THE TIME HAS COME!!!!!

Well, after nearly 2 years of basking in the Thailand sun, going to sleep with the hum of the air conditioner, conversing with family & friends via e-mail, Skype, or telephone, relishing in the memories of when Grandmas & Grandpas visited, & wishing that our families could see & be a part of our lives more frequently, we are only 3 hours away from leaving to go to the airport to board our much awaited, long anticipated flight back home for the summer. (Was that the longest run on sentence ever?!)

It is midnight, May 21, & it seemed like this day would never arrive. And then, the past 2 weeks have absolutely flown by, although the kids might have a different opinion. I still have my suitcase & Kalen's stuff to pack, do a run through of the kids' carry ons, get the snacks in a bag, & get the stuff out to the car, but we are nearly ready!

We'll be thinking of you as we fly along in that big bird in the sky! Take care, & we'll see you in just a few days!!

Love, Hugs, & Kisses!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Bridals with my beautiful, wonderful Mom!!

Special Lady "Grand" ma Monson!

The happy couple! My 2nd Mom, Regena.
Sneaking a kiss with my Eternal Sweetheart!

My happy family! I'm so so blessed!!!

Rhees & mommy at his final Blue & Gold Banquet.

Ambrian & Mommy at her LittleBird celebration.

I sure do miss those "Baby" Ellie loves!

Mommy & Kambren on his 1st birthday!

Mommy & Kalen posing for baby pictures.

I think that Mother's Day means more to me every year as it applies to my gratitude for my own mother. The more I experience the joys, the challenges, the triumphs, & the failures of my attempt at mothering, the more I appreciate the mom who gave birth to me & who raised me. The scripture is true which says, "...there must needs be opposition in all things..." . But sometimes I expect that it won't apply in my life. I always want everything to be happy & easy & perfect. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". Oh how true that is in the life of a mother. I didn't expect motherhood to be difficult at all. I suppose that as a little child, I thought that because Mom tried to make everything so pleasant & perfect for me, her life as a mom was just that, pleasant & perfect. With age increases knowledge, & so as I grew & matured I came to know that Mom experienced or was experiencing her own joys, sadnesses, challenges, & triumphs in her own experience as a mother.

Mom, I want you to know that as I have had my children & as I attempt to help them through this journey here on earth, I look to your beautiful example as a source of true inspiration & guidance. Thank you for your tireless efforts to :

Teach me the Gospel
Let me see you kneeling in prayer
Love me unconditionally
Keep me safe
Prepare delicious, healthy meals for me every day
Give me siblings to play with & love
Love my dad unconditionally
Accept my mistakes & the mistakes of others
Keep our house clean with little or no effort from anybody else
Help me see the importance of an education
Gain an appreciation for flower & vegetable gardens
Help me understand the importance of hard work
Ensure that I had opportunities to develop my talents
Let me see you enjoy serving others & serving me
Control your frustration or anger
Make every holiday wonderful & fun
Find time to sit & play sewing cards with me
Teach me to make babies in the cradle out of your hankies
Maintain a happy & positive attitude
Teach me to love myself
Showed me how to enjoy the blessings of extended family
Sacrifice all that was required of you for our family


As I reflect back on your age at different times in my life & then think of myself at the same age, I am truly in awe of ALL that you did. I see myself falling short in so many ways of being as capable of a mother as you were/are. Thank you so much for everything that you are & do. You truly are an inspiration to me. You have been more than just a mom to me, you are one of my very best friends. Thank you for the amazing Grandma that you are to my kids. It means so much to me that you care about & love them. I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father sent me to you!!!!! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day! I love you so much!!


Mother's Day wouldn't be complete without my thoughts turning to other mother's who have etched in my life, influence for good. Young Women leaders, Primary Teachers, Neighbors, Mother's of Friends, Aunts, Cousins, Friends, Grandmas, & Sisters. Too many to personally name, I will only mention a few. But, if you are reading this, you are most likely one of those mothers who I learn from, look up to, try to emulate, & love!


My Grandma Monson is one of those mother's that I always think of on Mother's Day. She was the ultimately perfect Grandma. Memories of her playing "Annie I Over" with us in the back yard, sitting on the front porch in the evenings eating grapes & listening to the ball game over at the 4th Street ball park, her tickling my arm, eating her yummy Frog Eye Salad on many trips in the motor home, sleepovers, playing jacks or play doh on her breakfast table, watching Sesame Street & Mr. Rogers at her house, picking strawberries from her garden, & smelling her gorgeous roses every summer & cutting some to take home, flood my mind every time I think of this sweet lady. She became more than a Grandma to me during the 2 years that we "roomed together" while I was going to Weber State. She always told me that she was the best roommate I would ever have because she would never steal my boyfriends. We talked & laughed together just like any 2 friends would. She always had my "Singers" dresses pressed & ready to wear, she helped me make cakes for Bake Sales, she waited up for me to tell her about my dates, she made breakfast for me, we knelt together for prayer at the table just like she & Grandpa used to, she Always took MY side no matter what I was complaining about, & she always told me how beautiful I was. I love her so so much & miss her more than anything!! I can't wait to see her again!! Happy Mother's Day, Grandma!


