So Much To Be Thankful For

I have so much gratitude this Thanksgiving. This has been quite the year for our Tucker Family and as I reflect on the past year I have been truly blessed.

I am so grateful for my four wonderful kids and I can’t imagine life without them. They bless me in so many ways. I am thankful that I am a mother and although it is the hardest thing I have ever done I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I am so thankful for my family. Their love and support for me and my kids means the world. I have felt their love and prayers here and it has given us comfort and strength.

I have been blessed with wonderful neighbors and friends. It is the little things that matter the most. I cannot express how grateful I am for those who have shown love and given service to our family.

But most importantly I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He lives. And He loves me!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thelma & Louise

Two sister’s adventure driving across the country!

Click on the link to my sister's blog.

http://skillpeople.blogspot.com/

Brace Face

I've by working in the Orthodontic field for almost 18 years now. But I have to say the day I put my daughter's braces on was the highlight of my career!

 This was a legal way for me to torture her and take some pictures that may be used to keep the boys away! What more could a mother ask for?

I say nothing!  This is priceless!

Warning…

This post needs no explanation, except to say that Camden really enjoyed himself.

Goodbye Summer

There is a saying that says "the one constant in life is change" and this summer our Tucker Family has seen it's share of changes.  Now that the dust has settled and school is back in session we thought we would take a minute to look back on this summer's events and pick the moments that meant the most to us.

Camden

Camden's highlights are summed up by all things motorized.

First off, in honor of his Uncle Mark's Triathlon he voluntarily buzzed off his hair (so Uncle Mark wouldn't have to) and sported a mohawk for the event.  Tanner took advantage of the free do, as did Bryce (thank goodness).  The deal was he could sport the mohawk for the weekend, but come Sunday it had to be history.  Luckily enough he did as I asked and the hair was gone a few days later.  (I have to admit that he did look cute though.)

His second favorite pick for the summer was learning how to operate a weight sensored lawn mower by his Aunt Stacy. I mention the weight sensor because any normal person would realize that the weight sensor is an added safety feature, however to a Skillman safety features are more like guidelines thus optional and should come with on/off switches.  Needless to say, the mower would work when Camden had a passenger, however, when he was on his own the machine would stop.  To remedy the safety issue Stacy just grabbed a couple 20 pound bench press weights and off Camden went.  He loved every minute!!

And last, but not least, Camden LOVED hanging out with his cousin Connor.  Unfortunately, he had one week without the Con Man when he was away at scout camp, but when they were together they had Lego wars, Nerf gun wars, played the wii, and jumped on the tramp.  His most favorite day was when we went to Emigrant Lake and went tubing.  They were smiling from ear to ear!

 Cailey (in her own words)

 Instead of "Favorite Day," I thought I would do "Favorite Summer." My "Favorite Summer" was hangin with Sheralyn. We had many great moments. Eating Dinner and talking with Sheralyn in the front yard was fun. We talked about Oregon and Utah and how different they are. We also talked about life just in general. Another funny moment was trying to teach Sheralyn how to burp.

I also had a great time watching Uncle Mark do the Tri. It takes a lot of time and energy to do a tri. I would like to "put my shoes back on" and "Give it a Tri. Thanks Uncle Mark for your help and support! I would also like to Thank Uncle Mark and Dave Peterson for the blessing they gave me in Utah. It helped me be calm and relaxed.

Aunt Stacy, I had many great and fun moments with you too. Boating was be far the best, you really helped me get in the water and taught me some that I think is really fun. I really appreciate you helping our family when we are in times of trouble.



Gramma Bear and Grampa Bear, I had so much fun seeing you. Gramma Bear I had so much fun shopping with you and talking to. I loved spending time with you and can't wait to see you again. Grampa Bear, I had so much fun at your retirement party. Meeting your friends and family was fun and I hope I get to see them again. Happy Retirement Lee Welf!

All of my younger but taller cousins (or the ones getting close), I had so much fun with with you all. I love you Conner, Chloe, Maddie, Jenna, and all your friends that I got to meet, can't wait to see you next year!

