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Sunday, October 25, 2009



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October 25th,2009

Ok, it's time for an update. But just real quick, cuz I don't have a lot of time. As usual. So September and October were definitely the busiest and most stressful months of our married life...but most of it has been a positive stress, if there is such a thing. I like to say it’s been “crazy-good” because all of this crazy, busy, losing-our minds stress is due to new and exciting things – a new house, a new baby, a new ward with new friends…the changing schools ordeal was a headache, and the robbery was really upsetting, and we’ve had a few frustrations & set-backs, etc. but we are so blessed and I feel so humbled.
So, yeah, having a baby, a fourth child, and moving into a new house at the same time. Hmm, not smart, but we couldn't forsee this when we decided to get pregnant & the move could not wait.
Other than being sleep deprived and my head feeling like it's spinning with all that there is to organize, paint, and remember - the basics of life like laundry, grocery shopping, appointments, school, football,although that's come to an end this week, I am actually very happy and doing great. I feel a lot of joy and peace from my family. My kids are adorable and I love having four. My husband is awesome, I am so thankful for him - his serious side, that he is so smart and makes us successful, and his silly side, that he makes me laugh. I'm so glad we spend time together so often, even if it's just watching tv shows & having a treat, or talking via Yahoo Messenger during the day.
This house is coming together, slowly, and although overwhelming, it's fun & so beautiful. I'm excited for it to be done. The new shutters look amazing! love them...
I love the extra 980 sq.ft of space.
I always felt that the Callaway house had enough room, other than the baby needing a bedroom, but after moving here that house seems sooo small. I went back on Wednesday to clear out some more closets, mostly just stuff we don’t want, and it’s hard to see the house cleared out because you see only the walls and carpet and realize how old and filthy it is. It’s embarrassing, but in this short sale we are not responsible for having the house cleaned, or repainting, or replacing the horrible carpet. We just leave it as is. I would clean it & touch-up the paint just because I feel bad if I wasn’t so busy getting organized here. Surprisingly, to me, we have a buyer already. We did all of the signing & initialing with Karen Hoberg on Friday. Hopefully it all goes through with no problems.
Painting takes so long with all of the interruptions, but I’m really happy about how the color looks with our new couches and pillows. I was doubtful at first when Anthony picked these couches & I agreed to them, but it’s a beautiful living room.

It’s interesting how much stress/ busy-ness this newborn has brought to my life – at a horrible time, during a move! – and yet, how much peace and joy he brings to my life during this time. Sometimes he feels like a very difficult distraction but also a wonderful distraction to take my mind off everything and just look at his adorable face and smell his sweet smell. So, anyway, I love these kids; having 4 is really not bad; it’s only bad if you choose to move, paint, coach football, and all the rest at the same time. Ha. If we were all moved in I don’t think I would feel overwhelmed by having 4. Ha...Most days that is.

Monday, June 2, 2008

July 20th, 2009.
A really special day that I always want to remember. Joseph's 8th birthday and his "double" baptism with his cousin Evelyn who is only 20 hours older.
Here's a copy of the program,

Conducting Bishop Les Kuhnz
Pianist Katelyn Johnson
Chorister Emily Johnson
Opening Song Teach Me to Walk in the Light
Opening Prayer Christa Johnson
Talk on Baptism Grant Johnson
Musical Number “Baptism”
sung by Shirae Telford, Stephanie Arter, & Jenelle Moore

Baptism of Evelyn
by her father Aaron Telford
Baptism of Joseph
by his father Anthony Telford

Musical Number “If the Savior Stood Beside Me”
sung by Ali & Brooke Gertsch
& “When I Am Baptized” sung by Shirae Telford & Stephanie Arter,
& Joseph and Evelyn Telford

Talk on the Holy Ghost Christine McPeak
Confirmations of Evelyn & Joseph
Welcome to the Ward Bishop Kuhnz
Closing Song Families Can Be Together Forever
Closing Prayer Julia McMillan



...and the photo that was in the program.





Aren’t they so cute and so grown up? They sang the second verse of When I Am Baptized & even though they were a little too loud and squeaky, it was so adorable and we all wanted to cry.
“I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away and I can be forgiven and improve myself each day. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.”
Joseph actually asked me before the baptism, “Mom, I don’t get that. How are my wrongs being washed away if I don’t have any wrongs? Remember little children are innocent before they turn eight, so I don’t have any sins to wash away.”
Good one, Joseph! You are such a smart kid. The ordinance of baptism is necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus taught, & it does wash away the sins of those who are accountable for their actions (older than 8). The purpose of baptism at 8 years old isn’t to cleanse them from sin, but to get them started on the right path, as a member of the church, and to make a promise to try to avoid sin. So that song applies more to someone older getting baptized, so it’s interesting that they have it in the primary song book, LOL. BUT the symbolism of the baptism by immersion still represents new life, being buried and coming alive again, in Christ, and since that is renewed each week with the sacrament, it’s like having your sins washed away, so technically the “wrongs being washed away” concept does apply to 8 year olds on a weekly basis if they have a reason to repent.
Tuesday morning Joseph woke up & looked in the mirror and said “Can you believe I’m 8? I still look like a 7 year old boy.”
I laughed & then said “But do you feel 8?” He said Yes. Followed by, “Has the accountable part started yet?” I said yes, and he thought for a sec and said, “Did I do anything wrong last night?” LOL. Making sure he’s caught up – wouldn’t want to miss repenting and lose track!
So cute. He’s such a good kid. We’re very proud of him and hope his sweetness and good strong qualities continue as he grows up. Thinking of him as a teenager, and a grown man starting a family, really gets us emotional. Obviously. Anthony really thought he was going to lose it at the baptism, he felt so on edge with his emotions leading up to it. He gave a very strong blessing (the confirmation) but didn’t cry after all. We were all teary-eyed the whole time though. Joyce was definitely very emotional, I noticed. It was so touching.
My Mom cried a little when Stephy, Jenelle, and I sang our song together. We did 3 part harmony and it sounded pretty cool because we blend well together since our voices are all so similar. Far from perfect, but it was neat.
Oh, and it was so cute when Anthony’s sister Christine was giving the talk about the Holy Ghost, and Joseph kept answering her questions and responding to her comments, raising his hand, and being “so smart”, Grandpa Johnson leaned forward and whispered to him “Boy, you just have all the answers, don’t you Joseph?” and Joseph smiled but quickly responded “Yeah”. (“I do.”) Grandpa laughed.
Joseph is a funny mix between cocky confidence and shy humility. It cracks me up.


The only thing that made the baptism less than perfect was the fact that Mom & Dad (Bob and Wendy) weren’t there. At least it’s for a really good reason. The kids will always remember that their grandparents weren’t at their baptism, but it was because they were serving the Lord in a far away country; making an unselfish sacrifice that will bring many many blessings. We are so proud of them and love & miss them so much.






