SUMMER, SEUSSICAL MUSICAL, & SICKNESS

Summer is finally here. It has been crazy since school has gotten out. There has been not one lazy day. The Monday after the girls got out of school, they started practicing for Seussical the Musical. They would go to the Western Wyoming Community college in Rock Springs and create props and practice and it definitely paid off. We went to their production Wednesday night and Thursday night and it was so much fun!!! The girls both loved it and have already decided to do it again next year. They both were casted as Who ville Citizens and did an awesome job. It has been fun listening to them sing their songs around the house and even since the show, Graci has been putting on her own show. It has been fun. They wouldn't let us take any video or flash photography so I didn't even take my camera in but here are a few shots of there hair and the cast party after the last show.




We have enjoyed probably two days of nice weather. Ever since school has been out, it has rained. Today the boys were in the 3 on 3 basketball tournament and it totally got rained out. They moved it to the gym of the high school, which ended up being very nice. Next week looks pretty promising. We are hoping to pull off a birthday party for Hannah finally. The boys are going to be at Mesa State for a team basketball camp and so we are thinking that will be a perfect time to have a girl party.
Torrey has been under the weather for about two weeks now and just can't quite seem to shake what he has. Cough, bad sore throat, just not feeling up to par. He finally called in sick after he was so bad. He even went to the doctor which they threw him into a corner with a mask on and then got him back to an isolated room very quickly. He did not test positive for influenza A nor the swine flu but had an ear infection, tonsillitis, and upper respiratory congestion. They gave him an antibiotic but that has not kicked his cough. We were thinking that possibly he had pneumonia so he went in today and had his O2 levels checked but seemed to be in the low normal range. 94%. He traveled to Utah on Tuesday of this last week for meeting and his allergies kicked in and his eyes were swollen shut and could not quit sneezing and coughing. Poor guy. He has had alot of stress lately with a new boss and all and just needed some time off to re coupe and rest. This weekend he is off doing just that. Hattie came down with the same symptoms as Torrey on Friday of last week and on Sunday, had a fever of 103 and I could not get it to break. She is my child that starts seeing spiders on the ceiling when her fever is so high. I ended up taking her to the ER thinking that she had some bacteria and could get an antibiotic and would be good to do seusical on Monday. She ended up testing positive for Influenza A and they sent her home with a mask and Tamiflu. I could not get any medication in her because at that point she was throwing up so at about 10:30, we called our neighbor to see if he would help Torrey give her a blessing. I then rubbed her down with alcohol and cold cloth and checked on her several times in the night and she slept so soundly. By morning, her fever was 100 and she finally started eating which then I was able to give her some advil and she was able to keep it down. I am so thankful for the Priesthood in which my husband holds and for the ability to heal the sick. We have been blessed several times in our marriage with this power. I am so grateful for my husband. Thank you Torrey and know that I love you. Just as we are thinking that Hattie is on the mend, Graci has 103 temperature but she did not go down as quickly as Hattie. She continued to eat and drink and even wanted to go swimming in our pool so I thought that would probably drop her fever and do her good. She is pretty much on the mend. Just as I am updating my blog, Graci runs in and says that Hannah is throwing up. Uhggg!!! When will it end. I think I have hit my point of exhaustion.Here are a few photos of little Graci being sick. She came into my bathroom while I was getting ready and layed down and that is where she stayed for a while.


I think our bodies are telling us that we need to slow down and rest for a bit. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Sorry we missed your Homecoming Jordan. Thank you for your awesome example of Missionary work. Take care and we will see you soon. This is a shout out to every one. Out of the mouth of Dr. Seuss,

Hannah had a Birthday!! Yeah!!!

Pictures were taken last year after her baptism on July 5th, 2008

June 7th was Hannah's ninth birthday. The night before, we took her to one of her favorite places to eat, MiCasitas. She got the yummy chicken enchiladas, then we were off to see the movie "UP". What a cute movie. Yes, we did watch it in 3-D so that was really cool. I thought that I would come out of there with a major headache but surprisingly, I didn't. It was a fun evening. We ran to Smith's in Green River to get Hannah's favorite, chicken alfredo and key lime bars for our Sunday dinner. We are waiting for the weather to change so that we can have a pool party with some of Hannah's friends so we are in prepation of that and we keep waiting for that good weather!!! It should be way fun.
I can't believe that Hannah is NINE!! She has such a fun personality and can be a bit silly at times. She is trying Theatre this summer with the Western Wyoming College Theatre program. They will be performing "Seusical the Musical" which should be a hit so if any one would like to get tickets for the production. Let me know. They will be performing June 24th & 25th. Hattie is also doing it and they are both loving it.
Hannah will be in the fourth grade this year and will be moving to a new school, yes AGAIN!! She is a very good student and has become very responsible with her homework which sure helps her mother out. She is also a very good friend to all and because of that , sometimes gets the short end of the deal but people always know that they can trust Hannah to be there for them. You are so AWESOME Hannah and we are greatful that you are in our family. Thank you for all that you do for us. I can't wait for your birthday party. It will be a blast, I promise!!!

