tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69543219417793841952024-03-13T10:29:08.363-06:00...and they all lived happily ever after...The exciting adventures of a mother of six who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.comBlogger870125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-28594450876964639442019-09-25T21:59:00.000-06:002019-09-26T07:12:53.271-06:00**WARNING** Politically charged football related religious post ahead<br />
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I have been reading a book called <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40591258-i-think-you-re-wrong-but-i-m-listening?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">“I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening)”</a> –
and I highly recommend it (in case you’re looking for some solid non-partisan
reading material).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
One chapter in the book talks about the need to be willing to take off your political
jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It urges readers to step back
from the sound bites and the platitudes on the party platform and be willing to
look at things from a broader perspective and come together on common ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminds us that we are humans before we
are constituents (or voters) and that puts us all on the same team in the
larger scheme of life on this planet. <br />
<br />
Anyway, it got me thinking about the “teams” that I align myself with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /><br /><img alt="Athletes, American Football, Players, Team, Ball, Field" height="213" src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/11/29/03/53/athletes-1867185_960_720.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
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Being tightly tied to a political party has never really been important to me
(or I don’t feel like it has).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
feel tethered to one party over another, I tend to vote for what or who I feel
is right over following any kind of party line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While I have ALWAYS voted and worked to be an informed voter, it is this
lack of love for any one camp that kept me from declaring allegiance to a party
or participating in caucus meetings for a long time (I wasn’t especially
welcome having not joined the group).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
Don’t get me wrong, I have strong political opinions – I always have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just don’t happen to align well with the D’s
or the R’s (or any other letters you might want to throw out for me).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
But even without a partisan connection, I still felt this idea of stepping back
from your jersey was important and I wanted to apply it to other groups I align
with and evaluate my behavior within them as well.<br />
<br />
Being a sports analogy, my initial thought about “teams” was my dedication to
my preferred college team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was born
and raised a BYU fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our home, love
of BYU was almost a religious loyalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My dad wouldn’t even wear red, the color of the U of U -- the opposing university.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he didn’t go so far as trying to ban
the use of their name, he was devout, to put it mildly, and that rubbed off on
his children.<br />
<br />
Then I got married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband is also a
devoted BYU fan, but he comes at things from a completely different angle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I was taught to hope for the U to lose
to every opponent they faced, Josh cheered for the U as long as they weren’t
playing the Y.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He believes it makes sense
to hope for the success of every team in our state because those wins benefit
the state as a whole and give clout and increased attention to every other program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
I saw the power in that and I decided that was how I wanted to do things moving
forward and that is the attitude we have tried to teach to our children.<br />
<br />
Coming back to the topic of teams, I did some more thinking about this book and
realized probably my biggest “team” is my affiliation with my church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe strongly in the principles of the
gospel of Jesus Christ and feel a close connection to God and His love for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a “team” that I am always
grateful to be part of, a team that has really shaped me as a person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
But there are plenty of people not on my religious team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, whether you classify it by my faith in
God or by my specific sect (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), TONS
of people aren’t on my chosen team and for a lot of people, this is a painful rivalry
that runs incredibly deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
I thought about taking what I’d learned from Josh’s view of college football
and tucking that around these “teams” divided by religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of taking on the contentious sports
attitude I was raised with where I hope for your downfall because we don't agree on this one thing, I want to adopt my husbands view when it comes to my
participation in this “team” too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Yes, the people who do not believe the same way I do have
chosen another squad, but in most ways, their actions, decisions, and successes
still greatly benefit the community and world around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We agree on so many points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want good schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want strong families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to end human trafficking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want reduced crime and safe neighborhoods
and good restaurants nearby and roads without potholes and clean air and so much
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We have tons in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can cheer for each other, build each other up, and work together almost
all the time.<br />
<br />
Now, there will be moments when it comes down to a head to head (that BYU vs Utah
game is definitely highly charged).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There will be times when my views and theirs are in conflict. </span>When
that happens I am going to stand up for my team and I expect others will do the
same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll put on my jersey and cheer
and chant and do all I can try to advance the ideals I believe are right and so
will they.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll express our views and
advance our causes and if we do it right we’ll remember that we are opponents
on opposite sides of an issue, not enemies out to hurt each other. <br />
<br />
In football, a rivalry game is usually one game out of 12 in the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means 11 out of 12 times I can cheer for
the U and hope for the best for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
I want to do the same thing off the football field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Be they political or religious or something
else, our affiliated teams may differ on some points (maybe gun rights, maybe
abortion, maybe gay marriage, maybe welfare, maybe climate change, maybe
immigration, maybe other things) but we can choose to cheer for each other when
we aren’t in a head to head moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
can choose NOT to classify people exclusively by their jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can choose to see beyond the “nothing
comes ahead of this issue” attitude and remember that underneath it all we are humans
together.<br />
<br />
I love my teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful to be
part of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They give me assurance, understanding,
and peace and I am very grateful for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I refuse to be so entrenched in the ideals of my group that I cannot
choose to see the good in someone who is wearing a different jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
As the authors of this book wisely say it, “There is nothing inherently wrong with
group affiliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there IS
something tremendously wrong with prioritizing our differences over our sameness…”<br />
<br />
Let’s take a step back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s choose the
see the broader picture – the one where we all share this world and every
person on it matters regardless of what team they are on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
I never want my jersey to keep me from seeing
the value of another soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
It’s been something good to ponder this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-27338547652014553002018-12-12T06:30:00.000-07:002018-12-15T13:47:07.574-07:00Holiday Mad Gab Game <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_b6BlqF7gg/XBVoP0TmmXI/AAAAAAAAOOk/grZTwl5ax7YpMML6JtyY_LB7dwtWurcMgCLcBGAs/s1600/20181122_182828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_b6BlqF7gg/XBVoP0TmmXI/AAAAAAAAOOk/grZTwl5ax7YpMML6JtyY_LB7dwtWurcMgCLcBGAs/s640/20181122_182828.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My son asked me to come to school to lead an activity in his class for their "freedom Friday" this month. I do like to spend time in school with my kiddos, but sometimes I have a hard time finding something good to do that will entertain 30ish 5th graders.<br />
<br />
Last time I went in we played several short minute-to-win-it type games so I wanted to do something different, but since it is December, I also wanted to do something fun.<br />
<br />
I asked Google for some ideas and eventually landed on the idea of a Mad Gab style holiday game. Sounds like a plan.<br />
<br />
So I searched for something I could quickly print that was pre-prepped and ready to go. But no such luck, I really struggled to find anything free that had more than a few ideas -- not nearly enough to keep the attention of a gaggle of eleven-year-olds for half an hour.<br />
<br />
But thankfully, I have a willing team around my house so my husband, my teenagers and I sat down one afternoon and brainstormed Christmas related phrases and composed strange word combinations to try to hint at those ideas. It did take some work.<br />
<br />
But we did it, and now we are the proud (??) owners of a bunch of Christmas Mad Gab phrases which we can use for 5th-grade classrooms, extended family gatherings, friends who come to the house, church activities and who knows what else. We'll tuck this file away and who knows when it will come in handy.<br />
<br />
Now, in case you are looking for a Christmas Mad Gab, feel free to use this one. It was a good fit for our need and maybe it will help you too. It's not exactly fancy, but we think it's pretty fun -- and it's free so you can't complain too much. Add your own ideas to make it just right for your group and hope you have as much fun with it as my son's adorably rowdy classmates did.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bjCHBAVqQYv8RCj146BiQekYYN2SNOn1/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Free Christmas Mad Gab Game</a></h2>
