The Song of a Child

Hearing a child sing is one of my favorite sounds. No matter how on or off key they are I love how hard they try, and the serious look that comes over their faces, especially when it's a serious moment. This was the case yesterday.

It was our ward's Primary Program, and to say that the kids were good would be an understatment. For a Utah ward we have a rather smaller primary than normal (around 50 kids), but they all sang their hearts out, and they all knew the songs so well, even the little Sunbeams, which Brody is a part of.

Each child had some sort of speaking part, and some even had singing parts. Peity had her own little solo part, where she sang the sentence, "I Am A Child of God." She sang so well and was exactly on key, she did awesome! As a family we were so graciously volunteered by the choirester to sing a number called "Home". Brett wasn't too thrilled, but he was a good sport, and we got through it just great.

All the kids knew their lines, and said them with such feeling. Peighton actually memorized everyones parts, just incase someone forgot their line, we called her the Understudy for everyone. Stoney was asked to give a few sentences on his experience in the temple when we had Brody sealed to our family. He wrote this all by himself, and he did an excellent job. Brody, along with all the other Sunbeams, said the exact same line, "My name is..... I am a child of God." Gunner game a poem on being a Missionary. He memorized the whole thing, and said it with such feeling and without any mistakes. He did AWESOME! Here is the poem:

When I grow up and turn 19
I’ll be the best missionary you’ve ever seen.

I might be called to Montana or Brazil
But no matter where I’m called I’ll be thrilled!

I’ll find those seeking to know the truth,
Their names might be Sam, Jane, or even Ruth.

But as I sit and think I realize,
I don’t have to be 19 or be really wise.

I can share the gospel even when I’m a kid!
I can teach people just like Alma did!

Sharing the gospel with those I know,
Will surely make my testimony grow!

Sometimes it might be scary to do,
But God will help me & bless me too.

So I’ve decided even if I think it’s scary
I’ll share the gospel NOW & be the BEST missionary!

The spirit was present during the entire program, and many-a-times you could see several througout the congregation wiping their eyes, or sniffling.

The theme for this year is" "I Am A Child of God." They focused a lot on being a missionary and helping other kids know that they are a child of God. One of my favorite parts of the program was when the Elders sang the first verse of "Called to Serve", and when it came time to sing the chorus, all the kids popped out of their chairs, and in full voices sang the chorus, "Onward, ever onward...." Chills ran through my body, and as I looked at each of my children there on stage, especially my boys, I pictured each of them in their dark suits & ties, and their name badges that say, ELDER HARWARD. I look forward to that day, when we can send our first child out into the world to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For Stoney, that is only 8 1/2 years away!

I'm so proud of my kids and for the way they all were able to let the spirit speak to my heart. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father felt me worthy to be their mother. They each are such examples to me each day, and when I hear them sing songs like the ones they sang yesterday, it makes me realize just how lucky & blessed I truly am to have all of them in my life.

30 Years of Frustration!

The Rubics Cube has been one of the #1 toys since the 70's. It has brought facination to millions throughout the world. However, I am not one of these millions. The Rubics Cube has brought me nothing but complete confusion & frustration! I would spend hours upon hours trying to twist and turn this cursed cube with having maybe two squares (not sides - but squares) match as the ending results of my hard work.

However, as I began to master this cube, I realized that all I needed to do was either peel off the stickers & replace them so all the colors matched on each side, or, I would break each block off and rearrange them so the cube match (which, I might add is no easy feat in & of itself - those little blocks are tough to click back into place.)

I gave up on this stupid brain teaser long ago, hoping for it to never cross my path again. Then yesterday that all changed. Stoney ran in from school excitedly waving something colorful in front of my face yelling, "Look what I won at school! Look what I won at school!" He was finally able to get his excitement under control and what do you think he showed me? A BLASTED RUBICS CUBE! Sweat began gathering on my brow, and fear & anxiety pulsed through my body!

