I believe that God speaks to us through prophets. So, when prophets speak, I want to listen. Several months ago, President Russell M. Nelson, God's prophet on the earth today, said, "The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." From a church website:  The official name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the term "Mormon Church" has long been publicly applied to the Church as a nickname, it is not an authorized title, and the Church discourages it ..read more

I think it's so cute when Care Bear falls asleep with a book in her hands. Awwww.... Prom number two of three. Such cuties! Andrew had too much vacation time, so I convinced him to take a day off and play with me. We went up to Guilford Courthouse Battleground and went for a walk. BYU Ballroom dance team came to Raleigh. Whitney and I went to watch. It was SPECTACULAR. Loved every minute of it. The most popular hymnbook at our local used bookstore: LDS Hymnbook.... Not sure how I should feel about that. My mother's day smoothie from my girls! So thoughtful! Happy mother ..read more

It was another FABULOUS recital. Whitney is such a beautiful dancer. I LOVE watching her. Shelley had someone taking video for the studio, so I focused on taking still pictures at dress rehearsal so I could enjoy the live performances. Whitney's solo was the only one I filmed. Here are a few (hundred) of my favorites shots. Preschool Tap and Ballet: Whitney's teaching job I was working backstage during the Junior Recital, so didn't get to watch these cuties perform. But Whit did a great job helping them and was happy with how they did on their big day. Contemporary:  Pirates of the ..read more

Richard Gordon Hiatt, Andrew's grandpa, passed away on May 2. He had pulmonary fibrosis, a lung condition, and had been declining significantly over the past several months. His passing was not a surprise, but it was still sad to say good-bye. Here's a copy of his obituary: Richard Hiatt Obituary RICHARD G. HIATT 1924-2018 Dr. Richard Gordon Hiatt, 93, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on May 2, 2018, in South Jordan, Utah, of pulmonary fibrosis. Dick was born at home on November 28, 1924, in La Grande, Oregon, to John and Julia Roundy Hiatt, and was the youn ..read more

Road trip to Florida A quick night-time visit to Cocoa Beach, FL before the cruise. Beautiful FL morning sky Lobster bisque Worst family photo shoot ever! Ha! After the cruise, we dropped Andrew at the airport in Orlando to leave for a work trip. The kids and I headed to Disney Springs for a quick visit. My fun shopping buddies. Care Bear got herself a Kylo Ren lightsaber. (Also notice the "Lefty's" kiosk in the background. Ned Flander's Leftorium anyone???) B introduced us to one of his favorite stores, Uniqlo. I LOVE it!! Affordable and very visually appealing. It remind ..read more

Andrew and I LOVE stopping at private islands when we cruise. There are no pushy locals trying to braid your hair, no large crowds, it feels very safe, AND the cruise ship dining workers come to the island and feed you lunch. Woo hoo! The kids had never stopped at a private island before, so that was a big reason why we chose this itinerary. So, our last stop on the cruise was a little private island called Coco Cay. The kids and I signed up for an excursion to go kayaking. I LOVE being out in the water and the kids were up for going with me. Unfortunately, Andrew's still-recovering shoulder ..read more

The kids had never been to the Bahamas, so they were excited to visit a new country. Our first stop was in Nassau. We booked an excursion to take a catamaran out to a coral reef to go snorkeling. It was a nice ride out. We liked looking at all the  luxury condos,vacation homes, and yachts on the way. When we got to the reef, the water was a little choppier than we are used to in the Caribbean. It was not bad, but Caroline did NOT like it. And she couldn't get her mask to fit right. She was stressed out and just wanted to go back to the boat. Poor girl. The view was beautiful for th ..read more

Cruises are just the best. I love them. Our whole family loves them. Spring break was the first week of April this year. We sailed out of Port Canaveral, which is close to Orlando. We drove down on Easter Sunday, listening to General Conference in the van as we drove. The drive was quick and easy. Well, as quick as 600 miles can be. We liked our hotel and it was within walking distance of Cocoa Beach. Even though we got there at sunset, I couldn't resist walking across the street to the beach. We were doing a Flat Stanley for Quinn, so you'll see him appear in several of our pics ..read more

Miss Whitney got to participate in All-County Chorus. This was her first time. It was FANTASTIC! This one was in Spanish, "Cantar!" She even auditioned for and got a small "solo" part, which was actually with a small group of singers. My lighting is bad, but she's the far right of the kids at the front of the stage. So good! Whit's kindergarten teacher was there watching her daughter, and so was one of her kindergarten classmates! They're at three different schools now, but it was fun to see them. A new arcade opened in town... with lots of coin pushers. Yikes. Andrew and I we ..read more

Care Bear had a school concert for African American history month. They have a new music teacher this year. She is sooo good.  She had them singing harmony and everything. I loved it. Mormon humor for Valentine's day. Care Bear and I spent LOTS of time studying words from several root languages. One of B's gifts to Caroline was a brother-sister date. She took him up on it this month. They went to the Friendly Center, looked at the pet store and out for a treat. So cute! Fun with the filters on my phone. Time for the county spelling bee! We didn't know until the nig ..read more