Charly Knows Her Letters!

I am so truly amazed by my Charly's most recent milestone of recognizing and repeating all 26 letters of the alphabet, both written and signed....I couldn't resist sharing this with you!...Don't let this picture fool you-Yes, she looks much more interested in the banana otterpop drizzling down her chin, but in between bites she managed to squeak out each of the letters of the alphabet.

It all really started one day when she was in the back seat of the car playing with her letters in a basket. She kept saying "O-S", "O-S"...I didn't think much of it until I looked back and low and behold she was holding the letters O and S!! I had no idea that she was actually absorbing the captions and letters from her ABC Signing Time videos!

For those of you who don't know, I have signed to Charly since the day she was born and feel so blessed today for such a beautiful gift of communication that has enabled her to express her feelings, desires, and identify objects of all shapes, sizes and colors! I am a huge advocate of using ASL as a teaching supplement, in conjunction with speech.

Anyway, HOORAY for YOU, Charly Wynn! I L-O-V-E Y-O-U!

*thank you osmond family and more summer lovin'!*

Jordan and I feel so fortunate to be able to accompany my parents to several wonderful events for the Church. Last night was the Pioneer Commemoration concert at the Conference Center featuring the entire Osmond family with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra. It was outstanding! Though their lives have not been without hardship and struggle, I am so amazed at how they have all pulled together and stuck together as a family. If you take a peek at other Hollywood families, you will most often see how their families have been torn apart and their reputations shattered by the media and worldly temptations. (example-The Jackson 5 who were the Osmond's contending family during the 60s and 70s)
For their concluding number, the Osmond Family were once again joined with the Choir and Orchestra singing, "Come Come Ye Saints", while the two oldest brothers who are profoundly Deaf signed the hymn so beautifully! What a spectacular evening it was!

It was so wonderful to be with my parents. My Dad's calling requires extensive traveling and so we truly cherish every moment we are able to spend with them! He just returned home from Korea and will be setting out for the South Pacific in a few weeks.

Thursday evening we headed up to Oakley, Utah for food, four-wheeling, fireworks and FUN with our awesome friends, Matt and Jenna. Matt's parents live in an absolutely gorgeous country home with 6.5 acres of horse property! Jordan, my "wannabe a cowboy" husband, took advantage of the open invitation to ride! Matt's dad coached him for about an hour while Jordan took their beautiful horse, Ebb, up and down the open trails, sporting his brand new Cabela cowboy boots! He was in heaven! Later that night they took us to the Summit County Rodeo! What a blast! Once Charly woke up, she had a blast! She and Easton played off each other the whole night, planting a million kisses on eachother, one after the other!...must've been the fireworks!!

Here's a few shots of our awesome time with the Johnson family!!

Matt's awesome brother, Mike taking the kids for a ride!

Move Over Mini-Van!...Jenna's got THREE on the Four-Wheeler!


Ride On, Cowboy!....Jordan just "horsin' around"!



All that hardcore play put her out for about an hour!



Cutey-pants Easton in his snazzy yellow fireman hat!

"all done! thank you! ba-bye!"

The other night I was putting Charly down to sleep and instinctly started tickling her. She was laughing hysterically and so naturally I continued my little tickle-fest. Sometimes as parents we get so into that irresistible laugh of a child that we go overboard with our delivery, which was exactly my case. After a full 60-second tickle session, my Charly let out an exasperated sigh, grabbed her bottle, and in one breath said, "All Done! Thank You! Ba-Bye!" 17 months old and she already knows when "enough is enough"! She definitely put her mother in her place!

I love summer because it is a time to listen to all the voices of nature while letting your bare feet get reacquainted with the many nationalities of ground cover. (Grass being my favorite; Charly's-Dirt) As the wise author Kahil so eloquently said,

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play in your hair"

Well we have had many opportunities to do just that this summer and I thought I'd just share a few of those memories and milestones with you! Enjoy!

4th of July Ward Breakfast



I went in to check on Charly one day during her nap and found that she had taken the changing pad off the changing table and conveniently pulled it into her crib for a much softer, snuggier sleep!


Me 'n' My Girls! Danielle and Demi Shkapich (two of my Young Women)



Charly LOVES dogs! Here she is with Hannah, our friends' 170 pound St. Bernard who we watched for a week while they were out of town.


Sweet Great Grandma Nelson with our newest Nelson addition, Baby Dillon


Mom Nelson and Makayla


A roommate splash!- Here are the 2nd generation D3/Mapleview kids! I had a fun get-together with my dear roommates, Tawni and Rachelle with all of our kids


Just chillin' with "Grandma and Grandpa Elg"...yet another of Charly's many adopted Grandparents in our ward!-Stake Campout


Splashing around at the Gateway fountains


Nelson Family Picnic-Tanner's Flat





Oh, I have so many more! I better break it up a little! Here's a little summer starter-kit!

