You Belong in Winter

Quiet, calm, and totally at peace... You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter.

What Season Are You?

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core. You often find yourself on the outside looking in. Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works. You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Very First Soccer Game...EVER!

Okay, I am almost embarassed to admit it, but this is our families very first soccer game ever...in our entire lives! Whitty is very sporty and loves to do anything that involves a ball and motion, so we decided to give it a try. She was so excited and anxious to leave...c'mon everyone lets go!!!!



Hoping the weather will hold out. It was looking a little scary!


Waiting for the game to start



Playing.... or something like it

Time to Make the Doughnuts

Tori Crocker (formerly known as Mini Martha)and Grandma Gilmore ALWAYS make homemade doughnuts when they visit. We are always grateful for their efforts!



Thanks guys~Krispie Kreme has nothin' on you!

Worlds of Fun

And their off! We left early in the morning for the three hour drive to Kansas City.



Rylie ridin' a cow that was a decoration...all the rides in the park and she is on an enormous plastic cow...doesn't take much to entertain her!




We had such a great time, the park was empty (as you can tell in this picture) and we felt like we had free reign over the place. We rode rides over and over and didn't really wait in lines! When we got done the "ride ambassador" would say "wanna go again?" Mostly we said yes! It was wonderful!

Finally

It seems I am the last person to own a copy of this book, but I am happy to say that I am now a proud owner of the book Twilight. Now I have to read it! Off I go...

Worlds of Fun

We are leaving tomorrow for a couple days of fun at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. We are super excited! We love roller coasters and have had a rough couple years being far away from any amusement parks...look out Patriot here we come!

We Can Hardly Contain Ourselves!

We have waited forever for this movie to come out and TODAY IS THE DAY!!!! We are counting down the hours...a house full of girls and a movie with singing and dancing just go together like peanut butter and jelly.

*****Lets the good times roll....its party time at the Gilmore's*****

Is it just me?

Is it just me or do these movies posters look remarkably similar? I think they needed a more creative approach for the newer of the posters...I would ask for a refund.

Maybe I have too much free time.

My Mother

Mother’s hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.
~ Unknown

My mother passed away four years ago today. Sometimes I miss her more than I can even bear. Sometimes I think of something funny she did and I laugh right out loud. Sometimes I feel motivated by something she did and I can pull strength from out of nowhere just because I know she would have been strong. She was an amazing individual, she blessed many lives and I am sure that I am better for having had her. Unfortunately, for me, it wasn’t long enough.

Here are 50 things (though the list is endless) I love about my mom:

50. She could tap dance (and did, sometimes in front of my friends…)
49. She would have water fights with me IN the house
48. She loved Barbra Streisand
47. I had to teach her to swim (doggy paddle is more like it)
46. She had six kids, that’s impressive
45. She was a single mother to those six kids
44. She was generous
43. She wore Estee Lauder Youth Dew
44. She loved the Savior
45. She would hide my bra and then sing “Boo-la boo-la” to “help” me find it
44. She teased me A LOT!
43. She would tickle my back
42. She told me I was wonderful even when I didn’t deserve it
41. She took me to Disneyland
40. She took care of elderly ladies (in our home) for 15 years without days off
39. She didn’t let me date until I was sixteen
38. We had a lot of “inside” jokes
37. She had the most beautiful blue eyes
36. She laughed really loud at my jokes
35. She cheered me on when I thought I didn’t want it
34. She cherished her grandchildren
33. Christmas was magical in our house
32. She loved to make everything beautiful
31. She endured many surgeries
30. She loved the opera Carmen
29. She loved to paint our house
28. She loved to sew
27. She bought me a sewing machine when I was 7
26. She loved hot glue
25. FLOWERS (enough said)
24. We watched every episode of Star Search that ever aired
23. She cried when I gave her the book “Love You Forever”
22. She loves Rich and was thrilled when we told her we were getting married
21. She told me she was proud of me while standing on the steps of the temple
20. She jumped up and down when we told her we were going to have Tori
19. She loved to sing Tori to sleep at night
18. We called her La-la
17. She adored my girls
16. She had a great sense of humor
15. She taught me to seek opportunities to serve
14. She loved all the beauties of the earth
13. She let me be myself
12. She inspired me to learn about the gospel
11. She called me Beckie Buns
10. She was inspired by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
9. She was beautiful…inside AND out
8. She would swing in our tree swing with Tori on her lap
7. She encouraged me to be creative
6. She was a wonderfully amazing cook
5. She taught me to love the prophet
4. She loved musicals
3. She always dreamed of serving a mission. She passed that desire on to me.
2. She never gave up hope
1. She was my momma and she loved me…a lot.

