MATT AND DEBZ

THE HOUSE

2012-01-16T22:50:00.011-07:00

HOUSE VIDEO CLICK HERE

So many of you know that Matt and I have been working on this house that we are buying from Uncle Rondo and intending on selling. To even appreciate where we are at today on the house you have to see what we began with. Many would take a look at this house and probably run. Or you might be like Lamoni and try to have an exorcism. Either way, the state of this house was unbelievable and I finally uploaded the video and will post pics of the update as it looks today. The lady who lived in this house basically abandoned it and as her way of thanking Uncle Rondo for paying no rent for several years, this is what she left for him. It took us as a family about a week to empty it out. 18000lbs of garbage came out of this house. As your watching the video it is 30 degrees Fahrenheit inside the house.(Thats -1.1 Celsius) The gas was turned off so their was no heat in the home which froze and broke 3 water lines and cracked the toilets, hence the reason why you see Ice floating in the toilet at the beginning. As Matt is talking he can't breathe well because he is allergic to cats and the stench is so bad its affecting his breathing. I still can't believe we actually took this on but you will see in my next post the changes that have happened with this house in the short time since we started... Now that we have the house cleared out things are getting exciting and I am remembering what an amazing talented man I married. Anyways take a look and when your done...go clean your house up:) WARNING: Do not eat anything while you are watching this video.

GOODBYE 2011

2012-01-08T16:49:00.009-07:00

Like most other years 2011 had its fair share of ups and downs for our family. It kind of shocked me to realize that I have not blogged since April. We did a lot of fun things at the beginning of the year but 2011 was really a year that dealt my emotions a lot of big blows. In July while visiting with her dads family in Salt Lake City my niece and oldest grand daughter on my side of the family, died from injuries sustained in a near drowning accident. Her passing was a tremendous loss for my family and I can not even begin to describe to you the sorrow I felt for my sister and her family being so far away when everything happened. It still makes me cry just thinking about her and only recently I have been able to write a small portion of my feelings regarding it without bawling my eyes out. The only comfort I feel comes from the Gospel and the knowledge we have that this life is not the end and that the relationships we created here will follow us into the eternities. For that knowledge I am truly grateful and it has made her loss bearable. During this time the house we were living in sold so I was unable to go to her funeral or accompany her body home. I really think that Heavenly Father knew my feelings on this one because I had a lot of time on this end to spend with her, talk to her and hold her hand as she left this earth. So many miracles happened and I knew that Heavenly Father was with my family through it all. Technology played a huge part in this experience and if all my knowledge of technology was meant for this one purpose of being able to connect my sister to her daughter through the whole ordeal, then learning all that I have, has been the best thing I ever did. I last saw and spoke with Candy at my sisters house the day before I was flying home from New Zealand on my last trip home. Adam, my nephew, was cutting her hair and Leianne, Sharon and I were chatting with her. She had such an excitement for life and everything in her life she loved. She was cracking us up with all her stories. She told me about her plans to come to America and she promised to contact me when she got here. She kept that promise but her accident happened a few hours later after posting a text to me on Facebook. I still have it on my Facebook page and while I don't enjoy Facebook as much as I use too, I don't want to delete it either because it was her last message to me and means a lot to me that she would think of me. I will miss her vibrant spirit, hugs and loud laughter. I am truly blessed to be her Aunt and over the past year because of her death have come to understand what President Monson meant when he said that the things that matter most in this life have a lot to do with those closest to us. I now realize how important it is to value those relationships more. While I can only wish that I could have been in her life more, I have a lot of gratitude for the little opportunities I did have to spend with my niece. I will truly miss you Candy xox

I hate school :)

2011-04-16T16:41:00.001-06:00

In case your thinking you landed on Alana's blog page..you didn't your on mine...and it's my turn to complain about how much I hate school. Wonder if it has something to do with hormonal woman living in the same house.
A few months ago I made the decision to go to college and get a degree in Business Management. At the time I was gung-ho to be a big bad business exec... I also wanted to run my own business but I wasn't sure what kind... so I jumped on the "you should go back to school band wagon" and today I am feeling like one of those whining pioneer women that wants to slit her wrists for ever leaving the warmth of her home to come west.( I don't care what you say I know there were some...I just think they all died along the way before they could tell their story).
To date Ive completed 4 classes so thats great...I think I have 10 billion left...I wrote my advisor and begged him for an extension between starting my next classes cause I'm just burnt out...(at least thats what I told him...truth is its interfering with my couponing kraze habit I just discovered weeks ago). I woke up this morning with my last assignment due by the end of the day. Its a COM/English class and I'm not sure if it stands for COM on and fail or COM on and kill yourself. By ten this morning I had my assignment done and submitted. As I pushed the submit button I closed my eyes and said a big prayer that my teacher will have mercy on me because I'm one of the old kids in the class and I haven't been to school for 20 years. I should get credit for that. I lay back in bed and thought about all the days I use to take "special" sick days in school. Nothings changed...school sucks whether your 10, 20 or 30...in my case 29:). I blame Alana... she brought the "I hate school" bug home. Now I'm seriously wondering if I want to continue this road of torture. In the back of my mind I know someday it will keep me from flipping hamburgers and fries:):)....I need motivation...If only there was a coupon for school...

Good Friends and Family

2010-11-03T10:42:00.002-06:00

What an awful week it has been. Even though the weather has been pretty and the sky is blue like I want it to always be my heart is sad because my good friend Angie passed away. I thought about the first time I met Angie..it was years ago at City Park when Lamoni was playing T ball.. we sat by each other and during the game Lamoni cracked us all up with his T Ball skills ... we laughed and talked and from then on became good friends. Years later I would work for Angie and Greg at Med Ex and I will always be grateful to them for everything they did for me. I am so thankful the last time I saw Angie, we hugged and she was happy because Bailee and Ariana had made the cheer squad. She was a beautiful mom and a beautiful person and I will always be lucky to have known her. I am thankful for good friends and family in my life.. it hurts when you lose people you love and care about..I have lost some very dear friends over the past few years. People who have influenced my life, made me laugh, cheered me up and even in passing always just stopped and said "HEY ". I saw this plaque and hung it in my living room and every time I see it, it reminds me of just what really is important in my life.FAMILY and FRIENDS..Im going to miss you Angie:(.....

SOCCER 2010

2010-10-28T22:14:00.000-06:00

Soccer season is almost over for Taeya and Lani. Its been fun to watch them. They started out passive but by the end of the season GOOD LUCK..you either got bowled over or kicked by the ball they were kicking..Proud of my little ball players.Lani did an amazing job as a sweeper and the ball rarely got past her. Taeya made a great forward and even scored some goals for her team. Tomorrow is their final game and I always hear them in the room planning how they can win. Even though their team has not won all their games they have had a great season and their coach Rob has been awesome!

I need help picking CHEER pictures

2010-09-27T14:31:00.001-06:00

OK what do you do when you want all of the pictures.NO I'm not buying them all..I narrowed down some that I LOVE and yet I still cant make up my mind...you guys log in and check out these SUPER cute pics of bubz and tell me which ones to buy...hahaha... gallery.me.com/cadensteele or just go check out these pics they are really cute..

JUST FOR ALANA

2010-09-27T14:24:00.001-06:00

Look I posted a picture of you on my blog...Just want you to know we love and miss you lana bears:)

21..how does that happen

2010-09-27T13:52:00.000-06:00

Lamoni turned 21 this year..I cant believe he's all grown up. He just moved to Phoenix too which I have to admit I wasn't very happy about because he is too far away from me and I want him to be closer to me so I can smother him:)..He's such a good son..I know Ive said that before in past blogs but he really is. I love that he is driven by his passion for music and success and I honestly believe it is just a matter of time before he will be at the TOP of his game and where he wants to be in his life. He's a great big brother too and I know that because all my kids have a great relationship and fiercely loyal bond with one another. Happy Birthday Lamoni.. thanks for being a good son:)

TIM TAMS

2010-09-13T18:00:00.004-06:00

THANK YOU JESUS AND PEPPERIDGE FARM

YES!!!...Ive waited along time for a day like this to come along..sometimes the good lord just smiles down on you and makes your day extra special when you are super good like me..Recently a friend who served his mission in Australia told me about Tim Tams being available here in the states. Now I know they probably have been here for awhile but NOBODY told me people...but I just want you to know that if you are looking for a treat that will make you super happy and that is super yummy then hop in your car and haul your backside over to pepperidge farm or Walmart and get you some of these. They are delicious....and You will thank me ..

CONGRATS TO MY BROTHER

2010-09-13T17:33:00.004-06:00

Thomas, Jane and his children

Devere, Milarne, Xavier, Tom, Bronte, Strance

Beautiful Family

My Older brother Thomas was married this past week to his partner Janie Monika.
Jane went to church college with Matt and I and even delivered some packages from Matt to me back in the day:)..Im so happy for my brother and glad he has found someone he loves and can build a happy life with.

VOLLEYBALL WITH BUBZ

2010-09-13T16:00:00.003-06:00

BEFORE THE TORTURE

BUBZ AND ANNA

Volleyball season started for bubz this past week.I think her and Anna just like to eat candy,drink gatorade and pester me...They got off to a good start and won all their games. I have to admit its alittle painful to watch this age group play but like Matt told me..somebodys got to take one for the team...

