Rasmussen's in Real-life

Life as a Teacher....

2012-02-04T22:57:00.005-07:00

Why didn't I do this sooner? Oh yeah, I love my boys and being there for them when they were little was more important also they are more independent now. Back to being a teacher....I LOVE IT!

Week 1 was interesting, it started with the school going into lock down for 40 minutes.

The students are not uppity. They don't come from big, expensive homes. Some of them have had their families divided because of immigration policies and yet they all come to school hoping for a brighter future.

To them I'm Mrs. R. They know I care and that I am there to help them succeed. Even the toughest girl on day 1 gave me a hug at the end of the day. The rewards of teaching out ways anything else.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2012-01-15T18:04:00.004-07:00

Today is my birthday! I'm 43...enough said. Well maybe not. Today was good, my husband and boys spent the day making is special. Friends far and near sent Happy Birthday messages, and my sisters sent there love. I must say I did miss the yearly birthday "birth" story retell from my dad. It's special days like this that I feel the lose and would gladly take a hug from my mom.

Now that I said all that, on to the chocolate cake!!!!

Until next year......

2011 Year End Recap

2012-01-08T10:49:00.003-07:00

Oh my, so life became super busy during the end of 2011. That was evident when I noticed I had not posted a new blog since October. Well here is what happened in a condensed version....

October 18 - Kelton turned 15!
Yes, my baby is at the age of excitement. By that I mean sports, girls, and the dreaded learner's permit age. Kelton was encouraged by his coach to try out for the High School basketball team which he did. He made it to the 2nd cut. The High School coaches decided not to bring on any freshmen so he is now playing for the 9th grade team. With his height, he is mostly playing center.

November 11 - Finished Student Teaching
I student taught in a 5th grade class. The teacher and students were WONDERFUL! I enjoyed my time and was able to share many ideas as well as learn new ones. I was truly spoiled on my last day and will miss them.

November 15 - GRADUATED!!
Finally! After working hard I completed all of my requirements and graduated with honors with my Bachelors in Elementary Education. As soon as I finished I had several schools and teachers jump right back into asking me to sub for them which has been nice while I look for a permanent job.

November 17 - Dad turned 66
My dad told me earlier in the year he did not want another birthday but as fate would have it he did. We celebrated with him at the care center for many reasons. Gaylinn gave him a hair cut and LeAnn brought him a Lemon Merange Pie and a Big Mac. He seemed to enjoy it a bit.

November 18 - Katie Gets Married
Although I'm just the aunt, I did have my duties to see that this day went off perfectly. Katie was beautiful and we had a touching moment early that day when I gave her a charm bracelet with an angel(representing my mom) and a heart(so she knew I loved her). That way when she was in the temple, she would know she was loved and that grandma was there with her. It was a very busy day and I still think it took Gaylinn several days after to recoup.

November 24 - Thanksgiving
This year was different! Everything felt off. My sisters and our families planned on getting together but due to my dads health we could not bring him with us. We decided to all go and visit and spend time with him. We helped him eat the meal they provided and tried to spend time with him and talk but he was in and out of the conversation. At one point he even asked where my mom was and when she was coming. I was a sad day because we all knew things were changing and would not be the same again.

November 27 - Wreaths
It has been a long standing tradition to place Christmas wreaths on all of the Duncan family members graves for the holidays. My sisters and our families spent a moment and did this and said "hi" to mom. (too bad we didn't know what was coming, we could have waited).

December 4 - Hospital
Exactly 3 years to the day that we buried my mom, Gaylinn and I met the ambulance at the hospital with my dad. My dad had been sick and running a fever for a few days and basically unresponsive. We decided to have him seen even though we knew his final wishes and we were pretty sure he had pneumonia. This was all confirmed and measures were taken to make him comfortable. Clint and Thom gave him a blessing. Later that afternoon he was given a room and put on a morphine pump to control the pain. The nursing staff was very kind and did all they could do to help. My dad was spiking a temperature between 104 and 107 throughout the entire time. As the day went on, LeAnn joined us. Gaylinn and I tried to keep her home with her kids as long as possible. Around 7pm that evening we decided we better have the grandkids come and say goodbye. We all crowded into his room and visited with each other and talked to my dad. He was still unresponsive by he finally looked at peace and not in pain although his temperature was still too high. The grandkids all left and my sisters and I stayed with him. We told him it was ok, that he could go and be with mom and his parents. Everything was up and down with his stats. It was obvious he was fighting death. At one point his heart rate was extremely rapid and it was scary to know what he was going through. His heart rate and stats seemed to stabilize around 3am and we were exhausted so we made the choice to go home and sleep for awhile. At 4am, we got the call that he passed away. In my heart I think my dad did not want to die in front of us. I think he was still fighting to stay.

December 5 - 9 - Busy week
Planning, planning and paying a lot of money was the title of this week. We made the arrangements, paid out the nose, but I think my dad would have been proud. We took all the wreaths off of the graves of my grandparents and mom and saved them for after the funeral.

December 10 - Funeral
We buried my dad next to mom. I know that he is now at peace. He looked so peaceful and young in his coffin. He had friends, neighbors, and relatives come say goodbye. My sisters and I were touched by the love and support of our Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents on my mom's side of the family as well as my dear cousin Jennifer who played the beautiful music. We truly appreciated the support from those who cared and gave it.

December 25 - Christmas
the rest of December was busy and a blur but Christmas came anyway. Just like Thanksgiving, It was different and will be that way forever more. My sisters and I were exhausted with everything that had been going on since October. We chose not to get together. Instead we spend much needed down time with our own families. We have vowed to keep together and remain "a family", keep some old family traditions, but add in new ones. This is our new norm for our family. We know mom and dad are together and hope the are happy. We know most of the difficult days are behind us and we look forward to happy, exciting times ahead.

Here's to a NEW YEAR....HAPPY 2012!!!!!!

Goodbye Gex

2011-10-16T11:05:00.001-06:00

R.I.P. Gex
Last night Kelton's frog Gex went to froggie heaven. Gex came to us by way of hitchhiking in a semi from Minnesota. Clint found him after unloading the truck and brought the cute little green tree frog home. For 4 years Kelton love him, made sure he had plenty of crickets and on occasion a juicy fly. Gex was truly loved and spoiled. He now rests under the lilacs next to our beloved Q-tip kitty. Gex can hop free forever more.

It is amazing how attached we all became to a little frog. It is sad how he hopped into his leaf shaped water dish and "croaked" a couple of days before Kelton's 15th birthday.

It's been awhile.....

2011-09-25T21:23:00.004-06:00

Man oh man does the time fly......So this school year marks the beginning to the end. Trevor, now 17, started his senior year of high school. Luckily for him he is current on all credits needed to graduate so he was able to take "fun" classes like auto shop, graphic design, robotics, guitar III, etc. unfortunately for me, these classes all have extra fees...so much for a free education. It is exciting to see how excited he is this year. Trevor is the V.P. in the FBLA club, is thinking of joining other clubs, still dating his girlfriend Kirsten, and starting to think of the future. It will be sad and exciting at the same time to see him graduate and get on with his own life. Homecoming has come and gone and I think Trevor has this whole dating and spoiling your girlfriend thing under his belt.

Kelton is king of the school as well. So far ninth grade is agreeing with him and he enjoys hanging with his friends and owning the school. We started his school year off with insisting they change him from the bottom locker to a top locker-our argument, 6'4" boys should not be forced to scrunch down to get into their locker. The vice principal agreed and made the switch-Kelton's head is still above the top locker. Kelton is currently playing on the J.V. fall high school baseball team and is looking forward to basketball tryouts. The boy is a charmer....he loves the attention he gets from the girls. Kelton will be turning 15 next month and soon he will have his learner's permit. Having both boys driving may free up my time but it adds to my stress...not sure I like it.

It really is sad to see them grow up so fast but I am loving the men they are becoming and excited for the new adventures we will all have.

Trek 2011

2011-07-23T18:02:00.011-06:00

Both boys were invited to participate in trek this year near Evanston, WY. Trevor went but Kelton had to miss it because he was finishing his State All Star baseball games.

