Happy Birthday Mom!

I had a great birthday this year. I got everything I wanted AND more! I got some great new outfits for Church and work and My beautiful kids and husband got me a GPS, and lets be honest-the GPS was made for directionally challenged people like me. So I was extremely happy and couldn't wait to use it. I downloaded the Black Pearle as my vehicle (I know-shocking!) and the voice is called Dr. Nightmare. He has the voice of an evil genius and makes hilarious comments as we drive around the town. When you go the wrong way he says, "Let me consult my magic book." And when you have arrived he says, "You have arrived at your dreadful destination." LOL!! Some of the other funny things he says are: "You are a brave soul to be driving in these parts.", "Ingore the noise in the trunk.", "hehehehehe" (evil laugh), and "Is it a full moon tonight?", and "Have you checked the trunk lately". It makes me smile everytime he comments and that makes me less stressed to drive! What a brilliant gift!

After a lovely dinner at the Munk's they gave me money (for the new T.V. we are going to get) and dish towels, Grandma Miles gave me money for new boots (that I love). We had a scone (thanks Kristi) and ice cream celebration at the B-ham's and Mom and Dad gave me money (also for the T.V.)--(can't wait to get the thing!!). I went to lunch with Jess, what a great way to celebrate having fun chatting and catching up. Due to illness *see below* I have many other lunch dates on hold and can't wait to spend time with those friends too! So as you can see I had a spectacular birthday! I appreciate all the birthday wishes from my friends and family! You are all the best! And I think turning 35 is a wonderful thing, I loved every minute of it and look forward to the future, getting old ROCKS!

**Illness: Hunter was rushed to the Insta-Care Sunday night, due to the fact that he couldn't breathe. He tested positive for Influenza A and Pnemonia. That put a slight damper on my b-day but I will reschedule lunch dates with BFF's! Thanks for being patient!

Influenza A and Pnemonia

Poor Poor Hunter! Friday night he started to feel a bit yucky. By saturday morning he had a full blown fever of 101.5. He was coughing really hard and his voice was gone. We loaded him up with advil and juice but nothing seemed to help. Saturday  night he woke up about every hour gasping for air. I was pretty sure it was the croup so I set up the humidifier and told him to relax and not panic. 

Sunday doned and he was no better, but really no worse. He spent the day laying on the couch coughing and watching football. Then all of a sudden at about 7pm he began really struggling to breath. He couldn't catch his breath, his fever was 102 with the advil, and said "Take me to the Dr. now I can't breath."  So I took him to the Instacare and they swabbed him up the nose (yes it was fun) and went out the door to run the 10 minute test.  3 minutes later the Dr. came in and said, "that was the fastest positive I have seen. He has Influenza A, so we are giving him and you Tamiflu.  He will also need an inhaler and we will be doing a breathing treatment on him.  Oh one more thing, he needs to blow in this tube and the plastic slider has to stop at about 200." Right.

So he blew in the tube and he blew in the tube but he couldn't get it higher than 75. His Oxygen level was 80% which was really bad and so he did another breathing treatment. By this time he was in tears and just wanted to go home.  So the nice Dr. took pity on him and sent him home with the promise of coming back tomorrow for a re evaluation. Oh and a handful of masks that he is to wear at all times!

Sunday night was as bad as Saturday night. He was gasping all night long. We did the inhaler every 4 hours and it did not seem to help.  Monday morning hit and he was worse than ever.  So, as promised, back to the Instacare. This time he did a breathing treatment and blew in the tube and still 75. So back to the breathing treatment and tube-75, what the- Dr. says "hmmmm lets get a chest xray, there is something else wrong here".  Chest Xray comes back, Pnemonia...ok that makes sense. So antibiotic now and nebulizer with albuterol is prescribed. And a fear that he will not be able to come home...tears, begging, tears. 

Dr. says, ok you can go home if you go to your Primary Care Dr. in the morning and check him out. Parting words are, "If he can' breath or he is struggling to breath-straight to the ER". That comment did not make anyone feel better about the situation.

When we got in the car Hunter, tears running down his face, says, "Just have Dad give me a blessing. I don't want to go to the hospital."  Dave and friend gave him a Priesthood Blessing and we tucked Hunter in bed telling him to let me know if he needs anything.  Then we all went to bed. Every hour I woke up in a panic and ran in to check on Hunter, but he was sleeping peacefully. Tuesday morning he woke up, took a vapor bath, all his meds, a breathing treatment, and by lunch he said, "I feel so much better than yesterday, I can breath!" Thank heavens for his faith and thank heavens for the Priesthood.

Hunter's fever is gone, he is back to laughing and wrestling with Hayden, and we are grateful he has healed so quickly.  He got to enjoy Thanksgiving with our family instead of isolation. We have a lot to be thankful for and this is but one reason.

Hunter we love you!

Bountiful Tourney

The last wrestling tourney of the year for Hayden! He had fun until he was ready to go! This sport has been hard for him and I am proud of him for battling through the hard times and finishing the tourney.  He got a really cool medal at the end and a great t-shirt.

