Our cat (Papa) with 9 lives!!!

skipping rocks with the girls!

Cracking mom up as usual
40 year anniversary!!!

Papa was taken again by ambulance to St. Thomas Tuesday in the middle of the night. He will be having surgery this afternoon if his blood is thick enough!!

He is such a trooper - in and out of the hospital about every other month and just hangs on with such good spirits. He is always joking and has the most uplifting spirit about him! We are so blessed for his will to fight. My brother and I and our children are blessed with this incredible man in our lives. Serious one minute and crazy the next! Just Sunday during a ward conference I looked over at him-he had plastered a silver gum wrapper across the front of his teeth. He was smiling at my girls with silver teeth! They thought he was so funny! And yesterday at the hospital he felt really bad but still wanting to kiss on mom!!!

I have been given what some call a tender mercy this week. I only had a couple of picture appts. scheduled for this week which is very unusual for summer so when all this came about I have been able to spend extra time with both mom and dad that I would have had to do a lot of work to change my schedule. And he would have been worrying if I had changed my schedule for him!!!

Last night he was fortunate enough to have two stake presidents-Meredith and Tipps visiting him at the same time. He was given a beautiful blessing-that was prob. more comforting to me!

We love our sweet-crazy Papa!

Emma-My Story

Steve and I got to go to the movies to see the Emma movie this weekend with our friends. Then when we got to the movies mckenzie and her family was there too.

I loved getting to see it on the big screen and eating way too much popcorn! It is amazing what all that one lady endured. She gives me strength. What an incredible strong woman of faith.

Matching Sister!

Hugs today fights tomorrow. I tell them every day they are so lucky to have a sister!

They are at a sleepover tonight torturing their Uncle A! I miss my little stinkers!!!

It's official

After much prayer and pondering and talking and prayer and pondering and talking-----I am an official college student again!!! I can't believe I said it but I figured--- it was out...between my mom and my husband, they are telling everyone. I was going to wait and just see if there were really any brain cells left in my brain before I spilled the news but it's out!!!
This has by far been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in a long time but we have been feeling like I needed to do this for a very very long time! I just really didn't want to and have been fighting the prompting for a very long time. So I will be wife, mommy, photographer business owner, church calling person, cheerleader for football and cross country, wrestling, boy scouts, and dance, and now a 34 year old Early childhood major Jr. in college student!
I had come to the conclusion that I would just talk to them and see what they say. When I found out I had 75 credit hours (only needing 120) How could I not go back? THEN I found out not all those will work any more but lots of them will-so what the heck-5 classes-16 hours...I hope my brain will still work! So if you see me and I forget to talk please be patience with me I am trying to add or remember when a sentence ends and begins!!!

We are alive!

We have had a fun, crazy busy last couple of weeks! The boys had scout camp-girls and I went to visit Granny and Nana and Papa. Followed by a week in Nauvoo Ill. at church sites then to see the arch in St. Louis.and now we are at Steve's work trip. It has been incredible. I didn't know how much I needed this. I even left my camera, computer, and cell phone at home for some of our trips! Can you believe it? We took a little camera so we would have memories though. But this week I do have my computer so I am hoping to catch up on some blog pictures. It just takes so long to upload! If you need me for just fun email-I'm still not getting good signal w/my phone-it's come and go but if you need me for work I 'll be back next week ready to work! Pictures to come! I am sorting through way too many trying to decide my favorites to post.