Trevor was so funny...when he left he insisted on spiking his hair....

I could not believe all the people and gear when I picked him up.....

It took 9 buses to haul all the people....

He met up with people he knew and met new friends....

This is Trevor and his "Pa".....

Trevor sprained his ankle, had a lot of younger "siblings" and had to pull the handcarts more, had his sunscreen blow up all over his stuff in this bucket, had a tent with no door and bugs, and had to wear the same clothes including the basics for 2 days straight but he really enjoyed the whole experience. He said he "loved" being a cowboy (code word for pioneer).

After some caffeine, a long shower and sending texts to everyone he knows he is back to reality.

2011 All Stars

2011-07-04T19:05:00.006-06:00

So Kelton made the West Jordan All Stars baseball team. They had their pre-season games in the Farmington Invitational and did excellent. They were 5-0 and played the championship game against Kaysville who also ended 5-0. They finished in
2nd place. Kelton is a great pitcher and did well with over 25 strike outs in the 4 games they played. Unfortunalty for his team, under league rules he maxed out his pitching time and could not pitch in the last game. Soon we will start the district games....

Goofballs....

Oh where did my spring go?

2011-06-13T20:08:00.010-06:00

Besides working and going to school, where did all my time go this spring? Well let's see, could it be chauffeuring Trevor to and from guitar lesson and lately to work? He does have a driver's license, you'd think that would have helped? Nah, he doesn't have a car yet and ours are always in use. Work, yes I said work. Trevor got his first job and Jamba Juice. Not to bad. Reasonable hours, closed on Sundays and the employees there are really nice. It's a pretty good start to the life of working. It has been a great learning experience. When Trevor got his first check we had to explain a few things like how to save a little. It is fun to see him great excited when he calculates his estimated earnings. Although his checks are not enough to live on, it is great spending money for a teenager. I think he is also learning that paychecks don't go as far as you hope they would. I need to take a picture of him because he looks so cute in his Jamba hat and shirt...lol!

Kelton is a nut. He decided to occupy our freetime with sports. Not one team but three. He played on and AAU basketball team and did well when the coach wasn't having a meltdown. This coach was a spaz. I was waiting for him to drop dead with all the stress he caused himself yelling at the kids.

The last game they played, his team score 24 points for the final score. 11 of those points were from Kelton. His coach had an opportunity that came up so the season ended a little early....thank goodness because there were many times we went from a baseball game straight to a basketball game or vice versa.

Then there is baseball. Oh no one team isn't enough. Kelton decided to play on a regular team and then joined an accelerated team as well. I have to admit, I love baseball better but this season was awful when it came to the weather. It was just this last Saturday that they finally played a game in the sun. One game was even played in the SNOW....yep that's Utah weather for you. This picture doesn't do it justice but just look at the sky and trust me...snowflakes were coming down. I should have taken one when the field turned white.

Kelton has been the star pitcher for his team. He's been told by many coaches that he is the best in the league. He is proud of what he has accomplished and his pitching has gotten super fast.

Kelton has also improved a great deal on his hitting.

Kelton's team is in the middle of their playoff tournament. Tonights game was a victory with and 11-0 shut out. Kelton's pitching was on fire. We should know by the end of the week if he will be on this years All Stars team.

So where did my spring go? Probably the same place my summer is going to go.....

Don't believe everything.....

2011-02-25T18:21:00.004-07:00

If you hear that someone has a "perfect family" or the "perfect kid", don't believe them....There is no such thing as "perfect". Families come in all different packages with different kinds of problems. Kids are kids. You can teach them everything they need to know, guide them and try to influence them but in the end they have that lovely thing called "free agency" and they get to make choices. No matter what kind of family you have, what kind of child you have, don't be afraid to share what's "real". Life is life, and love your kids no matter what!!!!!

Now that February is almost over.....

2011-02-23T23:45:00.005-07:00

Wow...where has the time gone? Oh I know, work, school, studying, studying, studying, driving kids around, basketball games, and did I mention studying?

I had a big 2 hour test that I had to pass in order to continue with my education. Every spare minute I studied. That was a waste of time. Nothing I studied was really on the test, just a bunch of random questions on math, science, social studies, and language arts. There is absolutely no way to study for this test, however, I PASSED!

I've been teaching almost everyday and I LOVE it!!!

Kelton played basketball in January on a recreation league and after the last game was told by his coach that he had been scouted out for a super league team headed up by the high school coach. Needless to say we will be playing basketball till the end of summer. At 6'3" he is the tallest kid on the team. Kelton also had the opportunity to play open court baseball practice with the high school team. Clint the ever so proud father made sure to let the coaches know that Kelton was a "super" pitcher which I'm sure the coaches "loved" because everybody has a "super" athletic child they are trying to promote. Well the night of pitching practice Kelton stepped up to the mound and fired off some super duper fast flying balls that fell directly into the catchers mitt. In Kelton's retelling of the story, "the gym echoed every time to ball hit the mitt". Well the coaches took notice and one parked his chair between Kelton and the catcher. Kelton thought he was going to hit the coach but sure enough the balls went over his head and into the catchers mitt. The coach came up to him and this was the conversation:

coach: what's you name?

Kelton: Kelton

coach: What grade are you in?

Kelton: 8th

coach: and you are this tall and have an arm like that? I've got my eye on you!

Kelton was super excited. Thank heavens we will only be playing recreational baseball along with basketball because I don't know how we would schedule everything in.

Trevor has had his ups and downs so far this year. A few weeks ago he lost his best friend. I can't discuss the details but Trevor was the one who found him. It has been very difficult for him and he has gone through some difficult days. I think it will be so time before things get back to normal. The good thing is he has a really cute girlfriend who has been super supportive and keeps him going. They just went to the Sweethearts dance.....

We are hoping to get Trevor back into guitar lessons with an emphasis on how to perform in a band. Music is Trevor's passion, he is good at it and has a natural ability. He has a lot to look forward too and hopefully the rest of the year will be better.

Clint's still working hard and hoping to make some changes to a few things...time will tell.

Welp, that's our life in a nutshell so far....

Welcome, Welcome 2011

2010-12-31T08:58:00.003-07:00

Out with the old and in with the new! I love this time of year. It brings such hope for better things to come. As I look back on the year of 2010, I am grateful for the lessons I learned and the experience I went through but I will say honestly, this has not been our best year. Difficult as it was, we made it through to the end.

I will not say that in 2011 I plan to loose weight, eat healthier, exercise, organize my home and life, get out of debt, or whatever the traditional New Year's resolutions are. My goal for 2011 is simple, as a friend stated "Believe, Hope, and Endure Joyfully". I think she said it well.

Here is wishing everyone a wonderful start to 2011!!!!

Happy Holidays.....

2010-12-05T21:16:00.008-07:00

Rasmussen’s 2010

We are healthy
We explored Utah
Cindy loves teaching
Trevor is a rock-n-roll fan
Trevor is still playing guitar
Trevor got his driver’s license
Clint has been working hard all year
Kelton was the star pitcher in baseball
Clint and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary
Cindy is in school and loving it/graduating next year
Clint is glad to have worked most of the year (no layoffs)
Both boys now tower over mom and almost dad: 6’4” -6’5”
Kelton is playing basketball and plays center-it’s a height thing
Cindy still works Part time for JetBlue although no trips this year :(
Trevor has a cute girlfriend and they have been to several school dances
Trevor was ordained to a Priest
Kelton was ordained a Teacher
We made it through another year

Two very long years.....

2010-11-30T12:10:00.005-07:00

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of my mom's passing, oh how I miss her. So many times over the last few months I've picked up the phone to call her realizing that I can't.

She was the best!

Today I want to THANK her....

Thank her for teaching me to be strong

Thank her for teaching me to cook, especially when we were younger and she would let us experiment on our own, which usually meant wasting food.
Thank her for letting me sit next to her as she sewed things or made crafts project -I think this is where I learn the joy in making things.
Thank her for being patient...so many times I'm sure I drove he nuts!
Thank her for being the cool mom...my friends adored her.
Thank her for never judging me for the poor decisions I made.
Thank her for teaching me to love gardening...I still think of her each time I'm working in my yard.