<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-32983370164644978042018-10-07T12:23:00.000-06:002018-10-08T13:54:21.081-06:00A beautiful, and incomplete, family photoA couple of weeks ago we had the chance to have family pictures taken with my side of the family. It is always an adventure (read that: struggle) to get everyone ready and headed in the same direction. In this case, my mom had chosen some coordinating colors for everyone to wear, so I'd rummaged through my kiddos closets to find appropriate outfits.<br />
<br />
I'd set the chosen clothes out for everyone to see the night before and warned them we'd be wearing these clothes the next day and no one seemed to care much about them....until it came time to put them on the next morning. Then -- no kidding -- EVERY SINGLE CHILD let me know that he or she did not want to wear the chosen threads and tried to offer me other options -- many of which were not in the appropriate colors or were styles that didn't match the family.<br />
<br />
Eventually, we just packed every grumpy person into the car wearing varying levels of the pre-selected outfits, with one daughter who was so upset at the imposed clothing choice that she wouldn't even allow her hair to be styled so she looked a bit bedraggled (some things we force, and some things we let people choose). Fine!!!!<br />
<br />
In all the hullabaloo, we also forgot to bring the "Don't Mess With Texas" stuffed bull we had chosen to represent Bryce who was not with us for this picture (because he is in Orlando trying to teach people about Jesus). <br />
<br />
This was our first official, incomplete family picture. I know that as the years go by we will have many more family photos which will be missing a member as schedules conflict, more missions are served, families move, and other concerns come up -- but this was our first.<br />
<br />
It has been hard for me to really fall in love with these images because they are missing a person who means so much to me. However, I sincerely think it is important for me to live in these moments and to see the beauty of this chapter of our life (I'm pretty big about owning our circumstances and honestly feeling our feelings, just ask my kidlets). It isn't fun to be reminded that a person you love is far away, but that is the truth of it and there is beauty in that truth as well as sadness.<br />
<br />
I am proud of Bryce for choosing to serve God. And that means that right now he isn't here with us for these family moments. It makes my heart squeeze a little bit, but it also makes me smile as I think of the ways he is growing and learning, the people he is meeting, the testimony he is building -- the things he is experiencing that I could not give to him. I know this is the right place for him to be.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to our story. We all tumbled into the car with sour faces but after an hour-long drive, angry feelings had tempered some and we arrived in the canyon for the family photo shoot. People were mostly cooperative (although, still no approval was given for hair styling). All in all, it was a good opportunity and I'm grateful for the physical reminders of where our family is that we can look back on with fondness, even if they are one person shy of our complete crew.<br />
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-54685613270537789812018-08-07T10:54:00.000-06:002018-08-07T11:06:13.428-06:00Orlando Florida Mission, Here He Comes (guess he has grown a foot or two)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last night our oldest son, Bryce, was wrestling with his youngest siblings. They were laughing and squealing and it was hilarious. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching them made my eyes leak (I am very prone to leaky eyes). Bryce leaves for the MTC on Wednesday. Like tomorrow. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ellie (age 8) saw my streaky tears and she suddenly burst out sobbing which got her older sister, Aubrey (who had joined the fray) crying because they both felt the weight of the fact that their brother was leaving. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Josh threw up his hands and complained about the amount of estrogen in the room....then hugged us all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm sincerely so so excited for Bryce...soon to be Elder DeMoux...for the experiences he will have, the things he will learn, the people he will meet, and the person his mission will help him to become.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I am also a selfish beast, and I'm really really gonna miss my little boy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">His bags are packed. His room is pretty much empty (and his younger brother is itching to move in). He can hardly wait to plunge into this new chapter of his life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We're as ready as we're gonna get. A big piece of my heart is Florida bound.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This necklace was a gift from a super sweet friend whose son is serving in the same mission. This lady is amazing!!! I love keeping thoughts of my son close by while wearing this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four generations of priesthood holders together at the temple.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found these awesome gator glasses to use at Bryce's barbecue send off.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yard flamingos to complete the Florida feel of our party.</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-41636329930326072452018-07-27T17:38:00.000-06:002018-07-27T17:49:24.279-06:00DeMoux Wild (episode 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This last week, our family went camping in the Uintahs. It was lovely. Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for sharing their property with us and thanks to Mother Nature for spending the last hundred million years or so preparing a lovely place where we could unwind for a few fabulous days.</div>
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(And stay tuned for a video tour of the "dangerous" inhabitants of this tiny piece of the mountains at the end of this post.)<br />
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We encountered different degrees of acceptance to the sentence of "camping" which was pronounced upon our children whether they liked it or not. Some of them arranged their spot in the tent trailer with all the tidy comforts of home while others packed their favorite D&D game boards to entertain themselves despite being surrounded by the great outdoors. Sigh.</div>
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We did do a bit of face painting (that's a camping activity, right?).</div>
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But we also started to add a second story to the lean-to which has now survived two full winters on this property (these are the kinds of shenanigans cousins get into when they get together...also, we put a stop to it until we can find it a way to make it less precarious).</div>
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One morning, the DeMoux crew hiked nearly two miles from the ranger station up to <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/lily-lake" target="_blank">Lily Lake</a> (boy was Aubrey upset when she realized we could have driven to the lake instead...but oh those views).</div>
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It was here that we broke a curse which has haunted us for more than a year and we caught a bunch of fish. That doesn't normally happen for us, but it makes the trip a LOT more exciting when everyone has the chance to reel in an aquatic creature or two.</div>
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Silly kidlets.</div>
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Regular kidlets.</div>
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The next day we did a second fishing expedition to <a href="https://www.campendium.com/whitney-reservoir" target="_blank">Whitney Reservoir</a> which was a much bigger puddle of water, but the fishing was not quite as good (but we still managed to wrangle some finned fiends to shore). </div>
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We played around in the river with our cousins, ate dirty food (yes, Parker did take a bite of that crusty cupcake), rode ATVs (some people yelling "FASTER!" and others yelling "SLOW DOWN!"), encountered many much moosen (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWzYaZDK6Is" target="_blank">that's moose plural for anyone not so familiar with Brian Reagan</a>), and then tumbled eight people into the camper each night playing games like Encore and Truth or Truther (kind of like Truth or Dare for people who are too lazy to stand up).</div>
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And last, but not least, we filmed the first ever episode (and likely last ever episode) of DeMoux Wild. It was the favorite project of several of our kiddos. You can watch it for free below.</div>
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All in all, camping was a wonderful way to spend the week. It was GREAT to get away from our regular life and be FORCED to spend ALL the time with each other. We'll have to do it again sometime soon.<br />
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-1598132237498059102018-06-20T15:32:00.000-06:002018-06-20T15:32:06.653-06:00It's Mary Poppins, Ya'll!Two of our children (Gavin & Aubrey) have been spending weeknights at rehearsals for the last few months preparing for a community production of Mary Poppins (and it has kind of been a pain because of all the end of school activities going on that conflict with rehearsals).<br />
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Aubrey is in the ensemble (much like she was in Carousel last summer), but Gavin is one of two boys playing Michael (one of the children Mary Poppins takes under her wing). <br /><br />The play debuted last week (while I was at girls camp), but Gavin did not start his role until Monday so that's the first time we went to the show. And now, he is a STAR (at least if you ask me). And I could not stop watching Aubs as she transitioned from a statue to a banker to a silly jabber girl to a chimney sweep and more. I was totally enthralled.<br />
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<br /><br />Oh my goodness, suddenly all those long nights and inconvenient trips to and from West Valley City Cultural Celebration Center were all worth it. It was sooooo much fun to see my babies up on stage doing something they love.<br /><br />And the play is pretty good (even if you look past all the "I am the mother" bias). It's really fun.<br />
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(Now for the cheesy bit.) <br /><br />I'm grateful for the people who make events like this possible. It takes so much time and energy that these performances just wouldn't be worth it unless you sincerely love performing arts and the community and the kids involved -- and these people do. I love that my kiddos can be part of this kind of thing. It's an experience I simply cannot give them at home.<br />
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And here're some videos because I like to show my kids off...I mean because I want family who doesn't live nearby to be able to see bits of the show (either way, I guess). <br />
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<br /><br /><br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-289655699573591192018-05-29T07:30:00.000-06:002018-05-29T07:35:06.716-06:00Not all victories come easilyThis week my oldest son graduates from high school (sheesh I feel old just typing those words).<br />
