Cruzin'

Courts old boss Royce came to town and treated us to a snorkel cruise. It was a total blast! It was our first time out in a boat and it was really neat to see the island from a completely different perspective. We got a sitter for baby E and I am so glad we did, she would have been miserable and we would not have had as much fun with the bigger kids if we were chasing a toddler around the boat.

J-man wasn't the biggest fan of snorkeling but that is ok because truth be told I don't love snorkeling. I love to see all the cool fish but my claustrophobia and those snorkel masks do not mix well together. J and I had fun staying close to the boat, going off the slide, and doing a little snorkeling here and there. The girls, Court, and Royce had a blast swimming all over to see the fish. I took a turn swimming with the girls for awhile and Lex and I saw a giant sea turtle. You can be fined $1,000 for touching sea turtle, well Lex was swimming away with her head down to see the fish and didn't see the turtle swimming right towards her, luckily another person snorkeling with us pulled Lex back before her and the sea turtle could go crashing into each other. It was pretty funny! When Lex popped her head up to see what was going on, her face was about 3 inches away from the turtles, ahhhh, it was so funny, talk about a shocker! The sea turtle was HUGE, but not scary thank heavens.

On the snorkel cruise they feed us a yummy lunch and we learned lots of fun facts about the island and sea life. We got to see tons of spinner dolphins and chased whales for about an hour. It was pretty exciting! I have never seen a Whale in the wild before, IT.WAS.SO.NEAT. Now that it is Whale season in Hawaii we see them all the time right from shore, the kids love to spot them from the beach!

We had such a great time having Royce stay with us. He is our kids "extra" grandpa and is such a great friend. I know the Lord placed him in our life for a reason and I am very grateful for all he taught Court and for the three years they got to work with each other, he was a wonderful mentor!

Gammie & Bompa

Courts parents came to Hawaii to visit in December. We had so much fun having them here and showing them around our island. This was their first time ever in Hawaii so we tried to squeeze in every once of fun we could into their visit. The kids had no idea that they were coming, it was SO fun to surprise them with their grandparents. The kids have missed them so much and there were LOTS of tears from the girls when they saw their grandparents at our doorstep, it was priceless! We did everything from decorating the Christmas Tree, to hiking the Bamboo Forest, to kickin' it at the beach! Court and I even snuck away to Honolulu for a night and a day to do some Christmas Shopping and go to the Laie Temple. It was a quick trip but we sure had a good time going to another island, being alone, eating some great food, attending the BEAUTIFUL Temple, and shopping for our Kieki (kids). It was my first time leaving baby E. overnight, she did great and was in great hands!

 

 

 

 

 

YAY FOR WONDERFUL GRANDPARENTS!

Goodbye Grandma...

Early this morning my moms mother, Juanita (Nita) passed away at the age of 87. She has had very poor health over the last several years, sever problems with her feet her entire life making it very painful and difficult to walk, and has spent the last 7 or 8 years in a wheel chair. Her passing is a blessing in the fact that she will no longer be in pain and for that we are grateful, although she will be missed dearly.

My grandmother was (is) a HILARIOUS women. She was witty, spunky, and full of Irish-Catholic feistiness!! My grandma was tough as nails and faced some huge trials in her life. She said what was on her mind and taught me to stick up for myself. I always knew that my grandma loved me and I am so grateful to have had such a great relationship with her.

One of my most treasured memories of her was her coming with me to pick out my wedding dress and having her buy my veil for me. My mom had been in town shopping for wedding dresses and we just didn't have any luck finding the "perfect dress". My mom was pretty heart broken to not be there with me to buy my wedding dress. My mom suggested that my grandma go shopping with me, so that at least she could be there when I picked out my dress. I can vividly remember my grandmother picking me up at my Provo apartment to go shopping. She was so excited to get to do this with me. As soon as I got in the car she asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. We ate together at Village Inn in Provo and we talked about the wedding plans as we ate our breakfast. Afterwards we headed to Walker's bridal. I can picture my grandma right now parking the car and struggling to get out of the car, I remember having her hang onto my arm as she slowly walked into the bridal shop. It always made me so sad for her that she had such horrible problems with her feet and legs. Once we were inside we looked around for only a few minutes and then I spotted the dress I had to have. I told my grandma, "this is THE DRESS" and she kept asking me over and over again if I was sure. We picked out the veil and a pretty jeweled hair piece to go with it. We also found some pretty high heals as well. My grandma always wished she could wear high heals, but with her foot problems is wasn't possible. When we got ready to pay my grandma took the veil and hair piece from me and told me that she wanted to buy it for my wedding gift, I thought this was so sweet of her.

