Congratulations Beth and Alan

Tomorrow night Beth and Alan will finally be hitched!

 I met Beth when I first moved into my house I live in now.  She was about 14 I think.  She first met me when I was called to be the camp director.  She said she looked at me and thought, "That girl can't rough it!"  I was dressed up for church and probably in high heels at the time.  Little did she know that we would become great friends and go to camp 4 times together!  She still can't believe that I dared pee in the woods with her in the middle of the night!

 It has been fun over the years to watch her develop and grow into a beautiful lady.  She was one of the young girls I had to give the talk to about sitting with her legs together while in a skirt :)  The next 6 years was a huge transition into womanhood, as it is for all girls this age.  Beth went through this change right before my very eyes. She used to give scowls to teachers or even talk back when they would say something she didn't like.

We had some fun times together.  One time she brought a bunch of her friends over to my house.  They decided they wanted to slide down our stairs on sleds, so we did.  We had to move some of the furniture but it was pretty fun!  Another day we went to the Wallmart in Springville.  We played tag in the store.  I ran around for ever looking for Beth and her friends.

Come to find out, they were sitting comfortably in lazy boy chairs watching me go around and around in circles right next to them!

Beth is a great cook and has shared some great recipes with me.  She also trains dogs and has helped me try and train Phylis.  We aren't too strict with Phylis, but with as much weight as she is putting on, we should be!  Alan and Beth have sat for hours on my kitchen counters just talking about nothing.  They are great friends and I am happy to see them tie the knot!   Alan is a fighter having conquered cancer twice himself by the age of 20?  He has been knocked down and picked himself up when he could have given up.  I am so proud of him for this.  Beth has been a great support to him.  This is the kind of stuff it takes to make marriages work.

 I believe they will make a great team!

Congratulations!

He was there

We found out last night that Robert H. has thyroid cancer. Cancer is a word you never want to put in the same sentence with someone you love. He went into the hospital last Thursday to have a growth removed from his neck. It came back as positive for Thyroid cancer. Don't ask me why they use the word "positive" and cancer in the same diagnosis. I think we are all in quite a bit of shock and fear as we look forward to the upcoming weeks in helping him fight this beast. I feel pretty helpless in the whole situation. I feel a need to be strong for Jon, but saddened myself. I think of him as the closest second to my father I could have. He has been there for us through thick and thin. Jon and I have had a crazy road together with business and personal life. He has been there for it all. He was there when Jon was little and wanted 50 bunnies, 10 cats, chickens and a dog. He was there when he was a little older and wanted to start his own business at the tender age of eight. He always taught him to work hard and to be honest. He taught Jon that he could accomplish anything he wanted if he worked hard. He was there when Jon was a young teenager. He tried to be patient with him as he was entering into the hard years and being obstinate. He taught him all he could and decided at some points that the way to be there for Jon was to step back. Some may think that the harder you push your child, the more love you show but I believe it to be the exact opposite. I think real love is to teach them and then let the child make their mistakes. Jon was going to do what he wanted to do no matter who got in his way. Through all of the ups and downs Jon and his dad kept their relationship and it wasn't because of control. As I enter into being a parent of a teenager I have seen how hard this is to do. He was there when Jon took the misfiled prescription. He personally drove out to find his son in the fields of grass and swamp of Scipio. He was there all the way through that process. He was there when we didn't have food to eat or a house to live in. He was there when Jon needed a job after loosing his first business. He was there for hundreds of people on three separate missions that he served. He has always been a busy guy with a project. These projects and jobs that he involves himself with are to show love. There are different ways to show love. Jon and his dad both show love for their family by working.

Right now as I type, Jon is sleeping at the hospital by dads side. This is a true friendship and love.

Miss Frog

I couldn't help but to post my little froggie! Bug loves to take baths.  When she gets out, she loves to run away from me until I tackle her and make her get dressed.  On this day she found some of her sisters slippers and looked extra cute!  I love watching naked babies run!  It is so funny to see their chubby little bodies.

 I took a picture that doesn't show too much of her cute little booty so she doesn't hate me in a few years!

