Brown Sugar

I friend of mine called us today and invited the kids to come see their new bunny, Brown sugar. They rescued him from death row at the animal shelter. Isn't he so cute!

Oliva in the Spotlight!

Olivia was in the spotlight a couple of weeks ago. That means that it was Olivia's turn to have pictures posted on a board at school. Each child in the class has a week to post things on the spotlight board. Well, Olivia comes to me on a Tuesday and says, "Neveah didn't bring in pictures for the board, so, Ms. Vaughn says it's my turn." Well, I verified that from the teacher and went on my way. I promptly forgot about her spotlight, and didn't remember until 10:30pm that night. I thought, where is Josh and Bree when I need designers! So, I pulled out a poster board, markers, and crayons and went to work. The next day was Wednesday. I usually go into Olivia's class to teach music on Wednesdays. When I got to her class Olivia ran to me and said, " Mom, you forgot my "i"." I couldn't figure out what she was talking about until she pointed at her spotlight poster. There was her name that I had written in bubble lettering spelling Oliva. Well, I thought that was pretty funny. The teacher did too. We had a pretty good laugh. I brought a marker that afternoon when I went to pick her up and squeased the "i" into her name. Here are some of the pictures from her poster. Enjoy!

Youth Temple Trip-My small miracle

On February 2nd the youth were scheduled to go do baptisms for the dead. I had already started to feel sick. Derek gave me a blessing, and I made it to the temple with the youth feeling a lot better. We had a wonderful time together. I always enjoy the temple grounds. They are peaceful and so beautiful! It is always fun to see green plants, and eat lunch with lots of hummingbirds and flycatchers. Not to mention the spirit we felt. However, on the way home my health started to get progressively worse. That night I had a fever of 103! I'm grateful for my small miracle of health that allowed me to get to the temple with the youth that afternoon.

Food and Love

I just have to say that I love taking care of my children. One of my favorite things about caring for my babies is feeding them. I have always loved making people happy with the food I make, but, it is even more fun to watch a baby try new foods and experience food for the first time. Gina is now eating food from the table, and she gets so excited over oatmeal and bananas that I had to share her excitement with you. It makes me laugh and smile to see her so happy!

A Funny Story to Remember President Hinckley

I know this is a little late, but, better late than never. As you all know, President Hinckley passed away Jan. 27th. Well, I wanted to share an experience that my husband had on his mission. My husband served a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1995-1997. He served in Manaus, Brazil . That is in the Amazon region. In 1996 President Hinckley was coming to tour their mission. The mission symbol was a paddle. It is a symbol of moving forward. The Araras (parrots) were carved into the paddle because they are a bird that mates for life, meaning that after serving the Lord for two years the missionaries were to find their eternal companion. The paddle was also made from pau ferro, or iron wood. This wood takes a really long time to decay, symbolizing strength. On the back of the paddle has all the areas served in and the companions Derek had.

Well, President Hinckley came to the mission and toured. All the missionaries were priveledged to shake President Hinckley's hand and to have a special meeting with him. At this special meeting, one of the elders was asked to present President Hinckley with a paddle like the one I mentioned. After giving him the paddle, President Hinckley said, " What am I supposed to do with this?" He then promptly took the paddle and spanked the elder that gave it to him:) Of course everyone laughed. I love his sense of humor and his unwavering faith that helped him to always look to the future with optimism and not fear. I hope to do the same in my life.

Mr. Clean Genie

My husband has been a real trooper. The last few weeks have been busy for me. On top of that I got sick. He took really good care of all of us and did all the cleaning! My kitchen is clean and my laundry done! Thanks honey! You are the best! When Mommy is down, thank goodness for Daddy!

Influenza

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been sick, well, we all have. The respiritory influenza hit our home. I was down for about 5 days with fever, achy body, caughing, runny/stuffy nose, etc. I think Gina and I had it the worst. Everyone else seemed to have a more mild case of it. However, I'm better now! Woo hoo! Don't forget to cover your mouth when you cough!