Just a few weeks ago when my parents were in town for my cousin Megan's sons funeral I had an overwhelming impression that we needed to stop by the care center to see my grandma on the way home. My grandma had come to the viewing the night before but my family wasn't in town yet. I am so grateful that I listened to this prompting from the Spirit, this was the last time my mom, dad, and siblings saw her. It was such a great visit, she was a hoot, cracking jokes, talking about when she stole my grandpa from her friend, and even calling my dad by name (this was rare). It was such a fun visit. She loved seeing the baby and especially loved when we reminded her that we had given the baby her middle name. She had us all laughing hysterically. Randomly in the middle of our visit, she whipped her head around and told my dad, "geese, you are so handsome, Ron". I will always cherish this precious time we had with her.
This past Thursday after I dropped J-man off at school I headed to her care center to spend sometime with her. When I first got there she was peacefully sleeping. I sat by her, talked to her, kissed her forehead, and told her how much I loved her. About an hour later I was in the other room feeding the baby and talking with my Aunts, Grandma started yelling out in pain and we all hurried into her room. The hospice nurse had turned her on her side and it was very uncomfortable and painful for her. My Aunts got her situated but she continued to try to talk, they couldn't hear what she was saying so they asked me to listen. As I put my ear close to her mouth I heard her whisper a few words, the things she said will forever be precious to me. I started to cry, I kissed her forehead one last time and then whispered in her ear to please hug my baby brother for me and tell him how much I love and miss him. The spirit filled her little room and I know angels were present. I could have stayed for hours longer talking to her and holding her hand, I didn't want to leave(but the kids were getting out of school.)

I love my grandmother so dearly, she has made a HUGE impact on my life and I am so grateful to have been blessed to be her granddaughter. I don't even know how to put into words how grateful I am to my grandmother for converting and becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. I can't imagine my life without the knowledge of the Gospel, the knowledge that families can be TOGETHER FOREVER through covenants in the Lords Holy Temples. Death does NOT part us, our family is Eternal and we will be together in the next life. My faith has sustained me through my biggest trials and my faith in the Savior Jesus is unshakable. I have my grandmother to thank for joining the Church and making it possible for me to have this knowledge. My faith makes up who I am, my purpose in life, it is the center of my life, family, and home. Grandma, you have given us the MOST priceless gift!!!

I love this quote... "When you save a girl, you save generations", this is most definitely the case for our family.

Sweet Peyton

I'm really not doing well on my goal to blog more. Last week was just crazy busy and flew right by. My cousin Megan's 5 year old little boy passed away last Saturday and my family came to town for the funeral. It was so heart wrenching. Sweet Peyton was born at only 24 weeks and against many odds survived. He had many medical challenges that he had to endure throughout his life and was truly a fighter. My heart aches for my cousin, after seeing first hand my mom's grief after loosing a child, I have just a taste of what that would feel like as a mother. I had a hard time concentrating on anything else but Megan and Peyton last week. All I could think about was how hard this must be and how I can't even imagine what this would feel like if it were me. Peyton's services were beautiful and truly a tribute to the special little boy he was! My sweet cousin and her family could definitely use extra prayers!

I loved seeing my family for a few days, I just wish it were under different circumstances. We had fun going out to eat as a family, playing games, and hanging out. Saturday they came to the salon with me and I did all of their hair for them. It was lots of fun!

Lunch Date

I had lunch at the Elementary School today with my favorite 3rd grader!! J-man thought it was so fun to eat lunch with the big kids. I truly love being a mom and getting to do things like this. Life is all about the little moments that make us happy :).

Attitude of Gratitude

Wow, 2 posts in one day, I'm on a roll! My post earlier was actually done from my phone, while in bed, feeding the baby!!! My hubby bought me a new phone last week for my new job. I really thought having Internet on my phone at first was silly, but WOW it has seriously come in handy. I get so much done while I am nursing (LOL)... scripture reading, checking emails, keeping up with my calendar, etc... etc...

I will be starting my new job in a few weeks. I am excited and nervous!! I am going to be assisting the owner of a salon downtown. I am extremely excited about the opportunity to learn from such an amazing stylist and salon owner. It is a perfect schedule for me since it is just 2 days a week, 8 hours total. I know everything with juggling the kids between Court and I, etc... will work out, it's just a little nerve wracking thinking about adding something more to our already busy schedule.