Today I was trying to teach Bug how to blow her nose.  She kept breathing in and not blowing out.  I tried to show her how to breath in through her mouth and blow out through her nose.  We tried over and over and she just wasn't getting it.  Finally I said, "See, breath in " and I showed her.  Then I said, "OK now blow out, see...OUT".  She said, "OK".  She took a huge breath in and then yelled, "OUT"!  I couldn't help but to bust out laughing :)

Growth Spurt

Wow! I just found this picture from a year ago.  It is Mack in Ecuador.  She has grown so much the past year, I can't even believe it!  Every pair of pants I bought in the past year were too short within a few months!  She is almost as tall as I am!  Kinley is planning on going to France on May 1st for almost a month!  Little stinker.  Her friend Sierra Stice invited her to go because her family is going.   I wasn't going to let her go because it sounded to good for a 12 year old.   I didn't really know if they were serious when Kinley told me.  The subject came up about a week ago with Tiffany and she told me I was crazy to not let her go.  They are offering free room and board, and to "treat her like she is their own child."  So I had Kinley call to see how serious they were...and now she has a plane ticket.  She already had her passport from Ecuador.  That's OK, I am excited for her!  She is supposed to bring back a lot of good pictures and write about them, so we will see!

Good Sunshine

http://goodsunshine.blogspot.com/

The owner of this blog is one of Mandy's friends.  She wrote a great blog entry about Native Honey.  I thought it would be fun to share.  I love hearing people get excited about our product!

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009

native honey

last week i had the pleasure of reconnecting with an old friend- which is a joy in itself, but the best part was learning about her new company, native honey, that she and her cousin started. they design some super hip bags (as well as some jewelry) that are amazing. i am not really a purse type person and am very picky about bags but i love their stuff.

native honey bags are made from fabric remnants so no two bags are the same:

"The inspiration for their first luxury handbag came from rummaging through trash to find treasures, and was designed from remnants. That tradition continues today, and each Native Honey product is uniquely handmade from recycled fabric remnants. Each piece combines the simplicity, practicality and homemade textures of the desert with the vibrant colors, rhythmic mayhem and urban luxury of the coast."

i love their belief of "doing all you can with what you have" and the fact that the bags are made of fabric remnants that would other wise be unused is super cool. the bags are really soft, well made and fell great on your shoulder!

go ahead, check out their website, i promise you will find something you like. and if you do (i personally love theoriginal and canvas tumbleweed) take 20% off when you purchase online with the coupon code: summerlovin20%

hooray for discounts!

Aloha!

Syd and Sarah posing like ducks.

Kinley and Sarah on the slide on the boat.  

This is when we went "snooba"  It is a little more intense than snorkeling,  but not to the scuba diving level :)  which is just fine with me.  In the picture above there is Sarah, Syd, Abi, Mandy, Kinley and I.

Jon and the kids watching me below.

I found a few random pictures of Hawaii that I thought would be fun to post.  I still have a ton, but I don't know if I can post them all!

LA Fashion Show

She is carrying our new clutch, but it isn't a very good picture of the front.

Native Honey was in a fashion show this month in L.A.  They just sent us some photos and I thought it would be fun to post them.  It looks great seeing them on the runway :)  It's crazy to think all that has happened in the past year since Mandy and I designed this bag for ourselves!  It has been quite a learning experience.  Even though I see Jon do it every day in various businesses, it is different to have it be "your baby" from start to finish.  Last night our bags were given to the judges on American Idol, Paula Abdul and Kara.  The two remaining girl contestants Lil and Allison also got a bag.  Mylee Cyrus got a Native Honey bag a few months ago.  Mandy has friends with great connections that are willing to help us, I appreciate them so much!

I Eat Boogies

When Kinley was little she was quite a live wire...she still is!  

One day I was busy running errands all day with her.  She fell asleep too late for a nap, but to early for bed.  She hadn't eaten all day!  I felt bad for her little tummy so I tiptoed up stairs to wake her up.  She was already awake just staring at the gate. 

 I whispered, "Hi Kinley!  Are you hungry, to you need to come eat?"  

She giggled and whispered back pointing at her nose, "No, I EAT BOOGIES!" 