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To be honest, high school was pretty easy for me (my kids say that's because the world was easier in general way back then -- and then I tell them about using Encyclopedias to write reports and phone book maps to find addresses -- but they don't get it) .<br />
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Back to the point, yes, I had to study and put in some effort and that sort of thing, but I kind of breezed through the whole school endeavor without hitting too many speed bumps.<br />
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I know that is not the experience everyone has. It is not the experience my son had. For him, high school was a much more difficult ordeal.<br />
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Now, I'm not going to go into all the gory details here on the worldwide web, but while my son is incredibly intelligent, very capable, and really quite talented the battlefield of education has been a difficult undertaking for him. There have been many hidden stumbling blocks, many late night discussions, many attempted solutions, many disappointments, many frustrating moments, many tears shed on both sides -- and many opportunities for learning and growth.<br />
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The choices we've made have shaped us all and helped us grow as individuals and in the relationships we've built together.<br />
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And sometimes the moments were beautiful. There were triumphs and successes scattered along the way. There were times where our hearts fluttered with pride and happiness and that really helped us keep perspective.<br />
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Other times the experiences were less than smooth. Occasionally they were jagged and ugly.<br />
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It hasn't been a pretty process (think making sausages). But as I look back now there is a raw beauty not really in the singular moments themselves -- some of them have been very painful -- but in the broad image those moments have produced when they are displayed together. The slashing, tearing, heart-rending strokes have been tempered by patience, love, serenity, acceptance, and faith which held the work together until it was complete.<br />
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It isn't perfect, but it really is powerful.<br />
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And we are stronger now than we were when we started. We have learned much as we have chosen to grow together rather than apart -- which has been far from easy.<br />
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We all learned to love each other through (and sometimes in spite of) the choices being made. We've learned to appreciate the beautiful heartache of agency as well as the quiet elation of resolve and focused effort. Over and over we've learned about forgiveness -- all of us have.<br />
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Maybe more than anything else, we've learned about hope. I can tell you for certain that hope is much more than a fleeting wish that something will happen. It is a formidable asset which can tether you together no matter what is happening if you give it a place to live and don't scratch it out.<br />
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This battle has been hard fought -- and not all hard fought battles end in wins. So I'm going to take my time and glory in this one for a while. For our family, this triumph has not come easily. And that makes the victory a little bit more precious to those of us who have been on the front lines.<br />
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Congratulations Bryce, I am very very proud of you and the person you are choosing to become.<br />
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-6411448238850123932018-05-25T13:07:00.000-06:002018-05-25T13:07:34.939-06:00DeMouxs go to Wonderland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This week our littles went to Wonderland.<br /><br />Four of our sweethearts are part of a dance group with <a href="http://missmargene.com/dance.htm" target="_blank">Miss Margene's Creative Generation</a> and their spring concert this year followed Alice's adventures into Wonderland.</div>
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Elinor dances with Alice and other magical creatures.</div>
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Gavin and Logan with Tweedle-Dee & Tweedle-Dum.</div>
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Aubrey in the court of the Red Queen</div>
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Aubs also danced as one of the red and white roses.</div>
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Alice running from the Jabberwocky.</div>
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One incredible performance. </div>
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A big thanks to Margene Conde and her staff for all their work to make such a fabulous event for our kiddos. It is great to watch our children develop their abilities and boost their confidence. And they get that under the mentorship of a kind and loving teacher who loves them and pushes them and is a powerful influence for good in their lives.</div>
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Yeah, we're pretty grateful to be part of this group.</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-49087635829453388532018-05-14T09:35:00.001-06:002018-05-14T09:35:04.720-06:00Family Picture goes to the Dog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
For Mother's Day I really wanted to take a family picture. Bryce is preparing to leave on an LDS mission in a couple of months and I LOVE capturing images of our family to look back on. </div>
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We opted just to get everyone together in the backyard after church and try for a quick snapshot because schedules are crazy and a free night to work with an actual photographer is tough. </div>
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So, since we were going to be in the yard, the kids begged to have our dog, Finn, in the picture (not something we generally do when having pictures done elsewhere -- it's hard enough to get eight people to look normal and focus on the camera at the same time, let alone managing a canine).</div>
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Ok, I thought, no problem. </div>
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Yeah, no problem.</div>
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Finn was super interested in what was going on -- but only wanted to look at us. He could not have cared less about turning toward the camera.</div>
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Alright, we can adjust, we'll just have one of the kids kind of hold him in place.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M0wxwbAPNZs/Wvmo5pgfbxI/AAAAAAAANx4/rU-G1oB9V-MuF0VREDw_Mtd0DnLn2HmnQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M0wxwbAPNZs/Wvmo5pgfbxI/AAAAAAAANx4/rU-G1oB9V-MuF0VREDw_Mtd0DnLn2HmnQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5980.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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But how will we keep him from yawning?</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fhxb2QIgrNA/Wvmo5hbQ-II/AAAAAAAANx8/Sp7Ilp_B2zQMCE19CiTpw10wQvwrturOACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fhxb2QIgrNA/Wvmo5hbQ-II/AAAAAAAANx8/Sp7Ilp_B2zQMCE19CiTpw10wQvwrturOACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5981.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or flapping his ears?</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gr_Qw46zlU4/Wvmo625gNbI/AAAAAAAANyA/KYVO2MHXo4ENED-Ba54nRqhnQQtYXbyMgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gr_Qw46zlU4/Wvmo625gNbI/AAAAAAAANyA/KYVO2MHXo4ENED-Ba54nRqhnQQtYXbyMgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5983.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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At least his antics made everyone else in the picture smile. I guess that's something.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sZGwFKTXN5w/Wvmo7Xcwh4I/AAAAAAAANyE/BmwVH0LxxS4giequ1f_-2vn0pOLyQNf5wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sZGwFKTXN5w/Wvmo7Xcwh4I/AAAAAAAANyE/BmwVH0LxxS4giequ1f_-2vn0pOLyQNf5wCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5984.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I mean this one is pretty close. His interest is captured by something to the side so at least he doesn't have his back to the camera.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hG6gGL7ZdYM/Wvmo79YewbI/AAAAAAAANyI/MVOtoykgNRYajeHBYqMVN0B8kWhBLTMZACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hG6gGL7ZdYM/Wvmo79YewbI/AAAAAAAANyI/MVOtoykgNRYajeHBYqMVN0B8kWhBLTMZACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5986.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Until he runs off suddenly to investigate whatever it is.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4OP49yjkPas/Wvmo8zYrrUI/AAAAAAAANyM/boiRihPWabweZkiIH2z7dRKL-nhliqFzwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4OP49yjkPas/Wvmo8zYrrUI/AAAAAAAANyM/boiRihPWabweZkiIH2z7dRKL-nhliqFzwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5989.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ok, so we sent him off and gave him something to keep his attention. We'll just do this without him.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9M1P0CxSyac/Wvmo9ImgsYI/AAAAAAAANyQ/I1HVf8Dk46kIQgprVkyg2n8MDQcmEvJPgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9M1P0CxSyac/Wvmo9ImgsYI/AAAAAAAANyQ/I1HVf8Dk46kIQgprVkyg2n8MDQcmEvJPgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5997.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Until he realizes he's being left out, so he came back on his own and stationed himself strategically in the frame.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLc1HNawqog/Wvmo9vCe3NI/AAAAAAAANyU/sA_HKjz3I_Eu4QH8dV84FVhmef54A6pmgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLc1HNawqog/Wvmo9vCe3NI/AAAAAAAANyU/sA_HKjz3I_Eu4QH8dV84FVhmef54A6pmgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_5998.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And if everyone hadn't been cracking up because the dog did better putting himself in the picture than we did putting him in it, this might have been just the shot we needed.</div>
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That's it! I quit!</div>
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Hope Mother's Day was a wonderful day for you or the mothers in your life. Ours was laughable -- but that's kind of how we like things around here.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-63hgAknnXyM/WvmrAtXoqhI/AAAAAAAANzE/I8WzzK43QSw9Dj43iNZ5ikJ90RQCVefCgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-63hgAknnXyM/WvmrAtXoqhI/AAAAAAAANzE/I8WzzK43QSw9Dj43iNZ5ikJ90RQCVefCgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5974.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my favorite crew anywhere in the world. There is nothing better than being their mom.</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-64672202340166849992018-04-27T08:42:00.002-06:002018-04-27T09:42:39.448-06:00Called to ServeYesterday, our oldest son opened a letter that will change our lives.<br />
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After two weeks of waiting, a big white envelope came in the mail holding a call to serve as a <a href="https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/missionary-program" target="_blank">missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.</a><br />
