Happy "11" Birthday Logan

My baby boy is "11" years old today

It seems like yesterday that I sat and rocked him,

 holding him knowing that he would be my last baby.

What an amazing boy he is.

He loves "ANYTHING" sports related (just like his brother's)

Tonight the LITTLE LEAGUE ALL STAR TOURNAMENT starts and Logan is the starting pitcher.

Should be an awesome game. This is an awesome group of boys and I believe they will do very well.

This morning I am planning on taking Logan to breakfast with two of his best friends. A few years ago Logan became fast friends with 2 boys on his baseball team that were twins. In fact Logan and Andy (one of the twins are so much alike it is scary) Well come to find out the twins were born the day as Logan and they were actually born just a few hours apart. So jokingly you always hear them calling themselves

 "My brother from another mother"

Then Logan will go to basketball camp with his cousin Zach and then prepare for the big game tonight !!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET BOY !!!!

1 Month Old . . . .

Happy Father's Day

Happy 1 Month Birthday Baby Malorie

Happy Happy 1 month birthday to my precious little grand baby !!!!

I went over yesterday to play for just a bit and took her a new toy bar. She is so fascinated by everything. You can just see her taking it all in. Looking at all the bright colors and shapes. She is such a good baby and Morgan is such a good mommy and Trent is such a good dad and provider. They are making sacrifices so that Morgan can stay home with Malorie. So proud of them and their cute little family !!!!

be on the lookout - tomorrow is her offical 1 month photo shoot with Aunt Jamie (http://www.jamieharper.typepad.com/)

Happy Birthday Dylan !!!!

19 years ago I gave birth to this precious little boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN

Follow the journey . . . . as the doctors begin "Perfecting the Feet of a Princess"

www.morganandtrent.blogspot.com

You can call me "Mimi"

So we have been a little busy this week getting used to our new role as grandparents!

All I can say is that this is what heaven must be like !

 

Morgan and Trent are doing great and they are just in love with their baby girl

Introducing . . . . . .

Malorie Dawn Archer

May 15, 2010 ~ 11:51 pm

7 lbs 5 oz

21 inches

5 day old photo's done by my amazingly talented sister-in-law
www.jamieharper.typepad.com

Just waiting to meet her . . .

(photo courtesy of http://www.jamieharper.typepade.com/)

Oh my . . . . Inspiration Overload

I have been totally inspired by some of the  fabulous work I am seeing out there lately. Really I would be happy to sit in my little craft corner and craft all day. I am sure the arrival of my new little grand-daughter might have something to do with it. Maybe it is grandma nesting !!!

But you have got to check these out . . . .

Craftaholics Anonymous

And to feed my flower addiction . . . . .

Look what Rhonna is up to

oh and then I stumbled upon this site . . .

Whippy Cake

and I can't believe I missed this . . . But I was at Scrap Happy Sisters event . . . wish it would have been a different day because oh how I would have loved to have gone . . . . next time . . . soon I hope. The girl who is running it is the daughter of one of my most absolutely favorite young women leaders from when I just about 17 years old.

Boutique in the Barn

Okay - I hope you get something accomplished today, because it would be oh so easy just to sit and look at all the inspiration on these sites today.

Baby Report : Morgan goes for her amnio today at 2pm to see if little Malorie's lungs are ready to face the world. If they are then she waits for the call from hospital to be induced. So exciting !!!!

The End to A Fabulous Weekend . . . .

Church was amazing yesterday. The spirit that was felt there was something special.

It was fast and testimony meeting and many beautiful testimonies where shared.

As a Relief Society we are working on a number of service projects that I am really excited about.

Our theme for this month is

 "Helping Hands: An Evening of Service and Sharing"

We will be making quilts and will use them to give to those who can use a little "extra comfort"

and we will be learning how to make crocheted hats.

There is a group of women in our ward that have been making hats for cancer patients.

As mothers, daughters, sisters and wives we have the natural want to nurture and care for those in need.  Many of the cancer patients express a need for a covering for their heads after the ravages of treatment have caused their hair to become thin or to fall out altogether. What a wonderful project this is. We have also expanded and will be making newborn hats for babies in the NICU and then hats for the homeless. I am excited to learn how to make these and then teach my family and what a wonderful "summer project" it will be.

