Farewell

Daytime TV to me means Sesame Street and Super Why and most days Tangled. But last week I made sure to watch the Oprah show. I haven't watched the Oprah show on a regular basis since high school. But when I did I loved it. I loved the guests she had on and the interviews with them, the fun side of the show, but I loved the episodes that touched on deeper things. Oprah has a way about her that I cannot describe, but she always seems to say the right thing.

By some miracle all three kids were upstairs for the entire 4:00 hour last Wednesday. I was able to watch the farewell episode in its entirety and in quiet. And I was moved to tears. Seriously, I felt like I was at a Women's Conference or the Relief Society Broadcast. She spoke powerful words that touched my heart. Oprah often talks about "Aha moments." Even though what she said may not have been new, it was a message that I needed reminding of. "Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does anything I say matter to you?" She said that everyone has a need to be seen and heard, to know that what they are saying matters. Validate them! Let others know we see them, we hear them, and they do matter! I think it is easy to forget to do this, especially with children. In my case, my children talk all the time and so sometimes I tend to tune them out. I need to sit with them and really listen to what they are saying.

Oprah in all her wisdom also said, "You are responsible for your own life." Simple but powerful. If I want something to change then I am the only one who can make it change. I've got to take control and make it happen.

"What are the whispers in your life and will you listen to them?"

"Be a safe harbor for somebody. Make them feel they matter."

Thank you Oprah for making a difference in my life and the lives of people worldwide! You went out with a bang! And you will be missed!

A Dream Come True

Thursday, May 19th was a day that we have waited for and dreamed about for a long time. That was the Grand Opening for CopperWell Chiropractic. Today was an emotional day for me. I have watched my husband work his heart out. There were many late nights at school studying and learning. There were many late nights at home. He spent 7 years going to school to earn his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. I was with him for 6 of those years. I have seen the excitement as he learned new techniques and then as he began working on his fellow students and eventually the public. I have seen the sparkle in his eye whenever he talks about helping people. He has gone through notebooks doodling floor plans and layouts for his office, coming up with logos, and thinking about color schemes. He has prepared and planned for this day for years. And now finally it is here! Everything he worked for! And it was amazing!

Jen came to spend the night Wednesday so she would be here for the ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00. She helped me get the kids ready to look their best in support of Daddy and Teran. And I have to say they were a good looking bunch. I am so glad Jen was there! She was my camera woman and my kid wrangler!

Just as we were getting ready to go out the door, there was a knock at the door. My mom and dad had surprised us. They told us that work was just too busy and they wouldn't be able to get away. So when I saw them there I almost cried. I was so touched and grateful that they came to celebrate this special day with us. Especially since they got up at 4:00 in the morning to make it on time and then turned around to go home at 3:30 in the afternoon. Such a lot of driving! Thank you for doing that. It meant so much!

When we got to the office, Chant's dad and stepmom (Kerry and Frances) were there. Kerry had taken the day off work to be there to support us. They stayed the entire day! Thank you so much for doing that! We are so grateful for your love and support and so glad that we live close to you!
I had to snap some pictures before the ribbon cutting. This is Chant and Teran, our business partner.
And us. I promise my smile was a lot bigger!
Grandpa's job was to keep the kids occupied. He did the ultimate at that when he ran next door and got Little Caesar's pizza. They were quiet for a long time!
Grandma and Porter were having quite the talk. Too bad Grandma didn't know what he was saying :)
Members of the Chamber of Commerce gathering. I was so grateful for the amount of people that showed up.
For those who don't know Teran, this is a standard gesture. I love her! She is so fun and she cracks me up! We are lucky to have her!
Everyone gathered for the ribbon cutting. Say Cheese!
And cut!
It's official!
We are so pleased and excited to welcome Gabby to the team! Gabby is a licensed massage therapist. She is so excited to be part of the group and we are glad to have her! (Gabby was hired the day before!)

We are ready to go and continue to make our dreams come true! Thank you to family and friends for all your love and support. We couldn't have done it without amazing people encouraging us and standing behind us!