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So, after a hectic day, after everyone had had the chance to make a guess or two as to where Bryce would be assigned to serve, our family gathered while Bryce opened one of the most powerful pieces of mail he has ever received.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GQ21wYSgntw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQ21wYSgntw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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And just like that, my little boy isn't so little anymore. This child that we have nurtured and taught for nearly 18 years suddenly has very adult decisions and opportunities laid out before him. </div>
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Suddenly, his life stretches well beyond the borders of our home as he begins on a path to serve people more than 2000 miles away.</div>
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But, I guess this is exactly what we have been preparing and working for as his parents all these years. Yes, we are very pleased he has chosen to serve a mission, but what I really mean is that our goal as parents is to support and encourage these young humans and help them develop into people who will become capable and independent and eventually up and leave us. And if we have done our job well, they will be ready to make big decisions, serve the people around them, stand up for what they believe, and be a positive force in whatever community they are part of (as well as cook for themselves, do their own laundry, and hopefully clean the bathroom). </div>
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At least, that is my hope for each of my babies. I'm grateful that Bryce is choosing to look beyond himself and set an example of love and faith for his younger siblings. I sincerely adore this boy and I'll always be thankful that he is mine. How did he grow up so fast?</div>
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Yesterday's events are further proof to me that you can be delighted and joyous but still a bit mournful at the same time. But it is a beautiful piece of mourning.</div>
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So, to sum up. Florida Orlando, my new favorite mission in the world and August 8, not nearly far enough away.</div>
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My mother heart is beaming.</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-57973331386499574762018-04-23T21:41:00.001-06:002018-04-23T21:49:18.069-06:00Vernal: Picking up where we left offSo a few summers ago, our family decided to try to <a href="https://demouxfamily.blogspot.com/2015/07/bountiful-temple-and-tardis.html" target="_blank">visit all of the LDS temples in Utah</a>. We got off to a great start but as the summer ended we hadn't been able to visit the Vernal, Monticello, or Manti Temples.<br />
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I intended to pick up the goal again the next summer, but life happened, and then we moved and more life happened, so here we are almost three years later finally getting back around to that target.<br />
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Anyway, we opted to head to Vernal on a kind of spur-of-the-moment adventure. So I jumped onto the TripAdvisor site (my go to when planning a trip and looking for awesome stuff to do) and off we went.<br />
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The drive was just about three hours, so not too bad. We may or may not have played <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-B7389F01-Catch-Phrase-Game/dp/B01BOV6566" target="_blank">"Catch Phrase to the Death"</a> to pass the time (don't worry, despite its name, the game is non-lethal).<br />
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We did visit the grounds to see the temple, and it was really really lovely. I just can't get past the feel of these places. I know they are more than just nice buildings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caught this cute, candid moment as these three walked along together.</td></tr>
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But, as long as we were in Vernal we wanted to do like the Vernal-ites and see the nearby attractions.<br />
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Our first stop was <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/mcconkie-ranch-petroglyph-trail" target="_blank">McKonkie Ranch </a>which is a site owned by a family and then shared with the public. It holds dozens (probably hundreds) of petroglyphs and some of them were awesome! This place was well worth a trip.<br />
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The next morning we opted for a fishing trip to Steinaker Reservoir just outside of Vernal. The area was great, the temperature was really nice...the fishing STUNK! </div>
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Pretty much, if we go fishing as a family we never catch anything. I'm pretty sure we have a curse. We must have angered the angling gods. I'm not sure how to undo it, but yikes. It's getting bad.</div>
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Oh well, we had a good time exploring the area anyway. And we got really good at casting. Over and over. Stupid fish!!! Stupid curse!!!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdG9pGkE_y8/Wt56FDrAInI/AAAAAAAANss/o8PG1ZT6pSc0UmTDOpRhgMpmwUnmgdF6ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdG9pGkE_y8/Wt56FDrAInI/AAAAAAAANss/o8PG1ZT6pSc0UmTDOpRhgMpmwUnmgdF6ACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5887.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My three most focused fishermen worked their way around the lake trying to find the fish. They had fun even if they didn't have success.</td></tr>
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See this still shot of a fishing pole...that's pretty much how it was the whole time. If you sit and stare at that picture for about two hours, you will have had pretty much the same experience we did (although, I admit, our surroundings were pretty fabulous).</div>
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Once we really got tired of NOT catching fish, we drove down the highway about a mile to explore a place called <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/moonshine-arch" target="_blank">Moonshine Arch</a>. We learned not to listen to Google Maps because she lied to us about how to get there. Naughty Google Maps. Thankfully, there was a park ranger handy and he set us straight.</div>
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This place was awesome!</div>
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The hike to get there is a little bit of work, but it is very do-able. The road is sandy and there are a few steep sections, but even our eight year old handled it without much trouble. It was probably just over a mile from the parking lot to the arch. It seems like you might even be able to drive further up the road sometimes, but the road was pretty rutted and washed out while we were there so walking was the better choice for us.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How brothers share a sip from a hydration pack.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some people ALWAYS whine about hiking.<br />
(but it was good-natured whining so I'll take it)</td></tr>
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The scenery was gorgeous. The rocks were lovely and the weather was perfect. It was not too hot, but also not chilly. It was kind of a perfect day for this exploration. I do love to get up close and personal with God's creations, and anything that involves rocks moves up on my list -- I have a thing for rocks.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V1wFNeSUQyU/Wt56HkmL-EI/AAAAAAAANtA/06TKxClgQUkL5ZqveYLDgLY9NHmvubKIwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V1wFNeSUQyU/Wt56HkmL-EI/AAAAAAAANtA/06TKxClgQUkL5ZqveYLDgLY9NHmvubKIwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5906.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the cool window areas you could climb to at the arch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love me a beautiful, gnarled piece of wood.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8nfS5KYCu00/Wt56JcwBwEI/AAAAAAAANtM/pZ3aYSgUukYYqT4nkrmvp-0KA33RI65PgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8nfS5KYCu00/Wt56JcwBwEI/AAAAAAAANtM/pZ3aYSgUukYYqT4nkrmvp-0KA33RI65PgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5920.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know why Ellie is pretending to by scared...but ok!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paker found this mini re-creation of Moonshine Arch nearby.<br />
It's about eight inches tall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole crew.</td></tr>
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This was only an overnight trip, but we had a GREAT adventure. I didn't really know what to expect, but Vernal had some really really great things to share with us. Thanks, Vernal!</div>
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I LOVE these moments we have together, and I hope they help us to build bonds that will keep our family connected no matter what the future holds for us. I sincerely adore these people -- especially my main partner in crime, he is more incredible than I can express (love you most, Joshua). </div>
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We always have the best times together.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group flossing. Weirdos. (but my favorite weirdos)</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-32696318081145095992018-04-05T18:45:00.000-06:002018-04-05T20:52:54.766-06:00He's not a Man, He's a Chicken-Boo<br />
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<img alt="Image result for he's a chicken boo" src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/8bbe19dfe6d67e26670003bbfb7b879a/tumblr_inline_ms445hIpoy1qz4rgp.png" /></div>
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(Not familiar with Chicken-Boo? I'd say you might should indulge in a lovely little 90's cartoon called the "Animaniacs," but you can get a tiny tutorial on the topic here:<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45bUOIK2cAo" target="_blank">What the heck is Chicken-Boo?</a> )<br />
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This week we had spring break, and my husband had five chicks following him around much of the time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the face you get when you surprise take a picture of your husband while he is cooking.</td></tr>
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He is a pretty good-lookin' guy and he has a bunch of really top-notch qualities...but these chicks were not human. They were of the chick-en variety so I really wasn't too concerned.</div>
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You see, while some families took trips, watched movies, and had fancy adventures, my husband spent his spring break translating pages that looked like this...</div>
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into something that looks like this.</div>
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Yup, my man dedicated his spring break to helping me create a new, more-appropriate, will-hopefully-last-forever-because-we-never-want-to-do-that-again chicken coop to better house my clutch of hens. </div>
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This guy really is a good sport.</div>