Thank her for setting examples to follow.
Thank her for showing me that forgiveness is important.
Thank her for the hugs, which I miss terribly.
Thank her for calling me her beautiful daughter, I miss hearing that.

Thank her for being the BEST grandma ever....my boys really miss her!!!

There are so many things to be Thankful for. I LOVE YOU MOM!

A funny thing happened on the way to Homecoming...

2010-10-12T15:19:00.006-06:00

Now that I have pictures to help tell the story, here goes....

Trevor and his friends planned this great evening out (well all day event) for Homecoming. There were 4 couples that were going to go together only 1 big problem....transportation. You see all of them have their drivers licenses but with the new driving laws, they cannot drive friends in the car for 6 months and cannot drive after a certain time at night. All of them but one boy was caught in this little dilemma. Da da da da, in steps supermom...an hour before they were suppose to go bowling (again because dances are now an all day thing) I called up Thom and asked to borrow his suburban. Trevor and I ran it through the car wash and vacuumed it out and then off to pick up kids. There is one thing I learned...teenagers do not have a sense of direction or time management. I dropped them off at the bowling alley and then returned an hour later. During this time I wondered if anyone had the sense to make dinner reservations, it isn't like a million other teenage couples weren't going to be trying to eat out too. I picked them up dropped them off to change and then picked them up 30 minutes later to take them to dinner. This is how Trevor and his date Kirsten looked when they left for dinner....

It is a good thing I made reservations, they walked right in while the other couples had an hour and a half wait.....

Now a little color information. When Trevor asked his date what color her dress was so he could match, her answer was "fancy green". This is the second thing teenagers don't know...colors. So as you can see it was more of a bright/lime green and Trevors tie was a mint green. Oh well, moving on...I picked them up from dinner and drove them up to the High School and as Trevor's date got out of the truck her friend notice her zipper was down and tried to zip it up for her. Problem #3, the zipper broke and Kirstens whole backside was showing. All of the other couples went in and we decided to call her mom but she wasn't home, we stopped by another friends house that may have had another dress and they were not home so I called up Gaylinn and said, "pull out all of your girls dresses, we have a dress crisis and we are on our way". We got to gaylinn's and found one that fit. Problem #4 my nieces and tall and skinny, Kirsten isn't so tall. Good thing Kirsten knows my nieces, that way she didn't feel so awkward. Then off the the school in time for the last hour of the dance. This is how things ended up.

Kirsten got a lot of compliments on how beutiful she looked and no one was the wiser. Personally I liked the second dress on her better.

After the dance I drove them for ice cream and waited in the car. It was a super long day in the car, lots of crazy things happened but they had a great time, Trevors friends thought I was a cool mom and Kirsten had a funny story to tell her parents as to why she left in one dress and came home in another.

The things we do for our kids!

Girls weekend for a good cause....

2010-10-06T20:48:00.002-06:00

Last weekend my sister,friend and I went to Mesquite for the "Bunco for Breast Cancer" fundraiser. This was a great time to get away from the daily grind even though we came back exhausted. We met up with my friends mom and sister and enjoyed lots of laughs. We had a super fun time and meet some great ladies. If you have ever played bunco you'll know that it is a fast pace, quick moving game and we enjoyed every minute.

To those affected by breast cancer, our thoughts are with you and hope a cure will come soon. (Grandma Duff...we missed you lots!)

Vacation Utah Continues....

2010-08-06T14:42:00.010-06:00

We decided to pack a picnic and get out of the valley so we headed up the canyon. When we came across Mt. Timpanogos Cave, we decided what the heck. Of course this wasn't in our plans and we were not prepared. We had no bottled water for the hike and I was wearing flip flops. Clint thought it would be wise to get a few things, mostly shoes for me and come back, but stubborn 'ol me said nope, we are here, let's do it! Besides we were sort of prepared with hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. So off we went to the gift shop to buy bottled water and away we went.....

Ok, I know I've been sitting on my butt more this summer because I haven't been working in the schools but GEEZ the hike was killing me....the boys were always ahead of Clint and I and sat and waited for us...we chugged lots of water and huffed and puffed, took breathing breaks every 20 feet...lol...but we made it to the top almost 30 minutes before our tour time. Guess we could have slowed down a little bit.

While we were waiting to enter the cave, Trevor (friend to all critters) played with a local squirrel. It was funny how this squirrel kept coming up to him. Trevor even pour water on the path and the squirrel sat and drank it.

It was fun and interesting in the cave, Kelton was the only one who had never been before. We loved the fact that it was much cooler in the cave than out on the trail.

One thing we all agreed on was that this cave tour was not made for tall people! We were told in the beginning not to touch the cave walls because it would kill the cave so as we scrunched, ducked, and dodged things we did our best not to "kill" the cave.

As we started down the trail, what water we drank that we didn't sweat out hit our bladders and of course there are no restrooms along the trail unless you want to hike a mile back UP hill so we chose to walk quickly downhill. It was every man (and woman) for themselves. The boys left us in their dust..I think they were trying to catch up to the family from California with the cute girls. As I was cruising down the trail, a park ranger passed me by and asked "what the prettiest thing was that I saw" naturally I said everything but then quickly changed my answer to "my boys not fighting with each other the whole afternoon!". Nature has that affect on them.

Are you kidding, Summer is half over......

2010-07-19T11:23:00.012-06:00

WARNING!! REALLY LONG POST....
Well things have been busy as usual. We finished up baseball season with Kelton. Nothing better in the world than watching your son play ball on a warm day.

Kelton's coaches were so impressed by his pitching that they gave him a very special award....After the award ceremony, the coaches surprised the boys with a limo ride to the Bee's game. Needless to say they were EXCITED! The limo driver was great, he played the music loud and turned on all the disco lights inside....

When they pulled up to the Bee's game, the people on the street stopped to stare and some started taking pictures-they boys thought the attention was EXCELLENT!

Trevor worked really hard and passed all of his roads tests and can now officially get his driver's license...oh my! We haven't done it yet because there are things he still needs to do first like find a part time job to pay for part of his car insurance and finish his Eagle project. Hopefully by the end of summer he will be ready. He has been busy going to youth conference and other youth outings like the Manti Pageant.

When they are not hanging around with their friends (yes girls too!) they are either in the pool or playing video games. They think there sleep routine is bed by 2am, sleep till 1 or 2 pm. Ahhhhh, the freedom of being a teenager. Wish I could go back to being that care free.

We have tried to do some family things but Clint and I have crazy mismatching schedules. It is sad my kids have out grown simpler activities like the parks(unless in has the word "amusement" in front of it), zoo's and such, their idea of a great adventure has to be climbing in, on, and around things and the faster, more crazy the activity the better. We got up one morning and decided to go for an adventure. By noon we changed that to a drive. We cranked up the 80's rock music and off we went through Parley's Canyon into Wyoming, around Bear Lake, over the boarder to Idaho, down through Logan Canyon, and I-15 back home. While in Logan Canyon we notice a neat little water fall off the side of the road and stopped to check it out.

what we didn't know at the time was there was a trail to the side of it that lead up to a bat cave. The wildlife department had it closed off with bars but it was still pretty cool and creepy at the same time. There was a lot of bat poop so I know there was a lot of bats....

I took Kelton and my nephew Dallin to Park City for my work party and they had a blast riding the zip line, Alpine slide and the Mtn. Coaster-I have to admit that was my favorite too!

Nothing like speeding as fast as you can down a mountain side. Our latest adventure was racing at the Miller Motor Complex in Tooele. Yes this was fun, full of ADRENALINE which is what they like best. The cars go up to 50 MPH and their favorite part was the small wipe outs and speed.

Of course safety was my concern...don't they look cute....

Let's hope they keep speed on the tracks and not on the roads....

Baby birds take flight.....sort of

2010-05-27T18:43:00.010-06:00

It is more like flap, tumble, hop, hop, hop......This morning I opened my front door and whoosh away flew 1 baby. Of course I freaked out because the neighbors cats were out and I ran to catch him. I put him in the nest and whoosh baby bird #2 took off. I caught him and put him back in the nest. All the while both mom and dad were totally freaking out. Mannnn, I thought I had anxiety when I had kids but these two were worse. Tonight the birds jumped out of the nest again and again there was a bird ruckus in my front yard. I scooped up one and put him in the nest, one had flown up to my wisteria tree and the other I put in another tree by dad. The hardest part will be keeping my cats and other neighbor cats away until they fly better. Check out the cute pictures of baby birds day out.........

