The McPherson's

My sister taught me everything I really need to know, and she's only 5!!

2011-04-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

A little conversation I overheard between the girl's while they were having thier morning dip in the tub.

Morgann: "Ry, do I have a baby in my tummy?"

Ryann: "Yes Morg, we all have babies in our tummies, they just don't come out until we get married."

LOVE IT!!=)

Cigars... In Potato Chips????

2011-04-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

On our way home from school yesterday, Cadin was sitting in the back of the car reading the Nutrition Facts on the back of a potato chip bag. This is when we discovered one of those hard to pronounce words for kids.=)

Cadin "mom, I thought cigars were bad for you"

Me: "cigars are bad for you, they have tobacco in them just like cigarettes do"

Cadin: "then why would they put them in potato chips?"

Me: "ummmm.... potato chips DO NOT have cigars in them Cade"

Cadin: "it says it right here, I will spell it for you S-U-G-A-R cigar!"

I was doing everything in my power not to laugh, but it wasn't working!!!

Me: "well bud, that actually spells sugar, not cigar. Sugar is just one of those hard to pronounce words for little kids. I would have thought it said cigar as well at your age".

Once he started to laugh, it gave me the OK to do so myself. =)

{Being a mom is...well, priceless!}

Our Barbie Princess Turns 5!!!

2011-04-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

"Happy Birthday Ryann!! We love you sweetheart, and we hope you have a fabulous {Barbie Birthday}!!" Ryann is such a sweet little girl. She has brought our family much laughter and happiness over the past five years. She is a girly, girl all the way! She has a very sweet personality, but at the same time, she's not afraid to tell you what she thinks. Just ask her brothers =) Ryann has been taking ballet for the past couple of months, and she is doing really well. She asked me the other day "when am I going to take the kind of dance where you shake your body?" Hmmmmm...I hope she means hip hop!=) She is our little dancer! She performs for us on a daily basis. We love you little Ry, Ry!!

Ryann Ollie McPherson

5 years old

4 years old

3 years old

2 years old

1 year old

almost a year old

6 months old

1 week old

Happy Birthday Tatum Colleen!!

2011-04-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday (a day late) to my one and only Tatum Baker! =) I hope you had a wonderful birthday with lot's of cake and ice cream! If I lived next door, I would have brought over a plate of delicious "poo cookies" and a CD of "the rug rats"!! =) I love you girl! Your the best =)

Now, don't you fret sweetheart, everything is going to be okay

2011-03-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

So I received the phone call that I have dreaded for years!! My grandma Bell had passed away. It was a surprise to us all. I still can't believe that she is gone, this has been a really tough one for me to process. When I told my kids that Grandma Bell had died, they all just sat and cried. Cadin was trying really hard to be tough, but it didn't last long. She died the day before his birthday. But, he did get one of her last birthday cards. He was excited about that. Ryann and Morgann were home with me in the morning when I received the phone call. I broke down and cried. I tried to stay strong for the girls, but it was really hard. They both sat on my lap and hugged me. Ryann said with tears running down her cheeks, "I am going to miss grandma, she had the best bubblegum ever". Grandma had buckets full of double bubble, bubblegum that she handed out to the kids whenever we would visit her. Corbin was really sad that he didn't get to see her the last time we visited. He said, "I shouldn't have gone to that race, I should have gone to see grandma. Do you think she will forgive me?" Grandma Bell was the most forgiving person I knew. She forgave Corbin a second after I told her where he was the day we visited her. She was proud of him for racing. Jon has been such a huge support. He loved grandma Bell, and was always impressed with how spiritual she was. He said that when he heard the news, he felt sad, and that tears filled his eyes when he thought about the incredible reunion she was having with Savior, and with my dad. She missed my dad everyday, and has always looked forward to the day that she would see him again. The funeral was beautiful. My grandpa is a strong man. He had a really hard time saying goodbye to her before they closed the casket. That is the moment that I lost control of my emotions. I'm sure it wasn't a pretty sight. =) I can't imagine saying goodbye to the one that has been by your side for 61 years. They were best friends. Grandma lived a long, happy life. She will be missed by everyone that knew her, her sweet spirit has truly touched many people. Grandma and Grandpa took great care of our little family when my dad passed away 2o some years ago. My sweet mom really struggled after my dad passed away, and my grandparents were what pulled her through it. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time with grandma and grandpa. They were the best sleepovers I have ever had. Endless bedtime stories, scriptures every night, family prayer (they prayed for each family member EVERY night), and let's not forget the delicious breakfast grandma would make in the mornings! Grandma gave the best back scratches. She had the perfect nails for the job =) Grandma had the most beautiful nails. In fact the last time I saw her, I held her hand and looked at her fingernails. Grandma taught me how to fold clothes. She knew my mom would need my help, so my grandma trained me for the job =) Grandpa taught me how to spread butter on bread. It wasn't an easy thing to learn! =) I went to school just up the street from grandma and grandpa's house, so yes...this is where you would find me everyday after school. My cousin Andrea and I loved to ride our bikes down to their house. Grandma always had a delicious treat waiting for us, with lots of hugs. Grandma's hugs were the best!! She always said it was because she was stuffed with cotton. Oh how I will miss my grandma.

"Grandma, I love you and will miss you everyday. I am so grateful for all that you have done for me and my family. I will do my best everyday to follow your wonderful example. You always told me not to fret about things that are out of my control. I'm trying really hard not to =) I'm not worried about you, you are in paradise teaching all those who haven't accepted the gospel yet. I know you will never give up on them until they do. =) You were taken from us because your mission here was complete. You have taught us all that you know, and now you are learning much more. I can't wait to be reunited with you again, it will be a joyous day. But until then, know that I love you, and I am so proud to be your granddaughter. I'm sending lot's of hugs and kisses to you in heaven, Camie".

This was her obituary:

Ann Snow Bell, 78, passed away at home on March 21, 2011. She was born March 29, 1932, in Orangeville, Utah. She was the daughter of Earl and Jeanette Jensen Snow.

She married George Terry Bell on November 23, 1949, in the Manti LDS Temple. Her father passed away when she was only 2 years old, leaving her mother to raise 6 children.

