My Favorite Things

• Primary teachers and presidency who love your kids and magnify their callings. We had a primary activity today where the kids filled out little books about themselves. Then they decorated a frame that we put their picture on one side and right next to it a big heart that says "I am a child of God." It was so well organized. I really appreciated all the work they put into making the activity great.
• S singing all the time, today she was making up a song about a pirate. I just caught the line, "...and the pirate died, the pirate died."
• R and L playing together with their "dolly house." They take turns role playing with all of the family members and pets that live in their little house.
• B's love for his "building" toys including transformers, bionicles, legos... I see it as a sign of genius. : )
• Receiving two emails from missionaries I served with in Guatemala! I heard from Hna. Allred and Elder Cordero this week. What a great season of my life the mission was.
• Hearing that a chocolate factory is going to open in my very own town!
• The Complete Jane Austen on Masterpiece, PBS.
• R's love for puppies, Diego, Woody, and especially her papa.
• L's love for kitties and any princess will do.
• B reading out loud to me.
• L's scrawny little legs climbing up to the counter top in the bathroom to wash her hands after she goes potty.
• Curly hair.
• My girls all decked out in a princess gown, crowns, gloves, slippers, and jewels. Especially when I didn't have to help them!
• S and B on the computer at the PBS kids site. They can do everything without my help. Technology and young minds, amazing.
• My children gaining their own testimonies and learning about their divine worth. Tomorrow we will be singing as a family in sacrament meeting. I Am a Child of God in English and Spanish, then I will throw in a verse in Navajo. Yes, we are crazy... but its the church, what can you do? Just sing I guess, just sing. I am positive that our kids are cute enough to take all attention off of the talent, or lack thereof.
• Watching my cats get so much joy from turning circles, counting, getting dressed by themselves, coloring, going potty, dancing ...

Friday Night Lights

If you know me, you know I love Friday Night Lights. It is one of the only TV shows with a real relationship between a husband and a wife. Coach Taylor and Mrs. T are the worlds cutest couple and the greatest parents ever! I am so sad that we are losing great TV shows to reality TV. Must stop the madness!

I've no idea who has taken the time to set up this web site, more power to them. I wouldn't want my children to have made this website. However, here are my favorite things from the site Save Friday Night Lights.

My favorite troubled teen:


LIGHTS ON: Send Light Bulbs To NBC To Save Friday Night Lights
The Official Motto of the Dillon Panthers Booster Club is Keep The Lights On, and what better way to get that point across to NBC than by taking a moment to send them a light bulb as a reminder that it’s a “good idea” to keep great shows on their network. NBC-Universal is owned by General Electric anyway, so these light bulbs will also be like little bribes, putting our whole campaign in a more financial context these studio types will be able to better understand. Light bulbs are cheap, easy to come by, and if they break during shipping, the shattered glass might even seem vaguely threatening when NBC opens the package. Sort of like, “You try to take away our Panthers, and we might just cut you.” So grab a bulb, write “Lights On” on the side of it, and send it to NBC honcho Ben Silverman at:


Ben Silverman
c/o NBC Studios
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA. 91523


Go to the Booster Club, sign the petition, and send FNL-related tips to info@bwe.tv. Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose is something they yell before their games and to get pumped up. Coach Taylor is a great man and I hope that my children get great coaches as they go through sports... not crazy mad swearing coaches. I repeat, I love Friday Night Lights.

Wow.... time just hasn't stopped, or even paused, to let me get caught up. We have had a month of sickness, of tears and fits, of not enough sleep... and that was just the parents. Our kids were quick to follow suit.

Ticee helped me make Valentine cards and I just sent them out yesterday. They were supposed to fill in the space left from not getting Christmas cards out. Oh, bother... But, they are out now. And... we are all very excited to have received Valentine's Day cards from out dear, sneaky, pregnant Ticee.

I am telling you, the story about her "issue" with Arby's... them not having pickles in the entire establishment. That should have tipped us all off. Pickles... freak out in public... Hmmmmm

Pregnancy... Good times...

