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I'M. SO. TIRED!!

Contract week started Monday...I was NOT ready! We've had a longer summer than normal but I still didn't want to go back! We've had a LOT of stress this summer but had a few really fun times. I wanted more of those... BUMMER!!

Every year, one or more of the girls come help me set up my classroom. They're experts on doing bulletin boards, seating charts, etc. while I work on other stuff. This year, Maddi even OFFERED to come help...I didn't have to ask!!!! WAHOO!!!!! When we were talking about it, Jeremy (the boyfriend) overheard us and offered to take a day off to help too. We told him he didn't need to...it's not that fun...but he said he would. A couple of days later, he told Maddi he'd taken Tuesday and Wednesday off to spend both days helping out. OH. MY. GOODNESS!! WHAT A GUY!!!

For two solid days, we cleaned out cupboards that I hadn't seen the back of in nine years (that's how long I've been in the room), took down and changed up posters, laminated and taped on book covers, numbered books, you name it. Tuesday we didn't leave until 7:00pm (I got there at 8:00am...they came about 9:00am) then today they left at 4:30 and I got home at 8:00 after Back to School Night. They worked so incredibly hard and my room looks GREAT!!

THANKS MADDS & JERMS!!

YOU'RE AWESOME!!

LOVE YOU!!

Amen!!

"I don't know---What sounds good to you?"

This statement is repeated almost every. single. night. at our house! For some reason, I'm just not the type of wife/mom/homemaker that plans out my meals and gets my act together to have dinner cooking and ready when everyone gets home. When I'm in school, it's hard to think it up when I get home and I'm tired...Bob feels the same way when he gets home. When it's summer, I don't want to think about cooking...it's hot, I eat later in the afternoon so I'm not hungry, whatever the excuse. Add to all that Sammi doesn't get home until 7:30ish so it's hard to figure out anything before that. I know...excuses, excuses, excuses. 

Over the summer, I've been on Pintrest more and more. I swore I wouldn't get addicted to it but DANG! There's some pretty sweet ideas on there! I'd seen recipes for freezer meals which are cooked in the crockpot and thought about doing some. Then earlier this week, Kenzi suggested we get together and make some and see how it works. SWEET IDEA!! Cooking with someone else and hopefully getting my act together before I head back to school on Monday. (I'm trying NOT to think about that part!)

Kenzi is an AMAZING "coupon-er" and saves so much money playing the game. One of the blogs she follows is created by a lady who was about to have a baby so stocked up on some freezer meals. We took her suggestion of six chicken meals and then added a Lasagna Rolls recipe I'd tweaked for dinner on Sunday (EVERYONE LOVED IT!). We decided if we were going to do this, we'd make four batches of each recipe: one for Zack & Kenzi, one for Mal & Tom (for tending Wyatt), two for me but we'd pull our some for Maddi to have "home-cooked meals." We went through our pantries and pulled what supplies we needed, created a list of what had then what we needed to buy, then Kenzi set about looking for deals and coupons. All in all, I'd say we spent about three hours in prepping for her to go shopping. I handed over the debit card and she went to the stores. 

When she got home, we spread out all the goods and I was SHOCKED to find out it only cost her about $53.00! I couldn't believe it! She got 15lbs of chicken for $15.00!! (We ended up using my 10lb bag from Sam's Club plus another 10 breasts from Sam's as well...it took a TON of chicken!!)

All the details and credit go to the gal who runs the "Freebies 2 Deals" blog. I cannot believe the amount of time she puts into helping others save money!! You can find the details for organizing it all HERE...