 I couldn't help but bust out laughing.  

At least she was honest.  She has the same sense of humor today.

Cheaper by the Dozen

We wore poor Halle completely out!  She missed nap time every day with the crazy schedule!

This picture was taken at the Bellagio where the water fountains go off.  The kids loved watching the ducks swim close to the water and imagine them shooting into the air.

This is the gang that went to Las Vegas with me last week!  My sister in law Heather and Tiffany came with me and brought their kids.  We had 10 kids and 3 adults!! It was my kids spring break and I figured that either I could sit at home with the kids all week, or sit by a pool in Vegas.  You should have seen our condo..unbelievable. We had bodies strewn everywhere!  We had kids in closets, on couches, on the floor and even in the laundry room!  I knew what I was getting myself into from the start, but there are always a few surprises.  When we first arrived there was a guy at the front desk checking me in.  He kept digging for info on what I was planning to do in Vegas.  I was being evasive because he didn't know how many kids I was sneaking into the condo.  He was very persistent and offered for me to be snuck into the topless swimming pool on the top of some hotel or go to a show.  I told him I didn't know what my plans were, so he asked if I was married.  I told him I was and he said ,"Wow, you must know something about marriage that I don't to be able to come to Vegas without your husband!"  He just didn't know that 10 kids would be enough to keep me busy!  The first morning we went out to eat at IHOP.  People kept asking who's kids they were.  It is funny to watch people stare.  We came home after and swam all day.  That night we went to the Bellagio to see the water fountains that spray in the air.  This was definitely a highlight of the trip.  All was well until we passed nasty guys handing out girls pictures on them.  Shortly after, Bella picked up a can of beer and almost drank it!  The next day we woke up and decided to go to see the Lions at MGM. 

The funniest part of the trip for me was when we visited the M&M factory.  The store itself was utter mayhem!  Four stories of treats and candies with 10 loose kids?!  We made it to the top and bought 2 pounds of M&M's.  TWELVE dollars a pound!  That was enough for me, so we decided to get to the bottom ASAP before something was broken or stolen!  When we were exiting the store I started opening up the bag of treats to give the kids.   I ripped the bag and M&M's sprayed out of the sack and started rolling everywhere! You would have thought an alarm went off because two security guards came rushing over to clean it up and held all of the crowd away on the sidewalk!  I couldn't do anything but laugh because it was such a "Janae" thing to do!  My kids were blushing and giggling.  I asked the nice man to let me take a picture of him for my blog. :)  The lady went in and bought us some more candies to appease the kids!  The grand finale was when Mr. Blue M&M walked over to protect his buddies on the street.  At the end of the trip we took a pole as to what was their favorite thing we did.  Me spilling the M&M's was at the top along with swimming!

Kinley was thrilled to get a picture with Jack Sparrow on the streets of Las Vegas.  I have to say that he is one of my favorite characters in a movie also!

Brighton and Addison BOTH scraped their noses on the pool while doing flips and messing around.

Whitney loved jumping through the waterfall at the condo.

I think this is the only picture of me this trip...

Business Q

http://utahvalleybusinessq.com/?p=255

This is a link to the article in Utah Valley Business Q magazine that Jon was in.

Corporate Alliance

This is a horrible picture of Scott and Omar.  It was blurry over and over when I took it, so I gave up... but had to post it anyway!

About a week ago I went to a Jazz game at the Corporate Alliance suite.  We brought Scott, Omar, and some potential clients Scott is working with.  It is always fun to hang out there and meet new people.  Corporate Alliance is a business we are a part of that is a collage of businesses that are there to network.  The goal is to meet new people and use each other's services.  There are professionals there in every field imaginable.  We have met some really great people and contacts for business attending their meetings and getaways.  Jon and I believe in it so much that we became part owners of the business.  We did not start it, but we are invested.  There is a group of people that own and run it.  The goal is to take the business world wide eventually.  The business was started in Utah County and has spread to Salt Lake City.  I think Saint George is next.  Anyone out there looking to market for their company is welcome!

Hamster's Can't Swim

Meet the Hamsters "Partly Cloudy" and "Cookie Dough".