Championship for Hunter 2009

If you can see the pictures then you know what the game was like. A living breathing blizzard of a nightmare-that is for the spectators. According to Hunter he loved every minute of it.  He said it felt like he was in the NFL playing at Green Bay.  But I will tell you this, it was COLD and it did not stop blizzarding the ENTIRE game! 

Now onto the game.  We lost and it was the saddest loss of the year. Becuase of the snow the boys could not run. Everytime Hunter got the ball and hit the corner, he slipped around until someone caught up to him. He couldn't get those cleats to grasp onto anything therefore, taking his speed away.  It was a hard loss, but the season was unforgetable. I am so proud of Hunter and all he has accomplished this season. He is a remarkable player and I loved watching every game.

Hayden v. VHS

This was the match that sent Hayden over the edge, this match tested his stregnth like none before. The kid he was matched with had wrestled for 3 years, this kid was a little bit heavier than Hayden, this kid knew what to expect when Hayden tackled him to the mat and was ready for him. However, this kid could not pin Hayden, as hard as he tried, Hayden was not pinned. Having said that, when the match was over, Hayden felt like a failure and was very disappointed with his performance and never ever wanted to wrestle again.  The coach couldn't figure out why Hayden was upset, he was not pinned, he was a good wrestler. But this absolute 'win by a lot or suck' attitude that Hayden has, consumed him and he was a wreck for the rest of the matches.  It was not at all frustrating to watch a talented athlete doubt himself and tear himself down...or maybe it was!

Hayden v. Layton

How many times can you pin someone in 3 minues? If there was a record, I am sure Hayden smashed it. The poor kid he wrestled didn't know what hit him. 9 pins in 3 minutes. Wow! Way to go Hayden!
BHS Wrestling Coach was very impressed by Hayden's intensity. After the match Hayden was ready to go home. However, he still had 2 matches to go before he was done. This turned out to be quite the battle. He was absolutly done; sweating, breathing heavy, exhausted, and over stimulated. But he stayed and wrestled even though he wasn't happy about it!

Playoffs v. Olympus

Hunter played awesome, once again, for this playoff game.  He scored 1 touchdown on a play they had been practicing all week. It was a diving for the end zone touchdown, very cool and ESPNish!  Braves beat Olympus to move on to the Championship game against Viewmont next week. Stay tuned!

Under the lights

Hunter's football team took 1st place in their conference, so they get to play in the Play-Offs.  His team has been practicing up on the High School football field under the lights all week.  Hunter says it is really fun!

Hunter loves the picture where he is catching the football, when he saw it he said, "Yeah that will be my fathead" (Fathead is a life size wall sticker of football players...kind of like vinyl lettering for the man!)
They have had good weather tfor practicing and we hope they win their game on Sat and get a chance to play for the championship!
Good luck Hunter!

Grandma Duke

Grandma Duke has been living at Avalon for 1 month now and she is doing so so so good.  We miss her a lot, but know she is where she needs to be.  She has friends and she plays BINGO (I know shocking!).  We asked her if she wanted to "break out" on Thanksgiving and eat with us, she said, "Oh they will need me here. My next door neighbor and I go up and down the halls every night. I better stay here!" LOL we just love Grandma!

Trick or Treat w/ Gma Duke

We went trick-or-treating at Avalon with the Jensen, Fox, Lubeck, and Jacks cousins!

Grandma Duke was so surprised to see us!

Hunter had practice right after, so he got to "dress-up" like a football player!

Hayden, contrary to what you think, is NOT a pirate football player! He is Larry Fitzgerald, if you don't know who that is...google! hint-plays football, had lovely dread locks that hang out of his helmet!

Happy Halloween!

Hayden and Wrestling Tourney 1

Ok, so football is over for Hayden, and Dave thought wrestling would be a good sport for him to try...
So Dave started to ask around at the High School and found out that the Little Braves Wrestling Team started last week with a tourney THIS VERY NIGHT!  The coach told him to bring Hayden and let him try it out.  So we showed up with our nerves sky high!  There was no time for a quick lesson it was just straight to weigh -ins and then hit the mats!
The High School boys were great to give him some pointers and give him moral support. 

Hayden was matched up with a kid that was, in the same weight, but a lot taller! It didn't matter Hayden hit that kid with a fabulously formed tackle and layed him out on the mat.  Then it was a race to the finish, or so we thought.  Hayden pretty much dominated, this poor kid didn't know what to do. He could not get Hayden off him! We did notice that Hayden was doing a lot of just holding him down and laying on him with the kids face down.  On the way home Hayden said, "how long do I have to hold his shoulders down on the mat?"  Apparently no one told him the BACK of his shoulders have to be on the mat, not just any part of the shoulder!! Literal is so fun! We laughed and then gave him the RULES to the game!
Go Hayden!

