Confession Time

I have a confession. I used to be really good about watching all the sessions of conference. I loved it! I was really dedicated to taking notes and everything. Then I had my little spell of inactivity and got out of the habit of watching conference. After I came back to church, there was always a reason not to watch it. Either one of us was working or sick or the cable/internet wasn't working. Growing up, we never went to the church to watch conference. We either watched it at our place or Grandma's. For whatever reason, the thought of getting dressed up to watch conference never occurs to me! I'm ashamed to say that in the 6 years James and I have been married, we've watched the same number of sessions. Yep, you read that right. Out of the 48 possible sessions (not including priesthood) I've seen 6. And those have only been in the past year. And of those six, I think I may have heard half of what was said! Watching conference with little kids is not super condusive to paying really close attention! Sadly, I haven't really read them either. Don't give up on me yet, though, because those six sessions have reminded me just how much I love conference! I am so greatful to be able to listen to a modern prophet and to listen to revelation for our time! Just listening to the apostles speak, their love and the love of our Heavenly Father is evident! I was able to catch most of the first session today (computer glitches) and all of the second session. And I'm thrilled to report that James went to his first Priesthood session since we've been married! And we've been able to have some really great discussions about what struck both of us. For us, that's pretty major. James isn't really a talker! I've really missed the level of sprituality I used to have and have been really trying to get better. I'm excited for the changes James and I have talked about. Mostly, I'm excited to have James supporting me in the changes I want to make in my life and our family! Wish me luck!

Time Flies.....

Time does seem to fly. And the older we get the faster it seems to fly.

I can't believe another year has come and gone. It's already Dad's birthday again. And I can't believe nothing has been posted on the family blog all year. But a lot has happened this year, that's actually an understatement, tons have happened this year. Some good, some not so good, some good for some and not so good for others.

Some of the best happenings though, have been babies....... Curtis and Leslie had little Rylee Mason on April 1 (best April fools surprise ever) and Amanda and Tem had little Adalynn Fayintola (sorry, I know that's spelled wrong.) on May 20. Both are as cute as they can possibly be and growing like weeds, crawling, and cutting teeth. And soon we will have one more addition. Tisha and James are expecting another boy, to be named Myles Bryan. His due date is today, and we were really hoping that he would be born on Dad's birthday but unless Dad gives the little guy a bit of a shove I don't think it's going to happen for a while. Still he does have Dad's name as his middle name and will be born close to his birthday. I guess that's still a pretty good tribute.

This time of year is really bitter sweet for us all still. The joy and happiness of Christmas and the new year and the good memories and longing pangs of Dad, wishing he were with us still. But, as always, we are grateful for the memories, the good times, and the love he shared with us. We're grateful that we are here for each other and that we can still feel Dad with us.

Yes, I still get emotional when I see a Hyle truck, or hear one of his favorite songs, or see a box of hankies. Jackie and I went out to buy Mom her traditional pair of Christmas slippers from Dad, and there I was bawling in the middle of the Wal-Mart shoe department.....surprise, surprise!

Some things will never change, and I hope they never do.

Once again I say Happy Birthday Dad. I'll look for you with every passing Hyle truck and I'll sing as many of your favorite songs as I can.

Love you.

Memories.....

It's January 3 today, Dad's birthday.

Although Dad is often in our thoughts and always in our hearts, this time of year gets us thinking of him even more. After 3 years without him the walk down memory lane is still bitter-sweet, but it's a walk that is always worth taking. It doesn't take much to spark the memories; a t.v. show, a song, a bad joke, ...... a box of hankies. As a matter of fact, on New Years Eve Amanda, Jackie, and I went to karaoke and then back to Manda's before midnight (each in our own cars). On the radio, in my car, came the song "Hooked On a Feeling" - it was one of Dad's many favorites, he loved the oooga-chaka's - so I tried to call Jackie to see if she was listening..... she didn't hear her phone, and she wasn't. When we got out at Amanda's I told her it was on and we both broke out singing it.

Dad left us with so many great memories. Here are a few of mine....... I hope you will share some of yours.

- Going on the school bus after school and singing songs when all the kids had been dropped off.
-"Get me a Pepsi Poopsie"
-Family trips (especially the one to Disneyland), staying up to keep Dad company while he drove.
-Smashed sandwiches.
-A note excusing me for being absent from school written on toilet paper (Yes, Mom was out of town).
-Sneaking out of bed to watch t.v. with Dad.
-Dad's cb handle "The Big Dipper", mine "The Little Dipper".
-Opening Christmas presents and Dad wearing strategically placed gift bows.
-Doing the t.v. crossword puzzle together, every week over the phone.
-The Irish Rovers, ABBA, Blue Grass, Boney M, and any music that had a good beat or hook.
-Laughing at movies in places no one else laughed.

I still get misty when I see a box of hankies, I can still hear him sing along to his favorite songs, I still hear him laugh at the old slap-stick comedies..... I guess (I hope) I always will. And I'll always keep an eye out for any Hyle trucks, that way I know he's still traveling the highways and making sure we're alright.

Happy Birthday Dad.

Curtis & Leslie

Yay! Curtis is hitched! And he found himself the PERFECT girl! It was a gorgeous day, the bride looked beautiful, the groom was dashing and the whole fam-damly was there! Enough chatter, lets look at pictures!!

Coming out of temple...

This next picture was VERY hard to get. You had to have a lightning fast shutter finger to catch these two kissing!

The Navratil Family

The Mortimer Famliy

The Navratil Boys

The happy couple with the grandmas

This one wasn't much easier to get than the first one!

The crazy lady who crashed the reception
TJ after being attacked by the crazy lady...The FABULOUS cake Aunt Heather made"Unlocking" the oreoThe first dance

So, I know some of my pictures aren't the greatest, but I've never claimed to be a photographer!

CONGRATS CURTIS AND LESLIE! WE LOVE YOU

Here Comes The Bride

One week ago today, our family got a little larger. Our family is already so big what's one more? Heck, the more the merrier I say. And merrier it is.

Yes, our little Amanda got married last Saturday. She was a stunning bride and her husband, Tem, very dashing in his tux. It was a fairly small affair, by our standards, but it was an excellent day all in all. And it was a good thing it was small considering we only had six weeks to plan and execute the day. Tisha did the majority of the planning and work, but in true Whitehead fashion we all worked our fingers to the bone to make sure everything was perfect.

You know, I like to watch "Rich Bride, Poor Bride" and it always astounds me that the couples on the show are so caught up in spending so much money for one day. They end up fighting, hurting each other's feelings, and creating huge debt that will take years to pay off and they're weddings are no more special or spectacular than what we pulled off for Amanda. I'm sure they will always remember their special day with fondness and better still without "buyers remorse."

It's still hard to believe she grown up enough to be some ones wife. Sometimes I still can't get my head around the fact that all my nieces and nephews are old enough to be married and having babies of their own. But time does march on. Soon Curtis will be married and that will be another one down. (Heavy sigh).

We missed Dad, but I know he was there and he was very happy and proud of Manda. It was really great to see Larry, Jolane, and Sharon there. For those of you who couldn't make it I'm going to try to post some pictures. I've never done this before, so here goes. :

I could only figure out this one, so I'll try more later.

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick shout to wish all a Merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoy it! Please feel free to post your pictures here!!

Aunt Cheryl's 40th Birthday Bash

Hey there everybody! It was great to see everyone at the party that was there. For those of you that missed it, we missed you! Here are some pics that I got. If anyone has any others they would like to add or any great moments or stories, post away!! These pictures are in no particualr order!! Enjoy!!