P-A-R-T-Y... because you gotta!

Grandpa & Grandma threw another grandkid party. This time it was for the Teens and some of the Tweens! They got together at our clubhouse in Pleasant Grove and had pizza, played games and went swimming. 

THANKS - Grandpa and Grandma!

Uncle Matt is such a nice uncle - he never forces his nieces and nephews to do anything they don't want to do.

Who invited the adults? Seriously... your killing the mood!

Look Out World...

... 2 of the smartest kids we know just graduated...

CoNGrATuLaTiOnS!!!

Braydon and Colton

......................................

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

Colton and Braydon, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

WeLCoMe HoME ~ ElDEr PaSKetT

We are so glad to have Trevor back from his mission. He gave a wonderful talk on Sunday and you can just see him glowing. He seems to be adjusting quite well - he has even been on a date already :o) Way to go Trev! 

I am continually impressed with my little nieces & nephews. The knowledge and the testimonies they have of the gospel is amazing. I still think they are all 12 years old yet they seem to be more mature then me... I can hear Matt's voice now "Oh, that's not hard to be more mature then you, Rachel" - I would have to agree. Still, the love for my family grows everyday. I am so grateful for these events that we have to bring us together. I love you all so much! You are constantly in my thoughts and prayers.

WELCOME HOME, TREVOR!!!

''

It all works out. Don’t worry.

Coming from such a large family it is hard to know what is going on in everyone's life. I find that I get discouraged at times that I am not being the best wife, daughter, sister I can be. At times I feel I am more concerned with who is going to be voted off American Idol then I am with my relationships with my family. I feel that I let my life get too busy with trivial things and put off the important things. I know everyone is going through trials right now, I don't know what they are and I don't know if I can help but I want you all to know that I love you and that you are in my prayers. What would I do without you? These experiences will provide us with strength and compassion that we will someday use to bless many more lives, for without them we would not be who we are!! And I know that He surely knows that you can handle this, and probably more because that's how amazing you are.

I love you all VERY much!!!

Here are a couple of quotes that I really like:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in an attractive well preserved body; rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly worn out, covered in scars and screaming “yahoo! What a ride!”

~~~~~~~~

“It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

- President Gordon B. Hinckley

CONGRATS ~ Brandon & Jenny

A few of Brandon & Jenny's engagement pictures. SO CUTE!!!

Something uplifiting

Amy sent this out and I think it is something that everyone should listen to - EVERYDAY! It is such a great message!

Baking with Grandma Paskett

From Brooke Gillett:

Lately, I have been feeling like I needed to spend more time with my children (girls especially) and teach them Important Homemaking Skills. Then after a little wake up call that came through my sister in law that just went under brain surgery to remove a tumor. She mentioned that she should've spent more time teaching her children to cook & do laundry, etc. Because she is now unable, for awhile, to do these things for her family & her children are having to do them now.

Sometimes as mothers we get to busy, or it's A LOT easier to just do it ourselves, etc. But we NEED to teach our children for their growth and learning. I have such a testimony of the Activity Days program the Church has for our young girls. I believe this is a GREAT place for them to learn things from other Wonderfully, Talent-filled woman we have in our area. At times these woman have talents or knowledge of things that our mothers do not have, that they can share with these young girls.

So today, Bailey, Madi and I had a GREAT opportunity to learn from Grandma Paskett of HOW to make her YuMMy HoMeMaDe BreaD! She had attended a class awhile back with some of her friends, and has blessed us on a couple of occasions with some homemade bread, pizza, breadsticks and rolls. So, she had the two girls and me over today after school and we helped her make the bread from start to finish. Bailey made delicious breadsticks, and Madi made cheese stuffed pizza. It was SO VERY YUMMY-

We had a GREAT time with Grandma, she is a terrific teacher! Even if Bailey couldn't figure out how to just "KNEAD" the dough. It took her a little bit but she FINALLY got the hang of it. =0) THANKS Grandma!!! We Love You-