Brynn

I have this great friend, Brynn. She's in our ward. She moved here about a year ago with her parents, brother, and sister. She is deaf, but I didn't know for months! I saw her hearing aid, but she communicates so I well I thought for sure she was just "hard of hearing." Nope, she's deaf. Without her hearing aid she hears nothing. She tries (and succeeds) reading lips, and she speaks really well. I sign for her during Sunday School and Relief Society because it is still difficult for her to hear, and it's hard for her to read lips from a distance. At any rate, my signing has gotten so much better because I get to sign for her on Sundays. I think she helps me a lot more than I help her. She is amazing. She spoke in Sacrament Meeting today, and my kids were absolutely mesmerized! She closed with signing, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," and I got from her that she does~ she really, truly does know that our Redeemer lives!

Fridays

I love Fridays! I can go to sleep without the same nightly thoughts running through my mind, "Did I set out Taite's clothes? Does Arthur have a clean uniform? Am I supposed to be at school tomorrow? Did I sign Seth's reading?" You know, the regular mom stuff. I love Saturday mornings. Aaaaahhhhhh... especially tomorrow morning. We don't have a soccer practice or game, no major school projects are due Monday, all 3 bathrooms are clean, as well as the kids bedrooms & lofts, and I am actually on top of the laundry! However, Redge is on an overnighter with Reece tonight so I'll probably end up reading until 2AM. I love Fridays~ except for when Redge is out of town.

The Temple

Redge's mom is here visiting us. She and Redge are on their way to the temple to do some of her family names, and I will meet them later to assist with the sealings. What a great thing! I am so grateful for the knowlege I have of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love knowing I will (if I choose to make wise decisions) meet my progenitors, learn from them, and continue realtionships with them for eternity!

Easter

I love Easter. It was a great day. Redge and I read from the New Testament with the kids, and Taite shared her Activity Days lesson with us. It was so great discussing with them the events of Gethsemane, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. There aren't words to describe what an amazing thing it is that Jesus Christ lives! It is impossible to comprehend what a gift this is. My heart explodes with gratitude, humility, anticipation, and happiness when I try to understand all that this fact means to me and my life! I pray everyday that I can be worthy of the sacrifice of my Savior and Redeemer so that I can qualify for the infinite blessings that come with my knowledge that He Lives!

Joshua Mark Cordner

I love my nephew Josh. I really love him! He was born April 30, 1990, just at the end of my senior year in high school. He is the first of my parents' 24, soon to be 25, grandchildren. We were all absolutely crazy about him! The Cordner side was equally crazy about Josh! Mark, my brother-in-law, had only one married sibling, Corinne, when he and Naomi got married. Corinne's family lives in Georgia. She already had kids, but since they have always lived so far away Josh was like the only grandchild on his dad's side of the family. He loved the attention he got, and he made all of us so happy! Sadly, Mark and Naomi were both attending BYU when Josh was born so none of us got to see him as much as we would have liked. I was lucky to be able to see Josh at least once a month until Redge and I got married in 1994, and moved back to Las Vegas. When we moved to Vegas Redge and I lived in Naomi's ward, and I still never felt like I got enough of my J-Man.

The one thing I can say I don't love about Josh, well, it's pretty okay now, but I really didn't like the name Joshua. I mean I really didn't like it. I begged Naomi not to name him that, but she did it anyway. But, I couldn't bring myself to call him that, so I took to calling him, "J-Man." I got the nickname from the movie, "Say Anything." Lloyd Dobler called his nephew, Jason, J-Man. I liked it, I stole it, and I still use it.

Josh is incredible. I really like him. He really is a fantastic human. I rather fancy being his aunt. He, on the other hand, most probably would prefer to do without me. Too bad for him, I'm not going anywhere. Josh has so many great qualities, but I'll just share my 3 faves.

