Birthdays!

So for a llllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggg time in my family from 1977 to 1995 to be exact I was the only one in the family to have the Month of July for my birthday!
So - I have to say it was awesome growing up, and I was NEVER spoiled! :-)
But as I got older I was soooooooooooooooooooooo excited when we were blessed by some more July Birthdays! Gosh Kaycee, now is your chance slow poke! So today in stead of catching up on the millions of fabulous summer activities that I have been doing and try to encapsulate so many hours of laughing and playing... I'm not going to. I just want to talk about my fellow July birth-day family!

Yay Porter, Bryant and Savannah! Today is Savannah's big day and yesterday was Bry's. They are lucky because they were baptized the same day together (a pretty cool cousin thing to do!) maybe when they turn 16 they can be each others 1st date… ?
Um, Cami is that cool to go on a 1st a date with your cousin? I know you are the guru about cousin dances... so I though I’d check about dates too :-) ?

Last night I went to Phil and Kierstin’s for Bryant’s birthday and Dustin and Kyla came-
The last time Dustin and Kyla went to P&K’s Heidi said that she really liked Kyla and that she would like her to come back and play, but that Dustin needed to shave. (He’s sportin’ hip beard right now) Heidi really does not like facial hair – even on her Dad. She will pass on the hugs and kisses if Phil’s got his 2:30 shadow going on…
So, last night I was asking her what she thought about Dustin’s beard so she would tell him and she said that he should shave it off - while she was all grin’s and cute about it. Dustin asked her why – she said it was yucky.

Dustin told her that it was a ‘part of him’ and that shaving it would be like cutting off a part of himself or his identity. Then he said maybe we should cut off your hair. “Can we cut off your hair Heidi?” “I chimed in and said that maybe we could use Porters razor, should we go get it?” she said ‘no’… then I think suddenly overcome with fear of the possibility tried to hold back the tears, then could not anymore and burst into crying.
Haha – good Job Dustin, big Bully!
Maybe Heidi will know Dustin as the Hairy Mean Cousin J hahaha

Last Monday Was Proter’s Big Day! He is 13!! I can not believe he only has 1 year until he’ll be cruzin’ the stake dances!
Crazy… look out ladies!

Summer's started for me

I can’t believe how much happens in such short amounts of time. Kudo’s to every Mom who pulls a hat trick and actually updates these on a regular basis.. It’s a mystery to me how you find the time to do it!
I am so glad that Beth is feeling and looking SO MUCH BETTER! It was great to have her here and feeling well if only for a quick overnighter.
Yay to Jackie – She’s getting married! What an amazing few years! Cancer and remission, boyfriends, Missionaries, Italy, school, new boyfriends and a Fiancé – YAY!!!
I LOVE this chapter of all these neices and nephews 'all grown up'– even though it is not really ‘mine’ I LOVE this phase of “Aunt-hood” where all these beautiful, challenging, determined wonderful souls are getting married. Their new relationship’s bring so much fresh perspective to our family and we need it :-) haha it’s all good! Some is just fun and some is therapy- but it’s great and full of ‘G’rowth – I Love watching their lives blossom continually.
And PS Alysa, I can’t WAIT to be a ‘great’ Aunt….. haha sweet, that’s officially going to be part of my title. “GREAT” Aunt, I so earned that! Hahah – huuuuuuuuuurrrrrryyyyyyyy Kaycee!
This summer is already the best!

A late 'by the way'

Hey ! In case any one was wondering George Washington is/was taller than Cami! Haha – you know in case you were wondering.

This was a picture from when we were at Mt. Vernon. It was really neat there! I am so glad we had a chance to take that site in!

Jammin'

Yesterday Porter, Bryant, & Meagan were in a talent show. So I caught some images of them throwin’ it down :-)
Porter was totally rockin’ the drums
Bryant jammmin' on the guitar and Meagan belted it out…
Heidi starred in a show all of her own !
This was a great talent show! I love to see them showing off their skillz!