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Josh took my quickly imagined plans (drawn by a FAR from professional level engineer...but my little brother is an engineer so that makes it ok, right?) and helped me smooth out all the...er, rough (really really rough)...edges. We punted kind of a lot when things didn't quite work the way we thought they would. We made stuff up and learned things from the brilliant folks on YouTube.</div>
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But in the end, VOILA! Freshly minted chicken coop with all the things we've learned we needed over the past year and enough space for our girls to happily live out their days in egg-laying bliss.</div>
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And that's why they were following him around all weekend (that, and they hoped he would give them some meal worms...he's pretty free with meal worms). Really, who could blame them. I know I can't.</div>
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I do love that guy!</div>
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Hope your spring break was just as eventful and maybe a little more exciting than ours.</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-81400013762079398412018-03-31T16:36:00.002-06:002018-03-31T16:36:53.262-06:00Stick a fork in me, I'm done<br />
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The other morning, Ellie came in looking for help. She was making her lunch for school and couldn't find any plastic spoons. It's rough to eat applesauce without a spoon, so I came in to see if we could dig one up.<br />
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We were, I discovered, completely out of plastic spoons. However, we had a plethora of plastic forks so I suggested she take one of those for the day and use that instead. She grumbled a bit, but finished making her lunch and headed off to school.<br />
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The next morning I still hadn't been to the store, so we still had no plastic spoons. (Lest you think I am an ogre, we do not allow metal spoons to go to school for lunch because they tend to get thrown away accidentally and then I run out of silverware.)<br />
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Ellie came in all chipper to ask if I had gotten more spoons, and I said no, but reminded her that she could still use a fork. <br />
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Her face fell. She rolled her eyes and stormed out dramatically calling, "No, I'll just take carrots. You don't need a spoon for those and I don't want people to see me eating applesauce with a fork."<br />
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Goodness, who knew that plastic spoons were such an essential part of growing up. Oh the drama of disposable utensils (or their absence). Well, at least she was still health conscious enough to find a substitute fruit or vegetable for her afternoon meal. I guess that's something. <br />
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Don't worry, we did manage to procure a substantial supply of spoons so life should go better from now on.<br />
<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-34525940703328906782018-02-26T16:20:00.001-07:002018-02-26T16:20:08.096-07:00Almost Murder at 16It pains me to say it, but my oldest daughter turned 16 recently. <div>
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Insert nostalgia here.</div>
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Anyway, to celebrate, this gal planned a<a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Host-Murder-Class-54-Game/dp/5550745089/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1519686584&sr=8-10&keywords=how+to+host+murder" target="_blank"> 1950s</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Host-Murder-Class-54-Game/dp/5550745089/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1519686584&sr=8-10&keywords=how+to+host+murder" target="_blank"> themed How to Host a Murder Party</a>. It was a lot of fun. She involved our whole crew so everyone got to be part of the excitement.</div>
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We dressed up the house.</div>
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And then we dressed up the children.</div>
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And then all the teenagers arrived and accused each other of murder and ate food and laughed like crazy and ended it all in a giant balloon fight.</div>
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So, yeah, it was a pretty good night.</div>
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And now we are the proud owners of a 16 year old. I think we'll keep her.</div>
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Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-3726650909991646132018-01-18T06:30:00.000-07:002018-01-18T06:30:32.282-07:00A Very Important (significant, consequential, momentous) Holiday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In case you forgot, today is National Thesaurus Day.</div>
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I use a thesaurus (an online version).</div>
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A lot.</div>
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Helps me not get stuck in a rut when I write stuff.</div>
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Plus, who can remember all the awesome words in the world at once?</div>
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Not me. That's who!</div>
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So thanks Peter Mark Roget for jotting down all the words you could find that mean the same (or really similar) things and putting them in an orderly, printed pile so people like me don't have to blather on and on using the same words all the time, we can blather on and on using lots of different words.</div>
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You rock.</div>
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<a href="https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thesaurus-day-january-18/" target="_blank">Happy Thesaurus Day</a>, everyone.</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-74359420871174986302017-12-27T22:09:00.000-07:002017-12-27T22:40:06.256-07:00And a Happy New YearChristmas was incredible.<br />
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This was, by far, my favorite Christmas season EVER!<br />
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Absolutely nothing sensational happened, there were no ridiculously magical moments, but there was something different about this season for me and it made everything remarkable.<br />
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This year. This simple, candid year had an undercurrent that I have sensed before but this year it was unleashed full force and I was overjoyed to revel in it.<br />
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What was it? Why did this unadorned, sincere celebration take on a life of its own for me?<br />
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Because this year, ALL of my babies got it. And not only did they get it, but they burrowed down into it and let it seep into every corner of Christmas and touch all the parts of our holiday.<br />
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And it was amazing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New pajamas for Christmas Eve -- a favorite tradition.</td></tr>
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This year, my kids were lazer-focused on what they could do for others and how they could invite the true spirit of Christmas into our life. Sure, they wrote letters to Santa, but there was no recurring list of "remember I wants." Instead, our kiddos looked past themselves and aimed their hearts at the truth behind this season.<br />
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It showed up in many ways -- most of them pretty simple. What can I do to help my friends know I appreciate them? Did we remember to take a neighbor gift to this family? Can we sing Christmas carols together as a family? I heard my sister say she hoped for this for Christmas and I thought you might want to know. Grandma, can I help you do an activity with the younger cousins to keep them entertained? Mom, do you need help wrapping presents? I bought this cool thing, will you ask Santa to put it in my little brothers' stockings? Can we please read more Christmas stories tonight, they make me feel so good? And on and on and on.<br />
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Focusing on others, and forgetting yourself, that became a recurring theme for the month. I watched as my little ones saved their small allowances so they could purchase a gift for each of their siblings. Now, we draw names and give each child a budget to buy something for one of their brothers or sisters, but that was not good enough this year.<br />
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This year, each child -- on his or her own -- decided to give to ALL of the siblings, not just one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas morning with my peeps.</td></tr>
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Some of our older people used money they had saved for personal desires to instead purchase thoughtful presents for others. Ellie made personal paper crafts for every member of the family. Logan slyly tried to get siblings to talk about favorite things so he could choose gifts wisely.<br />
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All of the children were nearly bursting on Christmas morning NOT to open gifts for themselves, but to watch as other people opened the gifts they had purchased. It was a morning full of kindness and love and awe. I adore my little family. What a gift it was for me to see the people they are choosing to become.<br />
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I'll be honest, that is not always the way things go around here. But it was the way much of December went and I could not get enough.<br />
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I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His life and His example for me.<br />
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And I'm thankful to have seen His spirit alive in the lives of my children.<br />
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I hope I get to watch that (and maybe live it a bit better myself) in many holidays to come.<br />
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.<br />
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<b>Enjoy a tiny glimpse into our Christmas Season.</b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing Santa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room Sugar Plum Shenanigans</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas concerts aplenty with Miss Margene</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin is festive even in his sleep</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One handsome man and his two lovely daughters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa footprints -- goodness gracious, wipe your feet!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilfsoTaGIhY/WkR6k2T-STI/AAAAAAAANhE/eTm-YZpxxs4c0PWkI3Az5Yg5zk3ok2GkwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilfsoTaGIhY/WkR6k2T-STI/AAAAAAAANhE/eTm-YZpxxs4c0PWkI3Az5Yg5zk3ok2GkwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5614.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas blow-up Battle</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-31755782865088425892017-12-02T19:35:00.000-07:002017-12-02T19:36:13.146-07:00Going Nuts for the Nutcracker (DeMoux style)<div style="text-align: center;">
Our kids had the chance to perform in Miss Margene's Nutcracker this year, and it was fun to have four kidlets take part of the fun! </div>