She lived all her life in Orangeville, Utah, which she loved almost as much as she loved the LDS church and her family. She served in many capacities in the LDS church as a Relief Society President, Cub Scout Leader, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, Young Women Leader, and Primary teacher, which was one of her favorite callings. She and her husband served an LDS mission in Ketchikan, Alaska from 1993-1994. They also worked many years in the Manti Telmple as ordinance workers.

She was a great example of love, faith, and compassion to all her family members. Her most prized possessions were her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her door was always open for a great meal and a listening ear. She was accomplished at needlework, most of which were given away. She was avid in keeping her journal her whole life, and reading was a great outlet. Her grandchildren will miss the bubble gum, back scratches, hugs, and loves. She is survived by her husband, George. Children: Randy and LeAnn (Orangeville), Rue and Charlene (Orangeville), Marvin and Ardyth (Cleveland), Terry and Amy (Orangeville), Jan and Chris Olsen (Colorado), Michelle and Steve Scovill (Castle Dale). Proceeded in death by her parents, 2 sisters, 5 brothers, a son, Philip, two grandsons, Wayne, and Chad and one great grandson, Trent. A viewing will be held Wednesday, March 23 from 6-8 p.m. at Fausett Mortuary in Castle Dale. Funeral services will be Thursday, March 24th at 11:00 a.m with a viewing prior from 9:30-10:30 a.m at the Orangeville 1st Ward Chapel. Interment will be in the Orangeville City Cemetery. Services are in the care of Fausett Mortuary.

Corbin's first ski trip! In his own words:)

2011-01-12T15:29:00.001-08:00

Corbin was invited to go skiing with his friends MaKai this last weekend and they had a blast!! He hasn't stopped talking about it since! This is what he had to say about his trip:

" Me and MaKai watched movies in his car, and when we got to the hotel we ate some fancy, fancy dinners. At the hotel we got dressed in our snow clothes, and while we were dressing tons of sparks flew out of the heater and the hotel almost caught on fire. This hotel was like ghetto, you had to use fire to start the oven! We first went sledding and we had to cross a icy river, and the hill was HUGE!! Me and MaKai went down the hill and we passed a bunch of rocks, so we decided to go back up and jump the rocks. One time me and MaKai went down together, well, actually twice. The first time was horrible. We jumped a rock and I fell off and I hit my knee. OUCH!! The second time, we did it perfect! We jumped a couple of rocks and landed perfect! We had two sleds and we went down a hill at the same time and I got a head of MaKai, and I fell off and then MaKai hit me with his sled! OUCH!! So then we went back to the hotel and I had a horrible bloody noes. We went to sleep and woke up in the morning and went skiing!! We skied ALL DAY LONG!! We skipped the lessons and hit the slopes. We went up this huge ski lift, you just held on to it and it pulled you up. The first time I went down the hill I felt so scared! The next time down was a lot better. We skied down the smaller hills for the rest of the day. We went back to the hotel, watched a couple of movies and ate some pizza! We went to sleep and while I was sleeping I heard a big "BOOM"!! I was the only one awake and this time there really was a fire in the heater! It finally went out on it's own and I went back to sleep. The whole night I thought there was a zombie laying next to me!! The next morning came and we packed up to go sledding, but then we decided to go skiing instead. We skied and skied and skied! By the end of that day, we were catching some good air! That was the end of our trip. I had a blast and want to go again soon!!! Oh, and we also started a fire. Not a big deal."
So, you got the story in Corb's words:) Man I love that kid! Needless to say, Corb and MaKai had a great time. MaKai's parents, Adrianne and Amber were so nice to let him tag along with them. This is a memory he will have forever!:)

Corbin and MaKai
After a hard day of skiing!

This must have been the day after his Zombie dream!:)

Corb haulin' down the hill

Corbin and MaKai's horrible trip down the hill

Corb and MaKai making their way down the slopes!

Crossing the icy river

Getting warm by the fire!

The bloody nose:)

One of their fancy, fancy meals!

Catching some good air!

"I make it look easy"

I think he's training for the Olympics :)

Christmas 2010!!

2011-01-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year everyone!! Man, I was a huge slacker this year, so let me apologize to my family and friends for not sending out Christmas cards this year, and to our neighbors for no goodie plates :( Now I know how the Grinch felt after ruining Christmas in Whoville. Next year will be much better...let's hope!

Our Christmas was great! The only down fall was that Jon wasn't there to celebrate with us. I know, it sounds awful of me, but he was on duty this year for Christmas and "we thought" he would be busy with work and wouldn't be spending anytime with him anyway. He didn't want us spending Christmas without family, so he sent us up to Castle Dale. What a great husband I have;) On our way up to Castle Dale we stopped by Blanding and spent some quality time with Nana and Papa (Jon's parents). It was great to spend that time with them before traveling up to Grandma and Grandpa's. Although we missed Jon a TON, it was great spending Christmas with my family. My parents house is really quiet now with Seth gone, so it was good for them to have LOT'S of noise in the house. We got to see all of our family! My brother Jason and his family came down from Billings MT to spend Christmas with the family. My sister Brindie and her family live just down the road from my parents so they were just a hop, skip and a jump away! My mom's sister Loye and her two kidos live just around the corner, so they were there amongst all of the "wonderful" chaos!! After Christmas, we hurried back to Gallup to see how our lonesome dad did without us, and of course he didn't end up working on Christmas :( Thank goodness for good friends! He was invited by a couple of different families to have dinner and some good ol' hang out with, so that helped! We did have a wonderful week/New Year's together, so we did get some Holiday time together;) The week we got home it snowed a ton, so Jon pulled out the old car hood (which he made very child proof by the way) and pulled the kids behind the fourwheeler. That was a blast!! We invited some friends over to join us for "car hood riding" and hot chocolate! It couldn't get any better than that right??!! So there you have it, the McPherson's had a wonderful Christmas holiday and we hope the rest of you enjoyed your's as well!

Sorry, my mom took all of the Christmas pictures with her camara so we are without photos right now.

