We'll Be Seein Ya

I am thankful every day that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. The knowledge and guidance that it gives to my life is priceless. I don't know how I could live in this day and age and raise my family without it. However, I don't think I have ever been as thankful for it as I am today. I am thankful for the Temple blessings. Of knowing that families are eternal. That even though we might have to be a part for a little while it really is only a moment in the eternal perspective. So Poad, this is not a final goodbye it's just a "We'll Be Seein' Ya!"

Lincoln Sherwood

Jan 9, 1947 - Sept 26, 2010

Sand, Fire, Marshmellows...Priceless

One of the many things I learned growing up in St. Johns is that all you need to make a summer evening a ton of fun is a sand wash, the ability to light a fire, and marshmallows. These three things are part of many of my memories and I'm sure a few of my children's. This summer we invited some friends to experience the fun with us. Let's face it, it's always more fun to have little ones around and unfortunately my little ones had the nerve to get bigger than me. All of them!!! So thanks Matthew's for coming with us and sharing your little ones.

We learned a few important things on this adventure to the sand wash. I thought I would go a head and share them.

Flip Flops are NOT the foot ware of choice at the sand wash!

Smoke Bomb's at the sand wash are a must! They entertain kiddo's of all ages for an extended amount of time.



There is a talent to roasting the perfect marshmallow. Megan has this talent!!

Look it is roasted perfectly! I didn't take a picture of my marshmallows because I do not have the marshmallow roasting talent. My marshmallows all come out a very beautiful shade of black. Boy do they taste good!

We also learned there are many ways to eat giant marshmallow. ( I found these giant marshmallows at Alco and I must say they were my favorite find of the whole summer! They were just awesome.)

Kensie's method was to just put it on a stick and eat it like an apple. Good method and the least messy.

Brookyn's favorite way to eat hers was to just smash it. She made her smore, smashed it as flat as she could and shoved it in her mouth! Her way was my favorite way to eat them.

Tayli just enjoyed the hugeness of the marshmallow! She set her giant marshmallow between her graham cracker and very carefully nibbled away so she wouldn't smash it at all. This too was a good method but a little too time consuming for the rest of us.




Now Bryle really didn't care how he ate them, he just wanted to get as sticky as possible. This one was not my preferred way of eating them but he sure enjoyed it!

Draylon really didn't have much to do with the giant marshmallows he just went for the chocolate!! Wearing brown is one of his favorite things to do at the sand wash.

Look at that face!! This is how everyone feels after a summer evening at the sand wash.

I think everyone had a great time and made some great memories. I have a feeling this won't be the last memory making sand wash trip for the Sherwood's and the Matthew's. And it was so much fun to have the little one's and the big one's too!

Fun In The Sun

For Labor Day weekend we were able to go down to Gilbert for my nephew Kyle's wedding. While we were there we decided to take in a Diamond Backs game. We had a blast!!! It was our first time to go. If we lived down there I would go all the time. They played the Astro's and they lost. We still had so much fun. We invited anyone who wanted to go but it ended up just being our family and my parents. Here are a few pictures of all of us.

The whole gang (minus me who was taking the picture)

Kensie and " The Boyfriend" Jason (23, returned Missionary, all around great guy, stay tuned)

Kace ( you will understand his look in the next picture)

The Clone's (oh my)

My cute parents

Look, I really was there!!

We Are Back

Ok we have been back for a week but it has taken me that long to catch up. We ended up cutting a couple of days off the trip so Mark didn't get to see Jeff Gordon's cars. He can't complain because it is his fault we had to be home early. We had to be home for church on the 13th because we got a new bishopric and they put Mark in as 2nd counselor. We made it home Saturday evening and both of our parents were already here. It was great that they were here for him.

So we went a long way in a short time. These are the states we were in during our seven days gone (some of them we were in twice) New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kansas. I think that was all.

This is Kesseli's new home outside of South Bend Indiana. It is so nice and green. We got there Sunday afternoon and unloaded some of the truck. Then Monday morning it was off to Jann's. I am so glad we were able to help Kess and Jon move. We had the baby Tayce with us and he slept the whole time. I sure do love all of them!!

This is what you see back east. It doesn't matter where you are you just see trees.

This is in Pennsylvania.

We got to Jann's house Monday night. It was so good to see her and her family. They were so incredible to us. Amanda and Ashley gave us their room for three nights. Thanks guys!! Jann feed us, drove us, photographed us, and so much more. James filled in for Jann with the kids so she could play with us. It was a good thing we had her with us or we would have gotten so lost. I just loved seeing where she lives and getting to know her family a little bit. Thanks Jann for everything and we will see you next year, same time!

One of the funnest things we did was ride the train into DC and then the subway. I thought it was great. I am so grateful I don't have to do that everyday. So many people commute to work like that every single day. I am glad I am not one of them. I don't think you could pay Mark enough money to do it!!! That said it is really fun to do as a tourist. Just make sure you don't get on the quiet car!!

The subway station is really underground and dark.

One thing we learned about the subway is if you are not sitting down you better be hanging on for dear life! The subway is FAST.