Here's what we fixed (NOTE: We did four of each recipe then divided it up into Ziplocs for each family/household):

Teriyaki Chicken 

• Bag of Baby Carrots
• 1/2 Red Onion in Large Chunks
• (1) 20oz can pineapple (undrained)
• 1/2 or 1 Garlic Cloves Chopped
• 2- 3 Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce

*Add 1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce to Mixture right before cooking. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Serve over Rice.  (Thanks to Melissa Fallis Test Kitchen for this recipe)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 1-2 Lbs Cooked Chicken Tenders (I used chicken breasts and did not cook them.  I am opting to shred the chicken when it is almost done cooking inside the crock pot instead.)
• 2-3 Large Potatoes
• 2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Can Chicken Broth
• 1/2 Cup Onion Chopped
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Small Can Green Chilies

Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours.

Chicken and Dumplings

• 4 Chicken Breasts Halved
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Onion Diced Finely
• 2 Packages of Refrigerated Biscuit Dough torn into pieces (this is added after cooking- place in a separate baggie.)

Place everything in slow cooker (except the biscuit dough) and fill with enough water to cover. Cook HIGH 5-6 Hours.  30 Minutes before serving, place torn biscuit dough in slow cooker.  Cook until dough is no longer raw in center.

Shredded Buffalo Chicken (ADDED NOTE: Maddi cooked this one...it's got some KICK to it!! BEWARE! I may add sour cream or cream cheese to tone it down and make it creamier. We'll see...)

• 5-7 Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 Cup Frank’s Wing Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Yellow Mustard
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Add all to crock pot.  Cook on HIGH for 5 hours.  With 20 minutes left, shred chicken inside the crock pot.  Then, finish cooking cycle.  Eat on Whole Wheat Buns, with lettuce, tomato and even cheese.

Salsa Chicken (this one smells GREAT going into the bag!)

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Cup Salsa
• 1 Package Taco Seasoning
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 Cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream

Add everything to Crock Pot (except Sour Cream).  Cook on LOW for 6-8 Hours.  Stir in Sour Cream at the end and serve over rice.

Zesty BBQ Chicken (this one smells FABULOUS when putting the sauce together!!)

• 5-6 Chicken Breasts
• 1 12 oz Bottle BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Italian Salad Dressing
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Put chicken in bag.  Stir all other ingredients together in a bowl then pour into the bag.  Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.

Lasagna Rolls (Like I said, I took a couple of recipes from Pintrest and the box of lasagna noodles and created this one. We had it for our "whole family Sunday dinner" last week and it was a COMPLETE hit!! [NOTE: everyone was rolling their noses up at it while I was making it...HAHAHA!! Fooled them!! :) ])

• 1 box lasagna noodles
• 2 lbs extra lean hamburger
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Ricotta cheese, 15 oz carton
• Mozzarella cheese, about 6 cups
• Parmasean cheese, about 2 cups (I used the shredded kind from Sam's Club)
• Parsley flakes, about 1 TBSP.
• Marinara sauce
• Alfredo sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions. Lay out individually on waxed paper after rinsing thoroughly.

Pour enough marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish to cover the bottom. (NOTE: When we did this for freezer meals, we put this portion of the sauce in a sandwich-size ziplock bag. We'll thaw it when we're ready to make them.)

Brown hamburger and onion together. Drain well. Add the rest of the marinara sauce to the hamburger mixture.

Beat eggs well then add the Ricotta, Parmasean, and 4 cups Mozzarella cheese along with the parsley flakes. Mix well!

Divide the hamburger mixture among the noodles and spread to cover each...you don't need a ton! Next, spread the cheese mixture over the hamburger. (We ended up using our hands a lot on this part...it was easier than using spoons!) Then, beginning at one end of each noodle, roll them up keeping all the mixture inside. (It's tricky at first but gets easier!) Place the "rolls" in the bottom of the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce. (NOTE: When we did these for the freezer meals, we actually put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours to make it easier to put them in the Zip-locks. You may/may not need/want to do this...) When all rolls are in the baking dish, pour the Alfredo sauce over the top then sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella cheese over that. (NOTE: for the freezer meals, we put the sauce and cheese in separate sandwich-size Zip-lock then placed all three of those in the bag with the rolls.) Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly. Take off foil and let the cheese get a little golden brown. 