The past few days I have had the 'Holiday's' on my mind quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Holiday's but normally I am not thinking about them much in advance. This year I am especially looking forward to the Holiday's because I want to do my best to make them memorable and special. I want to have a fun Christmas for my kids, but more importantly I want the Spirit of the Season to fill our hearts and home. I have learned so much this year about what is TRULY important in life after the sudden loss of my brother Jake. I feel like I have a broader perspective on life and more Eternal goals. My brothers death has been the biggest trial I have faced in my life (and I have had my share of not pleasant trials in the past) and the grief that has followed his death has often been very overwhelming and painful. The past few months I have felt and recognized the Lords hand in my life on such a deeper level. I would have never chosen loosing my brother for me to learn these lessons and to grow closer to my Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ, but I am so grateful that something positive has come out of such a tragedy. This Holiday Season I want to teach my children the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I want to teach them what it means to be Thankful, Charitable, Joyful, and Christlike. This year I am excited for the service our family is going to give and we can be an instrument in the Lords hands.

I have lots of ideas of how our family is going to GIVE this season and I am excited to see it all come together. I am working on putting together a fundraiser in my brother Jake's name as well, I am still working on all of the details, but I know with the help of family and friends it will be an amazing way to honor my brother on our first Christmas without him.

The girls just got home from school and I can hear them playing downstairs with J-man, so that's my que to get off the computer and go enjoy my children :). I promised the girls a Thanks Giving craft today, I have no idea what we are going to do, but we'll come up with something!!

ps- Before I forget for journaling sake, J. decided to eat his yogurt this morning with a medicine dispenser. It was quite funny. I was feeding the baby in my bed and he kept bringing me my "medicine" in bed. Pretty creative way to eat yogurt if you ask me!

This crazy thing called Life...

Wow life can really get crazy at times!! We had one CrAzY day at our house yesterday, it just seemed like the day just flew by and I don't feel like I accomplished much. Little J-man followed me around ALL day. I love spending time with the little stud miffin, but sometimes he makes it hard to get things done.

Last night I ended up taking all of the kids to the library to do homework and get books. I thought... "this will be perfect, the girls can so their homework, J.  can look at books, and the baby will sleep in her car seat." HA!!!!! Crazy is what I get for thinking that was a perfect plan! J-man didn't want to hold still and look at
books for longer then 5 minites, Lex forgot her homework sheet, some of Mac's homework even had me stumped (sad I know), and the baby got fussy right when we got there! Well, live and learn, right? I wont be doing that again alone with four kids!!

By the time we were done at the library it was late and we were all hungery. Court met up with us after he was done with scouts and we all went to iceburg for some burgers, fries, and shakes. Lex was not minding and we kept warning and warning her that she was going go loose her icecream, well once she disobeyed again we had to follow through on her not getting her icecream! Man it is so hard to not give in to your kids. Court and I are working really hard on following through on our punishments, somehow we have to teach our kids that they cant walk all over us :).

So there you have it, another day in the life of the Jones family! Being a mom is hard work, but I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world!!!

An Elect Lady...

Courts grandmother, Norman Jones passed away yesterday. She was such a wonderful, loving, kind person. She had a heart of gold and I am so grateful to have known her. She had one of the strongest testimonies of the Gospel and was always finding ways to share her testimony with us. I am not great at checking my email everyday, so I didn't see this email from her until just a few minutes ago, I am blown away that she sent this letter to her entire family just one day before her passing, what a beautiful gift to leave all of us! I will miss her dearly, I thought of her as my grandma too and loved her so much. I am so grateful for the wonderful example she has been in my life and for all that she has done for Court and I.

Dear Family,
I know you’ve heard this or read it before, but I am impressed that I should remind you of it again. I’m sure you have noticed that the world is getting to be a pretty wicked place. All of the prophecies that have been made up to this date by prophets have been fulfilled, and there are not many left to be fulfilled. That tells us that the second coming is getting closer and we need to be prepared. My one big regret is that I didn’t study the scriptures more diligently when I was young. I have realized that the scriptures I memorized when I was younger I can still quote, but now that I am old, when I try to memorize different ones, it is almost impossible. I’m having too many senior moments and my powers of concentration are not good.