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, and well into the evening, I avoided the blasted thing, but I secretly heard it calling my name, "Cammie, you know you want to try! Come on, you can do it - NOT!" Ending with an evil laugh (I know, I'm psychotic.)

After watching Brett work it, and succeed at matching one side, I thought, "That didn't look so hard. What the heck." I listened to the coaching of Brett, and with my tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth, I twisted and turned like a pro, when suddenly (30 min. later) I came away with one complete side of red, all matching! You heard right, I matched more than two blocks, and I didn't peel off any stickers or pop out any blocks! I did it! Me! The Rubics Cube Retard!

I was so proud of myself, I began doing a celebration dance around the living room. I handed the cube to Peighton, my 7-year old, as I continue my victory dance, which only lasted about 10-minutes. That's when I heard Peity scream, "I DID IT!" I quickly stopped in my tracks, turned & looked, and what did I see? Peighton, standing there holding the cube high in the air, showing me that she had matched one color! WHAT THE HECK!

The proud feeling I had inside was completely thrown out the window. Not because I wasn't excited for Peity, but this was the first time Peity had ever tried to work a cube, and what did she do - her very first try I might add - MATCH ONE COLOR! Oh well, I'll continue to try - NOT!

CURSE YOU RUBICS CUBE!

P.S. This just in. As I was typing this entry, Brody decided to play with the stupid thing. In less than 5-min, he had all but one silver block matched. Seriously, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

YES WE CAN!

A time of much needed change is upon us. What an exciting time to be alive and be a part of this great nation as we made history last night! As our 44th President-elect, Barack Obama, gave his acceptance speech last night, I was in awe of the powerful words he spoke, as were those - it seemed - who attended his speech, live. He spoke with such conviction, it seemed almost as if he were speaking to each person individually.

Althought I did not vote for Obama, I still thought if he were elected that he would do a good job. I feel that NOW is the time when we need to start becoming "One nation under God" again. Put political sides behind us, and get back what has been missing for so long, our commitment to this great country, the United States of America! It's time to get the reputation we have had since this country was founded, as being the best nation, the strongest nation, the nation that every other country emulates to be.

May we all make the same commitment that President-elect, Barack Obama, mentioned in his speech last night. May we all remember, and act on the words that were so prevalent throughout his speech....

YES WE CAN!

Here Comes The Northwind

I've been a blogger for 6 months now, and for those of you who follow along, you've noticed I change my background as much as my address. Sorry about that, but I get bored of typing on the same page day-in, day-out, so just like in the movie "Chocolate" starring Juliette Binoch & Johnny Depp, my blog page feels the northwind blow and realizes that change is about to happen.

I've found this great blogsite, "The Cutest Blog on the Block" (http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/). They have simple, cute backgrounds for every season & / or occasion. The best part about this site, is that all thier posted backgrounds are free! And they have teaching links to help you design your blog the way you want. How great is that! So, as you might have noticed, my page has gone from a freaky, haunted house, to the calm, soothing colors of fall (my favorite season, by the way.)

I also found the great website playlist.com. Now I can different music that goes with the individuality of each page.

I know this probably takes more time than I should be committing to my blog, but it's fun to change it every so often, and keep you on your toes and wondering, "What is Cammies blog going to look like today?" Check back in a month & see the new change.

We "D.I." for Halloween

Here in Providence, Halloween seems to be as important a holiday as Thanksgiving or Christmas because my kids have been out of school since early Wednesday afternoon. I did hear that the teachers chose not to deal with the whole sugar rush thing their students are on for the day, so they conveniently scheduled parent teacher conference during this time. Man, are they smart! I thought the kids would be sad that they didn't get to wear their costumes to school & have class parties, but they didn't say a word. They were way more excited that they got a 4 1/2 day weekend instead. Hey, their not dumb!

I hate coming up with ideas for costumes, and I hate even more the outrageous cost of the costumes, but this year, being our first Halloween back in Utah, we utilized D.I (Deseret Industries) to the fullest. Normally, in years past, we have spent at least $80 on Halloween costumes - crazy I know, but when you're buying costumes for 5 kids, it starts to add up.

