Saying goodbye to my missionary Oct. 1988

One of the hardest days of my life...saying goodbye to my best friend for 2 long years! 7 weeks after he returned home we were married!

I learned how to scan pictures to my computer!

So, I learned how to scan pictures to my computer today. I can now scan older pictures we have. I am so excited! The picture of me was when I was either 2 1/2 or 3 and the other is of Ben on the top of King's Peak right before he left for his mission to Oakland, California. We have had a good week. Nothing particularly exciting happened, but that's okay. Today Jake and Ryan had basketball games and they both played well. I'm going to a post a picture of them playing when I get them off the camera. Ryan made a free throw shot...it didn't even hit the rim! Plus he made 3 other shots! He was on fire today! It's so fun to go to the kids' games. Josh is at a dance at Juan Diego High School tonight. He and his friend, Riley, took a couple of girls that go there to the dance. He looked so sharp in his suit as he walked out the door. On the 17th of January Josh asked me, "Mom, you know what today is?" I replied, "January 17th." He then asked me, "Do you know what that means?" I said, "No." He proceeded to tell me it has now been 6 months since he got his driver's license, which means he can now drive with his friends in the car. It's scary when your kids can drive, but you have to let them grow up. We've tried to teach him to be responsible...and he knows if he gets a ticket he no longer will drive because we won't pay for his insurance...so I hope he is always safe. He is such a great kid and I really love him!

Back to healthy eating!

So, Christmas is over and that means we are now back to healthy eating (umm...diet). I make my families favorite wheat bread every week now. There is NO white flour whatsoever in the bread and no fat added (I use applesauce instead of butter). It is delicious and the house smells wonderful when it is baking!!! Here is the recipe:
Whole Wheat Bread
2 Tbls yeast
5 C very warm water
7-8 C Whole wheat flour
2/3 C Honey
2/3 C Applesauce
2 Tbls Salt (optional)
Proof the yeast. Add honey, applesauce, yeast and then add wheat alternating with water. Add additional wheat flour as necessary to make the dough not sticky yet pliable, add the salt. Knead for 5 minutes. Make 3-4 loaves with the dough and place in greased bread pans. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Yummy...enjoy!!!

What's the big deal with the Twilight Books???

I have just finished reading the second in the Twilight series of books, New Moon. I struggled to get through Twilight because I just couldn't stand the "cheesey" writing. The way Edward and Bella interact is just so, well...too much. This is just my opinion here, so no one be angry with me, but I don't quite get the "Twilight Phenomenon." I actually enjoyed New Moon better because Edward was out of the picture for a good part of the book. The relationship between Bella and Jacob isn't quite as out there, but really, what teenage boy kisses a teenage girl on her forehead and then her nose, and then the top of her head? Really?! That's what a mom might do to her little child, but, a teenage boy to a teenage girl??? Whenever I get to those "cheesey" parts I text message them to Benj and he always gets a good laugh. He too agrees that that is not what normal teenage boys act like. It makes them almost girly, or motherly, I think. To me a good read was the Harry Potter series. Now that was good reading! No mushy, gushy, over the top cheesey stuff, just good entertaining writing that truly kept you excited to read! The characters, even though wizards, acted the way "normal" people do. Not drooling all over each other like in Twilight, "He touched the tip of her nose and then kissed the top of her head" kind of stuff. Just my two cents. No offense intended towards those who love the books, I just don't quite get what the hubba balloo is all about.

New Year's Eve at Debbie's House 2008

Christmas Day 2008!

Christmas Day 2008!!

We certainly had a white Christmas at our home! We woke up to nearly a foot of new snow. Once we left our little corner of the valley, it wasn't too snowy. I'm glad we had such a great snowstorm for Christmas!!!

Family Christmas Party 12/14/08

Debbie hosted our family Christmas party again this year, on her birthday no less. Grandpa Ken insisted on taking a family photo, so here it is..the whole Heinhold Crew!

Ryan's 10th Birthday!!

Ryan turned 10 on December 11th. He was so excited for his birthday! He took his friends to see the movie, Madagascar 2. Happy Birthday Ryan...double digits, finally!