I want to remind you what President Benson told us about 25 years ago. He said, “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and REGULARLY, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity – the pure love of Christ- will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”

These promises - increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness - are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God. If there was ever a time for us to draw nearer to God it is now. President Benson asked, “Do eternal consequences rest upon our response to this book? Yes, either to our blessing or our condemnation.” You can read all about the Book of Mormon in this month’s Ensign.

I want to tell you that your Dad/Grandpa was here with me a couple of days ago. I was washing the north window in the computer room and had taken three of the windows out and washed the fourth one on both sides. When I tried to push it back in place, it jumped out of the track and I struggled to try to put it back in. My arms were giving out so I said, “Weston, come and help me!” Immediately the window just jumped in to the track and I know I didn’t put it there. Several other times when I tried to do something and was not able to do it, I called on him to help me and he did. I know he is not far away and that gives me comfort. I love you all and hope and pray we will all be together throughout eternity.

Love,
Mom/Grandma

PS. I don’t have the e-mail addresses of some of my grandchildren. I don’t want to leave them out, so will you forward this to them. You can read the names of the ones I have sent this to in the address place.

Fall Break...

We love Fall break at our house! I am so excited that the kids have today and tomorrow off of school. It's nice to have a break from the daily routine of getting up early, school, homework, etc... The kids all slept in this morning which rarely happens. So far today the kids are lounging around in their pj's and watching the movie Spy Kids. Later we are going to do a few chores, run some errands, and then find something fun to do as a family. I sure love my kiddos and love having sometime to just "hang out" as a family!!

First hair cut

Oh my goodness this little beauty just melts my HEART!! She is still so tiny and I LOVE IT! All of my other kids have gotten big so fast, it is nice to have her feel like a newborn longer. Well although she isn't growing super fast her hair sure is!! Being a hairdresser I just couldn't take it anymore. Mullets just aren't cute on anyone, not even darling baby girls. She was seriously growing a LONG mullet and last night I had to cut it. I wish I would have taken a before picture. I cut at least a half inch off the back and then trimmed up around her ears. It looks so much better. I can't believe she is barely 7 weeks old and already needed a hair cut! She definitely didn't get her hair from me... she can thank her daddy for her long black hair (and LONG black eyelashes)!!!

Bad blogger...

I have not been so great at blogging lately, I think it has something to do with being a mother of FOUR children and adjusting to life with a newborn ;). I don't want to forget all of the "little moments" in my life, it's not hard to remember to blog about the big things... holidays, birthdays, etc... but I want to remember all of the great little things that happen in day to day life. I am going to try REALLY hard to write down the sweet things my kids say, things that make me laugh, and even the moments when I want to cry!

This past Sunday we blessed our baby girl. It was such a special and spiritual day. This was the first time that all of my family has been together since my brother Jake's funeral. For weeks before the blessing I was feeling so anxious about what this reunion would feel like... I cried just about everyday thinking about how difficult life is going to be without Jake being at the special events in our life. I have had a difficult time admitting to myself that Jake is really gone. It has been four months exactly since I last saw my brother. I haven't lived at home in over ten years, so going months without seeing my family feels so normal to me. The idea that I have to wait my entire life to see my brother again is sometimes very overwhelming. I prayed and prayed that Jake's spirit could be with our family this weekend and that he could be with us. Heavenly Father most definitely answered my prayers, I know that Jake was with us and it felt so comforting to know that Heaven really isn't that far away.

Friday night I surprised my mom with a girls night out. I had called all of her sisters and their daughters and we went to Cheesecake Factory. My mom had no idea that they were all meeting us there and it was so fun to see how surprised she was. We had a great girls night out laughing and talking! We actually got quit a few looks... my moms family is LOUD!! I love being able to go on girls nights out with my mom and sister, I wish we lived closer and could do these more often.

Saturday Court and I went to Costco and ran a few errands to get ready for the Blessing while my mom watched the kids. WOW, I forgot what it is like to run errands with just my hubby and me. Latter that afternoon we took all of the kids to see Captain America at the dollar theater. Everyone really liked the movie, J-man feel asleep on my lap half way through the movie and before I knew it I was asleep too! Darn it, I really wanted to see the ending! I guess I will have to wait for it to come to redbox. Later that night my mom and I went to the airport to pick up my dad, he had lots of work at home and couldn't come until then. I am SO GRATEFUL he came despite the fact that he had to turn around and drive home with my family the next day. It meant so much to me that he made sure he was here for the blessing no matter what.


