16 Candles...already???

Tonight at dinner Hannah told her brothers that her first car was going to be a limo. Alan said that "Actually, it will probably be a old, beat up 1999 Toyota Camry." She cocked her head, scrunched up her nose, and said, "The one you drive?" "Yup." "Well, then you had better take good care of it Daddy!"

The Circus, The Circus, I love The Circus!

About a month ago I saw an advertisement for the circus and I remembered going to the circus as a kid and thought it would be fun to go as a family. I was so excited to share that excitement with my kids. I bought the tickets for a Wednesday evening and put it on the calendar. Alan put it on his calendar, and we talked about it at each of our planning meetings up until the week of. The day came and it turned out to be a go, go, go kind of day. I was so happy just to have a relaxing evening. It was about 6:00p.m., dinner was in the oven, I went downstairs and asked Alan what his plans were. He said he had none (which is very rare). I asked if he wanted to spend the evening with the family. He all of a sudden asked what day it was. I told him the 12th and he said, "Don't we have tickets for the circus tonight??" I freaked out, thinking it started at 7:oo and that there was no way that we were going to make it to Baltimore, find parking, and eat before it started.
Well it didn't start until 7:30, and we just had lots of snacks for dinner in the car on the way there. We parked at the arena so that we didn't have to walk far. We made it in time for the pre-show, which included getting to meet some of the performers. Alan was the Hero of the Day! Thanks for remembering! I would have kicked myself for a long time if we had missed it.
We had a great time and really enjoyed it. Hannah's favorite part was the elephants sitting down with there front legs up in the air while people were riding them. Peter's favorite was the trapeze artists. Joseph's favorite part was "all of it!"

Grandpa Boss

My first memory of Grandpa Boss was when Alan took me to meet his grandma and grandpa after they had returned home from their mission to Hawaii. We were standing in their kitchen and Grandpa leaned over and asked Alan if he could hug me. He was always so complimentary, especially to women. No wonder he had 4 wives, who all loved and adored him.

He was also a hard worker. He had a shop in his backyard that had so many things stored in it at a level that he could reach. Grandpa wasn't very tall so you had to be extra careful not to hit your head. He was always out there no matter the weather. It was his way of going to work. He made and invented many things. Another thing that Grandpa was famous for was his tomatoes, every year Grandpa would plant tomato plants and end up with tons of gorgeous tomato's. His key was to throw in a banana peel while planting the plants.

Grandpa was always laughing at his own jokes. He was such a tease. It was always fun to go to Grandpa's house. Last summer Alan and I went to visit with him. He wasn't doing well at the time, and slept for a good portion of the time we were there. He did get a little bit of energy toward the end and wanted to dance with Alan, we were lucky enough to catch it on video.

Sweet Grandpa Russel Herbert Boss died on Saturday, March 1. Alan and I were able to attend the funeral the following weekend with just 1 of our 4 children thanks to wonderful friends we have here in Maryland. The kids had a wonderful time, and after talking with them and listening to all they did we asked who their favorite person was to watch them? Peter immediately replied, "Mom and Dad."

It was wonderful to see all 19 of Alan's cousins together to honor this great man. It was great to catch up with them and to see their beautiful children. At the funeral they all sang. It sounded incredible.
This is a picture of Grandpa's 4 children.

I learned things this weekend that I could have probably learned another way, but to have it happen this way makes it that much sweeter:

• Family matters, all of them! (cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, parents, grandparents)
• I am loved! (by those that live close and those that live far away)
• Alan and I will always have wonderful friends that will always be near and dear to us.
• We have cute, well behaved kids, most of the time (there are always those moments)
• How grateful I am to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.
• That the family is meant to be eternal, as well as the friendships that we develop in this lifetime.
• My favorite part about funerals, other then seeing family and loved ones, is the flowers!

roll over, roll over, so they all rolled over....

Eden finally rolled over from back to front. I haven't had her spend much time on her tummy, probably because she is a 4th child and if she is happy I leave her be. I suspect that it won't take long for her to roll the other way. She gets frustrated after about 3-5 minutes on her tummy.

Happy Birthday Love~

Today Alan turned 37, What an old man! Happy Birthday!

Alan taught today, and what better way to celebrate than to bring a treat for the whole class. I got all the kiddies dressed up and we baked cookies. The kids were very fun and got lots of oooo's and aahhh's. They instantly became shy.......I know with my kids that is hard to believe, but it's true. They were so well behaved, I was so proud. After seeing Dad's new office, we went out to dinner at Don Pablos. Then presents and cake and ice cream, It was a full afternoon / evening.

I found this picture of Alan on his first birthday! It's amazing what can happen in such little time!

Goodmorning Sunshine

I love waking up with the sun streaming in to my room! And there is nothing that drives Alan more crazy then to sleep in a room that is lite by the sun, probably because of the hours he keeps. I left my curtains in my room open last night, on purpose. (Sorry Al) There is nothing like being gently woken up by something so beautiful as light! For me it makes it so much easier to get up in the morning and immediately puts a smile on my face. I don't know that it adds any more warmth at that time in the morning, but it makes it seem like it is warmer. Who likes to get out of bed when it's cold?? All I can say is, it makes me happy!!