1~ He is quite possibly the most patient person on this Earth! You should see him with his brother, sister, and cousins. He was the only grandchild in our family until he was 3 1/2. I know that sounds young, but after reading my second reason for being Josh's number one fan you'll understand that 3 1/2 years to Josh was more like 7 years to the average kid. At any rate, some might think Josh would have been jealous of all the babies that started coming around, but he couldn't love them any more had his life depended on it. He is so kind, patient, caring, and truly loving toward all the little kids. Each of them think they are the absolute favorite of the much adored Josh.

2~ The kid is brilliant! I'm so totally not kidding. I love talking with him, hearing his views, and discussing literature with him. He has an incredible sense of humor, and is extremely humble regarding his many talents. He earned the highest ACT score of anyone I know, and he never took a single, "How to Ace Your College Entrance Exams," course, nor did he spend any extra time studying. He also received several scholarships to various colleges. The kid makes me feel like a 3rd grader.

3~ He is so talented! Not many people know this, but he can do anything! He earned his black belt in karate, he snowboards, he plays the drums, he builds and designs all kinds of stuff (he has saws and all kinds of power tools,) and he is a very talented photographer. I love his work! I'm hoping that he will soon add some of his work to this post. I emailed him, and begged him to add some of my faves. It is really hard to choose just a few. If you haven't seen his website you really should check it out!

At any rate, I love Josh.

Why I love Susan Webb Hansen

If you don't know Susan, you should! Susan Webb Hansen is the best!!! Everybody wants to be Susan's friend, and for some reason~ unknown to me, she chose me! I made the cut! Susan has been my friend for 18 years. I just realized that I have know her half my life! Wow! I like to tell my kids that I have had Susan longer than I have had Redge. That really amazes them! Susan is great for many reasons, and I was going to try to give you the top 3, but I'll have to go with the top five.

1~ She is so crazy in love with her husband, Danny. I don't know if any of you have experienced watching your friends go through divorces~ I have. It's very depressing! Susan and Danny are just as crazy about each other now as they were when they met 16 years ago. I was so grateful to see how well Danny treated Susan, and still treats her. I love seeing successful marriages. When I see marriages like Susan's I lose some of the depression I get when I hear about another divorce. Susan's marriage strengthens me, my marriage, my family, and my testimony of our Savior. I have tried to figure out what it is that really makes Susan's marriage special, and I have come up with the following:
~they put one another before themselves, they are a total team
~they respect one another's families
~they compromise (Dan hates color, but has let Susan paint the walls. Susan isn't all that into hunting, but has let Danny hang a quail in their front room, and an owl downstairs in the family room. Not to mention the scalps of a few other animals strewn about the house.)
~they love their kids
~they love the Good Lord Jesus
2~Susan is an amazing mother! She plays with her kids, reads to her kids, discusses things with her kids, knows her kids, and really likes her kids. Of course she loves her kids, but she really likes them as people. She chooses them as her friends.
3~Susan is a sister. There are a lot of kids in Susan's family, and only two of them are brothers. I love all of Susan's sisters: Linda Sue, Eileen, Kathleen, Sherri, Karen, Michele, and Bedge. Their are truly some of the kindest people I know, and they completely accept me for who am I, and trust me~ they have seen me at my worst (at breakfast, and right outside the MGM.)
4~Susan is loyal! You'd better never hurt someone Susan loves, because if you do, you will never be able to make it right! She'll forgive you, but the pain you cause people in her life is a pain she lives with forever! She feels everything that others feel, and it hurts her just as deeply.
5~Just because I'm listing this one as #5 doesn't mean it is in last place. Susan's cookies! Ahhhhhh... Susan makes the best cookies EVER! Sugar cookies that never go hard, and she always adds extra frosting to mine. In the words of Ralphie May, "Icing is quite possibly the most underrated invention of mankind!" I love Susan's cookies, and the best part of it is they are not the easiest things to make, nor are they Susan's favorite thing to make, but she does it. She makes them for me whenever I need a little pick-me-up, and it works every time! I know when she shows up with cookies she's telling me, "I love you, and I made these cookies for you! I didn't love doing it, but you're worth it." Just last Sunday I was sitting on the floor in my family room sorting through my piles of books~ feeling a bit uncomfortable because Redge was having a YM/YW meeting in the other room, and Susan showed up at my door with her adorable kids, and a GIANT plate of Sue~Sue cookies. (My kids all call her Aunt Sue~Sue, even Reece.) Nothing in the world makes me feel so at peace than laying in my bed reading a good book, Redge laying next to me watching the Sci-fi channel while we share a great big plate of Sue~Sue cookies!
Man, I love Susan! Oh~ did I mention she's a twin! I'm crazy about twins, and the fact that she is a twin makes her even better!

