Flash Back Friday

This Holiday Season I have been thinking lots about my Grandpa. He passed away in 2000, and I have missed him so very much. He was the worlds best Grandpa. He always went out of his way to make you feel like you were his all time favorite grandchild, and loved to serenade you and dance with you. One of his biggest loves were his grandchildren and great grandchildren. I love this picture below of my grandpa with Jackie's youngest Jaden. The look you see on his face below was the same look you always seen when he was around, especially if you were his grand or great grandchild. He adored us all, and made sure we all knew just how (precious) we were to him. As I think about his posterity and it's growth, I can't help but imagine the huge smile he must have on his face. I will never forget the love he had for me, and the memories he left behind for me to Cherish. This next picture makes me laugh all over again. This was taken at Grandpas 80th Birthday Party. We made this giant cake, and then my uncle Jerrol jumped out of it. I remember how surprised my Grandpa was, and how much he laughed. He had a good sense of humor, which I loved. He knew how to have fun, and he wasn't afraid to do so. Check out that sweet face of his. I love you grandpa, thanks for the memories. Merry Christmas.

Flash Back Friday.....

A friend and I were chatting the other day about our blogs, and the things that we want to put on our blogs for memories sake, and the fact that we want to make them into books. She said her sister-in-law has a Flash Back Friday on her blog, and the more we talked about it, the more I liked this idea. I like that she puts a picture on her blog and tells the story behind it, or tells a good memory she has of the person or persons that are in the picture. She said she doesn't always do pictures either. She sometimes just tells something about someone who has been on her mind a lot during that week. I thought this was such an awesome idea being that I have lots and lots of pictures I would love to post, and lots of memories I would love to share, (especially with my kids and with Ray) so I am jumping on board the Flash Back Friday wagon.

Tagged by Brandi

ABC's

A - Attached or single?Married, with two beautiful kiddos!

B-Best Friend(s)? Ray

C- Cake or Pie? Cherry Pie

D- Day of Choice? The Wednesday - Tuesday that Ray is in town.

E- Essential Item? Olay body quench lotion. (try it you'll love it) and my Carmex

F- Favorite clothing item? Jeans

G- Greatest Ambition in Life? For my kids to be good kids at home and out in the world.

H- Hometown? Raised in Hurricane, My home's in Tremonton, residing in LaVerkin for 6mths

I- Indulgence? Diet Pepsi.

J- Jan. or July? January of course

K- Kids? yup, two of the best...

L- Life isn't complete without? My hubby by my side.

M- Movie? Lake House, The best two Years,

N-Number of bros and sisters: 6 older sisters, 1 younger brother, plus their loving spouses which I consider to be siblings, then I have 2 bro-in-laws and three sis in-laws on Rays side and their spouses that I consider siblings as well.

O-Oranges or Apples? Oranges

P- Phobia or Fear? Someone taking my kids because they think they can.

Q- Quote? I am who I am, and who I am is me.

R- Reason to Smile? My hubby is home and my kids are not fighting. :) good times!

S- Season of Choice? Fall, all the trees change color, and winter is just around the corner.

T- TV Show? Big Bang Theory, The Office

U- Unknown Fact about Me? I'm allergic to Cantaloupe

V-Vegetable- Spinach!!

W- Worst habit? Biting my nails

X- X-ray or Ultrasound? Never had an ultra sound, but have had many X-rays, so I'll choose it

Y- Your favorite food? Chinese, Seafood and Italian.

Z- Zodiac Sign? Gemini

Now I Tag Emily G, Shelise M, Heidi W, Kim W, and Melissa N. Have fun girls!

