Grandma Burnham's 95th birthday

This first picture is of me and my Grandma Burnham. We went to Mesa Saturday, and had a birthday party for her.
The second picture is of my mom, her siblings and my Grandma Burnham. There are two sister's missing, Shirley died when she was a few days old and my Aunt Marion died sometime back. My grandma is a fire cracker, she is still active and lives on her own. I love her so much!!! We had a nice time visiting family and meeting new cousins.  I think my mom takes after her a lot, she is always doing things like sewing, community service or doing things for family. 

OUR CHRISTMAS HOUSE!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wish I had some pictures to post but I have lost the disk that all of our family pictures were on and my little computer does not have away of downloading pictures either:( So just decided to post some happenings in our family.
Summer is doing well in Las Vegas. She is with her boyfriend that she met there in February. She did pass her Phlebotomy test in May and is still in the process of getting her Nevada license. She is anxious to start working. It's no fun not having any money! We worry about her being so far away but having Aunt Kandra 30 minutes away from her helps!
Autumn is loving not going to high school anymore, but is anxious to start some schooling in the near future at NPC. We just signed her up to take a 3 weekend course in preschooling. It is through the Yavapi college and will be held at the NPC here. She will miss 3 Sunday's, which bumms us, but know this will help her in the future. She is the young single adult rep for our ward, and is in the primary doing whatever they need her to do.
Skyler is just centimeters away from 6'6"!!! He really towers over me now and even his dad!!!! He has had some playtime on the basketball team. He is really learning to be aggresive.(It just isn't in his nature)! He is getting quite a few rebounds. He will have a lot easier school load this next semester, this last semester just about made him, and mom, go nuts!!!!
Hunter made the 7th grade basketball team! He is so excited, his best friend is the manager, and they can't wait for the first game. He is growing so fast now. I predict he will be towering over me in less than 2 years! He is such a ladies man, even though most of them come to him for boyfriend advice. He is doing well in school and is getting good grades.
Clay is enjoying 4th grade. His best friend Elysse is moving to PA on Christmas day, so he is kind of sad, but thinks he will survive! She was taller than him by 2 inches so now he will be back to being the tallest in his class. He makes friends so easily, and is popular in his class.
Dave and I have been so blessed to have such awesome children entrusted to us! We love them all so very much:)
Dave is going to take the big electrical test in January! Makes me nervous for him because it is such a dificult test. He is studying hard and trusts the Lord knows what's best for him. He loves going to work and really likes the people he works with. He will be going from a 4 on 4 off schedule to a 7 on 7 off next year! We are so excited, it will be a more steady schedule. It will be 7 days, 7 off, 7 nights, 7 off. We can plan for trips or activities better and have a consistant paycheck!
He keeps busy outside of work with bishopric, kids and lots of basketball games!
I'm keeping busy as a Domestic Goddess and love it!!! I really love this chapter in my life. I still have kids at home, but can leave for awhile if I need to. There are still challenges, especially with teenagers but I'm learning to trust my Heavenly Father that he won't give me anything I can't handle. I have been blessed with many wonderful friends and family that makes life so much easier!
I have 13 Beehives now and love everyone of them! They have so many personalities that make it very interesting. I also take tickets for the high school games which is fun and gives me alittle extra money.
Well guess I have rambled on too much now. We wish you the Merriest Christmas and Happy New Year!

ITS ABOUT TIME??!!!

