Happy Birthday CLARK...

We celebrated Clark's Birthday by going with the WHOLE crew (ALL 20 of us) and eating at La Dolce Vita in Provo.  It is a place we love to go and it was a lot of fun!!

 It was so nice that both sides of the family were able to come to the restaurant with us.  We are very blessed to live close to all of them, it makes birthdays just that much more special.  The food was delicious but the company was even better.

Clark, Grandma Kae, Braxton, Jantzen, and Little Adderoo

Grandma Cheryl, and Jantzen

Grandpa Dean and Jantzen

Uncle Jordan and Jantzen

Jantzen and Kaden - Jantzen was loving the camera that night!!

Aunt Leigh and Aubrey

Aubrey, Aunt Natalie, Uncle Blake and Kaden

Uncle Brian, Kerrie, and Keiran

Uncle Matt and Aunt Courtney

Braxton Approved!

We went back to Grandma Kae's and had one of Clark's favorite desserts - Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich's...Make a WISH! 

I was so happy to be able to get together for Clark's birthday...he truly is my Angel!  I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man, and to know that we will be together for eternity.  He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he makes me want to be better.  I love him with all of my heart and can't wait to spend so many more birthdays celebrating him and how much he means to me.

Ahhhh! Spring - time for a Break...

 Spring Break this year was a full one, and it was great!  Clark unfortunately had to be in Georgia that week for meetings, but me and the boys focused and filled almost every minute.  The weather this year has been less than ideal, but the good days we spent outside and the not so good days we stayed in and watched movies and played.

Braxton worked on some Lego projects -- he loves to design new ways to make Lego sculptures.  He can be downstairs in his "Lego Office" for hours working on his latest idea.  This is one of the Masterpieces that came out of a really rainy day.  If he can't play some kind of sport...that is where we can find him.

We also spent one day with Grandma Mercer.  She is such a neat lady and I love her so much!  We ate lunch, went shopping and then came back to her house and hung out for a while.  I am so lucky to have my Grandma, she has always been such a fixture in my life.  We have such good conversations; everything from the latest season of Dancing with the Stars to how we feel about our purpose here on Earth.  I love her so much and respect the woman she is.  The boys and her also have a cute relationship, it really takes some coaxing to get them to want to leave to go home - especially Jantzen.  He would move in I think if we let him.  We all count ourselves very blessed to have her in our lives.

Clark was able to make it home on Thursday that week so that made it extra fun!  One of his greatest friends was in town for an educators conference and we were able to spend Friday with him.  Joey Goodman (or Dr. Mr. Goodman - depending on what he wants you to call him) is such a special part of Clark's life, and the rest of our family as well.
They were able to meet while Clark was serving his mission in Mississippi.  Joey was a stubborn one, but after time and lots of prayers he came into the waters of Baptism, and Clark was able to be the one to do that.  They have kept in close touch for all these years.  He and his sweet wife Tresa came to our wedding, and have come out to visit a time or two through the years.  They are such wonderful people, they have 2 beautiful teenage children, Elizabeth and Ryan, who inherited their parents strong faith and killer sense of humor.  We just love anytime we get to spend with them, and hope that soon we will be able to travel back to Illinois where they live now and see all the Church history sites that surround them.

 Joey is such a crack up!  The boys just love to be with him, I don't think they stopped talking to him the whole time he was here.

These two are just big kids - I was just waiting for one or both of them to fall off and hurt themselves!  How do you explain that at a doctors office..."Well, Doctor, I was playing on this Rock Wall - yes, I know I am in my 30's"

Talk about ending Spring Break with a BANG!  We got to have our sweet cousins sleep over for the weekend!!  Check out those smiles, I think they say it all...

We went one of the days to Trafalga and the bumper boats were definitely the big highlight.

BEFORE...

DURING...

AFTER...

They got completely soaked and had a blast doing it.  Braxton and Cooper got cornered by a boat of girls (they probably thought they were cute!) and Jantzen and Colby had their own boats and tried to get each other as drenched as possible.  A couple times Jantzen even turned his squirt gun on the line of people waiting for the attraction - way to attack the unarmed buddy!  Good thing the sun decided to pop out for a minute so they didn't freeze.

Addy was a good sport to cheer them on from the sidelines, another few inches and then look out boys!

The last night we had a fire and roasted S'mores and Starbursts, then it was 5 showers and off to bed.  These 2 are so cute together, they were excited that THEY looked like twins this night!

Conference Breakfast...

Twice a year when General Conference rolls around, the "Flygare" side gets together at someone's home for a breakfast during the Sunday Morning session.  It is always so much fun, and to be able to hear the words of the Prophets while surrounded by people you love is just wonderful.

This year we had the breakfast at Courtney & Matt's House which means the food was AWESOME.  Other than being one of the greatest people I have EVER known, my sister not only holds me together more times than I care to admit, but also is one of the BEST cooks I know.  She had quite the spread as you can see, and it was yummy!!

The boys took turns beating up on Jordie, as he teased them like only an Uncle can!

They boys played cards...I think it was Old Maid - ironic 4 boys are playing!

 These are the two artists of the family!

Grandpa and I have had a rivalry between us over our favorite schools since I can remember, so I had to take a picture of the two of us supporting our respective favorites!

Choices...