Happy Fourth of July!

I didn't get any pictures this year except for Kayla girl in her patriotic outfit. Isn't she growing so fast? & She's so pretty! even if I do say so myself.









Okay, I spoke too soon when I said we actually don't have any big plans & that it would be a pretty simple summer break. Probably 2 days after that, our life turned into a whirlwind of house hunting, thinking and discussing, & decision making, for about a week & a half - 2 weeks. But the hunting & discussing is over. We signed the documents and put down a deposit for our new house on Saturday. 5501 Jade Springs Drive, in Kavala Ranch, Rancho Cordova; it's brand new development, a growing community next to Anatolia on Sunrise Blvd. We didn't expect to move for a while yet; but this just snuck up on us rather suddenly. We can't afford this wonderful Callaway home any longer, as our mortgage payment goes up in a few months when it goes adjustable, & the bank wont refinance unless we're behind in payments. So we concluded that the best choice for us was to purchase a new home and sell this one, which our realtor will start doing in October when we move out. So although it's not ideal circumstances, and we'll have to be really smart with our money decisions to make it work, it's worked out nicely at least that just in time for our fourth child (a couple of weeks after he's born, probably) we're moving into a bigger home (2980 sq. ft 5 bedroom & a bonus room, compared to this 2000 sq. ft 4 bedroom), brand new, beautiful, and in a great ward with LOTS of kids for our children to make friends with. We visited the ward today and loved it, so I'm excited. After church we drove to our new street and showed the kids our house which is just finished being framed and looks ready for the sheetrock phase, etc. It's estimated to be finished Sept. 24th. The next step is calling the elementary school & finding out if the boys will attend this year or be going to Cosumnes River for one more year first. Wow, it's crazy how life can flip so suddenly -- 2 weeks ago I was content to be here for a long time, and never leave the Wilton ward! and now I'm ready to move onto a whole new area of people just like that; and although I am sad about leaving the Wilton & Rancho Murieta families, it feels okay and I know I will be happy. I think we will stay friends with a few of the families here a long time after we move. And who knows, it's possible that one day we will move back to that area to build a house on a piece of land like we always dreamed of, but it's also possible that we'll be content in this house for the rest of our lives, too. It's definitely roomy enough to raise our family. I guess it depends on how the area develops and the neighborhood feels after many years; it depends on a lot of things. I am very excited to move our things in and start making the new house a beautiful home, although I realize it may take a long time to afford to decorate it with drapes on the windows, or things for the walls, etc. But it's refreshing to start new & I'm looking forward to running life in this new house; I actually think cleaning and laundry is going to be somewhat enjoyable! because the house that I'm cleaning is truly clean (brand new carpet, tile floors, shining bathrooms) and the laundry room is UPSTAIRS with the bedrooms which is so awesome, AND it's big & has a counter and sink. :) I think what I will miss the most is the peaceful, safe, beautiful Rancho Murieta setting. I love this neighborhood -- the mature oak trees and professional landscaping, the wide streets and hills (not typical flat suburbia), the way the houses are set just a little farther back from the street than other places, (although still not as far off the street for a really beautiful neighborhood, in my opinion! I love the neighborhoods that have larger lots, so the front lawns are big and there are plenty of tall trees...) Anyway, I'll also miss our backyard golf course view, very much. I stand out there whenever it's breezy and look at the trees blowing, I love the glow of the sunset or fluffy clouds above the houses on the other side of the fairway, and I love it when it's dark & those houses are softly lit inside, and trees are lit by the moon - it's seriously like a Thomas Kinkade painting sometimes. Each time we went in the spa at night together I felt almost overwhelemed with gratitude for the beautiful place & wonderful circumstances that I live in. So I will miss this environment, for sure, but I am looking forward to a backyard that will be usable, play-able space, unlike this yard. Althoug the view is gorgeous, there's no flexibility with what to do in the yard. No room to play catch with a baseball or football, no room to put up a play structure or clubhouse, or basketball hoop, or anything at all. This new backyard isn't huge, but it's big enough to do those type of things & will be a place the kids will want to play, FINALLY!



This is the model of the house we got.




June 2009
WOW. Time is flying by and yes I know I haven't updated this blog for 7-8 months now...I dont even know if anyone looks at it anymore! But I'll just do a quick update for the heck of it. School is out; the boys are actually at field day right now in the soggy grass and mud from all the rain last night - crazy lightning bolts, yikes. So they'll come home good and dirty... I believe there are some more storm clouds yet to pass over, a little more rain expected tonight... What a way to kick off summer break. But I know how fast it's going to heat up and then I'll be miserable! and wish I had a pool! but thankfully we've got the lake, and friends with pools. 3 more months of being pregnant left...
I am very excited that my sisters are having boys too. These 3 little cousins, Nate, Jake, and (?) yet to be decided are going to be sooo cute together.
Other things to look forward to this summer besides having baby Jacob in September are Joseph's baptism, both of the boy's birthdays/ the 4th of July, football season starting (AGHHH time consuming but great for Joseph), Joshie in karate, the Coldplay concert that Anth & I are going to with Anth's brother Scott and my sister Stephanie, and going to visit my family when I drive down for Stephanie's baby shower. And then just warm days of swimming, chillin on the little beach over at the lake, water fights, picnics, bbqs, and lots of morning walks. I need to walk everyday to help avoid cramps and pinched nerves. This pregnancy's gonna be the toughest on my body in that way. hmm. anyway, we ctually don't have a lot of big plans. Pretty simple summer break, but busy enough that it's gonna fly by & then school will start back up (Joseph in 3rd grade, Josh in 1st) and we will have a newborn taking over our lives for a while. The boys are so excited for their new baby brother, and Kayla's starting to get it a little more now, asking about baby Jacob and when he's gonna come out. Doesn't understand how it works, but knows there's been talk of a baby in my tummy and wants to see him! She always asks me "Where is he?" and when I say he's going to come out she says "Not yet? Later?" Yup. Later. Trust me Kayla, I want him out now too!


What's she thinkin... ?



Here's a nice one of Josh and Kayla, taken a few days ago:


And here's one of the Telford boys at Yosemite, last weekend:






October 2008
stephanie & reggie are now Mr. and Mrs. Arter :)
their wedding on Oct. 25th in Fresno was so wonderful, everything went smoothly & turned out beautifully. My only complaint is that it came at an inconvenient time (we had to miss our Halloween party! waaaah) but it was soo worth it, duh! ha ha... I wouldn't have traded being in the temple with Stephanie & my mom & sisters (and the men too) for Stephanie's endowment session for anything...like a halloween party. Here are some photos I took at their reception:













Joseph's "Tough" Football Player Face






...a little too tough, maybe? on first glance I couldn't decide whether he looked depressed, mad or tired. I just dont like how his head is tilted down and his eyes... look so different than normal? anyway, Anthony thinks it's cool, and obviously I always think my son is cute. It's cute that he was trying to be so serious.

