Families can be together forever!

Time to update the family blog! So much to blog about right now! We just got back from a quick trip down to St. George, Utah. My step grandpa, Jim, has been ill for awhile now and finally lost his battle with cancer last week. Jim had been sick for quite some time and my Grandma had been struggling to take care of him and herself for the last few years. We were sad to see Jim go, but know that its all for the best and that he's in a much better place where he no longer has to suffer in pain.

On a lighter note, it was great to be able to see my family that I don't get to see that often. My Grandma and Jim moved from Grand Junction about 6 or 7 years ago and our visits have been few and far between since then. It was so nice to sit and visit with my Grandma and see my Uncle and Aunt and cousins. We also had a chance to stop by the St. George Temple before we left which was so great and set the mood for a peaceful and safe drive home.

Besides that quick trip to St. George we've been in and out of town with Jon's work. Everywhere from Moab to Price to Salt Lake. It's been a busy few weeks. We're glad to finally be home for a while.

I went back to work at the very end of January, just working one day a week to get me out of the house and give my co-worker a break. Even though it was only one day a week, it was still hard to pull myself away from the kids and still manage to get everything else done. That's why it came as a major blessing when Dr. Adams called me and said he had hired an employee whose hours of availability was more fitting for his office. I knew when I left for maternity leave that he was looking for a 3rd employee and that my time in the office was limited. Like I said, it came at the perfect time and it was nice to walk away with both of us feeling happy about the choice. LOL. So now I get to do what I love to do best, be at home with my kids! I couldn't be happier!

Zoey just finished up her cookie sales for Girl Scouts and we are sooo proud of her! She set a personal goal to sell 150 boxes of cookies. She went out and sold 247 boxes! Almost 100 boxes over her goal. The whole troop did an amazing job and we reached out troop goal to be able to go and do a few fun activities around the valley. Not only did Zoey do such a great job on reaching her goal, she outsold every other girl in our troop. She was the top seller! Way to go, Zoey! She's really doing a great job at Girl Scouts and has earned the center of her daisy and 3 petals! We are so proud of her.

Gavin is doing as great as ever. Everyday he finds a new way to make us all smile or laugh. Most recently he's started singing just about every song that he hears on the radio. My personal favorite is his interpretation of Lady Ga Ga's poker face. I'm going to have to get a video of him singing this song. It's impossible to not smile. What makes his singing even MORE entertaining is that he'll often change the words to the song based on what he hears. For instance, I was playing the song Funky Town the other day. The real lyrics are "Wont you take me to, Funky Town" Gavin's rendition is a little more hilarious "Won't you take me to Pumpkin town..." or just this morning as I was taking Zoey to school an old favorite from Tom Petty- Free Falling. Gavin's rendition "Now it's a Green, Green Forrest." LOL like I said, it's hard not to smile when he's around.

Tanner is getting so big so fast! It's hard to believe that he's already two months old. At his last appointment he weighed in at 9lbs 6oz. He's lost the newborn look and is starting to get chunky little cheeks. Jon and I love to try to get him to smile. There have only been a few instances when we can guarantee that he's smiling at us and not just because he's "cutting muffins" as we like to say. But still, even if he is just smiling at me because he's got a little gas, I'll take that any day!

Probably the most exciting news is that in visiting with our Bishop about getting Tanner blessed, we were able to set a firm goal for Jonathan to be ordained an Elder and also for our family to be sealed in the Temple. We are so excited and have begun working hard to be able to reach this goal soon. Last Sunday, our Bishop told Jon that he sees our family going to the Temple before the year is over!!! I wanted to cry when Jon told me that. We have been working so hard this year and I cannot wait to see our hard work pay off. Thank you to all of you who have been such a driving force for us and setting such a wonderful example for us to follow. We love you all and can't wait to have you there with us when we become an eternal family! YAY!!!