Sunday Court blessed our baby girl in Sacrament meeting. She looked so beautiful in the long white dress my mom bought for her. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by so many family and friends! I am constantly amazed at how truly blessed we are to have so many wonderful people in our life who love and support us through the good times and the bad. It was a beautiful sight to see a large group of men who worthily hold the Priesthood surround my baby girl and give her a name and a blessing. I am so grateful for the Priesthood and the wonderful blessing it is in my life. While Court was giving the blessing I thought of my brother Jake and tears just started to fall from my face, immediatley I felt an overwhelming feeling of peace and could see Jake's face with a big huge smile on it in my mind, it was so comforting to know that we was there with us and that his spirit can still be with us during these special moments in our lives. After the blessing we came back to our house for dessert. It was truly a wonderful day and I am so grateful to have had so many people we love so much to share the day with us!

Nesting...

The nesting stage sure is in full swing for me! In five weeks or less this little babe of mine will be here. I can't believe it!!! I am technically not due for 6 more weeks, but since I have been induced with my other three, my Doctor went ahead and scheduled me to be induced with this baby as well.

I am beginning to feel some anxiety about being ready for this babies soon-to-be arrival! My to-do list is a MILE long!!! With being so sick and the kids out of school for the summer, my list is coming along very slowly. Hopefully this next week I can get some energy to really start cracking down on the things I NEED to get done.

With every other baby we have had their name picked out way in advance, but with this one we are still struggling to make a decision. We have narrowed it down to 3 names. I think we are going to have to see this little one to make our decision.

We are very excited for our new baby girl to get here, but nervous to be parents to FOUR CHILDREN!!! We are 99% sure that this is our last baby, so even with being uncomfortable in this last stage of pregnancy I am trying to enjoy the feeling of having a sweet baby growing and moving inside me. I love feeling the baby move, feeling close to her, and already falling in love with her even though I haven't met her yet. It is a beautiful blessing to have the ability to bear children. I am sad that this chapter of pregnancy and new babies is coming to a close in my life. As difficult as pregnancy can be, it is such an amazing gift to be a mother and have the privilege of having your child grow inside your body. I will in many ways miss this sacred stage of my life and will forever cherish my pregnancies with each of my precious children.

A Priceless Gift...

(my brothers Jake and Devon, with Jake's best friend)


The night before my brother Jake's funeral both my brother Ryan and I recieved this beautiful email. I am amazed at some people's amazing gift with words. This letter is so priceless to us and has brought us so much peace...

The email was titled... {I Will Never Stop Praying}

I was going to write a letter and send it, but it seems that technology is a lot easier to get a hold of the people that I am trying to reach.

I met Jake Garrett Waterlyn over a month ago, when he moved in with Tyler Melvin (my boyfriend), when I met him I could not believe the spirit that he brought into a room. Jake would always fill the room with laughter and smiles, no matter where it was. We had a couple conversations about his life. He talked about the church, trek and all of his beliefs that followed. He talked about his beautiful mother who he admired deeply for the love that she gave him growing up; he talked about his dad being the biggest influence in his life. He talked about growing up with an amazing family that was very close because of God; he told me stories about his siblings that made me laugh until I cried. He talked about his family a lot; he told me that his brother Ryan was a very strong role model in his life. That even growing up, no matter how much they would fight, they were always close in a special way. He told me that his mother would do just about anything to make you smile and his father would always have the best advice. He was the happiest person, who hardly had anything bad to say. Every time that I was visiting Tyler, he would dance, sing and the funniest thing that he did was his impression of an old guy with a cane dancing to music. Jake was a perfect soul, who made a giant impression in my heart. He made me feel better every time I would see his beautiful smile. Jake talked about wanting a family just like his, he talked about going on a mission one day, and he talked about the love that he shared with the Lord. He would read his scriptures and pray almost every night before going to sleep. Jake is a beautiful, loving and warm soul that I will never forget. The night before his passing, Jake went to Schlotsky’s sandwich diner with me, Tyler and Tyler’s friend Colton. We ate delicious sandwiches and Jake talked about making videos of him skate boarding. Jake told me that one day he would be famous for his talents and that he would make sure to share the wealth with his friends and family.

Jake shared with me his absolute favorite poem...

Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you.”