But when we took the kids to DI, they were in costume heaven! All of a sudden, their creative juices began flowing and they picked their costumes all by themselves. So, thanks to those who decided to get rid of these marvelous pieces of clothing, our halloween budget this year was only $9.78! and this was what our kids were transformed into:

Cassidey: A Hoochy Mama

Stoney: An old lady - with boobs, even.

(Top Row - L to R: Garrison Wren - Dracula; Gunner - Nerd)

(Front Row - L to R: Brody - Iron Man; Stoney - Old Lady;

Peyton Wren - Barbie Cheer Leader; Will Wren - Old Lady; Peighton - Gumball Machine)

Gunner: A most excellent nerd.

Peity: A Gumball Machine

Brody: Iron Man

(I was kind-of bummed because Brett & Bill sent the kids out before I could get individual pictures of each of the kids, but at least you get an idea of what they looked like.)

Our kids (along with our good friends, Bill & Jen Wren & their family) had a great evening running from house to house, filling their bags (pillowcases) with as much candy as they could possibly get. I must say, in years past, they got sooooo much candy it was rediculous. What was even worse was that half the candy went to waste because half of the candy was the crappy kind that tasted like wax, or someother unspeakable substance. This year however was completely different. They didn't get near the amount of candy they had in years past, but the size & quality was incredible.

Can's of soda pop, bags of chips, HUGE giant size candy bars (you know, like the 4 x 6 or 7 in candy bars), regular size candy bars, etc. They hit the jack pot! Man, where were these houses when I was growing up. I was totally jipped!

This was Cassidey's first year she didn't go trick or treating with us. She ventured out alone with her friends. They went to a few homes, but decided they wanted to watch a scary movie instead, which turned out to be a lame, disney-like musical of a Cinderella-like story line, starring Selena Gomez. Teenagers!

All-in-all, Halloween '08 was a huge success! The kids didn't stay out late, in fact, Peity came home earlier than everyone else, partly because she was tired, and partly because her costume was falling apart. She kept pooping out "gumball" balloons as she walked from house to house. By the time she got home, her "gumball" supply was almost completely depleted. They all said they had a GREAT time, and they are actually almost finished with their candy! Woo Hoo!

All hail The Great "D.I."!

Princess "Pei-Pei" Turns 7!

Time..... An idea made up by Man.

Time can either be a good thing, (anticipating the end of class, dinner's ready, or bed time), or a bad thing, (anticipating the end of class, dinner is late, or bed time.) But time is something a parent dreads when they realize their baby girl is growing up way to fast!

Our littl princess, Peighton, turned 7-years old on October 28. It seems like yesterday when we received the jaw-dropping news, (before being wheeled in to have a hysterectomy I might add), we were pregnant with her! Peighton came into this world with a BANG! and her life has continued to be so ever since!

(Peity opening her birthday gifts. We thought it was cute that Stoney

was as interested in her Jewely Bead Kit as Peighton was.)

Although her birthday was on the 28th, we did not celebrate it until the next day because of many different conflicts. So Peity so kindly decided to celebrate it on the 29th, when all our focus and attention could be placed on her. What a smart girl!

(It took Peity a couple tries to blow out all her candles. Brett always gets a kick out of getting the re-lighting candles. I love that he is always a kid at heart.)

(Peity got the big job of cutting her own cake - which she frosted herself. She thought she was big enough for the job, now that she is 7.)

Our family does not have traditional birthday parties. Instead, we choose to throw parties on special occasions, such as: 1 yr. - First year of life; 5 yr - First year of Kindergarten; 8 yr - Being Baptized; 12 &/or 13 yr - Receiving Priesthood, entering YW, & becoming a teenager; 16 yr - Getting Driver's License; & 18 yr - Graduation / Adulthood. The rest of the birthdays are celebrated with family, which makes it more personal and we focus, as a family, only on the birthday person. The kids seem to like it and it works well for our family.

(While Peity was busy cutting her cake, Gunner was busy finishing off the rest of the icing.

