Fun pictures from Afton's Camera

These are some fun pictures that Afton sent me awhile back. She took these pictures when they where here in Texas for Christmas. I think she did a great job!

Blue and Gold

We had our Blue and Gold party for Scouts tonight. Hunter got his Bobcat and Cody got to walk across the little bridge that is a symbol that he is going from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts Yeah! Cody is already excited about Boy Scout because there is a camp out coming up and they get to go to a rock climbing place in Austin soon. Here are a few pictures. - Enjoy!

I'm back!!

Well as you will soon find out "I'm back to blogging" I have just added a ton to my blog, trying to get updated a little. I have had some comments said to me like- Welcome back, Thanks for updating, or I've been having "Every Life has a Story!" withdrawls. Thanks to everyone for being there for me and Sorry it has been so long. So sit back and take a DEEP Breath because you have got some catching up to read. My newest blog titles are from "Morgan and Afton" to the blog about "Tanner Monney and his 3rd grad class helping Haiti" there is a lot in between so I hope you get to read them all. Have a Super-Great Week and please know that I love and miss all of you. ;)

Morgan and Afton

Here is a fun picture of Morgan in the "John Wayne" room. Also in this room is a picture of my Dad "Pappy" and we always thought that my Dad and John Wayne could be just like each other. So here is Morgan posing just like the John Wayne picture on the wall. He also has one of the belt buckles on that my Dad made. It is now one of my Moms favorite picture of Morgan! Enjoy



This is a picture (below) of Afton and Nathan that was taken at Morgans Baptism. I had promised Afton that I would put it on my blog. Sorry Afton, that it took me so long! Nathan is a favorite of all the cousins. For some reason the kids love to hang on him and want him to wrestle with them and the list goes on and on. Thanks for being so fun Nathan!

A blanket made with LOVE!

My sister-in-law Cari Shields made a special blanket for Hunter this year for Christmas. It is called a "weighted blanket" or that's what I call it. It's made for children with Autism to help them calm down when there having a hard time or as we call it a little melt down. Ours has folded up hospital sheets in these long rectangles that are sewn into it. It is made special for each kid that gets one because it's made by their weight. Cari made Hunters with beautiful fabric that has his favorite color in it (Green) and Hunter loves trains so the fabric has trains on it also. Hunter loves it and even though it is very heavy, he never complains when he carries it from the top of the bunk bed to the couch in the living room to have with him during t.v. time. He loves it on those bad days and on his very happy kind of days. It has made a big difference in Hunter life. Cari also made one that just fits over his lap so he can have one with him at school. Thank You Cari, you are a wonderful blessing for us to have in our lives. I am honored to be your sister.
She also made Cody a lap blanket with some of the leftovers and she even sewed his name in the bottom of it. As you can see Cody loves his blanket as much as Hunter loves his. -Thanks again Cari

Chores :(

It always seem to be chore day at our house, I can just never keep up with it all. If I get the kitchen, living room, and bathroom clean, the bedrooms are very messy! OR if the bedrooms are clean, well you guessed it the other 3rooms are in a terrible wreck. There is always clothes to wash and fold and put away. I feel like yelling H.E.L.P. a lot, but on this one day when all four of us where cleaning which really means Hal, myself and Cody. Hal came running down the hall and then he said in a whisper "Kristel hurry come look at Hunter" I saw Hal grab the Camera as I rushed back down the hall to the kitchen and this is what I found....



Hunter was justa' smiling and then looked at me and said, "Look mommie i wash the yellow bowl!" I was so shocked at what I saw that my mouth just droped open, I'm surprised that Hal didn't get a picture of that as well. What a treasure these two silly pictures are. What a great day it was. :)

Fun with Cousins

We got to have Shilo and Bryces boys come over and hang-out for the day a few weeks ago. Cody and Hunter both loved every min. of it. When it came to lunch time we roasted marshmallows and ate hot dogs too. It was a really fun day and the boys can't wait to have cousins over again!

Hunter and the Pinewood Derby

Hunter had fun at the Pinewood Derby. It was really really early this year so he used one of Cody's old cars. He had a hard time waiting for his turn to come, but when the wait was over and his turn to race he was more than ready! I thought he would need my help but to my surprise he ran to get his car, put it on the track and was already at the other end to watch his car race down before I could blink. I was really proud of him and when he would lose he stuck out his bottom lip and then said,"It's OK I race again!" what spirit he has. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Morgan Monney's Baptism

We "Texans" had a wonderful treat of Morgan getting baptized here in Victoria after Christmas. It was great to have all the family together to support him on his big day. Uncle Lynn even told him that he was very very special because he had a surprise guest come "Uncle Bruce" lol. It was great and the spirit was truly felt. Here are a few pictures to share of Morgans day.

Third-grader sparks Haiti relief fundraiser at Orem school

Posted in Orem, Precollegiate on Sunday, February 21, 2010
For those of you that don't know Tanner Monney he is the son of Troy and Tracy Monney my brother and Sister-in-law



Eight-year-old Tanner Monney, a third-grader at Northridge Elementary, is looking forward to the start of the spring soccer season. But the youngster was recently the catalyst to a different type of team effort -- the school raised almost $800 to donate to medical relief in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Tanner said he and his mother, Tracy Monney, were looking at pictures on the computer showing relief workers amid the devastation in the country when the idea of holding a fundraiser occurred to him.

Northridge principal Kimberly Bird said Tanner asked her one day during lunch if she was "available to talk."

"I said, 'For you, Tanner, I am totally free. Come on into my office and have a seat,' " Bird related.

Tanner expressed to his principal his desire to raise money to help the efforts in Haiti, and he suggested students could place jars in every classroom to collect change, as they had done in the past with "Penny Wars." Bird told the young boy she was proud of him, and referred him to Elizabeth Ellsworth, the student council adviser at Northridge.

Ellsworth and the 14 sixth-graders who are on the student council made Tanner an honorary member of the group and went to work.

Tanner and the team put together the 32 jars, labeled "Change for Haiti," and delivered them to the classrooms. It was then his job to go into the office and make announcements about the fundraiser during the weeklong drive -- a task and a challenge he enjoyed.

"I told them that it would make a big difference for Haiti," Tanner said.

The opportunity to help children in another part of the world seemed to resonate immediately with the Northridge students, and a response developed that was much larger than expected, Ellsworth said.

"I was completely blown away by the response of our school community," she said. "Students were really excited to bring in their own money to contribute. ... I had a lots of students tell me that their parents had already contributed, but now they [the kids] were contributing their own money."

Tracy Monney said there was a noticeable decline in the amount spent on treats and trinkets that week at the school store, and noted that one group of kids set up a table on a street corner in their neighborhood to sell their own art work for the cause.

"It makes me feel really good how the whole school was involved putting money into the change jars," Tanner said.

Ellsworth lives right next door to the Monneys, and invited Tanner over to her home on a Sunday for the presentation of the check to Mark Martiel, a native Haitian who had just returned from his second relief mission to the country since the earthquake. Martiel is a representative of the Orem-based International Aid Serving Kids, or IASK.

"It was a great team effort," said Troy Monney, Tanner's dad.