NYNYS MISSION REUNION

Thank you Spackmans for coming from Canada to see all of your NYNYS kids! It was such a wonderful time..here are a few pictures from the evening.

GROSSED OUT

Okay people...just because I was once a Greenpeace member does NOT mean that I like animals roaming my house. Yes, i do have an almost 6ft boa in our basement. Yes, we do have a lizard and tree frogs. (actually the 7th treefrog just died and the 8th isnt looking so hot). Yes, Leah loves to feed the Lizard mealworms and will sometimes forget she put a few in her pocket. Yes, i did assist in the murder of a rat when i put it in a cooler of dry ice so it could "go to sleep" and make it easier to feed the snake. And YES I just found a giant cricket in my house. Going up the stairs. Maybe to the girls room. i find this revolting. All I can say is this is no wonderland and I aint Alice. Little did I know that when I married Matt, I was marrying into the reptile kingdom.

In Awe of Autumn

I love a man who comes home from work smelling like dog and dirty criminals...

Thats right, Matt is the new K9 officer for S. Salt Lake. And this is our new child, Dundee.

Cutest Faces Ever

The cousins got together for Joseph's 4th birthday..we love you Joseph!

Let us take a walk down memory lane ...shall we?

FOR COUNTRY DAY PEEPS..lets see who we can recognize. Kelsey Kearns as fairy..check. Chrissy Tucker as yellow dog..check. Anna as nurse..check. Rachel as an e-wok..check. Lori as a clown..check. Rhett with yellow afro in way back..check. And who is the kid next to Chris N. who I always thought was a little werewolf-ish? WHAT is Maria Cincata doing? And WHOOOO is miss piggy and wannabe Princess Lea?

Give it up to Tommy Felactu for dressing drag to our 8th grade Halloween party. I never thought a PRIVATE school or Agatha (his mom) would let this happen. We love you Tom. This is one of my fondest memories of you.

No, I was NOT in beauty pageants. This is called being the youngest of 6 kids. I think that was when Farrah Faucet was popular.

LOVE LOVE LOVE HER.

I cannot put into words how much I love this little girl. I feel like my heart is going to explode! All she does is smile at me! I love it! She sleeps about 8 hours a night now and takes awesome naps! She eats like a champ and loves her sisters. I cannot imagine life without her.

I love my girls!

REMEMBERING 9/11

Everyone has their stories where they were on September 11th. As for me, i was in New York serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I had lived in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island. Being from the West Coast, this whole experience was quite an interesting one. With the hot and humid summers to the bone-chilling winters and the long days of knocking on doors to share the Good Word only to find that MAYBE one person that day might consider pondering the heart-felt sincere testimony that took you such courage to share. We were invited to pray with others and we were also kicked out of buildings. Some areas were scary and I have NO DOUBT angels were around as we walked in the late night or mid-day for that matter. Little did I know tha the people i should have been wary of were the terrorists that I possibly rubbed shoulders with. Those who helped bring the towers down and who wreaked havoc on our precious country.

After being kicked out of a building, my companion had the idea to knock on the door to a firehouse. They were reluctant to let us in. "Only if you need a drink or need to use the restroom" they told us. Soon enough we were teaching them about Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. It must have gone well because they then offered us desserts and let us slide down the fire pole! The evening ended with an exhilerating ride home in the firetruck (which was only a few blocks). I have heard that many firefighters from the Park Slope dept were lost on Sept 11th. I am currently trying to find out if these men were lost in the towers that day. Whether or not they are alive, it was an honor to teach those men who i AM SURE were willing to give their life that day to save another.

Matt and I were actually serving in Staten Isalnd during Sept 11th. Manhatten was basically in our front yard. We would ride the ferries daily back and forth to the city to find people to teach. That DAY was strange. We did not have a TV in our apartment so we were not glued to the TV like the rest of America. We turned on our radio just in time to hear that the first tower had fallen. We headed over to the elders apartment to be together and to feel safe. We were then told to go among the people and try and give comfort to those who needed it. That night Matt and another missionary decided to go over to Ground Zero to do whatever they could. I remember getting a call from Matt that night and he was in tears. Sobbing over the surreal scene he had just witnessed. He said it looked like a movie set. Dust inches high. A somber place. And no one to be rescued. They had all died in the towers. He cried all of the way home. Matt has kept his protective suit and mask he wore at Ground Zero. Something tangible to remind him of that experience..not just of what he SAW but what he FELT. I am so afraid of my memories fading of that time. That is probably why I am sharing it on my blog. My favorite picture I took is the one of the flag on the fence with the city behind it and pictures of those missing. i hope we can take that day to remember and pray for MANY people whose heart are STILL aching from that day.

First day of School

I THINK THE HAIR MIGHT BE WEIGHING HER DOWN..WHAT DO YOU THINK?

A Family Adventure

Not quite sure WHY I wore a skirt and flip flops into the mountains, but it was fun.

BEAUTIFUL

CALIFORNIA TRIP Part Three- Judy's Party

The purpose of our excursion was to celebrate my mom's 65th birthday. She was able to have a party with some of her dearest friends. If any of you know my mom, you know that she is one of the most LOVED people on the planet. And that is how she is, she sincerely loves others. Every single friend stood up and told a memory or just paid tribute to her. It was very touching. i love my mom. I love that i am her daughter. i love that she is my friend. I love her big heart and that she teaches me how to be a better person just by example alone. I love that we can share our "blonde" moments with eachother. I love that she has taught me how to cook. i love her style. I love that she loves my kids. i love that i resemble her. Thanks mom, for who you are. Love you.

CALIFORNIA TRIP Part Two- Palos Verdes

After leaving Encinitas where we had our beach party with my sisters and their family, we headed to Palos Verdes where I grew up. It is such a beautiful place and i get a little sentimental everytime i go back. Matt and i went to the beach, ate a Kelly's korner sandwich, which was heavenly, went out to dinner with some close and wonderful grade school friends and also were able to see some of my mom's friends which included my 3rd and 6th grade teachers! My mom's friend Shirley let us stay at her beautiful house which made our trip perfect..thanks Shirley!

CALIFORNIA TRIP Part One -Beach party

My cute 4 year old neighbor just asked me if this was my Grandma. I wa tempted to say yes just to see her reaction.

PERSON OF THE YEAR FOR 2008

Thats right Scuba Steve..move over..we have our new person of the year!

Okay, so if you want to be a transvestite, you might want to check out a few womens magazines, like Vogue, or maybe just watch Project Runway. Lose the sunglasses. The sun has gone down and they are ugly anyways. Good job on matching your socks to your Grandma's dress...but you could seriously use a flat iron. And maybe a touch of pink lipstick to go with the PINK theme. So if you are wondering...Matt DID take this picture...and the she-male did say alot of people ask to take his picture. I am sure people were wondering what this cop was doing standing on the side of the rode taking this picture. CLASSIC.

So for a good time, visit the colorful city of South Salt Lake. Preferrably after the sun goes down. But bring your pepper spray.

Reese's Blessing Day

No, they are NOT homeless...or crazy.

If you look at most people's blogs, their children are generally clean, well-groomed, usually have bows in their hair if they are girls..and well, have pleasant smiles on their faces. When it comes to my kids..not so much. Please let me explain. My children have been living in their bathing suits since the pool opened down the street. Hayley put on her jacket because it was raining outside...which explains the mud. But the poses? And the creative facial expressions? That clearly comes from Matt's side of the family.