Guess Which Hand

Happy Valentine's Day to All!!!!

My Aimee just walked up to me and said guess which hand.  I picked one and she said, "no, that's not the right one." so I picked the other.  To my surprise, she holds out her hand and there is her TOOTH.   She mentioned she had another loose tooth several weeks ago, but to have it out with no tears, or fuss or any drama is just amazing to me.  It came out during lunch again -  thanks to an apple.  So now both bottom center teeth are out Ü

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 I just want to express my love and appreciation to my family and how thankful I am for each one.  Jared, Julianna, Thomas, Brian, Janet, Kelli, Rob, Elena, Kacie, Allan, Darin and Aimee.  You are all amazing and I'm so thankful to have you in my life.  Yes, Jeff is still my valentine and oh how he makes my heart twitter-pate.
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Here are some pictures of Aimee and Darin at their school Valentine Party.  It was a candy land theme and they both had a lot of fun.

Snow in Texas

We had a wonderful weekend.

Allan went on his Freeze-er-e and yes, he did get a little cold.  Overall he had a great time and really enjoyed shooting a rifle.

Elena and Kacie attended a fantastic multi-stake valentine dance sponsored by our stake and had a great time.

Elena also had a fun date Saturday afternoon with Josh Riding, Cassie Gardner and David Jones.  They went to the Gardner's and made crapes. 

On Sunday, I went with Jeff to Kerrville.  It was their ward conference.  The weather was cold driving up, and to my surprise, others who arrived after us told us it was snowing!!!!!   I know it is nothing big to my kids in Utah, but for us Texans, any snow is worth celebrating. Ü  By the time I was able to take these pictures, the snow had turned into sleet.  It was a great day to be in the hill country.

Bobcat Award

Tuesday night Darin had his Blue and Gold Banquet where he received his Bobcat Award.  He also got to participate in the flag ceremony and carry the American flag.  Way to go Darin!!

Favorite Hymns

Here lies a new week with new adventures to come.  What will they be????  I look forward and I'm ready to tackle whatever may come Ü

Two hymns have made a big impression on me in the last few weeks.  They were sung in our Stake Conference and the beautiful messages in them have been a source of joy and delight in my life.  The love the Savior has for each of us and his encouragement to stay strong in the gospel sings out to me in these hymns.  How Firm of Foundation (Hymn 85) and Behold a Royal Army (Hymn 251).  I won't share all the verses; however all verses are awesome.  Here is a verse from each hymn that stands out to me.

Fear not, I am with thee;
Oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

Behold! A royal army, with banner, sword, and shield,
Is marching forth to conquer on life's great battlefield.
Its rank are filled with soldiers, United bold, and strong,
They see his signal flashing and shout their joyful song:
Victory, victory, thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory, thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory, Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

I just want to wish my mom the happiest of birthdays ever!!!!

She is traveling with Kevin to go see her mother, my grandma Tressa Pearson.  I hope they have a wonderful visit and that Tressa  is able to feel of the love Lola has for her.  That would be a wonderful gift for my mom.

Grandma Pearson is in a nursing home and has taken a turn for the worse.  She is not able to recognize what a spoon or fork is used for any more.  If she could be granted the gift of knowing that Lola is there, that would be a miracle.

Cinnamon rolls to the RESCUE

Yesterday, I made a double batch of cinnamon rolls for Jeff to take to work.  The cinnamon rolls were a big hit and did their job to make people happy.

I had a few left over rolls for the kids and low and behold, it was the right thing to pull our Darin's loose tooth.

There was just enough rolls to share with my camp assistants as we traveled to Camp Sionito.  It provided a wonderful smell in the car and was yummy in the tummy.

Exciting, Awesome, Marvelous, Wonderful News of All

This is one excited mom and Aimee who just had the most exciting, awesome, marvelous, wonderful day of all!!

Jared was matched yesterday with San Antonio Medical School.  Yes!  That means they are coming to San Antonio.

Also, my dear, sweet, most awesome and wonderful husband took me out to up grade my phone and I am now a proud user of an iPhone. Ü

Toothless

Aimee lost her first tooth today during lunch. Thanks to a pretzel it came out with ease and no tears Ü

Wonderful Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend.  It was our Stake Conference and we were blessed to have Elder Johnson come and stayed with us Saturday night.  What an incredible man.  His messages on Saturday and Sunday were so uplifting and the spirit was so strong.  All who spoke at the conference did an outstanding job.  The music was as if from heaven.  Sunday for lunch we had chili, cornbread, and Grandma Foote's yummy pear pie and apple/apricot pie.  It was a delicious Texas feast and Elder Johnson was very kind and complimentary on it.

To also add to the weekend events, the Mercedes was sold and we bought Grandma Foote's Honda.  The following are pictures of Grandma's new Outback Subaru and our new Honda.  Grandpa Foote still has his car he wants to replace.  So stay tuned for the last of the car swap-a-roo!!

Yoko and Hula Hoops

We are blessed to have Yoko stay with us for a few days.  She is from Hon Kong and will be flying up to BYU to interview and hopefully be accepted into the PHD program there.

Yoko has the most incredible hula hoop.  It is one that can be taken apart and easily stored and carried to places she goes.  On her mission, she hurt her back and the hula hoop is what she used for exercise and for a back massage.  She can hula and read her scriptures at the same time thus getting exercise and a spiritual lift.

Aimee got a hula hoop for her birthday and thus the competition of learning how to work the hoop is on. Ü  Darin beats us all hands down.  He even attempted reading and hula hooping together.  Allan can do pretty good too. The hula hoop in the pictures below, belongs to Yoko.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIMEE

GUESS WHO IS 6?????     