I look out and see two little cats with fountain hair do's, and I can't believe I have two babies! TWO... we are so lucky.

You know how when you haven't talked to someone for a long time you don't have much to say... but if you talk to people everyday you have lots to say. Well, I feel like that on the blog... I'm not quite sure what to say.

So I will end with a wish that you could all watch my novela. Zorro is on Telemundo and I am loving it! I love what they wear... I love how silly Diego is, trying to be goofy, when we all know how tough he is as Zorro. It is just great and I can't wait to watch it tonight. : )

I am also glad that Jericho is back... and Lost... and I highly reccommend Friday Night Lights. Love it! Yes, I know I watch too much TV... but soon it will be summer and reruns will force me into gardening or something.

I hope Jodi is having fun!!! I have been watching the Price Is Right in her honor.

Love ya!

Julie

Wow... it has been awhile. I am getting as slow as an old lady with arthritis stuck in molasses. Is that how the saying goes? In all fairness to Alma, I should not be making arthritis jokes.

Life is good.

Today I was pleased to see the amount of learning that took place with my children watching their television programs. After a "Blue's Clues" on different environments around the world, B informed me that..." deserts are hot and have a lot of sand and Cadillacs. A Cadillac is a tall, green thing with spines.:"

After an episode of "Backyardigans" where they visit a luau and the volcano sisters. He ran in to tell me that "voka-pele" means the volcano is going to blow in Spanish. I said I thought it might be Hawaiian... He just looked at me and shook his head, "I don't think so, Mom." Funny cat.

I received a little shock opening the pantry and finding three Care Bears looking at me (the work of S). Last week I kept finding Chevron cars smiling at me every time I opened the pantry door (that would be B). I opened up the "lazy Susan" (no offense meant to our dear sister, who we know is not lazy) to get out some raviolis for lunch and I found an empty can of black beans that had disappeared out of the recycling trash (this I owe to L, she loves to play in the canned goods). I have also found the trick-or-treating pumpkin and shoes, among other things, tucked away amongst the canned goods.

Alina called me today! She is settled in her house in Moab and enjoying the craziness. We who grew up in Blanding know that Moab always has been a little... you know...

Alina said the nicest thing and I am tearing up now getting ready to type it. She said the other day she was thinking about the injustice of us not being able to have our mother's things. How sad it is that many things have been lost or ruined (like all of her recipes, jewelery, and who knows what else). Then it came to her that those things are not even important. Our mom is so proud of us for being good wives and mothers (fathers) and good members of the church. That is what matters to her most, not if we have her "stuff". We are honoring her with our lives.

Do you see why I love Alina so much?! I am so glad that she can receive revelation for me. All joking aside... I feel the truth of what she said.

We are just good, aren't we. Not that we aren't still waiting for the stuff : ) We've waited more than 20 years, we can wait a little longer I guess.

My mother-in-law came back from Honduras last week. Now the contest begins... Nahum wants her to take care of his daughter (she really needs someone to bathe her regularly... they keep trying to "manipulate" me into taking care of her... I probably shoud, but the thought of it makes me so tired and sad... it would mean goodbye to the Treehouse and library... enough about me) Maribel wants to finish beautician school and needs my mother-in-law to take care of her kids (she has a brand new baby that is so cute!) and Marlen wants her to stay with her kids. I'm guessing that she will be hear for a month then go with Marlen for a couple of months, then come back again. That is what awaits us all. Our children fighting over us to take care of their kids.

My fiesty ex-counselor just had a baby. She refused (and said many unecessary rudities) to take a meal to a lady she visit teaches a few weeks ago... So we are pouring it on. We gave her a baby shower last week, the next day she gave birth. They didn't want to tell anyone from church, but we called when they didn't show up for church. They were inundated with visits yesterday (our RS presidency included) and they are getting meals taken in for a week! We'll teach them to not want to serve others.

Well, I am working on the family calendar. You will all have it before January ends. I need pictures from Steve, Jodi and Ticee... email them to me :) Hopefully it will work.

Love to all!