Rockwell Update

Rockwell is moving right along, and we are getting more and more excited every single day! This picture was taken last week! We are 2 1/2 weeks ahead of schedule, and with the passing of SB36 we are can hardly wait for the new school year!

Stake Conference

This past weekend was stake conference. It was fabulous! Spending a week in Vegas with my family, and then hearing my stake leaders speak were just the things I needed to hear to assure me that, "All is well." I am constantly freaking out about whether or not I am doing everything I can, should, need to do for my husband, kids, friends, parents, siblings, callings, etc. No matter what I am doing at any given time I am never comfortable in my own choices. Every single minute of every single day I am completely freaking out that I am not doing the right thing at the right time, and whatever I am doing is never good enough. Luckily for me, my husband is always reassuring me that I am just fine, and my decisions are perfect. I was very blessed while I was in Vegas by my parents and siblings repeating over and over that I am worthwhile, needed, and perfectly acceptable just as I am. Stake Conference did the same thing for me. I learned that the things I am doing are the correct things for my family and me, and I all I need to do is, "Carry On." What a relief! I'm so exhausted from the years of stress, I think I'll get a sleeve of Thin Mint cookies, and go lay down for a while. God bless the Girl Scouts!

Anna is the Best!

My hot mess of a blog is now looking just a bit less ADHD-ish! Anna came over today, and sat for 2 hours sorting out my unorganized display of random thoughts and pictures. She's coming back SOON to play around with my template and what not. Thanks, Anna, you're the best!!!