Harley's Fall Violin Concert

Harley had her Fall Concert tonight and it was so much fun.  She has been practicing so hard this quarter and it really paid off.  She sounded great and looked beautiful too! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa B, Aunt Angie and Berklie for coming to support her!

Harley you rock!

Hayden v Stansbury

Stansbury was the COLDEST game yet! The bitter wind cut through all clothing and gloves and blankets.  Hayden started to get really nervous before the game even started! He was moaning and groaning in the car on the drive to Stansbury.  When we got there he calmed down a little bit, but not enough!

This Stansbury team turned out to be a really hard hitting and tough team.  Hayden got hit many times the minute he got the ball from the Quarterback.  Their helmets were banging up, his arms, and his back were taking a beating.  After 1 and a 1/2 quarters of this abuse Hayden succumed to a panic attack. He couldn't breathe, he was naucseous, lightheaded, started to hyperventalate, and DONE!  I felt really bad for him, everyone was confused as to what was going on, he was scared, we were frustrated, the coaches needed him to run the ball...bad went to worse.
But he battled through the attack and went out and played the last quarter of the game.  He made some good tackles and ran the ball again before the game was over.

On the ride home he was exhausted and mentally spent.  It was a really rough way to start a weekend and Hayden was not happy about it. 

Hayden v Riverton 1

The nerves were high for this game.  Riverton has a reputation for being really good and these boys were big and strong! Hayden was really nervouse, his stomach was full of butterflies when the game began.  The Braves played their hearts out, but Riverton just came at them with force and beat them alot to nothing :(

Hayen had some good runs and some great tackles.  He rested for a little bit, but went back in and supported his team by knocking a few kids around.  He was pleased with his performance and so was I!

Hunter v Highland

This was a tough game. Highland had a really fast runner-not as fast as Hunter-but they were smart, did their scouting, and ran him up the opposite side of Hunter.  So by the time Hunter caught him he had gained a good 30 yards.  They did attempt to run him up Hunter's side once...as you can see from the pic, he didn't get far, infact maybe 2 yards was all he got! It was tense and very close, but we did come through as the winners, placing us in a tie for first place with Cyprus (which we play next week).
Hunter played well as usual. He ran hard and hit hard. What more can I ask for??

Carving Pumpkins 2009

Carving pumpkins is always the best part of Halloween! Thanks to Harley's friend (Palmers) we got HUGE pumpkins this year! We got all our homework done and dinner out of the way so we could spend the FHE night carving.

Too bad for Hunter because the Chargers Football game was on and he was running back and forth from the kitchen to the TV. Hayden and Harley buckled down and got right to work. Hunter did not love the feel or smell of the pumpkin guts. He chose to pose for the pictures and let Dave do the dirty work! Ladies and Gentlemen: The President of the United States....

The pumpkins turned out really good. We put the candles in and lit them up. Dave handed the pumpkins to the kids in the dark with a lit candle in it. As you can see from the fear in their eyes, they did not appreciate this gesture.

When we turned out the lights....spooky and wonderful things appeared!

Happy Halloween!

Hayden v. Alta

This was another slaughtering for the rookie Brave team. However, I am so so so proud of Hayden for sticking in the game! He worked so hard!

Go Braves!

Hunter v. Murray

Hunter was a rock star this game! He had an interception, a touch down, 2 extra points, and ran for a total of 80 yards. It was a great game and I cheered so loud for my amazing son!

Go Hunter!

Harley's YW Volleyball

Volleyball has officially started for Harlye and her YW group. I went to the game and was so impressed at my most talented daughter. She was actually really really good! I enjoyed watching her play and look forward to next week when I can watch her again!

Go Kimball Mill!

Hayden v. Riverton

This was another painful game for the Brave 8 year olds. Riverton killed them and was not even nice about it. The good news is Hayden played awesome. He almost scored a touchdown, he tackled a lot of running backs, he ran the ball really well, and he did not have any panic (just a small stomach ache).

I am proud of Hayden for sticking with this team and battling through the rough times. He is such a talented player, we are really looking forward to the future for him.

Hunter v. Hillcrest

This as a very close game, but the Braves pulled it off once again!
Hunter played really well. He ran the ball well, he tackled well, basically he played a great game!

I am very proud of Hunter. He has really developed this year. It is so fun to watch him play.

Hunter v HIghland

Well, as you can see from the pictures, Hunter had a sad game of standing on the sideline and watching his team play the game. On Thursday night the team BEGGED the coaches to play a stupid tackling game called British Bulldog. The coaches agreed, "just this one time" and that is all it took. The entire team, including all line men, took Hunter's body and mashed, twisted, and hit it until he was lifeless on the practice field. Only then did the horror fill their hearts and minds as they realized their secret weapon was not moving. All I have to say about that is DUH!