I guess I've put writing off long enough! Besides having major computer issues and everyday life, I guess I haven't felt like posting. So not much has happened since I last posted. Summer turned 21, I can't believe she is that old/young! Guess that makes me old! She is doing well, trying to get her Phlebotomy license for Nevada.
Autumn is doing a little babysitting for my nephew James' son. She really loves to watch him, he is such a cutie!!!She is wanting to move somewhere, Utah or Phoenix but not sure about jobs, or places to stay. I don't blame her, there's not alot of things for young adults around here.
Skyler made the basketball team!! He was at practice 2 weeks ago, they were doing a drill called Hamburger. Its a no rules drill to help them with players that play dirty. He had the ball in the air and alot of hands trying to get to him, being 6'5" he is the tallest on the team, the boys could only reach up to his face. One of them accidentally hit him in the eye. When I picked him up he was complaining that he couldn't see. The next day was Veteran's Day and luckily Dr. Blair was working that day in Snowflake. He got Skyler in right away, after some tests he sent Sky to Show Low to see Dr. Graff who is an eye surgeon. He had Sky in emergency laser surgery! Sure didn't see that coming(no pun intended).There was more damage than we thought. His retina was torn in 3 places and blood had collected in his eye. He has healed really well. He wasn't able to practice for 2 weeks, so won't play in the first game at least, maybe two. I'm hoping he will be able to play Dec. 9 so he can play against Heber:)
Hunter is doing well also, he will have basketball tryouts in a couple of weeks. He is still quite the ladies man. He has a ton of "sisters" in his group of friends.
Clay is also doing well, loves his school teacher. She is pretty amazing!!
David is trying to get his big electric test passed, it is a pretty intensive test. There are 150 questions in 6 categories. They take 125 of those and he needs to pass with 96. He took the first try in October and got 84. So he didn't pass, but he is studying with one of his co-workers who just passed it. He is really smart and is helping Dave alot!!!
I am staying busy with the family duties:) I'm still with the Beehive group, I now have 13 giggly girls that keep me young and updated on all the latest news in the entertainment and fashion industry!! Gotta love 'um.
Well better go, I think I have taken the whole page and your probably wondering when this will ever end. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Especially to all of my family, I love you all so much!!!!!!!!

Girls Weekend in Vegas

I don't have my pictures right now, but if you go to my sister's site (Owens family) you can see alot of what we did. I actually drove my car up there and took Autumn and my mom. Dave knew how blonde I am so he made sure that I had a GPS!! I have wanted one for along time. I drove all over Las Vegas and didn't get lost!!
When we got up there I went and got Summer, it was so good to see her! We stayed in a time share that my mom and Shannon have. It was really nice. Kristal came with her 2 girls, Shannon and her 3 girls, mom and Kandra, me and my 2 girls.
The first night we went to the pool and had pizza. Saturday, Summer and Autumn went over to Shannons room and helped watch the little girls so that we could go to the Temple. We did 45 inititories (sp?). What an amazing experience!!! The temple is so gorgeous, and to share this with my family was so neat. We all went bowling in the afternoon, it has been awhile since I've been, but we had a blast!!
That night we went to the Lion King. If you ever have the chance to go you better GO!!!!!! The costumes are so incredible, the imagination for putting the animals together is awesome!
Sunday, Shannon and her girls had to go back to St. George so the rest of us went to Kandra's ward. Then went back to her house for lunch. Mom, Kristal and her girls left for St. George to see Kristal's in-laws. Autumn and I took Summer back to her place and then went to Kandra's to babysit Gavin while they went to a special fireside for their stake. We had so much fun with the G-Man.
Monday, Autumn and I traveled the long road home. Thanks to my mom and sisters for an awesome weekend! May have to make it a couple of days longer next year:)

NEVER FORGET!!!

I saw the video below and thought it was amazing!! My thoughts and prayers are with all the families whose loved ones were murdered 8 years ago today.
I just wanted thank all of those who are serving or have served in the Armed Forces. I respect you all so much and am so grateful I have my freedoms because of you!
I especially want to thank those in my ward, Justin Hall, Thomas Montoya,and Austin Gwynn, who have just recently joined. Thank you so much and also a huge thanks to their families for their sacrifice in sharing their loved ones to keep us free!

HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY HUNTER!!!! (Sept.6)

Still don't have my big computer working so no pictures to embarrass you! I can't believe you are in the teenage club. You were the best early birthday gift ever!!! Thank you for being one amazing kid!!! We love you and hope your birthday is awesome!!!!!!!!

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!

