Normally I get really frustrated when my kids are fighting. But this morning Jeff and I were laughing because Caleb was "bothering" Chloe.
She kept saying, "Stop fathering me. Caleb's fathering me!"
And Caleb would say, "I'm not fathering her, she's fathering me!"
We told them to "stop fathering eachother" as we were totally laughing.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
President Hinckley
Statement from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
SALT LAKE CITY — President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through nearly 13 years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.
President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.
The Church president died this evening at 7 p.m. of causes incident to age at home surrounded by his family. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church's Council of Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley's funeral within the next few days.
President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 97, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering more than 13 million in 160 nations.
His quick wit and humor combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church's pioneer past.
He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on "60 Minutes" with Mike Wallace and on CNN's "Larry King Live," as well as in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.
In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley's personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the president committed the Church to a massive temple building program.
In 1999 - 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith - the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.
President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church's history. His duties have taken him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He is the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998.
At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training in nations where they would otherwise likely never receive it.
Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996, and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world, and has become the hub for the Church's messages to the world, broadcast in 54 languages.
Even before his term as president, President Hinckley's extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and for 20 years before that, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910, in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.
President Hinckley's first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the European missions.
Upon successfully completing his missionary service in the mid-1930s, he was asked by then Church President Heber J. Grant to organize what has become the Church's Public Affairs Department.
President Hinckley began serving as a member of the Sunday School general board in 1937, two years after returning home from missionary service in Great Britain. For 20 years he directed all Church public communications. In 1951 he was named executive secretary of the General Missionary Committee, managing the entire missionary program of the Church, and served in this capacity for seven years.
On 6 April 1958, while serving as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Salt Lake City (a stake is similar to a diocese), President Hinckley was appointed as a general authority, or senior full-time leader of the Church. In this capacity he served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 5 October 1961.
President Hinckley has received a number of educational honors including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University; Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah; and honorary doctorates from Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College. The Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies, a program focused on the arts, literature and history of the United Kingdom, was established at the University of Utah.
President Hinckley was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America; was honored by the National Conference of Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world; and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
In March 2000 President Hinckley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He also has addressed the Religion Newswriters Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and twice has addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
President Hinckley has written and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts, including a best-selling book, Standing for Something, aimed at a general audience. In it he champions the virtues of love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness, mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism and faith. He also testifies of what he calls the "guardians of virtue," namely traditional marriage and family.
President Hinckley married Majorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They are the parents of five children. Sister Hinckley passed away April 6, 2004.
SALT LAKE CITY — President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through nearly 13 years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.
President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.
The Church president died this evening at 7 p.m. of causes incident to age at home surrounded by his family. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church's Council of Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley's funeral within the next few days.
President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 97, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering more than 13 million in 160 nations.
His quick wit and humor combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church's pioneer past.
He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on "60 Minutes" with Mike Wallace and on CNN's "Larry King Live," as well as in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.
In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley's personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the president committed the Church to a massive temple building program.
In 1999 - 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith - the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.
President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church's history. His duties have taken him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He is the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998.
At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training in nations where they would otherwise likely never receive it.
Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996, and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world, and has become the hub for the Church's messages to the world, broadcast in 54 languages.
Even before his term as president, President Hinckley's extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and for 20 years before that, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910, in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.
President Hinckley's first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the European missions.
Upon successfully completing his missionary service in the mid-1930s, he was asked by then Church President Heber J. Grant to organize what has become the Church's Public Affairs Department.
President Hinckley began serving as a member of the Sunday School general board in 1937, two years after returning home from missionary service in Great Britain. For 20 years he directed all Church public communications. In 1951 he was named executive secretary of the General Missionary Committee, managing the entire missionary program of the Church, and served in this capacity for seven years.
On 6 April 1958, while serving as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Salt Lake City (a stake is similar to a diocese), President Hinckley was appointed as a general authority, or senior full-time leader of the Church. In this capacity he served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 5 October 1961.
President Hinckley has received a number of educational honors including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University; Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah; and honorary doctorates from Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College. The Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies, a program focused on the arts, literature and history of the United Kingdom, was established at the University of Utah.
President Hinckley was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America; was honored by the National Conference of Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world; and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
In March 2000 President Hinckley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He also has addressed the Religion Newswriters Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and twice has addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
President Hinckley has written and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts, including a best-selling book, Standing for Something, aimed at a general audience. In it he champions the virtues of love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness, mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism and faith. He also testifies of what he calls the "guardians of virtue," namely traditional marriage and family.
President Hinckley married Majorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They are the parents of five children. Sister Hinckley passed away April 6, 2004.
Just a funny little thing....
that Chloe said. Last night we went to the BYU v. New Mexico basketball game....love the $1/ticket night!