This makes at least 20 rolls if all the noodles come out in tact. We fed ten adults with leftovers for Sunday dinner. When we did the freezer meals, we made a little bigger batch (used more Ricotta and Mozzarella, another egg, and more noodles) and then divided it. I think we're going to need more marinara and/or Alfredo but we'll have to see when we bake it. Most of us have those on hand anyway so we should be fine.

This is a shot of the finished product! We figure we got 28 meals (7 different meals for 4 families consisting of 8 adults and a 1-year old) for about $100 (that includes what we purchased just for this and what Kenzi and I had in our pantries). It figures out to be $1.78 per person per meal! Of course, there will be minor additions like rice or hoagie buns but that's MINIMAL!! I can't wait to try it next week!!

BEST PART OF IT ALL...spending the day with Kenzi, Wyatt, Mal &; Drew!! We giggled, talked, the boys took naps...GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

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I/We did it! Another year down...

Today was the last day of school.
Another year down...this makes 10-1/2.
This has been one of the. toughest. years. ever!
Not necessarily from a "school" standpoint but rather
Life...

When I stop and look back where I/we was/were 180 school days ago, I can't believe it!
So much has happened!
Some wonderful... :)
Some horrible... :(

But...I/we did it!
YAY!
Quite frankly, I'm amazed and proud of all of us!

This year, I have met some of the most remarkable young people I've ever had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with. They are people I want to follow, keep track of, watch take on life because they are going to do AMAZING things!

Today, I said goodbye to some wonderful colleagues that have touched my life and made me a better person and teacher. I will miss them dearly as one retires after 23 years, one gets to be a stay-at-home Mom, and another moves to a different school. I've enjoyed working with these ladies and it just won't be the same come September. I. HATE. CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Always have; probably always will.

But...as I sit here writing this, I have all three puppies around me sound asleep...Wyatt is in the "grandkids' room" sound asleep...and Mallorie and Drew just drove up to hang out for the afternoon. I have almost 90 days of playing, relaxing, and enjoying the most precious people around...MY FAMILY!!! Without them, I wouldn't have made it through this year, or any other for that matter and I absolutely treasure every minute I get to spend with them.

So...if I sound a little melonkolee (melancholy said like in MegaMind), I might be but it won't last long...

LET THE SUMMER FUN BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Cutest "May" boys EVER!

It's an official Grammy tradition...

I buy the boys "twinner" outfits and we take pictures that become everyone's wallpaper on phones, computers, desk photos, etc. 

It's getting easier each month in some ways; in others...much harder! Wyatt is easier to keep awake, we can prop him up better, occasionally get a smile. However...Drew is getting harder! He's more easily distracted with every. single. thing...{imagine saying "squirrel" a dozen times while trying to get just a few little shots}...doesn't want to sit still, and wants to show Wyatt everything he sees! (Note his hand on Wyatt's head in several pictures...that's his way of saying, "Hey Wy...check this out!" :) So stinkin' cute!) 

Anyway, I got the May outfits and Mal decided to do the photo-shoot Wednesday. These boys get cuter every single day!

A GREAT Example!

Each year, I teach my students a variety of reading strategies as we read novels. I LOVE teaching literature and helping students learn to enjoy reading, helping them to see the deeper meaning, but most of all, I LOVE teaching literature that inspires them to be a better person.

Over the past few years, I've taught two of Jason Wright's books: Christmas Jars to 8th graders and The Seventeen Second Miracle to my 9th graders. They LOVE it!! Each year, I give some background on how I know Jason, how he came to write the books, etc. This year, as I told the story to my 9th graders, I mentioned the basic premise of Christmas Jars and the message behind it. One student, in 4th period, listened intently, took the idea home to share with his family, and IMMEDIATELY began collecting his loose change for his own jar. Each time he updated me on the progress of the jar, his excitement grew. One day, he asked me where he could buy a copy of the book; he wanted to include it with his jar. I was shocked to realize he'd never read the book...he was just going off my brief overview! WOW!! I gave him one of my copies and told him to read it (I also told him where he could buy one). He brought it back a few days later and said it was GREAT! He'd also found a copy for his gift.

