Jones Jones Bo Bones

Dance Class

2011-03-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is Amelia's Dance class. She has been dancing with most of them since she was 3 years old. I ran in to their class the other day to get a class photo for the slide show during recital...It turned out so cute I just had to post it to my blog that I have not posted anything to in over 6 months. Oh well, better late than never.

It rained and poured for 40 daysies daysies. "Girls Camp"

2010-09-09T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have been to girls church camp many times in my life. This year happened to be the wettest I have ever experienced. It rained each and every day. On this particular day.. we woke to the most beautiful sunny day and we were all excited for the sun to come out. Well, we did see the sun for a few hours but then all of the sudden it was pouring buckets and buckets of water. Forget the ponchos, forget trying to stay clean and dry. This was a day for playing in the rain. Serious.... they tackled each other and the leaders and threw them in creek beds that were raging and swollen with water. I only escaped because I had a camera in my hands (under my poncho and tucked into a plastic bag ) I tried to snap some photos of the chaos but the rain was just to much even for a quick picture. I did get this picture just as the girls were coming back to the cabin to change their clothes and get dry. We all changed and sat on all the bunk beds and sang songs and danced until we were dry enough to venture out in the rain again. This time with umbrellas and ponchos. There is only so much wet a girl can take.

You only turn FORTY once!

2010-08-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

I asked for it and boy did I get it. A few months ago as I was contemplating my impending end to my thirties I came up with a brilliant idea, I wanted to have a "40th" birthday bash. I thought back to all the parties I have had and realized that the last real birthday party I had had was when I was turning twelve years old. I had a big sleep over and was allowed to invite exactly 7 friends. My mom made up a big scavenger hunt that took us all over our neighborhood looking for crawdads, four leaf clovers and cow patties (all except the four leaf clover was readily available in our neighborhood).

At first I thought we might just make it a really big bash and include both Dave's and my 40th birthday and also our 20th Anniversary which is 4 days after my birthday, Dave's birthday is in December. He didn't want any part of "lime light" attention and so it was decided that we would celebrate my birthday only. We made up the invite list and decided we could invite 23 couples which included all my family, all of Dave's family and a few friends on top of that. We figured at least half of the invites would RSVP but much to our surprise we had all but 3 invites RSVP to tell us they would be attending. I was happily surprised that so many people could make time in their busy schedules to hang out with me for an evening. To say the least I felt loved.

Dave and I had a blast planning and preparing for the party. We needed the party to be outside and we hemmed and hawed about when we should have the party, since my birthday happens to fall right smack dab in the middle of "monsoon season" here in Arizona we were leery to have it in August. We decided to take our chances and planned the party in our back yard on my actual birthday which is August 7th. Dave put up pretty bulb lights and we added some lanterns and had a giant table lined up under the lights. We went with an Italian theme as Dave and I have always wanted to travel there and we love the food and music. The girls and I prepared most of the food the day before and the cakes and salad the day of the party. We made a tasty dinner of Italian bread and oil, salad, meatballs and spaghetti and I made these cute little yummy lemon and chocolate torte cakes. I had a blast making the food. Dave worked the kitchen for most of the party (he feels more comfortable working then being a host).

For entertainment I had my daughter Ammah play a song by Taylor swift called "Best Day" which is about a mother and daughter and I hired a professional singer to play more songs for us as well as play a song for me to sing to Dave. Since it was our anniversary a few days later I dedicated "The Way I Am", to Dave.

The weather had promised to rain that evening but the skies were clear all day and we thought we might be in the clear, unfortunately it did rain toward the end and we did get a little wet and moved the party to the porch and inside of the house but all in all we had a blast, most of the guest didn't even mind the rain and several of them ran around the back yard in it.

Dave and I had so much fun planning and preparing together. I think..... that all that planning was probably the best part of the whole thing. We spent hours looking at lighting and tables scapes and shopping at Home Depot and making table center pieces.. even the girls got into all the planning and prep work. They even served our guest and helped in the kitchen. Poor Amelia went up to her room before the party was even over as she became super tired from all her hard work at the party. It was definitely a family project.

My friend Scarlett took these pictures at the party and put them together in this fun little video. The back ground music is my daughter Ammah singing the song I requested from her. It was recorded by some friends of ours. Isn't she awesome. I am so proud of her.

*** You will want to scroll to the bottom of the blog and hit the pause button on the music box so you can hear Ammah sing her song.

Our Twentieth Anniversary

2010-08-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

David and I celebrated our 20th anniversary on Wednesday night. We didn't have big plans but the night felt magical anyway. We started off with dinner at Chilli's, a movie and then home for a little dessert that I had prepared. I placed a plate before Dave and asked him to figure out what everything represented. Gummy Bears from our first date to see Cats at Gammage, chocolate covered strawberries from our honeymoon night and macadamia clusters from our honeymoon vacation in Hawaii. He had a little treat for me too as he brought out two cans of cherry 7Up, the drink we served at our reception. How sweet that he even found "diet 7Up" for me since I am still on my "no sugar" kick. We had a great time reminiscing and sharing fun cards with each other. I know it wasn't much for such a big anniversary but it felt just right for some reason.

Dave came home with 2 dozen pink roses for me. I advised he should have only bought 20, one for each year we were married. He advised the other 4 were for good luck. :o)

We shared a yummy dinner of steak and shrimp. It was the best steak I've had in years. We had such a great dinner talking about the past 20 years and all that we have done, accomplished and also what lies a head for us.

