Happy Independence Day

I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Graduation!

This is Bryce. He is one awesome boy and I'm proud to have him as my son. Do you see the white cord that is hanging around his neck? That says, "I did it, I reached my goals and I maintained a 4.0 grade point average through all of High School." He actually achieved this beginning with 7th grade. I kind of wish they had an award for that, but they don't. He completed 5 AP classes and earned a 30 on his ACT. That boggles my mind, considering I took 1 AP class and didn't do that good on my ACT. He definitely got his dad's good looks and brains. (Maybe he got his stubbornness from me?)


Do you see those dimples and brown eyes? Those got him out of a lot of trouble as a kid. Tom and I kept saying to each other, "Man he is stubborn! If we can teach him to be a good kid, he will never sway from it." I can't say that he has never been naughty, because 'Time-out' was my best friend while he was little. That is, little enough to still be able to pick him up and haul him there. However, when he turned 4, something clicked. He then became this cute little determined boy, who was going to do his best in everything. If it weren't for his determination, and drive, Matt would have been stuck in the same piano books for years. We as parents have never, and I do mean never, had to ask him if he got his homework done. He just did it. He doesn't like to have things on his task list, so he just gets them done. Whenever there was extra credit offered in school, he treated it like an assignment and did it. Most often he would have above 100 % in his classes because he would do the extra credit assignments.

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took of Bryce. It was the symbolism of the whole shot. To me, it's like he is walking away from High School, looking to the future and still taking all of the knowledge that he gained, with him. Bryce, you are Amazing and I love you so much. You have been a great example to me and our family. Even though you have passed me up in height, you will always be my "Buddy Bryce". CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Happy Birthday Tom

Everyone helping clean up after dinner. I made lasagna, a fresh green salad, and corn with hot garlic bread. Then for dessert, we had fresh Strawberry shortcake. It amazes me how many dishes it takes to make a big meal like this. At least everyone was helping clean up.



Tom and Gracie together. Gracie gave her Dad about 5 presents wrapped in Spiderman Wrapping paper. All of which were hand drawn pictures for him. She also gave him a lot of hugs. Then, after he opened them all, Tom thanked her for all of the presents and asked "How come I get all of these from you?" she climbed on his lap and said, "Because, I love you, today."



I love that smile!
Emma and Tom together. Emma wanted to stay home for her dad's birthday. When she woke up in the morning, she had a fever and croupy cough. She got what she wanted though.
Tom's favorite hero, Thor, is coming to theaters on May 7, thus the gift with the Thor hammer and helmet. The boys dared him to wear it to the movie with them.

Thomas Albert Hales
I am married to my best friend. I usually tell him everything, unless I spent way too much on something for me. However, he has this sixth sense that when he sees something new, he knows it's new and asks, "Is that new?" I'm always amazed at this, because his memory is not all that great when it comes to other, more important, details.
This man, I love, was born on April 26. He must have come with a good disposition, although his dad remembers babysitting him once, when he was a baby, and he cried the entire time. I have learned that he loves good food, good compliments, and lots of love! He is hard working! Thus the reason for his huge muscles! On holidays, he would rather accomplish a project with the family than go somewhere to get away. Sometimes, this means that the kids come to help while grumbling about working on a Holiday. Once the project is finished, everyone is happy and glad they got to spend time with each other.
He is a great example of optimism, love, courage, knowledge, service, forgiveness, charity and humility. He has never raised his voice at me or the kids. He has been stern with the kids when they needed discipline. To me, this shows that he has control of his temper and his words. I couldn't ask for anyone better than him to share eternity with.
I love you Tom!

Recognizing the Blessings

Emma and Gracie eating breakfast.
Gracie didn't want anyone to see her cute curly hair.

We were gathered in the kitchen. It was Tom's dish day, but I decided to help wash the big pans that don't fit in the dishwasher. Tyler was drying. Tom was washing the counters. Emma and Gracie run out to give Goldie a treat, the ends of the loaf of bread. They come in giggling because Goldie licked them, thanking them for the treat.
The kids sit at the counter and draw pictures for Matt while they sing songs with each other. It's moments like this, that make me aware of the wonderful blessings we have. Family, Music, Life, Sunsets, Spring, and Lots of Love!

Who Are Your Heros?

We just spent a wonderful weekend watching and listening to the Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For all the talks Click Here

I hope that you can find a Latter Day Hero among these great leaders.

