It's your birthday shout horray, we want to sing to you today.

One year older and wiser too. Happy Birthday to you. I have complied a very attractive montage of your posterity. Now I know there are a few pictures that are pretty normal i.e Tanis and Tim but if you will look at the face, Hudson is making whilst eating his raisins, I think it makes up for the two of them. I didn't have very many pictures on my computer because I just cleared the majority of them off but I was able to find these gems none the less.
Today as I was driving a song by Brad Pasley came on entitled "A Letter to Me". I'm not going to lie, it kind of got choked me up a little. Everyone should download that song because it makes you think a little and this is where the idea for the montage came from. Hopefully this picture lets you know how much each of us love you. In a way we are reflections of you and your life. I will forever be indebted to you and mom. What an amazing family we have and it's all because of you guys. Being a Dad is hard but I just wanted you to know that you are the best Dad in the world. I remember one special occasion and I am not sure if it was for fathers day or what we gave you a book and we each had written a note to you, this is back when we were really young. Not to long ago, I found it in the basement and I started laughing really hard because of what I wrote you. It went something like this:

Dear Dad,
You are the very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very (about 50 more verys) best dad in world. Love Marci.

I know I have a way with words. But the thing is, you desired every single one of those verys. I love you so much Dad and I hope you didn't work today because it's the one day you are suppose to not have to do anything. But I am sure you did because that is what you do, you work so hard for us and the lord and I couldn't have a stronger testimony of the love that our heavenly father has for each of us and I gained this through the love and example of the best earthly father anyone could have. I hope that makes sense. I could probably reword that but I have written 16 pgs of my thesis this week and my brain is going to blow up.

So this ones for you DAD, I wish we could all be there but I am sure those faces are burned into your mind.

Ode to Timothy

Well, a day late...so this is a tribute to the birthday boy! We couldn't have matched Tanis better with anyone other than you...even though, yes, it did take awhile-but it does for all of us! We've had some great times with you and we hope that there are many more years to come of laughs and memories! Ty's memories started long before mine-in a little place called Peru! The infamous turkey story will go down in history and maybe we can re-enact it one day! Tyler considers you Tim as one of his greatest friends! My meeting with you began much later-when I was a little 19 year old-and yes, you did comment how you didn't like 19 year olds! I think that I first met you at that colors concert when you and Tanis were on a date! Little did we know that years down the road the four of us would be married. Had some great times in the library with sour watermelons and Danny...WOW! Porter and Claire met you a few years later but love you just the same! You are uncle Tim! We wanted to wish you a happy birthday and hope to see you and Tanis and little Hudson soon! Happy Birthday!

Hello Everyone! Well my week long bachelor saga has come to an end. Mom arrived last night on the shuttle. Thank goodness!!!! I have to say that our arizona trip was a blast! Porter I need an update on our arizona garden? Call me when you see our seeds coming up! It was fun to spend some time. All the time I kept having flash backs from the yester years of five small ones under the age of 9. Mom was Stake young womens president and I was Stake Mission president and things were interesting to say the least. But all in all it just takes faith. We will never see the end back to the beginning, only after life is completed. We know what the brethern say on every subject and if we don't it's easy to find out. Then we sometimes go to the end of the light, stand there for sometime and take a deeeeep breath and take a step into the dark unknown. Then waaaalaaaa, we get a flicker of light or our spiritual eyes adjust to see our new circumstances clearly. Either way we've survived and we can go forward. I'm pround of all of you! This last week the bishop ask me to sit in on a disiplinary council for a young lady. It's been kind of tough on me, It's been quite awhile since I've had to do this. I'll I say is this. You married couples, it is your individual responsibility to satisfy your mates emotional needs. You need to be affictionate, understanding and loving. Spend time together, put the kids to bed and turn off the TV and talk. Don't let anything come between you. Never go to bed mad or without prayer as a couple. You must do the basics. Is everyone going to the temple monthly? I know it hard. Do your best. It depends on how far it is. That's what I love about IF,ID. I can be to the temple in 8 minutes. HINT! HINT! anyway, Get the job done. Work, school, and everything else is important but eternity must be kept in sight. NOEMPTYCHAIRS, love, dad

Richard's Locksmith Service Strikes Again!

