The Maycock Family

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAKE!

2011-03-21T22:51:00.000-06:00

Little did I know 33 years ago how much this one day would change my life...3/22/1978! The day my first child, Jacob, was born. I was only 17 years old when I experienced the most amazing event that can ever happen to a woman......to bring new life into this world! You might think that having a child at this young age might ruin a young girls future, but it was just the opposite for me. My child brought me life...a new life. Having a child definitely made me grow up faster than I would have otherwise, but it also made me stronger, bolder, wiser and gave me a sense of purpose.

It is such a miracle how you can instantly bond with your child and have such sudden maternal instincts. Suddenly, you have a little life that means more to you than anything else in the whole world and all you

want to do is protect and love this little being that God has given you. You learn to love as GOD loves.

I can never express how much joy and love Jacob brought me. He was the LIGHT of my life....he WAS my life! It was him who kept me trudging on through many trials and setbacks during the few years after he was born. Just knowing I had him to come home to each day brought me such joy. I had never, ever, before this felt

a love so compelling and all encompassing as I did for him. I am sure all first time mothers can understand.

It is just this new and amazing journey of discovery. Maybe it is just because I traveled this journey as a single mother for the first several years.

"YOU KNOW IT'S YOU BABE, WHENEVER I GET WEARY AND I'VE HAD ENOUGH,

FEEL LIKE GIVING UP.

YOU KNOW IT'S YOU BABE GIVING ME THE COURAGE AND THE STRENGTH I NEED.

PLEASE BELIEVE, THAT IT'S TRUE.

BABE I LOVE YOU.

EWW, EWW, EWW, EWW, BABE!

HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY JAKE!

LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART,

MOM

Grand Finale to a Great Year

2011-02-03T20:43:00.003-07:00

These pics are in no particular order. Some of the events include those present when Matt was ordained an Elder. Christmas Day/Eve. Matt's Open House after his Farewell. Matt's last dinner with his family and Grandma Mednick. Last pic as we dropped Matt off at the MTC.

What a wonderful end to a great year. We are so happy that our family could spend so much time together this year for all our blessed events. Sending Matt on his mission is the "icing on the cake".
Although we are glad to have him in the service of the Lord, we will miss him so much, but we know that
the best is yet to come. We can't wait to hear about all his experiences and learn of all the people he meets and learns to love.
Vaya con Dios!
Now our house is very empty and still. Funny, though, sometimes when I pull up to our house after work and the truck is in the driveway, I get excited and think for just a second, "Matt is home"! Then reality hits!

We are so grateful for all of our blessings. We have great joy!

We are so proud of all our kids and we love them with all our hearts.

We bid 2010 a fond farewell!

Looking ahead to what wonderful things 2011 has in store for us!!

Can't wait!

God Works in Mysterious Ways

2010-11-12T11:35:00.003-07:00

A little over a year ago I attended the Oquirrh Mtn. Temple Open House with my entire family(even my inactive husband). The end of the tour led us to the Celestial Room. I can't even begin to explain how spiritually overwhelming this experience was-to be in this room with my entire family! It is something I have prayed and hoped for for such a long time. Even though it was just the open house and the Temple had not been dedicated, it was a wonderful preview of what could some day be for real.
Fast forward to October 30th when my son and our entire family(minus only my husband ) were able to attend the Temple together for his endowment session prior to going on his mission. If anyone had told me at the Open House that this reality could be possible in such short of time, I never would have believed it. But , due to some extroadinary events that happened this year, i.e.; My two youngest daughters getting married and sealed in the Temple and my son making up his mind to go on a mission, it all has become a reality.
It was such a joyful day for me and again the spirit was overwhelming and I lost my composure a little bit in the Celestial Room-thinking back to that day a year and a half ago, when it seemed a dream.
I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for such tremendous blessings this year and also to my children for the choices that they have made to enable us all to be at this amazing place in life!!!
This year God has proven in so many ways that He does work in mysterious ways!! Never give up hope!!

Missing "Miss Sally"

2010-09-28T12:35:00.002-06:00

She was the first one to welcome me into the neighborhood 28 years ago.
She was my mentor when I started working at Jacque's preschool.
She was my next door neighbor.
She was my children's nursery leader, primary teacher, young women's leader.
She was the Relief Society President.
She was a leader, a friend, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a listener, a helper.
Sally was someone EVERYONE loved and admired. She was everybody's friend.

Sally was diagnosed with terminal cancer almost 5 years ago, but you would never know it if you
hadn't been told. She lived her life no different after finding out than she did before. I would still see her smiling and helping others, never dwelling on her own malady. She would be out mowing her lawn up until just a couple of months ago.