Chloe was very observant and said in her not so quiet voice, "The red team has black skin and the Cougars have white skin!" Which, for the most part, was true. They read a book about Martin Luther King Jr. in Kindergarten, so I think that is why she noticed. Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was funny!
At least she said it there and didn't tell me at the grocery store that the African American cashier's hands were dirty (that was Chrysta, right?)!!
Chloe was very observant and said in her not so quiet voice, "The red team has black skin and the Cougars have white skin!" Which, for the most part, was true. They read a book about Martin Luther King Jr. in Kindergarten, so I think that is why she noticed. Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was funny!
At least she said it there and didn't tell me at the grocery store that the African American cashier's hands were dirty (that was Chrysta, right?)!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Caleb's 5 favorite things!
Caleb randomly came up to me and asked me, "Mommy, do you want me to tell you what my 5 favorite things are?" Here's what he said, word for word, holding his fingers up in the air to count....
"One is playing at the playground
Two is eating lots of yummy food (pause) that's healthy
Three is playing with lots of toys
Four is cleaning up the floor (I was sweeping when he was telling me so I'm guessing that's how that one made the list.)
Five playing on lots of toys at the playground"
Cute kid!
"One is playing at the playground
Two is eating lots of yummy food (pause) that's healthy
Three is playing with lots of toys
Four is cleaning up the floor (I was sweeping when he was telling me so I'm guessing that's how that one made the list.)
Five playing on lots of toys at the playground"
Cute kid!
Friday, January 18, 2008
FIRE STATION!!
I joined a preschool group with some other mom's a couple weeks ago. Yesterday we went to the firestation for a little field trip. And just FYI.....my car said 4 degrees at about 9:15 when we were driving there. I know I always talk about it, but seriously, 4 degrees at 9 in the morning?? It is SO cold. I'd rather just stay inside and do nothing, but I can't because I have to take Chloe to school and pick her up, etc...I can't wait for warm weather.
Anyway, the kids had a lot of fun!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me!!
I had a fun birthday yesterday...minus the 4-H disappointment! We went to Red Robin for dinner (surprise, surprise....my family never goes there!). It was so yummy and they even brought a Mile High Mudpie for my birthday dessert!! So good....the kids seriously inhaled it. Then we got home and of course had to blow out candles. The kids had decorated cupcakes earlier. The most fun part probably is seeing the kids get so excited about it! Thanks everyone for the phone calls and emails!!
Aren't these beautiful?? Chloe did the blue one and Caleb did the pink one! 
Family pic...thanks to the timer! I think Chloe just wanted to blow out the candles!
Kind of a gross upclose picture of my arm, but Jeff insisted that I put it on so he could take a picture of it. I told him I'm 28 now and don't really need pictures of me with my gifts.....we can do that with the kids. I gave in. Here's the watch Jeff got me. He did a good job picking it out, I really like it! Thanks Jeff! (like he's really ever going to read this:) )Here are some pics of the kids being silly right before bed last night. I don't really know what they were doing...Jeff was the camera man! Random video at the bottom!
4-H
I have to say that there is almost nothing worse than seeing your kid totally disappointed and sad and not being able to do anything about it. At Chloe's school, they have 2 sessions of 4-H afterschool....one for the first half of the year, and one for the second half. She went to 4-H on Wednesdays last semester and absolutely LOVED it. She was so bummed when the 10 weeks was up (she went on Wednesdays) and was super pumped and excited for it to start again. I signed her up last week on sign-up day and they said that it was full, but they'd try to squeeze her in. So I never heard anything so I figured she could go and she was so happy to go yesterday. Well, I went in the office when I took her to Kindergarten, just to make sure, only to find out that they would not let her in. They said there was no way. I totally had a lump in my throat and was dreading telling Chloe, because I knew how upset she would be. I had no idea the class filled up so fast, or I would have gone in earlier in the day to sign her up. SO I went and grabbed Chloe out of class and told her and of course she started crying. Chloe's friend, Olivia, was in the same situation. They were the next two to get in, but neither one did. They were heartbroken. Olivia had even worn her 4-H shirt to school. So Wendy, Olivia's mom, and I decided that we'll do something fun together on Wednesdays. Yesterday, they came over and I made cupcakes for them to decorate. They had a lot of fun, and I think doing this will be fun for them and help them get over the fact that they can't do 4-H. Here are some pics....
Chloe and Olivia 
Frosting face Olivia!
Caleb and Isaac (Olivia's little bro that is the same age as Caleb.)Tuesday, January 15, 2008
MEMORIES....
I was going through some photo boxes looking for Jeff's passport and came across some fun pictures I hadn't seen in a while that brought back some good memories. It was fun looking at them and remembering.