I Am Thankful For

I Am Thankful For
30-The opportunity to serve others
29-The day spent with Ray and the kids
28-Leftovers
27-The Christmas music I get to start listening to
26-Cartoons, they seem to help a sick boy not wine so much.
25-Family, both near and far.
24-Whitney (my venting partner)
23-The FREEDOM I so often take for granted
22-My Eternal Marriage
21-Sisters who are also my best friends
20- The spirit that comes with being thankful
19-My Dishwasher
18-My Licence (love ya Brandi)
17-A Daughter who tries to please
16-Sunday dinner at Mikes house
15-Daddy Daughter Dates
14-A Happy, Smiling Son
13-Music
12-Carmex
11-Nap Time
10-My Washer and Dryer
9-Tylenol and Tissue
8- Sisters, who are also my friends
7- My Cameras'
6- A nice warm bed
5- Comfy Tennies
4- The outporing of love from family
3- My Kids
2- My Loving Husband
1- The Gospel

Daddy Daughter Date

On Saturday Ray and Ellie went on a Daddy Daughter Date. They left Saturday morning for Cedar, where they stopped in and visited Mike and his family. Mike had asked Ray if he would be willing to help fix lights out in his barn apartment that Ben will be living in. After leaving Mike's they headed off to the SUU football game. Ray said Ellie tried very hard to get into the game, and loved watching the Cheerleaders. Ray even had the opportunity of catching Ellie a little football that was thrown into the crowd. Ray said that he even broke down and bought his first ever nachos at a football game. (He must really love his Ella Bell)After the game they headed over to Appleabee's for dinner. Ellie had received a gift card to Applebee's for getting 100% on her spelling. Ray said he enjoyed spending time with her, and had fun watching her trying to be such a big girl, ordering her own food, and drink without hardly any help. After they were done eating dinner, they headed to Wal Mart where my sweet husband picked me up a dozen beautiful red roses, and he picked up a dozen pick roses for Ellie, Which she just thinks are the prettiest. When they arrived home Saturday evening she was on cloud nine, and was talking ninety miles an hour about all the fun things her and her dad had done together. She said it was one of her best days ever. (haha) Thank you sweet heart for making her day so wonderful, and remember, Jake's next.

Corn Dogs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhHXYzs2UFc


Go check out this silly song. We went to the fair during the summer and the band sang this song. It seamed the entire audience knew the song, and we were out of the loop. Pretty funny, Pretty silly, Pretty dumb.... haha

Halloween Pics

My family had a Halloween Party on the 30th of October, and we all had a lot of fun. We have not been down here for many parties, so my kids were more than happy that we were able to attend this one. Each family brought a pot of soup, and a treat to hand out. Chad and Terra had several fun games for the kids to play, and even a couple of fun things for the adults to do (Kellie even ended up getting her eye poked out several times). HaHa As far as actual trick-or-treating goes, my kids did not go. I am sure some of you are thinking (HOW RUDE) but I can explain. I don't much care for the door to door thing. I don't much like the idea of kids asking for candy. I don't want my kids ever thinking it is ok to talk to strangers, and being new down here again everyone is a stranger, and they had already got their treats from family. They got to dress up and play in costumes all day, and we had a popcorn/video/pizza party that night.

I've been Tagged*

Ok, if you see this blog you are supposed to go to your pictures file and look in the 4th folder, the 4th picture and post it.

This Picture was taken at Ellie's 6th birthday party. We invited 15 girls with the thought that we might have 4 or 5 actually show. We ended up with 15 girls counting Ellie. The theme was a princess party. The girls all seemed to have a great time, and Ellie still likes to talk about it. So like it says above, if you are reading this tag, then tag you are it.

Sunday Pictures

Sunday I took the kids out and did some pictures of them. Neither kid was really wanting to do pictures, and getting them to both look at me at the same time was not easy. I ended up going to my parents house where my dad tried to help out a little bit by making the kids at least smile for the camera. Here are my results. I think that I will maybe try and do this again in a few days, and take a change of clothes for them as well so that we have some options.

Two Front Teeth*

One of Ellie's top front teeth has been loose fro a couple of weeks now. Well on Monday she bumped the front of her mouth on the shopping cart, and made the other front tooth a bit loose. Well she has been really working on one of her teeth, but did not realize just how loose the other one was getting with no help from her. This morning she came up to me excited to show me that her tooth was almost ready to come out. I looked at a tooth that was really loose and about to fall out, and commented that it was just hanging there. She quickly informed me that the tooth I was touching wasn't the tooth she was talking about. So we went into the bathroom to check out both teeth. Well, a few minutes later she came out with such a panic, yet excited look on her face holding her tooth (the tooth that she had no clue was loose). She quickly grabbed the phone and called daddy to let him know her tooth came out. We then snapped a few pictures of her new toothless smile, and headed upstairs to get ready for the day. I got ready, then it was Jake's turn, and then Ellie came into the bathroom and while I was doing her hair she kept rubbing her tongue along her tooth that was still in her mouth. A few minutes later she got another surprised look on her face as she opened her mouth to show me that her tooth was just hanging in her mouth. I asked if she wanted help pulling it, but she said she wanted to pull it by herself just like the one she'd pulled earlier. So with toilet paper in hand she yanked it out. She looked in the mirror, got a big toothless smile on her face and then grabbed the phone to call daddy to yet again tell him her tooth had come out. We snapped more pictures, and then headed out the door to run errands, and show everyone her new beautiful smile. So, without further a-due, I give you my toothless princess. ; )