Girls Night Out

Us girls are having a lot of "girls only" time today. I know we get a lot of that here anyway, but with daddy being "so far away" we really feel it. So, we went to the pool and hung out with some friends most of the day and then we came home and got all cleaned up again and went to my most favorite restaurant-- Taco Bell. We then went to see Nancy Drew at the dollar movie. When we got there Paigie said "I love this place its so fancy" I am not sure which part she thought was more fancy, the toilet paper all over the bathroom floor or the part where the 15 year old Usher was shouting (from the foyer, mind you) all the answers to the trivia questions they show before the movie. The movie was totally darling and has motivated some of us to get our own "sleuth kit" pulled together. After all you never know when you may need it!

Off to Youth Conference...

I have been busying myself with the packaging, and eventual, distributing of some of my most precious cargo today. Rich is leaving to chaperone the Young Men from our ward at youth conference. I have been folding laundry (again…) preparing to help pack, and last night purchased almost my entire weight in goodies meant to sustain a number of sweet tooth’s for about three days. I also found an entire supply of any toiletries he may need in a perfect three day travel size. I bought a new umbrella that is labeled "family size" that when you push a button out pops a tarp roughly the size of a moving van. My hopes are that he will be able to shelter anyone who may have lost or more likely forgotten their own umbrella. He also has a new snazzy backpack that he will be shoving his suit into after they attend the temple. He will then be wearing that suit (the one that was shoved into a back pack) to church on Sunday.

Luckily we were provided a list of things he should bring, but it is a little bit to vague for my liking. We have gotten everything now,but the only thing we have been unsuccessful in procuring is a battery powered alarm clock. He (and Tori both)said “I dont need one, I have my cell phone”. And I anxiously reply “But it’s on the list…!” I think I need to relax a little.

They have a busy three days planned, and I am sure it will be a wonderful adventure and I can’t wait to hear all the stories. Have fun Rich, we will miss you!

And I think to myself....

This is why I love to walk around Lake Zorinsky at the crack of O'dawn thirty~

Doesn't get any better than this.

Whitty the Bug's Birthday

This girl turned 10 years old today!

I can hardly believe it. Happy birthday Bug!

The "Birthday Girl" side of the table

The "Un-Birthday Girl" side of the table

Delicious treat that is about as big as her head

(this treat is free but comes with a slew of singing waitors

and a lot of nervous anticipation)

Everyone sharing delicious treat

(very much worth the aforementioned downsides)

We had a great three days of celebrating this amazing little girl! On Friday Rich took the day off ( a much needed day off, I might add) and we went to see Underdog (some of us a little more willing than others....read:me). It was actually really cute and funny, then Saturday we went to our favorite "kids eat free Tuesdays and Saturday from 11-4 place" Lone Star. And then today we went to church and she opened her gifts (not at church) and had her other favorite meal, lasagna and she played with her new bitty baby stuff. Long three days. But fun. And just in case anyone was curious we dont typically drag out a birthday for three hundred hours, it just sorta worked its little self out this way. It wont happen again, I am promising myself! That is just to much partying for this momma~

Walking and thinking just go together

I am so excited about this new blog. I have been walking to get in a little (okay, a lot) better shape. While I walk I listen to some great music and I think, and think and still more thinking. Ever since my friend Mia taught me about the beauties of blogging I have thought about what in the world I would have to say on a blog...There is only so much "we did language arts, and then some science and math and then lucky me, I washed/dried/folded 14 loads of laundry in quest to finally be caught up (this subject,I might add, is an entire entry all its own)", that a person can write (or read for that matter!).


Well, today I walked seven miles. Seven miles gives a person a long time to think about things. And think I did. I planned four weddings (including who the grooms should be), my mission, the trip to Europe I hope to take, all the cute clothes I am going to want when I am finally at my goal weight, what we are going to do this year in school, how to get around the hissing geese (that are pretty menacing when they are covering the sidewalk I am walking on), what I think I should wear to portray an accurate image of myself at the marathon, how I can't understand a thing that kid on Hanson is singing (yes, I have MMMBop on my MP3 player), how I think the water sloshing around in my water bottle must be the reason I can't seem to walk straight (I realize I am fooling myself...humor me), and well, a myriad of other things, and that was just today!


That being said, I have no news, but rest assured I have made some pretty great arrangements in my head for my future and that pretty much freed up all my thinking time for my walk around Zorinski tomorrow. I should have all kinds of things to say then. And some great photos too!

Thanks for looking, and make sure to leave a comment so I know you were here!