Happy Birthday...to ME!

I titled this BLOG post...
Happy Birthday to ME only because my wonderful (yes, I will pay HIM back for this one! :) husband told the CRAZY people at Rockin' R' Ranch...
that it was my BIRTHDAY!
So I had to SING in front of 800 people...

Happy Birthday to ME!




This is my wonderful HUSBAND before...

I had to SING!

Have any of you heard me sing? It isn't pretty!!

So HE made up for it...

By helping the children make BREAKFAST in bed for me the next morning!

Haaaa-he is so SWEET!



I HAVE the GREATEST children in the WORLD!

This is why, "I Love My Life".

My KIDS then took me to see a MOVIE, just to help me celebrate...

Okay, so it wasn't a CHICK flick and it was a kid's movie "BOLT", but I LIKED it...
AND I love that MY kids wanted to SPEND time with ME!


AND the CLERK at Albertson's when Ron was buying my CAKE and CANDLES said, "Wow, you MUST be celebrating an 83rd Birthday?!?"

YEP, I'm old, REALLY old!!



Which is why, I only had to BLOW out 2 candles...



And what did I wish for...

SINCE all my DREAMS have already come TRUE?

(It's a secret, remember?!?)

THANKS to SO many of you for making this a birthday to REMEMBER!

And Happy Birthday to ME!


LATE!

Indulging...

In GREAT friendships is the key to finding JOY!

A month ago during a difficult time in life, my thoughts were consumed with FEAR, uncertainity, WORRY and I had begun to wonder if I was EVER going to be the FUN Jana all my friends had come to KNOW and LOVE.

I have a REGULAR lunch group...and I just knew I wouldn't be able to let go of the worry and have any FUN.

 

BOY...was I wrong!

Not only did I not WORRY but I did not THINK about my problems for an ENTIRE hour!!

 

AND I laughed UNCONTROLLABLY...laughed so hard my FACE hurt.
I love that kind of laughter. It truly begins to HEAL the SOUL.

 

Which these amazing FRIENDS did for me this DAY!!
To my lovely friends...
Lisa...beautiful, FUN, talented

Lisa...lovely, FUNNY (in the dry sense!), courageous

Shauna...understanding, AMAZING, compassionate

THANKS again for helping me feel STRONG, COURAGEOUS and FUN!

Home Depot...Christmas party!

RON and I had a BLAST at his company CHRISTMAS party...

DINNER was great...I had SALMON and Ron had PRIME RIB (of course!)

COMPANY was nice.........


with COREY (boss man) and wife ABBY (my client and friend)


and TIFFANY - WHO I love...she takes care of RON for me at WORK!

JOKES played on boss...who loves the DALLAS Cowboys...

and HATES the NEW YORK Giants...

AND DANCING done by ALL...


(I'm RUSTY I know...I haven't danced to HIP HOP...well, I can't remember when! :)


RON's COUNTRY request...have to TWO-STEP!


JULIE who stole Ron's hat...Looked GREAT!



Ron and SaKU getting JIGGY!!

AND for YOUR viewing pleasure...SaKU's Michael Jackson impression...


TOO FUNNY!

BAND concert survival 101

Christopher had his BAND concert this week, and I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to it...

His last year winter band concert...lasted 2 hours!!!

And he was only a beginner...and he went only one day a week before school...and it was combined with the choir...and it was in the school gym...

Have I painted you the picture, yet?

So, what was I to expect?


IMPROVEMENT!!! And lots of it!

My little trumpet player and his BAND sounded good, and I mean REALLY good!!

Here is a little bit of it for all to ENJOY!

Christmas CAME early...

Words can not begin to express the feelings or emotions that were part of a special day...

One week ago, I opened my mailbox and found this...

 

To those of you (and you know who you are!) who gave us this amazing gift...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

Hail...on Thanksgiving!

We had HAIL and RAIN on Thankgiving!!
(Remember I live in SUNNY Arizona)
PROOF:


AND great friends who made us feel like FAMILY!



And of course, COWBOYS football...


And DAD's who still have a little competition (OK, a lot of competition!) left in them to feel no shame in beating there boys at BASKETBALL...


And JACOB who isn't afraid of MAKING himself the CENTER of attention...


And MOM's who are THANKFUL for these LITTLE ones...


HAPPY (LATE) THANKSGIVING!