All Things Chant

This has been a big month for my hubby! First and most important his chiropractic clinic opened May 2. This is something we have been working for for 7 years!
The kids were so excited to wish Daddy a good first day at work.




























The marque out in front of the office with the office sign!














The street-front sign. It lights up at night! How cool are we :)














This amazing banner hangs behind the reception desk.











It acts as a separation between the waiting area and P.T. bay.








The front of the building.












He has been working hard getting his office put together. The building is new and so it needed to be built out. Chant and our business partner, Teran, were there every step of the way. Once that was complete it was on to decorating and getting everything set up. It has been a long process and they worked so hard to get ready for opening day. I cannot believe after all this time it finally happened! Still a little unreal! I am so proud of him!

Another noteworthy item: Chant is now a member of the PTA for Brinnley's school. He is the health adviser. Which means he may be the lucky person to give the maturation talk to the 5th graders. I just laughed when I heard that!

And for those who don't know, Chant and I teach the 5 year old at church. Every Sunday is an adventure!

I love you my dear!

Never Say Never

We watched Never Say Never with the kids today. Never Say Never is the story of Justin's Bierber's discovery and rise to fame. I have to say I was inspired watching this movie. My kids love Justin Bierber's music. They have the words memorized and the first thing Porter says when we get in the car is "Turn up Bierber!" I want the people my kids look up to and admire to be good people and have a positive influence and message. I was so impressed when they showed the entire crew having prayer before the start of each show. At the end of the movie one of the managers said that they are a family working together. I loved how positive everyone was. His mom and grandparents were there for him and supporting him. I just felt like Justin truly is a good person and I loved watching his story. At the end his mom said something to the effect that she wants Justin's self-worth to come not from what he can do but from who his is. I love that! I honestly can say that I have not thought about what my children will do with their lives as far as careers or education. I don't care what they do as long as it is positive and makes them happy. And I hope that I can be like Justin's mom and say that it isn't about what you do but who you are!

Music is so powerful and I so appreciate the positive messages that I have been hearing in songs lately. Here are a few of the favs in our house right now.

Justin Bieber's Never Say Never:
I will never say never!
I will fight till forever!
Whenever you knock me down,
I will not stay on the ground.
Pick it up and never say never.

Katy Perry's Firework:
You just gotta ignite the light
and let it shine

Cause Baby you're a firework
come on show them what your worth.

You're original cannot be replaced.

Selena Gomez and the Scene Who Says:
Who says you're not perfect
Who says you're not worth it

Who says you're not pretty
Who says you're not beautiful

Who says?

Orianthi and Lacey's Courage:
Courage ends when you're afraid
But you keep on moving anyway

Courage ends when you're in pain
But you keep on living anyway

We Didn't Start the Fire

My final exam for my high school history class was to research twenty of the things talked about in the song "We Didn't Start the Fire." I loved this assignment. I didn't actually know what a lot of the things were until I got this assignment and did my research. It is filled with people and events that were important in quickly summing up an era. I have been wondering lately if another song were written about this era, what would be included. What events, people, or places would stand out the most? Here's my mini-version. Obviously there are many more that could be included, but these are the things that stand out to me personally.




Twin Towers, Iraq, Afghanistan













Reality TV, The Bachelor, American Idol

Gas Prices Sky High, Recessionistas, Cost of Living on the Rise













Michael Jackson dead, Oprah is retiring, America's first African American President















Osama Bin Laden is gone.















Royal Wedding, Two Kisses, Deviastation in Japan

U-Tube Sensations, Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Blogger
















Twilight, Harry Potter, Hunger Games


This is my song. And how much things have changed. I wonder what events and people will write the song of my childrens' lives?

Respect

Every month Brinnley's school focuses on a different value. Then at the end of the month each teacher nominates a child from their class to receive that award. They are given out at the Principal's Pride assembly. The value for the month of April was respect. Brinnley's teacher chose her for this award. I am so proud of my girl. We had been talking about respect at home a lot lately. We have been talking about respecting people's thoughts, feelings, and things. She has always been very sensitive and aware of other people's feelings and it feels good to know that when she leaves home the things we talk about with her are sticking. Congratulations Brinnley Beth! We are proud of you and we love you!