Christmas break rolled around and I begged him to write up his experience and send it to me over the vacation. I watched my email and after a few days, found his email. It was FABULOUS!! I forwarded it to Jason who quickly posted it on his "Christmas Jars" website. (I tried to find it...if/when I can, I'll link it here. It's a GREAT story!!)

In March, Jason was here for a workshop so naturally, I coerced him into coming to my school to meet Mason. It was the greatest experience to watch them talk, listen to Mason share his story, watch his proud Mom beam, etc. A few weeks ago, Jason emailed and said he was throwing around the idea of writing a column for the Deseret News Mormon Times about Mason and the experience. I was so excited! I gave him several reasons why he should and then waited...

The article appeared online today and will be in Thursday's edition! How great it is to share the story of a valiant young man in a time when there is so much negative. What an honor to teach him English and learn life lessons from him!

Read the ARTICLE here: "Davis County teen shatters hero stereotypes" You won't be sorry! :)

LEPRECHAUNS IN LAYTON!!

I am having so much fun getting the boys matching outfits and then taking the "Picture of the Month." We all use these for our Facebook profile pictures, cell phone wallpaper, wallpaper on the computers, desk photos, etc. They are so stinkin' cute we have to show them off EVERYWHERE!!

We couldn't get Wyatt to open his eyes and Drew was NOT excited about sitting there any longer! We just had to grab the best one we could find and use it!

(Drew--8 months; Wyatt 7 weeks)

I. AM. SO. BLESSED!!

As I explained, probably in way too much detail a month or so ago, this has been an incredible past few months! I've gone through experiences I would have NEVER dreamed of, nor would I EVER have asked for them!! With that said, I can't believe the blessings that I've had and, looking back, I can see the tender mercies of the Lord through it all. Isn't it great we can have "hindsight" so we can be grateful??

I found an amazing blog a couple of weeks ago. This lady is a friend of a friend and has done some amazing things with creating a planner that covers multiple aspects of our lives making sure we live a balanced life, created 30-day challenges for self-improvement, etc. From what I've heard, she's the real deal in person as well as on a blog! Love that!! (You can find her blog here.)

Here's a quote I found on the blog that I thought was INCREDIBLY applicable for me right now:

"What seems to

us as bitter

trials are often 

BLESSINGS

in disguise."

--Oscar Wilde

WOW!! Isn't that great?? So...I've chosen to look for the "blessings in disguise" from the past few months. 

I have no idea how I EVER was lucky enough to nab this guy! In 24 more days, I will have had him officially by my side for 29 years! HOLY CRAP!!!! How did that happen since I'm pretty sure I'm only 30! ;) You know, when you're dating and newlyweds, you have this "vision" of what life will be like. Of course, it NEVER turns out that way!! Bob and I learned very early in our marriage to NEVER ask, "What next?" Every. single. time. we did, we found out...HUGE!!!!!!!!!! Over the past few years, we have gone through periods where things are going so smooth and so great...then at some point we stop and realize how great it is...then BAM!!!!! We get knocked off our rockers. It's great and incredibly frustrating at the same time! The past year has been one of the doosies! It is so true that when you marry someone, you get the whole package...FAMILY! I'm sure if Bob knew what he was getting down the road, he would have turned and run the other way as fast as he could! Who would blame him?? But...here he is, right by my side, holding my hand (and the rest of me, if necessary) the whole way! I honestly know, without a single doubt, I could not have gone through this without him. He's been my shoulder to cry on, my "logical" reminder, my listening ear when I need to vent, and help-meet in every single sense of the word! He's amazing and I know I'll never be able to express the appreciation I have for him! Good thing I have eternity to try!!