Well Ill get right to it. Shelane and I were up in West Jordan doing some sales calls, which we sold boo-yah, and on the way home we decided to stop at Tai Pan and use our gift card that we still had from her shower. We pulled in and got out of the car and i left the keys in the ignition and shut my door just as Shelane shut hers, locking the keys in the car! Shelane dropped her head in disbelief and frustration, while inside i knew it was my time to shine. She was somewhat upset with me so I told her to just go inside and shop and i would find a way to get the keys out. She thought we should just call a lock smith, but I was excited to step up to the challenge. So we were off of 90th south, and it is pretty bare on the west side so there wasnt much around. I noticed an abandoned lot next to Tai Pan and went over to explore for tools I could use to get in the car. All i found was an old roll of chain link fence and some construction stakes. But my McGyver( I dont know if it is spelled that way) instincts kicked in and i came up with a great plan. I unraveled a link out of the old fence with a stick and bent the piece of fence out so i could use it for my tool. I went back out to the car and used the construction stake to get some leverage to get my tool inside. Once inside i was on the lock in no time, only to find out that there was not really a surface on the lock to grab so there was no chance i was pulling that method off. After some thought i decided i would have to go with the Natalie Method, as made famous at the Tuttle Timeout when i reached across and simply pulled the keys off the seat. That was also very difficult because Uncle Ken was on the deck repeatedly telling Phil and I to give up, because he had tried and couldnt do it, and he really got a little crazy when we wouldnt stop. So we did, and then snuck back out and pulled off the greatest lock jimmy job in history. Well continuing on with the story i was able to regroup and go forward with the Natalie Method. So i went in from the passenger door, reached across the car and hooked the keys right in the ignition. I pulled the keys right out of the ignition, back across the car, and out the corner of the door thanks to my construction stake for leverage. I must admit it was some of my finest work!

I am not a fan of daylight saving: I think Mom would agree with me on this one.

Hi family,
So it seems that I start every blog with an embarrassing story. Well, I have one for you. Today, I had to lead in Relief Society and I thought is was not going to be a big deal. I get up there to start it says its 4/4 time and so I start and the piano player is going really fast. And I start and I'm doing ok but then it all fell apart and everyone was laughing and I was bright red. People were trying to help me by doing it in there seat and by that time I was so flustered I just decided to do a little dance. It was pretty funny. So I thought about it and probably the last time I had lead the music was FHE at the red house which was a really really long time ago. So you better practice up because you never know when you will be called on to do so.

California is beautiful right now. It's Spring and so the flowers are coming out and you want to go on bike rides all day long. I have yet to be able to go on one of these bike rides but it's that kind of weather, happiness and sunshine. Tanis comes in just one week and I think it will be a good break from the grayness of Pitt. Tim, we will send home picture for you so that you can imagine that you are here, wish you could come too.

School has been crazy. We have finals this next week and then I only have one more semester of Grad school. I can't believe how the time has flown by. It seems like yesterday that I moved here but at the same time I look back and so many things have happened. These last couple of weeks have been insane and the only way that I am able to keep my cool is through faith in Jesus Christ. The kind of faith that brings down the powers of heaven to assist you in any and everything that you are doing. Tanis and I are re-reading the book: Bringing down the powers of heaven- actually I don't know if that is the title exactly but it is really good. So I am learning a lot about faith and I think that is the only way that I am sustaining my schedule and everything that I am doing right now.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. I went to the Pistons- Clippers game and the best part about it was the halftime entertainment which was this amazing lady that balanced bowls on her head whilst riding a unicycle. And Kels and some of my friends from Utah come in town too. That's about it. I'll try to post more often. Love you all and I get to see some of you in the next couple of weeks and I can barely stand it!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. Porter, get ready to play your brains out.