Uncle Kirk's Birthday

Our last night there we went to my brother and sister-in-laws for Easter/birthday dinner. Kirk's birthday was on Saturday. While we were waiting for the party to begin, Porter found a guitar. He provided everyone with the entertainment. He sang Justin's Baby.








Brinnley worked really hard getting a present ready for Kirk. She drew him a picture and collected random things. She was so excited to give it to him! I love how thoughtful she is.










Kirk has been working really hard to get his food storage together. Their storage room is quite impressive! The only thing he wanted for his birthday was spices. And spices and ranch and salsa he got. And he was thrilled! The big nerd! (JK!)









Random picture, but I thought it was so cute. Brinnley and Porter spent over an hour playing restaurant. They put on Grandma's aprons and created a fancy table. It was so cute! Love my kids!

Easter Sunday!

We had a beautiful Easter! The week before the lessons in Primary were about the meaning of Easter and the resurrection of Christ. We had talked about it more after church and then again that morning while getting ready we discussed it. I hope that amidst everything else they were able to remember that. The Easter Bunny had come sometime in the night so when the kids awoke bright and early there buckets were filled. Each child got a coloring book, stickers, a few candies and a movie. Porter got Despicable Me, Ainsley got Tangled, and Brinnley Ramona and Beezus. It seemed like they were happy with their haul.
































Church started at 9:00 so we hurried through getting ready to make it on time. I would say we made a pretty good looking bunch.








Porter was the only child in nursery (shocking!) and since Grandma is the nursery leader, they had some quality one on one time. I have to say my mom is very creative. She did some very cute things with him.














The Easter Bunny hid eggs while we were at Church, so when we got home each kid grabbed their buckets and the hunt was on. This was so fun for them! They were running all over as fast as they could. And that Bunny brought a lot of eggs so it took a while!



























When it was over they were all smiles! It was a fabulous Easter!

Easter Preparation

We got to Ashton Tuesday the 19th and came home Monday the 25th. It was a busy week! We spent a lot of time helping Grandma pick out tile, cabinets, and countertops for the grand bathroom remodel. When we weren't doing that, we were doing Easter stuff. Friday afternoon we dyed eggs. Last year Porter used one color and just splashed the dye around. This year he actually used different colors and he was a professional at it. The girls were having fun making new colors by dying the eggs one color and then dipping them into another color. They looked pretty good!

Porter was so into it he wouldn't even stop to look up for the camera.









































Then they helped Grandma create a coconut poke hole masterpiece. It was delicious! And very festive.












Saturday morning was the town egg hunt at the elementary school. We were so surprised to see there was a special visitor there!

They had the hunt divided into different areas by age. My kids were all in different areas. Good thing we recruited Grandpa to come with us! Grandpa took Bug, Grandma took Jeanie Beanie, and I got Yoda.





Brinn made a haulin'! She got 10 eggs, Ainsley got 8, and my Porter Boy only got one and that was because it fell out of another kids basket and he scooped it up. Luckily, he was excited about his one egg and didn't care there weren't more. They turned the eggs in for prizes. Porter was thrilled with his harmonica. We had a good time even if it was freezing! (Side story: I totally forgot the kids' coats when we were packing to leave. It had been warm in Utah so we were wearing sweatshirts. Luckily I packed a few sweatshirts for each kid so we were able to layer. But seriously, who forgets their coats when going to Idaho in April!)

Spring Break Kick Off

After being gone for two weeks on vacation my parents came to my house on April 18th. Brinnley's Spring Break started the 20th and we wanted to spend it in Ashton. I begged them to wait so we could hitch a ride to Ashton with them. But before we could leave, we had to go to Brinnley's Kindergarten program on the 19th. It was all about Nursery Rhymes. The students were paired up to memorize and recite a nursery rhyme. Brinn was assigned Old Mother Hubbard. She knew it word for word and she did awesome! I was so proud of her!





(Grandpa brought Porter a pop gun as his gift from their trip. My little man had a blast with it! We are wishing Grandpa had taken it with him :)









I tried to dress Brinn as "old lady" as possible. This was the look we came up with.