According to eye witnesses, Hunter's face mask is ultimately what hit his quad and caused him to black out. Hunter bruised his quad muscle when his face mask was slammed into his thigh, yes his face was still attached to the face mask, and that is the point where he blacked out! He was out for only this game, thank heavens, and on crutches for 4 days. He was very very sore, but he battled through and made a full recovery. Unfortunately the team lost the game by 1 touchdown. It was so sad. At least we still have 3 games left!

Mom and Me

Just the Kids

These are the ones I love of the kids!

Family Pictures

Here we are the Happy Munk Family.

Harley's Surprise Birthday Party!!

Harley was so sad that she was not able to have a party for her 13th birthday. She couldn't have one because we planned a SURPRISE party for her!!! It was a great surprise!! We had pizza, cake, ice cream, and a PG 13 Movie!!!! And yes, it was the first "girl/boy" party for the kiddo's so it was like Christmas! She had friends from LPA, Millcreek, and our neighborhood.

There was not a whole lot of movie watching, however there was a lot of PARTYING!! The kids had fun and partied until 10pm! Harley scored with the presents, even the boys gave her some great gifts! Thanks to everyone who helped, came, and had fun!

Harley 13 w/ Bhams

Harley got a great gift from Grandma and Grandpa Burnigham. A Digital Sony Walkman! It is great and she LOVES it! Thanks!

Harley 13 w/ Munks

We went to the Munk's for Harley's Birthday dinner. The cake was amazing and the dinner was delicious!

She got a heart ring and a NEW Bedding Set! She has moved on to "teenage stuff" and she was ready for a new bed set. Maka took her shopping the day before and they picked out the cutest bedding set! Thanks Maka and Baka!

Hayden v Bingham

This was one of the HOTTEST games we have had yet! It was so hot and Hayden hurt his ankle the day before the game, so he was back in an ankle brace. Then we put some underarmour with back and rib pads on him and he over heated halfway through the game! We dumped ice cold water down him and took off the mutiple layers to help him cool off. But after the rough start, he stepped it up and made some great runs and some great tackles. Maka, Baka, Kristi and Family, Grandma and Grandpa B all came to watch him and cheer for him!

This is a picture of Hayden and what we call the chicken wing. When I asked him about it he said, "yeah that is my signature move."

Hunter v Viewmont

We were picked to loose this one, and so our hopes were not high. The team was pumped up and ready to win and ready to prove everyone wrong! And prove it they did. The Braves battled and battled to win the game 21 to 14. Hunter was once again the hero. He ran and ran and ran the ball getting his team down the field and in great position to score. Maka, Baka, Angie and Family, Grandma and Grandpa B, and our home teacher Bro. Farnsworth all came out for the early game! And they were not disappointed. It took about 4 VHS players to take down Hunter. He is not an easy tackle. I am amazed at how far he has come as a football player! What an improvement!

How about that stiff arm?? "Get outta my way looser!" Hunter ran for a touchdown and these 3 Vikings chased and chased him, but they could not catch him and he ran the ball in untouched for the Braves!

Yes this is a picture of the 3 Vikings it took to bring Hunter to the ground! Go Hunter!

Hayden V. Hunter

It was a really tough game this one. This Hunter team as HUGE and our team was NOT HUGE!! Hayden started the game off good but was quickly hit in the elbow with a face mask and down for the count for a bit. After icing his elbow he was ready to go back out and give it a go. He made some really good tackles and tried to have some really good runs! But that darn BIG Hunter defense was all over him right after the hand off. They smashed our boys into the ground and then trampled all over them! In the second half Hayden was hit in the back and came off the field in pain. We dumped water all over him (it was HOT) gave him a big hug and he went back to the field where he was pushed over, tripped, shoe was pulled off, tackled, and smashed into the grass.
It was a brutal game! But he played his heart out and that is all we can ask!


Again, thanks to the Fox Family for coming and supporting Hayden!! We loved sitting by you guys!

Hunter V. T-ville

This was a tough game for the Braves. They battled and they put their hearts into it and they won a nail bitter of a game! Hunter was amazing. He ran and ran and ran that ball. He moved it down the field for his team time after time. He scored 2 touchdowns and an extra point. Then on defense when Hunter was on the 20 yard line, a touchdown in their sights, Hunter intercepted the ball on the 10 yard line which sent the crowd into a frenzy!

Hunter really carried the team this week and he is so humble about it, he is a great team player and a great leader! We are really proud of Hunter for stepping up to the task at hand and giving his blood, sweat, and tears to this team.


GO BRAVES! FIGHT LIKE A BRAVE! ONE TRIBE!

Hayden v T-Ville

Hayden played T-ville this week. It was a rushed start since everyone got lost driving around Midvale looking for the stupid field. But the Braves came out strong and Hayden made the 1st touchdown early on! He busted through the line and was going, going, going, GONE! No one could catch him and he did not slow down!
T-ville had a tricky play and #40 scored a touchdown before we knew what was happening. The next time we got on Defense the coach whispered in Hayden's ear, "Forget the defense, you stay on 40 and don't let him score!" After that 40 couldn't do a thing and T-ville had to adjust their defense.