When he was finished, he had it all over his face & hand. That's our Gunner!)

This is Peighton in a nutshell.

P = always PATIENT with everyone. Loves PHOTOGRAPHY

E = always ENERGETIC. Always EAGER to learn.

I = INQUISITIVE about everything. IRRESISTIBLE laughter

G = GIFTED artist. Loves to live the GOSPEL. Enjoys GIVING of herself.

H = our HARDEST WORKER. Loves giving & receiving HUGS.

T = always THOUGHTFUL. Our TINY princess. One TOUGH girl.

O = tries hard to be OBEDIENT. Always OPTIMISTIC

N = NEVER quits. Loves having her NAILS painted. NEVER stops!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS PEI-PEI!

WE LOVE YOU!

Nothing Like A Sweet Tooth!

Halloween just isn't Halloween without some overly frosted sugar cookies to get you in the goulish mood & heighten your sweet tooth.

The kids had been begging us for the past few days to make cookies, and me being the terrific baker I am said, "Tomorrow. I promise!" Well, that promise was put off for 3 days. Finally, on a lazy Sunday evening, Brett decided to be the kids hero, and he made up a batch sugar cookies. He even made homemade icing! He truly is the BEST!

After dividing the icing into different bowls and adding different colors to them, we went to town. At first the cookies looked like easter eggs. I reminded the kids that these were for Halloween, and that triggered their creative juices. Soon we had cookies with pictures of witches, frankenstiens, pumpkins, cats, etc., flowing out our ears. It was really fun.

We sure had a fun time decorating, making a mess, and in Brody's case, just plain eating as much frosting as you could possibly eat. Brody would ice a cookie, lick it off, ice it again, and again, lick it off. He did this to at least 5 cookies. The cookies were suppose to be passed out to friends & neighbors, but after seeing the whole "licking thing" going on, we weren't sure which cookies had not been "double iced." But hey, the thought was there, right?

It started our Halloween preparations off to a good start!

A MARY KAY WEEKEND IN PARK CITY!

This weekend was spent in the beautiful mountains in Park City, UT. I was lucky enough to attend The Brothers National Retreat for Mary Kay! Before I went I was having a little pity party and really not wanting to go. Thank goodness I have a husband who, at times, knows better than me, kissed me, and kicked my booty out the door! Man, I love that man!

I listened to speakers who are EXTREMELY successful in Mary Kay. They taught us (over 250 women) how, we too, can be successful if we are willing to "get our hands dirty" by working hard, and NEVER GIVING UP! It was also spent raising money for The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, which gives money for cancer research, as well as giving towards helping women & children affected by domestic abuse. What a great cause!

I learned that even though the confidence or belief level in yourself isn't quite where it should be, you can lean on your team leader's until the belief in yourself comes. This has been my main area of struggle. This was the #1 reason I joined with this WONDERFUL company, to build my self-confidence & belief in myself. It has been a slow journey, but it's getting there.

New friendships were built during this weekend, also. My friend & sponsoring director, Arianne Morgon, had the insight to put me in a room with a fellow director/friend of hers, Michelle Hughes. I was able to stay with several women within her organization, and we instantly bonded. I was able to attend things that had I not been in this room, I would not have had the privedlege to attend. IT WAS AWESOME!

During one of the evenings, we learned about "Dressing for Success." How to look your best, not only by the way you dress, but by the way you wear your hair. There was a fashion show, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. I was able to have a professional fashion designer pick clothes out just for me that would help me look more professional, and if you know me, I needed all the help I could get. According to all my friends, I looked GREAT, but I so wasn't use to wearing jeans & high heeled boots & DANGLY EARINGS. I sort of felt like a bloated Hoochie Mama, and was waiting for someone to ask me how much I charched. :P Then, me, along with several of my other friends strutted our stuff in front of over 250 women! It was AWESOME (I think)!