Then, there are these three. WOW!!! The big marshmallow cowboy in the first picture gave us experiences there were some of our BIGGEST trials ever! LOOK AT HIM NOW!!!!!!!!! His bringing Kenzi into our family was such an incredible blessing! She and Zack have grown up so much in the past five years and have become amazingly wonderful people who bless our lives every. single. day! Then, in the midst of all the "crap," they brought the sweet little cowboy-to-be into our family. Wyatt has been such a miracle! Zack and Kenzi are over here a lot which is fine with us! They walk in the door and hand Wyatt over to me (unless one of the "crazies" are home then I have to fight them off) and let me snuggle, kiss, feed, change him to my heart's content (unless the "crazies" are home...). The minute that little guy comes in the door, there is peace and a spirit that we know means heaven is so incredibly close! It's AMAZING!!! Again, so grateful for eternity so we can enjoy this forever!! :)

And then there's THESE three!!! Aren't they adorable?? At the beginning of the "mess," Andrew/Drew joined our family and brought heaven closer to our lives. We know without a single doubt these two boys were sent here at exactly the right time to help us through the "stuff." Mallorie has been incredibly intuitive and has know exactly when to bring Drew over for some Grandma therapy. All she has done is brought him in, handed him to me, and I know that all is right with the world! It's been incredible! To watch Tom and Mal grow up to be parents of this little schnookums has been absolutely delightful! They are AWESOME! And Drew just gets cuter and more fun every single time we see him. We treasure every single minute we have with them!!! As parents, we couldn't be more proud and can't wait for eternity to keep loving them!!

The "CRAZIES!!"

I'm not sure how it all started, it could have been their behavior around the babies, but I started calling these two "The Crazies." They're the crazy, doting aunts every little kid should have. They absolutely adore the boys and do everything they can to take them away from Grammy Schelle. They also have been amazing to step it up through all the garbage. Maddi has become completely addicted to Pintrest and as a result, has gained a love for cooking. It's been FABULOUS to have home-cooked meals most nights and Bob or I not have to be the one to come up with it. She's still has the sweet, sparkling personality she had as a little girl and can make any of us smile with her antics. She really is CRAZY!!!!! Sammi has brought such an amazing spirit into our home since she returned from her mission. She always had it but now she KNOWS how to use it to help others. She's interjected the "spiritual" side of things on several occasions reminding all of us that we are NOT alone through this and that our Savior is by our side in everything we do. We're so grateful for that reminder to get us, especially me, back on track.

Isn't our Heavenly Father's plan AMAZING?? Isn't it wonderful how he put us together to help each other through the good times and bad? I honestly don't know how people do it without their families!!!

I. AM. SO. BLESSED!!!!!

Cutest Valentines EVER!!

Look out! These two are going to be ladies-men someday!

In the meantime, they're my Valentine boys!

An OVERWHELMING two months!!

Again, I can't believe how time has flown by. All the holidays are over. We're in a new year. We've hit the second semester at school. Where does it go?? Well...when you have as much going on in one household as we have the past few months, it's really easy to lose track of the days/weeks!! Sometimes that's a bad thing; sometimes it's a really good thing!

I haven't blogged or told many about the situation with my mom over the past few months. It's embarrassing, overwhelming, and intimidating just to reflect on it. However, I want to write down as brief an explanation as I can just to get it over with. Here goes...

I am the oldest of two daughters born to my mom and dad. My dad was married previously and I have an older half sister from that marriage. She hasn't been in our lives very much but my mom and younger sister have communicated with her over the years. (She and I are VERY different which doesn't make for a very close relationship.) We weren't raised in the Church but were allowed to go to Primary and YW as we wanted. About 33 years ago, I became active and married Bob in the Temple. We've been active ever since. Randie, my younger sister, was not active and married a great guy who is not a member. When they did attend church, it was the Bountiful Community Church which was great. My mom didn't attend church until about 8-9 years ago when some wonderful people fellowshipped her and helped her gain her own testimony. She went through the Temple almost 8 years ago at which time I was sealed to my parents. It was a wonderful blessing in my life!!