Well, school has once again started. Skyler is a freshman and is really liking it. He has made alot of Senior friends, lots of "girlfriends", and is doing well in his studies. He's anxiously waiting for open gym to start so he can start playing basketball. Hopefully they won't pass him up this year! He also just made it to Star ranking in Boy Scouts!!!!

Hunter is finally in the 7th grade. He has waited a very long time to be able to play football. His team has a record of one tie to St.Johns and one loss to Snowflake. He is working hard at practice and likes his coaches. They are alot different than the ones Skyler had!!! They are very encouraging and build the boys up. He has also started the process to the world of braces. He has an expander in the roof of his mouth, which will be there until December, then the braces. Not too much fun on that end.

Clay is in the 4th grade this year. We actually switched teacher's because the one he had Skyler had and I wasn't impressed with his teaching skills. The one he has now is Hunter's 4th grade teacher. She is so amazing. I love how she teaches the kids to be creative and to take on more responsibility for their work.

Autumn is trying to get into the work force!1 She was pretty burnt out on schooling so she is trying to get a job at a daycare center. She's also trying to get into a program that Summer is in through DES job services, they can help her financially. She will enroll in the January session for NPC.

I have renewed my volunteer paperwork so that I can help out at the Elementary School. They are desperate for lunch help. The teachers are doing it right now because of all the budget cuts, so they don't get a lunch. Then I will also help out a teacher in the 2nd grade. I'll do it about 2-3 times a week. I'm also taking tickets again. Not alot of money, but I really enjoy it! Dave is doing the chains for the JV football games when he is off work.
Hope everyone's school year is off to a good start!!

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY SKYLER -(Aug. 18)

I wish I could put some pictures up, but my main computer is out. Any how, I am so amazed that you are 15! It seems just like yesterday that I was pushing your 9lb 7 1/2oz body out!!! You had the biggest smile that would go from ear to ear! Your hair was platnum blonde and every girl would want it. Even though you are now 6'5" you will always be my Sky Boy!! Love ya lots

Thanks Bunches!!!!!!!!

Man, I have the most awesomest friends and fellow bloggers!!!! I finally figured out how to show recent blog events! I feel empowered (even though it took FOREVER)! Thanks for coming through in my time of need. I knew I could count on you:)

Help!

I'm trying to figure out how to put the updates on my friends and family list so that I don't have to keep going through the whole list to see new posts. Any step by step directions would be most appreciated!!!!!

CLAY HITS THE DOUBLE DIGITS!!!!!!

I can't believe my baby is 10 tomorrow! It has gone by so fast. I am so proud of you, Clay, you are such a good boy! Thanks for all of your love and kisses and being an awesome son.

Summertime news

Well as you can see we have been busy, so I haven't blogged for awhile. Hunter made the 11-12 yr. old all stars!!! He played outfield and pitcher. The boys were awesome, we played in Taylor this year which was really nice. We ended up getting 2nd in Division. We beat out all of the White Mountain teams!! The team that beat us to win the championship was from Flagstaff. They were more like men-children than 12 year olds. They were huge compared to us. I am so proud of our boys, they always showed great sportsmanship!!!
Clay tried out for the 9-10 year old all stars but didn't make it. He needs one more year of fundamentals. He'll try out next year.
Skyler is hanging out with his friends, can't wait to be a freshman.
Autumn is visiting my sister, Kandra, in Las Vegas this week and will go stay with my brother, Lance and his family next week.
Summer is going to start looking for a job at the hospital in Vegas. She is doing well.
Dave is finishing up a 12hr/15 day straight stint. It will be great overtime (89 1/2hrs) but it sure is getting old fast. He is pretty busy with bishopric things too.
I'm just trying to stay sane in my old age. Hope your summer is going well!

Other happenings

Autumn had an awesome graduation! It rained that day so they had it in the gym which was nice because we had seats that were to the side of her, so we got to see her the whole time! Boy, did it get hot in there! Thanks to all the family that came and endured the heat. We love you.
The boys finished up their baseball season. Clay's team ended up with a 1-12 season. Hunter ended with a 10-6 season. Just waiting to see if they make all stars.
We received some exciting news this week----SUMMER PASSED HER PHLEBOTOMY CLASS!!!!!
She is so excited, she can't wait to see what job she can get. We are so proud of her!

