Extra Pics from the 4th of July

Martha had taken pictures of the Fourth of July. Some are of us at the Party store a few weeks earlier. They would be the ones with the funny hats.

July 24th, otherwise known as pioneer day

We had a busy day as usual. Dallas marched in the Ogden Parade in the morning and I took the kids with me to watch. After the parade, Dallas had to go into work, Savannah went with a friend, and I went shopping and to lunch with Martha. We checked out Tai Pei trading in Clearfield and fell n love with it. It is a wonderful place to go for anything to do with decorating. We had planned to go to the rodeo, but decided not to. Instead we stayed at home and lit sparklers in the back yard while watching fireworks. It was nice to spend the day with Martha and DJ and not have to go to any meetings or appointments. If only I had more days like this one.

The Fourth

See, I told you that I would eventually post again! We have had a busy summer at the Jones house, but it has been enjoyable. The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, and this year was no exception. We woke up early to go to the breakfast held at the church, then headed over to North Ogden to watch Dallas march in the parade. It was the first time my little niece and nephew had ever been to a parade, so it was even more fun. The kids ended up with tons of candy and even a few Popsicles. Afterwards, we headed off to lunch and then home for a nap. Everyone came over for a barbecue dinner and we set off fireworks for about two hours. My neighbor Nancy and her little grandson joined us for the fireworks, and it was nice to get to talk to her for awhile.





Saturday Dallas and I went out for a belated anniversary celebration. We went to lunch and a movie, and we even got in a little shopping. He bought me "Pride and Prejudice" on DVD, the one that A&E put out a few years ago with Collin Firth. I thoroughly enjoyed my time away with him and we were able to relax and laugh for the whole afternoon. Sunday I received a new calling as Primary chorister on top of my ward missionary calling. I am very excited about it. I love working with the children in the church. their little spirits are just wonderful to be around.





Next week Mackenzie heads of to Girls Camp for the first time. I am excited and nervous for her. It will be such a wonderful experience for her, but she is so not an outdoor sleep in a tent and no indoor plumbing kind of a girl. Dallas is going with her, and they are coming back early so they can go to the family reunion on Thursday. Busy, busy, busy, but i really do prefer it that way. I promise to be better about posting. I am getting my scheduling back to normal and not feeling so overwhelmed, so it will be easier. TTFN



Dallas marching(well really just walking) in the parade.




The girls waiting for the parade to start and DJ thrilled with the firetruck passing by.



My niece Kylie looking very patriotic!






DJ watching the fireworks, and my kiddos playing with their sparklers.

Posts

Okay, I know I have been severely lax in my posting lately, but I promise that I will be posting new pictures and wonderful tidbits of our life this week. Things are crazy here as you can imagine, but I am starting to get used to eleven people in my house and am making time to put everything up. Just give me a day or two, three tops!

Busy Bees

Savannah had her first soccer tournament this week. They did okay and even won a game, but we didn't make it to the finals. I am actually okay with that since it meant I didn't have to drive into Salt Lake again today. For most of the girls this was their very first tournament and they didn't know quite what to expect, but they played well and will now be more prepared for next weeks tournament. Savannah played Goal Keeper the majority of the time, but did get in a couple of quarters as half . She doesn't particularly enjoy being in the goal, but she is very good at it. She has no fear of the ball coming at her or even of being kicked. Of course if her parents tickle her to hard she gets very upset, but you could kick her in the face and she is fine. Explain that to me!

Bill and Nena arrived on Tuesday and will be staying for a little while at least. Martha may have found them a place in Clearfield that will work nicely for them, but they are still thinking about it. I am glad that they are here and that we are able to spend some time together. Dallas hadn't seen Bill since Grandma Brooks' funeral four years ago, and he had never met Nena, so it has been nice for them to hang out. The kids are so cute, and DJ loves having more cousins his age to play with. They all play until they just collapse from exhaustion. Kylie fell asleep at the dinner table one night and on the ottoman last night. It has been really nice for me because both Kylie and Jonathan are potty trained, so DJ has been much better about going on the potty. Hopefully by the end of the summer we will be able to call it a done deal!

Well, we are off to mow the lawn and clean the house today. We may even put up the pools for the kiddos. We shall see. TTFN.

The calm before the storm

Okay, so things at the Jones' are going pretty good. The house in in a somewhat clean state and all the kids have been having fun out in the pool and keeping the arguing to a minimum. We had a bit of a problem with the air conditioning, but it is fixed now and life seems to running pretty smoothly. Father's Day was nice and calm. We went to church where Mackenzie gave a talk in sacrament, then we came home and vegged until dinner time. I made all of Dallas' favorites (steak, mashed potatoes, and peas) and Savannah made brownies. Bill and Neena should arive late tomorrow night, so we are trying to get everything ready for them. Other than that life is fairly mundane here in Utah. I hope exciting things are happening to you all!! TTFN

We're all going ape around here!!

