This family is very dear to us! Brigham was able to help reactivate them to the church while he served his mission in France. We were invited to attend the Temple wedding of their daughter Lucy on June 27th at the Logan Temple. It was a beautiful day of celebration and joyful reunion.
Happy Birthday Raya! Thanks for inviting us-we had SOOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!
Here I am with Steve Knudsen and his wife at the Rotary Meeting. He called me the day after the Deseret News article published a piece highlighting my platform with this quote:
“Up until this point, I was just a really passionate mom,” she said. “But does the Rotary want a really passionate mom to come speak? No, they want Mrs. Utah or someone with a title. People will listen if I have a title instead of just ‘mom,’ and already that’s the case.”
I was impressed with their group and grateful to be a part of their meeting. They were so gracious, so entertaining and so service oriented. I like their motto: SERVICE ABOVE SELF!
For Father’s Day, we went to the Asian Food Market and bought ingredients for some of Brigham’s favorite Sushi and Thai recipes. Then we watched you tube for instructions and had some fun results. Here are the sushi photos:
She is my constant helper. My little buddy. My sanity with crazy and wild boys. We missed her this past week while she was gone at “Gramp Camp”. So happy to have her back home with us. She still tears up each time someone mentions her “new baby brother”. Hopefully, she’ll come around by November 28th. I will miss this sweet 5 year old girl when she’s all grown up.
Professional photography by Marc Olivier, Take Out Photo
“My heart is ever at your service.”
–William Shakespeare
I was invited to be a judge for the Davis County Junior Miss Scholarship Program yesterday. It was a wonderful experience to see how well prepared and well-rounded these girls were. I wan’t familiar with this program prior to this invitation. Now I will recommend it to everyone who has teenage girls. These girls were so talented, poised, intelligent and fit! For fitness they performed a 5+ minute physical fitness routine complete with double time pushups. I would be thrilled if Abby participated in such a program in the future. These were high quality girls with direction, purpose and excellent training! I’d like to meet each of their mothers and get some tips! The judges were all so wonderful as well. It was an inspiring day of women seeking to improve themselves and their communities! The Provo Junior Miss Program will be in October, if any one is interested in that-I can connect you with the director.
I captured this today during our hour of “Silent Reading” time. Baby Brigham grabbed a board book and chose his tonka truck for his reading spot. Don’t let his sweet face fool you…. the tongue tells all…. just moments before the flash went off, he ripped the book and stuck out his tongue. That clenched fist is holding the evidence. That’s about as wild as this wonderful boy gets. He seems to be developing the sweetest disposition and inclination towards immediate obediance. We are enjoying his personality shining through in such exciting ways. He is our first child to be almost 100% obediant the first time we make a request. Don’t I sound like a proud mama?
They are not just funny on the stage. It’s constant!
Scott Champion, with his new fiance Rachel. He’s teaching our Briggy Jr. how to be funny. See results below.
They do stand up, they sing, and they dance!
Someone suggested they try a “poker face” and they came up with their own version of a “poke-her face”!
The whole group.
Our kids had so much fun playing with the other kids!
Brig Squared.
I took this one of Thayne. Such a face!
Then he grabbed the camera and got this one of me….
and this one of Bob Bedore (and about 54 other shots of the fence, trees, eyeballs, etc.)
Abby and Bella became quick friends on the trampoline.
A near perfect replica of her funny father, Brett Merrit…. Bella insisted on doing a silly shot next:
We were ready for church early today and so Brigham read to the kids (while baby slept). They all looked so picutre perfect that I had to run for the camera. Thayne just kept smiling so he got an extra shot. I was feeling so blessed to be a mother… so full of joy that they are mine.
The Miss Provo Pageant was last night and I attended with some friends. I thought the talents were inspiring. So much discipline, training and practice to prepare such refined talents. It was really great! Here I am with the new Miss Provo and below with Miss Utah, Kayla Barclay, who was the night’s MC. Emily Nelson, Mrs. Utah United States 2008, was one of the judges. (An interesting note: this was the first pageant I’ve ever attended in the audience, since my first pageant experience EVER, I was on the stage side of things.)
Congratulations to Shauna Dunn, who has been nominated by our Utah County Chapter to be our Young Mother of the Year Nominee for 2010!
We heard from Jenny Ahlstrom of moms2moms.com on her Legacy Project. A really exciting website based on mom’s videotaped stories. Here’s her presentation.
Ingrid Sorensen led our Power of Positive Parenting Discussion. Here’s the youtube video of that discussion.