Maybe this is why the news of her final moments and passing has had such an impact on me. Because she
was always bright and cheery and doing things for others, I didn't see her pain and I was accustomed to her always being here, being Sally. I didn't ever think that I would be someone who would regret leaving things unsaid when a loved one passed. I do now. I didn't take as many opportunities to visit her and let her know I cared and was thinking about her, especially the last month or so when I sensed something was going on. I was so focused on my own little world and my hectic life this past year, that I didn't stop to keep in touch with her as I should have. In a way, I guess I was fearful of what to say to her. I would occasionally ask her how she was feeling, but I didn't go the extra mile. I haven't really had anyone close to me be diagnosed with a terminal illness. I didn't quite know what to say. I didn't realize that her time was nearing an end. I didn't get to say goodbye. I feel like such a poor example of a neighbor and friend.

My mind has been flooded with quotes and song lyrics that describe Sally. The one I really love is the one from the musical "Wicked" titled "For Good". Excerpts below: It was actually referred to at Sally's funeral as well.

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you...

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend...

Who can say if I've been

Changed for the better?

I do believe I have been

Changed for the better

And because I knew you...

Because I knew you...

I have been changed for good...

I can't believe that her light is gone, and yet I don't really think it will be. The light that comes from seeing her and talking to her will be gone, but the light of her being, her example lives on in the hearts of all she came in contact with and can never be dimmed.. She made an impact on everyone who knew her. There aren't alot of people in the world that you can say that about. I've been privileged to know her, to work with her, to live next to her, to be associated with her in some small way.

Her passing has made me look inward at myself and realize that I want/need to be a better person. I want to be positive instead of negative. I need to stop letting my fear and insecurities keep me from reaching out to others. I need to tell my family and friends more often that I love them. I need to be happy. I need to be an example of Christ's love. I don't ever want to have regrets again. I can honor her memory by trying to spread her light. I can't be Sally, but I can definitely strive to be better. That is the impact you have left on me Sally.

Goodbye, dear Sally. I will miss you here on earth. I hope that I will live a life worthy to see you again someday.

MEXICO BOUND!

2010-09-23T11:16:00.002-06:00

Matt received his mission call. It only took 3 weeks! Oh the anticipation! He is going to the Mexico Puebla Mission! Yay! He wanted to learn a language and preferably Spanish! He leaves January 5, 2011 and his mission farewell is scheduled for .......December 26th at 9:00am! He wants to try to change it, but I doubt it will happen, so mark your calendars!

It seems like such a long time to wait, but I know it will seem like it will be here tomorrow! So much to do and get ready! We are all so happy and proud of him for his decision to go! I am gonna brush up on my spanish so I can write to him, or interpret if he writes in Spanish!

He also was ordained an Elder in our home the week before. Two awesome events!

Te amo mi misionero!! Pics will be posted soon!

The TWINS are HERE!!

2010-09-21T12:17:00.001-06:00

Wow! Can't believe it has been almost 3 months since the twins were born and I am just now blogging about them. I will start with how it all unfolded. June 28-July lst I was scheduled to be at Girl's camp as the camp co-director. I had warned all the people involved that I would do this, but if the twins came, I would be gone! Kinda of hoping to scare them so that they would call someone else to the position-haha! Maybe even secretly hoping something would happen if I did do it and I could leave camp early! With twins, I knew anything was possible. Monday, June 28th we set up camp. I would check my phone frequently to see if anyone had called to say anything was happening with Jenny. Everytime I checked -nothing. Same thing on Tuesday, June 29th, everytime I checked, and I was quite faithful at checking every hour or so, still nothing. I had been keeping my phone by me at night just in case. Well after keeping a vigilant watch for any messages or calls I may have missed and not receiving anything, I decided on the night of the 29th to just turn the phone off for the night to save the battery.

I awoke about 6:30 am Wed, June 30th and decided to go ahead and take a shower since no one else was stirring.(Yes, we were lucky enough to get a camp with nice showers!) I turned on my phone to check for messages, nothing! I was actually getting a little discouraged at this point because I really was kind of hoping that I would get "the call" that something was happening so I could leave camp early!( haha) I went ahead and turned the phone off and headed to the shower.

After showering, I proceeded to gather supplies to get started with breakfast. I went ahead and woke the girls up, we cooked breakfast, ate it, and were starting to clean up when.........the YW Presidents phone beeped that she had a message. "Who would be calling me"she questioned. She read her message outloud----"Have Sister Maycock call her family as soon as possible, she may have grandbabies soon"! "No way" I yelled. "Someone is playing a trick on me", I exclaimed! I really didn't believe it at first. Then I went to go check my phone, which I hadn't checked since before my shower. I turned the phone on, sure enough there was a message that had come in around 5:30 am that Jenny was headed to the hospital. Then another one that said the twins were already here! Why this message didn't show up when I checked my phone earlier, I don't know. I began to be nervous and anxious! I screamed and jumped up and down for joy! Everyone said, you have to go, you have to go! I started packing with tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe I had missed it all, but I knew I would have to head straight to Cedar City and hurry and get there. About 5 hours later, I met my two new angelic grandbabies! Yay! Here they are!

Ava Grace 4 lbs. 15oz.

Wyatt Jacob 5 lbs 8 oz.

Mandi and Jordan get Married!

2010-09-15T22:47:00.001-06:00

Stef & Todd are Married!

