MagMadness MONDAY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

Yesterday in Primary the girls learned a new song I had never heard before. It's found in the Children's Songbook, called "My Country." We couldn't get it out of our heads and sang it all day to each other. The words go like this:

This is my country! I sing it with pride,
Whether it's desert, sand duned and wide,
Mountains with pine trees, land ice-berg bound.
It's here where my home and my loved ones are found.

This is my country, and all that I do,
Should make it mighty, noble, and true.
I love my country! Long may it be
A land where my people are honest and free.

We can't stop singing this song. It's a very happy, catchy tune. You can listen to it at lds.org. I love how it describes, not only the diverse landscape we enjoy, but also the special role we each play in making this country the great nation it is. We hope you enjoy your July Fourth celebration this year! We wish we could be with all of you...maybe someday....
In the meantime, we are including some great quotes by our church leaders about our nation and the Constitution, seeing as in this past week, we saw how close it came to being altered. Happy Fourth Everyone!

"If we would make the world better, let us foster a keener appreciation of the freedom and liberty guaranteed by the government of the United States as framed by the founders of the nation."
David O. McKay

"Next to being one in worshipping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States."

David O. McKay

"The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded on the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is to all those who are privileged with the sweets of its liberty, like the cooling shades and refreshing waters of a great rock in a thirsty and weary land. It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun."

Joseph Smith

"Those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits...noble spirits before God."

Wilford Woodruff

"This nation, founded on the principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail...I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Harold B. Lee


"The Almighty raised up this nation by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. His hand has been over this nation, and it is his purpose and design to enlarge it, make it glorious...to the end that those who are kept in bondage and serfdom may be brought to the enjoyment of the fullest freedom and liberty of conscience possible for intelligent men to exercise in the earth."
Joseph F. Smith

Rachel turns SIX!!!

It's hard for us to believe we have a six year old, but, yes, it is true. Rachel celebrated her birthday with flare on Saturday. Thanks for all of your cards and phone calls to her! Once again, the favorite gifts were from both Grandmas, (it's like they've done this before or something:) They know what's up! Rachel was up bright and early and ready to celebrate, so being the good parents that we are, we sent her downstairs to watch Saturday morning cartoons, while we got a little more shut-eye. I don't think she minded. Followed by favorite cereal for breakfast(Lucky Charms), opening Grandma Rolph's present,(because she couldn't wait), and trip to the zoo! There was a nine month old gorilla there...so cute... and it resembled the size of our little, or not so little, Kristina. She's our little "chunk-o-burnin'-love." The zoo was fun and exhausting, and we made it home in time to finish the b-day cake, head off to her favorite restaurant(Tacos Guaymos) and open presents before we all collapsed in bed. Great day!

MagMadness MONDAY!!!

HONK-IF YOU LOVE TO SCRAPBOOK!

This was a bumper sticker I saw the other day, that gave me a little chuckle. Not because I don't appreciate a dedicated scrapbooker, but mostly because I was picturing others actually honking. And then I was picturing the driver responding to the honks. Would she (assuming that most scrapbookers are female) give an enthusiastic "thumbs-up" or would both cars pull into the nearest parking lot and exchange scrapbooking info? (i.e. where to find the best scrapbooking deals, or location of next scrapbooking party, etc.) I'm sure it would make her feel good to be validated by other scrapbookers. After all, we all understand the cost it takes to be a dedicated scrapbooker, and maybe this person has a hard time justifying the spending to her husband. Therefore, a few honks around town might actually convince him that it's a passion worth investing in. ("Honey, why is everyone honking at you?" "Oh, it's just someone who loves to scrapbook, dear.") I could really get into having some validation. Can you imagine the parade of horns that would follow me around town if my bumper sticker said, "Honk, if you have screaming kids in the back seat?" That would make me feel better. Or, "Honk, if your child's bladder is about to explode, and you can't make it home because of all the idiot drivers slowing you down?" That might facilitate some honking. It makes a person feel good to know others share in their joy/misery. So, my question to you is, if you could display your passion for the world to see, what would it be? And is it a passion in need of some validation? Tell us and we'll help!