Seth's Mission Farewell!

2011-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

Boy, I'm way behind AGAIN! That seems to happen to me a lot :) Well, my baby brother had his mission farewell exactly one month ago today!! December 12th was the big day. He gave an amazing talk, and the church was full of friends and family. Just to go back a little bit, this was the first time we had seen Seth since he opened his mission call. I couldn't believe it was the same kid when I saw him! He has always been an amazing person, but he had the missionary glow! They say pregnant women get the pregnancy glow, well he had the missionary glow:) You could really feel the spirit when you were around him, and it was such a great last visit with him. I couldn't believe the people that came out to support Seth and our family. Jon's brother Dave and his wife Michelle came down for the farewell, and I can't tell you how much that meant to all of us, especially Seth. The whole McPherson family plus a lot of other members of our family would have been there if they could have. What an exciting time of life this is for Seth. This will be the best/hardest two years of his life and he is ready for it!! He entered the MTC on December 15th and just arrived in Cleveland Ohio on January 4th!! It was so neat to hear his first letter. He mentioned how the MTC had been a little difficult, but that his testimony had exploded!! :) He's feeling a little homesick, but the Lord will take care of him.

Well Cleveland Ohio, you have an AMAZING missionary there, take good care of him or else...!!!:)

Seth and Morgann at the farewell luncheon

She loves uncle Seth!
Seth and Tiffany

Just a few of Seth's best friends

Seth with his nieces and nephews

Seth, Tiffany, and Morgann

Me and my "little" brother and sister!
What happened to my long legs???

"Trust me, I've been down that road before"

2010-11-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Corbin and Cadin were playing the xbox a couple of weeks ago, when Cadin said something mean to Corbin about his playing skills. Well, this was Corbin's response:) "Cadin, you don't need to hurt peoples feelings. If you do that you won't have any friends. Trust me, I've been down that road before and it's my job as a big brother to protect you."

I love being a mom!!;)

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!! The Wednesday before Halloween, we had a Trunk or Treat up at our church. So last minute, Jon and I decided to participate. Yes, "Dog "the bounty hunter and his wife "Beth". It was a lot of fun, but I was surprised by how many people had never heard of Dog the Bounty Hunter before!! It was funny! I was also surprised by how many people asked me if my chest was real! REALLY????? Even if I were given the choice to do it for free, I would NEVER go that big. Even the fake one's were hurting my back;)
We ended up going to Utah for Halloween again this year, and had a great time;) You will see that we have pictures of every child but Corbin. He was going to be a swamp monster, but at the last minute he decided he didn't want to dress up. I also think he was kind of tired from his race. So yes, we love Corb, we just have no pictures of him for Halloween. That makes me feel bad, but he was never around for picture time. Oh well!!

Dog and Beth

Our sweet little "Scarecrow"

"Ninja" Cadin, "Scarecrow" Ryann, "Nerd" Kellar

Grandpa caught by surprise!:)

Morgann trying to torture the dog

We had a fun little dinner with all of the cousins!

Witch fingers, witches brew, eyeballs, and goblin stew!

This is the only picture I have of my cute little nephew:( Him and
his little brother were the cutest little football players!

My sister always does such a cute job with them;)

Grandma Bell, Ryann and Cadin

I forgot to bring the shirt that went under her tutu,
so she was sad that she had to wear Grandma's shirt.

I think she looks more like a scarecrow with this shirt:)
She got over it and had a great Halloween!

Grandpa Bell and our little "treasure troll"

Morgann the "treasure troll"
Her hair stands straight up on her head without any help,
so we thought a troll would be a great fit for her;)

It's time to "GIT" you!

2010-11-03T19:01:00.001-07:00

Let me start out by saying, this is my blog, and I can brag all I want, right? RIGHT!!! Now that we have that out of the way, here's to my racing FOOLS that I am so proud of;) This last weekend we went to Fairview Utah for the last race we will be attending the rest of this year! It sounds like a long time, but really it's only two months away!!
Corbin raced first. His race was at 8am so way cold for a little guy. There were kids dropping out of the race because their hands were so cold:( I felt so bad for them. Corb had on some thicker gloves that I think helped. Plus, he's a lot tougher than his mom;)
The races are split up into classes. Corbin's class is 65b with a total of 12 riders, and.......he took 1st place!!! I was so proud of him, it was hard to hold back the tears. There were 56 riders total, and Corbin ended up in 19th place overall. Jon says that he hurt a lot of older boy's feelings:)

Jon did awesome as well. He ended up taking 3rd in his class, and 12th place overall!! Jon was telling me on the drive home that when he's racing, he has one line that comes into his head, and he repeats it the entire race. Every race is different, but the line for this race was "it's time to GIT you!!" I thought that was great:) It's better when he tells it. Well, we are thankful for another year of "safe" racing, and for the fun memories that we have made during this time.

Jon finishing his race. (The pictures are out of order, oops!)

The start of Jon's race.
It took him like 9 kicks to get his bike started.

Some crazy dude! They were giving out a $100 for the best
costume!

Corbin finishing his race

Corbin coming in for gas!

The start of Corbin's race

Mom and Corby:)

Corbin warming up his bike!

Dad, Corb's best sponsor:)

I love my boy!

More Crazy Adventures!!:)

2010-11-03T17:54:00.001-07:00

The Moab Sand Hill!! If you have never been, you should go. Just plan on a whole lot of sand in your car afterwards. We stopped here on our way to Utah this past weekend. It's a fun stop for the kiddos. Jon, being the kind husband/dad he is, drove a quarter of the way up the hill to let us out. Have you ever been on a roller coaster, when halfway up the steepest hill, it stops? Well, that's kinda what we experienced. The only difference is that kind people running the roller coaster ride do everything they can to lower you back safety. My husband on the other hand says, "everybody out!!!" I must say, there is NEVER a dull moment in the McPherson family;)

Corbin and Cadin running down the hill

Jon and the boys running down the hill

Ryann and Jon climbing to the top

Morgann slowly making her way to the top (and yes, she made it on her own)
Cadin Corbin

Morgann thought she could run down the hill like her big brothers.
Poor little girl face planted:(

Ryann digging in the sand

Cadin emptying the sand from his boots Jon has looked at this hill for almost 20 years wondering if

he could ever climb it, and......HE DID IT!!!