2010-08-04T12:58:00.000-06:00

Okay, so my blog is messed up for adding pics, sorry you get two of the same! Stef's wedding day was so awesome, we thought it would be cold, but it turned out great! Her reception was so beautiful. The only regret that I have is that we did not end up getting any family pics from her reception, with us all in our fancy clothes! We do have a family pic from the Temple though. We are not able to get the pics yet from the photographer , so I am just posting these that I had on my own camera. I am tired of waiting to get the other ones, so for now, here is what I have. You looked so beautiful Stef!!

2010-07-28T15:55:00.001-06:00

A few days before Stef & Todd got married she went to the Oquirrh Mtn. Temple to take out her endowments. It was such a wonderful day! Later we went out to eat at Olive Garden.

I am trying to update, I really am!

2010-07-09T13:13:00.002-06:00

Yes, girls, I know I still need to do more updates. I was trying to go in chronological order and add pics and everything, but for some reason my pics will not upload. I keep getting the message that the site is not a good site when i try. Therefore, I need one of you to help me figure out what to do before I update more. What fun are updates without pics? Help me, help me!! I am dying to add photos to go with my updates!!

My Baby Girl Graduates from SUU

2010-07-04T22:33:00.005-06:00

Mandi and Jordan got to graduate together!!

The celebratory crew!

My baby girl graduated the first weekend in May from SUU in Cedar City with a bachelors degree in Communications! I can hardly believe it-the past three years have sure flown by. Now that she is married, she and Jordan will be making their home in Salt Lake for a couple of years. He initially got offered an internship with the Utah State Tax Commision for 3-6 months, so they moved up here, but then he got offered a great job and they will live here for awhile.

The past 5 months have been a whirlwind!!

2010-05-31T14:03:00.004-06:00

So, I've already blogged about my oldest daughter expecting twins, and my second oldest daughter getting engaged-well, to add to all that exciting news read on!! Things just keep getting better and better!

Sometime in Feb or March, I was called as the Girls Camp Director(actually-c0-director)!! Now normally, this is a calling that I would run from, but I just couldn't say no knowing that I needed extra blessings to get the twin babies here safely. So, against my inner anxiety about the calling, I accepted.

In March, my youngest daughter, Mandi, got engaged!! Yay! Now this one I was not expecting! She has been dating Jordan for over two years, but I thought she was going to wait at least one more year-SURPRISE!!

Now how in the world can I possibly have time to plan 2 weddings and plan girl's camp? I don't know, but we'll see how it all works out! Needless to say that I have been overworked, overstressed, and brain overloaded lately. Not to mention also having to work full-time(which I am not used to). So much to do, so little time---aaaggghh!

It surely must be wedding season this year. Alot of my kids' friends have gotten or are getting married and two nephews and two nieces and my best friend's daughter!! Man, what is in the air?? haha

Now all of this may seem like such good news, right? Well, it is(except the camp director call), however, I have even more news that fills my heart with JOY! My son has finally announced that he does plan to go on a mission! YIPPEE!

MY JOY IS FULL!!! I just don't know how my life can get any better(well, maybe if I also had a new dream house)!! I am blogging from work and can't download pics, but will soon from Stefanie's wedding. STAY TUNED!!

Fastest Answer to a Prayer - Ever!

2010-02-17T12:59:00.002-07:00

So what do you do when your newly engaged daughter tells you that she just lost her ring at work-and she works in a hospital? I got down on my knees and said a good, long prayer. I knew her chances of finding it were real slim,but I knew her fiance could not afford another ring and I knew how depressed and upset she would be. I have lost 3 rings in the past couple of years(2 cost over a $l00, the other only $10-20), but I know how totally heartwrenched I was! She called me within an hour and found it on her way out the door after she had spent a couple hours looking in gross trash can after trash can, and had reluctantly realized there was no more she could do. This was honestly the fastest answer to one of my prayers ever!
PRAYER WORKS!!!!

Ocean Pics to Thrill Mandi

2010-02-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

2010-02-05T09:05:00.005-07:00

View of the tropical, lush, green landscape. There were lots of horses, chickens, and pigs.

The "people movers" we rode in for our tours, very bumpy and windy rides.

Our guide telling us about sugar cane and holding a stalk of cane that they cut open and gave us all a sample. They also make rum from the cane and gave everyone a sample of it.

As we passed by the locals homes, the kids would run out shouting "hola" and wave.

Posing by the sugar cane.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2010-02-03T09:20:00.004-07:00

This is what you get for today! We have so many pics that I will just post a few every other day or so.

The view of the long walk to get to the beach!

View from the left of our room and view behind the bridge we stood on to take pic of the long walk to the beach.

Guess Who!! The most lame mini golf course ever! It was all concrete and lumpy.