Braves won this game 21 to 14! It was a great win for these boys, they were a bit discouraged and needed this win to pump them up for the up coming games!
After the game I had 3 people come up to me and tell me "Hayden is such a natural athlete, but wow he is really intense." Yeah that's Hayden intense!

Hunter v. WX

Saturday Hunter played against Woods Cross. This was a crucial game for Hunter's "Popular" status at school. Hunter goes to school with 4 of the boys on the WX team. Hunter went to bed nervous and woke up even more nervous! The game started off great with shotgun to Hunter plays that got them all the way down the field and set up for their first touch down. Hunter received the kick off and again it was shotgun to Hunter all the way back down the field for another touch down in the 1st quarter.

Hunter ran through all sorts of tackles, at one time it took a whole slew of WX players to stop his forward progress! He was crunched down in the middle of the pile! On one play the QB threw Hunter a ball that was off it's mark and ended up behind him, Hunter reached out his hand and snagged the ball for a first down! It was an NFL catch and the crowd went WILD!

WX answered back in the 2nd half with 4 touchdowns which put us down by 2. Hunter took the ball and ran his heart out for a touch down (at this point Hunter had played the ENTIRE game-no rest, no break, no water, nothing!). But it was not enough to pull off the win. Hunter played incredible and I told him, "All you can do is your best! You did that, you can hold your head up high when you walk out of here!" He said, "I wanted to win so bad, I could have done something more, I just don't know what."

After the game Hunter was complaining that his back hurt and asked me it there was a scratch or something on it.....uhhhhh yeah you could say that! I asked Hunter what happened and he said, "I kept getting face masks in my back, and at one point someone stepped on my back when I was down."

A BIG thanks to the Fox Family for coming to the game and watching Hunter play.

Hayden v. Viewmont

Hayden's team scrimmaged VHS this week and since Hayden had the stomach flu he spent some time on the sideline instead of really playing. It was sad, but necessary for him to be better and healthy for the game on Sat. They did well, Hayden had a great touchdown and he did some excellent blocking!

Surgery and Dave

So I have decided that when you are over the age of 30, there should be no sprinting, racing, running, or other sort of exercise!! Dave was at the track running with his friend and on the home stretch they decided to sprint to the end. And as you can see that did not go well for Dave. He tore is Meniscus and had to have surgery on Wed. It has been a long and painful week, but he is finally on the mend and should be back to coaching and school on Monday!
By the way, doesn't he look hot in those support hose??

BHS Homecoming Football

BHS had it's homecoming this week and we went to the game (even though our Dad was at home recovering from knee surgery). The crowd that got their early got head bands and face stickers. So when Hunter and I showed up after practice Harley and Hayden looked GREAT!! The Braves played Tooele and it was a long and boring game. We left at half time with the score 47 Braves 0 Tooele!! Go Braves!

Hayden v. Cyprus

Hayden was recovering from the flu when they went head to head with Cyprus. We started off strong on defense and Hayden was an animal trying to sack the QB. Hayden had some good runs, but got hit in the stomach right before 1/2 time and that slowed him down quite a bit. In the end Cyprus beat the Braves by one touchdown in a bit of a stressful game. Being an 8 year old team and not knowing all the ropes put everyone on edge and I think it spilled over onto the boys. Slightly rattled and very down we headed for home with 2 losses under our belt.

Hunter v. Alta

Alta was a tough pre-season game for the Braves. The Alta defense ate our QB and running backs for lunch! Notice how there are 5 Alta guys pouncing on my son!! Oh the mama bear was getting all worked up about that! Hunter did his best to protect the QB and friend from the Alta defenders. All in all the game was a sad blow out. Alta shut us down and we went home defeated and upset. Good thing there is next week!

Hunter v. West

Saturday's are not the days to get ready for Sunday any more at our house! It is the day for BRAVE FOOTBALL! It starts at 6:30 am when we get up for Hunter's games. This week it was at West. Hunter was very nervous but ready to put the summer of practicing to the test.

It started off well for Hunter. He put his wheels to the grass and smoked and juked his way to a touchdown. The crowd went crazy and the players were ecstatic.

In the 2nd half West was up by 1 touchdown and were on the 10 yard line. Dave and I were standing at the other end of the field, friend S and Harley were sitting in the end zone. I said to myself "Wow, defense is boring and I can't see a thing, so I will put the camera away..." when all of a sudden, a collective cheer went up from West AND Bountiful. Then a red blur went down the sideline and West's cheering came to a screeching hault, when their player looked into his empty hands as he ran into the end zone...Hunter, in all his craftiness, had taken the ball from the running back and proceeded to sprint 80 yards for a TOUCHDOWN!!! The celebrating from the families was a sight to behold. S was yelling, "Hunter I love you, you freaking rock." That seemed to be all anyone could say.
Hunter came to the sideline to rest from his sprint when the coach sent him back out there to block for the extra point. Play by play: QB got the ball and threw it to M, West tipped the ball in the air, ball is falling to the ground, Hunter reaches up grabs the ball and steps into the end zone. SCORE!!! What a game for Hunter.
Unfortunately West ended the game 1 touchdown ahead, but no one's spirits were down. Hunter said some of the boys came up to him and said, "That was the best game we have ever played!" GO Braves!