Joseph's had a good season playing for the Jr. Eagles (jr. peewee); his team was undefeated until today's game, which they lost 26-18. Joseph plays noseguard, left tackle and right tackle, and his greatest moment was in game 4 against Golden Sierra when he singlehandedly tackled the runningback.

Joseph is #99, on the far left about to sack the quarterback in the 1st photo, and in the middle on the second photo.







Here's our growing-up too fast son with his supportive family after the game:




A Wii?!!!!! A Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, check out this little home video clip of our boys getting a wii this last week. Anthony recently earned points through a company at work that allowed us to get a bunch of wii games, so we decided to buy the console and have many fun nights together as a family. Well, our boys never even etertained the thought that they might get a wii, not for their whole childhood life because we always said no in such a final way, that it was too much money, that we already had an x-box...etc. Well the games came in the mail (we hid them in the closet) and we couldnt wait for christmas or a birthday so we just did for family night, which made it even more of a surprise because they weren't expecting any kind of gift. We made it fun by playing a scavenger hunt (I made 10 clues for them to find different things around the house, for example, "Find something green that is taller than mom" which was the plant in our front room, and "Find something that makes mommy happy, something that she loves and is good at" (the piano)... So for the last clue I said "Find something that makes you happy; that will complete your life" (which was supposed to be funny and cute because of what Joseph said a couple weeks ago when we saw a poster in the window at Blockbuster that read 'Win a Free Wii' -- when Anthony pointed to the poster Joseph said in an excited voice "we should enter the contest" and Anth said, "Nah, you don't really want one" and Joseph said, "What?! I totally want one!" and Anthony and I said together "No, when we asked you what you want for Christmas this year, you didn't say anything about a Wii" and then Joseph said very slowly, in this hilariously serious tone: "Dad. Mom. I only want a wii. It would complete my life."
We got such a kick out of that, so anyway, the video is right after they receive the last clue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfKGdklKcKo



August 20th, 2008
Jenellie is maaaaaaried - we can't believe it.
My wittle sister Nelly, 19 yrs. old, was sealed to Noah Moore in the Oakland temple on Friday, Aug. 15th & then we had their reception on Sat. evening in Fresno.
To see the pictures I took at the event, visit telfords.shutterfly.com & click on that album.







August 10th, 2008
Ok, this summer, well this whole year, has been the busiest year of our married lives so far. It will probably continue to get busier and crazier with each year, I realized. Our calendar has been full, something written on every day, I cant even believe it. I definitely did not have a lounge around (somebody else's) pool, soak up some sun kind of summer. We went swimming once at a friend's house - Pretty sad huh. Joseph has wanted to play with friends all summer, ride bikes, etc. but nobody's been home whenever we try! poor litte guy. And then we've had many family things and trips, a lot going on all around.
Here's a pic of the family at the Johnson reunion we had 2 weekends ago in Stanley, Idaho, in the Sawtooth National forest (beautiful views, very peaceful spot on the Salmon river).

















Joshie had such a fun time running around being a wild indian for 2 days. He literally had that pop gun in his hands the whole time, no shoes, dirty face, muddy from crawling through the bushes and in and out of the river, using his imagination with other 5 and 6 year old boys (he loves his uncle Adam; they are best buddies); he was in heaven.





Stephy is finally ENGAGED! yea!! I say "finally" only because she was soooo anxious for it (engagement to Reggie Arter, not just engagement) to happen. She's been drooling over Reggie for years and once he got back from his mission, she was on pins and needles, trying to be patient, LONGing for him to ask her. We were all thankful when he did - now the whining and wondering and questioning could stop! ha. just kidding. She wasnt that bad, I'm just teasing her in case she reads this.




They are so adorable together & I can't wait till their wedding. Stephanie Nicole Arter!!! Ah! I love you Steph.

















Miss Kayla. So so cute. I love it.






July 16, 2008
ok, so I wish I had a post for the 4th of July, but I took video instead of photos all day with my family at our super fun swimming, bbq, volleyball, etc. day in my grandparents backyard in F.O. and our video camera doesn't have a port for the cable you need to connect to the computer (long story, but we are getting a new camcorder very soon & will be able to add video clips - yea!) So I enjoyed the time spent with my family on the 4th, and the next day, Saturday, we went to see Wall-e in the EDH theaters.











I really loved it; thought it was very cute. It had me in the first 5 seconds of it starting because the opening scene is Wall-e listening to "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from one of my favorite musicals, Hello Dolly. Throughout the movie he sings along to this song, watches them dance with their hats on his old tv set, and longingly gazes at the screen when "It Only Takes A Moment" comes on and Cornelius and Irene Maloy hold hands. I was cracking up & found it to be absolutely adorable, the whole thing.

My family took off back for home in Coarsegold right after the show, but then I went down to visit them the next weekend for Jenelle's bridal shower.
I had a good time, as always, just being with them for 2 days. We spent most of Friday shopping, for the shower, and other things; watched a movie together Friday night, then stayed up talking & giggling (Natalie, Stephanie and I) till 2:30 in the morning. I love how my sisters and mom and I get laughing at the stupidest things, we just get sooo goofy and cant seem to control the silliness, until our tummies hurt from laughing sometimes. Ah, family. The boys are in on it too now, in fact, they are a big part of what makes us laugh. Stephen's humor is pretty goofy, he's always sarcastic; he just cracks me up.


To see the few photos I got at Jenelle's shower, go to telfords.shutterfly.com, and click on jenelle's link.




June 2, 2008
Agh! I Don't have time for this! (right now) and yet I can't resist; everyone who knows me knows how big of a journal-writer, photographer, scrapbooker I am, so blogging is definitely me; it's just so time consuming! and having time to work on something like a blog because I am so organized in every other area of my life is definitely NOT me, so there's the conflict.

Real quick I will just say that Anthony & I and our little family are doing Great; kept busy week in and week out with school, sports, church callings and lots more... We are enjoying watching our kids grow older, and realizing, with not as much enjoyment, that we are growing older too. Anth can't believe he'll be 30 his next birthday.
It's been a wonderful 8 years of marriage (this September) and we're excited for the future.