Lovin' Life

2010-01-22T09:56:00.004-07:00

Just a new update to relate what has been going on in my life recently. On Oct. 31st my mother-in-law(91) fell and broke her pelvis in three separate places. The first few days that we went to
visit she didn't look well. I thought that this might be the start of her decline. She almost ended up coming to my new work for rehab, but due to red tape, did not. She ended up having surgery to have a metal plate, held in with long metal screws, attached to her pelvis. The doctor was surprised that she opted for the surgery at her age, but she decided she didn't want to end up spending the rest of her days confined to a bed or wheelchair if she didn't have to be. She has been in a rehab facility ever since and is doing so well. She may get to be released the first or second week in Feb. My husband has been so attentive and devoted to her all this time. He visits her almost every single day!

Our Thanksgiving Feast was at my MIL's house, as usual, however, she was not in attendance. It turned out very yummy and all my children were able to be there except Jenny & her family. . It was just kind of a lackluster holiday, however, because no one really stayed to visit or play games. My family left to visit my MIL and when we came back, everyone was leaving. Jenny and her family were able to come visit the next day though.

Christmas was so exciting! All my children came to our house(plus a couple boyfriends), it was a packed house! My mom came up(she stayed at Lisa's). We had our big dinner on Christmas Eve, because Mandi had to leave to return to Cedar Christmas afternoon. Christmas is finally exciting again because of Hayley! It was so fun to see her open her gifts and her reactions! I received the best gift of all from Jenny. It was a little box and the last gift I opened. When I opened it I found small bottles of BABY shampoo, BABY lotion, BABY powder and BABY wash!!! I just looked at her and said "Are you kidding me"? I knew this meant she was announcing she was pregnant.!Of course no one else could see what was in the box and when Jenny affirmed that she was PREGNANT by saying she wasn't kidding, I jumped up and did a little dance and ran over and hugged her and everyone else didn't know what in the world I was so excited about. Obviously, when I realized what the gift meant, I couldn't control my excitement! We have been waiting and hoping for this news for such a long time. When everyone else finally figured it out, we were all jubilant!

A week or two later, I was surprised again by the news that we now were expecting TWINS!!!! We are so grateful and happy. Double Blessings!!

My good news and excitement doesn't end there!! On January 16th, my daughter, Stefanie, announced that she was engaged!!! Now we had been expecting this news for quite sometime, so
when she told me that Todd proposed(which she said in a very nonchalant way at the end of a long statement that had nothing to do with engagements), I wasn't really sure I heard what I thought I heard her say, so I exclaimed "No way!". She said "Yes he did", I replied "I don't believe you". She said, "Mom, he really did"! I guess due to the casual way that she threw it in at the end of the unrelated statement, I just really thought she was pulling my leg, so i said "You liar"! She finally had to put Todd on the phone to affirm that he did propose. Now i guess you have to know the long story of how long I have been expecting this news to understand part of my disbelief. Briefly, she moved back to Cedar in Sept. after having moved home from Cedar upon graduating from college in May. She moved back because her new boyfriend(since April of '09) was still going to school there and she felt that the realtionship was going well enough that she didn't want to have to continue it on a long distance basis. Ever since she moved back she had been talking about them talking about getting married. So, I got the impression it would happen not long after she moved back. All I can say is I am so glad and excited! yay-yay!

So, as you can tell, many things happening over the last few months. Most of it all good. I feel so blessed and have such a great life. I love my family and I love being a mom and I especially love being a grandma!!!

Missionary Surprises!

2009-12-02T12:20:00.003-07:00

So two times in the past couple of months I have been
surprised that my husband has been entertaining the
missionaries.

The first time, I was out of town and came home to find
out that my husband had invited the young male missionaries
in to our home and sat and talked with them for a bit. This was
a shock because my husband hasn't been active since I have
known him and I would have never thought he would be
entertaining the missionaries without me around.

The second time was about a month ago, I was sitting on the
couch chillin' after just getting home from work, a little tuckered
out, thinking to myself that I hoped my husband would take me
out to dinner cuz I hadn't planned ahead for anything.

Bruce walks in and says "Hi, dear! I just met some new
missionaries and I hope you don't mind that I invited them
to dinner tonight-is that okay?" Well, first off I was a little
shocked and then embarrassed cuz I hadn't made any dinner,
so I told him I was hoping he would take me out. He then replied
that we would just take the missionaries out for a nice dinner!
He invited them in and introduced me to Bro. & Sis. Bingham
from Idaho, currently serving a mission at Temple Square, but
had recently been assinged to branch out to our stake.

Apparently, they had been driving down the street looking
as if they might be lost so Bruce flagged them down to help
and struck a conversation and invited them for dinner.

I am still not sure if they were actually looking for our house,
since Bruce is inactive he was probably their intended target!
Anyhow, we have been associating with them several times since
then. They spoke in our ward and invited Bruce and he actually
went. Then Bruce and Matt actually went bird hunting with Bro.
Bingham on his farm in Idaho.( What missionary gets to go hunting
on their mission?) We have also gone bowling and for ice cream.
They are a real down-to-earth couple and are very nice and easy
to talk to and get along with. I am so glad that Bruce is receptive
to at least befriending them at this point and who knows what it
will lead to.