I can honestly say that our marriage has not been all "peaches n cream", we have had a few moments, months and even a few years that have been a little difficult, but in the end, I find much joy in our relationship. Dave is my best friend and has always been. I love him with all my heart and plan on sharing soooo many more years in matrimonial bliss with him. Happy Anniversary Babe.. I LOVE YOU.

Freshman , Five and Phlebotomy

2010-08-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

Andelyn is now a high school student and Amelia is entering 5th grade. Sorry no pictures of Ammah but she did start her phlebotomy school last month, I'll see if I can catch her in her scrubs one day.

August 11th was all a buzz in our house as the girls were putting on their fresh new school clothes and checking to make sure their hair was just right. Amelia rides the bus to and from school this year and we are so close to Andy's school that she just walks. Yeah..... for the 1st time in 14 years I do not have to take a kid to school or pick them up. Seriously! Do you know how awesome that is??? Do you? Well, unless you have done as much pick up and drop off as I have done over the years you may not understand my giddiness, for those of you who know the route so well you can do it blindfolded and in your sleep...you are gettin me right now.

Just wanted to share a few pics of my girls first day outfits. I loved the shoes this year and had to get a few close ups.

I love fresh new school clothes. Brings back tons of memories of my own first days of school. So exciting it always was meeting your new teacher and seeing all your friends after a long summer break.

Ammah, Andelyn and Amelia - God bless you in your school days this year. Do your best and return with honor.

Have You Ever??

2010-07-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Have you ever swam in a pool of chocolate milk? Well we haven't either but... Gila Box in Safford is probably going to be the closest we ever get to swimming in chocolate milk. "Gustav, save some room for later". No we did not taste it. Well. I guess I can't actually say that I didn't taste it because for some reason I couldn't keep my mouth shut while we were having a huge mud fight. I'm talking filthy, completely covered, mud in places you really don't wanna have mud kinda mud fight. I convinced my good friend Rebecca that we really should have a mud fight, because when else would we get the chance and our kids would never forget it. So..... I casually picked up a gigantic wad of slimy mud and pretended to be looking at something in the mud, as the kids came closer I let em have it and ooooh the fight was on. I think Amelia got the worst of it but she didn't really care because in the end she and Lilly were wallowing in it like little piggies.

The girls and I like to visit my long time friend Rebecca and her family in Safford every year. It's one of the highlights of our year. This year we visited during July 24th Pioneer Day Celebration. There were cookouts, BB Q's, swim parties, fireworks, a parade and we even squished in a few hours of baptisms at the new Temple. The Evans Family was in charge of a branch float this year during the parade and asked if Andelyn and Amelia would like to join in the fun. Scott and Rebecca were "Root Beer" floats and the kids ran around dressed all in brown and handed out root beer candies to all the parade goers.

Havasupai Falls

2010-07-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

I would love to say that I was lucky enough to be part of this awesome trip Andelyn was privileged enough to go on but alas my expertise in hiking and rock climbing was not needed :OP This is the trip the youth in our ward were able to make for Youth Conference this year. It was entitled "Journey to the Promise Land". Fitting for sure. Andelyn said it was the prettiest place she had ever seen with her own eyes. They hiked down into the canyon at Midnight, 12 miles down and stayed at camp for two days. They hiked back out on the 3rd day in the middle of the night as well. They all wore head lamps to light the way. It's just to hot to hike during the day so hiking in the dark is almost a necessity. Andelyn loved everything about it except the two giant blisters she had on the back of her heels. Apparently she had the least of the blisters and I think she actually got off a lot better than some of the other hikers. Several of her leaders told me that Andelyn was an amazing hiker. She was one of the first to hike out to the top beating out all but 1 other boy in her group.

Hmmmm - can you guess what time it is?

2010-07-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yup, you guessed it. Or if you didn't guess it. It's recital time. Interestingly enough, for some reason I didn't get any pictures of Andelyn in her costumes. Yes, we bought a few from the stage photography but I didn't really get any snap shots of her this year. I happened to be at the studio the day Amelia had most of her pictures so I snapped a few outside. These 4 little girls are the best of friends in dance class. They actually spend about 5 hours a week with each other dancing and so it's no surprise that they are such good friends. They belong to a Company group that has been together since they were 6 and this years recital was their 4th year to dance together.

What a beautiful ballerina pose from my sweet little Amelia. She loves all her classes and absolutely adores dance. Both Amelia and Andelyn take tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary and hip hop.

Long Time, No Entry

2010-07-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit that I don't actually like the way this blog site works. I have been having a hard time getting my pictures and text to go where I want them to go and I usually just end up giving up. Especially if I have a lot to put on one post and I have to figure out what happened in backwards order. Maybe I am lame and not getting the way posts should work but I find that I am having a hard time. Alas, all my excuses aside I decided I would just post a few pics and right a tad bit for each one no matter what today. So here goes. May the pictures fall where they may.

My sweet little baby girl turned 10 on the last day of February and we decided to have a little friends party. Amelia invited 5 little girls over and they played games galore and ate a wholotta CANDY. The best game ended up being the most simple of them all. We blew up a beach ball and I wrote silly questions all over the ball. The girls threw the ball around and who ever caught the ball had to answer the question that their right thumb was closest too.

She also cut 12 inches off of her very long hair. I seriously cried as I cut but in the end it was pretty cut and Amelia loves it. That's all that really matters anyway.