We've *MOVED*

At the beginning of this month Ray and I, after much thought and discussion decided to move back to Southern Utah. He sent the kids and I down to find a place to live, and he stayed in Tremonton. We decided that with all the trouble Ellie has been having with kids both at school, and in our own neighborhood/ward, that it would be wise to move closer to family where our kids could feel accepted and loved. I was able to find a 3 bedroom town home that we live in here in LaVerkin, and Ray will stay in the house in Tremonton. We don't want to sell the house up North, but have thought instead that we might rent it out. He is going to keep his job in Brigham for the time being and we will see him every other week. (He works the seven on/ seven off shift). I miss him like crazy when he is gone, and enjoy every minute with him while he is here with me. Our lease on this place will run out the same time Ellie finishes with school, and then we will decide what we want to do. We may decide to move to Brigham, and Ray keep his job. Or, we may decide to sell our home up North, and buy a home in Cedar City and Ray would get a job at the hospital in Cedar. A friend of mine up in Tremonton called me to let me know that the rumor going around is that Ray and I are separated and getting divorced. She told me she has been very quick to tell people that our marriage is fine, it is the people we live near that are not fine, and that mothers in our ward should be ashamed of themselves for raising the kinds of girls they are raising. This is the friend who is not really religious, and does not think to highly of Mormons. Anyway, it kind of made me feel a bit bad that instead of calling my cell and asking if everything was OK, or if there was anything they could do for us, some of these young moms chose to start rumors. Well, enough of the story, here is our short term address if any of you care to add it in pencil to your address books. Ray and Mickie Westfall 723 North 195 West
LaVerkin, UT 84745. Our cell numbers will remain the same for right now.

1 Broken Arm = 1 Pink Cast

We went to Mike and Karen's Sunday for dinner, and after we were done eating, Ellie & Jake went downstairs to play. A few minutes later she came upstairs crying quite hard, and complaining of her wrist and hand hurting. When we had asked her what had happened she said climbed on Mike's treadmill, and then turned it on and it knocked her off where she landed on her arm. I gave her some children's Tylenol, and then we put an ice pack on it. Through the night she did not sleep well, and woke up several times crying that her hand was really hurting her bad. Monday morning we sent her off to school with her hand and wrist wrapped and told her we would make her an appointment if it still hurt her after school. While she was at school we made her the appointment, and then picked her up after school and I took her to the Dr. They did an x-ray, and sure enough it was broken. The doc then took us across the room and let Ellie pick her color of cast. She of course being the pink lover she is quickly chose a pink cast. When we left he told me to watch for swelling, and said to keep ice on it for the rest of the evening. Well by the time we got home to show her dad, her hand was swollen, and her fingers were turning purple, so it was back to the doctor to have the cast cut on both sides to loosen it and then he wrapped co ban around it for 3 days and sent us on our way. We will go in on Thursday and if the swelling is completely gone he will put a new cast on it and she will wear it for 2 to 4 weeks and then she will go in for another Dr's visit.

A lot of information, and a big THANK YOU!!!

First off I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to a good friend Talonnie Prince, who offered some help in trying to find information about Harry Kinder. She was able to find a lot of really good info for me. She found an obit, and a step daughters name. So Talonnie, thank you so very much for your willingness to help me out. I appreciate it so very much, and owe you big time.

With this info, I was able to track down Harry's step son-in-law who was willing to talkt o me a little bit about Harry's life, and was also able to give me Gail's (the stepdaughter) phone number. I am now just waiting for a call back from Gail.