Birdie Pic

2009-11-15T17:18:00.002-07:00

Took this pic at Sundance. If you look really close you can see a bird on the edge of the wood plank. I love the message- the bird seems to have no clue that one swift move of the plank could send him into the tumbling water. He seems at peace!

A New Season

2009-11-15T16:24:00.002-07:00

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted. There has been so much going on. This may not have any pics attached , but oh well, it's a post!!

Warning, this may be a long one!!!!

Our lives have seasons, I am not sure which season I am in, but I know I am in a new season.
I have quit my two part-time jobs(as preschool teacher and CNA) to work full-time 8-4, M-F.
I am working as the administrative assistant for a new Legacy facility that was just built and opened 5 minutes from my house!

I started on Sept. 21st. In a temporary office. The business was supposed to open the 1st of October, but three days before that there was a major flood in the basement(faulty sprinkler system it seems) that damaged all of the electrical control boxes. Therefore, it delayed the opening to October 26th.
We were told it would be a perfect time to take a vacation, but we could still come to work if we wanted to. I took a few days off and went to Cedar/St.Geo. None of my family could really take time off at this point, so I didn't really want to vacation alone!!! So the days that I did go into work, were somewhat boring. BAsically all I did was answer phones(that rarely rang), and write up an office supply order for when we opened up.

One day, they sent some of us to volunteer to serve at a luncheon at another LEgacy facility that was hosting Richard Paul Evans as a guest speaker(he wrote the Christmas Box, etc.). The luncheon was for over 100 people. I ended up setting all the tables, filling all glasses with ice and water, serving for a 3 course meal(in shifts, not all courses at once), refilling glasses when people ran out, and clearing the tables afterward, oh, also setting up all the chairs!! I was there from 10:30 til just after 2, smelling all the wonderful food, walking my legs off back and forth from the kitchen to the banquet room and working up quite a sweat. I really didn't mind doing this in the beginning-it was something to do besides sit behind a desk and be bored!! What really upset me was that the people at the facility we were helping didn't ever once say "thank you", or offer to let us eat some of this yummy food we had been smelling and serving. We worked right thru what should have been our lunch! Not one "thank-you" or token of appreciation. It has certainly made me look at waitress/servers with more appreciation. If someone does a good job when I am out to eat, I will let them know, either by generous tip or verbal acknowledgement!

Well, anyway, we moved over to our facility on October 23rd or 24th and officially opened for business on the 26th! Well, things are still very slow. It takes awhile to fill a 40-bed facility(that is just my side of the bldg., 37 more beds on the alzheimer's side!) Anyway, so most days while I sit and wait for the phone to ring, I am trying to find things to do to keep busy and not go BORED CRAZY!! Can't wait til things pick up!! But I am not liking the full-time thing! Wow! I never seem to get any quiet time or time to get errands done. This is gonna take awhile to get used to!!

That is what I mean by seasons-I am in a new season of life, one I haven't seen for over 20 years!! I am trying to adjust. It not only is hard to work full-time again, but it has been hard to come to the realization that I am no longer needed at home by my kids as I used to be. They are all graduated from HS, either attending college, or to their little family, They have moved out (most of them) and on with establishing their new lives-as it should be, but it is so hard to go from a busy life dedicated to being Carpool-mom, Cheer-mom, Dance-Mom, Sports-mom,
Getting everyone up, and where they need to be and then waking up one day to realize that I am not needed for those things anymore. I feel empty and useless-What am I if not a busy mom???

So, I must start out on a new season in my life and adjust to many new things at once and find out just who I am now!!

Mandi and Jordan's quality time together!

2009-09-11T14:45:00.002-06:00

Enjoying a little quality computer time together!!! I thought this was so funny!

oops!

2009-09-11T14:43:00.002-06:00

Oviously, I am not good at adding pictures and text in the right order!
Sorry!! And the pic of Jen, Hayley, and Daniel sleeping was not the same
night as Hayley's sleepover without her mom and dad!!haha

HAYLEY'S BIG SLEEPOVER

2009-09-11T14:09:00.007-06:00

Jenny, Hayley and Daniel sleeping. Comfy?

Bathtime, Naptime-with "Uncle Bear"(matt)
and doing puzzles with him too!

Me and Hayley-TWINS

2009-09-04T13:53:00.004-06:00

Me and Hayley wearing dresses. After we had
them on we realized they were near perfect matches!!
So FUN!!

EVEN MORE FUN IN THE SUN!!

2009-08-10T15:18:00.003-06:00

Kip and Michelle stopped by for just a quick visit.

Me and then Lisa on the tube

Cutest pic of Hayley!

Jenny, Hayley and Daniel.

We had so much fun, but sure

were drained of all energy when

we got home!!

MORE FUN IN THE SUN!!

2009-08-10T15:06:00.004-06:00

Mandi & Stef

Daniel

Jenny(It was her birthday!)

Stef, Todd and Hayley

Me, Lisa, my mother

Luckily we had pretty good weather for

our outing @ Jordanelle Res. We stayed

at a cabin in Heber. We had fun boating

but the 4-wheelin' wasn't as great as we

were led to believe. More random pics!

