Sunday Smiles

i smiled on Sunday when I caught both Brian and Gavin engrossed in a Chick Flick! [Sleepless in Seattle...i think] You couldn't break their attention...so I headed back to my room to finish the Basketball Game.


i smiled on Monday when I delightfully picked up my Aunt Liz and headed down for an adventure with a YOUNG man's birthday! After picking up Grandpa we went to my sister Sheris for the day. ELEVEN kids, FIVE cakes, and 89 candles later...

smiles

We had a LOT of cake:

Clarissa and her friend, Tigerlily,
had to do a project for science.
They made cakes...and decorated them
to look like a Plant Cell.
They were SuRE they needed TWO cakes each!
We had a LOT of cake leftover!!!

...And a LOT of hugs!

SMILES all around. I absolutely love and adore that sweet smushed SMILE in the middle! She is so blissfully accepting the tender xoxox's from Great-Grandpa!

i SMILED at the attempt to get a picture of me and Grandpa.
After hearing, "Oh, that was bad, ...that one is REALLY bad, oh, ummmmm, not good", for so many pictures you have to take what you get...
[I was pretty sure the picture
was BAD because I was in it...LOL]

This card....HUGE SMILES!!!!

"89 years, WOW, that's a LOT!!!"

You have to LOVE the honesty of kids!

Push 'ems always make me SMILE!
And since the kids were SOOOO busy baking cakes and playing I had to eat my share and theirs. BIG SMILES!

Seeing this....

...at Sunset, makes for a SMILE
that can last all week!

HAPPY 89TH BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!

Finding a way to use all the LEFTOVER chocolate cake....SMILES!

Happy Family Home Evening treat for sure!
Thirds anyone....

on Tuesday Boys Church Basketball brought a TON of SMILES and a lot of CHEERING!

If you have ever had a boy play Church ball,
or been a boy playing Church ball,
you know the above can bring SMILES.

To hear a group of men
state what they stand for.
To promise to be worthy
of their Priesthood
that blesses us.
Amazing moment!

[and worth every bit the smell
of the gym sweat to endure!]

This picture makes me smile.
It is such a fun game to watch
Brother and Brother
play together!

sam in the green shorts,
gavin is number 11

Sam's team [which Gavin is allowed
for one more year to play...]
WON their game.
First Regionals game...
Single Elimination.
Good LUCK and Best WISHES team!!!

i SMILED when Jeremy scaled the bleachers,
twice....
so I could get a picture.
He needed some of the SPORT attention
his brothers are always getting these days!!!
Nice climbing Jeremy!

i smiled when we had an hour in between Sam's game and Gavin's official game!
Gavin informed me he needed to go home and change his socks! Of course.

[Right when my nose finally adjusted
to the awesome smell of pre-hormonal boys,
we have to leave...
AND COME BACK!!!]
Serious torture....SMILING through it all!!!

i smiled watching these boys play so well together....also winning their game! It was a close one for sure, and they really had to pull together as a team to pull it off.

i smiled because these same boys would be a team a few nights later....

...when as a team they attend Prom together.

Hope and Prayers that they will have the good judgment
and teamwork they show on the court....on the dance floor.

Gavin was 5 for 6 on his Three Point shots!
Way to go Gavin!!!

Looking forward to their Second
Regionals game as well!!!
Cheers Team!!!

i DIDN"T smile when Gavin caught me in the act of beautification.
"The magic" should stay in the bathroom I guess....

[being a multitask-er you never know where you will find me looking like this....]

Okay...so I may have SMILED a little!!!!

WARNING: The above CHOCOLATE
made me and everyone around me SMILE....

...it is also the reason I didn't miss Parent Teacher Conferences. Somehow I had the wisdom that if I was making dessert for Parent Teacher Conferences...that meant that THATDAY was Parent Teacher Conferences....who'd have thought?!!!





i SMILED on Wednesday from the inside out when I had the blessing of attending New Beginnings for Young Women's with Clarissa.

The event caused me to reflect and ponder on so many aspects of my life,
my lovely daughter,
and the awesome responsibility
that I have to her,
and to myself,
as Daughters of God.
I look forward to discovering some wisdom and enlightenment as I strive for self-improvement this year while working on Personal Progress together.

Yummy Dessert...SMILING
[Notice how each of the colors represents a
Young Womens Value color!!!]

i SMILED while shopping
with Clarissa for this outfit [below],
and Gavin for his Prom outfit [above]...
and finding the BEAUTIFUL purse.

I love purses....

Buying Clarissa her
FIRST ladies purse,
was really F U N for me.