I also shared some information on the White Ribbon Campaign and we discussed our topic of financial preparedness. My favorite part of the meeting was chatting with those who stayed afterwards. Always so great to share ideas with wonderful women!
We don’t hold meetings in July or December, so mark your calandar for August 13th at the Provo Library at 7:30, with a pre-meeting social at 7pm. That will be the same night as the PTA White Ribbon Week Informational meeting to be held from 6-7pm in the same room! So come for both!
Photos and Design by Chad Braithwaite, Faces Photography
Stay tuned for more information on www.TheWINonline.com. I’ve been invited to be a show host for this international Mega Site that will launch officially on September 26th in SLC. I’ll start recording shows in June and they will be incorporated into the work I’m involved with promoting TEAM Decency. Please contact me if you know of someone who would enjoy sharing ideas involving decency for the show. I’ll be interviewing professionals, moms, leaders of organizations, creative thinkers, anyone who has ideas on how and why to promote decency!
I just found this article in the Daily Herald, highlighting the new business of our friend John Pestana. Check out his website at exactrail.com to learn more about his model trains. John hosts the monthly movie club that Brigham started.
Photo by MARIO RUIZ,Daily Herald
Look out, Lionel. A new Orem-based model railroad business, ExactRail, has embarked on a journey that the company’s founders hope will eventually take the “new kid on the tracks” to the peak of the industry.
ExactRail, co-founded by Chris Clune and John Pestana, designs and manufactures model trains in HO and N scales.
“We want to become the largest train company in the world,” said Pestana, who lives in Provo. “We estimate Lionel has sales of around $100 million per year. There’s our benchmark.” Read the rest of this entry »
After Nana Maya’s funeral rehersal/suprise 60th birthday party, we all went to the Thrillionaires show at the Covey Center to enjoy Brigham’s amazing improv talents. I’m having so much fun with my new FLIP Video… here are some songs that I captured that night from the improv musical. The first one, by Bret Merritt was inspired by the audience suggestion for a song title-I called out (in honor of Nana’s big day and what she ALWAYS says), “Have Fun At My Funeral!”
Nana arrived to Rodizio Grill to everyone shouting “DON’T DIE” instead of SUPRISE!
The cousins had a great time playing together. We all wore black in honor of the “funeral dress rehersal” since Nana is SOOOOOO old!!!!!!!!
Our kids gave Nana a funeral plant and a birthday card with dentures on the front.
Happy 60th Nana Maya!! We love you and we’re glad you didn’t die of a heart attack with all of the teasing during your “roast”.
I was invited to present on TEAM Decency and American Mothers at the Baby Contest last weekend. Presentations were held in an activity room filled with play stations and information booths. It was a very comfortable and casual setting. I even roamed around the room with the mic during the 30 minute presentation and was able to talk with alot of the moms. I am always happy and inspired to see moms who are seeking improvment for themselves and their children. There were great play ideas. Two of my favorites were a mini pool filled with styrophome and bubble wrap taped to the floor. Here are some pics…
I had a prenatal visit today and the ultrasound changed my due date to 11/28/09. One month sooner. So I’m 15 weeks right now and they were able to see the sex…. the video tells all!
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My wonderful new neighbor Annette! She stopped by today with a beautiful boquet of roses for me. I must have complained a bit about being overwhelmed or something… because she returned 5 minutes later with her oldest son, a roll of paper towels and a bottle of windex to clean all of my newly hung frames, mirrors and windows. Although the help cleaning was certainly welcome and wonderful, the most joyful part of her 2nd visit was her display of support, friendship and the burst of sunshine she left in my home after she left…. Angel Annette!!!
I noticed Ben had been missing for awhile and went to find him today. This is what I found…
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My wonderful husband reading Treasure Island to our kids. (Amazing Shauna Dunn introduced me to the book, The Read Aloud Handbook, that has transformed many moments in our family to be more centered around reading. Can’t recommend it enough! Buy it! It’s a yearly re-read and important reference book!)
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The official pageant photographer, Chad Braithwaite of Faces Photography, just provided each contestant with a CD of photos. Here are some of his shots:
I enjoyed a wonderful weekend trip to WA to celebrate my Grandma Muggy’s 80th birthday. A wonderful respite and chance to relax and enjoy many family members! Happy 80th Muggy!
Mom took me for a trike bike ride after the party. It was slow, relaxing and so beautiful to enjoy Washington’s green landscape. Life should include more moments like this one.
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