It was a lot of fun to watch

I have NO excuses!!

2010-07-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a really good reason as to why I haven't updated my blog in months! I promise it's going to happen someday:) I have friends having babies, and keeping up with there blogs, there is certainly no excuse for me :( I will do it soon folks! Just be really patient with me;)
I just wanted everyone to know that we are still alive here in Gallup! I know, it sound's crazy!

Bye, bye for now!!!

"MOM, I think we're going back to the hospital!"

2010-05-13T12:59:00.001-07:00

What is it with my kid's and injuring their eye's? Cadin was outside on the trampoline with two of his friends, when his friend pushed him (Cadin said it was a play push) and Cadin hit his eye on the frame of the trampoline. He comes running in the house screaming, "MOM, I think we're going back to the hospital!" I thought to myself, "REALLY?? I thought I had been choosing the right!" I ran into the living room and saw Cadin flopping around on the beanbag covering his eye. No blood, that was a great sign. It started out with just a little bump on the corner of his eye, and then 5 min. later, it TRIPLED in size!! Cadin took a look at himself in the mirror and said, "wow, it looks like I lost the fight." When he woke up this morning, he could barely open his eye, and of course he didn't want to go to school because he was afraid of what people were going to say to him. With a little encouraging, he went to school and did fine:) He said it was hard to stay on the line's when he was writing a story, but the kids thought his eye was cool!

I think I need to purchase goggles for the whole family!!

Morgann's Owie!!

2010-05-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a sad day for Morgann:( I was in on the computer working on a talk for Ryann, and also trying to put together a last minute sharing time, WHEN........ I heard a really loud cry, and a horrifying scream coming from the girls room. The cry was from Morgann and the horrifying scream was from Ryann. The poor girl gets it from her mother, the sight of blood sends her into a state of panic!! I ran to the room expecting to see Morgann pulling on Ryann's hair and Ryann pushing her away, but instead..... I saw Morgann's face covered in blood, and Ryann standing behind her trying not to throw-up. My first reaction was to scream the horrifying scream Ryann had, but I soon realized that I was the only one there to handle the situation. I must say I was very proud of myself. The fact that I didn't end up passed out on the bathroom floor says A LOT!! I calmly removed Ryann from the room trying to convince her that Morgann was going to live, and then went back to assist Morgann. I got the wound clean enough to see that she definitely needed to go to the ER. I called Jon, and had him meet me at the hospital. And thank goodness for friends, especially when you don't have family around to help. My friend Amy was more than happy to take Ryann for me while we took care of Morgann. Thank you Amy!! So I thought Morgann would lay on my lap and just want to be held, but I thought wrong. She was running around the room laughing, and having the time of her life! She would stop for a moment to point to her eye and say "owie" and then continue running around the room. Trust me, I tried holding her in one place so we didn't have another injury, but it was either let her run, or hear her scream for who knows how long until the doctor came in. For those of you that have heard Ryann scream, Morgann's lungs are just as developed as her sisters. I would prefer an injury:) The doctor came in to numb Morgann's eye before trying to clean it out. We had to wait 30 min. for that to work, and then came the torture. They had to hold her arms down, so they swaddled her in a big white sheet. She HATED it!! I didn't blame her. The doctor cleaned the wound and felt very confident that they could glue it, and not have to stitch it! I was very pleased with how the doctor took her time to make sure the way she glued it would leave a very little scar. I'm happy with the way it looks, but she still has glue all over her left eye. I'm sure people wonder if I ever bathe her, because the dirt has stuck to the glue and it WILL NOT come off. Anyhow, Morgann is doing great, but she keeps reminding us from time to time, that she has an owie:) It's really cute!!

Live The Life

2010-04-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

LIVE THE LIFE!! I will be forever grateful for Trish, Kristi and their support team for putting together this wonderful program. It's not a "Diet", it's a new way of living:) My sister in-law Michelle was the first to start Live The Life. She already looked amazing, but I could see a glow in her that I hadn't seen before. So of course, me along with the rest of the sisters were wondering what her secret was! When she told us about this new life style, we were all ready to sign up that day!! I have now been doing the program for 16 weeks, and I honestly have NEVER felt better. Not only have I lost weight and love to sneak a peak at my "somewhat" defined muscles (hahaha):) I have more energy, I don't crave sugar like I used to, and I'm nicer to my family!!:) I have learned a lot about myself, and also how to achieve goals. I've always been good at setting goals, but have always had a hard time achieving them. I highly recommend this to everyone! My husband has been a huge support, and has enjoyed seeing me transform into the person I am today. Tish and Kristi explain the program in the video above a lot better then I can. So if you haven't already, take two minutes and listen to these amazing ladies. Also, if you have any questions for me, you are welcome to email me at camiemcpherson@yahoo.com When I get brave enough, I will post my before and after pictures!! Bye for now!

TURBO SHARK!!!

2010-03-24T12:02:00.001-07:00

Corbin had his first Pinewood Derby! He was so excited to be able to design his own car. Corb and Jon spent a full day designing the Pindewood Derby. Corbin drew a picture of what he wanted it to look like, and then Jon spent a long time carving it. The car had to weigh approximately 5 ounces. Jon drilled holes in the bottom of the car, and filled them with lead. Yes, we were all standing around as fumes from the lead filled the air. We like living on the edge:) Corbin painted the car blue, painted on some black eyes and then gave Turbo Shark some killer black teeth. The car still wasn't up to weight so Jon added two fully loaded bullets to the car. One on each side to look like jet engines. This is how the car got it's name "Turbo Shark!" Although Turbo Shark didn't come out a winner, he still won the award for the most original car:) Good job Corbin, and thanks to dad for his creative ideas!

Turbo Shark won the most original car award!

Some of our friends at the Pinewood Derby

Morgann, Cadin, and Ryann checking out the Derby cars

Turbo Shark in position to race!

He took 2nd all three times:) It's better than 3rd!