In this picture dad was watching over one of the babys...dad is the little bird at the top of the tree.

Bird update #4

2010-05-25T16:07:00.008-06:00

So last Saturday my friend and I were talking about my birds and wondering how long until they hatch. We looked online and found that within 12-14 days Robin eggs will hatch. I did the math and figured we were pretty close so later that day I quickly took a peek and this is what I found........

Not the best picture but I was being watched....A few days later I peeked and this is what I saw......

And this morning as this is what I saw....

Anyone who comes up to my front door is taking their life in their own hands because mom and dad are always watching and if they think you are getting too close, they swoop down and buzz over your head as a warning. If I open my front door they both sit in the tree by the door squawking and mom will swoop towards the door. I knew this wasn't such a great idea to have them build a nest there but it has been fun to watch the development.

Bird update #3

2010-05-07T10:19:00.004-06:00

Mom and dad Robin have been busy. Mom is usually sitting in the nest. I came home the other day and she wasn't in the nest and we had a delivery on the porch so I wondered if she had been scared off so I quickly got a stool and checked the nest, SURPRISE...there is now 4 eggs in there.

Just as soon as I got down both mom and dad came back. They are really watching that nest.

More to come....

Bird family update...

2010-04-30T15:13:00.006-06:00

Since my last post I've been watching mama and papa robin work hard on their nest. They put down a layer of mud and then a nice layer of straw like material...nice and cozy. The last couple of days I've seen them hanging around a lot more and mama robin is looking FAT.....

This morning I saw both of them sitting in the nest and started wondering if their was any progress in baby land, sooooo when they both flew off I dashed outside with my camera.....

Sure enough, babies are on the way. The hardest part is trying not to check up on them all the time. They are very protective of their nest and with it being by my front door this makes things difficult because every time the door opens, mama robin starts squawking....

Stay tuned for more....

Determination and Perserverance

2010-04-20T08:20:00.006-06:00

The other day as we were pulling into the garage, Kelton notice a birds nest between my porch light and my house. Sure enough, a pretty decent nest was there. I didn't feel like this was the best place for a bird's nest so of course I took it down. The next day I saw the startings of another nest and again I took it down. Then a few hours later I saw a bird fly close to my window and so I went out to check things out. Outside in a tree near my front door was a robin with some materials for nest. At this point I figured she would go away because there was no more nest....

I was wrong, she started building a nest for the third time.

I still don't think it is a good idea to have a bird's nest by my front door but if that bird has the determination to keep coming back and rebuild her nest, then who am I to stop her. I found out yesterday that she is not alone. Another robin was helping her. I opened my front door and they were both in the trees by my porch. I did my best bird whistle welcome, to which one of them sqwacked back...I really think she was saying, "get the heck away from my house" and "don't you even think of tearing down my house for the third time". As I quietly went out the garage to take pictures they both watched me cautiously and with a little doubt. Here is a picture of my new neighbor, or should I say roommate?

Oh what a busy weekend...

2010-04-13T11:16:00.009-06:00

Most people get to relax on the weekend, kick back, and enjoy the moments. We did that to an extent but we were sure busy....Saturday morning started out with Kelton's baseball game - 3 hrs. long.... They didn't win but they did pretty good and Kelton got to pitch a couple of innings
We got home just in time to grab lunch and then head over to a neighbors house to rake up leaves..notice the word "we", this is due to my big mouth....So we made it a family affair. It didn't take us long to clean up their yard but I could hardly walk at the end of the day because I had cleaned up my yard and dumped a bunch of dirt in my flower beds the day before. I'm getting so old! We came home and cleaned up and headed out the door to Kelton's basketball game.

Again, no wins, the other team was terrible at sportsmanship and the refs sucked!

Sunday was Trevor's 16th Birthday!!!!! WOO HOO!!!! So of course we had to embarrass him
we took him to get a new pair of "cool" shoes, more like "gheesh can these be anymore expensive" shoes, gave him a wad of cash because he's broke, doesn't have a job but has a big social life and took him out to eat at his favorite rib place...
thank heaven's he is 6'4" and skinny as a rail because he eats A LOT...it is like feeding a bottomless pit! He didn't like the fact that I wanted to keep taking memorable pictures all day long... but it was worth it for ribs!
We followed up the day with a family movie and then I collapsed, exhausted from all the fun, well more like the aching body from all the yard work....

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T08:53:00.004-06:00

I'm sitting here in my quiet house on this Easter Morning. My family is still asleep, my boys are too big to get up early and hunt around for eggs or get excited over the Easter bunny but I delivered a super large chocolate bunny to each of their rooms before coming downstairs....they aren't too big for candy. My solar chime has been chiming all morning - it makes me think of my mom, holidays have changed over the last year or so - not that they are worse, just different. I love when Easter falls on conference weekend, something about that makes things even better. Even with all the hard and difficult things in life, we are so blessed.

I love my savior and all that he has and continues to do for me and my family. I'm frustrated with not knowing the "bigger" picture but have faith that everything will work out in the end. The conference talks so far this weekend have filled up my empty tank and will help me to keep pushing forward.
I am truly thankful for all that I have and hope to continue in life with that attitude and seek to help those around me, to brighten their days and to comfort them in their loneliness and difficult times.

HAPPY EASTER........

Different drug problem....

2010-03-26T16:18:00.003-06:00

My Friend sent me this email that contained this letter that was published in a local newspaper, I liked it and thought I would share:

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"

I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockle burs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

God bless the parents who drugged us.

A concerned citizen

Yep, it must be baseball season

2010-03-25T16:27:00.007-06:00

We finished basketball season, or so I thought until Kelton decided that he wanted to play on a spring league. Then to add to that, he is playing baseball on the 13 year old league for the Red Sox. So our schedule looks a little like this....2 hours of baseball practice followed by 2 hours of basketball practice on Mondays, 2 hours of baseball practice Tuesday through Friday (until games start), and basketball games every Saturday. Oh, and his baseball coach is great and wants to help the kids, so if we REALLY want some individual time we can schedule sessions on Saturday and Sunday....come on, I'm tired just trying to keep up with the practice schedule. So the other day as I stood outside in the cold wind and rain watching my son at baseball practice I thought to myself, yep, it must be baseball season because I'm crazy for standing out here, but I love my son and want to support him in these grand adventures....bring on the hot chocolate till June, long johns and hand warmers!

GO RED SOX!!!! Kelton really likes the Angels better...Trevor is my Red Sox fan...lol!

Relief.......

2010-02-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

I am taking this moment to tell the world that I succeeded! Today I had a really big test (4.5 hrs long/timed) that I needed to pass in order to moved forward with my schooling. I was extremely stressed out this morning not thinking I would do well. I haven't exactly had time to study between the mandatory overtime with one job, working my other job, school, kids, and helping my sister, etc. I decided that yesterday I would study from sun up to sun down-well that didn't go as planned, Clint was here and kept bugging me, so needless to say I didn't get much study time in. I did a little pleading with the higher powers above and off I went hoping for the best and what do ya know...I passed, with scores higher than expected-I guess miracles do happen!

Awwww, Valentines Day!

2010-02-12T18:13:00.003-07:00

So I have forbidden Clint to waste money on flowers, spring is right around the corner and mine will bloom for free in my yard. I have a stash of chocolates for now until my boys locate and eat them, and I don't need jewelry to take away from my stunning cuteness....LOL! So what to do? Just let me sleep in for once...that would be great! I can't believe all the money people spend on holidays-crazy! The way I see it, if you really love someone, show them all year. Do the dishes once in awhile, or fold that over flowing basket of socks, or better yet, let someone else cook for a change and I'm not talking about frozen burritos or corn dogs....oh well, one could hope. And if spending money on Valentines stuff isn't bad enough, I was at the store today and in grand Walmart fashion, they were already stocking the shelves with Easter stuff! I'm about to declare a non-holiday holiday and save my money....