More on the Magnificent Seven

Last October was the, 177th SemiAnnual General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. One of my favorite talks, "O Remember, Remember," ( http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-24,00.html)was given by President Henry B. Eyring. He spoke of his journaling experiences, and explained, "I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: 'Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?' As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done." I have tried to include his question in my own journaling, and I by doing this I have found something very interesting. I could write something new everyday regarding the many ways I am blessed by having my husband, my parents, my children, and my amazing brothers and sisters. Like I've mentioned before, my brothers and sisters are absolutely amazing! My mom fell February 18th, my dad fell the 21st, and we got to Vegas on the 29th~ the same day my dad came home from the hospital. For those who don't know, my dad has no use of his right arm and hand. He is right handed. His radial nerve was severed during a surgery that was meant to replace an old artificial shoulder joint with a new titanium one. When my dad fell on the 21st he broke his left arm, leaving him without use of either hand. When Redge and I arrived my siblings had already done the following: removed doors from my mom's bathroom for her wheelchair; installed handicapped bars; made and stored food; grocery shopped several times; taken both my parents to doctors appointments; picked up perscriptions; took turns sleeping at my parents' home so my mom was never alone; bought a shower stool, lap desk, trays, books, and millions of other things to try to make my parents' lives as comfortable as possible; they never left my mom alone for a minute; visited my dad in the hospital; and took care of their own families. Melinda flew in from Costa Rica with her daughter Molly (who looks exactly like me) to help my mom, and offer a moment of reprieve to my other sibllings who all live locally. I need to add here that my brothers and sisters don't have easy lives. They have great lives, but not easy~ especially not the past few weeks. Jeff, the oldest, is a CPA. We are currently in the middle of tax season. He is also a High Counselor in our old stake, and serves with the Young Men/Young Women Organization. On March 1st he had this huge leadership training thing. He ran the shindig. In the middle of tax season. Luckily, he married Marci. She's the manager extraordinaire! She works 30+ hours a week, and runs their 4 daughters wherever they need to be, and keeps track of it all! On top of that, Marci is really fun! Naomi is the baptism coordinator for her stake, which worked well for us getting Taite baptized in her stake, and the fact that her husband, Mark, is the 1st counselor in their bishopric, made it that much easier. Naomi's degree is Elementary Education, and has a licensed pre-school in her home. She's a great teacher, and she puts her heart and soul into the kids in her classes. Mark is very busy with his insurance company, and is currently in Chicago for the new business he is starting. They have 3 awesome kids that they are constantly helping, loving, teaching, and running. Josh, their oldest, will soon be 18, and his eagle project was last Saturday. So, in the middle of my parents' ailings Naomi is also trying to teach, support her husband, do her own calling (on the day of Taite's baptism Naomi was at the stake center from 7:30AM to 2:30PM running the whole baptism thing~ while the rest of us left the church at noon & went back to Naomi's house to eat and party,) attend to the needs of her children, coordinate an eagle project, and make sure Josh was ready for his first real art show~ which was held the night before the eagle project.
By the way, the Eagle Project was a huge success, and we all appreciate everybody helped Josh! Quincy and Mo are just as busy as the others! Quincy works for Pulte Home where he runs the show for a Del Webb Community in Mesquite. He also has the deacons to run. He's currently preparing to take 19 boys to scout camp! At home, Mo runs the 4 boys to and from school, games, friends, scouts, and finds time to play girly stuff with Mae. On top of that~ Mo is pregnant with number 6! Melinda and Heath have been in Costa Rica now for several months, and I still think it's amazing that they decided they could spare Melinda for over week to fly to Vegas in order to help my parents. Jenn is a total saint! With 4 kids ages 5, 2, and 10 months she has got to be crazy busy, but when you add in that her husband, Nate, is just finishing his first year of medical school,
Jenn still cuts a few heads of hair at home, and her two youngest kids are twins, you have to wonder how she does it! But, she does, and still finds time and energy to get to my parents' house every single day! Eric has a crazy work schedule as a paramedic, the most famous paramedic ever, I might add! For those who don't know~ he is the paramedic who saved Roy Horn, you know, Roy from Siegfried & Roy! I'm so totally not joking! He was on Dateline and everything! At any rate, Eric runs himself ragged with saving the lives of everybody all over Las Vegas, but he still finds time to help my entire family. So, by the time I got to Vegas my job was so easy! All I had to do was upkeep what my brothers and sisters had set up before I got there! However, my siblings didn't see it that way at all! They kept calling me, coming over to check on me, and saying things like, "Thanks so much for being here," "Thanks for taking care of Mom and Dad," "Please tell Redge how much we appreciate him letting you be here right now." Little did they know how relieved Redge was to not have to take care of me! He pretty much had a reprieve himself! He didn't have to take care of Arthur or me! Redge is used to having to run Reece, Seth, and Taite. He was grateful to have a week of not running Arthur and me, as well! I am so grateful for my family. I'm grateful, and as Grandpa Bird said, "I'm humbly proud," of the people my brothers and sisters have chosen to become. I'm especially grateful for my parents, because they're the ones who taught us how to get to where we are now.

Game for Jess

THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

1~ There is nothing in the whole world I love more than hanging out with Redge and our kids! My favorite is when we read together!

2~ I love to read! Especially the scriptures, but I also really enjoy reading and rereading the classics, old and new. I love reading the classics to my kids.