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So, let's start the tour.</div>
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<b>Logan </b>performed in party scene as a guest and a toy solider and also sang prelude music with musical theater. This was his first Nutcracker and he LOOOOVED being on stage. I'm glad he has found a passion for performing. </div>
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This was also <b>Gavin's</b> first Nutcracker. He was in party scene, danced as a forest guardian, and also performed prelude music with the musical theater group. </div>
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(Sorry boys, I have no video of your performances -- they are on Josh's camera so hopefully I can add some soon so someday your grandkids can watch you get your dance on!)</div>
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<b>Elinor</b> is a Nutcracker veteran (this is year three for her). She even had a small semi-solo in her group number, Petite Waltz of the Flowers. She was wonderful! While her true love is dance, she puts up with being part of musical theater too (actually, she likes it, just not nearly as much as dance).</div>
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See our Belly-Boo shine (or bloom...after all, she's a flower).</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D8anclk6VMs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D8anclk6VMs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
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And last, but not least, <b>Aubrey Dawn</b> -- the one who started it all. Aubs was in the Mice & Soldiers routine for her third time (that piece is always a favorite -- check out the video below to see why), danced in Spanish, and sang with Musical Theater (which is her true love...although this year she has spread her wings and also adores dancing ballroom so Spanish was a perfect fit for her).</div>
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And if you'd like to sample Spanish, feel free to have a taste.</div>
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<b>All the fun of Nutcracker 2017 thanks to Miss Margene.</b></div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-59895085023826277352017-11-25T22:29:00.000-07:002017-11-25T22:29:37.455-07:00Downtown to kick off the holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This weekend we jumped headfirst into our musical theater performance season.</div>
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We now have four children who participate in this group and Christmas is a busy season (but it's also a lot of fun!).</div>
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So, Saturday, we toted our quartet of performers into downtown Salt Lake City for presentations at the Joseph Smith Memorial Center, Church History Museum, and the visitor center at Temple Square.</div>
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Normally, these formal performances are only for the oldest group, but this year some of our younger members were invited to be part of a few numbers meaning our whole crew got to take part. Good stuff.</div>
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(Get a little taste for <a href="http://missmargene.com/musicaltheatre.htm" target="_blank">Miss Margene's Musical Theater</a> Christmas Show here)</div>
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Round I: Joseph Smith Memorial Center -- a great venue with fabulous acoustics and beautiful surroundings. A great place to sing.</div>
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Some people may have been bothered that I wouldn't let them munch on granola bars in the middle of the show. Moms can be total jerks.</div>
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Our four favorite stars.</div>
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Round II: LDS Church History Museum -- tight quarters, but a super fun performance.</div>
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The kids drew quite a crowd in the entry of the building.</div>
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Round III: Last, but not least, the visitor center on Temple Square. </div>
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And then a few shenanigans and hijinx while looking at lights on the temple grounds. </div>
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Let the fun of the holiday season begin!</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-29225324865520661192017-11-02T11:45:00.002-06:002017-11-02T11:51:03.662-06:00Oreo Truffles...and a surpriseSometimes we decide to make Oreo Truffles (because they are super tasty, seriously).<br />
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And sometimes I make chocolate covered brussel sprouts and let my kiddos eat them while thinking they are getting Oreo Truffles.<br />
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I'm fun like that.<br />
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(Note: The definition of fun may vary slightly depending on which side of the brussel sprout you are on.)<br />
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Don't worry, I did soothe sad feelings with the real deal after the fact.</div>
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If you'd like to try Oreo Truffles yourself you can <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/127491/easy-oreo-truffles/" target="_blank">find the recipe here</a>. </div>
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Or, you can ask me and I'll make you some. You may get a fun surprise as well!</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-58566742016149991332017-10-28T10:01:00.001-06:002017-10-28T10:25:38.833-06:00525,600 Minutes at HomeAs of today, we have lived in our West Jordan home for one full year.<br />
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(FYI, that's 525,600 minutes -- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsj15wPpjLY" target="_blank">our kids sing the song of that in musical theater</a> -- and it is a strikingly appropriate song to talk about life this past year, listen and see.)<br />
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One year ago today, after having all eight of us live in my brother and sister-in-law's basement for just over six weeks (I still cannot believe they were so patient with us), we were finally able to move into our new (to us) home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The family room became our bedroom. Seriously, who lets 8 people invade their house for six weeks? My brothers are amazing.</td></tr>
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This was, without a doubt, one of the hardest things our family has ever done. We had not been planning to move, the prompting to go came suddenly and unexpectedly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y68rGgZOZrA/WfSioHlWPdI/AAAAAAAANZM/gaVpy70JI-MGSIORpjcB8yg8ok8xUPpuwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y68rGgZOZrA/WfSioHlWPdI/AAAAAAAANZM/gaVpy70JI-MGSIORpjcB8yg8ok8xUPpuwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_2390.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love you West Valley home. So many fabulous memories here.</td></tr>
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We had lived happily in our small but beautiful West Valley home for almost exactly 14 years and we LOVED it there. It's hard to describe the incredible people that surrounded us in the neighborhood and the way they watched out of us and our children. This was not a handful of nice neighbors, it was a family. There is no other word for it. We were sooo blessed to be part of that place.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3bGqbHH5sI/WfSjGYd_IPI/AAAAAAAANZQ/LeI2ulNaIUQHXz49NkeLtRAXaLpSDsGogCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3bGqbHH5sI/WfSjGYd_IPI/AAAAAAAANZQ/LeI2ulNaIUQHXz49NkeLtRAXaLpSDsGogCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1202.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LEF7Sa2Rgy4/WfSjb5eQ6SI/AAAAAAAANZg/2k2dTd2uItQl4gvouZmNX6Sd-4mJygjfACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LEF7Sa2Rgy4/WfSjb5eQ6SI/AAAAAAAANZg/2k2dTd2uItQl4gvouZmNX6Sd-4mJygjfACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1490.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ekThQyubp9E/WfSjbtqKCoI/AAAAAAAANZc/L8yNEFyrcJkNVD7SsQ3QMeiogS227r3twCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ekThQyubp9E/WfSjbtqKCoI/AAAAAAAANZc/L8yNEFyrcJkNVD7SsQ3QMeiogS227r3twCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1523.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And so when we suddenly felt strongly that we were supposed to leave, while the idea of a bigger house was tempting (you mean maybe opening the door to the fridge or dishwasher might not completely block passage through the kitchen) the idea of leaving these people was devastating.<br />
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One year later, that part is still hard.<br />
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Anyway, we put our West Valley house on the market the first week of August 2017, and in less than a week it had sold (it really is a great little house -- we were very very happy there). I was thrilled to learn that it was a family with five children who would be moving in (I knew the house would be happier if it was full of kids).<br />
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So we started looking for a new house.<br />
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And we looked and looked and looked and looked and looked.<br />
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It was a nightmare. We left a perfectly functional, move in ready, place behind and we could not seem to find a new house that didn't require major work before it would be serviceable for our crew. So we kept looking. We stopped counting when we toured our 70th house.<br />
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There were a handful of times that we found a house we felt could work, made an offer immediately (the market was ridiculously competitive) only to find the house was already under contract. That was pretty frustrating. We had followed the impression to go, we were doing everything we knew how to find a new home, but it just wasn't happening. We didn't understand what more we were supposed to do or where we were supposed to look or just what we were doing wrong. We felt pretty deflated as night after night we toured house after house only to continually find nothing.<br />
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And I'm sure my brother wanted his house back (although, like I said, he and his wife are amazing and they made us feel welcome the entire time we were there).<br />
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Then, one day near the end of September we got a call from our realtor telling us that the contract had fallen through that day on a house they were selling. He wanted us to see it that day before they put it back on the market the next morning.<br />
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We said sure, but really we didn't expect much. We walked into the house and it was perfect.<br />