For the love of chocolate.....

2010-02-09T08:15:00.003-07:00

One of my weaknesses in life is my love of chocolate. Nothing is more wonderful, especially dark chocolate. I have always had bit size chocolate in the house, why?, because when life gets really crazy or I need a little pick me up, my dear friend chocolate is there. When I did childcare in my home and we were having crazy, busy, tantrum days, I would make sure that everyone was safe and then I would get 2 of my chocolate buddies out of the freezer and go sit on the step in my garage and savor the moment for minute and come in renewed and ready to start again. Things haven't change much. I still keep my chocolates around for moments when life gets a little nuts, well at least I try. My boys are like blood hounds. The minute they sniff out chocolate, they are there to help themselves. I thought I was safe with with loving dark chocolate but I was wrong, Trevor is a fan as well. It doesn't matter where I hid them, thing 1 and thing 2 will find them. They are kind enough to leave 1 or 2 remaining for a day or so and if I haven't eaten them, they polish those off too...can't let a good thing go to waste.

Teenage Drama

2010-02-07T22:26:00.008-07:00

Alright, I was a teen not so long ago, BUT SERIOUSLY, did I dish out as much drama as my boys? I know they are going through many physical and emotional changes...growth spurts at this age happen often. Most "average" boys grow around 10-11 inches between 12 1/2 to 17 1/2 yrs, but my boys are NOT average. I think they are shooting up 10-11 inches a week, ok maybe that is an exaggeration but it feels like it with all the jeans they are outgrowing!

Hormones is another frustrating issue...well that and the fact that girls don't have cooties anymore they are "hot"! Every other day I hear, "check out my hairy pits", and "look at my facial hair"...not to long ago I had to venture into the world of "how to use a razor" and Thing 1 thought this was pretty cool! It is too embarrassing to talk to mom about a lot of things but we have had many "talks", especially the "how to treat girls" and "keeping something in your pocket". Tough subject but highly important.

Maybe it is just my boys but jeez, when are they going to grow up....seriously, do they have to bug each other EVERY minute of EVERY day? Eating breakfast....bug each other, watching T.V.....bugging each other, brushing teeth....bugging each other, getting ready for bed....you guessed it-bugging each other. Right now I'm listening to what sounds like a herd of elephants jumping on my head because they can't leave each other alone and just go to bed. The last two weeks we have had talks/lectures in church on our kids and helping them, etc. (maybe it isn't just my kids-one could hope), so what do my darlings do during sacrament? Bug each other, punch each other, and well I swear the bishop had his eye on us. He was probably thinking, "there are those Rasmussen boys, such trouble makers. Why can't their parents control them....."

All I know is I survived teen-hood. It is a terrible, crazy, mixed-up time and I guess if anyone gets through it alive one could check it off as success....drama and all.

January run down....

2010-01-30T16:50:00.002-07:00

Wow, where did this month go? Ok so this month was pretty boring...work, school, work some more. I did have a birthday...WHOOPIE...now I'm 41! My sisters treated me to a wonderful lunch and my boys made me a yummy chocolate cake. Kelton has been playing basketball all month and of course the only game I missed, he was AWESOME scoring 16 points. Trevor has been working on his driving skills and practicing guitar...like I said pretty boring.

Welcome 2010

2010-01-05T10:18:00.004-07:00

All I have to say about 2009 is GOOD RIDDANCE! I am so excited and hopeful about what this new year brings. I'm not looking to organize my house, been there, done that. I'm not going to say that I will diet and loose X amount of weight - I know that won't happen. But I do want to feel good about the way I look so I'll cut back on a few of my weaknesses in life. I'm not going to promise to workout daily but I will try to move more because that makes me feel better. I am hopeful that things will turn out ok, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but by this time next year I will definitely see changes. Speaking of changes, Trevor got his learners permit to drive last week. We, have been trying to have him drive a bit when we are out. He isn't that bad yet but he is still nervous-give him a month and he'll have one hand on the wheel and a lead foot! He didn't believe me about the cost of insurance for boys and how much grades are a factor in a discount until we conference called the insurance company-Trevor, for the moment, has seen the light! Hope you all have a WONDERFUL New Year and that good things come your way!

Merry Christmas.....

2009-12-03T17:13:00.002-07:00

WE WISH YOU ALL PEACE, LOVE, AND HAPPINESS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. MAY THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST BE WITH YOU.......

Another goodbye....

2009-11-20T14:24:00.004-07:00

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, there is a wave of mixed emotions in my life. We are just about a week away from the one year anniversary of my mothers passing. We miss her terribly. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't feel cheated and want her with us. This Thanksgiving will mark the last of our "firsts" without mom. This Thanksgiving will also be a little sadder with the passing of Grandma Ruth. Clint's dear sweet 90 year old grandma passed away yesterday. We will miss her kindness, laughter and stories of the old days. We will cherish the memories of her 90th birthday this past April and how she danced to the accordion music, clapped her hands and invited us all to join her at her 100th birthday. We know she is in a better place and that grandpa finally called her home to be with him for the holidays. We are so grateful for the last visit we had with her the week prior. So many changes, tears and memories....this has truly been challenging year.

Being Thankful......

2009-11-13T19:39:00.003-07:00

This time of year always makes me think of the things that I am thankful for and there are many. I am thankful for my health, my family, my friends. I am thankful for each day that I can get up and accomplish things. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve others. I am thankful that I can work and learn and grow. I am thankful for the lessons and love my mom left me. I am thankful that I have survived all the struggles that the last year has presented and that we are still going through. I am thankful for all that my Heavenly Father has given me, yes, even the trials.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

2009-10-24T18:29:00.001-06:00

This was great fun! Thanks to my fun cousins for the idea.....

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Kelton

2009-10-21T13:22:00.001-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELTON!!!!!

2009-10-21T11:54:00.002-06:00

I'm a few days late in announcing to the world that my baby is now 13 but he knew he was loved on his birthday!

Yep, Kelton is now officially a teen! Teen clothing, teen hair, teen goals, teen attitude....you get the point. He is still my little man! He makes me laugh, smile, and sometimes he makes me want to pull my hair out. I can't believe how fast he has grown-where have the years gone! He is almost as tall as me. He love baseball and basketball. He is the senior patrol leader in his scout group, the deacon quorum president and just about has straight A's except for that one darn B. My baby he will always be, but a wonderful, kind, special young man he is turning into.

The 2 things I need right now....

2009-09-12T14:34:00.002-06:00

Since the boys have started school, I have decided that I need 2 things right now. The first is time. The are so busy with school, friends and activities that we are always going somewhere. Somebody always needs a ride. The second is money. Man high school and middle school kids are expensive. Just the fees to get them enrolled is enough to put a dent in your pocket. To add to all our craziness, Trevor has joined the high school swim team. I am really excited, he is an awesome swimmer, but with that comes 5am practices every day as well as 2 hr practices after school. Does anyone know how to clone a person? I think I might need a few more of me to be in all the different places I need to be in.

19th Wedding Anniversary

2009-08-30T10:14:00.006-06:00

Well tomorrow August 31, Clint and I will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. We have been together for 24 years and one thing we know for sure is, he annoys me and I annoy him but we are still best friends after all this time. We have just about lived fully the saying "For better or worse, for richer or poorer, and in sickness and health."

For better: We have 2 wonderful, handsome sons.
For worse: Both of our sons have teenage attitudes to match!
For Richer: Still waiting....
For Poorer: Clint is still unemployed
In sickness: Clint picked my butt up off the floor the other night when I was sick and passed out.
In health: We count our blessings that we haven't had any major illnesses.

Looking back from when Clint asked me to marry him and lost my engagement ring on the same day up to now it hasn't been too bad. Check back with us in a few years!!!

19th Wedding Anniversary

2009-08-30T10:13:00.000-06:00

New calling......