FAMILY SUMMER FUN

2009-08-10T12:14:00.006-06:00

Whole dang family(actually, Matt is missing. He had to work

Jenny, Daniel and Hayley on deck of cabin

Jenny and Daniel on tube

HAYLEY AWAKE ON BOAT

Funny pic of Hayley asleep on boat!

Grandma Great(my mom), Hayley, Lisa

Stef on Boogie Board and with her beau, Todd Mandi and her beau, Jordan

Mandi on the knee board

Hayley & Puzzle

2009-08-10T12:05:00.003-06:00

I went down to Cedar City to tend Hayley so

Jenny and Daniel could celebrate their 7th anniversay. I took Hayley to St. Geo and stayed at my mom's a couple days. My mom found a

puzzle with Baby Bop and Hayley did it over and over again for one whole hour!! It was so funny that she was so enthralled with doing it again, and again. My mom was helping and then her husband, Vern took a turn. It sure kept her busy for a long time!

My baby graduates HS!

2009-06-11T14:38:00.008-06:00

The Graduate!!!

We are so proud of him.

He'll be going off to the U!! It was such an exciting and emotional day. We went to dinner and then took a tour of the Oquirrh Temple. It felt so wonderful to have my whole family in the sealing room. I wanted to stay there forever!!!

Twins!!

2009-06-11T14:35:00.001-06:00

Mandi and Jordan

being dressed alike!!

Skyler Graduates

2009-06-11T14:31:00.002-06:00

My nephew, Skyler graduated from his
program at Job Corp. He is now a CNA!
I am so proud of him. He has overcome a
challenging life and has a bright outlook
on life. Keep up the good work, bud!!

TULIP FESTIVAL/APRIL 2009

2009-06-09T18:15:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I am very slow getting these on here, but enjoy!!!

2009-06-09T18:08:00.002-06:00

Way to go Stef!!!

2009-05-06T21:31:00.003-06:00

Me and Stef-I am such a proud momma! It is so wonderful to see my
kids accomplish what I have yet to accomplish!

The proud graduate from Southern Utah University!

Hayley wasted no time inspecting the diploma cover to make sure it was official!! Love the tassle in Stef's mouth!

The long "pomp and circumstance" walk. It was hard to find the shorty!

The initial program was very crowded, President Monsen spoke, he did a good job. I wasn't that impressed with the student speakers at either session. It was a long day, but so worth it to see my daughter graduate. Now that makes 2 out of 4 kids that have college degrees from SUU-Yay!

Warm sunshine and a nature walk

2009-04-06T08:51:00.002-06:00

Took some time between conf. sessions Sunday and went to the Jordan Parkway. It was so nice. Thought I'd share some of my photo journey!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAKE!

2009-03-22T17:33:00.002-06:00

Jacob Allan Vanover 3-22-78 to 2-27-90

Remembering Jake

2009-03-22T17:28:00.004-06:00

Jake and Jenny-best friends

The family then.

Jake when his cheeks were fat from taking prednisone.

The first hospital stay

2009-03-22T17:03:00.004-06:00

For those who wonder...

2009-03-22T16:19:00.005-06:00

Hold on, this one will be a long one!!

Not sure when it all began, but beginning at a very young age, when I would take Jake for his regular check-ups, the doctor would say that he had low blood. He prescribed iron supplements. This was all that was ever mentioned that was out of the ordinary. He continued to take the iron for quite sometime.

One day, when Jake was about 2, my mom noticed some minute(very tiny)
red spots on Jake's neck called petichiae that concerned her a little. WE took him to the doctor's and he said nothing to worry about. Not too long after that he developed a larger red rash all over his abdomen that within a few days turned purple(very strange). Another trip to the doctor's determined he had a virus, still nothing to worry about.

On 2-26-81 he was hospitalized for a swollen eye determined to be periobital cellulitis(an infection around his eye). As I recall, the doctor said it may have been caused by his recent virus. Upon taking blood during his hospital stay, the doctor became concerned because he had very low white blood cells. Since Jake didn't have any symptoms of anything, the doctor decided it may have been due to his recent virus, I believe at this time the doctor also noted he had an enlarged spleen, but wasn't too concerned due to the recent illness. This is where it really all began. From here on out, Jake had numerous ailments from constant ear infections, several bouts of pneumonia, constant blood in his urine, vomiting bile, rigid and distended stomach with pain, bells palsy(facial paralysis), and juvenile arthritis along with the ever present very low white blood cells.

The doctors tested him for leukemia two times(not a pleasureable thing).
They said they assumed he had some sort of an autoimmune disease, but could not determine exactly what. He also had liver and kidney biopsies.
After numerous times in the hospital and in and out of specialists offices he was finally diagnosed with something called ITP(idopathic thrombocytopenia purpra), which basically just meant some sort of blood disorder where he had many symptoms of different diseases but did not have any certain disease. The one main thing the doctors decided to focus on was his spleen. They said it was 3 times the normal size. After much watchful care and medications to try to get him back to normal, it was finally decided to take out his spleen. The doctors decided it was quite possibly what was causing all of his problems.