SUGAR FREE

2010-02-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

So.... I made myself a little itsy bitsy New Years resolution this year. I'm out to conquer sugar. Yup, no treats for a year. No cookies, no cake, no pie, no muffins, no soda pop, no candy, no chocolate, no jelly etc. Yes, sugar is in just about everything so I'm not going absolutely nuts with the sugar police. I still have a bowl of Cherrios or bread or ketchup, for heavens sake even oatmeal has 1 gram of sugar in it. It's been almost 2 months and I've only had one slip and that was a licked finger of jelly while making lunch one day for the girls. Ooops, old habits die hard. Anyway, just because I am riding on the insane train doesn't mean my family is following me down the same track. I decided to make myself bake the usual treats every week or so and sugar cookies during Valentines was no exception. I must confess that I did smell a few cookies several times but you've gotta give me some props for not licking a single frosted finger while decorating over 100 sugar cookies to the max. And when I say to the max I mean the MAX. We had chocolate and vanilla frosting, red hots, conversation hearts, m&m's, licorice and all manner of sprinkles. Cookies are my biggest weakness and sugar cookies with just a smidgen of frosting are my absolute favorite. I know it sounds nuts but I actually feel proud of myself for this commitment I have made. Now... whether this no sugar thing will affect the shape of my body I am doubtful since I have actually gained 2 lbs since I started. Go figure!

Family Photo Shoot

2010-01-06T15:40:00.001-08:00

With all our busy schedules, especially Dave this year with School, work and finals. Our annual Christmas picture didn't happen until the 1st week in January. Oh well, better late than never. Thank you Scarlett for fitting us in at the last minute.

Top Ten Christmas List O9"

2010-01-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

#10 - Listening to Christmas carols on the radio.
#9 - Our ward Christmas party and singing "The Prayer" with Bryce.
#8 - Putting up the tree and decorations while listening to Celine Dion's Christmas CD with my family.
#7 - Seeing Family and friends for parties and gatherings.
#6 - Opening Scarlett's presents.
#5 - Sleeping in!
#4 - All the cards and well wishes from family and friends.
#3 - Looking at my lit Christmas tree and candy lights at night. I love Christmas light ambiance.
#2 - Singing in "The Forgotten Carols" at Gammage Auditorium.

and drum roll......................................

My #1 most favorite thing from this Christmas Season.................................... Dave's graduation from radiography school! The best Christmas present this year!

My sleepy girls on Christmas morning. I love all 4 of you.

50 mm Baby!

2009-12-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

I purchased a new lens for my camera today and I was so giddy I drove home and begged the girls to get ready and let me take a few pictures of them in Down Town Mesa. Andelyn was the only sweet child (therefore my "favorite child") to offer up her smiles. I love the technique I get with this lens. Soft out of focus back ground.I had a little learning curve since the lens does not have any zoom (I am the zoom I decided) and what fun I had.
Andelyn: "Mom, you said it would only take 30 minutes".
Mom: "I lied, lets take pictures till I run out of space and battery K".

RUBY ROO

2009-12-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

This is our sweet little Ruby Roo. A.K.A......Roobs, Roobaloobs, Rubeee Rubee Roooo, Woobee, Boobie, Scruffy, Sugar Butt, Puppy, Puppy Wuupy, Baby, Widdel Wooby Girwl, Fur Face, Fluffy Wuffy. You get the picture I'm sure.
She is a mixed bread of Bichone Frise, Shih Tzu and a tiny bit of something called a Griffon. She only weighs 7.5 lbs so obviously a serious lap dog. She can fix just about anything going wrong in your life with one little snuggle and lick. She acts like we have been gone for days at a time each and every time we come home, even if it's only been a few moments. She has learned to sit, shake, beg, stand, walk on two feet (for a long time) dances, plays dead and stays. She is a fabulous watch dog as she likes to stare out the front window for goings on outside and sounds her bark/howl alarm if anyone gets close to our house. Of course all she would do is lick a robber to death if they ever made their way in our house, so she needs a little work in that area. She has some quirky habits like chewing on a tiny spot of her toys for hours at a time, she thinks she needs to get praised for every single time she goes outside to go potty (which is left over from her potty training days) and sometimes she just goes burzurk running around the house like a greyhound all excited over who knows what??
Ruby's Favorite Things: VISITORS! Sun Spots on the floor, peanut butter, Mommy's lap, sleeping on top of Amelia's bed pillows, open windowed car rides, New toys, water bottles, her bears, tummy rubbings, chicken and lunch meat and the groomers..ha ha.. just kidding.

BALLET UNDER THE STARS

2009-12-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

It's tradition! Every year the girls and I attend a free concert given by the professional Arizona Ballet Co. They perform at several outside venues including Peoria, Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa. We always attend the Tempe Town Lake concert. We pack a lunch or pick up Subway and lay out our blankets and chairs. The dancers all come on stage in various styles of dance clothing and warm up for their performance. We are always amazed at their strength, flexibility
and grace. The show only last for 1 hour but it's packed with pieces from the Company performances from the past year and sometimes a sneak peak of what is coming up for the new season.

It's a "green stick" fracture!

2009-12-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

Just a few days after school started Amelia was doing a back bend in dance class and landed wrong on her left hand. She went totally white and started crying. We did the usual, some ibuprofen and ice, we bought her a brace for her wrist but 5 days ( includign two school days) later the wrist was swollen and still very sore. Dr. Braun said it was a "green stick fracture" which means, like a thick green branch that has been broken but the outside green bark is still attached. She had to wear the cast for just shy of 8 weeks, which should have been a little less but Dr. Braun was deer hunting the last week and so Amelia had to wear it an extra week. When she finally went back to have the cast removed and checked, it wasn't completely healed and she had a terrible rash. Because the rash was so bad Dr. Braun said he wouldn't recast it but that she needed to wear her brace for the next month and after that when ever she does things that could lend itself to a fall. The rash took about 6 weeks to clear up and the swelling is finally all gone. Whew! We hope to never deal with that again, but are grateful that it wasn't worse. For those of you who have never had a broken bone. Let's just say showering for 8 weeks with your arm in a cast is very interesting!