Monday we took a trip to the zoo with a friend of mine here in Utah. We spent the whole day just walking around and really enjoying ourselves. The new carousel was up and running, so we went for a ride.DJ rode on a tree frog, and Ramos was on a mandrill. We also took a trip on the little zoo train that they have at the Hogle zoo. Of course our last stop was the ape house where we found Savannah's favorite animal, the orangutan. The whole little family was up and running around, and we got some pretty decent pictures. The rest of the week has been pretty cold, but I was able to get my garden in finally. I still have to get my carrots planted, but everything else is done. I just hope it all turns out okay. Today was exciting. We found a gas leak in Mackenzie's room, so the whole day revolved around getting the right people there to fix it. It turned out alright though, and we no longer have a funny smell in the house. Well, we are off to bed. Goodnight!

I am this many!!

Saturday was DJ's 3rd birthday! I can't believe he is growing up so fast. He is potty training and having conversations that you can almost always understand. We had his party at our house with all of the family including cousins and my step-brother and step-sisters. We turned on the sprinklers and let them get wet while the adults sat around and enjoyed the warm weather and some good conversation. It was Bob the Builder themed, and we had a construction hat pinata that only made it through 4 of the kids before it was broken. DJ got a new Spider man bike, some new clothes,a construction play set, water guns, and a horn to go on hist bike. Needless to say, he was in heaven.After the party we played outside for a little while longer then went inside and watched Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which is DJ's favorite movie.He stands in front of the TV and sings all the songs and dances along. It is too funny! Then it was time for a bath and off to bed for him. He had a good day and went straight to sleep.

All the kids running through the sprinkler.

DJ swinging at the pinata.

He picked out the cake himself. It was chocolate.

YEA!!! Presents!!!

"It was a hair raising day, and now I'm Exhausted!!"

And the winner is....

The Ogden City School District Math Olympiad was on Thursday and Savannah was chosen to attend as one of the top third graders in her school. She did the egg drop where she second place, and the math quiz game where she got third!! As you can probably guess she was very excited when she got home and had to show everyone her medals. We are very proud of her, and we're glad that the school year is ending on such a good note.

Wednesday she will go and tryout for the AYSO all-star soccer team, so we may have more exciting news mid week.

Weekend Exhaustion

This weekend was very exhausting in many different ways. Saturday was Savannah's last soccer game for the spring season, and we threw a pizza party afterwards. I ended up coaching the game because Dallas had to work, and I don't mind saying that I never want to do that again! Saturday evening we had our ward picnic and sports night. The food was good and it gave us a chance to get to know a few more people. I played water volleyball and ended up getting wet, but not too wet. Mackenzie spent the day at Lagoon with her friends and didn't get home until about eleven. Dallas and I were so ready for bed, but she just wanted to stay up and talk. Sunday we drove to Rupert, Idaho for my grandmother's funeral. We had a big lunch with all of the family and then attended the viewing. My aunt put together a lovely DVD about her life, which was only interupted a few times by DJ saying loudly, "Look! That's Grandma! She over there. She's dead now!" At least my family has a sense of humor and those around us who could hear him just smiled quietly. Monday was the funeral, after which we had another family meal and then got on the road again so that we could make it home in time for Dallas to run one of his recruits into SLC. The picture above is from Grandpa's funeral in February. It is my grandma, Savannah, Mackenzie, and my cousins Bethany, and Valerie. Below is the obituary for my Grandma Hernandez as it was published in the South Idaho Press.

Dominga Arenivas Hernandez
Rupert—Dominga Arenivas Hernandez, age 75, was a loving wife, mother, sister, and friend. She passed away peacefully May 15, 2008, awaiting the loving arms of her deceased husband of 88 days in Boise.Dominga was born May 14, 1933 in Pecos, Texas to Bernabe and Juliana Arenivas in Saragosa, Texas. She attended schools in Texas, and later met her husband, Everardo Ramos and their marriage was solemnized in the Idaho Falls Temple. She obtained work with Ore-Ida Foods, where she retired of 30 years and made many long time friends.
Dominga was extremely devoted to her family. Her family was the outmost importance and strived in teaching good principles of hard work, education, church service, and a testimony of Jesus Christ were instilled in the hearts of her family. She was a longstanding, active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She held various church callings serving as a Nursery Leader which she loved and cherished those children, a visiting teacher, and her passionate calling as a missionary with her loving husband serving in the Texas McAllen Mission. This was one of the highlights of their church service, serving together and making new friends.Her love for cooking was evident to all who knew her and her family. She was famous to all for her beans and tortillas. She was asked by many to open a restaurant, but her example was shared to many and her family. Her family was her prized possession, and it was evident with the photos displayed in her home. Her many friends were also of highest esteem.She will be greatly missed by her children that loved her so much, but her children know that Mom and Dad are together again smiling down upon them.She is survived by her children, Victor (Maria Elena) Rivera of Durango, Mexico, Eloisa (Robert) Dills of Englewood, Tenn.; Jose (Shannon) Hernandez of Smithfield, Utah; Hilda (Charles) Wilson of Meridian; Esteban (Gloria) Hernandez of Burley; David (Juli) Hernandez of Meridian; Margarita (Daniel) Jensen of Heyburn; Yolanda (Curtis) Tyrrell of Riverton, Utah; and Abel (Lisa) Hernandez of Jerome; Sister, Manuela Gonzales, Pecos, Texas; 45 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.She is preceded in death by her parents, Barnabe and Juliana Arenivas, husband, Everardo Ramos Hernandez, son Everardo Hernandez Jr., daughter in law Holly Badger Hernandez, grandson Benjamin Hernandez, a great granddaughter Riley Ann Jones and her brothers, Porfirio Arenivas, Hilario Perez, Ismael Gonzales.The funeral services will be held on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the Rupert 7th Ward Building, 324 E 18t Street. A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Sunday, May 18, 2008, at the Hansen Mortuary in Rupert. Burial will follow at the Rupert Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the LDS Church Perpetual Education Fund.
Copyright © 2008 South Idaho Press

Mother's Day

I imagined this Mother's Day to be a peaceful day ending in a nice dinner with my mom and step dad and Martha and Dennis. The kids would be so helpful, and Dallas would be doting on me all day. And then I woke up from my dream. In reality after church was over I got to deal with a nine year old who was pouting because she didn't get a candy bar like all the mom's, a twelve year old who wanted to talk about going to Lagoon this weekend, trying to make sure the house was ready for company, and my loving husband having to go into work. DJ and Ramos tore off their clothes and refused to get dressed again, and my stepbrother sliced his finger so badly that he had to have three layers of stitches! So mom came without Geoff, and he came after making sure Geoffy was okay and safe at home with his mom. It still turned out to be a nice evening, if a bit hectic. Dallas made dinner before he left, and it was delicious. When everyone had arrived we enjoyed our meal and then played a game and watched a movie. It just goes to show that a chaotic Mother's Day is better than a dream Mother's Day anytime. At least that is what I will keep telling myself.

Some Older Pics

My mother-in-law gave me some copies of pictures from last year and earlier this year. Some are of Bill and Neena's wedding, some of Savannah's first soccer game this year. Hers turned out much better than mine, so I thought I would post them. The kids in the pics from the wedding are Bill and Neena's four kids- Zachary, Bradley, Jonathon, and Kylie Jo.

The Wedding

My cousin Josh's wedding was on Friday and I was actually able to go. They were married in the Bountiful Temple, which is beautiful. I went by myself because Dallas had to work, but it was still nice to be in the temple and to spend a little time away from the world and with family.I am so glad to be able to spend time with this side of my family now. We didn't see a whole lot of each other growing up and it is nice to get to know one another as adults. Dallas was able to attend the reception that evening, and was able to meet many members of my family for the first time. The girls got to hang out with their cousin Bethany, and ended the evening mad at me because we couldn't take her home with us. The boys were just happy that there was food and ate until they couldn't eat anymore. I took some pictures, but my camera just isn't as clear as I would like in some instances. Maybe if I hint around enough Dallas will get me one for Mother's day or our anniversary. By hinting I mean I will take him to the store and tell him "This is the one you are buying me." It was a great day, and I am glad I took the time to attend.

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous, so we spent the afternoon outside in the backyard. The boys played while I watched them and read a little bit. I tried to get some video, but DJ tends to get a little camera shy when I am recording, so it didn't last too long. It is so much fun to watch now that they actually interact with eachother. They like to run races around the yard, and we turn it into an obstacle course for them. They have to run and then go up the ramp, down the slide, and then hit the tennis ball. They could do that for hours.

Vannah's Duet

Savannah

Last night was Savannah's choir performance for all of the parents. They all sounded wonderful, and I was actually very impressed with some of the songs they performed. Vannah had a duet in one of the songs and she did very well, even though she was very nervous.I was very proud of her!!

Tag...I'm it

My friend Jenni tagged me, so here it goes.

10 years ago...
I was pregnant with Savannah. We lived in Tyler, and were struggling to make ends meet. I was serving in the primary as secretary and really enjoying it.


5 years ago...
We had moved to Colorado Springs and Dallas was in Iraq for his first tour over there. I was getting to know the women around me and also serving in primary as secretary. There seems to be a pattern arising.


5 months ago...
We were finally settling into our house here in Ogden and gearing up for the holidays.Mackenzie turned 12 and I was trying to come to terms with only having a year left before she turns into a teenager.


5 things on my to-do list today...

1. Clean my kitchen
2. Teach my preschool gymnastics classes
3. Go to Savannah's choir performance
4. Take my brother to school
5. Make sure Kenzie gets a ride to Mutual


5 snacks I enjoy...

1.Godiva Chocolates
2.Soft pretzels
3.Scones with honey butter
4.Twizzlers
5.Krispy Kremes


5 Things I would do if suddenly I was a billionaire...

1.Buy a house with a huge kitchen
2.Buy a vehicle that would fit everyone comfortably
3.Pay for college for all the kids
4.Pay off student loans
5.Go on a very long vacation with my husband and no children!


5 of my bad habits...

1.putting off doing the dishes
2.never making my bed
3.biting my nails
4.procrastination in laundry
5.getting distracted by a good book when I should be doing other things


5 places I have lived...

1.Fredericksburg, TX
2.Ogden, UT
3.Colorado Springs, CO
4.Idaho Falls, ID
5.Gillette, WY


5 jobs I have had...

1.Ice cream scooper
2.Hotel receptionist
3.Customer service at ShopKo
4.Para educator
5.Day care provider


5 Things people don't know about me...

1.I have a huge amount of grey hair that my sister helps me hide
2.I talk to myself on a regular basis
3.I have fertility issues. My last to children were from chlomid.
4.I am terrified of driving in bad weather
5.I love doing math


5 people to tag...

1.Clara
2.Marianne
3.Mackenzie
4.Tabby
5.Irene

Savannah

These are pictures from Savannah's choir perfomance at the district music festival. I couldn't get any really good ones of her because the director was standing right in front of her, but this is what I was able to get.

Dallas' Birthday

Well, yesterday Dallas turned 32. We had a really nice quiet day. Dallas coached Savannah's soccer game in the morning(which they won), and then we headed home without the girls and Dallas played video games most of the daywhile I played with the boys and read a new book. The girls spent the day with Martha and Dennis, and we all met back at our house for a birthday dinner and some cake. Dallas would not wait for me to take picture before he blew out the candles, but I did get some of him opening his presents and of the kids being goofy.

Today has been peaceful, which is very rare around here. Dallas and I both spoke in sacrament meeting, and I think we both did pretty well. The spirit was in abundance that is for sure. Then I had choir practice while Dallas went to a correlation meeting, and then we came home. The boys are downstairs watching t.v. with Savannah, Mackenzie is at a bishop's youth meeting, Dallas is playing his XBox 360, and I am trying to catch up on correspondance and my reading. I love days like this and can't wait until next Sunday for my next peaceful day.

The craziness of the Jones house

Okay, so I haven't been really good about keeping up with my blog lately, but I have a really good excuse. They are named DJ and Ramos. Having two two year olds in one house is a very big adventure. We have had chocolate syrup all over the floor, butter in hair, a whole bottle of shampoo used as bubble bath, a dresser pulled down, cereal bowls full of cereal and milk thrown across the room, and the usual toys everywhere. Needless to say by the time I have gotten all the kids in bed I am somewhat zombie-like.In other news, Savannah is enjoying being in soccer again. I am not as impressed with the soccer program here as I was with the one in Colorado, but we will see what happens. As long as she is having fun, that is really all that matters.Mackenzie went to her first stake dance last night. They usually aren't allowed to attend until they are 14, but they were doing a special square dance because of Trek this year and decided to invite the younger ones too. She felt special because she had learned alot of the dances in fifth grade, so alot of people (boys!!) wanted to dance with her since she knew what she was doing.

Dallas' birthday is Saturday. We are just having a quiet dinner at home with cake and presents afterward. He is not the big party person. He would rather be playing video games.Both of us were asked to speak on our missionary experiences this Sunday during Sacrament. It will be our first time to speak in the new ward, and I think we are both a little nervous. It is one thing to speak in front of a bunch of close friends and quite another to speak in front of people you hardly know.

I am slowly getting my schedule figured out. I still have to fit in my gym time, but I absolutely refuse to get up at 4 A.M. so that I can go run on the treadmill and then lift weights! Hopefully I can find an hour during the normal daytime hours. Wish me luck!