Here is his Obituary.
Deceased Name: HARRY H. KINDER
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. May 5, 1994, at Lincoln Memorial Park and Funeral Home . Mr. Kinder died May 2, 1994, of causes related to age. He was 81.
He was born Dec. 16, 1912, in Wabash, Ill., and moved to Louisville, Ky., as a child. He also lived in California and Washington before moving to Oregon.
His wife, Ruth, died in 1992. He worked as a cement finisher with various construction firms and retired in 1977.
Surviving are his daughter, Vidagail Holmes of Troutdale; numerous brothers and sisters; and two grandchildren.
Disposition will be by cremation.
Remembrances: favorite charity. This is the only picture I have of him. Hopefully his step daughter share any she has.
Stay Tuned, hopefully more news to follow.

Lincoln Cemetery & the Prortland Zoo

On our way home from the be beach we stopped off in Portland to see if we could find the grave of my dad's birth father. My aunt had told us the cemetery name, and I figured it would be just a matter of asking for the plat number, and we would be done. Well on Saturday afternoon we pulled into Portland, and by the time we were able to find the Cemetery, the offices had closed. So Ray being the wonderful person that he is said we would stay until Monday when the offices re-opened so that we could find Harry's grave site. Well, that left all day Sunday with nothing to do. So, we decided since we had been promising the kids we'd take them to the Zoo for a year now. So Sunday morning we headed for the Portland Zoo. It is a huge Zoo, and everyone was able to find their favorite animal, and spend time watching them. Jake and Ray quickly decided that the Sea Lions were their favorite. Ellie fell in love with the Sea Otter, (there was a baby one there), and I fell in love with the two very big and very beautiful Polar Bears. We enjoyed the zoo very much, and had lots of fun spending time as a family.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

So Monday morning we hurried to the Lincoln Cemetery so that we could get the info we needed to find Harry's grave. But, to my disappointment found that he is not buried there. I was very sad about his. The lady their was very kind and gave me a list of 44 Cemeteries in the Portland area that I can call. So we don't know where he is buried, and I have a big job ahead of me. I have called 30 of the 44 to no avail, but I refuse to give up, I will find him. But I just feel bad that we stayed in the Oregon 2 extra days waiting to see his grave. At least the Zoo was fun, and we have good memories of that .

Tagged

My friend Emily tagged me a while ago, and I decided why not take a break from cleaning, and do the tag so here goes-

8 different things

8 T.V. shows that I love:
The Office
Scrubs
Project Runway
Grey's Anatomy
ER
Desperate Housewives
Big Bang Theory
Cold Case

8 Favorite Restaurants:
Subway
Golden Corral
China Gardens
Olive Garden
can't think of any others

8 Things that happened yesterday:
Got Ellie and Jake off to school
Did some housework
Went and watched the city burn down a 100 year old school (got some cool pics of it)
sat outside and visited with Amie while our kids played for a bit
Did some housework, and laundry
Searched the net for info on Harry Kinder
Made dinner for my family
Went to bed (I know I have a boring life)

8 Things I look forward to:
Fall
Soccer to come to an end
My Bathroom and Rays office to be completed
Christmas
General Conference
My back yard to be done
Getting Rays scores in the mail
Getting my blurb book finished

8 Things I love about Fall:
The leaves falling to the ground
All the pretty colors
Going for Sunday drives looking at all the leaves changing colors
Cooler weather
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Fall storms with thunder and lighting
Playing in the leaves

8 Things on my wish list:
For my birds to find a good home
A new car (we are tired of having a van)
For my kitchen to always stay clean and my laundry always be done
For my grey hair to magically disappear and never return. (It makes me feel old :( and I don't want to be yet.)
For the hair on my legs to stop growing.
A new cell phone, mine broke and now it hurts to talk on it.
To find that perfect place to do my kids fall pics outside and the perfect day.
A good nights sleep