FAMILY PICTURES

My good friend Becky Montoya was awesome enough to take our pictures while Summer was home visiting!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

I wanted to wish my mom an awesome birthday tomorrow!!! You have been such a great support to me. Thank you for all you do, you are always there when I need you. Thank you for adopting me and loving me! Your the BEST!!

HAPPY GRADUATION AUTUMN

We are so proud of you and all the hard work you put into graduating. Great things are heading your way. We love you!!!

HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY AUTUMN

Happy birthday Autumn! I can't believe you are 18 already. You are such a beautiful, thoughtful and caring young woman. You have blossomed so much this year. Hope your day is a special one. We love you!!!!!!

Poor man 1 Thief 0

Being the poor girl that I am, I finally won out! The police caught the people that broke into my car and several others in my neighborhood. It was actually a girl, she tried to use my Bank of America credit card at the Splash-N-Dash in Show Low. The card got stuck in the ATM and while she tried to get it back and try to use the other cards the surveillance camera caught her!!! She is 41 years old and was with a younger guy. The police sent me a victims right packet and informed me that she was in the County jail. A week later she was released on a $1,500 bond. I hope she has learned her lesson, I don't know of any court dates.
On to other things, I do need some help from my Valley girls or others who know the Valley well. I am taking my 10 Beehive girls to the Temple on June 6. They wanted to go to the visitors center and walk around the grounds. After that they wanted to do something like the zoo or museum. The zoo is a little pricey, but I can't find anything that isn't real pricey that they would enjoy. If any of you have some fun ideas please let me know ASAP! Thanks!!!!
We are all doing well. Autumn is so anxious for graduation! She will also be graduating from Seminary in May. She turns 18 on May 2, I can't believe it. She is planning on attending NPC to become a Preschool aide or teacher.
Summer is still waiting on her teacher to get her certification for Phlebotomy. She is living in Las Vegas and is hoping to get on with the hospital there. They have a $1,500 sign on bonus and will pay $14 an hour to start. My sister Kandra will be moving there in May so I hope that Summer can hang around her and not be so homesick!!
Hunter and Clay are in little league and are doing well. Clay is in the Minors league which scares him a little because the boys pitch now. I think he will be a great player. His first game is tonight. Don't know where he will play yet. He is hoping pitcher. Hunters first game is tomorrow, I think he will be catching, pitching, and outfielder. They both have great coaches.
Skyler is just trying to make it through the 8th grade. He enjoys most of his classes. He is ready to be in high school, I think.
Can't believe that Summer vacation is around the corner, it will be a busy one, but fun family time. Until next post take care!

LEARNING LESSONS THE HARD WAY

Well this has been an interesting couple of days. I have learned two valuable lessons the hard way. Sunday night after returning from a fireside, I was getting out of my car and had the thought come into my head that I should take my purse in. I just decided to tuck my purse under the seat and locked the car. The next morning Dave came home after his night shift and asked if I had my purse in the car. I said yes and he said well you don't now. Sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. someone smashed my drivers side door and grabbed my purse. Dave called the Navajo County Sheriff, after Dave told them what happened they asked if we had reported it yet!DUH, that's why we are calling you. We had the sheriffs come out and filed a report. My cousin, Sarah, called to warn me about the break ins, I told her to late and she said she had also been robbed. They only stole her church bag that had a few diapers in it. We found out that there were 4 houses hit in my neighborhood. My credit cards can't be used (all maxed out) and they can't use my debit card or checks! So there's one up for the poor man!!
My two lessons I have learned is 1. ALWAYS listen to the promtings of the Spirit and 2. NEVER leave your purse in the car or at least leave the door unlocked to save on the window repair.

