Random

Chad on "Ugly Christmas Sweater Day".  He and friends thot it would be funny to all wear sweatshirts with the stocking attached and then they all would decorate on their own and wear to school the friday before the break.  Turns out, all the stress the night before was for naught because he (we) was the only one to decorate!  He wore the sweater all day anyways, even in the 80 degree heat.  Why does this concern me so much?  Gotta love his enthusiasm, tho!

My niece, Kiley, had a baby boy the beginning of November - little Dallin is an absolute cutie pie!  Above is Dallin with Mommy, Grandpa Scott and Great Grandma Andreasen - 4 generations - we haven't had that for a long time.  Weird!  My brother is a grandpa!

Elder Spampinato is tearing it up in New Zealand, Wellington Mission.  It's been 5 months now and the people really love him and as usual he is gravitating to the kids.  He's such a natural with them.

Let Me Introduce You To ....

This is my new love, Zach!  I am watching him every M-W-F all day - he brings me an incredible amount of joy!  He is so good and so smart!  He loves the boys and they have so much fun with him.  What a great addition to our house!  I want to post more pix but I'm having a problem finding them.  When I do, I'll post.

New Location

So you're all aware that we moved from the Mountain Laurel house after 9 1/2 years- to a house 1/2 its size but I am lovin' it!!!!!!  It's still in Dove Canyon, closer to the gate, beautiful view of the mountains, no pool, no dumb dark cherry wood floors and so much easier to maintain.  I'm still in the process of getting things in their spots but it's liveable.  I'm not even missing the old house and haven't been by it in almost 4 weeks.  Here are some pix.

Travis and Wyatt's Football Banquet

On December 10th, Travis, Wyatt and I attended their Tesoro Freshmen Football Banquet at the school.  I didn't feel well that day but I wanted to go in support of them and their awesome team.  They each received certificates for playing and some really nice comments from the coach they worked with closely in the program.  The season ended with only 64 points being scored against Tesoro and Tesoro scoring 394 points.  A perfect winning season!  They are a team to watch for in the future of Tesoro and I couldn't be more proud.  They love football and thats good cause I love watching it!  We're so lucky to have the caliber of coaching that we do at the school.  I hope the budget cuts don't threaten that.

A Message to My Boys

I was reading a friends blog the other day and more often than not, she writes something that totally resonates with me. I get the thought but I can't find the words to express myself or if I do, the thought doesn't come out the way I'd like. So, thank you Victoria, once again, for a profound post. I hope my boys pay attention to this.

Here is what my boys deserve:

1. A girl who is beautiful. But beautiful in the right way… a girl who is unfailingly modest in dress, speech and actions. One of the standards of my church is to dress modestly… something that most of the world thinks is rather strange. But my boys deserve nothing less. Whether you see her at the beach, at church, shopping, or just on Facebook, she should be modest. Let me be clear here… this is not because I don’t want the boys to think bad thoughts. My boys can master their thoughts. It is something much more important… it marks a commitment to covenants they have made. And no double standards either... my boys are modest themselves. I am a big fan of beautiful, stylish modesty. It is really easy to say that most of the girls wear their skirts too short and their swimsuits too tiny, so you can’t judge a girl by that standard. But I know girls who are unfailingly modest. They stand out like a bright light from the girls who are not… and my boys deserve nothing less than that.

2. A girl who is honest. No ex-boyfriends that aren’t really ex. No saying things she doesn’t mean. No pretending to feel more or less than she really does. No treating my boys like a plaything. Honest.

3. A girl who is unselfish. She needs to care more about others than herself, because that is how my boys are. I have worried, in the affluent area where I live, that DK and I have spent the last twenty years raising sons who can support a family, while my neighbors have spent the same years raising daughters that my boys can never possibly afford to marry. My boys are not just finding a girl to marry; they are finding a mother for their children, and that is about a hundred times more important.

4. A girl who is kind. She must be kind to her friends, kind to her family, kind to children, and… kind to my boys.

5. A girl who is better than my boys. Or at least they think she is. She needs to be so amazing, that they behave better around her. They try harder, and reach bigger goals, because she makes them want to be better men. She safeguards their virtue along with her own. She reminds them of how great they are, encourages them, sets a good example, and yet still follows wise counsel. Every one of my boys deserves a girl who is better than they are.