LETTERS FROM TAGE

2010-09-13T14:48:00.006-06:00

JOSEPH SMITH BIRTHPLACE

TAGE IN THE GHETTO:)

WITH HIS COMPANION AND RONALD..LOL

THIS IS A TEST PLAQUE

WITH HIS BONE CARVING

Who would have guessed that Tage would be such a good letter writer. We just got a ton of pics from Tage and so I thought I would post a few so you can see alittle of how his mission is going. Tage is an awesome letter writer and always sends us the coolest pics of critters, weird people and food. He makes me laugh ..I dont know what it is about him and critters but leave it to Tage and he will find them. I added a pic of his family plaque which Tages grandma made. This has travelled with every missionary in his family. It has been all over the world and I just think it is the neatest tradition. Soon Tage will have to send it to his brother and his cousin who are looking at leaving in the next year.
We sure miss him!

MY MEMORY MAKER

2010-09-13T00:15:00.004-06:00

Alana is my memory maker..If it wasnt for her we wouldnt have any pics of the kids. On a trip home she got all the girls hair done and off they went to take some pics for us. Shes really good and has tons of pics but you know me..Im into captions and just a few pics at the moment. Someday I will pick up the speed for my blog and journal like I should. Until then, these short blurbs will have to do!

YAY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON

2010-09-13T00:08:00.001-06:00

And thats how we roll

Going for the TouchDown

Its great to be the mama of a 175lb 15 year old kid...Football season is on and we look forward to Friday Nights and Hemans game. He has a great team and even though I dont understand a thing about this game
( I still love RUGBY more..) I love watching my son and his buddies tear it up on the field!

College for Alana

2010-09-12T23:53:00.004-06:00

Lana and Kayla at the 1st Aggie Football Game of the Season

Alana started her first year at Utah State University. Undeclared major because she wasnt sure, she is taking her generals and having a great time being parentless and making her own decisions. Our house is very quiet and we miss her especially when its time to do the girls hair..

Back to School 2010-2011

2010-09-12T23:52:00.004-06:00

Taeya

Ariana

Leilani

School officially started for the kids. Lots of changes for us as the kids get older and move into different schools. Lani has Mrs Mason and is on her last year at Thirkill Elementary. Taeya has Mrs Jorgenson 5th grade and Bubz is in 7th grade. Both of them are in Tigert and Heman is a Sophmore at Soda High.

BSADI

2010-09-12T23:32:00.004-06:00

The Boyz at BSADI

Heman spent a few days at Youth Conference out at Trail Canyon.He loved it and thank goodness because he had me worried for awhile that he might try to run home. He got to be in Greshen and Don Cleggs Family and Heman loves Greshen so I was totally happy that he would be just fine and have a great time. Which he did!

LAMONI LEAVES FOR TOUR 2010

2010-08-12T15:01:00.006-06:00

Moe spent alot of time this summer preparing for his summer tour which would start in Texas and end in California.

LOVE THE NEW CHURCH VIDEOS

2010-08-12T14:56:00.002-06:00

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

If you haven't had a chance to check out this church vid...you need too its AWESOME.

LAST MINUTE TRIP

2010-08-09T18:00:00.008-06:00

Last night we were decided at 11.30pm to make the trip to SLC airport to see Tage off as he headed out to New Hampshire... I was worried about going because we just spent the last 3 weeks getting use to him being gone and I knew seeing him again would make us all miss him and the process would have to start all over again... BUT then I also know Tage and I knew it would mean alot to him if we went so I had a one hour nap and then off we went..stopping in Logan to pick up Alana and then on to the airport to make it by 4.00am..which we had been told the missionaries would be there..BUT they were late so Tage didnt show up until 5.30anm which was a good thing because it got pretty emotional on both sides as soon as he saw everyone.
When he came to give me a hug he was crying and he said..its been so hard and my heart just melted for him. I felt so much love and empathy for this kid, it made me cry .. I realized how much we miss his spirit in our home whenever he comes to visit and how much of a joy he really is to our family. I see him struggling with all his emotions yet putting all his faith and trust in heavenly father and I am very proud of him. His mission is opening matts heart to the gospel and I dont think Tage even knows how much his mission is helping our family. The last pic cracks me up because Matt finally picked up alana and said thats it, Im taking her out of here..besides he is the only man in her life from now on until Tage gets home...he reckons he is making a shirt that says TEAM TAGE and will wear it if Alana ever brings any dates to our house. She wont though ..I know my baby girl and she loves Tage ..no boys stand a chance in our house ..Matt and I adore him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

2010-08-04T21:53:00.004-06:00

OMG..I just turned 40..I dont know what to say...Matt and I were driving out of town and I was like holy crap Im 40..that just sucks...I told him I dont feel like Im 40 and I dont like that number being attached to me..but its true I am and I have to admit I am very thankful I dont look 40...although Im not sure what a 40 year old is suppose to look like. I remind myself that I have a 20 year old soon to be 21 so I do have something to show for all those years.. I had a super fun day with Matt..he went out of his way to make my day special and I think what I enjoyed the most about today was just being with him..We ate ourselfs sick and then decided to go shopping and walk it off.. we watched movies and ate again and then I had to stop and thank all my awesome friends and family on facebook for sending me all the birthday wishes...my phone buzzed all day and even matt was like wow..you have alot of friends...I do and I love them all..all of them have impressed my life in some way or another.Each person I can honestly tell you I have a super cool memory with and I love them dearly!..life I can tell you at 40 isnt that bad..Im going to try to learn to love that number:)

PRESENTS FROM TAGE

2010-08-02T23:42:00.006-06:00

The girls were stoked to get their pillow pets from Tage..cell phone cover for bubz..no wonder they love him ..he spoils them rotten..I can tell they really miss him..always racing for the mail and fighting over who got a letter ..thanks Tage

BABY BLESSING

2010-08-02T22:57:00.013-06:00

Yay...we had a great party this weekend. My nephew Lochlan ( Laura and Pats baby) was blessed..hes such a sweetheart and Lauras doing a great job making him chubby and yummy:)

BYE TAGE

2010-07-21T21:43:00.002-06:00

And hes gone..for two years...we will miss him

LAGOON WITH TAGES FAMILY

2010-07-21T21:07:00.005-06:00

TAGES MISSION FAREWELL

2010-07-21T21:06:00.009-06:00

We spent the weekend in Orem the 2nd week of July..so that we could attend Tages Mission Farewell. We met his beautiful family and had probably one of the best weekends we have ever had in along time... Tage has the most amazing family..now I know where he gets it from because he is such a great kid..
We decided to all go to Lagoon the following week as a last hurrah for Tage..

July 4th and Alana leaves for Logan

2010-07-21T20:51:00.009-06:00

Lana moved this week to Logan...It was such a busy week for both of us...not sure how Im feeling about her leaving home but the time has come and she is ready to go to college...We found her an awesome apartment with a great roommate...Kenzi...

July 4th in Soda is always the best. This year we had Mike and Rochelle and their kids come up to Idaho and spend the night for the parade and then we all headed out to Bear Lake for a day of sun and fun...The girls left with Tage and headed to Lindon to spend the week with Tage and his family as a last time get away before Tage leaves for his mission. The kids had a blast and I got a week of bliss with just the men in my life..matt and my boyz..

WATCH OUT PEOPLE

2010-06-17T14:00:00.007-06:00

Heman came home today with his drivers permit.
6 months of having to let him drive and then he will sit for his permanent license..I don't know if I can do it..I like to drive myself everywhere.but I'm sure he will make me...Hes such a great kid. Behind the wheel he's a really good driver and very cautious.. He was super stoked to get all his driving labs done and so was I...another driver in the house ...just what I wanted:)

GRADUATION 2010

2010-06-17T13:45:00.007-06:00

My lana berries graduated from high school. What a fun and exhausting month it had been. I cant say Im sad ( i think Im in denial).... but I do get excited for my children when I think of them moving forward in this life...that's why we are here to progress ..Shes all grown up and Im not sure if Matt and I are ready to cut the chord just yet but sooner or later we know its coming..She has been the best child a parent could ever ask for. Shes filled our lives more than we have filled hers and Im excited for her to go out and pursue her dreams and create for herself the life she has dreamed of.

ARIANA THE CHEERLEADER/DANCE RECITALS

2010-06-17T13:31:00.010-06:00

Lani and Taeya had their Dance recital with Sues Dance Company and it was awesome. My baby girls did a great job this year..I havent had anyone in dance for a while so they had to be in the same class. Taeya was a trooper and did amazing..she even danced in the Mom/Daughter clogging dance ..it was so fun to watch and Mrs Sue did an outstanding job..again!

Bubz went out for cheer leading for the upcoming school year...While the rest of us all looked on in horror..this is a whole new thing for us. I got to go and wait for her while she tried out and it was serious business for all them girls. I promised bubz that if she made it I would not make fun of cheer leaders again...:)..Well she made it and she even got voted as a Co-cheer captain.. not bad for our first little cheerleader!! I'm gonna be good and I'm going to try to be a good cheer mom..even though I don't know what that means yet.