Hello Dolly

This is a picture of my Tyler. He was matched up to a tall girl and then during the song, in the Hello Dolly play, he was to jump into her arms. It was the cutest thing ever! However, probably not for him.
Every year, one of the boys has participated in the school plays. They have walked away with a sense of accomplishment and it has built their self-esteem. This year was a little different, as we had a new Drama teacher. She did things differently, and although I had my doubts of this play actually coming together on time, they pulled it off.
These students worked hard to put on this production with amazing talent, patience and long-suffering. They worked late into the night and had on several occasions, put in a 12 hour day at the school. I'm proud of Tyler for sticking with it. He was a trooper and still was able to pull off a 4.0 for the quarter.
Way to go Hello Dolly cast! You are Awesome!

Happy Birthday Elder Matt-Man

March 16, 1991, I woke up at 4:30 am with a start. My body was shaking and I was wondering what in the world was going on. Feeling sick, I ran for the bathroom and called for Tom to get the car started. Tom asked, "Are you sure?" Yep, I was sure. This was it. This was the day we had looked forward to for 9 months. The day that our little baby was going to come into the world and we were officially going to be parents.
I had packed a bag a few weeks earlier in preparation for this day, not knowing that we would only get 2 hours of sleep for the night. My brother had planned his wedding day on March 15, Matt's actual due date and I being large in the tummy, spent the entire day on my feet helping with the wedding. Tom had to take a final at Utah State that day, so we stayed at my parents the night before the wedding and then headed to Salt Lake in the morning. Just before pictures, Tom left for Logan to finish his finals for the quarter and I stayed to help with things.
Tom made it back around 4:00 pm and we had family pictures taken with the Bride and Groom. We then spent the evening walking around mingling with friends and family. I had been having small contractions throughout the day, but not bad enough to make me alarmed. After the wedding, we cleaned up the kitchen and headed for home in Logan from Centerville. We arrived at home around 2:00 am. Feeling exhausted I crashed heavily on my bed and fell asleep.
Tom was very obedient and got ready to head to the hospital and helped me out to the car. Driving like a bat out of heehaw we zoomed through Sardine Canyon heading for McKay Dee Hospital. We caught up to a Standard Examiner van who then tried to stay up with us as we drove 80 mph in our little Toyota Tercel. Meanwhile, I'm trying to breathe and also telling Tom to pass the dumb van because I didn't want them around when I had to deliver the baby in the car. Uncertain that we would make it to the hospital in time, Tom became more concerned and sped up passing the van. "Where are the police now?" I thought. "They are always in the canyon when you don't want them there."
We made it to the hospital and I walked in with Tom, as I felt the contractions make my whole body shake. Wow! They whisked me away in a wheel chair and checked me in at Labor and Delivery. I was now ready to just relax, right? Ha! Ha! Tom had to rest his head between his legs as the Anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural.
Within a few short hours, we gave birth to a beautiful little boy. He had a ton of thick dark black hair. Matthew Thomas Hales was born at 9:15 am on March 16, 1991 weighing 8lbs 8 oz. and measured 21 inches long.
Little did we know what joy could come from this sweet little baby. He grew so fast, weighing 25lbs at 3 months. I gained a great amount of upper body strength as I carried him around, but the doctor was concerned about his weight and suggested that we put him on a diet. We tried to feed him water in between meals, but he wouldn't drink it. So, he continued to gain weight and was a very content baby.
He continued to grow and was a very happy baby and still has a very happy disposition. I learned how to draw dinosaurs while learning their names and what they ate and what time period they lived in. We read book after book teaching Matt to recognize and say the letters in the alphabet by the time he was 2.
Then we were blessed to have another baby boy, Bryce, born on July 7, 1993. Matt was so excited to have a little friend to play with and they have been best friends since. They together played and wrestled together. They would march around the room like their favorite dinosaurs growling and marching as they went. They would pack a lunch or snack in a back pack and go for an "Adventure" on the 89 acre farm we lived on in Kaysville. They learned how to help out on the farm by feeding the cows with Dad and bottle feeding a calf they named "Chip". Every time they went out to feed him, Chip would follow them all over the yard nudging them in the legs and back.
Matt was our 'guinea pig' as he was our first kid. We learned a lot from Matt because he was always the first to try everything. Like our patience, our ability to listen, our unconditional love, and our willingness to trust our kids. It's just a good thing that he came first, because he has always been a straight shooter, an arrow, a great example and a man of integrity. He has a desire to always do the right thing.
When he was called to serve in the Mexico Chihuahua mission, we knew that this was where the Lord wanted him to be. He sat with me a few days before he left and talked about the dangers that were there in Mexico. I talked to him about obedience and how the Lord will bless him and keep him safe if he is obedient to the Commandments and the Mission Rules. I find comfort in knowing that he has always been eager to be obedient. We are blessed to have him in our family. Happy 20th Birthday Matthew Thomas Albert Hales! (He added the Albert in there when he was 3)