 When I was pregnant with Halle a few years ago, I was running out of steam at the end of the summer before the kids went back to school. The kids had grown "bored" of jumping on the trampoline, riding their bikes, swimming and such. 
 I didn't have any energy to entertain them.


 I decided to purchase a distraction for the kids and myself. I went to the pet store and started to take a look around. I spied the hamsters and recalled how much fun I had playing with them when I was young. It was perfect!  The kids would be able to hold them, keep them in their rooms and most of all 


give me some peace and quiet. 


 I bought a fun big cage for the spoiled rascally critters and drove them home to a loving, accepting home full of hugs and kisses to be had. I envisioned the girls snuggling them, feeding them, and spending hours outside watching them frolic in the grass.  I was so proud of myself for being so resourceful!


And then it happened.  You know when life hits you square in the race and you realized that your perceptions don't line up *at all* with reality?  Ya, it happens to me all the time.  I watercolor the world with the beautiful and ideal circumstances that should be mine.  Some say it is easier to just not expect anything but I don't agree.  I am an optimist, almost to a fault.

The hamsters were immediately put through the worst kind of hell I am sure they could ever imagine! We will call it Hamster Hell for the purposes of this story and can I tell you that I pray to be worthy enough not to be reincarnated and visit hamster hell?  It is my new motivation to get my life in order.


Brighton and Ella played bumper cars with two remote control trucks they had. Cookie Dough "drove" one and Partly Cloudy "drove" another.  

 They would squat down deep in the drivers seat trying not to fly out. It was probably more like demolition derby because the hamsters obviously hadn't had any driving lessons.  Unfortunately for them, they didn't have seat belts either.  Kind of like in the 80's when nobody wore them.  I didn't figure that out until I was an adult and wondered how all five kids fit in the back seat made for three.  Nobody actually used the old heavy belts.  We folded the seats down and played games when we went on longer drives.  There weren't videos, so we actually used cards and Walkmans to listen to music.


 One day I found the kids in the garage with an 8 foot long tube tipping it back and forth.  I questioned what fun game they had come up with and realized that the little buggers were too scared to come out, so they just sat in the middle!  I tried to put it in their words, "Kids, how would YOU feel if someone stuck you in a tube and tipped you back and forth with nothing to hold on to?!"  The just giggled and said, "OK mom!"


 But the frosting hadn't been put on the cake until I walked in the bathroom one day and saw Ella filling up the sink with water. Poor Cookie Dough was swimming doggy paddling as fast as he could to stay afloat!


 "ELLA!!!!" I screamed, "Hamsters can't swim!!" 


She said in her sweet little voice, "Oh, O.K. mommy." as I rushed over to unplug the drain as certain, almost immediate death flashed before Cookie Dough's eyes.  Yes, poor Cookie had almost become dough.I swear I could see a bead of sweat coming down Cookie Dough's forehead.


 Eventually the hamsters were banished the garage because I couldn't handle the smell. 
 One day Partly Cloudy got out of the cage. I still don't know how.  We couldn't find him anywhere!  The kids were horrified. What would they spend their time doing if there was nobody around to torture?  Their summer was looking bleak.  


We had a little funeral to ease the pain. I explained that he was in heaven and would be happy there because he could fly. How else do you explain death to an innocent child?  I did my best complete with song and prayer.

 Thankfully, Ella was elated and slept well that night. 


 The next morning I awoke and went about my daily routine.  "Laundry and dishes" I thought.  "Does it EVER end?"

Ella trotted up to me with big eyes and a grin.  I was so happy she was able to move on and find something else to fill her time.  


"Mommy, I want to show you something!" 


 She brought me outside and proceeded to dig in the dirt.  A treasure hunt? I didn't know what to expect and I was filled with anticipation.  


Remember the term Hamster Hell?  You thought that journey was over, but oh no, it was just beginning!  I was so confused because we hadn't found the one that was lost yet. 

"Mommy, you know how my hamster's friend died and he is happy flying?  Well they both wanted to be together so I just threw it off the trampoline to show it how to fly and then buried it so they could be together FOREVER."  