SEMINARY GRADUATION/TAGES MISSION CALL

2010-06-17T13:16:00.007-06:00

This past month went quick..First came seminary graduation which I was VERY proud of Alana for achieving. The last graduation I went to for seminary was for my own so to have my daughter follow in my footsteps made me a very HAPPY mama. During this time we got some very exciting news that Tage got his mission call to New Hampshire. He drove all the way up to Idaho to get Alana and drive her back while his family waited for them so that she could be there when he opened his call. I was blown away by his determination that she be there.. At one in the morning he called Matt and I and we got to listen in as he opened his call. Can I just say: we really LOVE this kid!

STATE BASKETBALL AND TRACK

2010-06-16T22:49:00.012-06:00

Alana kept us busy over the past few months. With Soda girls winning Districts we headed to Boise to spend the weekend hoping to capture a State Title.. They made it all the way to the championship game which was outstanding for our little town. In the end Soda Girls came 2nd in the 2A Basketball final...We had a blast in Boise..it was a much needed break for all of us..As we drove home I was determined that one of my kids was going to do track so that we could come back for State Track and have another holiday! I love our little town.....Heman and Alana then decided to both go out for track so we jumped from one sport right into another.
Alana is running the 100,200 and Medley and Heman the 200 and the high jump.
They did AWESOME for their first year ever in track for both of them. Alana made it to state where she came 7th in the 100 and her medley team won the STATE TITLE !!..It was so exciting..congrats to Lana, Marina, Jordan and Kayla:)

MARCH HAPPENINGS

2010-04-09T09:17:00.011-06:00

Moe went on tour with Stephen Jersak. We finally met Amylynn and Nick and Kayleen his buddies ..Moe traveled to Kansas, Oklahoma, New York, Philadelphia and all over .. When he finally came home he was here for two days and then left for Miami to record..Things are getting so exciting with his music... cant wait to share the NEW stuff and exciting news :)

FEBRUARY HAPPENINGS

2010-02-09T09:06:00.010-07:00

The last few months our family has really been feeling it..Not long after Aunty passed away we lost Uncle Dave Atkinson.
His passing was a great shock and loss to us all and was felt not only here in the USA but all throughout NZ.
He was simply the BEST. He was a good friend to all and truly exemplified that in all he did. I always felt close to home when I was around Uncle Dave..He was really good to us.
Im so blessed to have known him and look forward to the day when we will see him again.
http://www.inmemoryofdave.blogspot.com/

January Happenings

2010-01-30T18:35:00.012-07:00

During January we lost Aunty Vicki..a great loss for our family..she was like a 2nd mother to Matt and all his brothers and sisters. We had so many fond and great memories with Aunty.. we will miss her ..she taught me how to make my first pavlova and steam pudding..we had lots of giggles together and I treasure the opportunity I had to visit with her in NZ...will never forget it..love you aunts:)
Kawiti set up a Facebook page called Memories of Aunty Vicki my second Mother...you can log onto Facebook and search for it.
It has alot of beautiful memories of aunty.

Lana's Old... and tonight was her last night as a senior playing for Soda High.. good thing we have Districts and State coming up so we don't have to get our tissues out just yet. Shes been so fun to watch ..I cant believe shes almost done with high school..it doesn't seem like that long ago when I packed her in my car with her little back pack and her big bow on her head and drove her to school..I'm blessed with kids who are driven and know what they want to do and do it without caring what people think. As I watch her prepare for college, shes done a lot of it all on her own and I'm really proud of her. She got her first scholarship and is going to Utah State. Its going to be fun..I hope Lana will let me run away to her house..if not too bad..I'm coming:)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

2010-01-01T21:33:00.003-07:00

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right:)...

ONE YEAR AGO...ALREADY

2009-12-29T10:10:00.003-07:00

Gesh hard to believe its been a year already..it seems like just yesterday she was running around tearing everything up .. I have to admit we still miss our homeless looking doggie Nala... coming to our house is not the same..the only thankful one is Fletcher..but if you remember Nala never liked him...Every once in a while I pull open a blanket that has her teeth marks in it from the kids and her playing tug of war...and I think about her and wouldnt mind going on another one of our long walks together... awhhh Nala we miss you:)

Our Family 2009

2009-12-23T19:12:00.007-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2009-12-11T19:18:00.006-07:00

Gesh...cant believe its almost Christmas..Im waiting for Matt so we can start our Christmas shopping..so I got bored and thought Id check out my blog...its been awhile..so I thought Id better update.My house is all christmassy..I even got brave and put some lights on the house..Of course I havent turned them on yet cause I need to rob Matt's tool truck for a nice long thick extension cord..Its so cold outside I almost opted out but the kids and I got zapped last minute by the christmas bug when I went to visit a friend...Her house was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G..

Trains and santas and nativities and all that cool stuff that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy for christmas..I started thinking Ive been a bit of a grinch for the past four years..so this year I did it..I decorated..with real decorations..christmas ones even and have to admit its so pretty:) although while hanging lights I was so preoccupied I thought I lost my phone when I realized I was actually still on it talking to Alexa ..duh..ever done that?...

what a weirdo I am sometimes..Im so excited Matt is home for Christmas..the first time in about 5 years...Its gonna be awesome..anyways just hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families and know that we love ya..xoxox MERRY CHRISTMAS

NOV HAPPENINGS:

* Matt and I celebrated our 21st Wedding Anniversary

* Quaid went home after being with us for 3 months..we really miss him

* New Moon came out and of course I went to the midnight showing

* Taeya turned 10

* Kawiti and Teryns Baby Zedikiah was born

*Celebrated Thanksgiving in Chesterfield with family

OCTOBER WAS A BLURR....

2009-11-03T19:57:00.016-07:00

LOL...What can I say I have no clue where to start..its been a crazy month but a lot has happened so I'm doing a catch me up post:)..So here is some quick highlights:

Essie had her baby: Ayden Ezekial Smitheram

My Brother Thomas and his partner Jane had their baby: Xavior Murray

My sister Sweet (Quaids Mum) came for 8 days along with Pierre and Tania..and we had a BLAST at the 2009 Xango Thrive Convention

It was Halloween....and I got my candy stash topped up..thanks kids:)

Lamoni came home and fell asleep driving and crashed his car in Rock
Springs...Thank heavens for cousins who live their he was able to rest until we got their and brought him home.

Alana's Volleyball team went to state where they came 3rd..They did an amazing job!

HOMECOMING 2009

2009-09-20T22:09:00.010-06:00

Alana was crowned Homecoming Queen by her peers along with Jake Bartchi as King. I thought that that was so sweet of the kids to nominate for her specially since shes been gone for so long. We had an awesome night. Tage came all the way from payson just to take Alana ..he cracked me up when he got dressed and then went around to our front door to pick her up. He was so cute. Quaid took Sara Langdyke. They had such a blast. She even got on skype to meet my sister and Quaids family as they watched him give her, her flower and take pics. I thought that was really sweet of her to be so willing to do that, it meant alot to my sister.
Heman went to the dance but he had no date.. everyones been teasing him on his "no date" because his girlfriend was there and she looked so stunning and pretty. Have to just say this but man my Heman is a STUD!.He looked so handsome. Im really loving things this year with my teenagers...all 3 of them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOE

2009-09-20T21:37:00.004-06:00

Lamoni turned 20 years old today... gosh matts old...lol..darn now we both are starting to get up there with all the old folks..Hes been a GREAT son and we love him so much. Moe is certainly my most entertaining child. I cant narrow anything down about him that I love specific because I really LOVE everything about him. Its been a new experience adapting to him being gone and not being so active in his life..but thats just what happens when they grow up and leave..Im glad Im his mother..I love you son, have a great day ..

PLAYING CATCHUP

2009-09-19T14:27:00.009-06:00

Whew...what a month...Im playing catchup with my blog so here goes...

The beginning of the month or sometime back then we got to attend the Quirrh Temple dedication. That same day Quaid my nephew flew in from New Zealand. It was a great experience to be in the"TEMPLE" with my kids and share this experience together.

School started and we moved. Moving kicked my butt..lets just say the thoughts of doing that again any time soon haunts me.

Soccer started for the girls and after two years of not playing any sports I was ELATED to see my kids are still co-ordinated and can run like jaguars. Taeya kicked the winning goal the other night .. her and her friends are still celebrating that one!!

Dance started for Taeya and Lani... the highlight for them is being with Alliyah..

Football season started for Heman and he got the first touchdown of the season...thank goodness he can jump because we thought he missed the catch and out of no where he leaped into the air and got it...he was stoked about that one!

Volleyball started for Alana..Much of our nights are spent watching her PLAY...Matt is in heaven to be able to be at her games and yell at her. Hes to loud for me so we sit him on one side and me a bench over...I dont want to been seen by him when he gets all mad at the refs... geez...embarrassing.
Somewhere in between this we got to go to yellowstone with Riks family...I absolutely LOVED it..Im not a hiker but the scenery and the company was the best..mom had the best food and

the cabin we stayed in was AWESOME..much thanks to Rik and lex for that one...

Its homecoming week and Lana and Tash were nominated for Queen. Matt and dad got to walk them both during the half time of the Homecoming game. They both looked gorgeous!