In 2003, Randie and her husband divorced. Randie had a really hard time dealing with it and relied heavily on my mom for emotional and financial support. Mom was retired by this time and had little income and enough savings to help her through her problems. However, Mom believed it was what she should do...Moms help their children. (She'd actually been helping Randie financially throughout her marriage but no one really knew how much until later.) Unfortunately, over the years, Randie began to expect the help more and more; even to the point of not working to earn her own way. Three years ago, Randie was evicted from her apartment for non-payment of rent so the only place she could go was to Mom's. At this same time, Mom suffered what appeared to be a stroke. Her doctor told me it was likely she would not live through it so I needed to do what I could to secure her assets (he knew Randie's situation and the desperation of it and wanted to make sure she didn't take advantage of Mom). After meeting with Mom's Bishop, I stepped in as her "financial advisor" to work through things. Because I was joint tenant on her accounts, it was easy for me to gain the information and put the security measures into place. Through this process, I found Randie had been taking advantage of Mom more than I had known. There were loans taken out in Mom's name that Randie was to repay; she didn't. There were online transactions from Mom's account; Mom had no knowledge of how to do these--Randie did. After two months of trying to get everything straightened out and Mom's recovery, she insisted (demanded would be a better term) that I give all responsibility for her financial affairs back to her. Because Randie was living with Mom, she was able to manipulate Mom's thinking to a point where I was considered the "bad guy" for taking care of her finances and Randie was the "good guy" because she was there to "take care" of Mom 24/7. That's what good daughters do, right? That's what Randie brainwashed Mom into believing. Because I refused to watch Randie take Mom down as I knew she would, I told her she could either let me help her protect her savings and money, or I would walk away; I wouldn't stand by and watch it happen. Mom chose to take care of her own affairs. I walked away as did my family because they also knew what Randie was doing.

For the next two and a half years, we had little contact with Mom. Because I was joint tenant and had full rights to her accounts, I could see the activity online. Bob and I approached her several times with concerns regarding activity (online dating services, computer repairs--Mom didn't have a computer, cell phone purchases--Mom didn't have a cell phone, etc.). Mom refused to acknowledge the evidence we presented before her and eventually moved her accounts so I couldn't see what was happening. In October 2010, I received a phone call from Adult Protective Services stating they had received a report from a financial institution regarding "elder financial abuse." They asked what I knew about Mom's situation so I told them everything. After interviewing Mom, they had to drop the report because she refused to acknowledge Randie was doing what everyone had evidence to prove. We all knew it was happening but without Mom's support, there wasn't anything anyone could legally do.

In June 2011, I received another phone call from APS stating there was yet another report filed. This time, they felt strongly we might be able to move forward...Mom had been the one to instigate the call!! She had found her medicare supplemental and prescription insurance, homeowner's insurance, and life insurance policies had all lapsed. She also realized her IRA and savings accounts had been drained as well as her bills had not been paid. With evidence from the financial institution, she realized Randie had been committing "Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult." The case worker from APS filed a police report and the process started. It took Mom until July 27 to finally come to me to tell me what was going on because she was afraid she would say "I told you so." As we talked, a peace came over me that ultimately, the situation Mom was in was NOT her fault...she'd been the victim of Elder Mental/Emotional Abuse as well as Financial Abuse. I've learned in the past few months, Randie had to make me out to be the evil one so she could accomplish all she did with Mom's accounts. She had to isolate her from anyone, especially me, that could stop her abuse. It's made it a lot easier to deal with Mom personally.They asked what I knew about Mom's situation so I told them everything. After interviewing Mom, they had to drop the report because she refused to acknowledge Randie was doing what everyone had evidence to prove. We all knew it was happening but without Mom's support, there wasn't anything anyone could legally do.