Calling all fancy ladies.......

There is nothing that makes me happier than to look at these pictures of Claire. When the day comes that I have my own kids, I hope that they want to wear this kind of outfit everyday. I just think she is so cute. This was at christmas for those that missed this wonderful day. Claire put on every piece she could and then got really mad when we had to take it off.

Sorry everyone-my pictures of my skirt just won't post for some reason! Hopefully I can figure out why and send them along! I am really quite pleased with my rookie attempt at sewing something wearable! Well, I also wanted to say that I heard through the grapevine that Richard and Shelane had a great set-up and presentation kind of thing at the expo yesterday! Congrats on all of the hard work you guys-and for making my son famous! I really do love that too! My sisters and Mom said that your whole thing looked great and Stef said that she tried to send people your way so hopefully the turn out was great! Let us know! Well we had a moment at church today-I am quite proud and so I had to post it-another cut and paste from my other blog. I was excited, even though I know that I can't take much credit for Claire's progress, but she did this way sooner than Porter-I'm lucky to have a husband that has smart brains to pass on to our children! This was her milestone at 20 months! Enjoy the post. We love you all and hope to talk to you soon!

Claire has embraced effects of "Super Why" and a good mother ( I'd like to think ) in a major way! Our little family was standing in the hallway at church this afternoon waiting for our meetings to begin when a moment of genius occurred. We were right by the chapel of the building where the ward bulletin boards are hanging. We stopped to try and keep Claire entertained by the pictures that were hanging on the other ward's board when we quickly realized that she was about to entertain us-quite the show stopping performance. Up at the top of the board read "CHAPARRAL WARD" in big bold letters. She began to point to the letters and say their names-and she was right!!!! So this had been happening over the past few weeks, but of course I thought it was a fluke considering she is only 20 months old! She would bring me the letters in the bathtub (you know those bath toys of letters that can stick to the sides of the tub) and say their names and sing the alphabet song, and 98% of the time she would be right! I thought-no way. Well today she proved me wrong. Tyler would point to a letter and without hesitation she would blurt out the answer-not only the answer but the RIGHT answer! Are you kidding me? She knows all of her letters-with exception of the O and D that she gets confused! I was so excited. I guess those are the effects of having an older brother that watches Super Why (a kids reading show on PBS kids in the mornings) and the Leap Frog Series (Letter Factory, Talking Words Factory etc...). I would also like to think that it is a result of good parenting, but I know that I haven't forced her to learn those letters as of yet, so probably can't take any credit for that! I had to share our moment today! Little ones never cease to surprise AND amaze us, do they?

Organic isn't always better...tasting!

So I had to come right home and write about what we just experienced! After a quick trip to the eye doctor's for a check-up we headed over to Whole Foods that just opened this past week. It is right down the street from our house (as is everything else! We love our location! So convienient). Well...we walked in just to see what it was like and we headed toward the back of the store. On the right hand side we passed some "bulk" bins filled with different kinds of peanuts and nuts. It wasn't like anything I'd seen before...instead it had a spout at the bottom to make your own peanut butter. Porter immediately turned and put his finger into the spout to taste a gob of the left over peanut butter that had just been "squeezed" or whatever the right word would be. He was thinking it was the good stuff with all the posions and extra additives...you know the stuff that makes it the best dessert in the world! Well, he found otherwise. He immediately wanted to spit it out, but we encouraged him to swallow it. His face-I'm telling you it was priceless that face. Tyler and I were laughing so hard which made the situation go from bad to worse for Porter. About five minutes later he still hadn't opened his mouth and hadn't said a word. Suddenly he looked at me with this panicked look on his face and his cheeks were swollen. I didn't even have time to ask him what was wrong when I saw him turning in circles and finally making a b line for the nearest garbage can and out came the thick goop of the peanut butter in a slightly digested form! I guess sometimes the good stuff (good for your body) isn't the "good stuff" (to taste). That was our adventure at Whole Foods! What a day!