Matt is a shutdown at work so Im alone with the kids for much of the day so

we have been having pingpong challenges at our house. I love wasting all of them and wish I had a real challenge instead of playing challenged people...lol...as usual we are having a blast at our house, its always a party!!

FIRST DAY OF AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL

2009-08-25T11:02:00.008-06:00

YAY for school..the kids had a great first day and being the nice mom I am I even cooked a YUMMY lunch for them..Heman's first day as a high school freshman and Alana a old lady senior..
It was awesome watching them leave and enjoying a blissful quiet moment in my peaceful house..
Three days later Quaid came from New Zealand and he has been so AWESOME. I have to tell my sister she raised a good boy. Hes really sweet and helps out heaps. We sent the kids to school yesterday and then he and I ran away to Pocatello to do some school shopping..lets just say Quaid and Moe are DEFINITELY RELATED.. gees all those bright colors and tight pants..I felt traumatized all over again..we spent one hour looking for purple shoes...yep ..that was not a typo..but when we got done he looked AWESOME... This morning I registered him for school too and he started his first day at American High school...that's what he calls it..lol..and he was all ready to check out the honeys and meet some kids his age instead of hanging out with his boring aunt. Moving tonight so I'm getting packed up while listening to my cool music play list.
Miss my brothers and sisters and mum and dad..I think I need to talk my dad into letting mum come for a visit with Sweet and Noel in Oct...(hint mum..hope your reading this)... All these songs remind me of them!but other than that LIFE IS SWEET!

AQUAMARINE and MOE

2009-08-22T23:54:00.003-06:00

LOL...my kids are buzzing over this pic of Aquamarine...aka Sarah Paxon. Shes holding a sign for Lamoni's new project...We should whisper!How cool is that..

SUMMER HAPPENINGS

2009-08-17T15:26:00.013-06:00

I think I blinked and missed summer...since I came home from NZ it seems like its just been one event after the other.
With girls camp behind me I thought YAY my summer can start..DIDNT HAPPEN...its been such a fast paced summer and in the few short weeks we have crammed in alot of fun times.
Heres a shortlist of our happenings:

1.Leilani got baptized and confirmed at our Stake Center. It was a beautiful day. Thanks to her grandpa Ken who had the honors of baptizing my last child. No more baptisms for me until its a grandkid...We had Lots of yummy food and great company. It was such a special day for her.We ate at the church afterwards and then the whole family moved over to city park where we played til late at night..It was an awesome evening..just perfect for such a beautiful ordinance.

2. Moe came home for a few days and brought two bandmates with him. He worked on some stuff with matt and I just enjoyed cooking and hanging out with him. His trip was cut short because his band was chosen to play Warp Tour in Minnesota. I was happy for him but sad for me because he left so soon. He launched a solo project..you have to check it out http://www.myspace.com/weshouldwhisper

3. Matt hosted his first B CREW BASH.. for his workmates at Bear Lake..We had three boats, Jet Skis, volleyball, and more YUMMY amazing food.He did an awesome job. He kind of got worried no one would come but much thanks to his awesome workmates, many of them showed up with their families. We got to make tons of new friends and plan a Winter Bash for the kids.

4. My nephew is coming to live with me for three months and arrives on sunday. I am SOO excited about it. Ive always wished I could have my nephews and nieces from NZ come here and experience alittle bit of America and the time has finally come. Hes going to school with Alana and Heman so he should be Ok..I hope, no I cross my fingers, eyes and toes that he LOVES it here..

5. FINALLY the big one is we are moving. This coming monday. So Ive spent the past week shovelling thru all our ten billion loads of crap. This morning I donated half of our life to the DI.
I kind of got mover happy and just got rid of stuff because for some reason all my stuff looks old to me. Im feeling overwhelmed with the amount of junk we own.Im more excited about buying NEW stuff for my kitchen and the front room and all the rooms where I hang out...Our house looks like it got hit by a tornado..all the neighbor kids keep coming over and asking what happened..So as u can see my summer has been busy..busy ..busy..ohh did I mention school starts for us on Weds...So inbetween all of this I did manage to school shop for five kids...attend my new niece and nephews baby blessing and still oversee a successful launch of Xangos new product into my business.and I almost forgot the kids were in a luau. gesh. Im exhausted, got a sore back, tired legs but seriously quite happy! (love the pic of my yummy baby Shiloa..shes really Anas but I want to steal her)!!!

MY BLOG BOOK

2009-08-17T15:13:00.002-06:00

I just got my blog book ordered..I loved it SOOO much Im keeping my blog. All the memories of this past year..all saved in a journal..I didnt realize how neat these books are...Anyways...thought u were rid of me..but your not!..Im keeping my blog.

IM SOOOO HAPPY

2009-07-24T20:12:00.018-06:00

YAY..Im home from Girls camp and now my summer can begin..Im going to party with my family until school starts. Girls camp was awesome. We stayed in Camp Majorie Paye Hinckley at Heber Valley. This site was the only site dedicated by Pres Hinkley and his family has there reunion there every year. It was so beautiful and you really felt the spirit at this camp. Everything that the girls did was geared towards a spiritual meaning. Their were 2700 girls at camp this week. Over 200 missionaries serving at Camp Heber Valley. The church has invested over one million dollars into this Heber Valley Camp and it shows! There are animals galore and on one night we had a moose, bull and doe and a fawn come into our campground..We went on canoes and challenge courses which were unbelievable and hikes which I hated (seriously hiking is not fun..I think lana and I got the laman and lemuel award on that one).. played volleyball, had a spa night, skit nights and all the fun things that go with girls camp.But for one night we combined with a ward from Sandy Utah and did Lehis Dream with the Girls. It was such a moving beautiful experience. We made the cutest crafts. We did water balloon flip flops and made Be thou an example Blocks( lana and I made one for each of the girls rooms) The food was really AWESOME. I have to admit I really enjoyed myself and grew closer to each of my girls so it was totally worth all the work. I think I have the best calling ..cause now I get a six month break until we have to begin planning for next year..Im ok with that!..Anyways I missed my honey alot. He was a huge support for me while I was gone..he even let me use his ugly trailer and you should have seen all the men just ohhhing and ahhing after his trailer..I was thinking to myself ..what the heck?...they thought it was the coolest thing ..anyways I have to admit I was excited to come home but then as we were leaving the camp Sis Ogden one of the missionaries asked me how many daughters do I have and I told her I have 3 more..she said thats great honey you only have 18 more years to go in Young Womens..I almost died at the thought...

Getting ready for Girls Camp

2009-07-14T08:27:00.006-06:00

Its that time of year for me again..today we are CPR certifying and then Mon we leave for our camp at Heber Valley in Utah. I have to admit Im actually excited about it.. even though I dont like anything that has more legs than me and a tail and I dont like smelling like fire and I loathe mosquitos...Im still going because we are staying in Cabins...YAY...
Once camp is over I think thats when my summer begins and I might be able to get some things done.
We do have tons of fun and I love being with the girls. Lana and Tash are always hillarious and as you can tell from the pics...always excited...lol

NICE

2009-07-07T22:38:00.003-06:00

I love these videos the church is producing..I think they are awesome and I really love this one. Sorry if your've been blocked out of my blog..I disabled it cause Im feeling alittle overwhelmed with the 50,000 other things I have going on..I had it turned off and then got a bunch of mad emails from my friends who never leave me comments.(u know who u are)..so Im gonna give it one more shot. Hope it lasts!!

TEENAGE DRIVERS

2009-06-30T16:50:00.010-06:00

I thought Matt blew up my garage today..I was on the computer working when I heard a loud bang and thought Id show you pics of what it was. My neighbors teenage daughter was messing around with her friends and lost control of her car. It came across my yard and nailed my neighbors garage. When I heard the bang I ran out and found the driver knocked out unconscious and the other two dazed. Shes alright.. she came to after awhile just in time for me to tell her and her friends they are lucky they didnt hit one of my kids .. They were outside proby ten minutes before raking the yard..THANK goodness Lani gets tired easy(aka..lazy) and came inside..She was driving 35-45 miles an hour is what they assume due to the impact. Once she came too she got out of the car and seemed fine but they did take all three of them to the hospital to be checked out. I hope they are ok..and I hope that next time they decide to mess around while driving they will think again AND I hope they thank the lord they didnt kill one of my kids.

Our Girls

2009-06-28T10:19:00.005-06:00

What the Heck ?....

2009-06-27T09:20:00.008-06:00

So this morning I was sleeping and I awoke to this crashing banging sound coming from my kitchen. I thought it was one of the kids banging around in the kitchen so I yelled at them to stop making all that noise...about 2 mins later I heard it again so I got up and this time whoever was in kitchen was in for it... but umm..it wasnt the kids..it was just the ceiling in my kitchen crashing on the floor..yep..so I got a nice big hole in the kitchen..turns out theres a leak..gee how did I miss that one..its been there for awhile according to my handy man matt. They just havent had time to fix it. Well gee Im glad you told me thank goodness the roof didnt fall on one of my friends!..but now I have a ugly hole in my ceiling to look at til matt gets home from work..Im thinking of getting a poster to put there for now..what do you think?..as for the kids...they missed the whole thing..they just woke up and are wondering what I did.Yep..thats me..when I get bored I like to punch holes in my kitchen ceiling....Look at them peacefully sleeping in the front room while the house is falling down! ohhh the only thing bringing me joy is my orchid...look what I got in the mail yesterday from my friends at XanGo.. A real live Orchid..its so pretty and Im really praying it dosnt die..me and real plants we dont get along..but I love it. It makes me happy and the hole in my ceiling makes me mad..Ill just keep my eyes fixed on my pretty plant..