Kimberly Tucker Carlile

Today just seemed appropriate to begin my monthly spotlighting as it is my dear friend and roommate, Kimberly "Anne"'s Birthday today!!
Kim and I went to High School together, but did not really get to know each other until we were roommates up at Utah State University. May I share with you a few memories and gemstones of this beautiful and one-of-a-kind gal, Kim Carlile....

*Whenever any of us were having a bad day, our hearts were immediately lifted by a handmade, heartfelt note and treat left on our beds. These were no ordinary notes either, but rather one of Kim's crafty creations with every scrapbooking delicacy you can imagine! Kim is the Queen of Cute!!

*My Journal Entry, October 13, 2000:
Would you ever believe, Friday, the 13th would end up being one of the funnest days I've had in a long time?? We awoke this morning to more rainy, foggy weather, but for some reason, it did not dampen our dispositions in the slightest, but rather gave us even more reason to get into the spirit of our favorite holiday...Christmas!! After a soothing cup of sweet hot apple cider, Rachelle, Kim, and I took our place on "stage" (aka-the living room), picked out a suitable microphone (mine was the iron), and then sang our hearts out and danced to Barry Manilow's Christmas tape! If only Holly wood could have seen us! We hummed Christmas songs for the rest of the day! Kim and I sang all the way to Walmart, by way of the Scrapbooking Store!.....(later that day) When I arrived home from the Service Center, I could hear "The Wizard of Oz" soundtrack blasting from Kim's room. I went up to go spy on my roomie...silly mistake! For the next 1/2 hour, Kim and I put on our "wild 'n' wacky" caps, dancing and singing to the Wiz of Oz and Beauty and the Beast. It was a total Kodak moment!...(PS-At this time, our other roomie, Tawni was out in Nauvoo for a Semester! We missed you, Tawni!!)

*If you could look through my Gratitude journal in college, you would discover pages and pages that include how incredibly grateful I was (and am!) for Kim. (i.e-#6. Cute Kimberly Anne!...she drove me to Smithfield to drop off Anne's coat today and then on the way back treated me to 2 prizes...a hamburger at Mickey Dee's and then pictures of us from the photo booth at Kmart!)

*When my dad was in town, he'd take Kim and I out to lunch to talk politics...for reals! We both had no idea who to vote for, so Dad would give us his tactful, non-bias opinion on each candidate and proposition.(often with our BRASC kids as well-We all worked at a disability employment center and often had our dear little kiddos with us)....Name that BRASC girl!.."Alright, Good Job, Whooo!"

*Going up to "our bench" that oversees beautiful Logan and our breathtaking Temple!...(okay, it was Kim's bench, but can I claim it too?)...remember going up to watch the sunrise with our journals, Frosted Flakes, and milk we bought from the gas station?...Kim is a Children's Book Queen of America! As we sat and watched the sunrise, Kim read one of our favorite's, "Fanny's Dream" while I held the flashlight.

*Kneeling in prayer together after a friend of ours was killed in a tragic car accident.

*Making peach cobbler in the dutch oven out on our front porch!

*A few other things I picked up from living with Kimberly Anne:
*You never EVER pick the first thing at the front of the shelf at the store. It is most likely covered in germs or dented, so you fish to the back for a more clean and properly packaged item!...Yes, Kim, now you've got ME doing that!

*Never EVER run your finger under the water while you are filling up the pitcher...GROSS!! I can't believe I did that one time and Kim rightfully gave me the "What For!"

*I admit I have been one to occasionally be a "bed kneeler" when I am already snuggled in my bed and my evening prayers are calling out to me! Kim taught me that it is the least we can do to show our respect to our Heavenly Father to get out of bed and kneel by our bedside. I will never forget that!



How blessed I am to have my Kimberly Anne in my life who has become a permanent piece of my heart! Today she is a beautiful mother of precious Abe and is currently living in North Carolina with her sweetheart, Ken. (Kim and Ken Carlile...how cute is that!) She graduated in Special Education and taught school for children with Autism until her baby Abe was born.

*As a tribute and gift to Kim, for all those who know her, please leave a special memory you have with her! If you don't know her, feel free to comment anyway!! You are special too!!!

In The Spotlight: Starring YOU!

Each one of you have had such an impact on my life and I often feel inadequate as our lives sometimes do not allow us to express that sincere gratitude on a daily basis. If I could, I would send Thank You notes and a Big Bouquet of Daisies to each of you every day!! At the beginning of each month, I want to spotlight one of you on my blog, but of course want to make sure I have your permission! Also, if you do not want me to borrow a picture from your blog, let me know!

How blessed I am, to have touched shoulders with each one of you!