Tanner's Baptism Day

My sweetie boy is growing up. I keep telling him to stop but he just doesn't listen to me. I can still picture him as the little pink baby stretching out his toes in his first bath.

And then dressed in all white the day he received a name and a blessing.


It is hard to believe that so much time has passed
and he has grown into such a smart, handsome boy. He is determined and a bit stubborn at times. I just can't figure out where he gets that from. :) He set a goal to learn to ride his bike before he turned 8 and he worked hard to do it. We didn't have as much time to work on it as we hoped this summer but he didn't give up. He rode for the first time completely on his own the last night he was 7. He wanted to do it and he did it.

I am so proud of him and the choices he makes. Today he made the choice to be baptized. He looked so grown up.


















He planned the program all on his own and even though the bishop got confused on the time and it ended up starting almost 45 minutes late, it was a very special day. It was made even more special by the fact that we had family members here to celebrate with us. Because we live in Oregon, and our families are in Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Texas, Tanner doesn't usually have people here for his special events. This time, was different. We invited people to come for his baptism and they came. He was so happy. We had a house full of people with beds all over the place. They came from Utah, Idaho and Colorado It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it.

I will never forget walking across the mall parking lot and having Tanner look back and say,"Look at that crowd of people that is here for me." It was amazing. He was so grateful. I too am grateful to have such good examples for him to look up to. When it comes down to it, there is nothing more important than family.

To Tanner Luke, I say I Love You! And, I am so proud to be your mom.
And to my family, I say, Thank you! Thank you for being there for my boy on his special day.

My last few months in 30 minutes or less....

Just kidding. I would not make anyone endure 30 minutes of my life but there has been a lot going on since my last post. Thought it would be nice to at least get current.

Fathers Day:
We were able to have the whole family together to honor Steve on Father's Day. Since it was an Indiana Jones year, most of his gifts had that theme. He is a great dad and it was nice to be able to honor him on his special day. I love this photo of my most favorite people. I am definitely blessed.

Disney World:
At the end of June we were able to go to Florida and spend a week with Steve's family. It was a lifelong dream for him to be at DisneyWorld with his kids and his parents. We rented a great house that was 15 minutes away from the parks and spent 5 days with the Mouse. It was a great time. The only downside for me was that the first day my back kicked in with MAJOR spasms that did not let up the entire time we were there. It really put a damper on my fun as I was very limited on the rides I could go on. It was still great to see it all through the kids eyes and to see Tanner's face as he finally was brave enough to go on the rides. And he went on ALL of the rides. He did not back down from anything. It was very cool. He went on some that I would not have gone on even with a healthy back. It was also great to have the time with the extended family and for the kids to all get to know each other. For more details of the trip, you can check out Steve's blog www.stevebarth.blogspot.com.

Kennedy Space Center:
This was part of the overall trip to Florida but for a science geek like me, this was very cool. We got to go through the museums, check out a flight simulator, and went on an up close tour that took us out as close as an average person can get to the launch pads. It was a very cool experience and one I was very glad to have done.

US Olympic Track and Field Trials:
In our community and on our college campus, I am a trainer for the Community Emergency Response Team. This year we were asked to assist with the Olympic Track and Field trials that were held in Eugene. It was a very neat opportunity as I was actually chosen to be a captain for the shifts I was on. However, the trials overlapped our trip to Florida. So, I got back to my home on Monday night at about 11:30pm and had to report to Hayward Field on Tuesday at 1:30. There wasn't a lot of time to transition. It was a lot of work but very cool as I got to see a lot of the athletes. I am a big track fan so it was nice to be a part of the experience. The irony of the week came on the 4th of July. Steve and Tanner came to check out the festival that was going on with the trials while I was working and then we were going to all go together to watch fireworks somewhere. They were there for about 15 minutes when I get a call from Steve telling me that he had won tickets at one of the booths and he and Tanner would be heading in to watch the race. They not only won tickets but the tickets were right on the straightaway not far from the finish line and they were only about 10 rows up. I put in all the work and they got to kick back and enjoy it. Tanner loved it and it was a great opportunity. He also got his photo taken with Sanya Richards. She is the American record holder in the 400 meters. It was a very neat opportunity and I am glad I got to do it.

Eugene Oregon Santa Clara Stake Girls Camp:

This was my second year as the assistant director for our stake girls camp. It is a project that actually starts way back in January as we have planning meetings with the Youth Camp Leaders and make plans for the camp which is held in July. There is a lot to be done and planned for. It is a busy time but very rewarding. This year the theme was Ordinary 2 Extraordinary and the girls definitely lived the theme. It is such an honor to be associated with these amazing girls. There is no question that these are those that were saved for the last days. I was definitely in the presence of greatness. I will write more about girls camp in the next couple of days.

Well, I think that is more than enough for now. So for those of you that have been asking, this is what has been happening in the past month and a half.