I could survive for 1 minute, 6 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

RANDOMNESS

Not a whole lot has been going on here but I haven't posted since last month. Yes, I am still here, thank goodness! My dad went to the doctors and found out that he has probably had this cancer for quite awhile. The calcium has not gone into the blood stream yet which is really good. They consider him at a level one. Which means they will monitor him for now. We are so grateful for this news.
Dad and Kristal just celebrated their birthdays yesterday. Hope they were good ones for both of them. Love you both tons.
Kids are doing well in school. Hunter brought the stomach flue home, Skyler got it the worst. He probably lost 10 pounds which is not good for him. He doesn't really have any room to lose weight.
Spring break is in a week so Autumn is going to the valley to stay with Dave's cousin Gina. She is so excited. Gina is one crazy girl and we love her!
Summer is just about finished with her Phelbotomy class. She is looking into hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes to work. We are very proud of her for finishing this, we know she truely loves it.

Special Valentines Weekend

I have an amazing hubby! Last week we had to go pick up Autumn from my mom and dad's house in Heber because she had gone to a friends farewell in the valley and they were able to bring her home. Anyways, they were talking about the concert they were going to in St. George. Mom and dad had asked Summer if she would like to go too. My brother and 2 sisters were also going, so I was feeling abit left out, but not knowing, Dave had been talking to my mom to see if I could go. She called me late Wednesday and asked me if I wanted to go. I did but didn't want to leave Dave on Valentines weekend. He insisted that I go and spend sometime with Summer. I left with my parents, Kandra and her baby Gavin. We had a nice trip up. Summer had no idea that I was coming, and boy did I surprise the heck out of her!!!
We went to Marvin Goldstein's concert, how AMAZING! He is a pianist and can play thousands of songs by memory. He played different melodies of Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, and one other, he can transition into different songs and you can't even tell when one song ends and the other begins. I had so much fun and could have listened to him all night. He asked for requests of different songs, he wrote down about 15 and started playing them. He didn't have the sheet music for any of them, I have never seen such talent in my life. He has been performing for 50 years and is celebrating with a concert in Provo UT. on June 6, 2009. If any of you can go you will not be disappointed.
I was able to sleep over at Summer's apartment because they have a spare room. It was so fun to be there with her. She is doing really well in her Phlebotomy class. She loves it so much and is excited to get her career going.
We did have some shocking news about my dad last week also. He has Multiple Myeloma. It is a rare blood cancer that isn't really curable yet. His white cell count has been low for quite awhile now and the new doctor he just got ran some tests and had dad go in for a bone marrow biopsy. They believe they caught it early so they are hopeful that the procedures they do will give him more time. It will eventually take over his bones and his kidneys. He and mom go in next Monday to talk to the doctor about their treatment options. I love you dad and will be here anytime you need me!!!!
Also want to put a get well wish out for Kandra's father-in-law, Roger Owens, he had an accident recently and is in a back brace for awhile. We wish you all the best!
Hope everyone had a special Valentines Weekend.

Young Womens Program

Just letting you know how New Beginnings went. I talked to one of my friends before the evening started and made arrangements for her to call and text me through out the evening. She did exactly that, I was getting so many dirty looks! Even Autumn, who was conducting, kept telling me to turn it off. My part wasn't until about the end of the program. I got up and started explaining what we do on Wednesday nights, when my friend called me. I got the phone out and pretended to talk to someone telling them that I was right in the middle of an important meeting. Everyone was like what the heck is she doing? After a few more rules, I brought the phone out again and explained how disrespectful it is to be texting during a lesson that the advisor had been trying to teach. I explained that I have a phone basket that has a suckers in it. If they give me the phone before the lesson starts they get the candy. It has been working out pretty well. I give them the phone back after class. Even the Stake President liked the idea when I told him about it!
After the program was over, the adults were quite impressed with how I presented my talk. So I guess it went really well. I stressed out for nothing!

YOUNG WOMEN-- NEW BEGINNINGS

I need help! I am in charge of giving a talk at New Beginnings about the young women's program. I am supposed to talk about some of the "rules" that the girls need to be aware of. My problem is I don't want to come off as an ogre, or too soft that they don't get what I'm trying to accomplish. Any ideas out there? I have to give the talk this coming Wednesday!
I was thinking of having someone call and text me right in the middle of my talk and then say how hard it is for our teachers to teach when the girls are texting. I want it to be kind of a fun talk.