Tis the Season

We started our Holiday season with a trip.

Where: Mesa Arizona Temple Visitor's Center

Why: To see "Joseph Smith: The Restoration"

When: Monday (for Family Night) November 24, 2008

Who: Our Family

What: I am profoundly grateful this HOLIDAY season for my knowledge of the RESTORATION of the gospel. Everything I am, every action I make, every thought GIVEN is centered around my FAITH in Jesus Christ. I can think of NO GREATER blessing in my LIFE than this. It is part of who I am...It is a part of who I want to become...It is my FOREVER blessing as I get to be with these wonderful people...

 

 

JACOB

KATIE

RACHEL

CHRISTOPHER

RON (Soon, baby, soon...)

Stealing the Show...

I originally took this adorable picture of Katie...

as proof that it had gotten cold in Arizona (Of course, cold to us is anything below 70 Degrees!)

and that Katie...is as cute as they come!

 

But as Ron walked outside...notice he is dressed in shorts and T-shirt :)

To GIVE her HUGS and KISSES before school

 

I realized these TWO had stolen the show...

 

And the POST had to be more than ABOUT the weather...

BUT about a LOVE that TWO people share,

TWO that are not tied together by blood...but my CIRCUMSTANCE.

Whether you call it LUCK or a BLESSING it doesn't matter...

these TWO have a BOND.

AND in that lies the MIRACLE.

Football HIGHLIGHTS

Christopher has played his SHARE of sports.

Including, T-ball when he was 3. (Okay that doesn't count...he was only 3!)

Then there was SOCCER for three seasons.

Basketball for TWO.

But nothing EVER stuck!

Until NOW!!!!

Christopher has found his SPORT!

 

This season he played for the MIGHTY Giants...who were 2nd place winners last season.
They came out ready to go for the TROPHY.
But they forgot...they were moving to a different age division.
Yes, most players were at least one head, usually two heads taller!

 

And there season became about SURVIVAL!!

 

They did win games...and had FUN doing so...so not all was LOST!

As for Christopher, he will be back next season...

STRONGER

FASTER

and more DETERMINED!!

(Oh yes, they are changing there name to COWBOYS...(Mom's favorite team) so of course, they will WIN!)

Bedtime...Lullaby's

 

Jacob does not go to sleep at night...unless I sing him Lullaby's!!

Have any of you heard me sing...??? It isn't pretty and I have no shame in saying so.
But he loves it...and it puts him to sleep everytime!

First song...The Barney song "I Love you, you love me." with me rubbing his belly!

Second song..."Lullaby and good night" with me rubbing his back!
By the way, does anyone know all the words to this song?
I sing it halfway through and then have to resort to humming!!
Funny, I know...but he won't go to sleep otherwise!

 

Jacob, you funny little boy...I do love you!
Will you promise me when your 25 that I can still sing you a goodnight lullaby?

I'll always be just a phone call away...and my love will be unconditional!

Good night...sleep tight...little man!

Lovingly,

MOM

Kent, Kent - Bo Bent!

YES, I can rhyme!
(I have no shame! Hee!)



When Kent came to visit in April...
I cried when he left!
This AMAZING younger brother of mine
left me inspired!


I called MOM and DAD and gave them a BIG kudos in raising such a great young man!

Kent - you have the makings of Captain Moroni!
"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever!"

I believe in YOU!
My children LOOK up to YOU!
And I LOVE you!

Wishing you... a BIG
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Smitten....Again!

Wedding day...April 21, 2007

Married my best friend and was smitten.

I married a man who was good and true.
I married a man who made me believe that all my hopes and dreams could come true.
I married a man who makes me laugh.
I married a man who works hard.
I married a man who loved my children, like they were his own.
I married a man who loves God, more than he loves me.
I married a man who is loyal and trustworthy.
I married a man who takes my breath away.
I married a man who loves me tenderly.
I married a man who gives me great hugs.
I married a man who kisses me softly.

I continue to remain absolutely...smitten!

Violin Master in the MAKING!

LAST night we saw a FUTURE for our sweet Rachel...

 

She has the TECHNIQUE down...

 

And the waiting in the WINGS for her BIG debut...

 

While her BEST friend LOGAN encourages her on...

 

And her FAN CLUB anxiously anticipates the start of the performance... We SPEND an evening watching a VIOLIN MASTER do her stuff!!