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Like, literally perfect for us.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-443F0-nHLsY/WfSj83gg7jI/AAAAAAAANaA/6GqIx9aQlwMSPkSp8oiZFGFg0WA5R00yACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-443F0-nHLsY/WfSj83gg7jI/AAAAAAAANaA/6GqIx9aQlwMSPkSp8oiZFGFg0WA5R00yACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_2697.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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More space, six bedrooms, a large yard, bigger family areas, a garage, an en-suite bathroom (I refused to move without that), a sprinkler system, enough room to walk through the kitchen even when the fridge is open (that was a biggie). There were no glaring issues that needed immediate attention before our family could tumble into the home and begin a new life the moment we had the keys.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U9gCtcOtRw4/WfSj9NZHtDI/AAAAAAAANaA/rssRUXZyIDU8As9pmMe3yp5o8LWkI_4_ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U9gCtcOtRw4/WfSj9NZHtDI/AAAAAAAANaA/rssRUXZyIDU8As9pmMe3yp5o8LWkI_4_ACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_2699.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And on top of that, it was beautiful. More than we ever dreamed of for our family for sure. And on top of that, it was in an incredible neighborhood (we didn't know that until later, but still).<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qD6rVSH2aJE/WfSkaZKq12I/AAAAAAAANaA/w7rhJlVGv5gsVLtvWKDe_gv0KEc_BV29gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qD6rVSH2aJE/WfSkaZKq12I/AAAAAAAANaA/w7rhJlVGv5gsVLtvWKDe_gv0KEc_BV29gCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3775.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Notice that although it wasn't necessarily in the time-frame WE wanted, God helped us be in the right place to find the home He wanted us to buy at the exact moment it was available. Even when we felt semi-abandoned as we were temporarily homeless and blindly wandering through every empty house in the Salt Lake Valley, God was there helping us until just the right moment. Looking back we can so clearly see His hand in every piece of this journey.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ArGCGu9DGLM/WfSkCD2CVZI/AAAAAAAANaA/FZ2j7V3pEBoBPjwycpTTIBTjwH68NQQrACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ArGCGu9DGLM/WfSkCD2CVZI/AAAAAAAANaA/FZ2j7V3pEBoBPjwycpTTIBTjwH68NQQrACEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0272.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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While we still miss the amazing people from West Valley and try to connect with them when we can, we have absolutely fallen in love with the amazing people here in West Jordan too. This area is full of children and teens so our kids have more people their own age to hang out with. That is nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2aBMNNdb1I/WfSklC7HJzI/AAAAAAAANaI/qk0oN7eAlIAHtpp1mWyi4kZl_5Ptw7yxQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2aBMNNdb1I/WfSklC7HJzI/AAAAAAAANaI/qk0oN7eAlIAHtpp1mWyi4kZl_5Ptw7yxQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4167.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boys created a front yard arcade/carnival this summer and lots of kids came to play. So fun!</td></tr>
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Mostly, I think over and over, how did we end up so lucky as to have lived in the two best places on the planet?<br />
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So, today we celebrate one year in this home. I hope it will be followed by many much more (like all the years from now on because I REALLY don't ever want to move again).<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dl054X0L7bU/WfSj8hBWijI/AAAAAAAANaA/n9y9Dj_onnMyHVqwypfKaRPaCC7Px67WACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dl054X0L7bU/WfSj8hBWijI/AAAAAAAANaA/n9y9Dj_onnMyHVqwypfKaRPaCC7Px67WACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_2748.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A giant heartfelt thank you to all the people in West Valley who made it so hard for us to leave, and a huge, grateful thank you to everyone in West Jordan who has reached out with love and kindness and is slowly becoming a new branch of our family.<br />
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It has been an eventful year.<br />
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We'll see what the next 525,600 minutes have in store for us.Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-48845078373452713202017-10-01T22:18:00.000-06:002017-10-01T22:18:32.696-06:00Finally Fall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Imagine these words are being sung in dramatic fashion because that's the way they are in my head)</div>
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I AM IN LOOOOOVE WITH FALL!!!!</div>
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(don't worry, Josh, I am in love with you too)</div>
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When the days get shorter, and the temperatures get cooler, and the leaves start to turn then I am in HeAvEn!</div>
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It is my favorite time of year.</div>
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Anyway, fall in our house means a few things.</div>
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<b>1.</b> <b>Canning</b>: We grow a bunch of tomato plants every year even though I am the only human around here who eats tomatoes. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSqi5d3_IQ8/WdG26WAqN0I/AAAAAAAANW0/6Sxgs6uIiS8ibuYNmOw_0vBcpxnrVeSSgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSqi5d3_IQ8/WdG26WAqN0I/AAAAAAAANW0/6Sxgs6uIiS8ibuYNmOw_0vBcpxnrVeSSgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4428.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The nice thing about tomatoes is that they taste great fresh...but they also turn into other tasty things if you put them to work.</div>
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We smoosh these babies up and then turn them into a nice thick tomato sauce and also a fabulous salsa.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rMB-PpLs-Fc/WdG4qK05PxI/AAAAAAAANX0/stxrkwBhlk4nJS2duc15S_JTnHrbkloVwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rMB-PpLs-Fc/WdG4qK05PxI/AAAAAAAANX0/stxrkwBhlk4nJS2duc15S_JTnHrbkloVwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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ALSO -- one tiny brag -- our salsa can now be officially called "award winning salsa" because at Josh's school there was a salsa contest and our salsa won "Best Traditional Salsa" and tied for "Best Salsa Overall."</div>
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Come over sometimes, we'll probably even let you try it!</div>
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<b>2. Whitmer Family Weekend: </b> Often in September we get together with my brothers and their families for a weekend at my parent's time-share at East Canyon.</div>
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While we were there, we took a drive to the hoppin' town of Morgan for a family bowling event. My mom rented the entire alley (it wasn't exactly huge -- but very well kept and the people were kind) and we all bowled our little hearts out (most of us stink at it, but it was fun anyway).</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzT3QjaSDws/WdG26bsM3II/AAAAAAAANW4/vcrS-anwfb0YN7vjwxufvyIsoPUpK9UogCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xzT3QjaSDws/WdG26bsM3II/AAAAAAAANW4/vcrS-anwfb0YN7vjwxufvyIsoPUpK9UogCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_4487.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b>3. We took a trip to the mountains:</b> I really love the canyons in the fall, but this year we got the bonus of being able to take the kids out of school for a day to go to my brother's property to ride ATVs.</div>
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It was so. much. fun. </div>
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What a great way to spend a day (and the gorgeous fall colors during the drive were definitely a plus).</div>
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<b>4. General Conference:</b> Fall means LDS general conference. I always look forward to hearing the words of God through living prophets and I always come away uplifted and wanting to be better. </div>
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I was so sad to hear of the death of Elder Robert D. Hales. I have long appreciated his teachings. I feel very thankful for leaders who seek guidance from Heavenly Father to try to help me and my family to grow.</div>
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Generally, we have conference packets and games for the kids to play to help as they listen, but this year we tried something new. </div>
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We picked some words that might show up during the talks and labeled bowls of candy with those words. The kids could take a candy each time one of those words was spoken. They opted to create tally sheets and then fill their sack with candy following each talk. </div>
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Hopefully, some of the messages sank in more than simply the words that were said. </div>
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<b>5. Family Photos:</b> Often in the fall we try to take a new family picture. It is hard to get us all together at once, so we try to arrange once a year for everyone to set aside a time to take pictures. Nothing fancy, but enough to help us remember that we love our life together.</div>
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It is always good to be together.</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-34789080274815082602017-09-16T15:28:00.002-06:002017-09-16T15:28:13.931-06:00Party Central<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our three youngest children all have birthdays within two weeks so this past little while our house has been PaRtY CeNtRaL!!!</div>
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I am the meanest mom on the planet (just ask my kiddos) and I DO NOT do birthday parties every year. They make me tired, but this year we had three pivotal birthday so it was triple the party fun at the DeMoux house!</div>
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Party #1Elinor: Moana Theme</div>
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I'll be honest, I put off buying decorations and such for too long and a couple days before the party everything in stores was all "back-to-school" no one was thinking "tropical Hawaiian vacation" anymore.</div>
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But no worries, Walmart had tiki torches on clearance and we hung Japanese lanterns in the trees (not strictly tropical, but Ellie was pleased and that's all I care about).</div>
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We played pin the feather on Hei-Hei (the chicken became kind of the accidental mascot of our party),</div>
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shot stretchy rubber chickens into baskets,</div>
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and dug through the sand tand shells to find our own "Heart of Tafiti" (some lovely blue rocks).</div>
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We also had a treasure hunt in search of Maui's magical hook (which was, of course, protected by a treasure-laden crab -- don't laugh, I tried)</div>
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We wore flower leis and Hawaiian sashes (when we can't find much for our theme, we punt, it was fun!).</div>
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Aaaaaand, keeping with our chicken theme, everyone got to hold one of our feathered ladies for a picture (this was maybe the favorite part of the whole party for some of them...who knew).</div>
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It was a good afternoon for my baby girl and her pals. </div>
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Party #2</div>
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Gavin: Water Theme</div>
