We'll Miss You!

We are a sad family today.

Each of us has our own unique memories of President Hinckley. I am so glad that Emma had the opportunity to see him in person this last conference. And Ella, after I explained to her that Pres. Hinckley died and we will soon have a new prophet said, "But I like Pesidint Hinckey. He's MY pophet!" I love that even a two year old can have such a strong testimony of our prophet. What makes me happiest for him is knowing that he has been reunited with his sweetheart, Marjorie!

He has given so many amazing addresses. One quote that is so powerful and that I love is:

"We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith."

Because of President Hinckley's powerful testimony, my testimony has grown immensley. I will always remember him as one of the greatest prophets ever.

No More Snowy Blues

I guess we don't need any suggestions on how to conquer the snowy blues. The kids know exactly how...pure denial!! The kids are hot, practically sweating, and ready for the pool.

It is not quite as hot outside. Although I think that Mother Nature read my blog from yesterday. It is clear blue skies today and SO bright and sunny! Notice the snow is even almost all the way melted off our roof.

Maybe I will be able to survive after all. Especially with the kids ability to imagine a heat wave going on inside the house. Thanks kids! I'm cured!

I Feel Like a Bear

This is what the Ziebarth family feels like right now...a bunch of hibernating bears. With record low temperatures and more snow in the forecast we have not been getting out much. We are in a slump. I don't know if I can last through the rest of the winter. Any suggestions on how we can conquer this cabin fever?

They Like Him, They Really Like Him!

The kids have finally started opening up to Monte. They no longer run for the couch when they see him.

He is Emma's "little baby". Eva likes to use him as a pillow. Ben took him to school for Show and Tell and passed him around all by himself. And Ella says that Monte is her "best fend".

We even kitten proofed the banister so he can't jump through. He has become part of our family.

The Capitol Building

On Friday we all went to see the inside of the Utah State Capitol Building. We heard that since it was recently refurbished, they had been having an Open House for anyone to walk through.
This was the inside of the big dome. The murals were amazing. It was very cool.
This was my favorite room, the State Reception Room. It was so rich and royal looking. This room was designed to host special events. I also couldn't believe how much marble is in that place. It seemed as if everything were made of marble.
I thought this was a cute picture of the kids. They were peeking their heads through to see the pretty choir that was singing on the lower level.

I think that Ben was the most impressed by the place. He kept saying how he wants to come back. We explained that this potentially could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. A lot of the rooms we saw, like the Governors office, will stay closed to the public. It was a very cool way to spend an evening.

Here I Go...

This post is from my new blog, http://weightshmeight.blogspot.com/. This new blog is going to be my personal journal documenting my journey of weight loss. I will make it private and invite all of you. Feel free to check it out!

No more diets. No more excuses. No more putting it off.

While I am not really a fan of setting New Year's Resolutions, I have recently set a goal for myself which is to never go on another diet again. I just want to start eating healthier, exercising more regularly and be a better example of how to live for my children. I recently asked my 8 year old what my title should be for this blog. She said, without hesitaton, "I Don't Exercise And I Eat Really Bad." After having a good laugh it made me think, is that the sort of example I want to set for my children?

I am tired of making excuses. The bottom line is that I have let myself go and it is time to change that. I have chosen to start this blog as a way to better hold myself accountable for my actions. By realizing that friends and family are checking up on me and are aware of my progress, or lack of progress, I am hoping that will help keep me going.

I have been known to say "Starting Monday" or "Starting on the 1st" or after a certain holiday or birthday. Well I am done putting it off. Effective immediately, I have begun my new life! Wait, did I just say effective immediatley? Uh, OK. Here I go...

Silly Sundays

Now that our ward starts at 2pm, I am sure there will be a lot of this on Sunday mornings. And this...

Ya gotta love down time!

New Years

Good Friends, Good Food, and Good Fun!

That pretty much sums up our New Years Eve. Even the kids stayed up till after midnight this year with the exception of Ella who managed to fall asleep, with the help of her thumb and her bubby, amid kids yelling all around her and grown ups yelling even louder.

New Years day did not quite go so well. Everyone did manage to sleep in which was wonderful, but a few of us woke up pretty sore from too much Wii. (Are we the only family on the planet that did not get a Wii for Christmas?)

Next I noticed that I missed the Rose parade on TV. How can you celebrate New Year's without watching the Rose parade? I should have taken that as a bad omen.

Next, while playing with Monte, I noticed he was getting a little too close to the upstairs banister. The same banister that Ben has had dreams about Ella falling over. The next few seconds all happened in slow motion. I wanted to go to Monte to move him away, but at the same time not scare him into jumping. The next thing I knew Monte disappeared and I heard a rather large THUD. Monte had fallen 10 feet onto the hard tile down below. He started meowing so sadly and we noticed he had a bloody upper lip. Next the "Kitty Mom" in me kicked in and I decided to take Monte to, where else... the Animal ER.

While in the waiting room of the Animal ER, an older man walked in with his white poodle type dog. The dog was bleeding from his bum, yes his bum. And the man kept petting it and saying, "It's gonna be OK, son." I don't know if I have ever witnessed anything sadder.

Anyway, after being there well over two hours and forking out $150, the Vet told us Monte would be just fine. Not even a broken paw. Why, do you ask, would I ever go through that on New Years day and for a cat who would have eight lives left anyway? Because that is just the kind of "Kitty Mom" I am.

I can just feel it...2008 is going to be quite the year, especially after a start like that.

The Nutcracker

As a Christmas present I got Emma and Eva tickets to see The Nutcracker performed by Ballet West. I also got a ticket for Grammie but due to the weather she wasn't able to make it down. We missed you, Grammie. But Hannah, the girls good friend, got to come along in her place. We had a great time. They all thought the best part was when the "large lady" appeared on stage and all eight of her children came out from under her skirt and danced. I loved all the costumes and the music was fantastic too. I explained to the girls that if they practiced really hard they too could be up on that stage one day. Thanks for a fun afternoon, girls!

Christmas 2007

Christmas came and went too fast this year, but it sure was nice while it lasted. Grammie and Papa Rex had us over again which was so much fun and we ate up all their yummy food. What would we do without them? One thing we wish could have happened was to be together with our whole family. We really missed our family in Cali. Maybe we will need to make Cali our destination for Christmas 2008.

There were some memorable comments this year. One was when Ella opened one of her presents to find a cardboard box. She was so excited too. She said "Yes, a box!" And then moved on to the next gift. She had no idea that there was something in that box.

Another comment that really tugged on my heart strings was said when I was trying to feel out the kids regarding an idea I had. I was talking about instead of getting gifts next year, giving lots of gifts to a family in need and making a great Christmas for someone else, which would inturn make our Christmas great. I asked the kids what they thought about that idea and there was complete silence, until Eva spoke up. She said "I don't care about presents. I just care about poor people." That made my whole Christmas because, coming from her I knew it was sincere.

We hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. We wish nothing but the best for everyone in the new year too.