8 People I tag:
I am tagging those who want to take on the challenge of doing this tag. Good luck and enjoy!!

Ocean Shores Washington Vacation

Our family took a much needed vacation to the beach last week, and enjoyed every minute of our time. We left on Tuesday the 16th, and returned home on Tuesday the 23rd. We stayed in Ocean Shores Washington, and loved being right on the beach in a small little quiet town. One of the reasons it was quiet is because we waited until the summer season was over so that it would not be so busy or as expensive as it would have been in the summer. We fell in love with the area, and have even talked about making it the place we would love to retire to. The temperatures were great the entire time, and although the water was cold Ellie and Jake still chose to play in the water. One older lady said as she was passing by that they reminded her of her first time at the beach. By the time the kids got out of the water they had blue lips, and goose bumps all over. We had the best of both worlds Ray and I, he loves the Jetty, where the water beats up against the rocks. He loves the power it brings, and the force you feel as the water crashes against the boulders. I had the sandy beaches, where you could walk forever searching for beautiful sand dollars, and sea shells of which we found lots and lots of both. While in Ocean Shores we found several cool parks with playground equipment that we had never seen before, and the kids had a blast maneuvering their way through. We even had the chance of seeing sea lions out in the water. They never got close enough to get full body pictures, but I was able to get some descent head shots of several. One day while at the Jetty we watched the Coast Guard move in on a boat that we later were told was sinking. I got some pictures of it, and talked of how awesome it was to the guy who let us check it out with his binoculars, and then had to apologize for sounding so cold. He assured me he was not offended and thought it was kinda cool to see as well. The slide show that I have attached has comments made on each picture if you want to read them just click play. We had a great time, and were not sure we were ready to come home when the weak came to an end. We were able to see lots of dear who have made this small coastal town there home, and also had fun feeding the seagulls. Both kids were excited to get hoodie sweat shirts to wear, and Ray was able to find an old peace of drift wood he brought home with him along with a tupperware dish full of sand. I brought home lots of sand dollars and sea shells. We are all looking forward for our Vacation to Ocean Shores next year.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Haappy Birthday to you!!

I Love You !!!

Tuesday Tell All

Home Sweet Home

To me, Home Sweet Home is a place where you feel like you are safe, a place where you can kick of your shoes and feel like you belong. We have moved several times in our nine plus years of marriage, and each time with each place we have lived I have felt like I was not just somewhere, but home. Right after we got married Ray sold his small home in Hurricane, and we moved to Garland Ut. We lived in an older home with lots of creeks, and I wondered how we could ever feel like it was ours being so far from family, and not knowing anyone in the area. Well the moment pictures were hung, and beds were made we felt like we were home. We left Garland after a year, and moved back to Hurricane. Again we quickly felt like we were home, but had the added bonus of having family around. A year after moving to Hurricane, we moved to Cedar City. Our place of residence was a very small 2 bedroom apartment, and fit 2 people and an office very snugly. This time it took a bit longer to feel like we were home, it didn't feel like we could kick our shoes off with our being scolded. We were not allowed to hang pictures, and the landlord and his wife let us know quite often that it was their place and we were just tenants. Then we found that with sticky hooks, and locked doors we were able to feel at home because we were able to hang our pictures, and keep the landlord out. Well after Ray did a year of School at SUU, and was ready to start trucking, we decided that it was time to move North. We ended up moving to Ogden Ut. We found a place right off Washington and 14th street. It was a busy part of town, and as hard as I tried, I had a very hard time feeling safe. I spent a lot of time alone while Ray was out on the truck, and spent a lot of nights double and triple checking the door before backing up the stairs to bed. Crazy I know, but it is just the way it had to be. I did however end up falling in love with the place, and feeling very much like it was a home sweet home before we moved after being there for 2 years. After Ogden, we moved to Brigham City into a three bedroom 1 bath apartment until we could get settled and used to Rays new job at the Hospital. The apartment was cozy, but the land lady was a mean as a rabid dog. She did not like me at all, but seemed to think the world of Ray. So after a bit we cozied right into living in Brigham, and found our little place to be ours. After a year in Brigham, we decided that the place we loved the most was the place we started out, and bought our home here in Tremonton. We fell in love with our home the first time we saw it, and felt that as long as we loved this home as much as we had loved our rentals it could be our own Home Sweet Home. So this is where we are, and have been here 3 years. We love the town, and the small town feel it provides for our growing family. We invite all who pass by to come kick off your shoes and visit for a while. The door is always open to the ones we love.