One of the highlights during the weekend was to see the transformation of one of my new friends, Colleen Beller. This woman went from a beautiful women with LONG, LONG hair, to a HOT, SEXY WOMAN with a very updated, professional style that totally enhanced her facial features. She looked AMAZING! One of our roomies, Alex Messerly is a great stylist, and was able to help her feel comfortable about making this BIG change! I can't believe the change, and she was even able to donate her hair to locks of love!

Yes, this was a well need weekend get-a-way! One that was needed not only for the outside, but more importantly, for the inside too. I just need to apply what I heard & get out of my own way & get my butt moving. So.....

DIRECTOR, HERE I COME! JUST YOU WAIT & SEE!

JANUARY 2009!

facebooking - An Addiction

Who ever hasn't facebooked hasn't lived. I discovered it, oh, I don't know sometime back in April or May. When I first joined, I actually thought it was pretty dumb, and I mainly did it cause some of the YW in Colorado had told me about it. My daughter also became a member, so I got on to make sure it was a good site for her to be a part of.

Well, I think I need to start up an fba (facebooking anonamous) group. I swear, it is truly addicting. You think you're gonna get on for just a bit, but then you want to see if anyone knew has joined facebook, you need to look at all your friends pictures and of course comment on them, you need to accept the friend requests that come in, and you need to chat with those facebook friends who are online at the moment. HOLY CRAP! It takes all day to accomplish this. I guess this is why my house looks the way it does and my kids are complaining that they don't have any clean underwear.

I guess I need to do what others do when they have a true addiction - QUIT! COLD TURKEY! I mean, isn't this why blogging was set up? Don't we catch up on those we chat with through our lovely blogs we spend so much time creating & adding to?

But there's just something different about facebooking. I don't quite know what it is, but it's there, and I swear it calls out my name each time I pass by my computer saying, "Cammie, I have a friend for you, don't you want to see who it is? Come on, it will only take a second." And then, wham, it has you reeled in for hours at a time.

Well, no more. I'm putting my foot down right now! I am only going to allow myself to facebook once a month. When that day comes, then I will only be on for 10-minutes. That should do it, that should cut the urge, and fill a need as well. So, anyone else who is feeling the addiction of facebooking, may I challenge you all to do the same thing. Let's ban together and cut this addiction before someone gets hurt.

Oh, who am I kidding, facebook is awesome, and I guess I just have to continue living in filth, cause well, when it comes to friends, you can never have enough - right? Please say yes!

LIFE INTERUPTED

So, summer has now been over for 6-weeks, or should I say the kids have been in school for 6-weeks. Time to get back to my blogging. Sad to say that summer time gets to busy to sit down and blog for 5-min. at a time, especially when this is the time to get a lot of your greatest memories down, but hey, I'm only human, so shoot me.

Summertime seem to have flown by in the blink of an eye. We had a great summer, especially since we live closer to family. We spent a lot of time down in Utah County so our kids could play with their gazillion cousins. It was fun to be able to spend more "holiday time" with family as well.

We didn't really go on any vacations especially with the cost of gas the way it is, but we hung out and created memories of our own. The kids claimed to have read each day, which as all parents know is a total load of unmentionables. They should just say, "Mom, I've had a successful summer because my I.Q. dropped a full point!" Then I can say, "Well done my child, you have lived the summer life to the fullest!"

Although summer time is a well deserved vacation for parents and kids alike, I also think they should just keep it going year round because the first 3-months are spent reviewing everything they learned from the previous year, since it's all forgotten over the course of summer vacation.

As a family we spent time at Lagoon, at one of our friends cabins, going camping with friends, watching the kids play different sport (baseball, soccer, and softball), and best of all, watching our 8-year old son, Gunner be baptized and become a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint.

These are just of few of the great summer events to took place, and now it's time to get back into the swing of life. So, to all my fellow bloggers who have been so diligent and didn't let summer vacations or life get in their way - Here's to blogging.

I'M RELATED TO A STAR!

Yes, it's true, I am related to a superstar. Today will be his bid debut, and there will be thousands flocking to see him. "Who is this most amazing superstar?" you ask. Well, let me give you a hint. The first name is INDIANA!