Our little ballerina...:)

Last Saturday was Rachel's first ballet recital. It was a hit! For a couple of months, she's been nervous to dance in front of an audience for fear that she would mess up. Just a few months ago, she danced by herself in our ward Primary Talent Show and choreographed a masterpiece on the spot. It was very moving. So when I reminded her of this, that she danced in front of the entire Primary by herself, she replied, "But those were my OWN moves." Apparently someone else's moves are harder to remember. Well, after a successful dress rehearsal with only minor issues, such as which side of the stage to exit from, Rachel danced to perfection to the song "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music. She did great, as did all the other tots in the class. It was a long day-they had two recitals to perform, each lasting 2 and 1/2 hours long-but Rachel hung in there and looked so pretty. Grandma Colleen came to the morning performance, which was a big highlight, then Shawn and the girls came to see it that night. We were all tired from a long day, but her mom was living the dream, that's for sure. The best part was coming home to flowers and a grand photo shoot in the backyard...enjoy!!!

Mom's not sleeping through the night-when will she learn??

I'm having one of those "the-kids-are-asleep-so-why-in-the-name-of-all-that-is-good-and-true am-I-awake" nights.(Who's with me?) AARGGH!! On the positive side, I am having some rather pleasant and uninterrupted time mindlessly perusing the internet and catching up on all of your lives. I didn't think I would be so into this blog thing, but I have to say that peeking into the lives of everyone we know and love on a daily basis has been great, especially when many of you are so far away from us. Anyhoo, I've had a spark of creativity, which doesn't happen often, so brace yourselves 'cause I'm about to share...
I've been enjoying reading the personal blogs of a couple of my dear, sweet friends, who humor me with their gift for writing on just about anything. And while this technically-challenged person(me) could in no way handle another blog, I thought it would be a good outlet for me to occasionally share some of my random thoughts on life with you, so as not to overload these poor friends with my tendency to ramble on and on about nothing on the phone. Kind of like what I'm doing right now, only you can turn this off at any time, and they can't hang up on me-that would be rude. SO-as to not overload you, the reader,(and I will fill Shawn in on this in the morning), we will now be having a weekly post that will be about anything we want, whatever floats our boat for that particular week. I was thinking we could call it "MagMadness Monday" or some catchy name like that-you can help decide if you want. Anyway, look for that in the future-and we hope it be a small source of entertainment and enlightenment. In the meantime, I'll be posting pictures of Rachel's dance recital(too cute) for you all to enjoy tomorrow. Good night!!

kids say the darndest things

The other day, Rachel asked, "Mom, don't you get bored doing the same thing every day, over and over again, like you know, CLEAN?". Mmm, maybe she could start helping out a bit, so I could add more variety to my day. The next day, I told Brooke I was getting braces in a couple weeks and she replied, "Braces? Are you going to turn into a baby sitter?" Funny how they think...

Rachel is sporting a new look

Yes-this is Rachel, in case you couldn't recognize her, who has now entered into the official world of "cool". Shawn and I have officially entered into a new relationship with the Tooth Fairy, who has either come into some money over the years, or is just really generous to the children of Marysville. (We've done some research). I've also got a big beef with our education system for teaching these little kindergartners the value of money so early(how dare they)so a dime just doesn't cut it any more...Anyhoo, she has been fixated on this thing coming out since she first discovered it was loose. After a couple of weeks of wiggling, Shawn(ahem, Dr. Magelsen) decided it was extraction time. Now, picture thousands of dollars being poured into your higher education, and an office full of sterile tools, and what would you do? Find the greasiest pair of needlenose pliers in the garage, of course! So Rachel assumed the position on the kitchen counter, and with one easy tug, out it came! We think she looks as cute as ever, and she was the coolest girl in her class the next day. My only regret is that I didn't savor her "baby" smile one last time before it was altered forever.













...the doctor at work

Yes-we are actually posting something!

Hey Everyone!! In case you are one of the handful of people who have visited our blog, we have made a new commitment to actually give you something to read. This is a new venture for me, as I am not the most technically savy person, but I am slowly giving into the pressures to make myself more in tune with the rest of the world. We hope this will provide you with some entertainment and fun updates on our lives and the lives of the kiddies. Enjoy!!