(see comments for rebuttal)

Halleluiah

Last night started out just like most of the nights that we have had. Eden went down about 9:00 p.m. happily, as always. She slept until about 4:30a.m. Which is not bad, I can't complain much. As I went to get her I decided to put her bink (pacifier) in and leave her in bed while I got her bottle ready. I came back and she was asleep again. I climbed back in bed thinking at any moment she is going to wake up. I woke up about 7:40 and she was still asleep!! She woke up shortly after that. I could not be happier, I hope this is a start of a new trend! Then I can move her into Hannah room without worry of her waking up Hannah bright and early.

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days when you need a very, very large bowl of ice cream with all the toppings you can possibly find by 2:00 in the afternoon? That's what kind of day I am having!!

*There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you. - Peter De Vries*

Do you believe in magic?

I love Sunday afternoon naps! This year church is at 1 p.m. so we don't get to take naps as often as I would like to. Today, because of Stake Conference, we were able to practice this sacred ritual! Peter and I were snuggled together in my bed and the silly kid was wearing shorts. I put my arm on his leg because it was freezing and he said "Wow mom, when you put your arm on my leg right there it warms up my whole leg! You must be magic!"

Dancing Queen

I love to dance, all kinds!!

For Valentine's day Alan and I went out to eat with the Perks and the Loveridge's to Sakura's Japanese Stake House. It was a lot of fun having them cook everything in front of us and put on a show. We all got to pick an appetizer of either chicken livers, mushrooms, or shrimp. No one was excited about any of them except Alan so we all gave ours to him who ate shrimp and mushrooms and was happy as could be. I caught the little piece of steak in my mouth that they threw at me!! My claim to fame! We also saw Hannah's 3rd grade teacher, Mrs Vernor.

Afterwards we all went to the Stake Second Chance Dance! I love getting all dressed up, putting on a skirt that twirls, and painting my toe nails because of course, you have to wear strappy shoes. It is the only time I can get Alan to take me dancing. They had a live band. There was a time when Alan knew all of the moves for different dances like rumba, waltz, foxtrot, swing, tango, cha cha, etc. But he still remembers more then I will ever will! We had a lot of fun dancing the night away. Happy memories!!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Today I attended the funeral of this great man via sattelite. Listening to the stories and hearing the fond memories the people who walked and talked with him daily made me want to know him even more then I do. What a legacy he left for all of us. I liked the way they stated it at his funeral, "That he left imprints on us all." He was a humble servent of the Lord, ready and willing to do his Father's will.

I loved his humor, especially since humor is a huge part of my life. He never missed a beat and always had something clever to say. It made me smile when his daughter said that many times he was laughing so hard at his own story or joke, that he had a hard time finishing it.


I loved listening to him speak. He was always so positive and spoke of the love that he had for each of us as well as the love Jesus Christ has for each of us. Repeatedly he would tell us to love and serve each other. He always urged us to live better lives, and to be bold and strong in our beliefs.

I had the opportunity to be in his presence a couple of times for conferences as well as firesides. On one occasion I had the honor to meet him and shake his hand. I was a couple of feet away when President Hinckley and his sweet wife walked by. The first thing I noticed is how short they both are. I felt like a giant!! The next was the feeling of the room: it had changed. I don't know if anyone could meet this man and not know that he was special and how close he is to God. When I shook his hand, he didn't let go of my hand for what seemed like a long time, especially for a handshake. I surley wasn't going to let go! I almost felt that he was scanning my soul. It was an awsome feeling to be so close to a prophet of God. His touch was gentle and his skin soft. His eyes were kind and loving. I was grinning from ear to ear, I could not have been happier.


He was a prophet of God but he was also a man, with a wife, and kids. The story I liked the most about President Hinckley is one that he tells........I was fixing the roof of our home when my wife came out and said, "You are 82 years old (I don't remember exactly how old he was, but it pretty close) you are going to fall and break your neck. Get down off of the roof!" He said "I did what any husband would have done. I ignored her." He was real and had nothing to hide.


It has been interesting watching my children digest the news of his passing and to witness their emotions and their sorrows. It has made me realize that we need to base our testimonies on the principle that we live in a time that God speaks to men through revelation and through his prophets and that I know that these men were prepared and called by God. I know this principle to be true and it doesn't matter who that man is, whether it be Joseph Smith or Gordon B. Hinckley, the Lord will always have a prophet to be His mouthpeice and do His will. I will miss President Hinckley but I am truly grateful to know that we will shortly have another prophet who will be chosen and called by God to lead and guide us through these troubling times.

One step closer to the real world......

CONGRATULATIONS ALAN!!!
Alan is now offically a Ph.D. canidate, which translates to: he has completed everything that he needed to, classes, papers, etc., and jumped through all of the hoops, so all he has left is his dissertation. In a year and a half we will be closing the door of Alan's schooling. We are going to make sure that it is barred, and that the key is lost forever, never to be opened again. Don't get me wrong it has been a good experience, but it has also been trying.

I am very proud of you, Alan! I love you so very much! Oh, happy day!!