I know that Jake is at peace with God. He is looking down on his family and friends, trying to help them understand. He was so young and so full of spirit and that spirit will go on through everyone that he touched in his life. There are no answers to why this happened, only the faith that it was his time to be with God. Please remember to be strong and to remember him for all of the good he did for people. I only knew him for about a month, but he will forever be in my heart. He will forever be remembered as the most beautiful soul that I have ever met. I am so sorry for your loss and I have not stopped praying and I will never stop praying for you...Amber

Fun, Fun, Fun

Last Friday my girls had moms and muffins at their school. It was so fun to get to go have a quick little special time with them. There were SOOOO many moms there it was crazy, there was NO WHERE to park and we had to drive a ways up the street from the school to find a spot. We ended up running all the way to the school. PHEW... running is not easy when you are 18 weeks pregnant and out of shape!


On Monday night we grabbed pizza for FHE and helped clean our Church building. The Bishop and his family were there and another family from the ward. I guess it was a "light" cleaning day so we got off pretty easy. The girls emptied all the trashes and we cleaned all of the windows in the church. The kids were excited to help which made me happy!

This Wednesday my oldest daughter had a fun mother daughter party for Activity Days at our Church. It was so much fun to get to go alone with her. The girls and their moms got to make dresses for the girls out of garbage bags, crate paper, stickers, fabric flowers, etc... After everyone was done the girls put on a little fashion show for us. It was so cute! I loved how creative some of the dresses were. We finished off the night with a mom and daughter "Tea Party" (aka- water and goodies). It was really fun and I loved spending time with my beautiful, sweet girl!


TODAY is the BIG day we find out if our baby is a girl or a boy! Man I am excited to know. I like to prepare for the baby ahead of time and have the nursery all ready for them when they come home! If the baby is a boy we are pretty much set since our little man is just 3 and I still have ALL of his baby stuff. If it's a girl we are pretty much going to need to start over since I gave away most of their baby stuff awhile ago. Either way we will be excited!!!

Last night I told the girls that we were going to take them for a special surprise after the ultrasound. They were begging me to tell them what it is. I told them that it was a surprise and they would just have to wait! So the girls decided to try and guess what we are doing. Well my 8 year old guessed that we are going to Lagoon (our local amusement park) and my 5 year old guessed that we are going to Disney Land. WOW!!! Do they dream big or what??? We are REALLY going to the Hoogle Zoo, sure hope they aren't way disappointed!

We LOVE family home evenings!

Yesterday for FHE we took the kids to the dollar movie to see Tangled. We had actually seen it already over Christmas but we thought it was so good we saw it again! Monday nights are .75 cent night at the discount theater across town, so for all 5 of us it was only $3.75, SCORE!!!

After the movie we headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was YUMMY!!! Their rolls and honey butter are sooooo good! Lucky for us our kids aren't big eaters so we get away with ordering 2 adult meals and all of us splitting it (I wonder how long we can make that last).

The kids were really good and it was a very fun family night. The kids did get to bed later than usual but OH WELL!!! The girls were great sports about getting their homework done in the car which made me happy.

Yesterday morning I had a doctors appointment. Because I have been so sick I still haven't gained any weight, at least there is one perk to being sick! Little man came with me to the appointment. I still can't believe he isn't going to be my baby anymore!!! It took the Doctor much longer than usual to find the heart beat which was starting to freak me out, so so so glad she eventually found it! Even my little man was so excited when we finally heard it, not that he really had any idea WHAT he was hearing. I am about 16 weeks now and I will have my ultrasound on April 1st to find out what we are having, I CAN'T WAIT. Court thinks it is a girl, the kids think it is a boy, and I'm really not sure. It will be exciting either way.

Phew...

Holy smokes the weeks just seem to be FLYING by lately!!! I feel like I blink and another week has come and gone.

We had another eventful week in the life of the Jones family...

* The girls had parent teacher conferences this week. I was a little nervous about how these would go since they are still pretty new and we are all adjusting to the new school. I was so happy to hear that BOTH my girls are doing great in school, behaving wonderfully, and transitioning well to the new school. MUSIC to a mothers ears!!! I really love the girls new school and I have been very happy with their teachers.
*I started my State Board review class on Wednesday night. I have to go every Wednesday night for the next 6 weeks, which TOTALLY stinks. BUT this means I am that much closer to graduating!!! I will take my written and practical state boards mid-April, wahooooo! I have never been so excited to take tests in my entire life :).