After church we came home as a family and watched "THE BLIND SIDE" Don had got it from Red Box and he had it for about 4 days and we needed to watch it so we could return it. I had no idea what I was in for. By far the BEST movie I have seen in a very long time. My entire family loved it and was touched by it. For those who know me, mostly my kids, can imagine that I sobbed through most of the movie, but then there were times in between the tears that I laughed out loud. My mother's heart was truly touched and I loved it. I can't believe it has taken me this long to see it. (yes, I can - I have been a little busy) It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Fabulous Weekend Part 3 . . . .

Saturday after math class I went and spent the day at

SCRAP HAPPY SISTERS 3 day CROP for National Scrapbook Day.

It was a blast !!!

I helped all the women make a cute 4x4 mini album with the new CINCH from WE R.

They were super cute and everyone loved them.

These are my fabulous friends Kit & Kris - the owners of Scrap Happy Sisters.

"Some people come into our lives and quietly go. Others stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same."

I love these girls and I am so thankful to be part of their lives. This is the best part of what I do. Being able to work with friends like this who share the same passion that I do.

Fabulous Job Kit & Kris - It was an awesome weekend !!!

Fabulous Weekend Part 2 . . . .

So I have two more weeks left of this semester and all I can say is that i truly am so proud of myself for not quiting. Cause it was really hard and when I started I wasn't sure that my brain was capable of absorbing all the information that was being thrown at me. So over the course of the past 4 1/2 months I have gotten the hang of this college thing and I am more determined now more than ever to finish a degree. I will continue to pursue nursing - and if the time comes that I have to find another job - I will have a direction. With the economy I am not really sure what is going to happen. If I had a choice what would I really want to do it would be to JUST BE A MOM (and Grandma) and stay home and take care of my family. But the reality of that is not possible. With teenagers, car insurance, missions, college expenses, sports, swim teams, and everything else that comes with raising a big family - I have to contribute income to the family budget. I don't work so we can take fancy vacations or buy fancy cars or expensive clothing. Those who know me, know that I am  SIMPLE gal and know that I contribute just so we can make it. I would love for the economy to bounce back and I would be so happy if I could just continue making it with my job in the scrapbook industry. I LOVE MY JOB and I LOVE THE PEOPLE I WORK WITH. That is what I want and then I would have a degree for back up.

So anyways - I have been working hard and getting some pretty good grades and I am happy to report that on Saturday I got

on my math test. Now I have gotten A's on all my tests this semester. But to actually get 100% - I was pretty darn proud of myself. Especially since I never did well in math in my earlier years. So I have a final English paper due today, a psychology exam tomorrow and then onto finals.

See this precious baby - she is schedule to make her arrival sometime before this weekend right at the start of finals. But no worries all my professors are aware that I may need special accommodations to the timing of my finals and they are all completely understanding. I am so excited to meet

MALORIE DAWN ARCHER

I think this may just be the best Mother's Day ever !!!!

Fabulous Weekend Part 1 Continued . . . .

Dylan had found a Peruvian restaurant in Mesa and so after the temple we headed there for dinner. Let's just make one thing clear. Just because Peru is in South America does not mean that there you will find Mexican food. I wish I would have copied the menu. But it seemed to be full of dishes that consisted of rice, potatoes, eggs, chicken, beef and lot's of veggies. Lot's of radishes ! Everyone loved their food. Dylan's plate looked very similar to a dish of fried rice to me.

One of the highlights was getting to drink "INCA" KOLA. We have heard that this is the favorite soda in Peru, so the guys had to try it. They all said it tasted like bubblegum and they loved it. The other drink they got was a purple rice drink. I guess this one is more of an "acquired" taste. We had a great time sharing this fabulous experience with Dylan and are so proud of the man he is growing up to be.

Fabulous Weekend . . . part 1

What an awesome weekend we had. Friday night we went to the temple with Dylan and had such an amazing experience. Dylan, was attaending the Temple for the first time in preparation for his mission. I knew in my heart that it was going to be a special experience, but I truly did not know how special it would be. I am always touched when I enter the house of the Lord, because the spirit is so strong. If there is anywhere on earth you feel close to Heaven, that is where it is.

I knew that my dad would be present, not only in spirit, but that he would be close by as he watched his oldest grandson prepare to serve a mission. As each of my children cross milestones in their lives I can feel of the love of my dad. His grandchildren were his life. He loved them more than anything in this world and even though he is waiting for us on the other side, I know he is still watching over them and rejoicing in their accomplishments and loved them through their trials.