Anti- Procrastination Day!!!

Today is full of the little things that I have been putting off. I am so good at procrastination it scares me sometimes but I do work best under pressure but it still makes me so mad that I wait till the last minute. My friend had asked me to be a reference for her because she is filing for a daycare license and so I finally filled that paperwork out and got it sent in. Last night I finalized my letter to go out to all of Torrey and I's Trek family, so the fun begins!!! We will be having a B-Bque and learning how to square dance on the 20th so that should be a hoot!!! I have cut the collars off of the boys shirts to make them a little more pioneerish, they look more Amish than pioneerish if you ask me. I will be doing my 10 mile hike this week, i just have to keep thinking about all of those calories that are burning. That should keep me going!!

I have needed to write about our Memorial Weekend. My camera was never in the right place so the pictures I have are what every one else has sent to me Thanks Arlene. We had an awesome weekend. It started after Torrey and Riley got off of work on Saturday and I had the car all packed and we headed for Salt Lake. Layton had gone down on Friday and had spent the night with his good friend Zach Huber and his family at their cabin in Park City and on Saturday had went swimming at the Rec center in Camas and then went to Cherry Hills and went straight for the batting cages, then miniature golf and dinner at chili's. That is where we met them to pick him up. He had a great time with them. Thank you Hubers. We then headed to Julie's. Tyson had just returned from his mission in Kennewik Washington and there was a big party. Lots of good food and good company. Sunday, Tyson reported his mission and he did such a great job. You can sure tell that he was an awesome missionary and helped bring many people to the gospel. We then had more good food and it was so nice to know that we didn't have to rush home and go back to work. Torrey had Monday off which is very rare but Memorial Day is one of the Holiday's that he does have off so it was a relaxing day. We had a pool tournament, Rocked out on the Guitar Hero Rock Band. Riley loved it so much that he came home and bought it and we have had a blast with it. Sara and I are the reigning Pinochle champs for now. Maybe next time Torrey and Jer! Monday was filled with swimming and a picnic at Julie's while Grandma and Grandpa went to the Salt Lake City Cemetery. They said that there were just lines of cars waiting to get in but the cemetery was just beautiful and there was a man playing the bagpipes. I was so sad that I missed that. I love that music. I am so grateful for those that have gone on before us and for their examples that they have left behind for us to follow. For all of the men and women that have died for our behalf so that we can enjoy the Freedoms which we all have. Thank you so much Jeremy and Sara for the awesome accommodations. We had such a fun time. Julie, you can throw quite a party!!! Thank you so much for all of the good food and the chocolate fountain is to die for. I am still working off all of the cream puffs that I dunked into the chocolate. Hmm Hmm Good!!! Thank you again for all of the good times. We love you all.

TaVasi concert, D.A.R.E Graduation,Piano Recitals, Pre School Graduation

Again, it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I hope I will be better in the summer. Anyway, so much has been happening and this time of year is always crazy but I am so glad that I have taken pictures and video of these things so that I can document the awesome things that my kids are involved in. It is so fun to see there confidence grow each year and try new things. Two weeks ago was Hannah's TaVasi concert, it is a singing and dancing show which Nanette Cutler does an awesome job at. Hannah is a very good singer. It was a fun night and this year was a bit different because her Dad was part of the show. It was great!!! The theme this year was "One for All" and one of the numbers was a Annie song which five Dads ran on stage whith there daughters and did a little song and dance with them. They were all very good sports about it and I know Hannah will not be forgetting it soon and neither will the town of Green River who were in attendance. Torrey was given so many compliments on his singing and dancing. It was a hoot! I wish that I could figure out how to put video footage on here and I would give you a taste of it. This one is with her wig from the "Hairspray" number that they performed. It was all very cute and Hannah did an amazing job.