Uncle Scott and Aunt Wendy you both bring positive vibes our way! Aunt Wendy thank you for the pancake cake and the broil cake, personally I don't like pudding anymore. :) Uncle Scott thanks for the hike. It was fun to see all of you hiking! I had so much fun with Bryce, Maddie, Aunt Wendy and Uncle Scott the hike was fun hope to do it next year!

Dani it was so fun to see the way you changed and found yourself in Italy. I want to go there and see the different culture that you had a chance to live in for 10 months.

Thank you to all of the family for your support.
Ci vediamo la prossima estate!!
Love Cailey :)

Steph

This summer I found joy in all the little moments.  We didn't need to be doing anything in particular, we just needed to be together.  And what I found was amidst all the change there was (and is) always one constant: FAMILY.  This is what motivates me to get out of bed each morning and put one foot in front of the other.  Here are just a few highlights caught on camera:

Stacy being a cheerleader.

Cailey off to Girls Camp.

If in doubt throw it out (or give it to Wendy).

A rare moment.

The picture says it all!! :)

Enjoying the lake.

Taking Advantage Of The Wind

The Easter Bunny brought my kids kites. We had a little time to spare one evening so Camden took his out for a test drive.

Thank you Mr. Easter Bunny.

Encore

This is why Cailey loves to play the piano.  He played this for her when she met him.  Here again is Jon Schmidt:

She Can See Clearly Now

After complaining that she can't see the board I broke down and took Cailey to the eye doctor. She is now sporting new glasses. 

Dream Car

Cailey found her "dream" car. 

Too bad she's too short to reach the pedals!

A Dream Comes True

Cailey has been playing the piano for five years now. She LOVES to play, and thankfully her piano teacher encourages her find music that she wants to play. Her favorite pieces are those of David Lanz, and Jon Schmidt.

Last Friday, Cailey went to an extra practice to “learn how to critique” others and in turn they critique her. This is all done to improve their performances. Little did she know that her instructor had a HUGE surprise for them!!

In the middle of the critique the door bell rang and in walked
Jon Schmidt!!!!
He stayed for about a half hour and played songs the students requested. Cailey said he flipped the bench around, played with his elbow, and even had the piano shaking!!

When Cailey came out to the car after it was over she was shaking, and had tears in her eyes when she said: “One of my dreams just came true!”

A BIG THANK YOU to Yvonne Burch for being such a wonder teacher and for doing these types of things that inspire her students to realize nothing is impossible!!

(Here is Jon Schmidt's wedsite: 
http://www.jonschmidt.com/)

Who Says Money Doesn't Grow On Trees?

I have to preface this post by saying that my daughter, Cailey, has an addiction to paper, and all things related to paper; paper clips, tape, scissors, glue (hot or cold), crayons, pencils (she prefers mechanical), post-its, etc.  She is a MASTER at making confetti out of the scraps of her masterful creations.  This is usually a sore subject with me, as most of the time I am left to vacuum up the mountain of leftovers. But once in a while her creativity and thoughtfulness surprise me.

So, for my birthday Cailey made me what every woman would want... a money tree!  (Granted it only had five bucks, and some change, but...)  The thought and love that went into it 

MADE MY DAY!

Catching Up

I got a FB message from a friend of mine I hadn't seen in 13 years!! She was going to be in town and wanted to get together. We met at (of all places) Village Inn in SLC (my kids are never going to let me live this down, since we were the YOUNGEST people in the whole place) and were able to spend a couple hours reminiscing and catching up. She had called another friend of ours and he too was able to stop by and say HI! It was so fun to see old friends...

(Cristy, John, Me and Camden)

Two Thumbs WAY Up!

I decided to take the kids to see Avatar in 3D!!  I'd heard all the hype, yet I never usually buy into it.  But... I have to say it was a GREAT movie!  We would give it three thumbs up if it was possible, but since it's not we'll settle for two!!