*Between me having to go to class Wednesday night and my hubby having all of the kiddos and needing to get our 8 year old to Activity Days (fun program our church has for girls 8-12 years old) I was so incredibly grateful to the Relief Society in my ward for arranging dinner for us that night. They had no idea how crazy that day was going to be for us, but they did know how busy our family is right now and how I have been VERY sick with this pregnancy and just wanted to help out. I am so grateful to belong to a Church that has people who will look out for you and will do sweet acts of kindness like this for you when your life is just NUTS!

*Thursday this kids were out of school early and our babysitter happened to be out of town. So Court stayed home the first half of the day and I did a half day at school so that I could be home with the kids the rest of the day. It was really warm outside so we got the bikes and scooters out and the kids had a blast!!! I sure love living in a cul-de-sac and having our side street be a dead end. The kids have so much room to ride around without me having to worry about any cars! While the kids played I worked on painting our kitchen chairs. Our table is SO UGLY, so I have been painting the table and chairs, but it has become a bit of a drawn out process considering I don't have much time to work on it. Court had to work late so the kids and I grabbed KFC and headed to the park for dinner. KFC isn't exactly the healthiest meal, not to mention pricey for fast food, so I don't think we will be doing that again. The wind REALLY picked up once we got to the park which made for a chilly picnic, but the kids still had fun and loved playing after we ate. I sure loved being home most of the day with the kiddos, I LOVE being a mom, and REALLY miss being home full time!!!

*Yesterday I woke up to my hubby bringing me breakfast in bed! WOW I am a lucky girl!!! He is QUITE the guy! Not to mention he had feed all of the kids and we were babysitting my neice Madison over night, so he had 4 kids to take care of. He made yummy waffels:). After church we went to Courts parents house for dinner. It is always great to eat a nice meal without having to go to all the work :). Courts parents will be moving to Logan in a few months, so we are trying to squeeze in as much grandma and grandpa time as we can before they move.
{Courts cute parents with ALL of the Jones grandchildren}



~Brittany

Just another ***Manic*** Monday...

WOW, it's Monday again already! Seems like the weeks are just flying by lately. Which in someways is good because that means the end of May should be here in no time and I will be DONE with school!!!

I wanted to take a few minutes to jot down a few highlights of last week before I forget...


The girls started a group piano class and LOVED it! I am really hoping that taking a fun class like this will make it so that piano lessons are enjoyable for them and that it will be something they WANT to do. After piano Court took our 5 year old to the Jazz game. It was a pretty late game, but since the girls didn't have school on Friday we figured it was ok. She LOVED going on a one on one date with her daddy. She especially loved watching the Jazz Dancers! She asked my husband why so many of the basketball players had stamps(tattoos) on them, hahaha, I thought that "stamps" was a great way to put it.


Friday I had school like usual. I decided to go pick up my Grandma (my moms mom) from her care center and bring her back the salon for some pampering. When I got there she was eating lunch. I told her my idea for her to come back to school with me and asked her what she thought about it. She was sooooo funny. She was in the middle of eating lunch, set her fork down on the table, hit the green light on her Jazzy wheel chair and said... "well what are you waiting for, let's get outta here". HAHAHAHA!!! She is so darn funny. She had me laughing the whole afternoon! First we couldn't find her portable wheel chair so she wanted to just "borrow" some one's from the hall. Then we are looking for her glasses and she was missing one lens. I asked her what her friends name's were that she was eating lunch with and she told me, "I don't bother with names, I just say, hey YOU". Oh man she is a crack up, I guess at her age what does it really matter anymore anyway :). She really enjoyed getting her hair washed and styled and loved her manicure. She bopped her head to the music the whole time she was at the salon and told me many times what a great beat it was. This is something I will definitely will be doing again, SHE made my whole day with her upbeat, cute attitude! It definitely was a challenge with her being in a wheel chair, but well worth it!!! She told me that when someone comes to get her and they say GO, she goes! I am so grateful to have my grandmother in my life and to have had a close relationship with her. My grandmother converted to the GOSPEL (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) after she married my grandfather. I am so grateful to her for this and forever changing our family. It is because of her choice that I have the knowledge I have today and the incredible blessing of being a member of the Church!


Friday night Court and I got to go out on a date, WAHOOOO!!! That doesn't happen very often lately. We went to Temppanyaki Japanese Steak House for dinner, it was SOOOOO yummy! One of my favorite restaurants for sure. After dinner we hit up Walmart for a few treats to sneak in my purse for our movie :). We saw the movie "Unknown", I thought it was really good and had some unexpected twists to it! I love getting to go out with my hubby, after 9 years of marriage, "he's STILL the ONE".