Turbo Shark sitting in the #4 slot

Corbin showing us which car is his:)

Doesn't he look handsome in his scout uniform!!

HaPpY BIRTHDAY CaDiN!!

2010-03-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Cader's is now 6 years old!!! I can't believe how fast they grow up:( Cadin is in Kindergarten this year and is a little smarty pants. His teacher says he's so kind and helpful to all of the kids. We are very proud of what a big boy he has become. We love you Cadin!!

When we lived in El Paso, we had a surprise party for Corbin, and ever since then Cadin has wanted us to have a surprise party for him. Well, this year he didn't mention anything about a surprise party so we decided this would be the year! The day of the party, Jon took Cadin for special time while me and the other kido's got everything ready. Jon would call with an update every 20-30 min. When all of the guests arrived, I called Jon and they headed home. We all gathered in the kitchen, and Jon asked Cadin to take a few things to the kitchen. When he walked around the corner and saw all of his friends, he was so surprised!! The video is kinda long, I'm still learning how to use my camera so I didn't know how to edit it, but anyhow, you'll get an idea of how it all went down!! COMING SOON!! sorry, still trying to figure things out!

The Messy Fairy Did It!!

2010-03-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Messy Fairy? I had no idea she even existed! According to Ryann, she visits her room every night! Ryann and I were driving home from Walmart, and we started talking about her room ALWAYS being a mess! This is how the conversation went:

Ryann: Mom, when we get home, can I play with my babies?

Mom: Sure, but do you think you can find your babies in your messy room?

Ryann: Mom, it's my room, and I know where everything is!

Mom: Is that so? Well, when we get home you need to clean up your room, and then you can play with your babies. Your room is ALWAYS messy!!

Ryann: Well mom, it's not even me that messes up my room! Really, it's not!

Mom: hmmm, then who is it?

Ryann: Her's name is Messy Fairy, and her's comes when I am asleep, and her's messes up my room! When I wake-up I say "Messy Fairy was here AGAIN!!!"

Mom: Oh really???? So is that why our house is always a mess?

Ryann: No, her's only messes up mine and Wargann's (Morgann's) room, and her's messes up the boy's room!

Mom: Well, you tell Messy Fairy that she is fired, and that she needs to go and find Cinderella to come and CLEAN your room:)

Look Who's EIGHT and just got Baptized!!

2009-12-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

BAPTISM OF

CORBIN STEVE MCPHERSON

SATURDAY DECEMBER 5, 2009

GAME ON!!!

Corbin's baptism was a very special day. We had family, friends, and ward family that were there to share this special day with Corbin. Corbin's uncle Dave baptized him, and Jon confirmed him. The whole program was just wonderful. The spirit was strong, and I know Corbin felt it, because during the talk on the Holy Ghost, Corbin leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I feel like crying."

We are so proud of Corbin for following the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by being baptized. Thanks to primary teachers, the wonderful examples of family and friends, and also Family Home Evening, Corbin was well prepared for his baptism. Corbin is a very special boy, with a very special spirit. We know that Corbin will continue to live righteously and set a good example for his brother, and sisters.

One cute story; The day after Corbin's baptism, we were on our way to church, and Jon said to Corbin, "Well Corb, you are now a full member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, so do you know what this means?" Corbin: "Yeah, it means it's game on!!" When really Jon was meaning that it's time to learn the importance of fasting, repentance, being a full tith payer, etc. It was really cute!

Uncle Dave and Corbin

Uncle Dave and Corbin

Dave, Corbin, Jon, and cousin Quinton

Our Family!

Uncle Seth and Corbin

Corbin, Heather, Charles, and Andy

Dave, Corbin, and Michelle

Papa, Corbin, and Nana

Grandma, Corbin, and Grandpa

Catch-up time!!!!

2009-11-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, I have a ton of catching up to do! I would just start here and try to stay caught up, but there are too many things that I would like to share:) I'm going to start with Halloween, and take you back a good 4 months. This was our second Halloween here in Gallup. We had our ward Trunk or Treat the Wednesday before Halloween, but instead of having it outside, we were forced to have it indoors due to a "SNOW STORM"!!! This is when I jump in my car and drive back to El Paso. No, I didn't really, but it was very tempting. The Trunk or Treat wasn't as fun as last year, but the costumes were very cute! Starting with this adorable little pirate. Her name is Paiton, she is one of Ryann's little friends. She had the cutest costume by far!

Jon (my sick patient) and Morgann our little "Witch"

Hmm, glad I'm not a real nurse

The sick patient and his nurse

Patient McPherson: stubborn and thinks he knows EVERYTHING!

Uncle Seth and Morgann!

"WE LOVE YOU WAYNE"

One of my close cousins passed away couple of days before Halloween. He has the most wonderful wife, little boy, and family that loved him so much. We will miss him dearly. His funeral was held on Halloween day, which just happens to be his favorite holiday. Because of the services, we were up in Utah with my family. All of the little cousins were able to gather together at my grandparents house, all dressed in there cute little costumes.

Uncle Jason (my oldest brother) and miss Fancy Nancy!

"Smooch" that's a fancy word for kiss! We are all about fancy words at our house.

Aunt Brindie (my little sister) was dressed up as a witch like little Morgann. The only difference is that aunt Brindie is just pretending. Morgann has been going through this phase for about four months now where she is just naughty! Bless her cute little heart :) We love her regardless!

My nephew Quintin, a big Transformer! I told him he was a cute "little" Transformer, but I was quickly informed that he was a "big" Transformer! His mom is the cute witch on the couch.

This is Kayson, my other little nephew dressed up as the cutest little Rodeo Clown EVER!!

Morgann and Grandma (my mom). Morgann refuses to leave anything on her head! I'm told too often that I have the cutest little boy with blue eye's. She has very little hair and won't wear a bow, any idea's?

Ryann and Kayson sharing their candy with grandpa!

Half of the kids. Jason's wife and kid's weren't able to be there because of a sick child. We sure missed them :(

We have: Anakin Skywalker, Obie Wan Kenobi, Fancy Nancy, and our Witch was on break!

