Building for FHE

On Monday, we met Kevin's parents for dinner at Chili's, then we invited them back to our house to help the kids build birdhouses. We got these little birdhouse kits from Home Depot. The kids have been begging to do them for a couple of weeks, so I thought tonight would be a great night to do it. The kids had a great time. Nobody hurt their fingers! It was good all around. Kevin's parents were pleased to be able to come over and watch the kids and help with their building. We were glad to have them here with us!

Alex building - he did his with just a little help from daddy and papa.
Bailey building...protective eyewear and all!
Luke building. We had to really watch him with the hammer!

Back at the Barn...

We had a big week last week in the Turner household! We have been potty-training Luke for about the last 3 weeks and he has been doing really well..except when it comes to pooping in the potty. So, I asked him what he wanted to do, if he pooped in the potty. He said he wanted to ride the horsies. So, we were finally able to convince him to go...me and the boys went to Thanksgiving Point and they got to ride the horsies. We went Friday after school and there was nobody there. It was great. The boys didn't have to wait for anything. They had a great time and so did I! (The bad thing is...we haven't been able to get Luke to poop on the potty since! We are still working on it!)

This is one of my favorite pictures! They were looking at the rabbits.
The boys on the "fake" sheep
Alex on his big horse
Luke on his big horse...the big moment!

It's not working!

So I was ready to do a fantastic blog tonight; to catch up on all the super-cool stuff we have been doing, but for whatever reason....I can't post any picts. So, I'll have to try again tomorrow. It's not as much fun without the pictures! Check back tomorrow to see what we've been up to!

The Great Egg Drop

Bailey came home with an assignment. Create a carrier for an egg, that if dropped from a 2-story window the egg would not break. So, I gladly turned this one over to Kevin and he and Bailey got right to work. Kevin cut out 2 pieces of foam and Bailey helped him tape it together. They left a little slit at the top to get the egg into. After a lot of tape, Bailey wanted a parachute attached. So, with a little bit of yarn, and a plastic shopping bag...whalla...a parachute. Now the test. The top picture is Kevin getting ready to launch it out of the 2nd story window. The middle one is the landing, and the bottom...did it break?? NO WAY! Not with dad's expertise on how to make a great egg holder! She was so excited to get the egg out and see that it didn't break. She reported her success to her teacher the next morning. She did a great job on this project. She had a lot of fun planning the project with dad and then building it. Way to go Ba! She also named her egg holder... appropriately..."THE SURVIVOR"!!

First Day Of School!

Monday was mom's favorite day of the year...or I mean the kids First Day Of School!! Luke didn't want to be left out of the pictues, so we took some with him in there too. Our kids were all decked out in their new school best, and ready to go. After the picture taking, the primping, and the well-wishes, we headed over to school. As we were walking up, Bailey said that she was getting butterflies in her tummy. She was excited to go and once she saw some of her friends in her class, she was good. Alex was fine until we walked him over to the area where they line up to go into their class. He all the sudden said " dad, my legs are shaking, I don't think I can do this." We re-assured him that he could, and he said ok. He found a couple of friends and once his teacher came out to get them, he was ok. Plus, all the little girls think he is so handsome and they all want to be his friend. He's not a shy little boy, so I am not worried about him! They both had a great first day, and even wanted to go back for day #2!! Luke on the other hand, was out of sorts! He cried when I dropped him off at daycare and kept asking where Alex was. He was much more settled today, and after 2 kisses, he ran up the stairs and was totally fine. We are really blessed to have such great kids. Each one has such a special personality and the compassion to be good friends. We sure are lucky parents!

Sweet Ride

After the last three weeks of turmoil and a wide range of emotion, Kevin and I had an incredible opportunity today. Today was a motorcycle ride for Fallen Officers. We started at Timp Harley in Orem and went to the Capitol building in Salt Lake. Our whole trip from start to finish was 100 miles. The Capitol has been undergoing new renovations for the past 3 years. When it was renovated, Law Enforcement wanted a monument put up to honor the Officers that gave their life in the line of duty. So, for the past couple of years, money was raised to pay for the first 1/2 of the memorial. Between the ride last year and the ride this year, we think enough money was raised to finish the memorial. It is due to be dedicated on September 6th. This was such an incredible experience. The organizers only anticipated about 800-1200 riders this year. (Which is still a HUGE turnout!) At the Capitol, the Govenor said that there were 2500 riders this year. What a great feeling of being a part of something with so much dedication, commitment, and honor. Not only did we get to experience an incredible opportunity, but with the help (and much thanks!!) to Kevin's parents, me and Kevin were able to go together and experience this together. I had a great time riding on his bike with him. I am grateful for such a great husband!
This was a great day!

The last three weeks has been a blur...many things have happened so I will be posting new stuff over the next few days. (Here's a teaser....Luke has been stung 2's by a wasp, bent over and cracked the corner of his eye on the TV stand, and fell in the road and has some nice road rash on his forehead. All of this has been on one side of his face. Oh yeah, the best part...SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW!! I'll post picts tomorrow night of the kids all decked out in the sweet new school clothes!)

My Sister Sara

My family was delivered a huge blow early in the morning on Sunday July 27, 2008. My sweet sister Sara passed away. She was 36 years old and was the loving mother to two beautiful children. I am sure this is all a bad dream and I will wake up and be able to see her and talk to her again. This has been the most difficult trial I have had to face in my life so far. I lost my brother Aaron on Christmas Eve last year. We had a graveside service for him in early January. As I started to recovered from his death (it was unexpected also, but a blessing knowing he is with Heavenly Father and no longer has to suffer on this earth.) this devistating news came. My sister and I have always been very close. We had our typical "sister fights", but at the end of the day, those didn't matter because we had each other. Her death has not just affected me, but everyone who's life she touched. Many people attended her funeral and it reminded me how loved she was. My poor parents and brothers, I cannot believe that we have to go through this again. I see how hard it has been on them, and I want to take all their pain away. I want her to still be here with us so that her sweet children can see all the obstacles she had overcome and see just how much she loved them.

Tonight I remembered that a new Ensign had come in the mail while I was in Arizona. I opened it up and the first story in there is by the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson and it is called "May We So Live." As I was reading it over, one of the quotes he uses says, "How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existance. And so I ask,"What are we doing with today?" I know my today's are about coping and trying to find the way to grieve and still be the mother my children need me to be. I know as time goes on, I will be able to balance my life and find ways to honor the memory of my sister. Today, I will find the strength to move forward with the help of my own family. Today, I will hug my children and husband and tell them how much I love them. Today, I will tell my family and friends how much they mean to me. Today, I will start writing down stories of my sister so that one day I can give them to her children and they will remember what a wonderful person she was. Today, I will find joy in little things in my life. I will remember that I have wonderful parents and brothers who love me and we, as a family will get through this time and come out on the other side a lot closer. I am very blessed to have a loving family that supports me and will help me get through this difficult time in my life. I have wonderful memories of my beautiful sister that I will cherish. I have been blessed in my lifetime to have had a sister. She is my best friend.