The doctors warned that they did not know for sure if he could make it through the surgery, but it was worth trying.

Bruce and I were married 1-7-84 and on 1-16-84, Jake was admitted for his surgery. I really didn't think he was going to make it and I tried to prepare myself for losing him. However, he made it through with flying colors; he was such a fighter! He was five years old and had missed 47 days of kindergarten that year. The following two years of school he didn't miss any days at all!! For all the rest of his elementary school years he only missed five days total!! It was a MIRACLE; he was never sick again(well maybe with the sniffles). It was such a transformation. We had 6 wonderfully happy, healthy more years with him.

I will blog about his last days at another time, since this has already been a long post.

Something Wicked This Way Comes....

2009-03-18T13:50:00.004-06:00

Hayley handing Stef
her Wicked Ticket.

Hayley and Daniel blowing on the witches brew.

Hayley and Jenny with her ticket.

Hayley was my prop in surprising my girls with tickets

to WICKED!! She was so cute!

Hayley & Teddy

2009-03-18T13:45:00.001-06:00

More Eagle pics

2009-03-14T14:22:00.003-06:00

Eagle Buds!

End of the night frolics.

Gran DeSpain, Matt, Aunt Lisa

Bruce, Matt, Gran Mednick

Our family!

2009-03-14T13:25:00.005-06:00

The Eagle has landed.....

2009-03-14T13:13:00.006-06:00

Our son has achieved the rank
of Eagle Scout. We had his Court
of Honor on March 8th. Matt, we are
so proud of you and we love you!
Following are some pics from that
special night:

Matt presented the mentor pin to Bishop Armstrong

Me Pining the Eagle

Award Pin on Matt.

Gary Liston

speaking about

Matt(he presented

the EAgle award

to him).

Brother Pieper

presenting

Matt as an

Eagle Scout.

A big thanks to all those who helped
in any way to make this night special.

An Irish Blessing

2009-03-12T14:58:00.003-06:00

In honor of St. Patty's Day(and since we have a wee
bit of Irish in our blood); One of my favorite Irish blessings.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Thieves!

2009-03-12T14:34:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I took some flowers to Jake's grave and since Darin is buried right next to him, I also put flowers on his grave. Today I went back to get them(I like to re-use if possible) and the ones from Darins' grave were gone. Nothing makes me more upset than people who steal things off of someone else's grave!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-13T13:23:00.002-07:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S

DAY TO ALL MY PEEPS....

AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!

I MADE THESE FOR YOU, SO COME AND GET THEM!!!

WINTER

2009-01-27T16:59:00.002-07:00

MORE WINTER

2009-01-27T16:51:00.002-07:00

Fun with Hayley

2009-01-27T08:57:00.004-07:00

Great Tricks, huh?

Bruce's fun

2009-01-20T13:16:00.003-07:00

Pheasant hunt near Vernal-not too bad!

MATT in Action

2009-01-19T10:56:00.005-07:00

The foul shot,

The backboard shot,

The reverse layup,

The layup! I love watching Matt play b-ball.

A week with friends

2009-01-19T10:44:00.004-07:00

The Glover Family(minus Shanna & Jaren)

2009-01-19T10:26:00.004-07:00

Me and my good friend Lisa Braner. She just moved back from Germany!

This is taken in her back yard. She has a mtn. and a creek, but no yard. It was so pretty though.

Future Missionary and Missionary of the hour.

Above it: Mothers and Sons

2009-01-19T10:23:00.002-07:00

Here comes trouble!!

Look how cute! Stef & Whit are a couple of shorties!

Temple FACES

2009-01-08T09:30:00.002-07:00

Okay, have you ever seen the shadowy faces on the Temple? Study this real hard-it is awesome!(I thought)

2009-01-08T09:22:00.003-07:00

THE TEMPLE

View from 10th floor!

2009-01-08T09:16:00.003-07:00

I can always dream-right?

This is the city scene (sorry, these are blurry).

25 YEARS

2009-01-08T08:50:00.006-07:00

NOW....

THEN

It is so hard to believe that it has been 25 years since we were married. So much living has transpired. Many amazing and difficult times-times we never thought we'd make it through, and times we never wanted to end. We had our anniv. dinner at The Garden Restaurant(a good economic choice for the amazing views) on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg.

2008-12-19T09:19:00.004-07:00

One of the best surprises I had this season was when I asked my son for his Christmas "Wish list". He jotted down a few things and emailed the list to me. He said it was in no particular order of desire. He only had a few things on the list, and the last thing listed on his list was this: "Make my Christmas by making someone else's Christmas"! It really touched my heart that my 17 year old son would have the presence of mind to think of others.

I also wanted to post a few lines from a Christmas song(and I don't even remember what song it's from), that I firmly believe, because I believe that Santa Claus is an extension of the love of Christ:

Yes, there is a Santa Claus for children everywhere.
Though you may watch the chimney tops and never see him there.