2009-08-17T17:51:00.004-06:00

So yesterday I jetted off to church excited that it wasn't my week to teach, I team teach the 11-12 year old girls, and thought it was going to be another ordinary day at church. Oh, no....not yesterday. Why is it when 2 guys from the bishopric call you out of sharing time, you instantly feel panic stricken and feel like you're headed to the principals office? Anyway, I really like these two guys-two of the nicest people around. They were very complimentary of my skills and talents of being the girls camp director-even said camp wasn't the same this year-and then then let me have it...POW...we want you and Clint to be in charge of the Ward Activities Committee! What?! Are you kidding?! I'm not qualified.....oh and by the way your first activity is in 4 weeks. Ok, all the stress aside, I think it will be fun! I think Clint will have to put skates on to keep up with me and I'm excited to get going.

If anyone out there in cyber-space has great ideas for ward activities, especially Christmas...pass them my way.

Where did the summer go?

2009-08-11T00:14:00.003-06:00

You can feel it in the air, you know what I mean, that hint of a cool breeze mixed in with the warmth. School registration fees have been paid, that was a small fortune. We have started back to school shopping. The pool is being drained and prepared for it's long winters nap. Both boys are on their last big adventures of summer, Kelton is at scout camp this week up by Bear Lake and Trevor leaves next week for a river rafting adventure in Jackson Hole, WY.

So I ask myself, WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?

All because of a free can of paint.......

2009-07-27T00:27:00.002-06:00

Ok, times are tight, what's new....so being the frugal me, yes that does happen from time to time, I decided to take advantage of Glidden's free paint offer. About a month ago I sent away for my free can of paint. In my mind I thought that finally this would be the motivation to repaint my kitchen-well my main wall-and finally take down the ratty 'ol wallpaper that has been up for the last 10+ years. So I picked a color that I thought I would like and about two weeks later it arrived. Now my non-logical self thought I could strip the wallpaper off and have the wall repainted in one day. Ok truly a blond moment!!! I guess my family decided that they too were sick and tired of looking at the same 'ol wallpaper because before I knew it I had lots of help tearing it off-maybe it is a boy thing to destroy stuff. Anyway we turned on the music and with our tools in hand started peeling and scraping the paper off the walls and I was grateful for the help because it took 2 days to get all the wallpaper off. Next, after patching holes in the wall from the boys gouging off the paper, it was on to paint. Let me just say...beautiful paint color in the can, not so beautiful on the wall. So after painting the wall and staring at it for a day, I put primer over the top of it. 2 weeks later(not because I'm slow-I had 3 other projects going on) and $50 in paint, I have a new look to my kitchen.

Signs of Summer.....

2009-07-10T23:38:00.009-06:00

Well after my last comments I just wanted to say that I am still alive! I have my classes under control-for now. My brain is actually starting to work now that the cobwebs have been dusted off and WD40 has been applied to the gears.....well maybe that is just the greasy fries I eat on occasion. Anyhoo...I have written 6 papers so far, ranging from 5-15 pages and I'm surprised at how easily things have come back to me.

So on to the the family....
we have a fish living in the backyard. Crazy, ever since the pool went up, Kelton has practically lived in it.

Trevor has enjoyed hanging out with his friends, ALL DAY and NIGHT....sitting around the backyard fire pit roasting hot dogs is a big hit. Check out the rocker signs...boys.....

Did ya know.....

2009-06-17T00:36:00.006-06:00

Did ya know that if you don't use it, you loose it? What might you say am I talkin' about? My brain of course......I decided that I needed some changes in life, that I wanted to finish up what I started years ago, and that I just had WAY TO MUCH free time on my hands, so I decided to go back to school.....WHAT WAS I THINKING? No really, I love school but I think my brain shrunk to the size of a pea...get it, PEA BRAIN! I'm finishing up a class next week and I started a new one tonight...of all things, U.S. Constitution...ick-Boring! I guess if I teach 5th grade I'll need it....lol! So let me give you a picture of how my night started....anybody see the movie "Legally Blonde"? Ya know the part where she walked into her first law class with her little fluffy pen and notebook and everyone else has their lap tops open....welp just plug me in to that picture. No I'm not saying I had a little fluffy pen but I felt so out of my element. And NO I'm not referring to the movie because I'm a blonde ditz...I think I'm pretty smart except for tonight when I wanted to curl up in fetal position and cry! I haven't written so many papers in such a looooooong time, wheeeeeew! After my teacher finish explaining her 15 page syllabus and all our upcoming assignments-like the 8 page paper on a founding father and the 15 page paper on one of the Bill of Rights, I thought I had instantly changed majors from Education to Law.....UGH!!!!

Happy Birthday Mom.......

2009-06-08T00:42:00.003-06:00

Today we would have sung to you, bought you a gift you probably didn't need, hugged you and probably gone out to dinner. But this and all future Birthdays will be different. I made a birthday cake for you. We all had a piece and silently wished you a Happy Birthday. We miss you terribly!!!!

Thank you for being my mom, for being my boys grandma! Thanks you for all the memories, the fun times and the laughter. Thank you for singing silly songs and getting up to dance just for the fun of it. Thank you for making me a stronger person and for inspiring me to do better. Thanks you for going on our mini vacations. Thank you for your roses that you transplanted in my yard....they smell so wonderful! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and Happy Birthday where ever you might be today!

Milestones......

2009-05-31T21:57:00.003-06:00

We are once again crossing another milestone. Officially at the end of next week I will no longer have any children in Elementary school. Sniff, Sniff.....Next school year Trevor will move on to high school. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to dating, driving cars or him getting a job. He is still my little boy in my mind! Kelton will move into Middle School and he is already showing signs of a teenager....it's all in the attitude!

From rain, to tears, back to rain......

2009-05-26T23:54:00.010-06:00

Memorial weekend 2009 was interesting to say the least. We, meaning my sisters and their families as well as my tribe, decided to do a family camping trip. Before we left, Clint's grandma was taken to the hospital. We were assured all was fine and to go, so off to Fishlake we went. We set up tents and our make shift kitchens (except Gaylinn and her family who had the luxury of a trailer) and then the rain began. It rained then stopped then rained some more. Fishing was poor. Every time a line was thrown in, the rain would start, the wind would blow.....We finally decided to take a drive and checked out some petroglyphs and climbed up to Hickman Bridge. It rained...but the kids had fun! On Sunday when we were in an area able to get cell coverage we got a message that Clint's grandma had passed away. Grandma Duff was 88. I would go and paint her nails each month...the brighter the color the happier she was. I will get to paint them one last time before the funeral. We got to spend a lot of time with her and we will miss her a lot. We know that she is in a better place free from her pain and trials here. So back to Fishlake....On Monday morning we packed up to come home-we woke up to.....Sun!

A Different Kind of Mother's Day....

2009-05-10T21:55:00.016-06:00

About a month before my mom passed away, while talking to her on my cell phone, I accidentally recorded a good portion of the conversation. I didn't even realize I had this until about 2 months after she had passed when my son Trevor found it. It came at a much needed time when my sisters and others needed desperately to hear her voice. This morning as I awoke on this beautiful Mother's Day, the first without my mom, it was one of those days that I needed to hear her say, "I love you". So in the quiet, while my family still slept, I listened to my mom. That started the emotional roller coaster for the day. Later that morning my husband and boys gave me beautiful cards and made a wonderful breakfast that I didn't have to cook. In the early afternoon, my sister Gaylinn and her family, along with my family, picked up my dad and went to the cemetery. We were pleasantly surprised that my moms head stone was in place. We placed flowers on her grave and on my grandmas. We talked and took pictures, we laughed and remembered. After we left the cemetery, we decided to go get ice cream. Overall, it was a good day, a happy day but there was a noticeable hole in our hearts because my mom wasn't here.

One happy kid....

2009-05-07T19:58:00.008-06:00

Kelton has been "rockin" the baseball fields with his pitching. Most innings he gets 3 up, 3 down or at least keeps the other teams scoring to a minimum. Tonight's game was one of those awesome nail biters. In the last inning we were tied 5-5. Kelton got on base and soon we were 5-5 with 2 outs. With a stroke of luck and a little effort, Kelton slid into home bringing the final score to 6-5. All the way home and since, this kid has not stopped smiling! It is good to see him proud of his accomplishments. Basketball is going great too. Amazingly he has only lost 1 game and he has 1 more before the play offs. He truly is on cloud 9.....

p.s. Kelton wanted this posted on the blog for all to see....man am I in trouble!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREVOR.........