We will miss Gauze

FLOY MUNK
Floy Peterson Munk 1924 ~ 2009 Our precious mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, Floy Peterson Munk, 84, passed away August 22, 2009 in Boise, ID. Born December 13, 1924 in Fairview, Utah to Edward J. and Maudie Stewart Peterson. She married her high school sweetheart, J. McPherson (Mack) Munk, August 4, 1943; sealed in the Manti LDS Temple on July 12, 1949. Mother was a gifted seamstress and made many beautiful crocheted items and quilts for her family. She was a skilled cook and gardener. She loved to be out in nature and appreciated the beauty of the journey. She had a voracious appetite for reading and learning. With her husband, she served a mission in the Denver, Colorado Temple in 1987-88; also a service mission in the Salt Lake area with the Thailand Branch. She also served as Stake and Ward Young Women's president, Relief Society president, Primary counselor, and went to Young Women's camp 17 times. She had been a visiting teacher since she was 26 years old. She loved people and gave her life in service to others. Survived by children, Kathleen (Stephen) Bywater, Randell (Ginger) Munk, Leslie (Steven) Pratt, Sheldon Munk; 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husband, Mack, all her siblings, Theda, Thora, Ted, Connie Rae, and Maxie. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 29, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. at the Murray 25th Ward, 363 E. Vine St. Friends and family may call Saturday from 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment: Manti City Cemetery. Online condolences may be shared with the family at http://www.jenkins-soffe.com/

My kids!

I love these pictures of the kids! It really captures their personalities!!

First Day of School 2009

Jr. High, 5th Grade, and 3rd Grade. What is this world coming too?

I have to admit, my kids look so grown up in these pictures. We got up early and made Cinnamon rolls for breakfast, packed lunches, and it was out the door and to Millcreek Jr. High.
Harley was very nervous and wanted me to walk her into the school but not before I got pictures of her walking to school by herself!



It was very "intimidating" as Harley put it when we walked in and saw swarms of students standing in the hall and Harley knew NONE of them...I left her at the front door with a look of panic and tears in my eyes (I have never cried when my kids went to school, especially her, she has always been ready and willing to go!). I walked out to the car and tried really hard not to cry in front of the boys and Hunter says, "Mom I am so scared for her, what if she gets bullies, you should go back in there and stay with her until class starts." Hunter is such a tender kid! I told him if I went back in and stayed with her she would for sure get bullied!
Harley called me right after school and told me all the fun things and how wonderful Jr High was! She said the school lunch was THE BEST!! (she has never had school lunch!) and that kids need to look in the mirror at what they are wearing, "Girls in mini skirts looking like Goth, boys in tight purple pants, boys with long lame hair, girls with low cut shirts. They need to watch What Not To Wear!" She cracks me up! No more uniforms for her...and as her Uncle Skee put it "Hello reality."
The boys both had good days too. They love their classrooms and both of their friends are in their classes so life is good! We are excited to go back to school...that is until the alarm goes off, then they want to sleep in!!

He's a Fighter

Hayden's 8 year old football team scrimmaged the 9 year old A team last week. At first we all thought it was a good idea. "It will toughen them up, help them become better." And it was all fun and games until the game actually started...Hayden was horse collared, shoved in the back so many times he was screaming mad, hit so hard it stunned him, and well the pictures tell you the rest.

The white marks in the middle of the bruise are lumps. Lumps of what? Not sure, maybe bone, maybe cartilage...all I know is they are huge and they are painful!

Hayden was on defense and he was running to tackle the ball runner when *!@*BAM!**@! from the side came a full speed offensive player hitting into Hayden with the force of Hercules. Hayden went down and did not get back up. He was crying and rolling around on the ground. I, being a well trained football mother, did not walk onto the field I RAN onto the field!! The league president was the first on the scene and as I approached I heard, "You are ok, just breathe, dude just breathe." Then all the coaches gathered around and the coach from the other team came over and said, "Oh crap is that Hayden? Sorry Stef" After much tears (maybe some were from me...but mostly Hayden) and deep breaths he stood up and walked off the field. On the side line I gave him a hug and told him he was very brave. He looked up at me with those "Hayden Eyes" and said, "I am going back in there and I am going to kill that kid." Then he threw his helmet on and ran out on the field, tapped his coach on the arm and said, "I'm ready." Not sure what to do at that point I turned on the camera hoping to get some pictures of my son before he was officially killed.
He delivered some pretty hard hits to the other team on defense, but on offense they just beat on him until he grabbed his arm and asked to be taken out. He was holding his arm below the elbow crying when I walked over to him to see where he was hurt he said, "Mom, I just want to go home, I hurt everywhere on my body." My heart broke for him and I gave him a pep talk then went and sat down. The next thing I knew he was back on the field telling his coach he was ready to play. Some of the parents said they were glad it was Hayden getting hurt and not their kid because Hayden is the only kid they know that would continue to play. The league pres. said, "Never in all my years of little league football have I ever seen a Gremlin get hit that hard, ever! And then to go back and play, that kid is intense."
2 days after the game, the bruises started to appear. He complained that it hurt to touch his arm and when I asked where, he would say "everywhere". Needless to say Saturday morning we invested in forearm pads...something I thought was for show-now I see the need.
I am very proud of Hayden he was really beat up and he did not quit. Even when he thought he couldn't play any longer he put aside his pain and stepped up for his team. I envision a great future for this kid. Whether it is with sports or not, he is a fighter and no 9 year old is going to make him stop. Cry maybe but not stop!