The most recent event in our house was the loss of Joseph's first tooth (FINALLY) on Friday.
This kid has been looking forward to losing teeth for at least 2 years, maybe 3, actually talking about it, asking when it's going to happen, and pouting when his friends lost theirs and he didn't. So when the time finally came that he said his tooth was loose, we were very excited for him and it was cute to watch him light up with anticipation of having it fall out, and putting it under his pillow for toothfairy money. Which, he said he didn't believe in last week, then changed his mind once it fell out. He talked about the fairy, that she was only about 3 inches tall, and wondered if she could lift up his pillow and carry the bag with the tooth inside. We played along with the magic of the tooth fairy, and granted him a grand prize of six dollars and fifty cents (for being six and a half years old, although he's almost 7)...yes, six and a half dollars for ONE baby tooth; I know... I just knew how excited he's been for this for such a long time! so I wanted it to be fun. He requested between $1.99 and $10 on his note to the fairy, so he got within his desired range of prize money. ha ha! anyway, too cute; we love this adorable little - I mean, Big - guy so much.









Love their music! I am so excited to see them in concert again and sing along to their songs, especially their new album and X & Y.
Viva La Vida ROCKS! My favorites are Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love, Viva La Vida, Strawberry Swing, Lost, Cemeteries of London, oh who am I kidding, i love them all! I cant pick favorites.



















May Weekend








Camping Trip to Bass Lake





This campsite was the best on the lake; the best I'd ever stayed at anywhere. I really enjoyed this little spot, access to the little beach, the secluded peaceful feeling (largely due to it being pretty much empty since we got it just a few hours after the campground opened for the season) and the view - so beautiful.
It was a great 2 days with the family; Anth & I and our kids set up our tent with Natalie & Tyler's tent, the boys (Stephen and Kevan), and the girls (Steph and Jenelle) around us, while the rest of the spoiled campers stayed the night in the RV.




Kayla loved sitting in and playing with the dirt, with Trent. They are true campers.


The lake was freezing cold, but all the kids swam and floated in it anyway. I took pictures. Then dad surprised everyone with renting a boat for a few hours, and we took turns cruising the lake and even tubing, which was absolutely nuts due to the water temperature, but, I could not say no - I have an inner need to compete with my sisters, and I couldn't let Natalie and Stephanie tell of their fun and crazy time on the tube when they had their turn on the boat while I was too big of a wimp because of cold water. So I made Jenelle get out on the thing with me and we screamed our heads off while Dad whipped us around the lake, bouncing, bruising our bodies, and finally violently flipping over and skipping like a rock across the water, nearly doing cartwheels, until I came to a stop in Ice Lake...I mean, Bass Lake. Super crazy and uncomfortable (had a few bruises, one of them enormous, on my legs) but super fun. I laughed so hard, and it was good to have a fun time with Jenelle because we don't have a lot of memories just the two of us; we aren't the closest sisters, although we love each other very much. She cracked me up with how LOUD her scream is; she actually scared me at one point, into thinking something was wrong so I signalled Dad to cut it - that's when we got the harsh ending to our tube ride.


-- Cruise Photos! --











Our 9 day vacation cruising the eastern caribbean was aaaaawesome. This time we sailed with Norwegian cruise line, aboard the Norwegian Dawn. Overall I think I liked Holland America more, but this was still absolutely fantastic. It made me feel very refreshed and in love with life. In love with my best friend eternal hubbie Anthony, in love with my adorable kids… so thankful! and very humbled.
Vacations can do that. Take you out of your every day routine, allow you to chill, relax, have fun, and realize how blessed you are. You see it all from a fresh perspective and cant wait to get back home to the routine again.
Gosh, it was awesome. Anth and I loved being together for 9 days alone. However, we've done a really good job at being together alone on a daily basis throughout our marriage. Once the kids go to sleep, we always spend time together talking, in the spa, or watching a show together, or whatever, so I didn’t feel a desperate need to spend this time with him, but still, to have no interruptions at all and to focus only on each other, being silly, and romantic, and having fun together, was perfect. Like a honeymoon. Our favorite thing was Snuba diving in the Virgin Islands and snorkeling in the Bahamas, and the ATV excursion through the jungley mountain neighborhood on Samana in the Dominican Republic.

February 1, 2008
Okay so I took a little break from blogging, and any journal writing all together. The holidays were pretty busy with all the normal activities, a trip to visit my family for a couple of days, plus musical numbers I was involved in each week (with the young women, 3 firesides, a ward christmas play, sacrament meetings, recording and burning cd's to pass out, etc.) Shopping, decorating, and so forth.Now it's a new year, and I'm excited about it. We have a lot of cool things planned, including another get-away trip for Anthony & I in 2 months. We booked a cruise for the caribbean again, but to new destinations of course, some of which I'd never heard of. Samana, and Tortola... I dont care that much where we end up, actually, everywhere in the caribbean is nice! I'm just super excited to get back onto a cruise ship & have that completely care-free vacation feeling, and spend a week with Anth alone. I hope the experience with this cruise line (Norwegian) is just as nice as with Holland America.My awesome sister Natalie and her hubbie Tyler & 2 boys are coming to stay at our house while we're gone and take care of our children. I'm really happy about that. Going away on a trip isn't as enjoyable if you have any worries about the kids at home. This is situation I feel good about. Natalie is very capable and has the right personality for this kind of responsibilty; meaning, I wont be concerend with whether she's getting stressed out or not, like I would with my own mother & dad, or even Anthony's parents, although, less with them. (Actually, with my parents, it's more my dad that I worry about with our kids there because they'd be a distraction to them with the schooling & other tasks they need to get done - thats really important to my dad to not have it interrupted) SO, I am so glad Natalie volunteered. I actually never even thought of asking her before. We love her so much; she's really great, someone you can rely on with something like this.So. what else...
We also are planning a trip to Disneyland at the end of the year, when Kayla turns 2, and once the rides at Disneyland (like It's A Small World) are open again, as they are being updated and under construction for most of the year.
Joseph will play football this summer. Anthony & I went to a crab feed / fundraiser dinner for the Jr. Eagles in Elk Grove last night. We got to mingle with other parents & meet Joseph's coach. Joseph is absolutely in love with football and is excited to play. It's for sure his favorite sport, maybe even favorite thing. I think it's good; I like to see him want to do something active. Sports are really good for boys. And girls too. And it's really cute. He talks about professional teams and players, watches games, even when he's alone, knows more about it than I do, for sure, and even beats his dad at Madden '08 on the x-box 360. The other night Anthony, who is absolutely shocked at how good Joseph is at the game, being that Joseph had beat him once or twice already, was determined to beat him. I mean, he was talking with his tough but silly voice "You're goin' down, Joseph! I'm gonna kick your butt!" etc. but was actually serious, and wanted to prove to himself I think, that he could win his six year old son. A couple minutes later I hear him yelling in disbelief and laughing, blown away that Joseph won. It was hilarious.
I registered Joshua for kindergarten last week, so he's ready to go this fall. He had to catch up on immunizations, however, before being able to register. Poor little guy had to get six, I think, different shots. It was pretty dramatic. I wasn't thinking about what a dramatic little personality JOshie actually does have when I took him in. He was acting so brave about the whole thing leading up to the big moment, that I didn't realize how he would fall apart once the poking started. Joseph was really tough for his kindergarten shots, so I guess that's what I was remembering, therefore expecting. Far from it. Joshua whimpered and then burst into tears with the first finger prick, which is really quite painless. So I knew I'd have to hold him down for the rest. He was crying pretty loudly and saying things like "Stop! Stop! Please stop" & "It hurts more than anything!" (so dramatic sounding it actually made me want to laugh a little...I know, I'm cruel). Although the shots were over quickly, the drama wasn't. Josh continued to cry and whimper and fuss in the dr.'s office, in the car, and throughout the day. He really milked it, any sympathy and attention he could get. I should've known; he went through a little phase a few months ago like this, where he'd act dramatic and want attention for the tiniest boo-boos. He even fell down on purpose so he could tell me he was hurt and needed a bandaid. !! I wasn't particularly sweet about it. "Josh, you're fine. Dont be silly. You're four years old, you're a big boy. Be a little tougher." etc. were the type of responses he would get. Perhaps that's why he did it. If I had just played along and given him the dramatic pampering he desired, he may have dropped the act and moved on to something else! Anyway. Who knows. It is definitely interesting to see the differences in your kids and yet love them equally.