2009-04-11T09:30:00.004-06:00

15, yes I said it! 15 years ago, we welcomed our first child into this world. Trevor was forced into the world early due to a case of toxemia. Even with modern help and drugs he did it his way and took 12 hours to make his grand entrance. He came out holding on to his umbilical cord and NOT wanting to let go. The doctor played a little game of tug 'o war and won then Trevor started screaming until my mom placed her finger into his hand. Ever since his birth it has been a whirlwind of excitement with him. Trevor, to this day keeps us hoppin'. He is a very busy teen with goals and dreams. He like to hang out with friends, family not so much(I'm hoping that phase ends soon). Trevor is talented, smart-sometimes too smart for his own good, and at times has to learn the hard way. But with that being said he is also kind hearted, and a real joy to be around. I can't believe 15 years have already gone by and I can't wait to see what comes in the next 15. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my oldest son....WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Today we also get to celebrate Grandma R's 90th birthday....I can only image all the wonderful things she has seen in those 90 years!!!!

2009-04-11T09:29:00.001-06:00

An Easter hello from Grandpa B.

2009-04-09T13:59:00.004-06:00

Hi ALL the Bardsley clan.....Grandpa sent a hello! Grandma wasn't feeling well and was laying down and she said her hair wasn't done so I promised her she could send a hello next week. Hope you enjoy this!

Trevor the "rock star"....

2009-04-02T18:40:00.005-06:00

Trevor has had guitar classes for the last 4 Saturdays. He has wanted to play for a very long time and before lessons he started to teach himself chords. He also started playing by ear some of his favorite songs. The following videos are a glimpse as to where he is at....enjoy!

Grandparents.....

2009-03-30T19:04:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday amongst other things, was grandparents day. We started out with a visit to my dads..nothing new to report there. This Coming Wednesday, April 1, should prove to be a hard day because it would have been my parents 41st wedding anniversary. We then headed to Grandma Duff's care center. It was her birthday and we took her a yummy chocolate mousse dessert, flowers and a gift. I brought my fingernail case and I painted grandmas nails for spring. Grandpa Duff is so kind to help..he fans grandmas nails with the newspaper while I work on the other hand. After this visit I went out to my Grandparents with Gaylinn for our weekly cleaning visit. We took grandma some beautiful spring flowers to brighten her day. Grandpa wasn't home at the time but we had a nice visit with grandma. She even let us go out and pull weeds in her flower bed. By the time we were done grandpa got home and was all excited that he got 4 hugs from strangers while he was out. I'm including a picture from a few weeks ago with grandma pushing Heston around on her walker. TOO CUTE!!!

We have another D.A.R.E. graduate....

2009-03-26T16:05:00.004-06:00

Today Kelton had his D.A.R.E.(Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education)graduation. This is a great time for the local police department and city officials to come and give praise to the kids for their hard work in learning about drugs, alcohol and abuse and how to stay away from it. It is a great program and gives a lot of information to the kids, all paid for by our wonderful tax dollars. The classes go for several months and at the end the kids are given a certificate. The kids also have to take a test on all that they have learned. Anyone scoring 97% or above gets a gold sticker on their certificate. Kelton scored 99%. It also helps the kids build a trust and friendship with the police and local officials.

In picture 1 from left to right:
Chief of police, Keltons friend Logan, Kelton, West Jordan Mayor Newton, Officer Jacobson-D.A.R.E. officer
In picture 2: Kelton, his D.A.R.E. officer, Teacher-Mrs. Felt

Family Entertainment......ha ha

2009-03-24T08:54:00.003-06:00

Last night, Trevor discovered something he thought to be really funny-our new family entertainment. At 14 years old Trevor is taller than me. Standing with his feet flat on the floor he can touch the ceiling without stretching much. Me on the other hand, standing on my tippy toes and stretching, can just barely reach the ceiling. I'm 5'11" for crying out loud and he's laughing calling me short. Now here's the final poke...my 12 year old is almost seeing eye to eye with me.....ugh! I'm out numbered...

What do you do when......

2009-03-23T16:24:00.005-06:00

So what do you do when your son has baseball practice and basketball practice on the same day at the same time? Wake up to snow.....baseball practice has been canceled. ICK.....where is spring?

It's official.....My life revolves around my kids!

2009-03-09T17:10:00.002-06:00

Saturday Kelton had baseball tryouts and was drafted to the Arizona Diamondbacks Major division. I still don't know how we are going to juggle both basketball and baseball with him. Trevor started "official" guitar lessons and is so excited to be on the path to rock stardom (he has done very well at teaching himself up to this point). Mom is tired and and going to be back to living in my car getting kids to practices or games. I guess it could be worse....they both could still be on swim team, lol!

Signs of spring and other good things....

2009-03-01T09:14:00.005-07:00

After the latest blogs describing the speed bumps in my life lately, I decided to write about happier, more exciting things. First there is more daylight hours which is ALWAYS a good thing. The sun is shinning more and my yard is starting to come alive. I have all kinds of bulbs starting to poke their heads up from there long winters nap. I had a bit of spring fever the other day and did some yard work....LOVED IT! Gaylinn sounds better and they can't find any other problems so I think she is on the long, slow mend back to better health. Clint got a call from work last night (cross our fingers) I think he will be back to work soon. The boys are healthy, basketball season will continue with a spring league and baseball drafts are next Saturday. Kelton is going to be confirmed as the Deacon quorum president today....life is good. See...We NEED speed bumps in our life to appreciate all the good things. Thank you to all my family and friends for the love and support!!!!!

The trials just keep coming....

2009-02-27T08:30:00.003-07:00

My sister Gaylinn is in the hospital very sick and facing possible long term health problems and I am sitting here feeling totally helpless. Just like with my mom, there is nothing I can do but love her and help were I can. I don't have wads of money lying around to help financially, I can't snap my finger and make it all go away, so I sit and wait. I know there is a lesson to be learned with every trial in life but enough already. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts.

The good things in life....

2009-02-22T09:27:00.002-07:00

-hugs from my boys (Clint included)
-sunrises
-sunsets
-warm sunny days
-chocolate (especially dark)
-coke slurpees
-flowers of any kind
-the first snow (nothing more)
-sitting by a fireplace on cold nights
-walking barefoot (not on rocks of course)
-the smell of fresh cut lawn
-conversations with friends
-fresh baked cookies
-a clean house
Oh the list can go on, but these are just a few things that bring a smile to my face and make life happier.

Basketball season is coming to an end.....

2009-02-13T20:49:00.006-07:00

Yes it is sad but true, we are almost done with basketball for awhile. I just came home from Trevor's "church" ball game, mannnnnnn such drama and emotion. Those games are so stressful. So it came down to the last quarter, 17 seconds left, 24-23(we were 23)and then score....we were up by 1. The other team took the ball to the basket and somewhere in that moment a fowl was called on them-here comes the drama-the coach of the other team pitched a hissy fit and was given a technical. Next came the players all taking off their jerseys and throwing them to the ground, technical, technical, technical. So with 1 second left the game was called and 4 of our players, including my son were allowed to take 2 free throws each. DRAMA.....Kelton's team doesn't have that much drama instead the boys and the refs seem to prefer "jungle ball". This is when boys pile on top of each other all wrestling the ball from one another and the refs seem to enjoy watching for several minutes before anything is called. Again, sad as it is, basketball season is almost over! Hooray!

Respect your Elders......