MY GIRLS

2009-06-17T11:48:00.013-06:00

I am a lucky mother.Blessed with 4 beautiful daughters.
Ariana: broke her finger(again) jumping on the trampoline with her cuzzies. Lani is so happy to be home with the girls and Taeya is just my happy child..Alana is home for the summer and pretend working with matt..its going good. Matt said shes his best worker. Looking forward to some sunshine, if anyone knows where it is ..let me know!

VOTE FOR MOE...

2009-06-17T11:24:00.002-06:00

Moes band is in a comp and needs votes. Hes asked me to hit all my friends up to vote for him because he loves being a tour junkie..
So if you got some time ...please vote for Moe..Click on the pic
and it will take you straight to the link..his band is the 3rd one down and click vote..

ON TOUR WITH MOE

2009-06-11T21:58:00.008-06:00

Just got home from NZ and loving being with my honey and the kids. Just before I left for NZ we spent a week with Moe. He left on his summer tour and is in Minnesota tonight singing his little lungs out with his bandmates. He texts us everynight and tells us all about his exciting escapades, new locations and surprise visits.. They are doing some surprise shows at their fans homes. (Yes he has fans)..as the kids said..real fans mom ..not mechanical like yours and dads. I love my kids they help me keep it real. Hes having a blast as he always has..got to be awesome when your doing something you really love doing..

Lani in Taupo

2009-06-10T02:06:00.004-06:00

Im just playing catchup on my pics..adding them so when I get my blog book I have all these awesome memories. These were taken in Taupo with Mt Ruapehu in the back ground on my way home from my last corporate event in Hastings. We were so tired but we had a awesome event the night before. Lake Taupo is fresh water that runs off Mt Ruapehu and connects to the Waikato River in Hamilton..

VIEW COMING INTO AUCKLAND

2009-06-10T01:19:00.012-06:00

"AOTEAROA" means Land of the long white cloud in Maori.Because when you fly into NZ all u see is the long white cloud and then out of nowhere comes the Green landscape of NZ..I like these pics..even though I hate flying this is my fav part of the trip...

SAYING GOODBYE TO A GOOD FRIEND

2009-06-03T03:40:00.004-06:00

Probably the best thing about what I do is meeting tons of amazing people. The saddest news hit my family this week when my friend and sister n law's sister Ursula was killed in a motor accident on sunday morning. So the week before I leave for home I have spent much of it with her family in their hometown of Te Kuiti saying goodbye to Ursh. Its been an experience to remember. Ursh was an amazing singer. She sung with the likes of Pavorotti and Ray Charles and performed all over the world. She was a NZ Icon in the musician field and her death has been such a loss. She was responsible for helping me get into the Auckland market with XanGo and I loved and really enjoyed being around her. She was definitely one of those people that just lit up a room and knew how to have a good time. She also happens to be the sister to my brothers wife. I really love my sister n law..shes awesome and I hope with time things will heal for her and her family.Ursh was a real crack up to be around. She was loud and funny and had the best shoes and wardrobe..lol.. I love you Ursh...you will truly be missed. Thanks for being an awesome friend!

Kaitaia

2009-06-01T04:39:00.007-06:00

So part of my travels include a trip to Kaitaia..my parents use to live here so it was awesome to come back. I went with my brother and so he took me to shipwrecks bay..there is actually a ship under the sand and the mask is all u can see.. and then we cruised along the beach in Bossys truck, where we found a baby shark..thought Id stop and snap a pic

of the shark wearing my sunglasses.

Huka Falls and Taupo

2009-06-01T04:27:00.008-06:00

Leilani and I have had a blast travelling all over the North Island. We spent a few days in Hastings and then travelled back up to Hamilton. One of our stops was to Huka Falls and Taupo where we happened to get an amazing view of Mt Ruapehu. Its so beautiful here..one of my friends described NZ as a country that looks like it has been landscaped but then u realize it is just naturally beautiful. I had fun taking lani on some of the sites.This past week we were in Hastings, Rotorua, and Taupo and then I made a quick trip up to Kaitaia which is in the far north..It was amazing.You have to notice the color of the water..it was this crazy blue color that was just beautiful...

HASTINGS AND MY DRIVING WOES...

2009-05-13T04:17:00.013-06:00

Lani and I made a one day trip to Hastings this past week for some meetings and it was a blast. I love Hastings. It is one of my most FAV places in NZ...next to Napier. Its really pretty but I love the people there they are the best!. Things have been busy as usual since we got here. Lani dosnt like to travel much but I make her. I hope that one day she might remember this trip.She is not use to being alone and I think she misses her sisters alot but maybe from this trip she will learn to appreciate them and they can always have a good fight when she gets home..
Im getting brave and driving everywhere now...everythings on the other side of the car and Im getting use to driving with all these crazy NZ drivers...if you thought Utah drivers were bad .. I think I found me some crazy azz drivers.. these guys will run u over, flip u the bird and yell at you if you are slow. I take my time and just wave back..the biggest pain is that the blinkers and the wipers are on the opposite side so when I go to turn on my blinkers the wipers start going..my mother makes me drive her everywhere and sometimes I feel like Im driving Miss Daisy..plus shes a horrible back seat driver...oh my gosh I want to put some duct tape on her sometimes cause she makes me panic.. thats not nice I know but randomly she will say ..GO now..hurry ..stop..turn here when Im 3/4 of the way past the street..oh man u missed it..stay close to the road, turn here...oh man u missed it again... and I am a basketcase trying to just keep us all alive and on the right ( i mean left) side of the road..She does make up for the fact that she is a GREAT shopper. Her and dad are AS SEEN ON TV and HSN fanatics.. they have all these gadgets ..some Ive seen and always wanted to try and then some I wonder..what the heck?..If you ever invent something just let me know Im sure I can sell it to my parents!..lol...seriously we are having a great time !!!

2009-05-03T03:52:00.008-06:00

We arrived safely....YAY...thank goodness I cant begin to tell u how much I hate flying..May 1st its suppose to be winter here and well just look at the winter weather..its really warm and pretty but then it gets cold at night. My nephew Delano was ordained to a deacon so we had a get together with my family..Check out my mama's car..lol..she got a bug..and she loves it...heck I love it...its cute..It cracks me up to see all the girls here just begging nanny to let them drive her car...Anyways things are going good..busy as ever but things are awesome..Its time for me to hit the hay here so love u all... hope all is well xoxoxox

LAS VEGAS AND THE KIDDIES

2009-04-27T12:35:00.013-06:00

Just got home from a weekend in Vegas and it was AWESOME...Finally some down time with my honey and hanging out with tons of our XanGo friends!..We had a blast and had fun on the strip with Kawiti and Teryn.

Now Im home and packing my bags from Vegas and repacking them for New Zealand. Leilani and I leave this thurs for 5 weeks...should be alot of fun and hope to keep you all posted on the happenings.. will miss you all and look forward to getting back and catching some of that sunshine we better HAVE when I get home..On the homefront we have been super busy too..The kids and I got to go to Tashinas Prom for the floorshow. She looked beautiful.Tashie is such a awesome sister and auntie. Kingi and Laura had there twinners so I had to put a pic on here for my blog book memories and because they are ADORABLE!...Atrinity of Peace and Atriedies Prince Finlayson ..Its so AWESOME to see our family progressing and growing..

EASTER PICS

2009-04-12T23:10:00.012-06:00

We had a fun Easter. I took the girls to the Caribou County Hunt in Grace..it was our first time going to Grace and actually our first easter holiday in Soda for quite some time...we normally are out of town.. I was pretty impressed with how big and fun it was for the kids. Im not an Easter fan when it comes to the Easter Bunny..But my kids..they are!..they love all of it and I had fun watching them..they are pretty fast too.. the only thing I did wrong this year was make them use a basket..they wanted to use grocery bags and when I saw all the loot they had up for grabs I should have let them.. They got spoilt and I even got pics with the weirdo bunny.

PICS FROM PROM

2009-04-12T23:07:00.003-06:00

Just some random pics of Alana and Tage at Prom...will add more when I get them. She looked so beautiful..

ALANA'S BASKETBALL BANQUET

2009-04-06T00:33:00.011-06:00

Alana had her Basketball Banquet as well.. She lettered again for playing Varsity and she got to start at State which she said was "Awesome". They came in the Top 10 in the whole State of Utah which is in her words" dang good ", considering they got some crazy ball players down there..She loved it and she loves Payson. She has some really nice friends that she loved playing ball with... Good Job Lana babe!

TAEYA'S PROGRAM

2009-04-05T23:55:00.010-06:00

I was proud of my Tear Bear. She had her 3rd Grade Education Rocks Program and she did an awesome job. The music teachers at Thirkill are amazing and did an awesome job with the kids. We then took a tour of her class so she could show me her desk and some of the things she has been working on...And even though I've seen it before. It was nice to get a personal tour by Taeya...