In June 2011, I received another phone call from APS stating there was yet another report filed. This time, they felt strongly we might be able to move forward...Mom had been the one to instigate the call!! She had found her medicare supplemental and prescription insurance, homeowner's insurance, and life insurance policies had all lapsed. She also realized her IRA and savings accounts had been drained as well as her bills had not been paid. With evidence from the financial institution, she realized Randie had been committing "Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult." The case worker from APS filed a police report and the process started. It took Mom until July 27 to finally come to me to tell me what was going on because she was afraid she would say "I told you so." As we talked, a peace came over me that ultimately, the situation Mom was in was NOT her fault...she'd been the victim of Elder Mental/Emotional Abuse as well as Financial Abuse. I've learned in the past few months, Randie had to make me out to be the evil one so she could accomplish all she did with Mom's accounts. She had to isolate her from anyone, especially me, that could stop her abuse. It's made it a lot easier to deal with Mom personally. 

For the past few months, we've worked hard to discover all the damage and try to recover from it. We've also gone through the court process and will have final sentencing on February 15. Needless to say, it's been one of the most devastating things we've had to deal with as we've watched Mom realize what her own daughter has done to her. The blessing is we've got our Mom/Grandma/Great-Grandma back in our lives and are LOVING the relationships we're rebuilding. Hopefully after sentencing, the healing process will begin and we will be able to try to put this all behind us. 

On the "upside"...we've been working hard to get ready for Zack and Kenzi's baby to arrive. Her pregnancy has been unbelievably easy...no problems at all!! However, on December 23, she went in for a regular visit and found out the baby had dropped "significantly." The Dr. gave her the shots to help develop his lungs quicker and told her she was on modified bed rest. The following Wednesday, she went in and found she'd dilated to a 2 (what he didn't tell her until the next week was she was 80% effaced!!). We started sewing MUCH faster and moved the shower from January 21 to the 7th. A week later, she was dilated to a 3 and 90%. OH. DEAR!! More sewing faster!!!!!!!!! We had a GREAT turn-out for the shower. Mallorie did a FABULOUS job of planning and carrying out the shower. It was a lot of fun and they cleaned up with getting stuff to be ready for a baby. Last Wednesday, Kenzi was dilated to a solid 3-almost a 4 and 100% effaced. Dr. Johnson said not to cough, sneeze, or go over railroad tracks. When Kenzi's mom asked about a shower they had planned in Brigham City on Saturday, he said to "bring the shower to her." Kenz felt OK so we ended up having a great shower in Brigham. Sunday, they decided to hang out at home and take it easy since she didn't feel very good. Her brother's birthday is the 16th so the whole family met at Texas Roadhouse in Riverdale to celebrate. As they were in the parking lot waiting for everyone to arrive (about 5:00pm), she thought she was having contractions. They were about 18 minutes apart and only lasted 30 seconds or so. By the time they got seated around 7:00, they were coming closer together and were lasting a bit longer. At 7:15, she grabbed her sister-in-law's hand and said, "I think my water just broke." Sure enough...sitting in a booth in the restaurant, it broke. She grabbed Zack's hand and told him...he panicked like any new Dad would. :) They decided to leave the restaurant "just in case" and headed to Layton. Zack called me at 7:20 and told me they were on their way and asked if I'd call the hospital to let them know they were coming. We were at FHE at Grandma Denson's so we announced the great news and headed home. We got to Labor and Delivery about 7:45 and were told she was at a 10 by the time they arrived and was ready to deliver. I called Kenzi's mom and told her to HURRY!!!!!!!!!!! After about three good pushes, Wyatt Zackary Denson was born at 7:58pm weighing 5lbs and 8oz. He's 20" long and looks just like his Daddy!! Long and skinny! :)

Kenzi did a GREAT job "au natural"! Everyone is fine, healthy, and VERY happy!!! 

LIFE IS GREAT!!!!!