Happy 18th Anniversary!!!

December 1, 2008, was our 18th anniversary!! We saw each other for a minute and that was it! We'll have to celebrate another day, but it has been a fun 18 years, and here is to an eternity more!!!

The Magic of Christmas....

This is my most favorite time of the year! Putting up the decorations is a huge amount of work, but so worth it!!! I love the feeling at Christmastime. I love being able to spend more time thinking about our Savior and all that He has done for us. Truly I am blessed and I am so very grateful for all that I have. I love the little quote on the card that is in front of my Nativity, it says, "The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in His Presence." I hope for each of us to have a wonderful holiday season!!!

Decorating the house for Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend!!!

Our family spent Thanksgiving this year in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ryan's team participated in the NYFC (National Youth Football Championships). I always thought people who did sports over Thanksgiving were nuts, but we did it this year. We actually had a great time and it was a lot of fun. Ben had to work into Thursday morning, so we sent Ryan with another family on Wednesday. We left for Vegas on Thanksgiving morning at about 4:00 a.m. We drove straight there and went to Ryan's first game against Arizona at 11:00 a.m. Both teams he played against had 10 and 11 year olds on their teams (the star of the Arizona team is almost 12)! That would be one and two levels above what they play here in Utah! Ryan's team is made up of 8 and 9 year olds. There was no way that these little ones could compete against such experienced players, but they still had fun! Friday they played a team against California and were better matched but still lost. It was a blast hanging out with the other "football families" and going with them to M "n" M World and walking the fun places on the strip. The kids really wanted to ride the roller coaster at New York New York. It was seriously the most intense roller coaster I've ever been on! I can't believe Ryan dared go because I was kind of nervous. The ride to the top seemed to take forever!!! Anyway, it was a fun weekend, but not very "Christmassy" at all.

National Youth Football Championship Games in Las Vegas!!!

Jake's 13!!!

Mom gets a "Thank You" kiss!!

Jake has been asking for a cell phone for about 3 years now! He finally got one for his birthday this year! He has really proven himself responsible in everything he does. This past quarter he got a 3.8 grade point and received the Diamondback of the Month Award. We are so proud of him and were so excited to reward him with his biggest wish! Happy 13th Birthday Jake, we love you!!

Jake's 13th Birthday Party!!!

For Jake's birthday, we took the family and some of Jake's friends to go see the new James Bond movie. Afterwards, they came back to our house and played football in the backyard. It was a really fun day (and it ended great with the Utes big win over BYU...GO UTES!)!

Jake with his friends! Left to Right: Daxon Roundy, Daniel Osornio, Bryce Woodhead, Andre Herrera, Jake, Jordan Syme

Josh...an amazing musician!!!

Josh is never far from his guitar! He is really good at the electric guitar and acoustic guitar. It is fun to listen to him and he composes the coolest songs! He is also learning the stand up bass in his orchestra class at school!

8 Things About Me

I was tagged by my cousin, De, to do this, so here it goes:

8 things I am looking forward to:
*The Holidays...LOVE THEM
* A trip to Napa Valley with my sisters next May
* Football being over so we have free time again
* Decorating the house and putting up the Christmas tree
* Going snowmobiling
* Going to Thanksgiving Point and riding a wagon around the Christmas lights
* Having a cup of hot chocolate
* My sister-in-law and brother having their baby boy next March

8 things on my wish list:
* Lose 15 pounds
* Memorize Praeludium on the piano by Mendelssohn
* Learn how to make rum balls
* Gas prices stay low
* We stay healthy this winter
* To read a good book
* To be a better friend
* To live each day to the fullest

8 TV shows I like to watch:
* Saturday Night Live
* King of Queens
* Trading Spouses
* Man vs. Wild
* The Soup
That's about it since I don't have much time for tv...

8 Things that happened yesterday:
* Made dinner for the Sister Missionaries
* Picked up Ryan from football practice
* Went to the grocery store
* Cleaned the entire house
* Wrote on my facebook page
* Made Smores brownies
* Played the piano
* Looked at the beautiful morning sky

4 People I am Tagging:
Andra
Abby
Susan
Allyson