SCHOOL THINGS AND SUCH

2009-12-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

Of course we always do the traditional first day back to school picture. New clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes, $ 60 in pens, pencils, paper, erasers, folders, binders, glue, crayons, protractors, tissues, hand sanitizer and a few more odds n ends. Times have sure changed from the days when mom just bought a couple packs of lined paper and a box of pencils. Taking Amelia shopping for clothing this year was quite interesting. She kept saying to herself "is this what Salena Gomez would wear?" If the answer was yes...she wanted it.
Daddy : "Ammah, here are the keys to your new car, now go outside and see which car you can unlock and that's your car".
Ammah: 'Screaming' "I have a car? I have a car? I have a CAR!"

Amelia later said of the 1st ride around the neighborhood that Ammah screamed for the whole ride.
Ammah was so excited to start Jr. College this year and get her very first car! It's a 2003 Chevy Malabu with not a single "power" anything in it. Yes Ammah, you have to roll the windows up and down with a crank, unlock and lock all the doors by hand and watch out for that tricky gas meter.

Kenzie Jones - The Newest Edition to the Jones Clan

2009-12-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Randy and Krissy added number 5 to their growing brewd. After 4 boys Kenzie is a very welcomed little ball of soft, pink, fluff! Of course I had to have a little photo shoot with her. She looks so serious....wonder what she is thinking about.

SUMMER FADED INTO THE FALL

2009-12-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Last call for a summer sleepover. Sleeping bags, vides games, walkie talkies, pizza and pancakes. What else could anyone ask for on your last weekend before school starts. Brynly and Madelynn are some of Amelia's bestest friends and they had a fantastic last hooray to summer.

A 30 SOMETHING YEAR OLD FRIENDSHIP

2009-07-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I am even old enough to have had a friendship that has lasted more than 30 years. 33 to be exact. Rebecca and I met in Mrs. Hearring Kindergarten class in St. Johns AZ. I remember playing on the swings and playing dress up with Rebecca but we didn't become best friends till around 3rd grade. We were even baptised together! We sang a song from My Turn on Earth called 'Bright Little Light' which I have had all three of my own children sing at their baptisms. Rebecca and I spent our time playing at each others houses, jumping on her trampoline, dressing up for Halloween, going to Merry Miss and mutual together,attending choir, baking and just being very silly. During the summer we rode our bikes down town to the public pool and walked to the drugstore for hot dogs and cokes from the soda fountain, we slept under the stars on her trampoline or on our rollaway bed. We ate tons of Popsicles and even had several food fights, peanuts in my room during a tea party and rotten tomatoes from her family garden. We made a lot of memories in a short amount of time.

This is a picture of our kindergarten class, the year we met. Check out that cheesy grin 2nd from the top left and Rebecca is the 4th one from the top left.

This is a picture my mother took of Rebecca and I when my mom was starting to get into photography. It was taken in the photo studio out back of my house. Check out my humongous glasses. I think we were in 5th grade here.

This picture was taken on a trip to the valley for Legislature. We had never been to a mall together before and went crazy in a photo booth.

I know this picture is tiny... I actually got it off of facebook. One of my friends posted it and I just had to have it. It was taken on our 8th grade graduation commencement evening. That's me in the purple dress. Yes the one that has bare arms and shoulders while all the other girls are right out of the pioneer era LOL. Rebecca is next to me in blue and white. I still have this dress and my girls have played dress ups in it for years.

After 8th grade graduation I moved to Phoenix and only saw Rebecca a few times over the next few summers. This picture was taken during one of those trips.. I think we were around 14 and had been doing chores at Rebecca's house. I had the bright idea to look like maids for some reason. Thus the apron and bandannas.. Check out that vacuum cleaner in the back ground. Somehow we managed to see each other when she came to the valley and we were able to do batisms for the dead, attend girls conference at NAU and even hung out at Sun Splash once. We also wrote a lot of letters to each other. I'm amazed at how we were able to keep our friendship going even though we lived 4 hours away from each other.

After High School Rebecca moved to Safford AZ and met her husband Scott Evans. They married in 89 and started their family. All along the way Rebecca and I have stayed in touch with phone calls on each others birthdays and Christmas cards every year. About 10 years ago we decided to visit Rebecca in Safford and had a wonderful time getting to really know each other again. We have since made 4 trips to stay with them and always have a great time. We have children that are all around the same ages and Rebecca's oldest son and Ammah seemed to have hit it off and have even dated a few times. Rebecca and I have had little (imagine if) conversations about the two of them.. We could be in-laws someday... How cool would that be! No pressure Ammah and Dallin. Wink Wink. Anyway, this picture was taken at our most recent visit over the 4th of July. What an amazing journey in friendship we have had. A little older, a little more filled out (ha ha) but somehow still those same little silly girls from all those years ago. We haven't really changed all that much.