PROM DRESS OR I TOUCH

2009-04-02T06:20:00.007-06:00

Alana came home this past weekend and so we took her prom dress shopping. Shes in the royalty for payson .. we thought that was cool but she just rolled her eyes at us..So matt and I took her all over the place hoping we could find a pretty dress.She looked amazing in every dress she tried on.. I was excited, Lana was excited but matt he wasnt so happy about dropping a few hundred on a dress she would only use one night... we told him not to worry about it ..besides hes not dropping $200 on a dress like he thought..hes dropping more like $4-500.00 so once he knew that he started doing the your dress cost just as much as a I Touch..wouldnt you rather have that..its only one night, a few hours but a I touch last forever...

Lana, shes pretty smart, I started seeing her doing the calculations in her head...so next thing I know we are at moms looking at prom dresses.. dont know if your've ever seen her collection of dresses but they are SWEET! She has some dresses that are way prettier than whats in the stores..all them girls and all my girls ..Matt was grinning from ear to ear just hoping Lana would choose a dress from moms girls. She tried on one and looked unbelievable in it..It was so prettty and similar to the one she tried on at the store only a different color..I could see Alana's mind rolling over the Prom dress or I Touch..So before she made up her mind we were off to the stores to look at a I Touch..How does this happen when your suppose to be dress shopping?..I gave up and went back to my work and let those two figure it out..Matt was a happy camper.Car parts and Electronics really fire that man up.. It was a long day for me but in the end she was tickled pink with her new Prom Dress...How do u like it?.....

IM LEGAL NOW...

2009-03-27T18:50:00.011-06:00

This past week I got my US Citizenship...(before you gasp like everyone else)..u should know I have only been illegal for 3 years..yep no more dodging the NIS (Naturalization Immigration service) for me ..I can finally throw away my fake SSN and sleep peacefully..I'm seriously kidding..

After 20 years,I finally got my citizenship done.
I even studied for my test with the help of my mom..Thanks mama.. I really wasn't even nervous.The interviewer guy was absolutely awesome and I got to thinking... Hey why be nervous, I mean seriously being deported to New Zealand is not a bad thing...
My only sadness came when I had to part with my fabulous greencard..its been my ticket in and out of the country and Im going back to NZ April 30TH and I didnt want anything to mess that up. So after I checked and doubled checked and triple checked that he really needed it .. Matt pryed my fingers open and gave it to him... He asked if I wanted to stay and get sworn in the next day so we did.I didnt expect it so we had no clothes fit for such a special occasion so we went shopping and yep my day got even better.. All these girls in the family who all LOVE shopping...we had a blast..The next day, I was sworn in with about 5o people from 14 different countries. It took about an hour and was really quite a nice ceremony. I guess I didnt know what to expect or how I would feel, this place has always felt like home to me. It was hard to believe that Ive been here for 21 years now. Longer than I have in NZ. Like the guy said to me"gesh we should just give it to you"... Im happy I got it done it was worth the wait...

LEILANI

2009-03-21T01:06:00.006-06:00

My Baby is turning 8 on Monday...while I was gone she worked me over for a birthday party...I dont usually do it on a baptism year but she won me over .. we went to the bowling alley with some of her closest friends and cousins and though it was simple...she got spoilt to the max and had a great day!!... I Love love love my baby... shes a true blue last kid...spoilt to the max!

PLAYING CATCH UP

2009-03-10T10:19:00.016-06:00

Just catching up...Adding a few pics from my travels...Last night I enjoyed some time with the kids at my friends house. She just got 2 new miniature PONIES...we had a blast and decided to go out on the snow machines to take the kids for a ride... Some of the pics in NZ are with my cousins and at a corporate event I hosted. Once again Im trying to find the cord to my camera so I can add more pics of NZ ..it was an awesome trip. I get to go back in May. Im excited about it..I still hate flying but I love going home...

Some pics for me

2009-03-01T16:25:00.008-07:00

A few Highlights from my Brothers Wedding

2009-02-08T21:05:00.016-07:00

This past weekend my brother Lance got married. It was awesome to be able to be there.

We travelled to TeKuiti where his fiancee Leesah is from and it was held up on a hill overlooking her hometown. It was beautiful and very hot...All my working left me little time to find a dress so I went shopping in my sisters closet...(thanks sweet)...a bonus for sure when u have sisters close by..We then travelled back to Hamilton Skycity where they held there reception.

Tons of yummy food all catered for ( my kind of wedding) and awesome music provided by Leesah's sisters band Legacy...they were amazing...It was a great time and Im just super happy that my brother has found someone...in his words: who has brought alot of peace into his life..

A message from the Aunties to my kids

2009-02-07T16:12:00.007-07:00

YUMMY MANGOSTEEN FRUIT

2009-02-05T12:24:00.006-07:00

Yay...Im back in Hamilton..the sun is shining and its hot weather...I thought I better be more diligent with my blog so my kids can keep up with me and know I am working and not having a fun time without them..This has been a unique trip for me .. Its been all work and no play but finally FINALLY a party tomorrow....my brother is getting married tomorrow and I cant wait.

I LOVE my new sister n law Leesah..she is awesome. I will post pics of it ..But I got the opportunity to finally taste the mangosteen fruit which Xango is made out of and you know what...Ive never tasted anything like it before in my life. It showed up in the supermarket and one of the distributors found it so we all high tailed down to the market to get some..I was so excited..Ive spent much of my time promoting a juice made from this stuff, read all about it and well I can tell you what this fruit is absolutely YUMMY..I thought it would taste like a orange but it has a soft texture to it and it literally melts in your mouth.Its really really delicious and honestly unlike anything Ive ever tasted before...I understand now why Queen Victoria nicknamed it The Queen of Fruits...The past month has flown for me its gone so fast and I havent had much time to keep up with everyone and every body but I have tons of pics and one of these days Ill post them on here..My baby is getting anxious for me to come home and I cant wait to be home with matt and the kids soon but until then I will post here more so she can keep up with me..I love you my baby..and my other babies!!!lol.....Anyways have to go hunting for something to wear to the wedding..

WELLINGTON....THE WINDY CITY

2009-02-03T17:17:00.007-07:00

This post is for my kids...Im in Wellington New Zealand.The windy city is what they call it. If I had of listened in school I would know that...but I didnt...Never been here before but its been an awesome trip..Its cold here because its closer to the South Island of New Zealand and Wellington gets hit with all the cold weather coming up from that way...cant wait to get back to Hamilton to the warm weather...But I cant wait even more to get home to my kiddies and my honey. The pic of the turtles is for my girls...I have to laugh I wasnt quite prepared for it when I went to the loo they freaked me out ..but Ive become rather accustomed to them in the past two days.....its amazing how much you dont care when you have to go loo...The home I am staying in is on the waterfront so I can hear the waves crashing as Im going to sleep...Its quite awesome but the weather here is so sparatic..anyways for my babies and my honey ...I LOVE YOU ALL ....mamaxoxox

IM STILL ALIVE...LOL

2009-01-26T02:56:00.008-07:00

Hey all...its me..remember me...lol..I know Ive been a slacker but life has been crazy busy for me since I got here. I finally took my first day off and went on a campout with my sisters ward for two nights. It was absolutely awesome and a much needed break as I think I have xangoed my brains out... Many amazing things are happening here and things are going way better than I even imagined. My stay has been extended two weeks due to a corporate visit so I will be home alittle later than expected but it will definitely be worth the while. Im missing my munchkins and hubby alot but we talk everyday and after being on bebo the word is I am not allowed to come home until Im rich. Its SUPER hot here. I sat on the beach for a few hours and now I look like a cooked turkey. Found out that that big hole in the ozone layer they always talk about is right over NZ so its not a good idea to be outside long cause u get the direct rays from the sun and end up looking like a lobster. I finally got brave and am driving here now.. although there are some crazy fools on the road here...the blinkers and wipers are on the opposite side of the vehicles so when I turn my blinkers on I actually am turning on the wipers...Ill get use to it one of these days...Having the steering wheel on the other side took alot of getting use.So is the other half of the car...so I had to get use to driving over a bit so I dont take out peoples mailboxes and cars..havent hit one yet!!. While I was camping I got to help dog sit my sisters spoilt dog, who by the way thinks he is a dolphin...no joke this dog can swim and is so fit he stays in the water for hours and hours and u literally have to drag his doggie backside out of the water...he jumps up and dives like a dolphin .. and swims out to sea and I mean way way way out..although I secretly was hoping the sharks might get him because he made me have to walk a mile down the beach just to bring him back...I thought of nala...I miss my homeless looking doggie.I had it better than I thought. She would have listened when I called her ..not like the dolphin doggie who ran away.But I must say I had a blast and I think that all wards should have a camp out cause its way fun .Anyways life is good and going well..as I hope it is for each of you... time is going quick and Im looking forward to getting home to my honey and my kids..and honestly this will be the last time I travel alone again... talk to u all soon...hugs from NZ.....Debz

PS: The pics are of the training center I am working out of..my niece Wini ( sisters step daughter) and my Nephew Ethan at the beach...

