hardest time of my life, losing my grandma. And Sadie continues to be there for me to this day! I love that she's never spent a night in her own bed (Cam- not so happy about it ;0), but I love that cuddle time with her! I absolutely love to smooch her incredibly luscious lips! I loved what a chubby baby she was, with cheeks so big they seemed to rest on her chest~& rolls for me to squeeze all over her cute body! I love that my Sadie is still lovey-dovey! I can't believe that my baby is 4!!
Both of these 2 kids are precious to Cam & I in their own unique way & I love all the many things that make them each who they are. I think back to the moments when I thought that we could lose them & I hope to never, ever take them for granted! Lately I've been a little "clingy" to the family, for many reasons. But one of the biggest reasons is this: time is FLYING by. These precious years with my children are slipping through my fingers & I don't want to miss a thing! I look back & get upset at myself for letting unimportant things distract me from my family- but can only vow to do better now & in the future. Before you know it, Colby will be out on a mission or at college, Sadie will be at school all day, and the other kids will be well on their way to making their own lives for themselves. But meanwhile, while I'm fortunate enough to be able to share their lives with them, I'm gonna take each & every minute with them for what it's worth- which is irreplacable!! Love you Sadie & Colby- hope your birthdays were fun!!

Jody & Mom's date to "Mom & Miss"

Jody & I had a blast at our date- which was her "Mom & Miss Halloween Party" for her Achievement Days. Her leaders did a great job on the whole night- yummy food, tons of dessert, a scary, haunted house/halls/rooms put on by the infamous spook-alley master, Ray Maple, and lots of fun games! I'll have to try to post the pic they took of us there if I get it soon- but for now- here are the pics Cam took before we left! Like I said in the previous post- I HATE the whole costume finding thing! So- yea, we took advantage of things we had on hand & I let Jody decide where to go with it all! She thought it was fun- so did I! Although, I must admit, putting the walking boot back on for the sake of the costume, brought back some bad memories of having to wear it for week after week this past Feb when it was broke! UGH! It was so nice to be able to peel it off at the end of the night & know that I could run on it just fine now! Jody had fun being crazy that night! That's definitely one of the most endearing things to me about Jody (although some might find it odd)- I adore the fact that my Jody is so comfortable in her own skin! It is my goal to raise children that know who they are & what they stand for. I want to instill self-confidence in them all & I'm not quite sure how to do that! But somehow- it just comes natural to my cute Jody! Call her confident, call her a tom-boy, or just call her gross if that's how you feel- but I LOVE it! I love when she lets a big one rip (which would make most girls blush & never claim the fart)- but my Jody just grins & says "my bad"! Don't get me wrong- she knows when to make sure she minds her manners- but she also loves, loves, loves to act as goofy as possible! She hams it up for sure! Jody couldn't care less what people think of her or what she does or what she wears or says (for the most part, she does still have feelings though!) & I hope she never wavers! I pray she always stays true to herself & lives her life to the fullest in the fun, care-free way she does now! I love you Jody- thanks for the fun night!!!

Happy Halloween '08

This year the girls all took the task of "costume finding" upon themselves! Which I was more than happy to let them do! It's no secret- Halloween has never been among my top holiday choices! I wouldn't necessarily say I "hate" it- but it comes pretty close to that extreme! Mostly because of the pressure to come up with a costume that is the cutest, or the scariest, or the most creative! UGH! Well- proud to say that this is what the girls chose- and I let them handle almost every single detail! Thanks to Amy M & Rach for the loan on the costumes- you're lifesavers!! The girls had a blast tho- they enjoyed the warm weather for trick-or-treating (as did I!) & practically ran from door to door the entire time! I'd put in pics of Drew & Colby- but both were off with friends at parties. Hard for Mom to handle, I must admit, that Drew got picked up in front of me by a car full of cute girl friends of his to go to a party & Colby was with his "girlfriend" as well watching scary movies with the rest of their friends! AHHH- growing up WAY too fast!! But I'm thankful for the wonderful weather we were blessed with that night & I'm thankful for the fact it's all over with- until next year! ;0}

Colby's Team Takes 1st in State Cup!!!

These posts are long overdue (getting ready to go on vacation & actually leaving for a week is pretty time-consuming!) but I thought- better late than never!! Just wanted to tell Colby how proud I am of him! His LaRoca team took 1st in State Cup! It was a hard road- but they dominated the other teams for the most part! Some games were closer than others- but they always came out victorious! I'm proud of Colby's hard work & determination to help his team be the very best team in the whole state of Utah- which we can now say they are!!! They've got the medal to prove it! Now we go to Regionals- which aren't until next June! But still- it'll be such a great experience for him to play against players who are among the very best in the country! His hard work & sacrifices have paid off & I couldn't be prouder of him! He does have the Nomads Tournament this Thanksgiving in San Diego & the President's Cup in Phoenix in Feb to look forward to as well! Good luck Colby- congrats again on taking State Cup- we couldn't be more proud! We love ya bud!! You're such a stud!