GRANDPA AND CALEB
I love this picture of my Grandpa holding Caleb when he was almost 5 months old. Pictures like this are really special to me because my Grandpa, who we all loved and were so close to, passed away 2 years and 1 month ago.4 GENERATIONS
I think this picture is neat because it has 4 generations of the Sells family (my mom's side). Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Chrysta, and Kyler (who is now 10!)
LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER
I'm not positive how old I am here, I'm thinking about 1 1/2 to 2 years old. I got into my mom's cake frosting coloring (very strong stuff) and as you can see got it all over me. I was kind of hiding and I think my mom thought it was blood when she first saw me. I guess for me as a kid, this was a typicial day! :)
Here's Chloe when she was 2 and was upstairs being quiet in my parents' house for a while. When she came down, she was covered in red lipstick. We all laughed because she looked so much like I did when I got into the food coloring!
FUN IN ST. GEORGE-1998
Me, Jen and Monica in St. George. We had so much fun there....rollerblading all over, cruising the boulevard, I did my very first scrapbook page there. It was a great experience and I'm glad I got to spend it with great friends! I can't believe it has been almost 10 years!
HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS
Raquel, Jeremy, Me, Rocia, Keith, Kaisa and I can't remember Rocia's friend's name on the bottom right. The first thing I thought of when I saw this picture was W.O.A.M. (for those of you who know what that is....is it still a secret?). We had so much fun doing silly things, eating Moose Tracks ice cream, etc. I think this picture is from the night we went to Sunrise Fun Center and rode on the little race cars.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Nursery Rhyme Day
Wednesday was Nursery Rhyme day for the Kindergarteners at Chloe's school. She decided to be Little Miss Muffet. She was so excited that the first thing she did when she got up is ask me, "Can we get me ready for school now?" even thought she doesn't start until 11:55. The kids had to stand in front of the class and recite the Nursery Rhyme. Chloe did an awesome job and not surprisingly was one of the loudest ones. She wanted me to record her doing it and take TONS of pictures of her "being scared of the spider"...she's such a ham. Watch the video, it's pretty cute.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
16 degrees
I have to give myself a little pat on the back for going to the gym this morning. I got up early to go before Jeff goes to work. I went in the garage to get in my car and it was FREEZING...literally. There was some water on the ground where the snow had melted off the car and it was totally frozen. Then I was driving to the gym and looked to see how cold it was and it was 16 degrees!!! I could barely breathe walking into the gym because the wind was blowing the snow everywhere and the air was SO cold! Just thought you'd like to know! You probably don't, but I had to make myself feel good! :)
More snow!
Friday was so nice....high of 50! Then there was some crazy wind all night. Our Christmas tree was laying on the ground outside our back door and when we got up in the morning, it had blown across the whole yard, probably at least 20 feet. Then it rained Saturday morning and almost all the snow was melted. It was great, we played Disney Scene It with the kids and by the time we were done with the game, we looked outside again and it was snowing like crazy. I shoveled the driveway at 2:00 and the snow was about 6 or 7 inches deep....it took forever!! (Don't get upset, I know I'm over 7 months pregnant. I told Jeff I wanted to because I couldn't go to the gym because the weather was so bad. I counted it as my exercise for the day!) Here's some shots from the day!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Wow, it's already 2008! We had a fun New Year's Eve. We went to our friends' house for a few hours and got back to my parents' house about 11:15. Caleb fell asleep on the way to our friends' house and slept the whole time we were there. He woke up when we brought him into Grammy and Papa's house and he was SO grumpy. He wanted to be part of the party but was so tired. He put a hat on and sat on the couch and cried and whined almost the whole time until midnight! It was kind of funny because I asked him if he wanted to go upstairs and watch a movie or go to bed and said, "No, then I'll miss the party!" Looks like it was a fun party for him!
Chloe, our little nightowl, is such a poser! She's always up for a late night party!
Abbie just couldn't make it!
Merry Christmas!
All the grandkids in front of their stockings at Great Grandma's (my grandma's) house! This used to be a tradition that we all did as the grandkids, now all the great grandkids do it! 
The kids singing Away in a Manger after acting out the Nativity story. This is the first year we've done this and I think everyone liked it...I did. I made all the costumes (nothing elaborate) and the kids had fun dressing up. Abbie LOVED being baby Jesus and had everyone cracking up while she was sitting in the manger.
Chloe opening her Rayna the Cloud Queen doll that she got from Santa! Santa had to work hard to get that toy for her!
Caleb opening his Air Hog Remote Control Havoc Helicopter from Santa...they were so specific about what they wanted this year!
Christmas.....finally!
I'm way behind in posting Christmas stuff!
Here are some pictures of the kids in their Christmas clothes!
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