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE OUT THERE?

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Rusty's Funeral

First I want to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughtfulness. We as a family have truly been blessed by friends, church members, and those who knew Rusty but we didn't know. There has been so much service received to my parent-in-laws, we are so grateful and blessed!
The funeral was held this past Saturday, at our ward building. What a beautiful service, Dave's mom gave the life sketch and did such a wonderful job explaining some of the trials that Rusty had his whole life. She talked of how he loved going into the woods and just roaming. He loved to collect arrowheads, and just being in nature was such a joy to him.
Dave, Darren, DeeDee and our niece Charlotte sang Amazing Grace. I have never heard it sung the way they did. It sounded like the angels were there. I know I can be biased because they are my relatives but if you could hear it I think you would all agree!
Rusty's 3 kids talked and shared their memories with us. They did such an awesome job. They are doing as well as can be expected. I know they don't read my blog but just in case, I want them to know how much Dave and I love them. They are great kids. Dustin and Cassie have married really neat people that have carried them through this. Little Dave has great friends that we are also grateful for.
We had the burial in Alpine, it was such a beautiful day there, just like Rusty would have loved to be at.
We know that he is at peace, we have read many articles concerning suicide, and we know that our Heavenly Father is so merciful and loving. He is the only one who can do any judging. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives. Thank you again for all of your comments, I am so blessed to have all of you in our lives.

IN LOVING MEMORY

This past Saturday afternoon Dave's older brother, Rusty, took his own life. He has been depressed but we had no idea how bad it had gotten. He was holding down a job and had an apartment. He had gone into work last week sick and decided to go home at half shift. When he went back the next day he was fired. I guess they were laying people off anyways and this was their way of doing it to Rusty. Then when he got to his apartment there was an eviction notice on the door. Dave and I didn't know any of this till we got to the hospital. He has had a pretty hard life and though a lot of it was caused by the decisions he made, he was still a big part of our family.
He was a really good uncle to our kids, and tried to be a good brother. I hope that he is finding peace now.
I hope that people will not judge his actions to take his life. He had to be feeling pretty desolate and alone to do something so drastic. He is a child of God and God is the only one who can know what was in his heart.
I feel so bad that I was critical of him at times, but Dave stood by him every step of the way. We loaned him money when we could and got him groceries if he needed it.
He will be greatly missed, and I hope that my family can take this and learn from it. I want us to be a more caring, thoughtful, service minded, and closer family.
Those who have shared their condolences already we so appreciate it. We love you all!
I hope this didn't sound to rambled but you know me and my thoughts!!?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE

TODAY IS DAVE'S 47TH BIRTHDAY AND SINCE I DID THE 21 TRIBUTE FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY I THOUGHT I WOULD DO AN A-Z TRIBUTE.

1.AMAZING
2.AWESOME
3.BRAVE
4.BRILLIANT
5.CARING
6.COURAGEOUS
7.DEPENDABLE
8.DARING
9.EXCITING
10.ENTHUSIASTIC
11.FUN
12.FANTASTIC
13.GORGEOUS
14.GREAT
15.HANDSOME
16.HANDYMAN
17.INCREDIBLE
18.IMITATOR
19.JOKER
20.JOYFUL
21.KIND
22.KID
23.LISTENER
24.LIKABLE
25.MASCULINE
26.MACHO
27.NICE
28.NOBLE
29.OBEDIENT
30.OVERSEER
31.PRIESTHOOD
32.PATRIARCH
33.QUIET
34.QUACKY
35.REVERENT
36.RESPONSIBLE
37.SEXY
38.SIBLING
39.TERRIFIC
40.TEACHER
41.UNDERSTANDING
42.UNCLE
43.VENTUROUS
44.WITTY
45.X-TRODINARY
46.YOUTHFUL
47.ZESTY