Hey from NZ

2009-01-10T02:40:00.003-07:00

Wow..my first day I can relax...whew its been a super busy week...I literally hit the ground running..hard to believe Ive been gone nearly a week already..It is soooo hot here..70-80 degrees but a muggy make my hair frizzy heat...and currently I stick out a mile because it never happens for me there but I literally am the whitest person in the room!.It was awesome to see my family but Im having a hard time enjoying it here without matt and the kids..The wedding plans for my brother are full on and I am so excited for him...Ive never been to one of there weddings so Im stoked!..So I had a great flight over..much thanks to Doctor feel good who hooked me up ..(u know who u are)...incase u didnt know it, I am a big baby and hate flying .. but I met some awesome kiwi's on board who recommended a few hard drinks to help with anxiety.. of course I didnt drink it ..I wanted too when the plane hit turbulance for a wee bit but being the good girl that I am I didnt!!...lol..Id love to tell u I am out laying on the beach but Im not .. Ive had meetings and meetings and meetings and .....yes u guessed it ..meetings. But other than that things are full on moving here!I will add pics this week once I borrow my sisters card thingy magijiggy..lol..dum computer geek stuff dosnt work here...but I know your all freezing there and I actually miss the cold ...But my goal this week is to get some sun on this sad azz looking pale skin of mine ..so I dont look like Edward and the crew from twilight...so sorry no pics yet!! !!

NALA

2008-12-28T20:10:00.012-07:00

Gosh I didnt think I would be this sad but Nala died tonight. She got sick and had been throwing up and not feeling well. We tried to get her to the vet and it being a holiday it didnt work out. We have had her for 8 years...Alana the bad dog owner got her for a birthday present and then gifted her to Heman when she had to pick up the poop...We have had lots of great memories with her...8 years worth of awesome memories..She will be greatly missed..I never thought I would say that because cleaning up after her always fell on me. She was my walking buddy.. I just had to get my shoes out and she would go beserk...she knew I was going walking and she wanted to come ..Im gonna miss her and with all the tears at our house tonight so is everyone else..I had to highlight a few things about her that we loved and made us laugh...

1. She loved Mountain Dew

2. She loved Ranch sauce from Quikstop

3. She had a mean growl...the funniest was watching the kids friends call us from their cars on their cell phones to come get our dog so they could come in the house

4. She inherited Dog Biscuits from our neighbor Bonnie when she passed away...Nala loved Bonnie because she was so good to her ..she visited bonnies house everyday and her family said that some of them were surprised to learn that Nala was not her dog...

5. She loved chasing cats.. but didnt like it when they chased her back

6. She hated birds...and could catch them

7. She had a boyfriend..his name is Walter...I would say lets go see Walter and she would get her doggie girl walk on....

8. She loved playing in the sprinkler..

9. She was lovable and liked to play with the kids

10. She was obedient and always greeted us with love...

Awwhh I just made myself sad...she was a great dog and we are going to miss her alot...We love you NALA ..

Fun with our Big Baby..

2008-12-28T12:49:00.003-07:00

We had so much fun with Moe home and was sad to see him go but thats what happens when they grow up and move away...It was nice to have all our kids under one roof...It was even nice to hear music coming from Lamoni's guitar, strumming through our house.. Hes releasing a new song soon..its AWESOME...cant wait for you all to hear it .. we got the words memorized and it seriously is a hit!! Moe cracked me up everyday ..he has the funniest personality and is so witty its hillarious(can you tell by the pics)..We miss him around here but he loves what he does . It SERIOUSLY was so nice to have our BIG BABY home ...

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008

2008-12-21T17:50:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas EVERYONE.. much love to you all for a HAPPY and PROSPEROUS New Year.. Matiu, Debz , Lamoni, Alana, Helamen, Ariana, Taeya and Leilani..xoxox

OFF TO NZ AGAIN...

2008-12-17T22:40:00.005-07:00

Nervous but excited..its true Im headed home again, this time on my own for 4 weeks. Im going for a few reasons...1. My brother is getting married...YAY to a really awesome girl who I LOVE alot shes awesome and so good to him so Im excited to be able to FINALLY attend one of my siblings wedding. 2. My XanGO Biz just went BOOM in NZ(thats a good boom, lol..a good HUGE boom) I have been preparing for the past month to go down and help with the expansion of the NZ Market and it just took off..Im so excited ..and things have really fallen into place for this to happen. So matt gets the kids for four weeks by himself ( and with the help of aunty Laura and mom ). I will be travelling all over NZ this time so it will be more work than play but totally worth it..

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM LAMONI

2008-12-13T20:47:00.003-07:00

Seriously I laughed my face off with this pic..and though I dont want to actually claim him as my child right now..I am speechless with my christmas photo of Moe...This is his band christmas pic...and umm well matt and I are umm still stunned...Matts off to Nebraska tomorrow to bring him home for the holidays and well honestly I cant wait to choke..umm I mean see him...After my last blog where I told you all we should love our children..does that include when they are 19 years old and dressed like an elf ..thats a big YES..Gosh I am thankful its christmas and he should be thankful I have missed him immensely..as for the legs in this pic ..thank you Lamoni I will be forever traumitized..

Memories of a Beautiful Child..

2008-12-13T11:59:00.003-07:00

Today is Dec 13th 2008...just another day for most people but for me as a mother this is the day when my life literally, changed. Its been 15 years since the death of our baby Mary but I remember it as if it happened just yesterday and though time has passed and life has moved on this day always manages to invoke in me tender humble feelings. Feelings of loss, feelings of hope, feelings of a mother who will always long for her child and live for the day when we can be reunited again. I believe fully that that day will come and only then will the quiet broken parts of my heart, my family be complete.
I feel blessed to have had her in my life. I feel blessed for the knowledge I gained because of her death. I feel blessed that I could be her mother. I can only imagine how different my life would have been had she of lived..the joy of watching her grow from a child into a beautiful young women, friends, marriage, children, grandchildren, death is not just the loss of losing the child but losing all the moments that make life what it is. So I share with you all as a mother who has lost not just one but two children, how important it is to love your children, be happy in your life and appreciate all that you have this beautiful season...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-26T14:42:00.002-07:00

Wishing you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING and looking forward to pigging out tomorrow..
To all my family and friends near and far..I love ya and Im thankful for having u in my life...Have the Best day....

IM A EDWARD FAN ....

2008-11-21T09:46:00.008-07:00

LOVE...LOVE...LOVED...the movie...it was AWESOME...So exciting to sit with 100 drooling teenagers and listen to them go gooey over Edward...he had some SERIOUS vampire Hotness going on and Bella was awesome too..I really liked her ..the lucky chic...I loved how they stuck to the book..except for the part when they are up in the tree...forget admiring the world..even though it was pretty...just not as pretty as EDWARD...lol...Jacob was a bummer for me..cant wait to see if he gets some serious WEREWOLF hotness in the next movie...I sure hope so cause he got spanked in the hot arena by Edward...lol.. The movie is as bad as the book...you think about all night...Just when I thought I was over the book...BAAM...Im an addict ..again and yes I want a vampire boyfriend...if you havent seen it yet I suggest you ditch the kids and the hubby tonight, hook up with some girlfriends and go have some serious fun with the girls..

And Matt called me whacky..the lines wrapped around the building... it was worth every minute of the wait...

DID YOU GET YOUR TWILIGHT TICKETS....

2008-11-11T22:26:00.003-07:00

Yippee....I got mine...did you guys all get yours....
I'm so excited....don't delay its gonna be SOLD out..
Thurs night at midnight I'm going cause Im way fun...lol ...YAY and then Friday night I'm going with my friends and their daughters...two of my young women who won the cheesecake fundraiser in our YW'S... we raised $1300.00 for camp...so Im surprising them on Sunday with tickets....

Check this out Water Fountain

2008-11-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

Alana

2008-11-04T19:06:00.001-07:00

A quick post...Just got Alana's school pics...LOVE them....

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T22:30:00.008-06:00

I cant remember the last time we had a warm Halloween...it was so nice here...The kids had a blast and hooked me up with some awesome treats...Lani was a pixie Fairie, Tayea was a Hippie, Bubz was a Monsters Bride...Taeya got to go with all her friends so thats why I have no pics of her...We went to see Grandma Finlayson who hooked us up with Banana muffins and Jerky....Grandma is the BEST...guys dont forget to call her this weekend ok...sunday.. cause its her first year mark for Grandpa's passing and I know it will be a hard day for grandma so have her in your thoughts and prayers ..I love her so much and she has tried really hard to move forward even though she misses grandpa terribly..shes the best grandma so PLEASE dont forget grandma ok....

We did have fun at the trunk a treat with Alliyah and Keila and Camilee who were just adorable...we even got to cuddle Shiloa too...shes so fat and YUMMY YUM YUM..I LOVE all my nieces so much ...I think Im way to spoilt....Other than that I hope you all had a great halloween....

Alana's Homecoming pics...

2008-10-28T20:54:00.003-06:00

Alana and Tage at Homecoming...I think Alana hands down has the most Sexiest legs .....lol ..The other pic is with her friends...