Thanks to Jann we made it to the Mall in DC. All Mark wanted to do was go to the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian so that was the first thing we found. It is in a huge beautiful building. We learned really quickly it was a huge bust. There was hardly anything in there at all. So we moved on.

The Capitol Building. We just walked by because the tour had a huge line and we didn't really want to wait.

There is 19 Smithsonian museums on the Mall. After the American Indian was such a dud we only went in the Museum of Natural History. It was great!! I took this picture because this skeleton was found in Arizona. When my dad was in high school they found five complete skeletons just like this one on his ranch and the Smithsonian shipped all of them back east. So this could be from my dad's ranch. I though that was really cool. We really did want to go to the Air and Space museum but there was probably 20 buses parked outside and 1000 kids in line to go in. We skipped it.

The Washington Monument.

This was my favorite monument on the Mall. I can't explain it. It was just awesome.

There is a Pacific and an Atlantic side to this monument with all of the state represented. We found New Mexico first thing.

I think this is the Pacific side.

Vietnam Monument.

This was Mark's favorite monument. The Lincoln Monument. It was really neat. There is a lot of stairs up to it so I was just glad to make it up.

Korea War Monument.

Wednesday Jann took us to Mount Vernon. This was the summer home of George and Martha Washington. We loved it there. It was a beautiful place. I can see why there would want to be there every summer.

This is the back of the house. You can look out at the Potomac. This is also where the party was on National Treasure.

This is George Washington's tomb. Mark and my boys don't think he is really there. I just figure that it is as good a place as any for him.

After Mount Vernon we drove to Baltimore. We drove right by Camden Yards. Both nights we were in Maryland the O's were playing the Yankee's. Mark wanted to go so bad. We could have got tickets they were available. We almost dropped Mark off right here so he could go but it had been raining all day and was supposed to rain all night. He didn't want to go and just sit through a rain delay so he didn't go. It turned out to be a good choice. They had like a 2 hour rain delay and then the Yankee's won. He would have been miserable!! I promised him we would go back next year so he could go to a game.

There was this church just down from Camden Yard's with this sign. I just had to take a picture.

Friday night we stayed at Mark's parents house in Texas. They were all ready on the way to our house but we had these little guys there to greet us. There are seven of them. So cute.

It was such a great trip. We really want to go back because there is so much to do there that we just didn't have time for. One thing this trip made me realize is that I love where we live!! There really is no place like home!!

Road Trip

Mark and I get to go away!! Just for a few days but I am so excited. We are going to help my niece Kesseli and her family move back east. Her husband Jon is graduating medical school and starts his residency in Indiana. They have three little guys, a moving van and their car so we get to help with the move. Then we will be only a few hours from my cousin Jann. She lives in Maryland. I just can't be that close and not go see her. I think she has lived there for 14 years(?) and we have always wanted to visit her so here we go!!! We will spend a few days with her and doing the Washington DC stuff and then we will head home. We will be coming home through North Carolina so Mark can see all of Jeff Gordons cars. A must see!! My plan is to take a ton of pictures so be prepared.

Kade's Prom Night

Doesn't he look so handsome? He really had a great time. He took Tayler Duncan and they went with Kasey Costner, Kourtni Ashcroft, Easton Sherwood and Kim Smith. They got all dressed up early and headed into Farmington. Kourtni's sister is a photographer and she took their pictures. They turned out so good. Then they went to Tayler's house and had dinner. The girls decided they didn't want to go to a fancy restaurant they wanted Kasey's mom to cook for them. Kasey's mom Linda grew up in Hong Kong and she cooks authentic Chinese food that is to die for. They made a smart decision!! So Linda cooked and they ate at Tayler's . It was all fancy and delicious. Then it was off to the dance. They must of had a great time there because when they made it to breakfast at my house at about 1:00 am they were all exhausted but with big smiles. We fed them waffles, fruit, and apple dumplings. They ate, laughed and then went home to sleep. The one thing I know for sure is I am way to old to stay up until 2:30 in the morning. It was so worth it but I am so glad it is only once a year!!

Kade and Tayler

Kade and Tayler being Goofs

The whole gang

Oh the FUN

A Day In The Life Of Kensie Shay

Kensie's typical day goes like this:

Sleep in until the last possible second.
Hurry and get ready.
Make it to class just on time.
Go to school all day.
Sometimes go to lunch with mom.
Go to work.
Social life after work every night.
Home late.
Sleep.