So come on, girls. It’s time to step it up a little. Be more to get more. I told you the apple analogy. You can never be that rotten apple sitting on the ground waiting for any lazy boy to scoop you up and take a bite. You are better than that. My boys are better than that. You might wonder how you can compete in a world of girls who use tricks and sexy clothes to get their way. Don’t think for a single minute that my boys can’t tell the difference. Yes, there are boys that are looking for those girls. But I will tell you right now… not my boys.

Here is the apple analogy - again from Victoria.

“Girls are like apples...the best ones are at the top of the trees. The boys don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples that are on the ground that aren’t as good, but easy. So the apples at the top think there is something wrong with them, when, in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right boy to come along, the one who’s brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree...”

The ABC's of Me

The ABC's of Me

so here goes!

A- Age: almost 45 . . .

B- Bed size: king size – not near large enough to escape the snorer next to me

C- Chore you hate: cleaning the showers/baths

D- Dad's name: Erik – yep, greatness runs in the family

E- Essential start of your day: Ole’ or Diet Coke

F- Favorite color: Black, Green, Lavender – oh, was that singular?

G- Gold or Silver: Silver

H- Height: 5' 10”

I- Instruments you play: iPod and the right hand of the piano

J- Job title: Mom and Master of Organization

K- Kids: 3

L- Living arrangements: Husband, 3 boys, 2 cats in a house way too big

M- Mom's name: Janet

N- Nicknames: Riki, Avida, Ma, Mom, Mommy

O- Overnight stay in a hospital other than your birth: are you kidding? Way too many to list

P- Pet Peeve: are you kidding? Way too many to list – ha, seriously!

Q- Quote from a movie: “No touchy”

R- Right or left handed: right

S- Siblings: 2 sisters, 1 brother

T- Time you wake up: it’s random right now, but soon 5:30 – 5:45am

U- Underwear: Well, it’s not the jungle program

V- Vegetable you dislike: Tomatoes, for one

W- What you like to drink: Diet Coke, Ole’

X-rays you've had: lower back/hips

Y- Yummy food you make: chocolate chip cookies and other desserts – go figure!

Z- Zoo favorites: lions, tigers, gorillas, monkeys, elephants, giraffes

Summer 2009

My auntie in Boise has the cutest dog....this is MiniCooper. Dogs like me! He is the perfect size for my luggage but I had to go through security before leaving aunties house.


See.....my boys even loved the dogs....Chester, the retriever and Cooper, the yorkie. Travis wanted to tie Chester to the roof of the car and bring him home. It was a little like Chevy Chases Vacation movie....wouldn't of had a good ending!


When we got to Boise it was a warm 55 degrees.....I kid you not...it had been roasting up until that point. We didn't have any warm clothes and we didn't know what to do. Luckily on saturday, it cleared up enough for my uncle and my cousin to take the boat and jet skis out to Lucky Peak. As you can see, the boys had a blast! They were so happy to get out to wakeboard, tube and jet ski. Thanks Uncle Dave and Grant!


This is a picture of my mom and us kids.... my brother lives in Alpine near the mouth of American Fork canyon and we went up after church to roast hot dogs and make smores near the river. It was beautiful and fun!

More pictures to come once I acquire them. We had a great time!

Happy Birthday T-Dub!

My little boys turned 14 on August 18th. Where did the time go??????? They are amazing, smart, talented, funny, sweet, happy, strong, obedient and CUTE boys! I love you both!

This is now.....

Travis


Wyatt


This was then......

A New Show Discovered This Summer

This summer while on sabbatical in Utah, my niece introduced me to this show - Cake Boss - on TLC. Oh my gosh, I can't believe some of the cakes these guys make. For an example, check out the following link:

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/cake-boss/slideshows/cake-photos.html

All the creativity, fondant (what the heck), everything on the cake is edible. So much for chocolate cake in a cake pan! But I'm guessing, one would need to pay a pretty penny to get such a cake. Check out the show when you get a chance.

