Cayden's First Deacon Campout

Cayden went on his first campout as a Deacon on March 21.  Dad had to go out of town so Connor and Caleb went with him.  They had a great time and only went a little ways from Overton past Simplot.  Both Connor and Caleb helped Cayden with his shots which was a big relief for me!

Beacon Academy

Connor and Caleb are going to a different school now.  We pulled Caleb at the semester in January due to some behavior's that he was having trouble with.  We have struggled with that kid for way too long and we had had enough.  We had researched and checked into this other school during Christmas break and prayed about it for a few weeks.  We felt good about it but were worried about him not doing his work at this school and that we would not have any recourse or back up to help us.  After another incident happened that had nothing to actually do with school but was an incident that gave us the push to make the decision to pull him.  In all of these things I was remarkably calm and really felt the spirit helping me trying to help my child.  Don was out of town so of course I had to deal with it on my own but that is ok.  We enrolled him in Beacon Academy the week of semester exams.  He had to finish those exams to get credit for the semester and then I went and unenrolled him at the high school.  Beacon Academy is a virtual high school where they do everything online and via email but they also have a school building where the kids can go any time during the weekmformtutorung help. The week he started he had a 4 hour orientation that he had to attend and I had to come in to the school a few hours later for a parent orientation.  He had to learn about how the school worked and what was expected of him. They gave him a computer that he gets to keep through out the school year to do his work on. He was pretty excited about that.  Since his grades were so poor he is basically on academic probation indefinitely which means that we have to take him in once a week so they can help him stay caught up.  I  have my own observer account where I can see everything that he has done or supposed to be doing and what his grades are.  He is not overly thrilled that I have such access to it but that's what we have to do stay on top him and make sure that he is doing what he needs to do.  I have asked him to redo some of the work that really is not up to the standard that it should be for him.  He really really does not like that at all.  We just decided that based on his previous actions that we could not wait for him to not graduate high school as the natural consequence of his behavior. The only really hard thing has been the week that we had to take him and Connor in almost every day for Proficiency testing.  These tests have to be taken and passed in order for anyone in Nevada to graduate from high school.  We pulled Connor the second week of February after a really really bad incident at the school and were able to get him into Beacon.  We have to acknowledge the hand of The Lord in all of this.  If Caleb wouldn't have been doing so poorly in school and we hadn't made the decision to pull him from the high school and enroll him into Beacon we more than likely would not have been able to get Connor in because they had closed their enrollment for the semester.  I still had to plead with the principal and have a special meeting with the school to get him in but we were so grateful that we were able to get him in.  Caleb had to go in 3 days and Connor had to go in 4 days that week of proficiency testing.  That was kind of a pain but we did it.  They could only take the tests in Vegas at the school so we did what we had to do.  Connor has taken the tests 2 times already but has not passed them yet.  He has 4 more tries though after this one.  The school offered some testing boot camps that were held the weeks prior to the testing.  We took them in a few extra times for those in the hope that it would help them both do well.  Connor actually has enough credits to be designated as a senior but we needed him to be a junior so that he has as many chances as possible to take the proficiency tests.   We are very pleased with the school so far and the boys are not giving us too much trouble about it.  Connor gets a little antsy especially toward the end of the week but he usually sits down most mornings and gets busy so that he can be done by 11:30 or 12.  They are still in seminary too.  Caleb goes every other day at 7:15am and I pick him up when I take Cayden to school at 8:30. Connor goes on that same day just at 11:30.  Caleb is still involved in theater and so he has theater class at that same time Connor has seminary. It does mean multiple trips up and back from the high school but we do what we have to do.  I'm grateful to have the gift of they Holy Ghost in my life especially to help me with knowing what to do for our kids.  

Fieldtrips

Cayden's class has gotten to go on quite a few field trips this year.  In January they got to got to the Spring's Preserve and in  February they went to shark reef at the Mandalay Bay.  He wanted me to go with him both times. The first time I just met him there with Kyle and we spent the day with his class.  The second time I took Caleb in to his school and then went over to the field trip.  I had to take Kyle with me that day too but he enjoyed seeing the fish and the sharks.  Don brought Connor in to meet us at the diabetes doctor that day so it was a pretty crazy.  

King of Selfies

Once again this is what I find on my phone after Caleb has had it.  

Spring Time

The weather here in Logandale has been quite lovely the last few weeks.  We have gone to the park at least once a week.  Kyle has a great time playing on the playground equipment and digging in the sand.  There are dandylions every where!  Kyle loves to blow the seeds away.  We try to meet our friends there but if they can't come there are always kids to play with.  We even crashed a birthday party on the day I took this picture.  The people were fine with it and even shared their cheetos and their otter pops.  

Fudgesicle

Need I say more!

20 Years Later

We have been married 20 years  Ok, that is a long time!  I was so skinny!  