3~ More than reading I love to study. Again, especially the scriptures, but I want to learn and understand everything! Brigham Young said, "Should our lives be extended to 1,000 years, still we may live and learn." I do everything I can to take advantage of the time I have to really learn. My greatest sin, beyond my lack of charity, is my selfish attitude (which I suppose shows my lack of charity) regarding my study time. One Saturday Redge found me studying, and said, "It's been almost 5 hours. Can we have you now?" My feelings are best desicribed in the song, "Strangers Like Me," from Disney's Tarzan, (that sounded a bit "Mary Catherine Gallagher.)
Show me everything, tell me how
I can see there's so much to learn
It's all so close, and yet so far
Oh- I just know there's something out there
I wanna know, can you show me
I wanna know
Tell me more, please show me
Some other world far beyond this place
Beyond the trees, above the clouds
I see before me a new horizon
I wanna know, can you show me
Please tell me more, please show me
I wanna know

4~ I love chiffon! You know, the fabric mom's used to use to make baby blankets. I had a green chiffon blanket (I actually still have it, but gave up sleeping with it when I got married) that I loved rubbing between my fingers. I still love the feeling, and keep chiffon ribbons all over my house to rub.

5~ I love my entire family! My husband, kids, parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and beyond! I have such a firm testimony of family, genealogy, and personal & family history!

6~ I have been teaching myself to play the piano.

7~ Seth and I have been taking sign language for 2 years. It is our time together. We love it! I have been able to serve as an interpreter for a deaf woman in our ward, and I'm loving it! However, I must say that this sister generally teaches me more than I translate for her. I'm not fluent, but I'm trying.

I am tagging: Anna, Becky, Debbie, Jenn, Kacey, Marleen, Michelle, and Nikki

Man, I love my family!

It was so great to be able to spend some time with my family! I seriously have the coolest brothers and sisters ever! We laugh with (and definitely at) each other, but when we need anything there are always 3 sisters, 3 brothers, and that many in-laws jumping in to make sure everything goes alright. I absolutely adore my family, and I thank my Heavenly Father every single day for the blessing of being able to call them "my brothers and sisters."



Jenn, Nate, Quincy, and Mo



Melinda and Molly flew in to help with our parents, while Heath stayed in Costa Rica with Luke, Anna, and Daisy. That's amazing! What a great son-in-law to stay in a foreign country with 3 kids, and send his wife home to help care for her parents. Thanks, Heath!

Mom & Dad~ the Family Gimps

Naomi has all the good toys!

Naomi is doing such fun stuff in her backyard, and this see-saw is awesome! As you can see, it isn't just fun for the kids, but the adults as well! Naomi and I had so much fun! Lucky for you all, Redge couldn't resist taking a few pictures of us acting like the kids!

Rockband!!!

Okay, we love rock band! I have to say that next to Susan's sugar cookies, Rockband may just be the single most amazing invention known to man. I'm so not kidding! I am now performing in the "Medium" levels, and I can hold my own! I love guitar, and the drums are rather spectacular, but sometimes I get shin splints working the foot pedal. Am I the only one who suffers from this? I think I'm going to have to start a support group for my fellow Rockband addicts.




Reece, like every other teenager (and adult who tries it) loves Guitar Hero, and is progressing quite nicely! We're so proud! I wonder if there are Guitar Hero recitals like there are piano recitals.



Seth totally wails! Redge and I love watching him perform! He's so totally Eddie Van Halen!


Bless her heart, Taite was sick, but couldn't stay away from Rockband!

Rockwell Charter High School!

Redge took this picture of Rockwell last week, and we're so excited to see what's happening with the school! For more information about Rockwell check out the website~ rockwellhigh.net

Taite is 8~ We think that's Great!

Josh Cordner~ My Nephew

My nephew, Josh, is amazing! He'll be 18 in April. He's an extremely talented photographer, and you've got to check out his website! I love his work, and want to buy all his pictures, and hang them all over my home! Really, check him out! joshcordner.com