2009-07-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend I packed up the girls and drove to Safford to spend some time with my dear friend Rebecca Evans and her Family. We had a great time. Here is as short of a tell all as I can do. Explanation of the picture above. Rebecca and Scott were married 20 years ago. I was only 18 and her wedding was the first of all my friends that I attended. I drove to Safford for her reception. I remember feeling so grown up driving that far and getting my own hotel. I had purchased a salad bowl set for her wedding gift. Forward 19 years later...I visited Rebecca and stayed with her last summer and she got out this old ratty bowl and said, "do you remember this bowl?", I asked if it was from the salad bowl set I had given her for her wedding and she said it was. She said all the other smaller bowls had long since passed away but this one was left and barely hanging on. She didn't want to throw it away because it had sentimental value. SO....in my head I was thinking..... ooooh what a great 20 anniversary gift for me to get Rebecca. Forward to our annual visit to Rebecca's house this year. I handed Rebecca and Scott the gift all wrapped in pretty wedding paper. Rebecca was perplexed but started to open the card and gift. all the while chatting about the wedding present I had given her 20 years ago. She was so surprised and started laughing when she finally got the paper off the box. It was such a fun present to give.

Andelyn, Amelia, Lilly, Ammah and Polly hanging out in the Evans' pool. They have a beautiful back yard the kids love to hang out in.
Andelyn showing off her flexibility toe touch dive.

Look at Amelia with her awesome form during her 1st lessons turning flips off a diving board.

We went for a flag ceremony on 4th of July and witnessed the retiring of an old flag. I had never seen a flag retired before and I can honestly say that I felt extremely patriotic.

Dallin is Rebecca oldest son. Here he is saluting the old flag.

The burning of the flag. You can't see the flames in the picture but it was burning.

Ammah, Allison (Rebecca's Oldest daughter) and Dallin at the pancake breakfast after the flag ceremony. Dallin took Ammah on a fun date while we were there. Candelight dinner of cereal and milk on the EAC football feild, ice blocking and then to a friends for games.

The kids decorated their bikes and scooters for a little parade around the church grounds. This is Lillian and Andelyn on a two seater. They had a great time.

Rebecca and I later took the bike for a ride about town and felt like teenagers again. We rode all the way to her parents house to say hi. I felt like a little girl back in St. Johns again saying "hi" to Brother and Sister Biggs.

We had the pleasure of having a back yard BBQ with an awesome band called Savannah Jack. The band performed at the annual fireworks show later that night. They were soooo good. What talented performers and I felt honored to have met them and cook and serve food for them.

Ammah, Andelyn and Amelia waiting for the concert to start.

They had a huge flag displayed on the end of two cranes. It was so majestic looking. blowing in the wind.

Before the concert started there was a wonderful dedication ceremony to all of the armed forces and service positions in the community that serve our country everyday.

Ammah showing some of her 4th of July spirit with her red,white and blue headband.

Savannah Jack performing for the Safford audience. It was such a great show!

mmmm kettle corn to go around.
ooooh....ahhhh....pretty

Myself and Savannah Jack Band. I felt like a total groupie.

Rebecca and Shannon and all our kids.

As we were on our way out of town that day we took a picture of the new Temple being built in Thatcher.

Church Girls Camp "Lo Mia" Style

2009-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is the conversation between Shannon and Brother Decker back in December of 2008.

Brother Decker: "Shannon, we would like to call you to serve as Ward Camp Director for Girls Camp this year. It's just 1 week out of the year. Can you accept the calling?".

Shannon: "Ha Ha Ha Ha.....1 week out of the year! Oh, you were serious, Yes, I can accept that calling". (Shannon under her breath)"one week out of the year my tushy".

About 10 meetings later and countless hours planning,selling See's Candy, sewing, purchasing, texting, calling, painting, delivering, photographing and praying, we were ready for our "one week" in the woods.

All packed onto our Greyhound bus and off we go.

Tiffany and Andelyn were so excited to go together this year.

Home Sweet Home. This was our cabin, not seen in this picture... our little roommate friends including, bugs, spiders, beetles and skunks. Camp songs lead by our 6th year YCL's and Ammah and Madi teaching 1st aide to all the 2nd year campers.

How lucky to get to attend girls camp with my two oldest girls this year. It was such a wonderful and spiritual experience. We had a great time and I don't think I embarrassed either of them even once.

CPR.. Andelyn practices how to resuscitate Edward if the opportunity ever arises.. Sarah Porter and her terrible flesh wound. Good thing we listened to our first aid teachers well enough to fix Sarah up. Last in the row of pics.. Our cabin girls, minus me taking the picture.

Skit night. Nough said. You just had to be there.

This activity was set up for the 6th years and leaders only. It's called 'The Flying Squirrel', we were attached at the waist to our harnesses, the ropes went up and over (through a pulley system) one rope and connected to an ATV on the other end. The "flyer" takes off running in one direction while the ATV takes off in the other direction. This pulls the "flyer" out and up to the top of the high rope.. It was exhilarating. So fun. Ammah and I both had a turn.

2nd year activities included archery and a zip line. Andelyn hit her target almost every time. She says this was her favorite activity at camp this year.

Amazing Race day. We ran around to all these different countries and had to complete interesting and crazy activities for points. We came in 3rd. Blowing bubble gum after chomping down on a package of crackers, tied up and getting to a destination, leading a blind partner down an obstacle course. The girls had a great time.

Water fight and more camp songs on the last night.

Sitting in the sacred grove getting ready to head home.

We were all sad to leave. I wanted to stay and enjoy a few more days with all the youth and especially my two girls. I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of their camp experience. They are both such amazing girls. I was so proud of them for being leaders and friends. It's not an easy thing to take over in a leadership position when you are only 17 but Ammah arose to the occasion. I also became closer to several women in our ward and had so much fun making fun of everything and ourselves. What a hoot Sister Tuckett, Deanna Denton and Nicole Eagleston are.