For a Family Home Evening earlier this year we decided (OK, I decided) that we needed to come up with a family motto.  After some discussion, and a lot of joking, we had thought of one that was pretty great, but also pretty long.  We had talked about things that kind of symbolized our family, things that we wanted for our family and things that we could remember when times got tough.
Eventually Braxton, said, "Mom, why don't we just have 'Make Good Choices' be our family motto?  You have said it every morning before school forever.  Wouldn't that be a good one?"
So we decided to go with it --

 

We all agreed that this was something that, as a family, we could stand for.  The funny thing about choices is you never really run out of them.  Even if you have made a wrong choice, you always have the choice to make it right through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  When we thought about it, in the end, isn't choices what this life is all about?

I know as a mother, I always wish the best for my family -- but sometimes, in fact more times than not, you can learn the most through a rough time.  Whether because of your own choices, or outside factors, no matter the situation you can always choose to have hope, choose to have faith, and choose each day to do a little better.

I think that we all underestimate the power we all hold.  The eyes that are watching us, the example and support we can be to those around us.  The truth that through us, our choices and our service our Saviors work can be done.

President Henry B. Eyring said to the Young Women of the Church, "In your testimony and your choices, lies the hope of the Church and of the generations who will follow your example."(March 2011)

The gift of the gospel in my life is one that I treasure deeply, do I take it for granted too often - probably, but I am so happy to know that through all of life's paths, for all of us, we are never alone if we just ask.  The promise we have of a constant companion and comforter if we live worthily is such a calming force in a very chaotic world.  For this and so many other things today...I choose to be grateful!

Koa Hui...

I was able to join Clark in a work luncheon that honored some of the top performers of the year in 2010.  It was really fun, his company has a lot of Polynesian influences because of the founders ties to New Zealand and that was the atmosphere of the luncheon.  There were some amazing dancers and yummy food, and it was really nice to get to meet a lot of the people that Clark works with.

I so enjoy seeing Clark love what he does and have already so many great colleagues.  We are truly blessed to have this in our lives. 
A gentleman by the name of Les Moore (I know, irony!) gave a talk of sorts and talked about working in an environment that is not an "I win, you lose" or an "I lose, you lose" situation.  It got me thinking a lot about being a Mom, and how I need to foster a better tone of "I win, You win".  I get so overwhelmed with trying so hard to make sure my kids are doing what they need to do to learn, sometimes I think I take away their joy of discovery.  I am going to try harder to "just let things be" and relax more - especially with my family.  This is truly where I find the most joy and I need to magnify that whenever possible.

"Peace I leave with you..."

While driving home one night I looked out my car window and saw the beautiful Mt Timpanogos Temple shining brightly in the distance.  It got me thinking about how the existence of Temples, the work done within there walls and even the requirements needing to be met to enter the Temple doors -- are such a helpmate in our lives.

We are so blessed and are so grateful for the blessings and opportunities the Temple provides.  As an Eternal Family we have a security that this world cannot provide.  We are able to see things with more hope, with more love, and with more belief.  Doing work in the Temples, and even just seeing them as a beacon of light on a dark night, we have the assurance that we are not alone and that there IS a Heavenly Father to guide us and bless us.

President Thomas S. Monson said, "The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls—not the peace provided by men but the peace promised by the Son of God when He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” (Oct. 2010)

I am so grateful for the peace I feel as I attend the Temple, and as I ponder the work that is done there.  I hope there will be a day that I will be able to greet those sweet sisters, who I have been able to be in some way a part of their eternal journey, and thank them for the opportunity it is to do their ordinance work.

Great-Grandpa's Birthday...

March 14th is my Grandpa John's birthday, he turned 86 in 2011.  We had a fun evening visiting with him, and laughing in the front room of his house.  The weather was nice so the boys went out and played in their HUGE backyard.  Going to his house is and always has been so peaceful and nice.  Their house is actually built from cinder blocks - which makes it one of the quietest houses I have ever been in. 
Not this night though!  We were there with Dad, Mom, Courtney, Matt and their kids.  Along with my Uncle Morris and Aunt Paula.  Needless to say, we were NOT quiet at all, lots of laughs!!

 

My Grandpa is one of the greatest men I have ever known - and I get to be related to him.  One of the things that sticks out most about him is his sense of humor.  Grandpa is the "KING of One Liners".  Here a just  a few:

       * "Come in if your nose is clean"

       * "About an hour, hour and a half, two hours"

* "I said to myself, Self..."

* In response to offering of food

         "No thank you - just had my pants pressed"

         "My sufficiency has been suffancified."

* In response to "How are you?"

         "Any better I would have to be twins/triplets"

         "I don't know, how am I?"

         "Not too bad for a curly headed guy"

         "Just Lovely"

* "All of us 'Johns' sure were glad when they brought us inside!"

I love my Grandpa and am so blessed and grateful for him in my life, and the life of my family!!

Love you - Johnny Hazeldecker!!

Jantzen's Awesome "Geode"...

At Kindergarten Jantzen got a Geode and was very excited to get it home and crack it open.  He told me there was either silver or gold in it.

Jantzen wrapped it in a sock and grabbed the hammer and, because luckily it was a warm/dry day we went outside. After a couple good whacks at the sock...

The BIG reveal...

No Gold or Silver - but VERY sparkly!

Unfortunately the sock did not fair very well...

But Jantzen was happy with it anyway.  He couldn't wait to show his Dad and Brother when they got home.