We had a fun family night a few hours later, for Joshua's sake, having gone through horrible shots. We drove out to John's Incredible Pizza Company in Roseville and enjoyed the evening together. We were going to go to Chuck-e-Cheese (the boys request) but once Anthony discovered they had a John's Incredible pizza here in Roseville (we had been to it once in Fresno with my family & it was a LOT better - better tasting pizza, better games, rides, bigger, nicer, newer, etc.) Chuck-e-Cheese was forgotten, and the boys were fine with it. They had a lot of fun. I did too. I loved doing the bumper cars with my two boys; Anthony got it on homevideo.
Posted by Shirae at
6:39 PM 3 comments




Birthday Girl!





















Thursday, November 8, 2007
I can't believe Kayla is having her first birthday next week. She seems too small to me to be 1 year old already. Especially since she wont walk! Both of my boys were walking before 1, starting at 10 months. She's just not ready yet, almost like she's not "in the mood"... an attitude of I just dont feel like it, when we try to help her practice.
Posted by Shirae at 9:34 AM 3 comments





















Friday, November 2, 2007
Halloween this year was pretty fun. We went to a ward halloween ho-down the weekend before the big night came. I went as a witch, only because the hat was $2 in BelAir and I thought to myself that it would go good with little Kayla's black kitty costume. I hadn't planned to dress up but what the heck. Joseph and Josh were in black also as a ninja and a skeleton. They had a lot of fun at the ward party, mostly jumping on the trampoline and running around with all the kids. They had hayride and pony rides going on, and then a trunk or treat. Simple... Wednesday night we went up and down our street trick or treating after pizza and rootbeer at our house with Anth's family (Bob & Wendy, Aaron & Joyce and kids, Jared & Dusty and kids) plus my mom & half of the kids. My mom decided to come stay Tuesday night and Wednesday night & do Halloween Rancho Murieta style this year since their moutain nieghborhood really doesnt work for small kids. It waas fun. Wild, a bit messy, and by the end of the visit we all felt totally sick from the junk food, but what can you do, Holidays come once a year. It has just always been a bummer to me that all three junk-food holidays come once a year three months in a row - bam bam bam, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always overeat. It's terrible.
Posted by Shirae at 8:52 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Pumpkin Patch


...There's a really cute pumpkin patch in Wilton (about 25 min. from us) that we want to go back to each fall as a simple family tradition. The piece of property is pretty, the farmer (Bob, I believe...arent they all called Bob?) is super friendly. He takes the kids on hayrides all day, and they have adorable animals the kids can pet and hold, etc. The pumpkins are darn expensive, but thats ok, we visit the pumpkin patch for the experience and the photos, then buy our pumpkins at the grocery store or Costco.


Kayla loved the pumpkins!!













This is Anthony's brother's son, Aaron Cito;



Aaron & Joyce have 3 girls also)...Cito turned 1 at the end of September~






























I love these photos of Kayla with mommy (yes, me)...






Posted by Shirae at 9:46 AM 0 comments
Thursday, September 20, 2007



~Raspberries~


Kayla is definitely a little lady. There is a huge difference from the boys! She acts like the girly girl that she is, but, she loves to spit. Ah well, cant complain, because it is so darn cute.
Posted by Shirae at 11:14 AM 0 comments
Monday, August 6, 2007













Pokemon Party

I've been planning and preparing for Joseph's birthday party this past week. I threw him a Pokemon Party. Even though I always 'knew' my kids wouldn't be into Pokemon. I swore they wouldn't watch it, because I thought it was obnoxious; too many battle noises & too many weird japanese animated facial expressions. But then I took a chill pill and realized it's not a big deal. Kids love it because of all the different pokemon creatures with cool names and cool powers and all the information they have to memorize, and boy, do they memorize it! it's amazing all the stats and HPs and damage levels, pokemon types, powers, names of each one and what they evolve into. It's a headache to me! But I allow my boys to watch it (just not everyday or I go crazy) and play with their pokemon cards, but I dont play with them. I tried once and it's a foreign language. I couldn't understand it and frankly didnt want to take the time that it takes to learn! But the party was adorable. You know me, I cant just do simple. I cant do boring! So it was really cute. I get that from mom – going just a little bit overboard on the fun factor. Mom made everything fun. Each holiday and birthday, (which is like every couple of weeks throughout the year!) was always decorated and had all kinds of craziness. But I am trying to cut back, to be a fun mom, yes, but only do what I can handle. I’ve learned to let go if something’s not working out and becoming a hassle whereas I used to push it to the limit and stubbornly try to make it work, putting way too much time into a creative idea gone wild than anyone ever should. Ah, Sigh. So for this party, I didn’t go Crazy, but I did: make the invitations look like Pokeballs (do you know what those are?) My kitchen table was made to look like one also, that’s where they put their gifts. Oh and the cake was a pokeball too; looked cool. I made Starmie Sandwiches and Pokemon Punch for the party food (Starmie is a pokemon shaped like a star - I made grilled cheese sandwiches and used a star cookie cutter) and for pokemon punch we just put rainbow sherbert in the Sprite. After the boys ate the food (13 of them at 3 small tables set up in the backyard!) we played Pokemon Bingo. They loved it. I printed out their bingo cards (with pokemon characters on each square) that I found online. We used pennies & nickles for markers and the winner got to keep all the coins. After Bingo we rushed them through decorating their cupcakes with yellow frosting & candies to look like Pikachu, oh, after they sang Happy Birthday and Joseph blew out the #6 candle on his pokeball cake. Then we did presents. The time went by so quickly that we didn't have time to play the second game I had prepared which was going to be a "catch 'em all, eat 'em all" candy hunt and pokemon trivia. Oh well. Leftover candy for me. The boys all had a great time, they really enjoyed just playing. I let them play for the first 1/2 hour; half of them in joseph's room, half of them surrounding the computer in the office looking at pokemon stuff. That's also why we ran out of time so fast! Joseph was having a blast with that many boys over to play, Joshua too. They all wanted to stay when their moms came to pick them up, so i'm glad they liked it. The cutest thing was the pikachu hats I made for them to wear, and the little red circles I fingerpainted on their cheeks.
Posted by Shirae at 6:19 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, July 18, 2007






Gotta Love 'Em!