Obie Wan Kenobi and Fancy Nancy!

Don't look so excited boys! Poor Ryann, doing her best to keep Morgann from running away, or shall I say "flying away"!

Here is the real Anakin Skywalker! I think this mask scared more kids then the Freddy Krueger mask! The kids would run away crying!

" Peace... we out", I can't tell you how many times a day we hear that from the boys... and Ryann!

The one and only....... Obie Wan Kenobi!

"Bring it on Anakin!"

Fancy Nancy!

Tick- or -Treat is a fancy word for "give me some candy"! From the mouth of Ryann:)

Our run away witch!

Since she won't keep anything on her head, we tied her hat to her back.

"Witch" one of you am I going to pinch first!

What a cutie!

A visit from Liz and Spencer + STITCHES!

The week before Halloween, Jon's sister Liz, her husband Spencer, and their 3 cute little boy's, drove all the way from Cedar City, Utah to visit us! The visit was going great until one of our little neighbor boy's threw a rock a hit Cadin just below his right eye. He ran in the house screaming "I'm blind, I'm blind, I can't see anything". By the looks of it, I really thought the rock hit the inside of his eye. His eye was filled with blood, which made it hard for him to see. So.....Jon and I spent three hours in the E.R with Cadin, while Jon's sister and husband took care of our other children. The Dr's were great, and Cadin was a champ! He had to get four little stitches right under is eye, which is a very sensitive spot, and he didn't even whimper! The doctor's were very impressed :)

Corbin and Cadin

This was just after we arrived home from the hospital. Corbin was very concerned about his little brother. He asked aunt Liz if it would be ok if he waited up for Cadin to get home. As soon as he saw Cadin, he grabbed him and said, "I don't know what I would do if you died buddy".

Sad little Cader's. He's lucky to have such a great big brother!

"No more pictures please"

We had our Primary program the very next day, so Cadin was worried what people would think about his eye. He was still just as cute as ever:)

Happy Anniversary!!

Jon and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on September 10th! Wow, how time flies when your having fun. We have had a wonderful 10 years! We started out in Cedar City, aerated lawns for a couple of months in Denver, went to Chile for a month, a year later had Corbin, aerated some more, jumped from job to job for awhile, 27 monthes later Cadin was born, four months later Jon left for the FBI academy, me and the boy's packed up the apartment in Cedar, and bounced back and forth between Castle Dale and Blanding for four months, Jon graduated from the academy in November of 2006, we lived in Washington DC for a month, and then headed to El Paso Texas!! Where in the heck is El Paso Texas? Well, it does exist, we lived there for 3 1/2 years and loved it! We had our two beautiful little girls during our time in El Paso. We then got orders to move to the place we had been praying for , for about 3 1/2 years........GALLUP NM!!!! Yes, you heard me right, we were praying! Gallup is a hardship area, so the deal is that you live there for 5 years, and then go anywhere you want from there. The big draw to Gallup is that we are only three hours from Jon's family, and 7 hours from mine. We feel very blessed to be in Gallup. It's definitely a hardship, but there are some amazing people here! We have been here for a year and 4 months now, and have grown to love and appreciate everything we have. We have made many wonderful friends in the past ten years, and have grown closer to our families. Like I said, it's been ten years of being able to share all of these wonderful memories with my best friend:)

I love you Bud!

# 78

Brag time!!! This is my little brother Seth. There's about a 12 year gap between us, so when he was born, I was at the age where I wanted to be his mom. He was my baby:) I took care of him like he was my own kid, and I don't think much has changed. Im his second mom:) This is his senior year of highschool, so of course his last year of highschool football :( He played left guard and defensive end, and was also one of the team captins. Seth is truly a leader. He's one of the most kind and loving people I know. His glass is always "half- full." We were able to make it to one of his games in Roosevelt, UT. When I saw him out on the field, I couldn't stop myself from shedding a few tears. I felt so proud!

K, so Im the shortest one in my family~

A trip to ..... somewhere near Blanding

Nana and Ryann

Ryann and Morgann

Nana and Morgann

Corbin and Cadin

Our future models!
not really:)

How do you open this thing?

A bottle is so much easier!!

Yummy cookies!

Just one more!

A VISIT FROM UNCLE DAVE!

Jon's brother Dave was working in Farmington NM. for a couple of days, so he drove to Gallup for a visit! Having Uncle Dave in town was like Christmas for the kids~Uncle Dave and Jon showing the kids their bike "skills"

Ryann and Dave~

She never left his side!

Dave watching the boys ride their bikes! There's Ryann, attatched to his leg!

Dave and Corbin playing soccer

Even the neighbor kids were excited to see Uncle Dave!

And Boomer was his name O!!

I went to Castle Dale this summer for the county fair, and I fell in love with this little puppy! He wasn't quite ready to leave his mommy yet, so my parents brought him down to us a couple of weeks later. They ended up buying the sister of our little puppy. They couldn't resist, their just too cute! Boomer; why the name Boomer? Well, when I was a little girl, my dad that past away had a nickname for EVERYONE, and mine just happened to be Boomer!! It totally fits him:)

Our kids call him "Boom, Boom, Boom......yes, just like the song! He has been a joy to have around. His little sisters name is Mercy. She is a little ball of fire! It must be a girl thing:) She is such a darling little puppy. It's fun to get them together, and watch them play.

Morgann feeding the puppies!

The First Day Of School!!

Corbin's first day of 2nd grade, and Cadin's first day of Kidergarten!

They were both really excited!!

Second day of school did him in! He was out for two hours!

The day before school started!!

The day before school started, we went out for a bike ride, and this was the end result!

Cadin found a hill......or shall we call it a cliff, that looked "easy" enough to ride his bike down. Well, he made it down alright, but not on his bike. His bike took more of a beating then he did, thank goodness. Was this the only crash Cadin had? NO!!! After the cliff, a few tears, scraped knees, scraped chest, and pinched fingers; he wanted to continue the bike ride. The next injury happened when he got going too fast down the trail, and he hit a rock. After flipping over his handle bars, and scraping up his nose, Cadin decided that was enough for one day! Poor kid...he was concerned all night about what his teacher and the students would think about is face. I have to say, Jon and I were a little concerned for ourselves!