Glimpse Skincare by XanGo

2008-10-28T12:00:00.017-06:00

Yay...I'm at it again...Looking for any and all skincare lovers.. Ive been asked by XanGo to help with the pre launch of a new skincare line called GLIMPSE ...It launches on Nov 7th. Many of you know Matt and I have been affiliated with XanGo since 2004. LOVE LOVE LOVE this company. Anyways I found this article published just a few days ago in The LA Times..which was really interesting on how our faces are the new "IT BAG"...lol....thought you might enjoy reading it ...but anyways if by some insane chance you want some really cool info on a really cool product email me k...debzfinn@gmail.com.......
Here's the Article:
ANOTHER evening clutch? No, thanks. The latest take on the tote? Pass. How about one of those classic crocodile satchels? Sniff. It seems rather silly to splurge on an expensive exotic skin when your own epidermis is crying out for attention. Besides, haven't you heard?

The face is the new "it" bag, darling.

In fact, it may be the very reason the upscale skin-care market has yet to feel the ravages of the recession. The overall skin-care category is up 2% for the first half of the year over the same period in 2007, according to research firm NPD Group. But get this: Sales of super-premium products -- priced at more than $150 -- have climbed 21%.

"When you are spending almost $100 to fill up your gas tank, you can justify spending $70 on your face cream," says Karen Grant, NPD's analyst for beauty.

Make that 10 tanks of gas and a quart of oil. This month, La Prairie introduced its Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, priced at $1,000. "The world has grown outrageously wealthy," trills the news release. "New wealth has spawned new dreams. . . ." Of course, until a few months ago, visions of vacation homes in Gstaad and mink-lined oven mitts weren't so snort-worthy for some. And yet, perhaps it would have behooved the company to temper its pitch when Wall Street first started begging for a bailout.

"Our customer has always been a woman who seeks the best in luxury skin care," says La Prairie President Lynne Florio. "Despite the economy, investing in their skin is a part of their lifestyle."

La Prairie is no pioneer when it comes to haughty pricing. Last month, Kanebo unveiled a $400 body cream. Chantecaille has its $420 Nano Gold Energizing Cream, and Sisley Paris recently introduced a $460 anti-aging cream. Even Clinique, the lower-priced brand in that signature clover green packaging I treasured during my lean college years, has a $225 entry in the super-premium face-cream market. Et tu, Clinique?

The over-the-top price tags aren't revolutionary. Luxury purse and shoe prices have been rising exponentially over the last few years. Plus, cosmetics and skin-care sales have always glowed in the face of a sour stock market because women still traditionally splurge on luxurious incidentals. It's called the "lipstick effect." Gals buy Chanel lip glosses instead of purses and pumps; men overhaul their closets with new neck ties.

"Historically, beauty does well in hard times, and it's considered recession-resistant," says Linda Wells, editor in chief of Allure. "But now, some beauty products are as expensive as shoes or a dress, so it still remains to be seen."

The companies justify these prices by touting precious ingredients. Chantecaille's cream contains nano-particles of 24-karat gold. La Prairie's emollient boasts malachite and hematite, in addition to platinum. La Mer's Refining Facial has diamond powder.

Though it may seem gauche to bathe in liquid emeralds when layoffs abound, the craving for indulgence can be quelled with a swath of moisturizer -- in a most inconspicuous way. If you can't afford a Cartier Love bracelet, you can pamper your pores with platinum. Or gild your elbows with gold lotion. "Because I'm worth it," you might say -- to borrow L'Oreal's famous come-on.

"My last customer told me that she was buying face cream instead of shoes," the La Prairie saleswoman at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills answers when I ask the $1,000 question: "Is this stuff really selling?" She nods brightly and adds that the counter sold 37 jars last month.

It's easy to feel that your face is your best investment. Ten years from now, you may not be carrying that $4,500 Bottega Veneta lizard clutch. But your mug, much like a diamond, according to De Beers, is forever.

AWWHH... I need to take care of my face... Click on the pic above it takes you to my biz blog...

Late Birthday Wish....

2008-10-26T19:34:00.000-06:00

Moe singing...awwh I love it

2008-10-22T16:18:00.001-06:00

I love this song...Moe wrote it and his friend Christina added a small vid of it so we could see it....

Week in review

2008-10-18T18:03:00.020-06:00

Been a super busy week...
Lamoni: Well what can I say ...all those hours in the kitchen paid off..I know...he needs a haircut but gosh he sure knows how to woo his mom with his sweet voice.. He's pursuing his dream and I have to tell you I am very proud of him for that...
Alana: Came home for Fall break and brought her friend/bf Tage and his little sister Tyne with her...we had alot of fun ..I have to admit the kid is really growing on me..Hes really cute and really sweet ..even chuckled when I showed him matts new gun...told him we brought it just for him..
Heman: Has turned into airplane freak...he has become obsessed with flying planes and wants to be a pilot so matt set him up with a friend of his who has his own plane and he took him and matt and heman up and even let heman fly the plane...matt said he felt sick cause it was turbulent ..heman on the other hand said it was one of the best days of his life..
The Girls: nothing but girl drama...
Matt and Debz: Went to the movies...Eagles eye...good show..

I know...more pics....

2008-10-12T15:09:00.017-06:00

Me and my Mama

2008-10-08T19:42:00.028-06:00

I love my mother...she really is one of my Best Friends...I finally found one of my cords and was able to pull some more pics off the camera from our trip...these were taken early on in our trip...We took the girls to the Hamilton Zoo... they got to see alot of animals and they loved it ...I think I really enjoyed just the beautiful green lush country...it was awesome...The one with all the kids was taken in L.A....

Helaman's Eyesight

2008-10-04T20:14:00.009-06:00

Awhhh...so I have something good to share with you all...I got lots of emails about Helamans eyes and the COOL story behind it..so rather than sharing it fifty times, I'm gonna share it with you all on here..oh and sorry bout the blog being off...So...When Heman was in Kindergarten we got a note from the school saying ...your kid is blind in one eye...not believing them I did the five finger test...u know...how many fingers am I holding up..blah blah blah.....testing the blind eye...and he guessed right so I assumed the school eye doctor had been drinking and just ignored things...so the following year another letter came ...this time it said something along the lines of ...lady seriously your kid is blind....so I got my sugar daddy(Matt..) and heman and off we went to the eye doctors ...although he wasn't blind...yet....the sight in his right eye was extremely poor and because of the work his left eye had to make up, it had become weak....YES I felt bad...so over the past few years Heman has worn glasses/contacts but every time we go to the doctors they tell us his sight is getting worse and they add another thick lens to his already thick binoculars...( AWWHH..my poor heman)... so while we were visiting my parents Heman heard a story about me ..yep I USE to wear glasses when I was a kid( only I looked sexy)......until I got a blessing from my dad and today my sight is like so good..just ask my kids...they'll tell u ...she sees everything...lol .... SOOO one day we were talking and heman says..MOM..I want a blessing for my eyes...do u think it will work...Of course I do..but I have to admit I was secretly quite scared, I dont know why..I guess I worried that if it didn't Heman would lose his faith in the lord ... so we asked my dad and he said yes BUT...everyone had to FAST and NO ONE could be at the blessing who had not fasted. When I saw my little nephews and many of our family both in NZ and the states fast on Hemans behalf I was humbled .. The blessing night came and there really are no words to describe the overwhelming love I felt that night for Helaman. After his blessing which I have to tell you was just amazing.. he came over to me .. overwhelmed and cried...he says mom...during the blessing my eyes were burning..... the next day..I woke up and heman gave me his glasses and he said here mom I don't need them I can see... since the day of his blessing he has not worn his glasses for more than an hour or two. He said his eyes are improving everyday... I cannot get him to wear his contacts.. Heman is a whole new kid... My prayer as his mother was not just for his eyesight to be healed but that his spiritual eyes might be opened as well and that Heman would come to know for himself the power of the priesthood and the reality of the savior. My own faith was strengthened through this and my love for the lord increased ten fold because I did not bring the same kid home... we talk about the gospel, about Joseph Smith, about the church, about everything and I am in awe of his knowledge and his willingness to ask the lord himself if the things I share with him are true...he is a good son, kind and obedient.He will be as his blessing said..a leader and an example in our home. I dont know what I did to deserve him..must have been that time I was totally angelic in heaven.... but anyways sorry for the book...but many of u asked...thanks to everyone whos faith added to this special night in Hemans life...

Some more pics....

2008-09-25T10:28:00.006-06:00

Just some last pics of us leaving NZ....my nieces and nephews and then alana with my brother Lance...we are doing good since we got home...The kids are all in school and alana is back in Payson playing Volley Ball and going to school...Moe is in Nebraska and his band "The hand me down Kids"...is going on tour in November and hes actually getting paid so he's excited...

Ive spent time just getting the kids in school and getting our house up and going again...

Funny Story:...I wanted to add more pics in our home of the temple and the prophet and picked up the ten commandments and articles of faith for the kids room so they could be familiar with them....I hung it and its been in their rooms since the day we got back....I decided to test them on the way home, I asked them.. so tell me three of the ten commandments....Oh thats easy Taeya replies...1. Thou shalt not smoke... 2...Thou Shalt not drink ...3..Thou shalt not eat alot

it barely occured to me that none of my kids know about the ten commandments especially when Ariana guessed that moses got them from President Hinckley??....gesh...so Im off to the library ..guess what movie Im renting ..."The ten commandments" and this sunday we are watching the whole thing .......