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIMEE!! WE LOVE YOU

Oh Julianna, I did my best on a cake.  I had to have some help from My Little Pet Shop animals.

E-Bay Success

Wednesday evening the auction of the Mercedes was completed and we sold my pretty bluish green car to the highest bidder.  The gentleman will come on Saturday to pick it up.  It was a success through e-bay. Ü

Goodbye Marshmallow - Hello Flex

With a little bit of sadness, we announce the departure of our faithful White Marshmallow aka - Foote's 15 passenger van.  It has served us well and we will miss the enormous amount of space and luggage room.  Darin and Aimee had a few tears to shed since it was the only car they've ever known. 

Saturday, Jeff found an incredible deal on a Ford Flex and on Monday we traded and bought a used 2011 Ford Flex.  It has a little over 8,000 miles and pretty much loaded with leather seats, navigation system, sync system and seats 7 people.  So welcome Flex to your new home!!  I'm in need of a name for this car, so any and all suggestions are welcomed.  Yes, it sort of looks like a gangster car, but I can't go with that.

   

SHE SAID YES

YEAH!!!!! Brian and Janet are now officially engaged

SHE SAID YES Ü

What a delight it is to share this wonderful news.  Darin's comment after we told him was simply put -  "Finally" with a big grin on his face.

Allan's Poem

Allan has been working on poetry in his English class.  Here is a fun one that he with some of his dad's help put together.  I thought you all might enjoy it especially Brian and Janet.

The Day After Christmas

By Allan Foote

It was the day after Christmas,

All sunny and bright,

We were all getting over

Our late Christmas night

When my brother’s girl Janet

Came into town,

With her beautiful eyes,

Of glistening brown

We all sat on the couches

And talked a whole lot,

I could tell when he looked at her,

He thought she was hot

I thought she was cool,

Because she didn’t have warts,

Still better yet

She said she loved sports

My brother then mentioned

That she was a black belt,

I knew if I messed with her,

My face she might pelt

Hot chocolate and pizza

Ended our day,

But I could tell she’d be back,

Because she now knew the way

As she left on her way

He gave her a kiss,

And I boldly predicted,

Future marital bliss

It's e-bay time

Saturday was spent washing the Mercedes and taking pictures of it.  We are getting ready to put it on e-bay.  Jeff enjoys the challenge and does well when it comes to buying and selling things through e-bay.  I really hope we can find a good home for the Mercedes.  It is a sweet car to drive.  I have found joy in having a sun roof in my car.

The family is doing well.  Allan has a new video game which has kept him entertained.  Darin's favorite saying lately is that school is boring because I've already learned everything.  Aimee has been having fun being an author and illustrator and has created several books lately.  Kacie has taken up running with several of her friends and Elena is down to using one crutch and silently endures the pain in her knee.  She has a follow up with the doctor this week and we'll learn more about meniscus transplants.  I am engaged in planning and preparing for girls camp which has high expectations of being awesome.

Beautiful Sun Shine

I love sunny days.  It makes life seem brighter and our burdens lighter Ü

The best news in all the world came yesterday.  My dear sister Wendy is off her chemo treatments.  The doctor feels that she has done so well over the nearly 5 years of treatments with no new tumors and the little one she does have, has crystallized. I don't know what that means, but getting to stop treatment is wonderful!!!  They will still watch her closely to make sure nothing begins to grow, but they have high hopes that she may be free of this.

Subaru's - My New Love

Grandma Petersen stayed with us a few day last weekend and we took her car shopping.  We had full confidence that the Toyota Camry would be the car to consider buying. Then we went over to the Subaru dealership and we all were impressed with their cars.  Grandma fell in love with a pearl white Legacy.  (My new love is the Forester, but that is for another day.)  We were offered a good deal on the car and after a good night rest, Grandma still felt good about the car and the purchase was made.  I am so proud of her!!!  It was a big decision and her first one to make on her own.  She shed a few tears but has reported in that all is well.  With the cooler weather today, she can enjoy the nice heated seats.  Yes, she will miss her Toyota Avalon - it is full of beautiful memories of her and Del Var, but in following the steps of her sweetheart, the car will be in good hands.

Picture from 2011 to share

This is Allan, Darin, and Aimee dressed up for Halloween.  A gladiator, ballerina and scientist

Elena, Kacie and Aimee in their Halloween costumes
(a southern bell, who girl from Dr. Seuss, and ballerina)

Even I got a little country for the ward trunk or treating event

 Julianna and Thomas came to visit us in Texas.  Jared joined us a few days later.


Jeff and Thomas enjoying a little snuggling time

Julianna made Darin a great Harry Potter cake.  It was delicious!!

Darin ready and excited for his baptism.

A happy picture with all of us getting ready to go to Darin's baptism

 A four generation picture of handsome Foote boys 

Thomas and Leo becoming friends

Allan, Aimee and Thomas enjoying each other

Thomas having fun with our house of balls

 A Foote family Christmas.  What the family didn't know was Brian's little tease to the family.  A third of the presents wrapped were old toys and stuffed animals of the kids re-wrapped and labeled to Brian so that he could have the biggest and most presents to him.  It was so funny as the kids watched and exclaimed - "hey, that's my dog" or "hey, that belonged to me."  Aimee finally had to scold Brian and remind him that those were her toys and he had to give them back.  We all got a big laugh out of it.

Jeff and Kacie

Elena, Allan, Darin and Aimee

Grandpa Foote, Grandma Foote, and Brian

 
Jodi - we all got new pajamas for Christmas and enjoyed having several pajama days throughout the holiday.

Even Kelli joined us through skype to enjoy opening Christmas presents.

(Rob was taking a friend to the airport early on Christmas morning, so it was fun to have Kelli join us.)