Wow...

It's a girl!!! Due date is sometime this August...
Name will be Alison Clayson
Weight: I have no idea... and for someone who has had such big babies, this one will be the biggest, but also very very small...
Height: 4'8 as in 56 inches long.... again, seems huge, but trust me... this girl is tiny...
Proud new parents to be: Ed and Joey... and I guess Janie and Kent Hall... 'scept they're getting a boy... a very very cute boy, I might add...

So there ya have it... any questions?

He's doing what???

So this is what I came home to the other day. Yep… that would be my youngest son mowing the lawn in a cape. I really have no words to describe the situation, other than he is 14, and his sister dared him to do it. What a great kid… what a great personality… and it made the neighbors’ night. Trust me. I am still hearing from some of them…

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Newest Clayson...

She's now a month old, but I thought I would through up a few pics I stole from Angie of the newest Clayson.... she is adorable.

Irelynd Lola Clayson

Good job Ange... oh, and Mike...

We're back, eh?

So we're back from Canada, eh? I have to say eh, cause of the Canadian thing, eh? Apart from the cool weather, and lots of rain, we had a great time. Vancouver is a beautiful city. We stayed in the Sheraton Hotel, downtown. We were on the 26th floor. Breathtaking views of the city, and the water. The entire outside wall of the hotel room was made of windows. Stunning.
Here's a look...
View from the front of the hotel. This city reminds me of parts of Europe...
While we were there, we drove out to see the Vancouver Temple in progress. The location is beautiful. The temple is nestled in a highly wooded area, in the suburbs of Vancouver, approximately 30 minutes out of downtown Vancouver. It was worth the drive, even though we were taking pictures in the rain. After we saw the temple, we went to dinner, then stopped to get ice cream at the Marble Slab (like ColdStone). In line behind us were two missionaries and their bishop. We bought their ice cream, and visited with them while we ate. It was fun to see the work in progress. The church is the same wherever you go.
I was excited to see all of the 'hoopla' for the upcoming winter Olympics, but the only thing I saw, other than a few t-shirts in the giftshop, was the Olympic Rings, placed just outside the Vancouver Airport... which we happened upon just by chance...

One of the fun things we did was we actually flew into Seattle, then drove the last two hours to Vancouver. What a beautiful drive. We got to see alot more of the area than if we had just flown the whole way. We love Seattle. One of my favorite places to eat is at Ivar's. Great seafood, just on the harbor. Best clam chowder I have ever, or will most likely ever eat. Made with thick cream... it is heaven. It alone was worth the extra driving. I looked forward to having lunch there on the way home for days. Here's a view from the restaurant window...A picture of me and Ed at Ivar's. It's blurry, but it's the only pic we took of us on the whole trip. Lame... I know... Anyway, we had a good time, but it's always nice to be home.

Lucky, Lucky Me....

What an amazingly good looking bunch of kids, if I do say so myself. And amazing they are. I don't care if I am their mother... they are amazing. I can't tell you how much fun it has been to have them all together again... even if I only get Joshie on weekends. It warms a mother's heart. They are almost all grown up now, and are such good spirits. And the funnest part is, they all like each other.... I mean REALLY like each other. They are good friends. They enjoy each other's company. They hangout with each other on PURPOSE.... wow... that's all I can say.
I realize the time I have with them at home will be short lived from this point on, so I plan to enjoy the time I have left. Tyson starts LDS Business college on June 8th... 2 days after we get home from a family vacation we have planned to Catalina Island and parts of Mexico. Ed and I had a feeling that if we were going to do it, we better get after it now... cause change is just around the corner. We can feel it. Will I elaborate at this point? Ummm, no... but just trust me... change is a comin'. So that is my report. My boy is home, for now, and we are happy.... the kids are happy... and he is happy.

An important announcement...

All right ya'll... listen up... cause I hope to only have to say this once... My most amazingly awesome missionary son will be home in just 7 days... yes, you heard me right... 7!!! He flies in from Houston on February 24th at 6:53 pm... But here's the part that I really want you to pay attention to:

His missionary homecoming report will be on March 8th at 9:00 am... (sorry about the 9 am part).
The church is on about 243 south, and 200 east in Tooele.
We would LOVE for you all to attend... Sherrie, Lisa, Chris, Amy... and the rest of you that didn't get an official invite on facebook... which would totally be your fault for not joining facebook... but that's another matter...
anyway... consider this your official... We love ya... Joey

My poor baby...

So my Joshie had his wisdom teeth taken out today... he was very very brave... sort of. He was so freaked out about having an IV, that he was literally making himself sick. He told me he just KNEW this was going to be the worst part... and I said Bud, if that's the worst part, this will be a piece of cake. First thing they did was give him some good ol' laughing gas... which settled him right down. He didn't care at that point if he had an IV or 20. No big deal. Like I said. He really should listen to me more. I am very very wise. Anyway... whole procedure took about 45 minutes. When they brought me back to his little recovery cubbie, he was already awake, and grinning... even gave me a big "thumbs up" which really made me laugh. He kept talking to me, but I could not understand a word he was saying... which would crack me up. So then he would start spelling things for me with his fingers.... HILARIOUS!!! Where is a video camera when you need one... that's what I'm askin... anyway... hang in there Joshie... you'll be good as new in a few...

A break...

Well, I'm off.... to St. George... for a much needed break with the girls...
What will we be doing? Who cares... that's what I say. Just a fun little get away. So I'll see ya when I get back.... and do please try to remember not to have fun without me.... you know how I hate that...

We're so proud...

Go Mikal!!! Go Sha-Ronns!!! Just a little shout-out for Tooele High's drill team. They took first place in EVERY event last weekend for 4-A high school state comps... Solo's, military, props,... everything. Mikal showing off her trophy for her first place solo.... you go girl... you totally rock. We love you....

It's a virtual forest...

It’s time to start taking down christmas…

It always makes me a little sad that the season is over, but it is always nice to get things put back in order. I thought I would take a few pics (since nobody except Heather ever makes it down to Tooele) of all the trees that make an appearance during the holidays… as you can see, I might just have an obsession…

I think my favorite is the tree in the formal living room… though it alone takes me several days to finish. So many trips up and down the ladder… but it is worth it.
I also love having a tree in the kitchen. Grab a good book, light the fire, and snuggle up on the most comfy couch in the whole house…
The tree in the family room is the one that the kids decorate… it is always the most fun. It is full of memories. Every ornament made in school, or given by a neighbor, not too mention the many many ornaments collected by the kids. It is tradition in our home to let the kids choose their own ornament every year. We put their name and date on it somewhere. The idea is to eventually let them take them with them when they get their own homes with their own trees… but to be honest, I don’t know if I will be able to part with them. I will cross that bridge when I come to it…
So I’m off to start dismantling… hope to be done by Valentine’s Day…