These I Love!!

These are the kids that I love more than life! These are the kids I would die with out! These are the kids my world revolves around!
These are MY kids!

3rd Grade!!

It is hard to believe that my baby is in 3rd Grade!! Hayden is the one that keeps us all on our toes. We never know what he is going to do or say. Hayden has been sent to our family to teach us patience and long suffering. He also teaches us to have compassion and love for all living creatures, intensity in all sports, and to see the world "outside of the box". He is quite the kid!

5th grader!

Hunter is the big man on campus this year! 5th graders are the oldest at LPA and they get to "dominate the playground."
Hunter tends to get lost in the middle becuase he is not the oldest drama queen sister, and not the demanding look at me youngest. He is a soft spoken, gentle, giant that keeps the peace at our house!

Jr. High Here I Come!!

Here are some pictures of my beautiful teenage daughter!!!! She is starting Jr. High this year and I can't believe it!!
Some of Harley's teenage ambitions are: to watch a PG 13 movie on her birthday!!, survive Jr. High, make money so she can get her own cell phone, sit at the "adult table", get a facebook account, and make lots and lots of friends!!
She truly is a rose among thorns at our house!

2 Touchdowns!

Hayden (34 or Orange couth piece) had his first scrimmage on Saturday. It was the Bountiful 8 v. Bountiful 8. Hayden's team started off on Offense and when they handed the ball off to Hayden he ran 40 yards for a touchdown!! There were a few kids that tried to take him down, but he kept his feet moving and refused to go down! We did a lot of screaming and yelling and cheering! Then it was on to Defense!

On defense Hayden made some key tackles. He was lined up on the left side of the field and he ran all the way across the field to tackle the ball runner (which happened to be his friend) and prevent him from scoring!

The second time Hayden was on Offense he was handed the ball again and ran 30 yards for another touchdown! Can you believe it!! 2 touchdowns!! This is a perfect way to start the year! He ran and juked and stiff armed and didn't give up until he crossed the goal line! We are so proud of him!! He played great!
The score now: Hunter 1 touchdown, Hayden 2 touchdowns!

Park City 2009

Park City was cut short for us this year. Dave and both boys started football, so we only got to stay for the weekend. We still made it fun and adventurous! We started with swimming and tennis. After coming to the painful awareness that tennis is not the sport for our family we moved onto the basketball court where the boys took on Dave in a game to the death. They ended in a tie!

On Sunday we jumped on the bus and headed into downtown, Main Street, Park City! As always the bus is fun for the kids and a nice air conditioned sitting break for the adults. When we got off the bus we headed to the main street and followed the CROWDS of people into a Art Festival! It was really cool, we had no idea it was going on and we enjoyed every minute of it! We looked at all the art work, enjoyed walking around the shops, and took lots of pictures, until we got kicked out for illegally entering the festival without paying! How were we supposed to know? We just got off the bus and walked down the street...it was when we were trying to leave the festival when they asked us where our wrist bands were...ummmmm our what???

We quickly left and avoided paying for something we did not intent to be at!! We headed to the park and let the kids play in the blistering heat while we adults rested in the shade.
After the park it was time to pack up and head for home! Football was calling! We had a lot of fun and look forward to next year when hopefully we will be able to spend more time with the Jensen's and Park City!

Chicken Fight!

These are not my children playing a dangerous and illegal swimming game. These are other children that look just like mine and we encountered them in Park City and took pictures of the fun and danger!
I love that my kids are old enough to play games that can get them kicked out of a swimming pool. Bring on the big kid games!

P.S. Hunter's facial expressions made all the illegalness of this momment well worth it!

Hunter is 11!!!

Hunter is 11! He started his celebrations on Saturday with Gma and Gpa Burningham. They started at Applebee's eating a huge and yummy lunch. Hunter had a Quesedilla Hamburger, Artichoke Dip and chips. Then they went to Target to get an under armour shirt (the white and blue one). He looks very nice in it and loved it so much he asked for more!