D.A.R.E Graduation-Drug Abuse Resistance Education
This is a program that is taught through the school system by Officer Futia. Wyoming has such a high drug rate but they are finding that the numbers are starting to go down. I am sure that this program has a lot to do with that. 16 out of every 100 8th grade students drink alcohol. I found that to be a very high number. Hattie has made a personal commitment to Avoid Drugs and Violence. She had to write a report about the things that Drugs can do to your mind and body and how it affects the things around you. It was very well written. She did win a DARE bag for having the highest score in a game that they played as a class. Way to go Hattie!! She also was able to meet the Mayor of Green River and some other very Key people


Way to go Hattie!!!
Another very proud moment! This Tuesday we were able to go to Hattie and Riley's piano recital. It was so exciting and they both played awesome. I was not able to take apicture of Hattie at the beautiful Grand Piano but I did video all of her recital. Sorry Hattie. Riley played three songs which one of them he had written and composed by himself. I couldn't believe it. They both have incredible talents and brought tears to my eyes.
My Pre Scool Graduate
Yesterday was Graci's big day. We went to her teacher's house Mrs. Kari which Graci just loves and had a graduation party with games, songs, and really good cake. I did not get much of a concert from Graci while we were there but man has she been singing away since. It was a really fun day for her and she is so excited that next year she gets to go to three days of pre school. This is a picture of Torrey and her feeding eachother banana's while being blind folded. I think they eventually got the banana in eachothers mouths.

Layton had a band concert last night and Torrey said that it was awesome. Layton said that he has decided to play band next year which I am excited about. Sorry Layton that I don't have any pictures of you but I know that you did great. He also had a baseball game at the same time so we weren't able to go to that. We had to prioritize last night. Layton is working on a 4.0 this quarter and he knew that if he went and played ball then he wouldn't get that A in band that he is working for. Way to go Bud!!!
Yesterday, I also took Hattie and Hannah down to Rock Springs to Audition for "Seusical the Musical" It is a summer Theatre program through the Western Wyoming College. Funded by BOCES. They have such an awesome, energetic staff. The girls will have a blast!! I am looking forward to this production. They will be going to Rock Springs Monday through Friday 9:00 to 1:00 June 8th - June 24 and then they will perform all that they have learned. They are way excited.
One more week of school and then we can party!!!

What a Wonderful Mother's Day!!!

I have been blessed with five awesome children which amaze me every day! The very best tribute one can pay to your mother is the way you conduct your life out in a world where she is not present. I have received many phone calls from teachers of my children thanking me for them and their attitudes and personalities. That is the best payback one can receive. The other night Riley and a group of friends rented a movie and sat it up outside on the trampoline and watched it, the awesome thing was is that he included all of his brother and sisters and even took them to get the movie. What an awesome big brother you all have. It was so much fun for me to watch them all having a great time together and know that Riley could do this even among his friends.
Baseball is in full swing and we are spending each night down at the field and it has been very relaxing except for that dang wind. It brings such a chill to the air so we have spent many nights in the car watching the baseball game but has still been fun. Layton is an amazing defensive player. I just love the cool way he plays. He is always a very solid first baseman. He is a ROCK!!! There are not to many balls that have gotten by him.
To start my wonderful day out, I received a phone call from my own mother. She beat me to it. I was planning on calling her Sunday night and she beat me. It was good to talk to her and her phone call was very appreciated. Thank you Mom and I hope you know how much I love you.
Hattie was Torrey's number one girl this mother's Day. She helped him so much to make this day special for me. I can just picture her when she is grown to be the one to help me gather our family together during Holidays and special Moments in our lives after our kids are grown and have families of their own. I had a meeting after church and so Torrey beat me home which is so unusual but it was awesome because the table was set with beautiful dandelions picked by Graci and Hannah and the steaks were on the grill. It was so much fun to just sit and relax while the steaks were cooking so I had time to play. We were enjoying the nice day and the tramp. I even got on there and did not wet my pants. I wasn't brave enough to do my front and back flips that I used to do about fifteen years ago. I just kept picturing me with a big neck brace on or with some sort of cast so no acrobatics were done by me but Torrey on the other hand was a bit scary. Even more so for me. I didn't want our disability insurance to have to kick in at this stage in our lives. Anyway it was a great time.
Graci was so incredible on keeping a secret with her Mother's Day gift that she had made at school. Thursday she came home with her gift and was so excited and went and hid her gift in her closet and wouldn't let me come in and then asked me when Mother's Day was and I couldn't even trick her. I told her that it was today and there was no way I was going to get that gift. So then I told her that we had to go to bed two times and then wake up and get ready for church and then that was the special day. So Excited!! Everyday she would remind me of my gift and just dangle it out there enough but would not break in and give it to me. Amazing! She definately did not get that gene from her father because Torrey cannot keep a secret to save his life and you can always get it out of him. She was so fun though to watch. She made me the cutest basket decorated with homemade flowers in there and we used it to decorate our table with.Everybody gave me a packet full of coupons which were the greatest because then it seems like Mother's day can last a few days longer. It was full of Massage coupons, babysitting coupons, cleaning coupons, car washes, a homemade necklace mad by Hannah with beautiful beads on it. It was the best guys. Thank you so much for the incredible day! I did not tell you of another awesome part of the day. My boys had to speak in Sacrement meeting and they did such a great job. What a tribute to your mother. I was compared to the righteous woman who told King Solomon that the baby was not hers just to save the life of her child and then was given the child because King Solomon new that the real mother would not let her own child get cut in half. Riley said that he knew that I would do anything for him and everything I do is for him. He wished that other kids around him had the loving family that he had and he knew that his parents loved eachother and he was so thankful for everything. A mother's dream!! Layton compared me to Hannah which tried to raise a righteous young man that she could turn over to the Lord and that is one of my most desireable goals. He did not get to personal in his talk because he is just like me. He did not want to be seen crying and so just stuck very much to his talk and did not veer away from that in anyway. I had to laugh. He did an aweome job though and afterwards gave me a big hug. I knew that he loved me! Another huge surprise but really not a surprise because my Father in Law is amazing and is so thoughtful. I know that he was such a huge example to Torrey and therefore, I was blessed with an incredible thoughtful husband in which I am so thankful for. I received in the mail, M. Russell Ballards new book, "Daughters of God" and the inside read, "I hope you have a great Mother's Day and know that you are loved and appreciated." Thank You so much Veldon for that gift. It made my day. I was blessed with amazing in-laws that are such examples to me. You are awesome. I am so grateful to be a mother and for the responsibility that it brings. Everything that I do is for each one of you. I love you all very much and thank you for letting me be your Mom.