I'm so glad we had two boys first, two little buddies, followed by a little princess baby sister. It's fun, they're gonna be her body-guards in a few years.
& I love her face in this photo!
Posted by Shirae at 5:09 PM 1 comments

My Future Missionaries



Elder Telford and Elder Telford. They dressed up for family night in their missionary clothes and badges, holding their scriptures and wearing big smiles. Daddy wasn't aware of their adorable little surprise until the doorbell rang and they were standing on the porch. I had rehearsed with them what to say, and they fumbled through it. "Hi, my name is Elder Telford & this is my companion, Elder Telford." "We are missionaries." Anthony asked them what church they were from & they told him. Then Joseph said "We have a message for you, can we sit down?" "Yeah" Josh piped in, "About Joseph Smith." "We need to tell you about Joseph Smith." We had a good scriptural discussion on their level, and it was flippin adorable. Mainly, it makes me happy to see my sons embrace gospel truths that we teach on a daily basis, remember the things they hear, and ask me questions all the time. They have perfect faith at this age, and no pride, either. They are so comfortable talking about things of a spiritual nature, angels, the Holy Ghost, Jesus, and Heavenly Father, as if they were friends with them. "Mom, when is Jesus coming down? When can we see Heavenly Father again? Did the spirit tell you that, Mom? Does that make Heavenly Father sad?" etc. And Joseph goes around singing that primary song "Listen to the still small voice, Listen, listen, If you have to make a choice, He will guide you, Always."
Posted by Shirae at 4:25 PM 0 comments

Cool Bros

These little dudes are soooo much fun. I love them to death. Love every little detail, things that often go unnoticed by adults. I love the way they think and the things they say. I try to see things from their perspective. That actually helps me a lot in parenting, teaching, and disciplining. These little guys have a great life. A Dad and Mom that love them and spend lots of time with them, and who are often strict and stern; we take the job of raising young men seriously! But we are goofy and fun too. It's a blast.
Posted by Shirae at 4:19 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 17, 2007


Kayla is changing a lot in her personality lately. She’s 8 months old now, and acts more grown up. I’ve noticed a little difference in her intelligence, physical abilities, and attitude. It’s cute. Last night she screamed very loudly, just for fun, just to hear her own voice, but it startles us and we always say “Kayla! No-no, be quiet”. Well, anth did that again but this time he said it in a more stern sounding voice (although just teasing) and swatted her diapered bum. Gently, of course, he was being cute with her but 8 month olds don’t understand teasing and if the voice doesn’t sound soft and sweet and cooing at them, they interpret it as negative emotion. So, she took offense and got angry. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. She lifted both of her hands up, clenched her fists and kept them raised towards Anthony, who was standing above her, while making a “mad” sound and very mad face. We both watched her wide-eyed and chuckling because it was such a grown up baby thing to do, and seemed so advanced for our little Kayla. Our sweet little girl got my calm, content, happy traits, but she also inherited daddy’s temper, I think.Hmm. We’ll have to keep an eye on this…
Posted by Shirae at 12:23 PM 0 comments
Sunday, July 15, 2007

Happy 4th


This year celebrated a happy 4th for Independence Day, of course, but also for Joshie's birthday. Joshua turned 4 years old on the 4th of July, and he enjoyed celebrating both events.
We woke him up with a blueberry muffin with a lit candle in it singing happy birthday to you while he was in the top bunk. Rancho Murieta has a cute parade & carnival at Lake Clementia each year, and of course a spectacular fireworks show once it's dark out. Although it was super hot and Kayla got cranky at the end, we enjoyed swimming at the lake and all of the carnival activities, including free lunch and an awesome slip-n-slide. We also went to Uncle Ned & Aunt Karen's house for a bbq and more swimming later on in the afternoon. Good food and company, and we sang to Joshua again with cupcakes and a few presents from his cousins. Lucky boy got very cool toys: SpiderMan on a motorcycle, Ninja Turtle on a motorcycle, a StarWars Transformer (spaceship into ObiWan) and Transformer's Optimus Prime. We got home just in time to change into our pj's, grab a few things and load it into the back of mom & dad's golf cart which we were able to borrow because they were out of town. It was a perfect way to end the day. The night air feels so nice cruising along in a golf cart on a warm summer night with your little kids piled around you. It was simple and happy. We loved the 10 min. "drive" over to the new bridge that crosses over to the North side where we found a place to park and enjoy the show, which started about 5 min. after we found a spot on the lawn that surrounds the lake. It was fun to see the awesome fireworks. Kayla did well considering the cannons were so loud and she was trying to sleep. I love the 4th of July; one of these years I'm going to throw a patriotic party for Joshua's birthday while he's still young enough that he doesn't care about it not being 'cool'. Maybe we're past that point already, though. I couldn't do it this year but I have such cute ideas, and I love Patriotic Americana stuff (decorations, crafts, activities, treats, trivia, quotes, games) Even the invitations are going to be adorable -- popsicle sticks painted red & white, a couple of them half blue with tiny silver stars, all bundled up tied with ribbon, so that when you untie it and lay it out you make the flag and read the party info (written with permanent marker) I love it! Anyway...one of these years.
Posted by Shirae at 7:27 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Family Home Evening
Last night was family night. We had a simple lesson "keep the commandments". We started with Joseph offering a little prayer, and then all of us singing together the hymn (keep the commandments). The boys did good following along. We talked for a minute about how much we loved them when they were first born, how we wanted them to grow up and be safe & happy. When they were little toddlers we had simple rules that we had to enforce to protect them, like Dont go in the street, cant play with something dangerous, no climbing high, etc. Now as they grow older, they have to make some of their own choices to keep themselves safe & happy. Behavior becomes more important as we grow, following the rules of kindness, using manners, in order to be happy. So we talked about that kind of thing for a few minutes, then Anthony read them a cute story about a mother bear protecting her cubs by training them to listen to her warning when danger was near. She had taught them to climb the tree if she gave a signal, so that when a cougar came, they could be out of harm's way while she fought. It was a simple story, on their level so they could understand easily. Joseph said, "oh, so we need to listen to mom when she gives warnings." After the discussion part, we did a little activity about following direction and keeping the rules by playing a "look for the next clue" hunt. Joseph did so good reading the clues, I was totally impressed. Even big words like "attitude" "office" and "circles". He didn't have to sound them out, he just read them! Anyway, each clue lead to the next one, but each had specific things they had to do along the way. Like "Do jumping jacks down the hallway to the office", "Spin around in circles as you walk to mommy & daddy's room" "Hop and clap all the way to the kitchen, then look under the sink" and "Crawl into your bedroom then look in the drawers". They followed each instruction exactly and giggled all the way. They loved it! but some of the directions they read weren't so easy or fun. The clue they found under the sink read "Help mom do the dishes. And remember to have a good attitude. Then look under the piano for the next clue." They wanted to go straight to that piano so bad! They didn't want to wait, especially to do boring dishes. They were excited to get the prize. But I reminded them (as they were inching their way towards the piano) that if they didn't follow the rules, even the boring or hard ones, they wouldn't receive the prize/happy ending. So they said, "Oh yeah!" and cheerfully helped me unload and load the dishwasher. It was adorable. They had great attitudes. Once the clean dishes were put away, dirty ones cleared, rinsed and loaded, and soap put in & buttons pushed, they ran to the next clue. There was one more clue that had instructions that weren't so fun. "Go get ready for bed. Put on your jammies, brush your teeth, then find the last one on daddy's lap in the living room." They raced and got ready for bed, and then found the prize with dad: our family night treat (crunch bar icecream bars) with Happy in Heaven written on this last notecard. I think they really got the message, because it was simple and fun. Follow the directions even if they're not what you want to do, and avoid the temptation to skip some rules/pick and choose which instruction you want to obey, and you will win the prize.Anyway, I enjoyed it. They were so cute and they are so smart. I like seeing them learn important concepts and understand basic gospel principles at such a young age.
Posted by Shirae at 9:42 AM 0 comments