Sunday we went down to the Munk's for a birthday dinner, cake, and presents. Hunter got more under armour shirts from Maka and Baka, and money from Great Grandma Miles and cousin E. (He bought a hat with the money! A very stylish hat!)

Sunday night the kids slept over at Maka's house to continue the celebration. They went shopping, to lunch, and a fun place called "Jump On It". Hunter said: "It was the funnest place I have ever been." So check it out if you are looking for something fun to do with the kids.

Before Football Hunter got to open his presents from us. He got a vest for the cooler school days, a water bottle for football, and binky mouth piece (also for football), and SURPRISE!!!

The LT jersey he was told he could not have!! Because he had practice there was no time for cake, so after football practice we surprised Hunter with doughtnuts for the team and friends!! Happy Birthday Hunter!!

Summer Fun 2009

Here are some fun pics I took of swimming in Park City. Of course I did not take the pic of myself (that would take serious skills!) Dave took that one! He believes he is a professional now!

It is here!!! Football 2009

The boys started Football in July and the conditioning and training has been really fun to watch. Hunter has really come out of his shell this year and promises to be one to watch. Hayden's team is still working on the kinks so we don't have pictures of him yet.

Hunter is the 4 back for his offense team and the corner for the defense.

24th Of July Swim Party 2009

July 24th marks the annual swimfest at the Jensen house! As usual we had a LOVELY lunch that was quickly devoured so the swimming could begin!
The competitions and crazy stunts started right away this year and a new game was entered into the mix. It was called: "jump through the inner tub." Dave stood to the side of the pool and threw the inner tube in the air. The goal was to jump off the diving board and dive through the middle of it. Easy? NOT! Hayden was 5 for 5, Skee was 2 for 5, and no one else could get the job done!

Then it was onto the "how high can you dive" competition. Once again, Dave held the metal pole and everyone took a turn diving over the pole with out touching it. Hayden did well, and came in second to Skee. Matt did not compete this year as he dominated in this one last year!

It was fun to eat, swim, and be with family! Thanks Kristi for letting us party at your pool!

Antelope Island 2009

We went to Antelope Island this summer with Angie and family. It was really really hot, but really really fun!! We started our adventure by seeing a herd of Bison crossing the road. The kids were so excited to see them charging down the mountain side and pass right by our car!! Our first stop was at Garr Ranch. We ate lunch and walked around the Ranch reading and exploring what it was like living there in the early 1900's.

There were a lot of things to see and do, but the best was walking in the BURNING HOT sand about 1 mile to the bug infested Great Salt Lake. We walked and burned our feet and sweat just to get with in feet and turn around screaming and swatting away from the swarming Brine Flies that stuck to our bodies and freaked out all the children. All the children but Hayden who insisted he touch the water! So he braved the smothering flies and walked into the water boot and all!

The Parade

July 23rd is the annual parade and celebration for our town. We celebrate by meeting at Foxwood (thank you Skee) and watching the parade in the most intense heat known to man. We sweat our brains out then head for the hills to watch MPJH do an amazing fireworks show.

This year the parade weather did not disappoint, so hot you could cook an egg. The sun was blasting us for about an hour then the blessed clouds started to give us relief, that and the squirt bottles J brought with her. Skee made sure that everyone was properly wet and hydrated. In a battle of the water I was victor over him, taking out his left eye and ear drum (even though he made it look like I wet my pants!) And thanks to the brilliance of Angie the kids had all the otter pops they could eat!

Hayden was there with P, Hunter brought J, and Harley brought M. This was a brilliant idea on my part, each one of them had fun and there was NO complaining! We had a lot of fun at the parade and the kids got A TON of candy.

After the parade we headed up to the Parry's for a BBQ, Ice cream, and fireworks. The kids had a lot of fun, we talked baseball, football, and football, and baseball until 1am!! Needless to say we slept in on the 24th!

People I Love! Part 2

In Loving Memory: Squirmy Munk

Monday Squirmy returned to our Heavenly Father after 2 years of devoted hamster service to the Munk Family. Squirmy was the pet of Hunter Munk, but she was loved by all. Squirmy never bit a sole, rode upon Hayden's head, and entertained the children of Spectrum Academy. We will miss her. Funeral Services were held in the Merle Burningham backyard on Monday evening. Squirmy is survived by Hunter, Hayden, Harley, Dave, and Stefie Munk.

The boys took it really hard. Hunter's tender heart was broken and he cried and cried. Hunter was more private and quiet about it, Hayden was devastated and sobbed to the extreme at the initial death scene, then when the reality of leaving Squirmy in the ground hit him, he sobbed a good one again. Harley will miss Squirmy also, but she was not as attached to her as the boys. Hunter's parting words were: "She was my first and last pet. It is too hard when they die." Hayden had this to say: "I cry because I have emotion. When are we getting another one?"

Clark Planetarium

We went to the Clark Planetarium with the Jensens this week. We had a lot of fun looking at all the cool space things, jumping and climbing on the space rocks, and watching the space toys. It was a lot of fun and we even got L to smile!