Now before you fall to pieces and drool all over yourself thinking I am related to Harrison Ford, let me correct you. I am indeed related to THE INDIANA, but he is someone more important and incredible than Harrison Ford. Who be this VIP? It is my nephew, Henry Alden "INDIANA" Green.

My sister-in-law, Mandy is a movie FREAK! She LOVES Star Wars and Indiana Jones. What do these two movie series have in common? Harrison Ford of course. When she married my brother Brent she let it known that one of her children would be named after this most handsome of stars. Thus the name "Indiana" was chosen when their 2nd child was born.

You may ask, "So?" Well, today is my nephew, Indiana's 7th birthday. I don't think it coincidence that he was name after the infamous Indiana Jones, or that today is opening night for the movie, "Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

It is such a big deal that newspapers all over the state have been coming to interview young Indy, who with his trusy bull-whip in hand (which is real by the way), confidently shows his whipping skills.

You can read the 1st article on him posted in the Daily Herald at: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/267493/17/ You can also check out more of Indy doing his "Indiana Jones" poses at http://brentandmandygreen.blogspot.com/

Yes, I feel priveldge to be related to such an amazing person. Indiana Green is a star in my eyes and has so much more endearing qualities that will forever remain with me, more so than the so-called star of the newest Indiana Jones movies (although Harrison Ford is still pretty much up there in my "Most Hottest of Hot Guys" book)

Love Ya INDIANA! Happy Birthday to one of my favorite, most bravest heros!

WELLSVILLE MILE!

On Wednesday, Stoney had the chance to compete in the Wellsville Mile. What is the Wellsville Mile you ask? Well, apparently it is a race for 4th & 5th graders in the Cache Valley School District. This race has been going on since "the beginning of time" according to our neighbor. She grew up in this area and competed in it when she was this age, which was quite some time ago since she is a grandma now. It's a way to promote healthy living and staying physically active.

Apparently, this is race is pretty well known. The official Timer for the Boston Marathon loves this race and what it promotes so he comes and volunteers his services and times the races for free. How AWESOME is that!

The students have been training for the past 6-weeks, increasing their indurance and strength. Stoney had the fastest time (by 2 sec. - 6.45) for all the 4th grade boys in the district coming into the race. He was excited about that, and knew he would do a good job.

The day of the race was CRAZY! There were kids running around everywhere, parents, grandparents & siblings lining the sidewalks, and police ars & orange cones placed at street corners. You would have thought everyone was getting ready for a grand parade.

They had the 4th grade girls compete first. There were three heats for each grade / gender. Which ever heat the child competed in was determined by his / her time. The 1st heat was for slower times, 2nd heat for average times, and 3rd heats for the faster times. Stoney competed in the 3rd heat for 4th grade boys. Peity, Brody and I made bright signs to cheer Stoney on. We had a great time making them.

It came time for Stoney's heat, and he was a little nervous. He was so excited his dad was able to come watch him, and it was fun hearing Brett give Stoney last minute tips to help Stoney run a better race. There were about 30 boys in Stoney's heat -at least. The gun went off and Stoney was on his way. He began sprinting, and unfortunately ran out of gas a little sooner than we thought. As he came around for the 2nd lap, he had dropped behind, but he was stilling doing great.

We held up the signs high & cheered him on as loud as we could. The finish line was exciting and we were anxious to see our little guy rounding the corner and starting his "kick." He was able to pass a few people and ended up coming in 10th in his heat & 20th out of 98 4th grade boys. HE DID FANTASTIC!

We were so proud of him. He ran a great race, and he learned a lot. He was a little disappointed because he was expecting to do a little better, but he realized he started out too fast, and he also got trapped in a big group of boys and ended up getting pushed into the ditch, but he had a great time.

Next year, he wants to train a little harder and gain tips to get a better time. If you're ever out this way during the 2nd week of May stop by the tiny town of Wellsville and cheer on these kids as they run a fantastic race.

WAY TO GO STONEY!

WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU!