great scott

We found the most beautiful, blue Great Dane on our doorstep one day.

We looked for the owner with no luck.

We took this dog in as our own.

She was magnificent with our kids.

She was loyal and protective.

She wouldn't let strangers into our yard.

The time came for her to be breed-ed with so we found another blue Great Dane to mate with.

She was one week away from having puppies...

then someone stole her!

We thought she'd gone away to have her puppies.

Weeks went by...no dog.

No puppies.

Two months later one of our friends heard that some Great Dane puppies were for sale.

She found out they were the same age as our puppies would have been, and they were all BLUE.

The mother was "conveniently" being held at a different location.

No one would let the mother be seen, even if a puppy was being sold.

I know that is our dog!

We fed her...loved her...someone else took her to profit from her puppies.

Garrett is convinced that she will be dumped again once the puppies are sold.

Not many people can afford to feed such a HUGE dog.

I am sure they waited for her to get pregnant...they watched her...they timed it perfectly.

Then they came and took their dog back.

That is one theory.

Most people are afraid to approach such an intimidating dog...unless they knew her.

We are heart broken...and they just want her for the $$.

We hope our dog comes back to us.

Spring Break

This week we had family in town for Spring Break. 

Every time we jumped in the car, my nieces and nephews would diligently buckle up. 

Even if we were just going around the corner from my house to my mother-in-law's house. 

It got to the point where I was transferring up to 10 kids at a time and we couldn't all buckle. 

Some of the kids were very concerned about this. 

My kids kept reassuring them that we would be okay. 

We never reached speeds past 30 miles an hour and all our destinations were less than half a mile away. 

I guess seat belts are a foreign concept for my little country kids.

Whenever I tell them to buckle up they assume we are going out of town. HA.

It is definitely SPRING around our house.

In Mexico, Spring Break is called Semana Santa and it lasts for two weeks. 

We have big plans to relax while Daddy is busy planting this year's crop.

The planting season always falls on Semana Santa so we've started some traditions of our own.

Just me and the kiddos.

Happy Spring Break.

Adalyn 20 weeks old

creative

Living in the middle of nowhere, you have to be creative.

I was using a bar stool for a nightstand and it just wasn't working out. 

I received this inspiration from watching the NATE show. 

I learned how to "re-purpose" items around the house/garage.

I have TONS of books so I stacked them next to my bed and topped it with this vintage breakfast tray I found in the attic. 

It is a perfect nightstand. 

This would also look great with a beautiful silver tray.

black and white

My mom is so good to us. Any time she sees a beautiful dress, she has to buy it...then make sure it has a matching one for each granddaughter. 

She has a great eye when it comes to fashion. Grandma Udall loves to make sure her grand-babies are dressed to the "9's." 

While growing up my mom made me and all my sisters match...every Sunday. 

There was NO escaping it. I hated it. I swore I would NEVER make my kids match. 

Then I became a mommy. 

I LOVE to see them all coordinating. 

I love joining in on the fun. 

I am now eating my hat.

Thank you Mom, I love it!

{extracurricular}

I am a ballet teacher...correction...I am THE ballet teacher. I have a small studio behind my house and I teach my girls, along with their friends.

Living in a small community, we have limited resources. We rely on each others' talents and volunteer efforts for our kids' extracurricular activities.

My good friend is a concert pianist, so she is our piano teacher,

another friend is a gymnast, so she is our cheer coach/tumbling instructor,

our husbands are the football and basketball coaches,

my neighbor is the tennis coach,

my mother-in-law is the "after school tutor",

our Aunt is the town seamstress. 

The list could go on and on...

We all contribute, in a small town, to develop the talents of our children and help them become well-rounded.

It is just a small part of the role we play living here!

secrets

Shhh...

I've been keeping this a secret for over a year now.

I think it is time to record this experience.

Last January my sister was getting married. She had rented and decorated a darling town home for her and her new husband. She graciously let me and my family stay in it before the wedding.

We were all very careful to put everything back that we touched and we tried not to mess anything up.

Until...

Sunday morning!

I was bathing kids and laying out church clothes...typical Sunday morning stuff...

I finally had all the kids clean and lined up for hair. Benton ran past me while I was styling hair and I noticed that he had a poopie diaper. I made a mental note that he needed to be changed soon.

Before I knew it Benton had taken off his diaper and was  SITTING in the middle of my sister's BRAND NEW bed...on top of her sparkling WHITE comforter!

I screamed...

There was poop all over her bed and we had to be at church in 30 minutes.

I panicked.

I threw Benton into the bath and ripped the comforter off the bed. I ran to her (upstairs) laundry room where she had a very compact washer and dryer and I thought I'd try my luck.

I jammed the California King sized comforter into the washing machine, poured in some soap and walked away.

Before long Tori came running upstairs yelling, "it raining down stairs!" 

I couldn't make sense of what she could possibly be thinking, so I went to check it out. 

Sure enough, there was water coming out of the light fixtures and dripping onto her NEW, wooden kitchen table and onto the floor!!

I ran back upstairs to find the washing machine OVERFLOWING!

I was dying!

I hurried and pulled the comforter out of the machine and hung it over her shower,

then I ran downstairs to mop up the water... hoping water rings wouldn't stain the ceiling.

Then we ran out the door, we were late for church.

On the way to the chapel we swore all of our children to secrecy. We couldn't let anyone find out what horrible house guests we had been.

The instant we sat down at church, Tori turned to Grandma and told her that it was raining in Aunt Rachel's kitchen. 

We were BUSTED!

I told my mom the whole story and we promised to keep this from Rachel. After church we all sat down to Sunday dinner when Mom got a phone call...

Rachel was on her way home...to HER home!

I still had her comforter strung out all over the bathroom and her bed was in shambles! Garrett and I dropped our forks and raced to her house to clean up before she arrived.

We made it in the nick of time! 

To this day, I don't know if she realizes how her new bedding was "broken in".

Well....SHE knows NOW!

Love you Rach!

crime

Mexico is known for it's lawlessness, crime and violence. We are the center of CNN a lot of the time. In my neck of the woods we have survived kidnappings, shootings, and corruption.

There was a time when we would lock our doors and windows, afraid to go outside. We wouldn't let our kids ride their bikes in the streets. We lived in fear. We couldn't keep a routine for fear that someone was following us. We threatened to move to the states and leave everything behind. 

Two members of our ward were kidnapped and held for ransom. Two children that attend our private high school were kidnapped. All were returned safely and unharmed.  We would hear news of bodies being dumped on the sides of the road (our roads). Severed heads being delivered to officials. Shootings down town where we would grocery shop, where our husbands have offices.

There was a very ugly time. Two major cartels were fighting for territory. Lots of people died. Some got caught in the cross-fire. Opportunist took advantage of us that were afraid. Kidnapping was turned into a lucrative business.

But through all of that, I believe that God never left our side. 

in the scriptures it says...

"Those who live by the sword...die by the sword..."

We had the strength of our church leaders. We were blessed to have an Apostolic blessing. We were promised that...

if we do what is right we will be protected.

Specifically, if we continue to

read the scriptures daily

keep commandments

attend the temple frequently

the Lord would protect us.

And...

HE did. 

We no longer live in fear. 

The stories that you hear on the news (in the states) are usually blown out of proportion...the details can be exaggerated. You will not be shot down for visiting Mexico. Men don't walk the streets carrying AK47s. There are no riots. Innocent people are not the targets for violence.

We truly live in a peaceful little valley...tucked away from most. And as long as we are doing what's right we will be protected. We will continue to stand in Holy places....we need not fear.