Friday, June 15, 2007


Kayla is 7 months old now and is such a good girl. She has been the easiest baby experience I have been blessed to have. She is easy natured and happy. Sometimes she is quiet and calm, sometimes she is extremely loud, much more so than my boys were. She likes to scream for fun, and "sing" - just a constant noise coming from her mouth. She likes her blankies, dollies and teddy bears; she actually gets excited when she sees her toys sometimes, which I find interesting because the boys showed no interest in objects. They didn't even want their pacifiers. Kayla is a pacifier girl, but she also likes to suck her thumb or fingers if there's not one around.
She just learned to sit up this past week. She sits very well now, for minutes at a time, and when she's tired she just flops over, twists to her belly and tries to get in a crawling position. She can't get up on her hands yet, but she does good with her lower-half, pushing up to her tippy-toes!
We love this little girl soooo much, (duh! sounds silly when you say it) I'm so thankful we got our girl after our two adorable boys. It was definitely a surprise to me. I was amazed when I saw the ultrasound. I had prepared myself for another boy, since that seemed the more likely thing to happen. I love the differences between my sons and my daughter. There's so much more joy and love that comes with each kid!! So fun, we're loving it.
Posted by Shirae at 8:08 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

End of the School Year thoughts...


Joseph graduated from kindergarten this morning. All of the students in the 4 kindergarten classes presented a patriotic ceremony for the parents. Joseph's part was to say "This means we promise to be loyal" when the class recited "We pledge allegiance to the flag". They sang patriotic songs and then walked up to the podium to receive their certificate when the principal announced their name. It was adorable, but ridiculous that they are having full-out graduation ceremonies for each grade now, even before they get to grades. I think they do it for preschool also! Anyway... It's amazing that the school year is done already and that my son is so big, going into first grade after this summer break. Wow! He is growing so fast. He weighs 60 pounds and is 46'' I think. And he acts different now, talks like a big kid. However, he still is super sweet and thoughtful Joseph. That is my favorite trait of his; his thoughtful and kind nature without prompting. He picks a flower (wild flowers) for me almost every day. He fills glasses of icewater for me and for his dad often. If he hears one of us say to the other that we need something, he'll run and get it before we can. He wants to help, most of the time. He thinks of his brother Josh enough times to make me feel proud. And Joshua thinks of Joseph too. I love it. Those are the moments that make me so happy as a mom. I am so very happy as a mom, and as a wife to Anthony. I walked down the street last night to the mailbox. It was late, 11:30, and the sky was lit by the moon. My heart swelled with happiness and gratitude, as it often does, and I thanked my Father in heaven for Anthony, for Joseph, for Joshua, and for Kayla. I thanked him for my parents and siblings. I thanked him for Bob and Wendy and all of the family and friends I have been privleged to know. I thanked him for my health, my intellect, my foundation and testimony, and for the opportunity for my spirit to grow while here on this earth, the opportunity to experience this joy of living this mortal life. I am so flippin happy! I feel so humbled when I think of my situation and blessings, and put things into perspective. I am thankful for the disappointments and pain that I have felt that have made me wiser, stronger and more spiritually mature. June 2007. We have been married seven years now, and it's just getting better. This point is a fun time. I love the kid's ages. Joseph almost 6, Joshie almost 4, and Kayla almost 7 months is so fun! They are each absolutely adorable in different ways and we love it. I am so grateful that they are healthy, but even more that they are happy because they're being raised in a peaceful, loving environment, a safe area, and with deep spiritual influence from their parents who love the gospel. I wish each child could have the good life that my children have. My heart breaks when i think about the way some kids have to grow up, the awful situations they have to accept and adjust to. I know Heavenly Father's heart breaks too, but he sees the greater picture and knows that he cannot interfere with our agency.
Posted by Shirae at 10:50 AM 0 comments
Sunday, April 29, 2007