We celebrated our anniversary a week early because Don had to go out of town on our actual anniversary.  We spent the night in Vegas at the JW Marriott.  We went to a late lunch at Claimjumper and then we went shopping at Boca Park which was close by where we were staying.  We wandered around the hotel property and then decided to go to a movie.  We went and saw Jack Ryan, Shadow Recruit and then since we could and we were close by we went to Cheesecake Factory after the movie and got our favorite crab bites and nachos and a piece of cheesecake.  We haven't been out super late like that since I can even remember and it was kind of fun to be almost the last ones at the restaurant before closing time.  We slept in the next morning and then had a late breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.  It was a short trip-less than 24 hours but it was nice to be together.  On our actual anniversary we sent silly texts back and forth to each other like "you are the bread to my butter'" and "you are the bacon to my eggs".  As I was going through my day I would think of different things and text them to Don.  I also sent him a bunch of Youtube music videos like Barry Manilow's "I Can't Smile Without You".   The one song that Don could think of was Proclaimer's "500 Miles".  He was in meetings and traveling all day so he didn't have lots of time to think up goofy songs.  

I am one lucky girl to be married to such an amazing man!

Here are 20 things about my wedding.

1.  We were married on an overcast day in March.  One of my favorite pictures is standing at the front door with the storm in the background.

2.   My wedding colors were burgundy and forest green-totally 90's!

3.  We had to go to Vegas a few days before to get a marriage license and it was St. Patrick's Day week where the it seemed that every drunk in Vegas was downtown where the county office was.

4.  I had the most beautiful wedding cake.  Sandy Cameron made the cake and decorated the sides and then I had lots of fresh flowers for the tops.

5.  I really loved my bouquet.  There was a lady here who owned a flower shop who was absolutely gifted with flowers and arranging.  Incidentally she sold her shop and moved away to work at Disneyland!

6. Linda Bohn and some other ladies made lots of cookies for my reception.  Linda was a good family friend and she passed away a few years ago.  I think her name was Connie Anderson.

7.  My wedding ring was a marquis diamond and I loved it.  My fingers got too fat when I was pregnant with Kyle so I put it in my jewelry box.  One of my children got into my jewelry box and the ring is gone with the wind.  We hunted high and low for that ring.  We emptied every toy box and drawer and even dumped out every bin of Legos looking for it.  

8.  Grandpa Gessel walked me down the aisle.  My dad had died just the month before.

9.  President Alma Whipple married us in the Logandale church.  He was such an amazing awesome man.  He died in April of 2007.  There have been lots of significant events in that Logandale building.  3 of my kids were blessed there.  3 of my kids were baptized there.  3 of my kids were given the priesthood there. And I was married there.  I was so very sad when that building burned down.

10.  We didn't have any money to have a wedding so Don's parents paid for most of it.  I borrowed the dress and it was the exact kind I would have picked if I had a million dollars and a million to choose from.

11.  Cydnee made made my veil.  It was made with white flowers around a full circular headband with the veil in the back.

12.  I did have a bridal shower a few days before the wedding.  I'm not sure who actually threw it for me.  Dena and Darbie were there and of course Dottie and Brigette-the only friend I knew in Logdandale.  Cydnee had to keep me out of the house for a while so they could set up and so we went to the church to iron tablecloths.  It was quite the surprise.  Someone gave me some silver hoop earrings.  I don't know if I have those exact ones but silver hoop earring about the size of a quarter are my go to every day earrings.  Unless I am specifically going somewhere and I want my earrings to match my outfit I wear the hoops.  

13.  We tied a quilt at the shower.  It was a king size flannel quilt with a white floral print on the top and light green flannel on the bottom.  There was pink lace edging around it too.  I still have that quilt.

14.  We stayed in Mesquite for our honeymoon.  We went to Vegas though and went shopping.  We had no money but we did wander around and look and lots of things.  I think we only stayed 2 nights.  I was worried about Cody.  I hadn't left him overnight alone very much.

15.  Cody stayed with Don and Dottie the first night and then my mom came and picked him up and took him back to Provo with them.  I think.  Mom had married Roger just the month before.

16.  Dottie was very insistent that I get the thank you cards out for our gifts very very quickly.

17.  Dena gave us a blue comforter and shams for our bed.  That has been my most favorite bed set I have ever had and I wish that it hadn't torn up or I would still have it.  I even looked on line trying to find one just like it a few years ago.  I have done different colors in our room like plum and green but I always keep coming back to blue.

18.  We had our apartment in Orem to return to.  It was at 1438 S. 300 E.  It was behind Barnes and Noble.  It was a 2 bedroom basement apartment.  One of the first things we did purchase was a washer and dryer.  We bought it on credit at RC Willey.  Cody had that awful coughing until he puked thing and I could not handle having to haul puke covered blankets and clothes to my mom's to wash.  It was so frequent too like at least a couple of times a week.  

19.  Theron Giles was Don's best man and Cydnee was my maid of honor.

20.  We were sealed for time and all eternity on April 15, 1995 in the St. George temple.  

It has been a crazy 20 years!  I can't believe it has been that long and that we are getting that old!