*Our Kitty Fred * Nov-04 / Sept-08 R.I.P

At the end of last week we noticed that our cat Fred was sick. At first we thought maybe he just had a cold or something, then he started to get worse. Well, on Wednesday night we were afraid that he would end up dying while we were asleep, and so the next morning we took him to the Animal Hospital for some tests. It turned out that his bladder was engorged from some kidney/bladder stones. The Vet tried to catheterize him with no success, but was able to drain his bladder. They wanted to keep him for three days with an IV going in, and a Cathe coming out to see if he would be able too recover or if his Kidneys were shot. Thursday when the kids got out of school we went seen him, and let the kids pet him, and then Ray and I went on Friday after the kids went to school, and then once again when the kids got home from school. Well, yesterday marked day number three, and after a call from the Vet, Ray decided it was time to head back in for a closer look. When he got there our poor Fred was so sick he couldn't hardly even lift his head, but did manage to move it into Ray's hand. Ray waited while the Vet did an ultra sound which showed more stones in the bladder. Fred was barley alive at this point, and Ray and the doc felt that the chance for survival was very low. So they decided the best thing to do would be to euthanize him. The Vet gave Ray a few minutes with Fred while he got the shot ready, and Ray said Fred even purred a bit, but could not open his eyes. I guess I am pretty thankful that there are Meds out there that help suffering animals to go so quickly. We are pretty sad at our house. Fred was such a good cat. He was one of a kind. We got Fred the day my great nephew Alex was born, and have loved him so much. He loved to sit on Rays books while he studied, and didn't mind at all if the kids laid on him. He loved to take baths, and would sit in the sink while we got ready for the day. He was such a part of our family, and we are going to miss him so much. Poor little Jake keeps asking if we can go to the Hospital to see Fred. We have told him several times that Fred went to live with Grandpa Westfall, but he just does not quite understand. Ellie however cried pretty hard when we told her he passed away. Ray and I both shed some tears as well. I told Ray this is it for us, I don't want anymore animals. It makes it to hard when you get attached to them and then have to watch them suffer like Fred did. The picture above is of Fred when he was a little kitty. I unfortunately do not have any of him as a big cat. I do on my cell phone, just not on my computer. He was a handsome cat. White with soft orange stripes on his tail and orange tips on his ears, and face. Big blue eyes, and white whiskers, with one black one on each side. Good Bye Fred, we are going to miss you very much, and will always love you. You were our kitty kitty, and a part of our family.

What Color of Crayon are you?

You Are a Green Crayon

Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Comfort is important to you. You like to feel as relaxed as possible - and you try to make others feel at ease. You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Your color wheel opposite is red. Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Tuesday Tell All

Favorite Children's Book~

Growing up I had many books that I loved reading and having read to me. I loved having stories from children's church books read to me. I don't recall having just one favorite book as a child, I just loved books and loved reading. As a mom I have tried to make sure that I have a large collection of books for my own family. I want my kids to love books as much as I did, and do. A happy picture to me is to have my kids sitting in their favorite place reading a book. Jake will sit on the couch with piles of books around him and look at the pictures for hours.

I have a book that is one of my most favorite books to read to my kids. In fact I have read it so many times that it would not surprise me if they had it memorized. I found it at the Dollar Store for just a buck, and was thrilled to death for this find. It is written by Margaret Park Bridges. This is the book.

Peach Days and Flowers

On Saturday, we went to Brigham City for Peach Days. We had lots and lots of fun walking the booths, and people watching, but the highlight of the day for me and now I guess Ellie too, is being able to make a flower arrangement free of charge to take home with us. There are a couple of floral businesses that donate flowers, and then you get to walk through a line and choose as little or as many flowers as you like, and then they give you a little dish with wet floral foam to make your arrangement. I have done it several years in a row, and it is always exciting to get to do it. I told Ray it makes me want to start doing flowers again. (if only I had the confidence to do it) Anyway one of the guys in charge was really impressed with Ellie's arrangement, and asked if I had helped her at all with it, when I told him no, he said he could tell she had a talent and hopes I will let her pursue it in the future if she chooses. haha Anyway, we had a fun day out as a family, and ended our day with a picnic in the park with KFC, and some pretty flowers that are making our house look and smell pretty.