The event had a LOT to do with purses,
and it felt quite inspirational to me
that we had spent so much time
looking for the perfect purse
for her evening and outfit!
More about that in a post
dedicated to PURSES!!!

SMILING!!!

now THIS is SMILING!!!!

i smiled when we sat at the Good Works [yellow]
table with Gavins Trek Ma and Pa!



Brother and Sister Thorley took great care of my then 12 year old.
Trek was a hard week for me. Dropping your young son off and having no contact for 5 full days...and longer nights than when he was teething...WAS torture!

Knowing that he was with these wonderful people was a BLESSING!

SMILES FOR SURE!!!

This event happened last week but while gazing at my past text message on Thursday I came across it and really SMILED.

My niece Natalie
loves her Webkinz SOOOOO much!
Always has.
It was Christina's birthday!!!
When she called on Sam's birthday she made sure we all knew
that the NEXT day was Christina's birthday.
When she got out of school she called me
asking if any of my kids had asked to call her yet.
So....we made sure that Christina was called by each
INDIVIDUAL person in the family.

Jeremy spent the afternoon playing Webkinz with Natalie...
with the phones on SPEAKER....

Christina kicked butt in most of the games...
Jeremy hung in there, even though he regretfully
did NOT get any homework done
for that day!!!

SUCH SACRIFICE and SMILES!!!
Christina now has a sister...Victoria.

Birthday????
We are on a NEED to KNOW basis!
thx Suzie ♥

i always SMILE
when I see an awesome Sunset!

...or three.

Oh the smiles, the many many SMILES!

i smiled when Jer-Bear came home from school Tuesday and went straight to his new desk. He sat promptly and tall in his new chair, immediately looking over at me and stated, in Little Bears fashion, "Someone has been sitting in my chair!"

Seriously, no lie! i SMILED!!!

i smiled Wednesday when Gavin told me that he was invited to Junior Prom, I smiled and then I shed a quick tear... i smiled [Friday] when he came home, safe and sound! And then I shed a flood of tears.


i smiled when I opened a text from Jesse, Jessica and Nate and found out we get to see them SUNDAY!!!...TODAY!!! Big SMILES!


i SMILED when Clarissa informed me that she was really an ONLY CHILD! Clarissa: The other little people around here are either an illusion or just extra kids from Primary that you have to have over all the time. I really see myself as an only child.


[the Office fans will appreciate this one]
i SMILED when Gavin, Clarissa, and I had the following conversation.

Clarissa: Mom, have you ever had kidney stones.


Me: Yes

Clarissa: Great! That means I am going to get them.

Me: Not necessarily.

Clarissa: Well, according to my health teacher if you have ever had them I will get them.

Me: I only had them when I was pregnant with Sam, and only because of other pregnancy complications that contributed to them.


Gavin: [actual conversation impossible for me to translate, mainly due to the fact that he used WAY TOO MUCH of his new found medical jargon....but to some degree he explained how kidney stones are really formed and something to do with the compression within the kidney function which is attributed to the types of food that you eat and the condition of your health....and something to do with squishing and hardening of the food as it is processed through the kidney.]


Clarissa's FINAL word: That's NOT what she said.

[referring to her teacher]


Completely true....SERIOUSLY!
That's WHAT she said!!!
LOL

Same Day, Different Story....SMILING!


i smiled when Gavin was talking about turning 20!

20 apparently is the age that he is most excited to become.

"You are 19....and then BAMMMMM you are 20."

He continues: "That is the difference between being a YOUNG MAN and and YOUNG MENS leader!!!"


You know you have lived in the 33rd ward your WHOLE life when this is your THINKING!!!!!

[Side note if you don't get it: Most of Gavin and Clarissa's Young Men and Young Women's leaders are in their VERY early 20's]

i SMILED when Gavin asked me what I was planning to wear while dropping him off to Junior Prom. "Not bluejeans...??", he asked politely.

Me: Ummmm, No NOT bluejeans....

[actually I had not really
thought much of it...
ME= FOREVER in bluejeans!!!]

Him: Okay, well I was just thinking you should dress to look 40.

Me: [Laughing hysterically....] FORTY???? You want me to dress OLD???

Him: Not old mom, ACCOMPLISHED. I want you to dress accomplished because you are. It's a GOOD thing!


So...I put on a skirt...which caused a ripple of laughs for the rest of the evening...I became the "hot nanny"...according to his friends and his friends dad who did not recognize me in a skirt.

[Truth be told I am a little weary of going
to his next Basketball game,
cheeks flushed and all!]

TOTALLY SMILING as I went from Forever in Bluejeans to ACCOMPLISHED to Hot Nanny all in one night! Frightening what putting on a skirt can do for a reputation, I wont be wearing that to church!!!