OUR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE

2009-06-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

After 12 years of school Ammah
has graduated from Red Mountain
High School. It has been a
wonderful journey. Lets take a
quick look from the beginning.

17 and 1/2 years ago David and I
brought our sweet little Ammah into
this world. It was the most
special day we had ever experienced.
What joy and happiness she brought
to our lives.

Our world revolved around this little girl.
We felt so blessed.

Many days were spent, trying to make her
laugh, talk, sleep, learn and love.

School days started and Mom wept with
sadness at how quickly life had
been passing by. It was time
for school and books and other people
in her life besides her Mom and Dad.
Ammah started reading with in 2 weeks
of attending Kindergarten at Noah Webster
Basic School. Mom cried that day too.

Ammah learned what fun was at a very young
age and always wanted to be doing something
or going somewhere special.

Rocky Point was the most "special"
place Ammah wanted to be. The
ocean and beach have always been
her favorite vacations.

Ammah started dance lessons when
she was only 3 years old and
studied tap, jazz and ballet
for 14 years. Watching Ammah
dance over the years has been
a privilege and a joy.

She has been able to perform
at many venues over the years
including parades, balls, Senior Centers
Disneyland, competitions and
the State Fair.

Graduation into Jr. High was
a big step in growing up. Studies
were harder, relationships with
both boys and girls were
formed and I could see the
beginning of my letting go coming
straight ahead.Cheer was a
wonderful highlite of 9th grade.

I love this picture of Ammah
and Amelia at recital time.
She is an amazing big
sister and loves Amelia and
Andelyn with all her heart.

It has been so fun watching Ammah
turn into the beautiful daughter
she is.Shopping for clothes together
wasn't always the easiest adventure
but I'll always remember how proud I
felt when she walked out the door
in appropriate, fashionable attire.Her
last two years of High School were busy
with dance, dates, friends and group outings.

Senior portraits! So pretty. How
could the time have passed by so quickly?
Ammah has blossomed into a smart,
thoughtful, reserverd young woman. I'm
sure her Heavenly Father is well pleased
with her and all she has become.

Graduation Day. It rained.. no it poured
the entire duration of the ceremony.
I think it was very memorable. The graduates
seemed to enjoy themselves very much.
Congratulations Ammah. It seems like
an end but really it's just the beginning.
Here is to our new relationship as
parents of an almost adult daughter.
College here she comes.

DANCE PHOTO SHOOT

2009-05-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

I took all three girls down to the dance studio a few weeks ago for a 'dance style' photo shoot and we had so much fun. I loved how so many of the photos turned out and thought I'd share some of my favorites.. In no particular order...

This is my absolute favorite~

2009-03-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

One of my earliest memories as a little girl was knowing what made a good twirly dress. I remember shopping with my mother and putting my nose in the air over many of her suggestions for purchases because I knew what she didn't...... If it didn't have a long loose skirt part, it wouldn't twirl and if it didn't twirl I didn't want it. I wish I had pictures of those dresses but it doesn't really matter, I remember many of them and I have vivid memories of twirling away.. especially on Tuesdays during primary on the big green lawn in front of the old white church in downtown St. Johns. I don't think twirly dresses will ever go out of style. All of my little girls have had them and Amelia is no exception. Twirl away my pretty girl.

SCHOOL LUNCHES

2009-02-03T16:14:00.001-08:00

I know its sounds ridiculous but I take pride in my girls sack lunches. Ammah has been taking them to school for 12 years now and believe it or not...it's her choice. Now that she is a Senior I figured she would go out more often with her friends to local fastfood places but she actually prefers my sack lunches to greasy cheesy pizza and hamburgers and french fries. Maybe all my talk of calories, protien, fats and fiber are sinking in. The past few years we have decided to ditch the actual lunch boxes that come in so many styles and colors and have opted for the much prettier "brown paper bag". To show my love for each girl I often decorate their bags with pictures of hand drawn flowers, trees, hearts, their names, special or nick names and even once spelled out their name and what each letter meant to that daughter. Sometimes I stamp them and once in a while I purchase pretty colored paper bags. What ever they look like I hope they feel the love that goes into them every morning. I often ask the girls "Did you enjoy your lunch today?"

A list of the girls favorite lunch items:

1. Fresh baked muffins

2. sliced up oranges

3. cheese sticks

4. pb and apple slices

5. pbj's

6. carrot and celery sticks

7. apple juice boxes

8. home made soft cookies (some to share too please)

9. sandwiches with the works. ie.. mustard, lettuce, tomatoes and pickle.

10. any sandwhich on white bread (mom prefers wheat)

11. pretzels, cheezits, raisins and prunes (yes prunes)

Senior Pictures For Ammah

2008-12-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

Maybe posting these pictures I took of Ammah will help me come to terms with her impending high school graduation. (Probably Not!) I'm having a very difficult time thinking about her being out in the "adult" world and her not even being a real adult. She just turned 17 you see and I wish I could send her to school for the year she skipped. More photos to come a little later.

Hollywood or Bust

2008-12-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

In November we took a much needed weekend vacation to California. The "PLAN" was to leave at 4:00 a.m. and drive straight to Hollywood, take in the sights there, shop and then head to the beach for bike ridding and family pictures at sunset. We did get out the door at 4:25 a.m. which is an amazing feat considering 4 girls that had to do all their pre primping for pictures to be taken 12 hours later. We arrived in Hollywood in record time 5 1/2 hours. Ate lunch and headed out into the great WEIRDNESS of Hollywood. There were cross dressers and a lot of impersonators including a black Wonder Woman, Batman with dreadlocks and Cat Woman who looked like her costume had been through a few to many battles. Elvis was our favorite and decided to have our picture taken with him. This same Elvis has been on the Walk of Fame for many years because I've actually taken another picture with him 5 years ago.