The Emery County Fair!!!

Ryann loves the stage! We were in the middle of "the baby contest" when Ryann walked up the stage and started dancing in front of the whole crowd!

Aunt Kamie and Morgann. Morgann was in the baby contest for the bluest eyes! Aunt Kamie took her up on stage, so mom could take pictures.

"The Grand Marshal"

My mom was chosen to be the Grand Marshal for this years Emery County Fair parade! She definently deserved it, she has had a big part in the Emery County Fair for quite a few years now. Good job mom:) The county provided a float for her, so she invited all of the grandkids to be on the float with her. They loved it, and they all looked so cute! Our uncle made t-shirts for the Grandkids that said " Grandma's Grands" and my mom's t-shirt said, "Grand Grandma". They turned out really cute!

Kayson, Ryann and Kodi

Quinton, Cadin, Corbin, and Philip

The Grand Marshall herself!

Kayson and Ryann

Dad and Seth pulling the float

Seth giving a little wave to the crowd!

My sister Brindie enjoying the parade!

My Aunt Pat, Grandma Johnson, Me, and Loye

Morgann

Jasa, Philip, and Kamie

~GALLUP NM. ARENACROSS~

Every year, they have an arenacross here in Gallup. This year, they had a professional racer Keith Johnson put on a riding class the day before the races. Jon put Corbin in the class just for a fun experience for Corbin. There were pro racers from all over that attended the class. Corbin was the only little guy out there, but he still enjoyed riding and watching the other riders jump, and race. We decided to put Corbin in the Arenacross which was held the very next day. There were about 15 other kids in his class between the age of 11 and 7. Corbin was the only seven year old in his class. The 11 year old was a pro rider from California, and the others were from Texas, and New Mexico. Corbin was really excited to race, because he had a bunch of our friends there to watch him race. Our families would have been there if it wasn't such short notice. Corbin was number two out of the gate, and ended up taking 2nd place overall. He had such a great time, and he made us all proud! We would have been proud no matter what place he took, but we were really excited when he started in second and ended in second. Good job Corb!!

Corbin finishing the race

Corbin going over the table top

Corbin in 2nd place

Corbin coming out of the gate. He's the first one you can see. The first place guy was already gone.

Jon helping Corbin get ready for the start

Corbin checking out the track before his race

Cadin, and friends watching the races

Our friends Val and Ozzie

Taylor, Payton, and Ryann

Taylor and Payton

Ozzie, Zach, Drake, Cadin, and Ryan

Our friends Garrett and Amy

Corbin waiting for his race

Jon and Corb watching other races

Jason Anderson (pro racer on left) and Corbin

Ryann and Morgann

Cadin walking the track

Cadin watching Corbin at his riding class

Corbin, Keith Johnson, Cadin, and Jon

Jason Anderson

Keith Johnson giving Corbin some pointers

Jon and Keith coaching Corbin

Corbin

Group meeting!

my brother....... my best friend

2009-08-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Every night after putting the kids to bed, I wait about 30 minutes, and then go back to check on them. This night, I was going to Corbin and Cadin's room to check on them when I over heard them talking. This is what was said:

Cadin: "tongue's are slippery"
Corbin: "did you know your tongue is the wettest part of your body?"
Cadin: "ya, and sweat is the next huh? remember when we were digging that hole for the tree? it was so hot, I bet it was like one degree"
Corbin: "one degree is freezing!"
Cadin: "oh......well it wasn't cold, so how hot was it?"
Corbin: "Cadin, just face it, you will never be like me. I am almost 8 and your almost 6"
Cadin: "I wish I was almost 7 like you"
Corbin: "oh, come here buddy, (corbin snuggles up to cadin) your the best brother in the world"
Cadin: "I wish we were twins"
Corbin: "We are like twins, we are really close. Let's go to sleep"
Cadin: "Okay, love you"
Corbin: "Love you too buddy"

Oh how I love my boys!

I HATE SATAN!!!!

2009-08-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was walking past the kids bathroom, when I over heard Cadin having this little conversation with himself; "I hate you Satan. Satan, you are the meanest person in the world, in the universe, all the way to the stars. Satan, you are soooooo mean. You make people do bad things. I really hate you Satan." Then comes the best part of all...... he paused for a moment as he concentrated on his business in the bathroom, and in a grunting voice he says, "Satan, I hate when you make me say swear words in my head." He then walks out of the bathroom and says, "mom, I hate Satan."

Oh my, what a kid!

Desert Races!!!

2009-07-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

*Monticello UT desert race*

Cadin's 1st desert race!!!

Jon at the finish line

Corbin jumping

The start of Jon's race

Me and my hubby!

The start of Cadin's race

Cadin holing his trophy!

Brothers!