People say his magic sleigh flies through the skies above,
But you might find it anywhere you find unselfish love.

Oh yes! He really does exist and Santa Claus will live
As long as hearts can realize how good it feels to give.

So when you are feeling low, keep up your hopes because
If there is kindness in this world,
There is a Santa Claus.
Yes, there is a Santa Claus.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-19T08:51:00.003-07:00

Whether we are ready or not, Christmas comes. The best thing about Christmas for me isn't the presents, or the decorations, it is being able to be with loved ones and celebrate the "reason for the season". We all know the story of the birth of Jesus, and how it had been foretold to happen for ages. Can you imagine the joy and relief of the people living at that time, as they realized all the prophecies about the lamb of God had come to pass-what joy, what relief, what astonishment and wonder! The new star that appeared to lighten the way to the new born babe. I like to focus on this, that Jesus is the light of the world. The love and hope that he brought to the world remains and we all experience it at this time of year.

We want to wish you all the joys, wonder, hope, light, warmth and magic of the season. We hope that you are all able to be with your loved ones and have a peaceful holiday. We are so blessed to have the love and friendhip of such wonderful family, friends, and neighbors. Spread the love and the light of the season every opportunity you get. (this pic is from last year)

This is for Hayley!!

2008-12-11T15:24:00.004-07:00

I know Hayley will love this pic of Poochie under the tree. Once I got it up, she went crazy rolling around under it, and trying to fluff up the tree skirt so she could lay down.

Happy Birthday Dad

2008-11-25T11:41:00.004-07:00

November 22nd was my dad's 75th birthday. We had a dinner at Sizzler, but I didn't get any pics. So here are a few pics from past years. My dad is an animal nut, especially for horses and cats. In fact, we call him the horse whisperer, but he can pretty much charm any animal.

This one is a couple years old, but the last time most of his kids from my side were together. Lisa, Scott, Dad, Kip, Me .

Dad with his mother. This was taken in 2006.

Tribute to Sisters

2008-11-10T09:27:00.003-07:00

Me and My sister, Lisa

It is so wonderful to have a sister to shop with, talk to, lean on, cry with, etc. Lisa and I are the best shopping pals. Over the weekend we went to the Gateway and found some great deals. I love it when we find a new favorite shop! We are partners in crime. I hope everyone appreciates having a sister(or sisters) as much as I do. We rely on each other so much.

Love you Lisa. By the way, this pic is several years old, but it is one of the best ones of us together. Everyone give your sister a big hug today!!

2008-11-07T14:22:00.001-07:00

Better late than never. This is my alter ego for Halloween! I was the

spider witch. Better than being an M&M, as I was the last few years!

Hayley's Curlers & Kisses

2008-11-04T17:27:00.004-07:00

When Hayley was at my house, I put curlers in her hair
and she was just too irresistable for Poochie!!

Rainy Day Surprise

2008-11-04T16:04:00.004-07:00

Matt and Elder Unz!!

Me and Elder Unz!! I wasn't expecting anyone

and when the doorbell rang I wondered who could

it possibly be---to my surprise it was STEVE!

2008-11-03T08:40:00.003-07:00

My post for today is a poem as follows:

A WINNER'S CREED

If you think you are beaten,

you are;

If you think you dare not,

you don't;

If you'd like to win, but think

you can't,

It's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost;

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a person's will,

It's all in the state of mind.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster hand;

But sooner or later

The person who wins

Is the one who thinks "I

can."

Author Unknown

So, let us all remember "I can!"

Our Trip to Nauvoo

2008-10-20T20:14:00.012-06:00

In August we went to Nauvoo. It was a dream vacation! Here are some pics from our trip:

Mom and the girls in front of the Nauvoo Temple. It was beautiful!

Mom, Stef, and Mandi in front of one of the original Sunstones.

Pioneer generations! Grandma, Hayley, and Jenny.

We thought this was cute. It worked out perfectly.

Mandi, Hayley, Mom, Jenny, and Stef at the Smith Family Cemetery. You could feel such a strong spirit there.

The Nauvoo Temple at night. Wasn't the full moon beautiful?

All of us in front of the temple. Mandi, Stef, Hayley, Jenny, Daniel, Mom.

Sisters: Jenny, Stef, Mandi

I think this one is so cute. Stef and Mandi peeking out through the cornstalks!

Hayley, Stef, Mom, and Mandi in front of the Mississippi river. The scenery was beautiful!

The Nauvoo Temple taken from the other side of the Mississippi.

The death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. I admire these men so much.

The statues in front of the temple of Joseph and Hyrum Smith with a beautiful sunset in the background.

Some of us in front of the St. Louis Arch. It's huge!

Fall Colors

2008-10-14T09:34:00.002-06:00

The day before our forecasted "Big Storm" I decided to go up Big Cottonwood Cyn. and enjoy the beautiful fall colors and solitude. It was so wonderful. Hope you enjoy my pics.