As we were walking around Hollywood David spotted a place where vacation brochures are plenty and a black and green cover pamphlet caught my eye. It was for the musical "Wicked" a Broadway musical we have always wanted to see. We found where the theater was, walked the 8 blocks and asked for prices and times. Now it was up to the girls. "Do you want to see this amazing show (from nose bleed seats) or ride bikes and take pictures on the beach at sundown”? Hands down we all wanted the show. Plan changed! These clothes were all we had on us and we didn't want to make the long trek back to the car to TRY to find something more presentable for a Broadway show. The show was to start at 8 p.m. that night which left us with plenty of time for shopping and eating. When 3:oo rolled around we found ourselves spent and wanting to sit and have a nice long rest but there was no place to do that and we weren't hungry. We decided to see a movie and HSM 3 happened to be playing at the Hollywood Disney Theater. It was a beautiful theater and we had our choice of decks. We chose the front seat of the upper deck and then were treated to a pre-show entertainment which included a sing along with games and prizes. HSM 3 rocks! Best of the three for sure.
Following the HSM 3 we ate at the Disney ice cream parlor and then headed to the musical via the LA subway sytem. Who knew they had a subway??? This was the girls first time ridding on the subway and it was fun wathching them experience it. As we took our seats for Wicked Amelia promptly fell asleep and I was having serious 2nd thoughts as to why we pushed ourselves this much on a “vacation”, alas the orchestra began and Amelia refreshed from her 15 minute cat nap woke up and enjoyed the whole show with wide eyes. It was both her and Andelyn's 1st big show and they loved it. We all did. It was witty, funny and the two main characters (Ga) Linda and Alphaba were played by amazingly talented women.

Upon leaving the theater we discovered Edward Cullen from the Twilight series making an "appearence" and Ammah just had to steal a sweet kiss.

We didn’t get to bed until 1:00 am that night and dragged ourselves up the next morning to get the girls to Disney Land where all three were performing with their dance studio. Disney was practically deserted for the fist ½ of the day and we were able to ride and re ride everything we wanted with out much of a wait.

We did have to suffer a little from all the ash and nasty smoke cloud that had swept over Disney Land from the Santa Barbra fires. We felt bad that we were enjoying a family vacation while others were loosing their homes to a fire. We thought we would leave when the park closed at 11 p.m. but pooped out at 10:00 and headed back to our Hotel for a much needed good night of sleep! We always need a vacation from our vacations. Someday… maybe we can have a “relaxing” vacation that's not all crammed into a long weekend!

TRADITIONAL TREE

2008-12-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree is not a beautifully decorated tree with matching shiny ornaments, one color scheme or themed as I have seen in department stores and other peoples homes. We call it the "traditional tree". It's filled with ornaments that we as a family have collected or made over the years. Every year the girls get all the ornaments out one by one and "ooh" and "aah" and remember. They always linger on a few special ones they have loved more than the others and gently try to find just the right spot on the tree for it. I even have a few favorites. There are the ones that Dave and I made by hand and gave away as gifts to family and friends, mementos of trips we have taken, some the girls made in school and some that bring me back in time to when we started as a family. This year I gave a brief thought to having a more "glamorous" tree with matching balls and ribbon and lights and flowers but I would have been sad to see our ornaments sit in a box untouched for the year. I didn't even bring it up to the girls and I'm sure the idea would have been vetoed quickly. We love our tree and all that it represents, of course the Christmas tree and ornaments and bows and candy canes all have their own symbolism's but really, our "traditional tree" symbolizes FAMILY to us.

IF YOU GIVE A KID A CAMERA

2008-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

If you give a kid a camera your gonna end up with silly faces galore!! With this new age of digital cameras a kid can take as many silly, sneaky, crazy pictures as they please. As a young girl it was a coveted event that Mom would let me take a camera on a school outing or to any kind of activity. One roll of film was all that was allotted per event and developing that roll was never a priority of mom's. Things sure are different now. My kids come home and I have a whole slew of silly faces, random snips of video and a few posed to perfection shots. I actually enjoy looking at these pictures especially since my two older girls are a little more reserved. For some reason.... if you give them a camera... inhibitions are shunned and the posing begins. Of course if it's not quite right.. just hit the delete button and try it again.

My Own Lemon Drop Cookies!

2008-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Okay - I can't take all the credit for these scrumptious lemon drop cookies. The original recipe was given to me from a friend who got it from a friend and here is the original in CHOCOLATE!

( I call them Devil Drops)

1 Box Devils Food Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

Mix together.

Roll into small balls, roll in sugar if desired (we don't like the sugar) (can also add a 1/2 a tootsie roll in center and roll into a ball,) bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 340* for 6 minutes. Oven and cooking times may vary but this has been my ideal bake temp and cook time.

Here is where I come in.. "ooooh I wonder what other kinds of cake mixes could make this cookie?" and because I am a lemon of any kind dessert lover I immediately wanted to try a lemon cake mix. I had to fidge and fudge with it a little to get the consistency just right. I've now brought them to a party, given them to neighbors and also made them on Thanks Giving day and they were a hit so I'm assuming they really are yummy and it's not just me. If you give them a try please feel free to let me know if you liked them too.I think I might try a cherry chip cookie next time.