2009-02-07T14:58:00.004-07:00

I have learned the last few years how to really love, appreciate and respect my elders. This being my parents, in-laws and grandparents. I went to my grandparents house today to clean it for them. This is something so minor for me...just a little sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, mopping-ya know the usual, but is means so much to them. As I clean I have some of the best conversations with them and I really get to know them as a person. I enjoy the time I spend there. As I wrung out the mop, I saw my tired grandpa outside spreading bird seed for quails that come to visit. Everything seems so peaceful and right. I love that grandma and grandpa pay me in kisses and hugs....After grandma and grandpas my sister and I went up to my dads care center and took him some things that he needed as well as the "sweets" that he didn't need. We followed that up by stopping in at a pastry shop and picking up some valentine cookies and swinging by Grandma Duffs care center. Grandma and grandpa were happy to see us and were so excited for the surprise treats and visit. Grandma had to show Gaylinn her cute valentine painted nails that I did for her last weekend. When I was up doing her nails last week we had a great visit and talked about all the activities and crafts that grandma was doing for Valentines day. Grandpa brought out the photo album and showed pictures of trips in the past. I learn something new with every visit. I really feel that these older people in our lives deserve our help, love and respect. They have worked for it and as I told Gaylinn, it really isn't too much out of my life to help and show a little love......

What a woman needs.....

2009-02-06T19:24:00.002-07:00

So I live in a house of males...a husband, 2 boys, 2 boy cats, a boy rabbit and for all I know, the fish and frog are boys. So what's a girl to do? Spend the day with other women and I did just that. Yes I was still mom getting kids to and from school and yes I still cooked food for them to eat, BUT....I went to lunch with Connie and Mindy, 2 highschool friends and we laughed and talked for 2 hours...guys don't talk like we do. Then off to a chic flick with Marlene, Kristi, Shannon, Jayne and Ruth, my teacher friends from the school. A perfect fun filled day of women conversations, laughter and fun!!!!

My couch potato is back in school and other stuff like that....

2009-01-29T17:23:00.005-07:00

Ok so Kelton has been off track since Christmas break, which by the way seems like forever ago, and he just went back to school Wednesday. His days consisted of video games and Top Ramen soup. No matter what I suggested he was content to sit staring at the TV. So I sat in the next room staring at the computer working feeling guilty as though I was a bad mom and should be entertaining him and taking him places. Thank heavens he only has 1 more off track session. Trevor, my sweet rebel who thinks he is gonna make it big in a rock band, bought an older model mo-ped from a friend. Ok like I need more anxiety in life...not. It is kinda funny to see this 6 foot tall kid in his rebel clothes driving around the neighborhood on a mo-ped that looks like it was owned by Pee Wee Herman. Both boys have been playing basketball and baseball season is just around the corner. Clint has spent his unemployed time off FINALLY finishing the shed. He is such a perfectionist and he is doing a great job, maybe I'll put a bed out there so he can have a place to go when I don't like him...lol! As for me, I've been fight a cold...mannnnn...where does all the snot come from? Ok so I was release a week ago as the girls camp director(long story) and when I was released there was a sigh from the audience. I've been told since then that some girls say they can't go to camp now because I'm not going to be there. Probably because I can scare away the cows...another long story. So Tuesday night as I lay in my house feeling sick and sorry for myself the girls snuck over and "heart attacked" my house. I had a huge heart with a note plastered to my front door and lots of individual notes from the girls scattered on the porch. Mannnn, I love those girls! That's about all the exciting news around here...

Credit where credit is due....

2009-01-24T08:03:00.001-07:00

Ok...my bad(I hate that phrase)....LeAnn started the family Genealogy tree...Please join!

!!!!Attention blogging family members!!!!

2009-01-22T17:23:00.004-07:00

Ok, since I seem to have all the time in the world for everything...not...my wonderful sister Gaylinn has now got me addicted to this genealogy website-which is cool by the way and I have been adding names. I am extending and invite to any family members who would like to join our family tree and add your family information. I have already started adding your parents and grandparents. You can add your families and any other family members that you have info on....check it out. Working together this could be great! Just send me your email and I will send you an invite to our family tree.

Good Advice...

2009-01-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you
Meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

Officially 40...ugh!

2009-01-16T07:30:00.004-07:00

Ok so yesterday I officially turned 40. I'm not to excited that half of my life is over but I am looking forward to all the things I can still accomplish. I had a WONDERFUL day! My dear friend Lillian flew out from Missouri and has been staying here with us. I had lunch with her, my friends Cindy and Connie and my sisters Gaylinn and LeAnn. Gaylinn made me cry with a beautiful card from my mom-need I say more. It was so much fun! I had emails and phone calls from many other friends and family throughout the day. My 12 year old son Kelton made me a birthday cake and he did a beautiful job and decorated it with pink hearts.....I am SO loved. I couldn't have asked for a better day!!!!! I guess I'm off to a great start lets just hope that gravity doesn't kick in too soon!!!!

God gave me talents to save me money....

2009-01-12T16:41:00.002-07:00

Man when it rains it pours.....In November I had to fix my heating element in my oven, December I replaced my Ethernet port in my computer and today I fix my washers inlet valve so water would fill up the stupid machine. I told Clint I should be a Maytag repair woman...I would make more money than I do now-he laughed and said they would probably hire me. Why am I rambling on about this....because normally I would share this exciting news with my mom who always championed my home repair projects and kept trying to get me to work for the cable home repair shows and she would have been so happy with this latest fix it job and today I miss sharing this with her. All I can say is man if you don't fix things yourself you'll get ripped off big time!!!!

Earthly Angels....

2009-01-08T16:00:00.004-07:00

There is such a thing as an "Earthly Angels". I am surrounded by so MANY in my life. You know who you are, you know what you do for me and I love each of you!!!! Thank you for everything you do to make my days better.

GO UTES!!!!

2009-01-02T13:18:00.003-07:00

Ok so my entire life I have never been a big football fan. Actually football drives me nuts. To me it is a bunch of grown boys/men running a short distance, crashing into each other and falling down then getting up to do it again. In my opinion it take forever to get anywhere. Now give me a good baseball or basketball game anyday!!! But heres my point to this blog, football or not, the utes play in the sugar bowl tonight so GO UTES!!!!!

WooooHooooo!!! Welcome 2009!

2009-01-02T09:50:00.002-07:00

There is something wonderful about January 1st. I love this time of year. I can say goodbye to the past and be excited for what lays ahead. Clint and I have been talking about all of the goals we want to accomplish this year and like many, the list is LONG. We are always trying to improve. However, by March we will probably be back in our rut with the rest of the world. We want you wish all of you a wonderful year and hope that all your goals and dreams come true. Like Clint always tells the boys, "Nothing worthwhile is ever easy".

2008 in review....

2008-12-29T10:35:00.007-07:00

Ok usually I am a little bit more organized and on top of things but this Holiday season I had a difficult time. As most of you know, my mom passed away on Nov. 30. We knew it was going to happen but we just didn't want it to. Since then I have been in a whirlwind with my sisters trying to get things taken care of. I think we made mom proud with her funeral-it was just the way she wanted it. Since then we have been trying to finalize bills, accounts and taking care of dad. The hardest part is life...I still have my boys to care for, laundry, dishes, cooking, my own bills, work, etc.. Life itself has been hard BUT I truely have some amazing friends around me and you all know who you are!!!!

So as for the other part of the year, here is a quick run down....

This year wasn't as adventurous as last year but we did go fishing, Clint took the boys shooting(still scares me to death), Kelton kicked butt on earning merit badges in scouts(12), we went to Lava Hot Springs with some friends and I tried to drown myself in the river(no kidding!), Trevor pushed all the boundries as a teenager(I still love him!), Kelton was the pitcher for his baseball team, Clint went to Alaska with his dad, I drug 30+ girls up the mountian for girls camp(yes, I'm still the camp director), I still teach the 11-12 yr. old girls in Sunday school, the boys and I took mom to San Fancisco, I helped build a playground for a low income school, Clint turned "40"(ugh were getting old!), took mom to chemo, helped dad, mowed lawns for Clint's dad and grandpa, painted Grandma Duff's fingernails each month, and most recently have started cleaning my grandmas house weekly to help her. All in all it has been a good year and the only thing I would change is keeping my mom but the Lord has other plans.

Take care, be safe and I wish all of you a wonderful New Year!!!!!

A new beginning....

2008-12-28T09:29:00.004-07:00

As this year winds down, I have had time to reflect on many areas of my life. I have decided that change can be good and so with that thought, I decided would give in to the idea of blogging. There are so many people that I miss talking to and keeping up with that I thought this might help, so I begin.......