Uncle Tad's Funeral

This was the last time I seen and talked with my Uncle Tad. This picture was taken when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Graci at my little brother, Rhett's wedding reception. March 19th, 2005. Thank you Arlene for making us pose for this picture. I think that it really is the only photo I have of him. I don't remember much but I do remember going to their house in Idaho falls, riding my skate board and playing with John, my cousin, Tad's son and having a great time. I believe that my Uncle has been sick for along time and his heart and lungs finally gave out on him.

This is my parents. My Dad looks a lot like my Uncle Tad but he has taken much better care of himself and it definitely show. My dad looks the same as I can remember. He does not age!! He is amazing. Unfortunately at these times in our lives, we are reminded that we are all getting older and we do not have as much time on this earth as we think that we have so we must definitely make good use of every day and not let our loved ones go very long without letting them know how much we love them and what they mean in our lives. This is one that I am not very good at but this past year have been trying to do better at. Sometimes I think that they will always be there and that disagreement can go for a time without taking care of them however we waste so much time and energy, when really they are very minuscule to what this life is truly about so let us not waste the time that we have, bottom line.

"Total Relaxation"

It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted but a lot has been going on. Torrey and I had the opportunity to fly to Las Vegas and stay at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Henderson Nevada. Torrey had met all of his numbers that he is accounted for at Smiths so Torrey was in for winning the grand prize that Smith's was giving away. 32 store Directors met their goal out of 150 Store Directors. So way to go Torrey!!!! What a beautiful place! It sits just off of Lake Las Vegas so it was just relaxing and the weather was just perfect. Not to hot but not to cool either. April is a great month to visit Las Vegas if you would ever like to go unless you like intense heat. We flew in at about 1:00 p.m. and was shuttled to our destination. We had the afternoon to ourselves so we went and had lunch at a yummy Mexican Restaurant and then walked around the hotel a bit and checked out the surroundings. It was a great chance to reconnect for a bit. Later that night, we met at the little beach and had dinner with the group and played beach games which was a lot of fun. Torrey won a $400.00 golf driver that night which cost him $20.00 but was very comical and will have to tell the story sometime on how he won. Smith's people will not be forgetting that anytime soon. Saturday was a very relaxing day for me because Torrey went and played golf all day with the group of Directors. His new driver served him well. They played "Best Ball" which he said that they used a lot of his drives but he ended up being 4 over par. He had alot of fun! I went for a walk around Lake Las Vegas and looked at all of the beautiful homes around the golf course. I came back and started reading a book and sitting by the swimming pool catching a few sun rays which these white legs are definitely in need for. I was able to take a nap and then when Torrey came back we relaxed by the pool with some other people we knew. We then got ready for the big night. Torrey was feeling pretty confident about winning the grand prize of either $15,000,two jet ski's (which we were wanting),two snowmobiles, or two, four wheelers. After a delicious salmon dinner was the prize giveaway. Needless to say we did not win but had a great time trying. The winner walked away with $15,000. We flew out early Sunday morning and were able to get back to Green River in good time. Thank you so much Julie and Sara for taking the girls. They had so much fun!!! It was very nice to get away with Torrey and know that the kids were in good hands. We appreciate it more than you know.