By the time I made it home from school on Saturday night neither Court or I felt like cooking so he ran and got us some pizza. We got the kids bathed for Sunday and to bed early!!! Then we sat down to watch a show together and I PASSED out! Poor Court, I do this to him all the time lately. Between school, the kids, and the anti-nausea medication I am on, I just can't really stay up late anymore.

Yesterday (Sunday) we had Courts parents over after Church for dinner. The KIDS adore their grandparents!!! After dinner we played spoons and basketball on our new arcade basketball hoops that Court bought (don't send men to Costco alone, they come back with some BIG items sometimes:).

So there it is, life is busy, crazy, but VERY FUN at our house!

~Brittany

LOVE Sunday's

I LOVE Sunday's. I love being together as a family, going to Church together, and having a big Sunday dinner! Yesterday after Church we headed down to Provo to have dinner with Court's parents, his brother & his wife, and Grandma Great Jones. The kids were SOOOO excited to see their Grandpa. He had been in Africa for two months on business. He definitely spoiled them with all kinds of neat gifts from Africa and Turkey (he spent a few days there as well).

We had flank steak, yummy cheesy potatoes, salad, and green beans. My girls and I made Apple Cobbler, so we had that with ice cream for desert. The kids were very sad when we had to leave! We can't stay as late on Sunday's now that we live 40 minutes away instead of 10.

The past month or so has been absolutely CRAZY! I am bummed that I haven't stayed on top of my goal to blog more. Between the move to Salt lake, me switching to 40 hours a week at school, being pregnant, and everything else that comes along with raising a family, I have felt pretty overwhelmed! BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel and the count down is on, 14 weeks until I graduate. Can I get a hallelujah!

Until We Meet Again...

(My Aunt from my other side of my family took this picture and put this page together one week before my grandmothers passing)

This past weekend my darling grandmother passed away. It came as quiet the shock since she was my youngest and healthiest grandparent. My grandfather is 12 years older then her, currently the ripe old age of 95 1/2, so naturally we expected he would be the first to go.

My grandma was an amazing lady, with the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. She absolutely loved everyone! She was a people lover, she loved to travel and meet people all over the world. She worked in the University of Utah's Foriegn Exchange program for many many years and got to work with students of every nationality. She loved what she did and they loved her.

For the first ten years of my life I was her only granddaughter. This came with many perks. Grandma loved to spoil me with beautiful dresses and lots of attention. Over the years Grandma and I formed a very special bond. I always loved that she seemed so young and hip! I loved to go into her closet and try on all of her cute shoes. Grandma was an amazing listener, you could talk to her for hours. As I grew into an adult grandma and I's bond grew stronger and she became one of my most precious friends. She would call me regularly and tell me, "Brittany dear, I love you and I just needed to hear your voice." Oh how I am going to miss those phone calls. Grandma hugged and kissed everyone! Before you even had a chance to know what was going on Grandma would grab your face and kiss you smack on the lips!

I look up to my grandmother in so many ways. I loved that she had SPUNK, she was one of the sassiest, funniest ladies you could have ever met! I am grateful for her joyful spirit, her passion for life, her love of her family, her testimony of the gospel, her willingness to serve others and the Legacy of a righteous daughter of our Heavenly Father that she leaves here with us. She will be missed so very much!


(This photo was taken without my knowledge as my brother and I were hugging our grandmother goodbye infront of my home one week prior to her death, little did we know this would be the last time we were able to hug our grandma in this life. What a beautiful gift to have this photo, as I look at it, it's almost as if her soul knew that would be our last embrace for a very long time)

I am ever so grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel, the Plan of Salvation, and to know that this life is not the end. I know that I will be with my grandmother again and this knowledge brings me so much peace at this extremely difficult time.

To learn more about life after death and how families can be united Eternanlly, both on Earth and in Heaven, please visit www.mormon.org

*Grandma attending Brigham Young University, late 1940's, this is my FAVORITE picture of her*

Trash Bag Super Hero's!

I love when my kiddos play together, especially when they play nicely! These pictures were taken over the summer. The kids decided that they wanted to play superheros so they got plastic shopping bags for their costumes and then put their cooking aprons around their necks as capes. They named themselves the "Trash bag Super Hero's". I thought it was pretty creative and cute!