*Page AZ Race*

Morgann and Ryann playin' in the sand

Jon after pit row

Jon and Dan Madsen getting ready for the race

Are you ready for a novel? Well, here it goes. Desert Race #4,#7 and #8!!! I forgot my camera for the other 3 races, ooops. Jon's dream has been to live close enough to Utah, so that he could do at least one of the Desert series. Now that we live in Gallup, his dream has come true! We have made it to all but 2 of the races, and so far he is doing pretty well. He thinks he could do better, but I have to keep reminding him that he's not doing it to win, we are doing it to have fun. And fun it is!!!! This is also Crobins first year of desert racing as well, and we're just lovin going to the races, and cheerin' on our boys!! Just to give you an idea of what it's like: you go out to the middle of no mans land, where there are hundreds of campers, toy haulers, dirt bikes, more dirt bikes, an ambulance here and there, sometimes helicopters, a car full of junk food (my favorite part), and tons of riders and their families. They have 4 different races that include, ATV's, Mini's (the little guys, ages 7-16) pee wee's (ages 4-maybe 8), and then the "real " race. Just kidding, I only say that because it's the race most people are there to see. This is the "big bikes" race. They start off in 3 different classes, Experts, Amateurs (this is Jon's group), and then Novices. They start in 3 different heats, and a dead engine start. This means their bikes are off, once they give the signal to go, they start their engines and take off. It's awesome!!!! Experts start first, then Amateurs, and then Novices. They head off into the dessert, and usully end up doing two to three 25-30 mile loops. Part of their loop, they come through "Pit Row". This is where "we"(me, myslef, and 4 kids), and also the famlilies of the other riders, sit and wait for your rider to come in for a fill-up, new goggles, and a quick drink, then off they go for another loop. Sounds fun huh? Not really,but it is. There are usually people you know, and kids make friends so easily, that we usually have a group of kids that hang-out with us.
So, I have pictures from the Page AZ. race, the Jericho UT race, and the Monticello UT race. The Page race was tons of fun. The weather was great, and the kids had fun playing in the sand. I have been telling my parents how much fun the races are, and how they should come out to at least one of them. Jericho happened to be the race they chose. The weather was horrible!!! Wind, wind, wind = dust, dust, DUST! So therefore, no fun. Thank goodness my parents brough their inclosed trailer, it kept some of the dust out of our eyes, ears, teeth, and every other crevices of our bodies, Corbin missed his race, Jon hated every second of his 2 hour race (tons of dust), and my parents now hate desert races. Monticello is the last race we attended, and because it's so close to Blanding, Jon's parents came out to watch. AGAIN, horrible weather! Not as bad as Jericho, but still, ton's of wind, and cold. Jon, Corbin, and Cadin all raced this time. This was Corbin's first Mini's race, and Cadin's first pee-wee's race. They all did great, and had a good

*Jericho UT Desert Race*

Jon at the finish line

The kids telling Jon good job Corbin, Cadin, and Kellar waiting for Jon at the finish line Grandma and Morgann eating sand filled cookies. Yummmm!

We can't forget Buddy, he endured the wind and dust along with the rest of us.

2009-07-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MORGANN!!

Happy Birthday Morgann! I can't believe it has already been a year! Time sure does fly when your having fun. Morgann is such a sweet little thing. She's such a go with the flow type of girl. The first couple months of her life were a bit of a struggle, she cried a lot, and it took a lot to calm her down. I don't know what changed, but it sure has been a blessing, she is an angle, with some very stong lungs. Our girls were both blessed with the same strong lungs. Lucky us! Morgann has the most beautiful big blue eyes, blonde, blonde hair, and such light skin. Ten minutes in the sun, and she's fried! Poor thing. We have never had this problem with our other three kids, so this is very new to us. Morgann loves her daddy. As soon as he walks in the door, she wants dad. She loves to play with her brothers and sister. As soon as she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, her brothers help her out of her crib and bring her to mom. Ryann and Worgann (that's what Ryann calls her) have a cute little relationship. I never know what they are laughing about, but when you get the two of them in a room together, it's nothing but giggles. Morgann LOVES her little rocking chair. If Morgann isn't in the room with us, we know where to find her. In her room, sitting in her rocking chair, holding her bear. So cute! We were in Blanding for the fourth of July, so since her birthday is the third, we were able to celebrate it with Jon's whole family. We made a little cake for her, and she opened a few presents. What a great day for our sweet little Morgann. We love you!

Kindergarten, here I come!

2009-05-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Cadin graduated from Preschool last night, and will be going to Kindergarten next year! I can't believe how big he is getting. His teacher told us that Cadin was a friend to everyone, and that he always made them laugh. That's Cadin for ya, he's such a sweetheart to everyone, but he also LOVES to tease and crack jokes! Cadin loved his teachers and all of the friends he made. He will miss them, but he is excited to go to the "big school" with his older brother Corbin. Good job Caders, we love you!

Corbin, Cadin, and Ryann

The Fam!

Cadin and Mom

Cadin, aunt Heather, and cousin Andy

Ryann and Morgann at Cadins graduation

From the mouths of babes!

2009-03-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

Ok Monique, I got this idea from you. I hope you don't mind, I just think it's so dang cute, and such a good way to remember and share all of the cute things our kids say. I love getting on your blog a reading the things your kids say. They are so funny!

Pictures of my unfinished living room and.......MORE PROJECTS!

2009-03-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ok mom and Jess, here are some pictures of my livingroom. Im still working on it, so don't be too disappointed! Just kidding. This is the TV stand that I found, and am now trying to make cute! Im so full of projects it's not even funny!!! You can see that Ryann had some ideas of her own:) Tatum, the girls blue room will be posted next! Your going to love it:)

My new project before.....

2009-03-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

So, going from a house with a big pantry, to a house with more cabinet space, but a tiny pantry, leaves me with only one solution...this ugly, I don't even know what you would call it, cabinet thing. It gives me more room for more STUFF! And, not only that,it gives me a new project. Because you know, having four kids just isn't enough for me. Ha, Ha, Ha. My husband LOVES my projects! Especially when I come home with something as hideous as this thing. I promise it will be cute:) I have a really cute idea in my head, so I hope it's just as cute when Im finished with it. Don't worry, the rooster knobs will be the first thing to go. I will post the after pictures in about 2 months when I actually finish the thing.

Morgann Kolleen

2009-02-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

MORGANN KOLLEEN MCPHERSON

2009-01-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Morgann Kolleen was born on July 3rd, at 6:14pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 18 inches long. She has beautiful blue eyes like her oldest brother Corbin. She was bald like the rest of our babies, and lucky for us, she wasn't blessed with lungs like her big sister Ryann! She is almost 7 months old now:( I can't believe how fast time passes by. She is sitting up on her own. She uses rolling as her mode of transportation. We have found her under beds, tables, couches, and children. For some reason, the kids think it's funny to lay on top of her. She doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, I think she quite enjoys it. Cadin, our second oldest, has the talent of making her laugh. It's very cute. Morgann is an angel. She only cries when she's hungry, has a wet diaper, tired, and when her sister is picking on her only to get our attention. We are so happy to have Morgann in our little family. We often wonder what our life would be like without her. We love you Morgie!!
My amazing friend Jessica took these beautiful pictures of Morgann. Thanks Jessica, your the best:)