(Soft and Chewy Lemon Drops)

By Shannon Jones

1 box lemon cake mix (any kind)

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

2-3 tbs of lemon juice (depending on how lemony you like your treats)

1/4 cup all purpose flower

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix well!

Roll into small balls and bake at 340* for 6 to 7 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Let cool before taking off cookie sheet. Makes about 3 dozen small cookies. Optional ideas - Roll in sugar before baking or top with lemon frosting which would be extremely sweet but fancy like.

A date with Jason Mraz

2008-11-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

Dave and I waiting for the show to start.

We had really good seats. Row 23 in the middle. This picture
didn't do our seats justice. The Bakers loved the show too!

Oh and Dave too of course.

David and I have been big fans of Jason ever since we found him on the yahoo's New Artist sight. We bought tickets to his 1st concert here in AZ about 5 or so years ago. They were only $12 back then and only 150 to 200 people were at the concert. Now the tickets go for $35 and I'm thinking there were around 5000 or so in the crowd. He did not disappoint. We loved the show. Jason has such an amazing vocal range and uses every bit of it to put on a great show. He's not your average guitar wielding new artist. He uses bongos and brass horns in his band and scats his booty off. He is a true artist with the vocals to back himself up. If any of you wanna here a few songs click on the link below and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-myHLPTvaM&feature=related

Dave and Shannon

2008-11-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

18 and 1/2 years. It seems so ridiculous that we have been married for that long and together for another year on top of that. Just shy of 1/2 our lives we have spent together. When I think about the years I never quite believe the time has gone by so fast. Sometimes I still feel like a newly married couple. Strange I know but then on the other hand...I often think, what was life like before "us". It feels like we have just always been together. He is my best friend.

Home Coming Date

2008-11-06T19:30:00.001-08:00

Both Ammah and Taylor had decided one week before Home Coming that they should just go together because neither of them had a date. Ammah advised me that she could just use the dress from her cousin Mariah's wedding last August and it wouldn't cost us any money to buy a new dress. Ha. $13.00 for her jewelry, $29.00 for (very cute) red heels and 1 new formal jacket cover $35.00 and she was out the door looking very chic. I think we got off easy with only $77.00 spent on accessories. Funny. I thought she looked even prettier this night than she did heading off to prom last May. Maybe it's because I'm coveting those new red heels.. Dang, why did she have to outgrow my size. I'll add a picture from both date/dances.

Crazee Hair Day

2008-11-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

Amelia LOVES crazy hair day! Last year (sorry no pictures) we created a one of a kind "bun hock" and spray painted each bun with a different spray on color. This year, we decided to go the "who" route and put a cup on top of her head and fastened a tiny bun topped off with a striped pink ribbon. Just as she was about to get on the bus that morning she advised that her head was hurting and I suggested she may need to take her hair down after she showed everyone her crazee doo. I was surprised to see her get off the bus later that afternoon with the crazy doo still in perfect tact. She is already thinking about a new creation for next year.

Politics

2008-11-06T10:41:00.001-08:00

I've never really been much for getting rilled up about politics but this election year has been different for me. I talked to my girls about the elections and all 3 girls had the opportunity to participate in a school vote. Ammah and Andelyn voted for Mc Cain and Amelia voted for Obama. I asked each girl for their reasons and was surprised at how much Ammah and Andelyn knew about the Republican and Democrat voting. Amelia on the other hand just stated that all the other kids in her class voted for Obama cause everyone else was. We had a short talk about basic beliefs and choices. I think she has changed her mind and was sad to hear that everyone else in our family had voted for Mc Cain except for her. She is still not getting it. At eight years old that's ok.
Anyway. This is leading me to my first ever post! A letter I wrote to Oprah Winfrey. I thought I would post it and just put my thoughts out there.
Dear Oprah,
I've never written a celebrity a letter before and in writing to you now I would have thought it would be about how much I have enjoyed your shows for the past 20 years.

That's not what this letter will be about. This election year with you has been way too much. You are not a politician and I do not think it is your place with the power that has been given to you by the people who love and watch you to cram Mr. Obama down our throats. I admittedly watched the show where you introduced him and his wife Michelle this past year and I thought he was a nice man with a promising career in politics. I did not think he would be running against Mc Cain in the end though. I did not think he had enough time qualifications and experience serving the people of the US yet. Now here we are with him as a president.
Fine.. Okay. I'll get over the disappointment like I did when we elected Bill Clinton twice. When Bill won, I was sad but felt that everything would be okay and he would do a decent job. Aside from being a liar and a cheater I guess he did well enough. But now with Obama. I'm not allowed the decency to be sad.. There you are in prime TV. Cramming more of Obama down my throat. Fortunately for me I can turn off the TV. Which I have done often over the past few weeks to get away from all the hype over his election. You Oprah should think about the millions of fans out there and step back from your political soap box and get back to what you know best. Entertainment! And helping people. We need time to lick our wounds with out you throwing it in our faces anymore! It would also be nice to not see all the news shows with predominantly black churches holding “praisathons” for Obama. It's not like when we elected white presidents you saw white people speaking in an eloquent fashion to" pass the grey poupon, we have elected yet another white President". It's not about COLOR! For now - I'm mad at you and will not watch your show during my daily run/walks on the treadmill at the gym. That makes me sad. I feel like I can not trust you. You use your celebrity status to get what you want without disregard for what other people feel would be best for this country. I feel like you just don't care about the losers. That's not like you.