McKinley's 5th Birthday

It has been a SUPER busy past couple weeks. I am way behind on posting things, but I didn't want to let September end without doing a birthday post for my 5-year-old McKinley! She had her birthday on the 9th. I don't know if everyone is this way - especially with their oldest - but sometimes I just sit & watch her when she doesn't know it and just ponder on how big she's grown. Sometimes it makes me really sad. Other times I think about how much easier she is now that she can do most things by herself.

She's a whole hand old now! She doesn't shop in the T's anymore (4T, 5T). She can really read. She doesn't need help reaching most water fountains and sinks. Seriously! She is grown up! The only thing that holds her back is that she doesn't get to go to Kindergarten this year :( People ask her about it & she will readily tell them with a downcast face that she just missed the deadline. She is enjoying her preschool/dance/tumbling classes, though, grandma Potts is teaching her some piano, and I try to keep her on her toes in other ways.

Anyway, below are some of my favorite scrapbook pgs from her birthday book and some pictures from her birthday. It was a hard year with her birthday falling right after my aunt's funeral, but we still managed to have fun anyway - with her birthday crown, birthday tablecloth, meals of choice (ebbelskeevers again for breakfast, homemade pizza for lunch, McDonalds - a surprise - with her cousins for dinner), gifts (apron, hat & baking cookbooks from mom & dad, camera from Grandma DeeAnn, play guitar from Grandma Potts, a game, some money from her cousin Michael, crafts), baking her own birthday cake, letting go of 5 balloons, and staying up late with mom & dad to look at pictures and talk about how special McKinley is & how important she is in our family.

WE LOVE YOU McKINLEY! HAPPY 5th!!

Nieces

First of all, thanks for all the comments on the photographer's website for our family. We got our free 5x7 - yay!!! :)

So - my older nieces (10, 11 & 12 years old) all have blogs and I love to read them. They're like mini-journals and seeing inside the mind of a pre-teen girl is usually a fun, interesting, reminiscing experience.

My 12-year-old niece is especially talented with words & music. She's written a bunch of her own songs & plays them on the guitar. She's REALLY good! She entered middle school this year & has gotten more into boys. I just HAD to share her last post. C'mon ladies. You can't tell me this doesn't bring a smile to your face!!! This is a must-read for any pre-teen! :)

from my niece Kalli...

Crushes are tough! Recently I had a crush on a very cute boy named Issac. He had those angel eyes---ya know? But he turned out to be a huge jerk. So this is for all you girls who are having cutie crushes. ;)

Dude, before you decide to fall in love you need to know something: if you are as old as from elementry age to around 15....there is no such thing as love at your age! I am 12 and I know that even 16 is a dangerous age to fall in love. The reason is, you don't know what you are doing!!! 16 is GROUP DATES! 18 is when you can single date. Other than that, no suree!!! But if you are sure that he is just a crush and that you won't get yourself into a HUGE mess--like I did. <.<-- then make sure he is a nice guy. I'll quote my friend Christene now who was having a difficult time with crushes. She was very angry. She said "All the cute guys are jerks, all the nice guys are 'not very good-lookin' and all the cute guys that aren't jerks are gay." I was surprised. I opened my mouth and then closed it again and then said, "You have a point." So--to see if he is a nice guy and to get to know him-- ask him a question a day. For example, like "What's your favorite color?" or "What do you like to do?" Those might sound ,like, waaaaay cheesy but hey. This might give him the hint that you like him but guys can be SO oblivious sometimes... Come on, agree with me girls!

So, here are my tips witch probably really suck:

~flip your hair just a teeny bit, but really don't overdo it--that will just make you look mental

~if it is appropriate, wink, but then look nonchalant as if it is just his eyes playing tricks on him

~go into the light often, most of the time, in the light, hair SHINES!!!

~smile at him often

~sort of let him know you like him but not with words--never mention it

~make him laugh

~ have fun flirting

~blink slowly (it makes your eyelashes look long and beautiful) but don't go slow mo--you WILL look retarded

~ do the peek-a-boo eye--that is when you look up through your lashes

~ often play with your own hair--braid it and do other things with it

~smile and laugh all the time

~HAVE FUN!!!

And most important of all:

BE YOURSELF!!!

everyone else is already taken!

Family Pictures 2010

LOVE our new family pictures! Here's a couple previews, but check out Ashley's blog to see more - and please leave a comment there because if I get 15 comments, I get a free 5x7!

http://labuervenichphotography.blogspot.com/2010/09/family-photography-daybreak-utah.html

Distraction

Lately, this is how I feel. My life is one big distraction. If you haven't read this, PLEASE DO! Even if you are busy :)

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Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church." "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth." "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior." "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ." "This is what I want you to do", said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children." "As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice." "Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." "To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly." "This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers." "Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day." "Invade their driving moments with billboards." "Flood their mail boxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products , services and false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives." "Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." "Give them headaches too!" "If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere." "That will
fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas." "Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive." "Have them return from their recreation exhausted." "Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation." "Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead." "Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus." "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause." "It will work!""It will work!"

It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?

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Umm, for me, the answer lately has been YES. I need to take a step back today & figure out how to cut out the nonessentials so I can focus on what's really important.

Aunt Althea

Two days ago, we laid my Aunt Althea to rest in Valley View Cemetary - by her mother & father. My dad's side of the family is very small & very close, so this has been a difficult past week & a half for all of us. I don't know how many of you are close to your aunts, but let me tell you about mine.

My Aunt Althea was a let-you-ride-in-the-back-of-her-truck kind of aunt.

A take-you-out-to-Pizza-Hut, and-Lagoon, and-the-movies kind of aunt.

A laugh-out-loud, sing-out-loud kind of Aunt.

My aunt was a crazy-spoil-you-at-every-occasion kind of aunt.

A go-shopping-with-you-and-buy-your-first-prom-dress kind of aunt.

A save-for-my-college-education kind of aunt.

A dance-like-no one's-watching kind of aunt.

A-fly-to-St. George-to-watch-my-triathlon kind of aunt.

A make-you-laugh-out-loud-e-mail-forwarding kind of aunt.

A thoughtful-make-you-cry-e-mail-writing kind of aunt.

My Aunt Althea never had any children. But she didn't have to spoil us like she did. She didn't have to care like she did. She didn't have to love like she did. But she did.

I won't say she was perfect, but I will say that she was a wonderful, Christlike woman.

I won't say she didn't have her vices, but I will say that I wish everyone in the entire world had an aunt like my Aunt Althea.

I love you Auntie Al. I miss you from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes.