Marko Medonich...my grandfather

My brother Mark recently went to Rock Springs WY for his work, and was determined to find my grandfathers grave stone. We've never known much about our grandparents on that side of the family because my father (fatcat) grew up for the most part in a catholic orphanage. His dad died at the age of 42 from working in the coal mines and his mother left the children to fend for themselves more or less, thus the orphanage. Anyway...It took my brother quite a bit of time and research to find Marco Medonich's grave stone and here it is. My brother Mark, is named after this grandfather and I appreciate his efforts to locate him...way to go Mark, you just did some family history gathering!

Too Many Birds? NEVER

I have a son...I'll call him Kasey so as not to embarrass him, who talks a lot. I've never had a child that talks as much as this particular child. Sometimes I have to ask him, very nicely, to stop talking. Just for awhile cause he is usually just trying to find and push my buttons when he talks. I love this kid...don't get me wrong, but is it normal for a boy to talk more than most girls I know. Anyway one day as he was observing some decorating changes I had made, he started counting how many bird I have used in my house. I have to admit I'm fond of the little feathered friends but he thinks I may have too many of them. He loves to point it out over and over :) So what do you think. I've taken pics of all of my little cuties and I think there are just enough. I do have to force myself to not purchase them when I see them...but I'm so tempted...
Can you find them in each picture?







No...your wrong again Kasey...I may need to pick up a few more birds to finish things off...:)

Post Easter Celebration Pics

Just a few pics of our Easter dinner and subsequent egg hunt for the kids. Most of the kids are too old to hunt eggs, so they hid them. But none of us are too old to eat the candy in the eggs!
Here are Terri's kids and Coco and Tyler
Here we have Julie who hosted the dinner and her daughter Emily
Here is Ethan who is one of the only kids in the group... running for eggs!
Someone hid eggs in a tree...
Coco in an artsy photo shot...actually just me surprising her
Boys at the boys table.
The adult table... It was a good day with good people...having fun together and remembering what Easter is really all about...I'm grateful for the Atonement...cause boy am I going to have to use it :)

My Sister from another Mother?

I never wished I was a twin...I liked being the youngest in the family. Being the youngest has many advantages. But according to several people... a week ...I am told that I look just like Rachel Griffiths. She's the girl above of course. She is an actress on a couple of shows I never watched. I personally don't see it but I get compared to her all the time. So what do you think? Do Rachel and I look alike...I would like to know once and for all so leave a comment and tell me the truth. Unless of course that truth will hurt... :)

Baby's first haircut...

So Kasey loves to have his hair long and "swoopy" i.e. flips his bangs around to the side. As you see the before shot you will automatically think that his hair is long and it's well past time for a haircut. In actuality it's pretty short compared to how he had it most of the winter. But he decided that it was time for another haircut so his loving sister took him to the salon...Above of course, is the before..

Here we see the actual cut in progress. I guess she had to cut it twice cause it wasn't short enough. hmmmm
And here we see the after....He still has the swoopy bangs and the long sides so I guess the only thing shorter is the back. I'll take what I can get. This is a battle I have chosen not to fight...for now :)

I Love Conference!

Kasey asked me yesterday if I really looked forward to conference or if I just liked not going to church twice a year. Well I have to admit they both appeal to me :) But my answer to him him was an honest YES...I love General Conference...I love hearing from all of the Brethren who speak but I especially love hearing from Pres. Monson, Pres. Uchtdorf and Pres. Eyring. (However... when I was Kasey's age I felt a little different)
What did you think the main topics of conference were? Everyone I asked said something different which was interesting. I guess it's what you needed to hear, you heard....make sense:?
So Meagan and her friend went to a Saturday Conf session and coming across the usual protesters, saw this poster which we thought was funny...it's hard to read but it says "Hi My name is Satan, I'm here to support my lovely little street protesters"... I guess there was supposed to be a big organized protest on temple square this session, but it all came to nothing. They had better things to do I guess. So yes Kasey...I genuinely love conference and being spirtually fed in my pajamas doesn't hurt ;)

It's Baseball Season!!

Wasn't sure if there would be another baseball season for Kasey...After playing in super leagues for so many years, he was a little burned out. But I was more than pleased when without pleading or bribing on my part, Kasey decided to play for the Provo High Freshman team. Games have just started and it's cold and rainy but I love it. He's playing 3rd and outfield and getting a lot of playing time. No zoom on my iphone camera (which I think was very short sighted on iphones part) but that's Kasey on 2nd. He'd just stolen the base. You can barely see the mountains in the background...it's cold and wet...
Here is Kasey in the dugout trying to stay out of the rain...yes Mom..He's the one with the girl hair. We're working on that.... Yea Baseball

Quick Trip to the ole homestead

I try to go home to see my parents several times a year. So this last weekend was the first trip of this year. I wish I had pictures of the blinding snow we traveled through "both ways" but I was too scared to take pictures and drive at the same time...Never the less....once we got there we had decent weather for one day and did some yard work for Mom and Dad. My mom has a beautiful yard and even though there were no blooms on anything yet...It's still pretty in the dead of winter/spring.