Flashes from the old movie "Pet Cemetery" went through my mind and not because of the hamster.  It was because of the psycho little kid that was brought back to life.  My kid was twisted for sure.  How did I raise such a twisted little girl?  She was so proud of her accomplishment I could barely breath.

 The little guy's eyes were still open.


 I almost barfed.


 I didn't want to damage her innocent view of events so I gave her a hug and said,
 "OK, honey but next time let's wait until it dies on it's own." 


 Over the next few days she kept digging it up because she missed him.
 I let her know that probably wasn't a great idea and eventually had to throw it away where she couldn't find it because I didn't want her to get sick.


 A few weeks later, the other hamster that was lost in the garage came walking out from under the shelf! It looked horrible. I tried to give it water, which according to Jon was the worst thing after it had probably eaten De-con.


I tried, Ella tried, but we now are known to every hamster that has scuttled on the earth as "Hamster Hell"  and believe me there are better more obedient hamsters out there because of us.  No, hamsters weren't meant to live at Pink Moss, they just weren't.


 That following Sunday Ella went to nursery at church. She came into Sacrament meeting with this note pinned to her dress ...

When Jon and I have a bad day, we still laugh about this!

Eat, Talk, and Laugh

Last Friday Jon and I went up to Park City with the Lindahls. We met Ron and Annette Moore for dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse. It is one of my favorite restaurants. It is definitely a treat! It was nice to relax with them and talk about life. We had great food and lots of laughs. Ron and Annette are such great people. Ron is the Vice President of Jon's companies. He is also our bishop! It is a funny experience going to tithing settlement and have our bishop ask us if we all full tithe payers. Jon just says, "I don't know, are we?" He keeps us in line. He reminds me a lot of my dad, which is one of my best friends on earth. Annette has a lot of the same funny quirks that Jon has. One of them is not being able to sleep at night like Jon. After this trip I realized how much I have in common with Spencer. Little things like always having to blow our nose in the morning, liking to sleep with the temperature cool, loving hot chocolate etc. The biggest thing is our parenting style. I am pretty relaxed like he is. I figure there are not many things to get uptight about. Spencer and I both figure the kids will live and they will be fine. Jon and Melinda are the ones that like it more in control. They like to have everything organized and in it's place. Jon and Melinda are both the loud ones in the relationship. I love being around Snow (Melinda) because she is fun to be around, and I love her reactions to my haphazard way of functioning. Her big brown eyes crack me up she rolls them and shakes her head at me. She says she loves to be around me because I help her stay relaxed. We are a funny duo. I look forward a lot of fun times together!

Jon laid down at the Hotel Park City for a minute while the girls took a picture in the chair.

This is the same hotel Jon and I stayed in when we went to the

Corporate Alliance retreat a few weeks ago.

These two pictures are in front of the fireplace at Lindahl's condo.

It is a beautiful condo right on the ski resort.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Na Na and Gampy's House

This is the view from our front room in our house.  You can see why I would have been spoiled for just a beautiful place to grow up.  I lived on four acres of land in North Canyon of Bountiful

 We had trees, a stream with a bridge, and ample space to run.  My grandpa owned a ranch there in Bountiful for years.  When he sold it, my mom was lucky enough to get a little piece of heaven.  They added a sun room onto the back of the house a few years ago.  It finished off the house perfectly with lots of natural sunlight and more space to hang out by the fire.  I love hanging out there with my kids and breathing a little fresh air.  Jon and I want to move into a house someday that has something close!  When I moved into a normal neighborhood it was a whole new experience.  I was not used to people seeing when you came and went, checking your mail, or expecting you to shovel your snow off the sidewalk or rake your leaves :)  Isn't that optional?

DJ just learned to walk!! We had so much fun watching him toddle around!

Emmy, DJ, and Dave

Jackson, Paul, and Camille

Camille brought these cute Easter bunny ears that all of the kids wanted to try.

It is fun to have all of my kids at my house that I grew up in.  In a weird way, I have been multiplied several times.  Different parts of my personality are in all of them.  Kinley has grown SO MUCH this year!! She is almost as tall as I am now.