Check out the sheer joy in Bry's face! haha

PS - I wish that everyone could see how much Porter is the image of Phil. I call him Phil way to often! - It's not a bad thing! He's and awsome kid, that all are!

Heavy Heart

What is it about a broken heart? Why is that once you’ve been there it’s like a mere shimmer can take you back? Like the smell of rain before it pours, or seeing that your about to crash and knowing there is nothing you can do to stop it. And suddenly it happens. Then it hits and for one split-second it hurts so bad you can’t breath and you don’t even feel….. any thing, and then you feel Everything like a brick wall and your immersed in a wave that is so big your not sure if you are going up or down- you don’t even know how you’ll get your next breath and just when you know your drowning and your about to breath water instead of air you get a little break and for a split second you surface to suck in as much air as you can before you go under again.
Those are feelings you never forget and when you see it happen to those you love… you don’t just see it-- You hear it, smell it, taste it, breath it, ache it, die in it, live in it.

Then the morning comes again with the Amazing Grace of a fresh day. And though you feel like you’ll Never be whole again, you can look back on the night before knowing it’s only through tender mercies you’ve made to see this light, and somehow realize you jut took a baby step though it felt like a journey of a thousand years and you get to do the same thing today.

And why is it so important to have a broken heart? It hurts Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamnit!

Is it the surest way to know Godly sorrow? Is it the immediate connection that forces us to our knees for direction through our suffering? Is it the learning to know we can be stronger?
All I know for myself about it for certain is that it’s hard and aches into my soul.

My AMAZING MOM!

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!
Each day I am grateful to have been blessed by the guidance of my mother! Her love and kindness towards others has made me strive to offer that in my relationships. Her faith is an inspiration to me. I am so amazed at the strength it would take to decide as a teenager that you wanted to join the church – with all of the other things a teenager could be pursuing. My Mom was a pioneer for her family and I am so grateful! Her faith has made mine possible.
To become a member of the church at 18 and marry my Dad, and have Ken so shortly after I can only imagine what a year that would be! She is such a servant of truth and light.
The depth that she feels love for her family and others is so tangible. She is always serving, whether it’s Sunday dinner, visits to those in need, spending time with her grandchildren… she just makes this world a better place.
I tell her that the older I get the more I become like her each day… and I am so glad! I am so grateful for the part that I just do without thinking because “that’s how My Mom does it!” I am grateful for the legacy that will live on from the valiant habits she has with out even recognizing it.
I love that have inherited funny little quirks too – like her ability to just sleep when she gets tired ;-) Or to see people for who they really are, and want to see then reach their divine potential and cheer them on.
My Mom has natural curiosity and wonder that she gave to her children, she is Christ-like and childlike all at once.
I love My Mom, I am so glad you are mine and I am yours!

50 first dates... or 101.. or more then you can count...

I have thought for a while that we should start a blog of it’s own called 50 1st dates and we could just blog about all the funny dating stories that happen. Being 30, single, and ‘not-shy” about the dating experience I feel like I have had my share of funny, awkward, odd and “take a step back” kind of dating experiences and that we could all get lots of entertainment from a blog like that. Well I had a date recently that was just the opposite of all those and I thought – “Hey! That was great!” That kind that makes all those other funny, awkward, odd….. moments so worth it!

We west on a hike in “God’s Country” haha – Who says that? Maybe only folks over 75 and others who shouldn’t, but it was the first thing that came to mind with the beauty of the desertscape. We went to a state park that is really tucked away. It was so close, it was ‘in my back yard’ - and I had no idea it was there. We started about an hour before sunset so while we were on the trail the sun began to set… and Wow. I could not have wanted to be in a more perfect scene. .. you know the kind where all the world feels calm and right even if you are in this amazing bubble that God created just for you-- the kind that you feel like that act of the play was truly meant just for you because it was so perfect. We were both sad we didn’t bring a camera, … next time :-)
The scenery was incredibly awesome and the company was even better!

Don, if it just takes 3…. One down, haha

So here is to amazing new hikes and great 1st dates -