Here we see the girls hard at work. They got the job of window washer this year. Last year I was blessed enough to do the windows...I was glad to get out of that chore, but little did I know what mom had in mind for my sis and me.

Yes...You guessed it...Rocks! Tami and I had to shovel and haul rock all over the yard...As you can see from the above photo...it may have been more Tami than myself. Someone had to take the pics...

We had to take several breaks...Here's Fatcat handing out Mt. Dew to keep up our energy so we'd work harder...

And here we have 0077...Mom's got her nose in the bushes spying on the neighbors...hmmmm (She really hates getting her pic taken).

All in all we had a really good time except Stacey kept getting in trouble
(this is an "had to be there joke")
Glad we went...just a nice break from life...Love you Mom and Dad

Edward is coming to my house!

Yes...this is what I'll be doing all weekend...DVD out today...I'm so immature

River Trail Tranquility

Do you love my running pants...I know ..I look too cool for public but I'd forgotten how much I love to run (slooow jog) on the river trail by my house. The reason I'd forgotten is because it's been so long since I've run. I've been off the bandwagon so to speak the last few years. I usually get cabin fever in the spring and have a desire to be outside while exercising. But...not so much ...until now. I'm trying yoga for the first time...I loved it...it's great for old bones and weary minds like mine and so today I was inspired to go outside and run 3 miles. I know...it felt like 20. Again it's been awhile...But look what I have to run on...
a beautiful river trail where I've seen deer,snakes, snails, turtles, fish and smelled skunks...
In the summer it's shady ...in the Autumn it's beautiful with color...

Why would you want to go exercise in a box i.e the gym...when you can see this everyday and everyday it's somehow different...Love it and am soooo sore already..:)

He may be down and out, but he still took 3rd!

Kasey entered his first snowboarding competition this last Saturday and had quite the experience! :) I can't go into all the details, as I have been forbidden to tell all. But needless to say, right before the actual competition Kasey got hurt. He was warming up and wiped out... so to speak and landed a jump on his back. The ski patrol checked him out and decided he was OK and he went on to take third place in the competition! He's very confident that had he not hurt himself, he could have taken 1st...because of course he was much better than the boarder that did take first. As his mother I totally agree! Above is Kasey on the couch where he stayed most of the night cause he couldn't move.
Here is Kasey putting on his prize winnings...He got some "sick" goggles, some skull candy ear buds, a bandanna and a day pass at the canyons. All told it was about $300 worth of prizes.
Tyler is trying to help Kasey put the stuff on, but just making it a little awkward for Kasey.
Then they just got silly...oh Tyler
Kasey looks resigned doesn't he...
I may be taking him to the doctors tomorrow...He is pretty beat up and I think he needs x-rays...I (Dr. Henson) will assess him Monday morning...:)

He thinks it was totally worth it... Good thing he's young and heals quick Good Job Son!

Update on Kasey: strained ligements from his back right side to the front, no fractures, but possible kidney bruise and all right before baseball starts...Awesome :)

Messy or Enjoyable? That is the attitude/question...

I have a new motto...want to hear it? "life is messy" how's that for a motto...I've been thinking this for awhile. When did this happen? When did the mess start swirling and piling up in heaps of confusion. It's not just my life although it could use some cleaning, but as I watch my children begin their life as adults...I see how messy it is for them.
I have this lettering above my front door...I've had it for bout 5 years...even before Pres. Monson's talk about enjoying the journey in the last conference session....I loved it because that's what I've been trying to concentrate on. I know that we are to have joy...I want to enjoy my time but how to do that while in this mess?

Here is quote from the afore mentioned talk that I love and reminds me what is most important.
"stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. we must deal with them the best we can. But should not let them get in the way of what is most important...the people around us that we love". It's all about family isn't it...I have always felt that family is my greatest blessing. My parents, siblings, children, husband and all his family. How did I get so lucky?
So this blog is dedicated to them. You are my greatest joy in life...Love you all

Life just isn't fair...

So my sister and her daughters have gone to Hawaii for the week and I'm so jealous I can't stand it. I mean what right do they have to go without me? Really...I practically raised those girls when they were babies...I'm like a second mom right? So I was thinking that a trip to Hawaii was the least they could have done. But no...they wanted to take their "real" Mom.


So here they are...fun in the sun... good food... poolside...



And here I am...at work...working for the man
Where is the justice.? I want equal rights! Or at least a present from my Sis :)

Have so much fun girls...and keep up the pics