Sunday Afternoon




It's 3:00 on this beautiful spring sabbath afternoon. Our family is enjoying some quiet time. Anthony and Kayla are napping, Joseph's lying on the living room floor watching a cartoon and Joshua is sipping applejuice from a straw while I get in some journal time.In an hour we will walk down the street (2 houses) to mom & dad's for dinner. They just got back from Washington DC and being that they missed Anth's b-day on Wednesday of this week they invited us for dinner. Anthony's birthday was a good day. He took the day off work. I let him sleep in by taking Joseph to school for him, and then taking Joshua & Kayla with me to the gym. After working out, I quickly got my hair trimmed at Super Cuts, hoping that josh would behave and that Kayla would stay sasleep by my feet in her carseat...it all turned out okay. I was trying to rush back to pick up Joseph from Stacy by noon, so I left a little early from the hair cut, not getting the layered look that I wanted, unfortunately, but no big deal. However Anth called as I was leaving Super Cuts to say that I didn't need to rush back because he was getting Joseph from Stacy and would meet us in Folsom for lunch, so I could have stayed a little longer to finish the layers but oh well! We met at Pita Pita, our favorite sit-down but fast food restaurant. Shwerma, falafel, basmati rice, yummy sauce, pitas, hummus, mmmm.... So Anth was happy already. Two of his main three sources of happiness had be fulfilled: sleep, and food! :) It was just a great, kick-back day that we spent together as a family. For dinner we drove back out to Folsom to his sister Christine's house for a Telford family dinner because Scott's family, Star & the girls were in town, and also to have cake & icecream for Anth's b-day.We enjoyed the visit. The kids had a great time, as always. My boys love playing there. We adults had fun too, talking and laughing until it was time for cake. The boys helped me decorate daddy's "28 is Great" cake with oreos and candles; it was pretty cute. They also made a cd with my help for their dad. "28 is Great" Joshua recorded on the mic with his adorable 3 yr. old voice, and then Joseph said,"28 reasons why we love daddy" followed by 28 things we thought of together, taking turns saying them. It turned out really cute.Anthony can't believe that he's twenty-eight years old, has been out of highschool for a decade, and has been married to me for seven years now.
Sometimes it gets me too, but even weirder than the fact that we're getting older and have been together for 7 years here on earth is the fact that we will be together for endless years throughout the eternities. We will never be seperated; Anthony and I are one, and will be side by side forever with no end. THAT is what boggles my mind! It's always pointless to ponder on such things of eternity so far in the future and of us having no end, etc. because I dont think our brains were designed to comprehend it at this stage of our existence. But even though I cant comprehend or understand it, I do believe it. I know it's true and that's that. I love that I have been blessed with simple faith. I love that I have never doubted or questioned these eternal truths. I am so thankful for the foundation of truth that was given to me by my parents and that I built upon as a child.Last Sunday we had a lesson in Relief Society about having a sure foundation that we can fall back on when we are going through difficult trials in this life. The teacher was Jo Taylor, our ex-Relief Society president and my OBGYN, whom we all respect, and also enjoy because she is so unique. I like her lessons; her teaching style is different from anyone else I've listened to. She is very direct, almost harsh in her approach, but it's almost refreshing. She speaks openly, shares her honest thoughts even if they are weak, or unpopular. And she moves on from one point to the next, speaking very quickly, trying to share all of the content she prepared for her lesson which is probably 3 times as much as most people prepare.Anyway! I found this lesson to be very interesting because it made me realize how blessed I am and feel very thankful for my foundation. Jo started out by sharing a few horror stories of people she knows personally, and even of her own experiences, of suffering and trials in this mortal life that seem unnecissarily cruel. And then she asked the question, "Have any of you ever felt so down/depressed, or that your trials were so overwhelming that you felt abandoned by God, that it caused you to question your faith?" She asked it in a way that seemed obvious that she had often felt this way and as if she expected everybody else to have experienced that feeling as well. She followed it up with, "Have any of you not felt that way?" and acted a little surprised when I raised my hand. Only one other lady also raised her hand, and she was the one to speak for us. She briefly explained that although she had felt down and suffered from trials, etc. she had never felt abandoned or questioned things, doubting her faith. That is how I feel, and it is due to my sure foundation. It is also due to a blessed life of comfort and ease, with no intense suffering or difficult trials so far. But I truly believe that if difficult trials come that I would still feel as I do now, knowing that my Father in heaven does not abandon his children, but cannot save us from trials and suffering, for it would destroy our growth and progress in this perfect plan of salvation, and it would completely destroy the gift of free agency. God will not interfere with men's choices and the consequences because he loves us, but I believe it pains him more than we comprehend to witness the cruelty of his children or the pain we suffer. This is a subject that I care about very deeply, especially since it is so misunderstood by most people. I really like Truman G. Madsen's words on the subject in his book 'Eternal Man'. I also love 'Four Essays on Love' and 'The Highest In Us'.
Posted by Shirae at 3:00 PM 0 comments



Rainy Day



Well it's a rainy day. Wasn't expecting this, it just kind of snuck up on us! Anthony planned to golf at the end of his workday, while I planned to meet Tierra at the park, but we'll have to rearrange our day. Maybe Tierra feels like coming out here & helping me paint... ? Ah, I'll have to call her in a minute. But seriously, I have got to finish painting my hallway and my boy's room. I've been avoiding it for three months. I like to paint, actually, I just feel like those extra things that I'd like to do don't fit in because everything else is a higher priority. Just keeping up on being organized and running this household smoothly, and making my children happy, is non-stop time-consuming it seems! The greatest "extra" I don't have time for but desperately wish I did is my music. I miss it and want to spend a little time each day working on it, especially since we've spent money on some equipment and software and I feel awful about wasting it. I also don't like the fact that I have lists of songs that I want to share with people, but they're just sitting here in my head, for seven years now, some of them longer than that. These songs are special to me, not necessarily music that I'm super proud of because of its amazing quality, but they are straight from my heart and really, are my testimony of the Book of Mormon. And that's what I'm so anxious to share and feel is a shame that it's been kept quiet all this time. However, I am glad that I'm taking the time to perfect them & get the recording quality right before I do share.And, I must say, I am glad that for the past seven years, although the music has been put on hold, the rest of my life that has gone forward is absolutely what I always dreamed of and my heart swells up with happiness and gratitude when I think of my situation; my husband & children. I love being a mom as much as I always knew I would. Everyday my kids say and do things that melt my heart or make me laugh, and I regret that I can't keep track and record all of these moments to remember throughout my life. I try, though. I write down as many adorable comments that my boys make as I can, and bust out the video camera a lot, often too much - sometimes my filming of Kayla looking in the mirror or lying on a blanket goes a little too long. :) There is so much I could write; I dont know why I started this blogging thing. I don't have time and yet here I am typing for 20 minutes! I need to go wake up my son. Joshua will sleep for hours longer than he should if we never woke him up and then he'll never go to bed at night! Josh is almost four years old now. Joseph will be six. My boys are growing big.




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February 1, 2008
2007 (15)
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I cant believe Kayla is having her first birthd...
Halloween this year was pretty fun. We went t...
October (1)
Pumpkin Patch
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~Raspberries~
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Pokemon Party
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Gotta Love 'Em!
My Future Missionaries
Cool Bros
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Happy 4th
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Family Home Evening
Kayla is 7 months old now and is such a good gir...
End of the School Year thoughts...
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Sunday Afternoon
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