A couple of weeks ago she had a little bit of a schedule change that I feel is very much worth sharing. Her day started out the usual way. Getting up a little late and rushing around to make it to class on time. She let the dog out back and then started her car to let it warm up. She then went into her closet to find her shoes. This is when her day was about to change. (Kensie's closet is a walk in. For the last four years her closet door has been a little bit sticky and hard to open from the outside. ) As she was digging for her shoes she bumped to door and sure enough it closed. She then discovered that the door does not open at all from the inside! So there she was locked in her closet, her cell phone on her bed, all the light's on, her music blasting, the dog still outside, and her car running!! She tried everything to get out but nothing worked so for the next five hours she cried and beat on the door. Lucky for her her brothers had early release and got home around 1:30. Kace, who thought it was really odd that Kensie's car was at the house and it was running, sat down on the couch and heard something strange coming from Kensie's room. He went to investigate and eventually opened the closet door. Kensie was finally FREE!! She grabbed her phone right then and called me at work. " Mom , guess where I have been for the last five hours? Locked in my closet!!" Now being the kind, wonderful, loving mother that I am I immediately bust out laughing. "Mom!! It was terrifying!! And the worst part is I really, really have to pee!!!" Still being the amazing mother that I am, I was then rolling on the floor with laughter and huge tears running down my face. Her car was really warm and still had gas in it. The dog was happy to finally be in the house. She was thrilled to have her phone back. And her bladder felt much better!!
Kensie has been a really good sport about this!! She has survived not only the trauma of being locked away, five hours without texting but also the countless jokes told at her expense. (It didn't take long for this story to get told to everyone) They really have been great jokes!! A lot of them have to do with her coming out of the closet!!! I have also informed her that I will be installing a 72 hour kit in her closet made just for her. It will be in a large bucket with a double roll of TP to make sure all her needs are met. I am taking suggestions for additional items

Mark Is Feeling His Age

Poor Mark, he is really feeling his age. He woke up this morning and remembered he is now married to a 39 year old lady!! HA HA

A Date To Prom?

Kade's junior prom is coming up and so he decided he would ask Tayler Duncan. He wanted to ask her in a cute way so Kensie and I helped him out. He took her a balloon bouquet. It was tied to a box of Jolly Time popcorn that also had a story attached. The story went like this: (every time a color is mentioned she is suppose to pop that color balloon)

Once upon a time, in a not so far away land, lived a handsome young prince who drove a horseless silver carriage. A grand ball was quickly approaching and the prince didn't want to get stuck taking an ugly green frog. After looking far and wide throughout the kingdom, over mountain, through forests, even the deep blue sea he came across an enchanted castle. He soon discovered that living in the castle was a beautiful princess who wore a pretty pink dress. His heart leapt with great joy to finally discover the perfect date to the grand ball. Now, he awaits her answer, holding his breath, trying not to turn red in the face, hoping they will have a popping good time!

Inside the five balloons to pop were slips of paper. It said: Tayler, How about Prom? Kade

Kade and Kensie snuck up and put them on her doorstep. He then texted her and told her there was a surprise waited outside her door.

The first thing the next morning she texted him and told him there wasn't anything on her doorstep. He was totally bummed and Kensie and I were just mad that someone would steal her balloons!! When I got to work she had left me a message telling me she really did get them and she didn't want him to know until she answered him. So I played along just happy that there wasn't a balloon thief running around in Kirtland!

The next night there was a knock on our door and when we opened it there was a letter addressed to Kade taped to the door. This is what the letter said:

The wonderful fondness that I have felt towards you

is now gone, I have found that my indifference towards you

increases with every day. The more I see you the more

you appear in my eyes to be an object of disdain and contempt

I feel myself in every way completely bound and determined

to dislike you. Believe me, I have absolutely no intention

of going to this dance with you. The last time we talked

just left me in a very grumpy and sour mood and by no means

gave me high and valued opinion of you and your abilities

it seems your personality is constantly in conflict with mine.

If we go the the dance, I'd experience nothing but the

harassment of friends and family added to everlasting dis-

pleasure of being with you. I could not think of anyone more

boring, stuck-up, big-headed and annoying than you and less

desirable to go to prom with.

I hope you will try in your own little way to understand that

I speak sincerely and hope that you will do me the favor of

completely avoiding me in the future. I hope that you will stop

being my friend since you seem to always be full of immense

lies, deceit, and betrayal. You do not have the slightest bit of

cleverness and good sense. Please believe me when I say I

am very sorry this had to happen, but it is important for me to

want to go to prom with you on April 10.

with love, Tayler

You should have seen his face fall when he read it. It was bad! He read it and then had Kensie read it out loud. It was still bad! Kade's only comment was "Wow, that makes me feel way less of a person." We really felt bad for him. Poor guy!!

Then next morning we found this on the doorstep.

Wow, now he is really feeling way low!! Then he remembers that she told him she didn't find anything on her doorstep so how did she have the popcorn to give back. He knew then something was up. Sure enough, there was a not inside the popcorn.

So if you go back to the letter and read every other line you will see that Kade really does have a date for his Junior Prom! I think he will always remember how he asked Tayler to the prom and how she answered. Fun times!!

Happy Birthday

March 6th Kace turned 14!! I can't stand that my baby is 14! He wanted his girls to take him out for his birthday and Kensie and I were up for that. We took him to lunch, went shopping because he had birthday money to spend, and then we saw Alice in Wonderland. It was a really fun day. I think he had a very good start to his fourteenth year. Happy Birthday Kace, we love you!!

(Don't you just love his card? Inside it said "Bet you didn't think you were going to get a paper pickle for your birthday!" He loved it! Also, this picture was taken first thing in the morning thus the hair!)