This is My Dad!

A darling little boy!


This was taken on the cruise we took for my parents 50th Anniversary! November 2007.


My dad died July 12, 2009 - 8 days after diagnoses of Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. When we admitted him to the hospital 6/29, we thought it was just to fix the fractures in his back. Several tests later and a serious rollercoaster ride, we got the official word. This cancer took my dad, and ravaged his body. Luckily, he wasn't very alert the last week and probably didn't know what was going on. The pain was unbearable for him. My sister, Karen, my mom and I were able to be present when he passed. What an unbelievable experience! I was able to have some wonderful time with him and the Lord blessed us with tender mercies on this journey. We know it was for the best that he pass for he told my mom and us kids that he would never want to live in pain or not being "all there". I am grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that we will be an eternal family. It makes this experience a little easier than most folks who don't have this knowledge. It doesn't take the pain or missing him away but we all have our memories and our hope and faith. I love my daddy and I do miss him but I will never forget what he taught me and all the fun times!

I am my fathers daughter!

This is Chad!

This is Chad when he left for school on the last day of his sophomore year.... his hair is unusually long....


This is Chad when I saw him next at the end of the day...




This is Chad doing his impersonation of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.....


This is Chad after his mother caught him and FIXED the problem...


Ahhhh, much better! How is it that a kid can do this - by the way, courtesy of his "friends", go out in public (Target), act like an idiot and not be embarrassed? That is exactly what he did. He even attended a party later that night with his unique "Do".

Family Missionaries

I'm not completely ready to post pictures for this one but just wanted to get down how proud I am of my nieces and nephews for serving missions. Some had to overcome some difficult situations and health concerns, but they did it! In no particular order;

Aaron Corbin - Charlotte, NC
Robert Davis - New Jersey
Aric Stowers - Netherlands
Audrey Stowers - Tampa, FLA

Soon to leave

Kevin Spampinato - Wellington, New Zealand
Estan Stowers - Australia

They follow in a long line of other wonderful nieces and nephews who have served and returned with honor. Way to go, everybody! You set the bar high for those to follow.

Shout Out to the Fam!

This is my brother and his family. My niece and her husband, front 2, are expecting their first baby - A Boy! - in October. Gotta love the boys!

L front to back - Kiley, Debbie, Scott
R front to back - Adam, Brian, Mark, Jessica

Early Court of Honor planning stages

Chad's Court of Honor

A special Court of Honor was held on June 9th to honor 11 of our units boys for obtaining the rank of Eagle. They have all earned this rank in the past year. This is quite the accomplishment and it definitely makes them 'marked men'.



Here, we have Chad who has the rank of Eagle - he camped in the wilderness overnight with wild beasts, handled shotguns, survived river rafting with a split open toe, etc - but he's afraid to hold his little niece! Pretty funny!


Merlin with his children and grandchildren


The Fam on this special night. Way to go (again) Chad! Next up, T Dub.



These are the moms that made the Court of Honor happen. With that many boys and that many people attending and to make it special, it took all of us with different responsibilities to make it work. We were Wonderwomen that night! Yeah to us!

When are You.....

OK OK I'm coming.....gotta scrape up a few more quarters to feed the noggin and get some ideas brewing...but I'm coming!

Last Minute Thoughts

This is my nephew, Kevin, who got his mission call to serve the Lord, and will be departing to the beautiful island and city of Wellington, New Zealand after a stay at the MTC in Provo. So exciting!

This is Kelli and her cute family. I love this picture! (Kelli, your dad would like a framed 8x10 for Fathers Day! Hint Hint)

********************
One more thing.....I have a list of blogs off to the right here and while I love checking them all out, there is one or two in particular that give me the most entertainment. Check out "Victoria McD". She is my new Erma Bombeck. The woman is an oozing flow of creativity =- not only does she write songs and scripts, but she can blog about ANYTHING and make it totally funny and meaningful! Listen to her music, too. There are others who make me smile and laugh - and I salute you! I'm so glad to know you!