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Gavin wanted a water party. It was supposed to have lots of water balloons. But remember how I put off buying stuff until the last minute. Yeah, three stores and no water balloons available.</div>
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FINE!</div>
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We just filled regular balloons with water and pretended like it was the same thing...but fatter.</div>
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People arrived and some soggy fun ensued.</div>
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The kids popped hanging, water filled, balloons which were hanging in the trees with their hands. </div>
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They wore a pair of nylons from their head with a baseball in the bottom and had to knock over cups of water.</div>
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We also teamed up so one person poured water from a cup on their head to fill a cup on the belly of their partner who was laying on the ground, tried to drop pennies into a jar submerged in a bucket of water, and more. Everyone was wet but happy.</div>
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Aubrey decorated Gavin's cupcakes and did a great job.</div>
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We ended the afternoon with water balloon volleyball and then some fun on the slip and slide. A good time was had by all.</div>
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Party #3</div>
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Logan: Lego Theme</div>
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Logan's was the last party in our trio, but it was still a good one.</div>
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We played pin the head on the Lego guy.</div>
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then 'unwrap the prize while wearing oven mitts.' Although not technically a Lego-themed game, this baby was the hit of the party (you get to unwrap if you roll 7, 11, or doubles on a pair of dice...but the next person to roll those gets to take it away for their own turn). </div>
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We also played Lego Bingo (<a href="https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/lego-party-games-more/" target="_blank">find a printable version here</a>) and guessed how many Legos were in a jar.</div>
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For our main activity, we had each of the boys build a Lego car and then we had a set of races using those cars. The boys had TONS of fun challenging each other and pitting their cars against their friends.</div>
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I did manage to find Lego shaped candles and we made a (sad) Lego shaped cake. Nothing fancy, but the boys had fun and Logan was thrilled and nothing else really matters if you ask me.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQObTs6desM/Wb1YYrutPbI/AAAAAAAAAwo/RJcuX8x8ITk7Z2D27PHnEI4fKNMaojRmwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yQObTs6desM/Wb1YYrutPbI/AAAAAAAAAwo/RJcuX8x8ITk7Z2D27PHnEI4fKNMaojRmwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4472.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And so, tri-party excitement has ebbed and life is back to normal around here (and I am excited about that). Thanks to all who shared your kidlets with us because a party pretty much stinks without friends to share it with.</div>
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Hooray for birthdays! (sort of)</div>
<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14458770317064796050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-31558945634097570532017-08-31T12:23:00.000-06:002017-08-31T12:41:15.696-06:00Bob...I mean...Josh the builderMe: "Wow, we have tons of stuff that we used to keep in our shed before we moved here, and now it is cluttering up every inch of our garage. I wish someone big and strong would build me some sturdy shelving so I could store this junk up high and out of the way."<br />
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Josh:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pt9V4O-e5XM/WahQ5JrOVxI/AAAAAAAANVQ/l2jPplQACJAK9AOtZ7O9KTELn4pu3DUowCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pt9V4O-e5XM/WahQ5JrOVxI/AAAAAAAANVQ/l2jPplQACJAK9AOtZ7O9KTELn4pu3DUowCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Me: "The lawn mower sure gets in the way sitting in the garage and makes it hard to maneuver the cars and bikes. It would sure be nice if I had that and my yard tools out closer to where I need to use them."</div>
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Josh:</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oYdp-Ja92j4/WahRP4Q5u5I/AAAAAAAANVc/1gJBDXnIIe4RC-62LzM8oVyG0G4W1hKVACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oYdp-Ja92j4/WahRP4Q5u5I/AAAAAAAANVc/1gJBDXnIIe4RC-62LzM8oVyG0G4W1hKVACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Me: "My chickens are getting kind of cooped up when they have to be in their pen, it sure would be nice if they had a bit more space to stretch out and move around when they aren't in the yard."</div>
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Josh:</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JQaGT9dhsI/WahRn-VZeBI/AAAAAAAANVg/mDORR8DikXkWK7vLWHb1axZrjJ_Rekg7gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JQaGT9dhsI/WahRn-VZeBI/AAAAAAAANVg/mDORR8DikXkWK7vLWHb1axZrjJ_Rekg7gCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4307.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just another reason that I love that man. I'm awfully grateful (and very very lucky) to have him.</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-77310366656928834872017-08-14T06:30:00.000-06:002017-08-14T06:30:36.292-06:00My chickens are...well...chickenI raise chickens.<br />
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I guess raise might be a strong word for how this is has gone so far. The story is as follows: I bought a handful of chickens, I feed them, and they didn't die yet. Whatever word you use to describe that sequence of events, go with it.<br />
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Anyway, we've had our chickens for nearly six months and I feel like we've gotten to know them pretty well. They each have their own unique personality and that's fun. We have a couple of neighbor kids who are so enamored with them that they sometimes come over to hold members of our flock rather than play with our children (it's sort of funny, actually).<br />
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Our feathered ladies always get excited when we come out to see them because they know that we often bring them treats (like mealworms...yummy!!).<br />
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Yesterday, my husband cut up a cantaloupe. I have heard that chickens LOVE melons and will pick all the leftover fruit off the rind until all that is left is the thick skin (and apparently, some of them also peck off bits of the rind to eat...which is what our dog does -- eat the whole thing, rind and all).<br />
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So, I thought I'd bring them a treat. I already know they like treats (well, honestly, who doesn't).<br />
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I spread the melon rinds around the floor of their coop so everyone could get some nibbles in without having to argue over the food...which happens.<br />
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And that's when I learned that my chickens are terrified of melon rinds.<br />
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Yup, all five of them high tailed it up into their second story dwelling and none of them would come down.<br />
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Daisy, most definitely the leader of the group and the one who usually explores new things, would venture onto the ramp, but even she wouldn't go near these vile, supposed "treats."<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EIeUa1OFygQ/WZCUoQOGcAI/AAAAAAAANUk/xxEsZZgH_h0r_RxChkDoaZFqu516r2HdgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EIeUa1OFygQ/WZCUoQOGcAI/AAAAAAAANUk/xxEsZZgH_h0r_RxChkDoaZFqu516r2HdgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4267.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The girls stayed up in their roost for HOURS.<br />
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But I wasn't going to budge. These ladies were going to learn that cantaloupe is not lethal (generally speaking...I'm sure there's a story somewhere of death by cantaloupe).<br />
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And eventually, they must have gotten tired of each other because they cautiously wandered downstairs (Daisy went first). They were extremely careful to walk around the orange, fruity, invaders (and Devorah threw a squawking tantrum when her toe touched one of them -- no kidding -- diva). They kicked around the straw on the floor to hide the rinds and then everything was back to normal.<br />
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Our dog snuck in and ate the rinds later that day when we let the chickens out to wander the yard<br />
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Oh, the adventures of a suburban chicken owner.<br />
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On a related note, one of our ladies has recently started laying eggs and I'm sure the others will follow suit very soon. My kids are still totally enamored with the fun of looking for eggs every day...and if I'm honest, so am I.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SW6HCAUw1eE/WZCWc-dAweI/AAAAAAAANUw/byN5F3jBGEk2GpEjCM3xEJ4n5x2p6vZOwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SW6HCAUw1eE/WZCWc-dAweI/AAAAAAAANUw/byN5F3jBGEk2GpEjCM3xEJ4n5x2p6vZOwCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_4246.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first ever home grown (??) egg in the awesome egg basket Josh bought for me on our trip to Chicago this summer. Yup, my egg basket is imported all the way from Illinois. That's fancy!</td></tr>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6954321941779384195.post-61759270639546886842017-08-13T11:34:00.000-06:002017-08-13T11:34:07.011-06:00Summer of Musical Theater<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Four of our six children perform with a <a href="http://missmargene.com/musicaltheatre.htm" target="_blank">musical theater group</a>. They love it and I love that they are part of it. </div>
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But, being in the group means we travel the Salt Lake Valley during show seasons (summer and again at Christmas time) to perform at fairs, community centers, and other events.</div>
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However, it also means that I get to watch my sprites develop their singing, dancing, and performance skills all summer long (and seriously, it takes a lot of work and athleticism to make this happen). I kind of love that.</div>
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And I kind of like showing them off (I really am proud of this crew).</div>
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So, lucky you. Here's some of the fun of summer. via a few of our musical theater performances (the last of which was yesterday afternoon). </div>
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Be impressed (or don't, but keep that to yourself please). These kids really are great (even if I do say so myself...and I totally do).</div>
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<br />Melissa DeMouxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08102955670490451615noreply@blogger.com0