Once you have done your own work in the temple, you can then return to perform ordinances for those who have gone before. To find out more about Temple work go here. As I sat in the chapel and said a prayer, I could feel that there were many who were very happy that Dylan would be serving the people of Peru on his mission. As we enter the temple and perform ordinances for those who have gone before you are given a name of a person who is deceased. As I sat in the chapel and looked down at the name I was given and said her name "Maria" and noticed that "Maria" was from Peru. The place where Dylan will be serving his mission. I am not sure if I can relate the feeling in which I had at this time. But it was testified to me that Maria was so happy to have her temple work done and she is so anxious for Dylan to go and teach her people.

I will be back to post pictures and follow up on the rest of my weekend . . . gotta go get the family ready for church.

Going to the Temple . . . .

Today is a very special day . . .

Dylan will be going to the Temple to recieve his Endowments

I am so thrilled to share this special day with him . . .

We have him home for 14 more weeks until he goes to serve the people of Peru for 2 years.

I think one of the greatest blessings you can receive as a parent is to hear from priesthood leaders what an amazing young man your son is and that he is well prepapred to serve a mission and that he will truly be an amazing missionary and that he will truly bless the peole in which he serves.

What better way can you think to spend two years than by blessing the lives of others.

I am so very thankful for the gospel in my life and all the many blessings we have recieved.

Essay's . . . . .

Oh my I have been writting my final essay for days now . . . . . . Need to get it finished before the baby comes !!!!

Saturday . . .

Three more math classes left . . . wooooo hooooo (until summer school begins.) I know, crazy isn't it. But I am bound and determined to finish my college degree. But at a little bit slower rate than this past semseter. This has been crazy. But ya know "I didn't know" I really didn't know what it all intailed and so with each new thing in life we learn and grow and that is what I have done this semester. Proud to say I am working my tail off and getting almost all A's. I have learned alot in many areas. One of the main things I have learned is to keep going with my math and just focus on math until it is done.  So that is what I am doing. With all degrees you need to go to atleast 142 or 150. I have found a teacher that I totally "get" his teaching style and so I need to just keep going.

As for now I need to go and start a load of wash before I head to "saturday school".

Friday Night and All is Well . . . .

Well, here it is Friday night at 11:37 pm and I am blog hopping (getting caught up on happenings with everyone) and enjoying a quiet night at HOME !!! Dylan went with some friends to California for the weekend. Don and Coleton are on a campout. Logan is fast asleep and Karleigh is enjoying a movie on the big screen.

GUESS WHAT ? I LOVE FRIDAYS !!!!

I really LOVE Fridays . . .  becuase I don't have ANY classes on Friday's (one smart choice I made as an adult returning to school)


I can't even tell you how much i LOVE being at home !!!!!

Making a list . . . checking it twice

This month we need to . . . .

• Mission Call Acceptance Letter Sent (of course) DONE
• passport and visa application sent to church headquarters  DONE
• Appoitments for Shots - there's alot - HEP A Series, Typhoid Fever, Yellow Fever, so on and so on. Don't want my boy getting sick so we will make sure he get's them all.
• Patriarchial Blessing
• Temple Endowments

He will probably kill me when he finds out I uploaded his visa photo. The photographer would not let him smile. Why do some places let you smile for passport/visa photos and some don't ?  But it is a memory right. And I think you can tell by looking at the photo it signifies a very memorable time in his life. Just look at the tan line on his face. He has been able to enjoy some pretty amazing skiing this ski season. Almost every other weekend and it had now come to an end. I am so glad he had such a fun winter, becuase when he comes home from his mission it is back to school fulltime.

Trying to get hime to work on his piano skills. He plays by ear amazing. I love listening to him play - music to my ears. And I think he will bless the lives of many if he would learn to play a handful of hymns. We will see if moms encouragement works.

PERU LIMA EAST MISSION

Elder Dylan Thomas Paolacci

has been called to serve as a missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

in the
Peru Lima East Mission

He reports to the MTC in Provo, Utah on
August 11, 2010 at which time he will participate in phased training
and then will be transferred to the Lima Peru MTC 

We are thrilled !!!

.

Mission Calls and Grandbabies . . . . . .

I guess that is what is meant when they say "these are the best days of your life" We are anxiously awaiting Dylan's mission call - which should arrive tomorrow (hopefully) and we have about 5 more weeks until we meet our darling grandaughter Malorie.

Besides working 2 jobs (both of which I love) and going to school. Being a wife and mom is keeping me pretty busy right now.