I have been blessed with a wonderful 2nd mother. Devin's mom has in so many ways become a mother to me, & not just through marriage. From the first time I met Regena I could feel her love for me. Through the years she has supported me in every way. She has an amazing ability to compliment people & make them feel good about themselves. I have been the unworthy recipient of her sweet words on more occasions than I can name. She has a beautiful testimony of the gospel from which I have gained much strength & truth. I love how she always finds the positive traits in my children & mentions them. She is a great cook, seamstress, teacher, gardener, singer, aunt, Grandma, & friend. She has wiped away many of my tears & listened quietly while I have shared my struggles. She has had her own set of trials & challenges at many different times in her life. Yet through it all, she emerged smiling & stronger because of it. I will always appreciate her goodness & love to me & my little family!! I love you, Mom!


This Mother's Day tribute would also not be complete without a mention of the wind beneath my wings. The reason I am a mother & the reason I keep going every day, no matter how stressful things can be. Devin is the most wonderful husband! I don't think he believes this, & I probably don't ever show him very well, but each day, I can't wait for him to come through the door from work, & it isn't so that I can just have an extra hand with the kids. He has sacrificed many things in order for us to be parents. He would never look at it that way though, because our lives have been so blessed because of our wonderful children. He has known how important it is for me to be a mother & so he has done everything possible for me to be able to achieve my dream. He has let me nurse all of our babies even though he would have liked to have held a bottle for them. He has let me keep them in bed with us even though it meant he didn't get any sleep either. He has watched as I folded piles of blankets, burp cloths, & baby clothes while his own clothes took the back seat. He has given up steak & baked potato dinners for Ramen noodles & chicken nuggets so that I didn't have to prepare 2 meals. He has washed his own silverware when I got behind on dishes without saying anything to make me feel bad. He has slept with crumbs in the bed & sat on crumbs on the couch because I let the kids sit & eat snacks while they watched a movie so I could get something done. He has missed more Priesthood & Sunday School lessons than he has heard, to hold babies so that I could do my Sunday callings without a baby in my arms. He has made dinner & bathed kids when I have been having a bad day, even though he just put in a full days work outside our home. He has been willing to share our Anniversary so that I can have 2 Mother's Days (Our anniversary is on Thai Mother's Day). He has given up lipstick kisses from his girl, for slobbery kisses from 5 little kids. He is willing to be alone here for more than a month & a half so that I can be with our kids letting them visit family in the States. I could never be 1/2 the mommy that I am were it not for such a great husband. He really is the wind beneath my wings. I hope that I will be able to make up to him all that he has given for me to get to be a mother. Devin, I really love you!! Thanks for the beautiful flowers & vases, & for celebrating me getting to be a mother.


Last but certainly not least, there wouldn't be a Mother's Day without the 5 precious blessings who Heavenly Father has sent me. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was celebrating my first Mother's Day, & now here I am blessed with 5 of the cutest, most wonderful children ever! I am so grateful to our Father in Heaven for allowing me to have the experience of being a mommy. So many times I feel like I don't deserve this calling or these beautiful children. They are definately are the better teachers. I learn more from them & their pure examples, than they will ever learn from me. They have made me a better person than I could have ever been without them. Among many other things,

Rhees teaches me to be spiritual.
Ambrian teaches me to be responsible.
Aybrielle teaches me to love all things.
Kambren teaches me to be forgiving.
Kalen teaches me to be happy.

Thank you, my little dollies, for letting me be your Mommy!! I love you more than you could possibly know!!


To all the mothers who have made an impact on my life, I hope that you had a beautiful Mother's Day! Thank you for your love, friendship, & examples to me in every way!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

2 WEEKS FROM TODAY!!! take 3

So I just figured out another way to open & view the pictures that I attached from the internet. There is a red X up in the top left hand corner of the picture. If you just click on the red X it will take you directly to the picture. That is easier than right clicking & then clicking on the open link button. See, I'm learning little by little. All you Blog pros out there need to give me some lessons while I'm home this summer.

Enjoy!

2 WEEKS FROM TODAY!!! take 2

I tried to download some pictures from the internet to add to my post today but for some reason the pictures aren't displaying. In order to view the pictures that I downloaded, you will need to right click on each of the pictures & then click on "open link". After you view the picture you'll need to click your "Back" button to return to the blog & either select another picture or read the post. I have no idea why the pictures aren't showing except that I really don't have any idea what I'm doing. It is all trial & error for me.

2 WEEKS FROM TODAY!!!

So, 2 weeks from today we will leave our house before the sun comes up in the morning, to travel to Thailand's new International Airport, Suwannaphoom. If you don't think that the kids are counting down the days, well.... you better think again. If I had a dime for every time one of the kids has asked me "How many days until we go?", "How many more days until the 21st?", or told me, "Mom, only -- number of days until we get to go see the cousins!!", I would have a lot of spending money by now! They specify "cousins" because they are their best friends. But they also talk about ALL the family just as much. I can assure you that every night they go to sleep with visions of trampolines, backyard playhouses, Plinko, Lilian, reunions, Wal-mart, Target, Lucky Charms, Honeycomb cereal, A & W Cream Soda, backyard family get togethers with the Grandmas' yummy food, swimming, Yellowstone, old cousins, brand new baby cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandmas & Grandpas!!! If they've talked about it all once, they have talked about it 300 times. They can hardly think about anything else except all the old memories & a whole summer of making new ones. They are so very excited!

As for Devin & me, well, we are excited too! But sooo much to do in 2 weeks, so our minds are staying occupied with other things; Factory construction, laundry, to get lists, to pack lists, to do lists, etc. I need to quit blogging & get on to it all. We love you & miss you so so much! We hope that you are all just as excited as we are! See you in a few!!