How NOT To Quilt

You would think it is a rite of passage for all Mormon women to know how to quilt. Apparently it is NOT. Here are a few tips on how NOT to quilt:

1. Invite a Skillman, Shumway, Tucker, or Wels to any quilting get together. Their advice is cheap and WILL cause lower back pain.

2. Make sure you pull fabric as tight as possible, so that you get a ripping effect of the material. Adds character to your project.

3. Pin down material in such a way that is impossible to roll quilt. It gives you the opportunity to create new and improved ways of quilting.  (Wendy, there is nothing to be embarrassed about… Just don't tell your mother.)

4. Send a courageous member of the group under quilt to help tie the yarn.

 

5. Use a VERY Sharp object to help direct where to thread the yarn.

6. First aid kits are optional.  (But if any of the above are in attendance heed WARNING:  quilting can be dangerous!)

8. Last, but not least, DO NOT have a good time!!

I Am Thankful For Family

All the great grandkids with Grandma Wright.

Double trouble

Kyler being a big LITTLE kid!

The grandkids with Grandma Wright.

The Tucker Clan.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New Moon Madness

The wait is over, at least for now. Last night at midnight the kids and I courageously went to see New Moon, with thousands of CRAZY Twilight fans! (I think we were the only people who didn't sport some sort of "team" Edward or Jacob garb.)

Buying treats for the show:

Entertaining ourselves while waiting to get in the theater:




Here we are on the FRONT ROW:

We all had a great time; we ate too much and laughed til our sides hurt!

Golfer's Anonymous

The Tucker boys have an addiction.

Tomatoes Anyone?

We moved into our new home in May, and by the end of August I had ripped out a patch of sod and started planting a garden. I was a little late in planting and of course just after I planted the rains came a washed a majority of my seeds! I did get nine tomato plants in and all but two survived!!

I decided that this year I would learn to can tomatoes since our family devours homemade salsa like it was water! I got on the Internet to learn how and one Saturday afternoon Cailey and I canned tomatoes together. It was easy and surprisingly fun!

The good news is that because this was my first year gardening I've learned a few things in the process, so hopefully next year we will have even greater success! Cheers to tomotoes!

WPJH Spirit Week Assembly

This week was SPIRIT WEEK at WPJH!! And Cailey has spirit!

Try to find her in this dance video.

They also honored the volleyball team for the varsity's undefeated record!

(Here is a hint to find Cailey in the video: She is wearing dark pink and she in the middle! Good Luck!)

Cailey The Libero

Cailey started Junior High this year and to our surprise announced she wanted to try out for the Volleyball team. Tryouts were the first week of school, and by the end of the week they would post who made the team. I had to work the day the teams were announced, but told her to call me as soon as she found out the results. I was nervous all day, hoping that Cailey wouldn't be too disappointed when she didn't make it. How could my daughter, who was usually the smallest in her class make the Volleyball team?

Here she is at tryouts. Notice the height difference.

The day of the results a friend of mine, who was picking up the girls to take them home, called me and told me Cailey wanted to tell me the results in person. I thought this could be bad. Another hour went by, when finally I met Cailey as she was getting out of the car with mascara running down her cheeks. I immediately wrapped her in my arms and told her as long as she did the best she could that was all that mattered. She said I know and I made it!!!! Apparently, on her way to tell me she used her water bottle to make it look like she had been crying. I was so happy for her!

She made it!

Ready for the serve!

Her serve!

Her bump!

The rules of Volleyball have changed since I was a kid. No longer do you have to be the team serving to receive a point. They also have what they call a Libero, which is the position Cailey plays. The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills: the libero must wear a contrasting jersey color from his or her teammates and cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height (which is not a problem for Cailey because she is nowhere close to being able to reach the top of the net). The libero is, generally, the most skilled defensive player on the team. When I talked to her coach, she said that Cailey is aggressive and not afraid of the ball, which is why she is a great Libero.

Making the Volleyball team has been a great experience for Cailey. She has learned to dedicate herself to something she committed to, she has learned to prioritize her time, and she has developed friendships along the way!!!