Conference Weekend

I LOVE conference weekend!

Even when I was little I remember being so excited for it. But NO ONE gets more excited than my husband. It is like DisneyLand for him.

We don't have TV so we went to the Sinquefields on Sat and Sun (poor them) and watched all 4 sessions together. Taylor was so kind and made us breakfast, lunch, and dinner booth days! In between the we would all play outside in their new amazing backyard. Thanks guys!!!

The kids had to stay in the room and play quietly (as possible) during the sessions. I was really surprised at how well they did. Bailey liked to point out that the old men looked like those "slobber dogs". Ha ha. Because of their wrinkles.

Once in a while they would ask if they could leave just "really fast for something." This is what they came back with...underwear on their heads and socks on their hands??

Graham and Cannon were so good they just played on the floor or slept. But Graham did LOVE the "doggies!"

Every talk was so good. It is such a good reminder and boost to renew goals and start living each day better.

Some of the topics that stuck out to me:
-It is not just the big main things, it is all the little things
-Not wanting worldly things, they don't matter at all
-Always being Christ like
-Helping others always, even in little ways
-Being frugle
-Home is the most important(LOVED this one)
-Read the scriptures daily
-Temple attendance, and really learning
-Not complaining, be grateful
-The pride cycle is repeating
-Obey and listen to church leaders

I mostly just thought about what percent of a member am I?
Am I always 100% with everything?
Or do I push aside the little things, like wanting nice, or worldly things?
When I go to the temple do I 'Really' just lose myself when I am there?
Is our home a place where the Savior could be present for every joke, every conversation?

I am so grateful for a living prophet and church leaders to help direct us. I am grateful I was able to watch conference and feel the spirit.

Mark and Graham I hope that you will always love to hear the Prophet and other leaders speak. I hope that you will remember your home growing up as a place of love, peace, the spirit, kindness, fun, laughter, and much learning.

The Apprentice!

I am so excited for the season premiere of The Apprentice. I usually don't watch the show but my Brother in Law Taylor is making some cameo appaerences in tonights episode! Cool huh? It is on at 9! Look out for him....GOOOOO Tay!

Random Question?

Question for you all.....

So, while DeLoy is in the process of opening up his clinic I was thinking of being a nanny for some extra mula. It would be at my house with my 2 kids there as well.

So I am wondering how much I should charge per hour?
And if it should be per child?(they are two seperate things right?!)

And does anyone know of anyone in Vegas who needs a nanny and can actually pay what it is worth?

Question?

So, I want to put Markie in some kind of activity. Karate, soccer, baseball, gymnastics, guitar lessons. SOMETHING! I really don't care too much what it is. As long as it is fun and cheap.

So I called some karate places and it is soooo expensive! Like $100 a month minimum!

So does anyone have any ideas on an activity or know of any places where it is cheaper than $100? Oh, and I don't want to have to drive across town to get there.

And have you ever called a karate place? They were extremely intense! It was totally where those stero types come from. Like "Bring it on" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous".

All 3 places said they would have to do a one-on-one with him to evaluate him. WHAT?!

So if a three year old isn't very coordinated or not buff enough, what, they won't let him sign up?

The phone call was like an interview. I kept saying, I am just calling for price estimates. They even asked me what I wanted from our experience there. Are you kidding me. I said I just want him to have fun. And that jerk straight up laughed at me.

I think he wanted me to say I wanted my 3 year old to be self disciplined and be one with his body and the universe.

So please, any ideas are great!

Mission Call!

So it has arrived! My parents have been called to serve as mission presidents in the Washington DC South Mission. The mission boundaries are all of Virginia and the city of Washington DC. They are so excited!

This is the article from the church news when they got called.
Karyn Jean and G. Mark Albright


George Mark Albright, 53, Cimarron Ward, Las Vegas Nevada Redrock Stake; temple ordinance worker; former stake president, bishop, high councilor, seminary teacher, ward Young Men president and missionary in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission. President and attorney, Albright, Stoddard, Warnick & Albright. Born in San Antonio, Texas, to George Lavern and Barbara Carruth Albright. Married Karyn Jean Wasden, five children. A ward Relief Society president, Sister Albright is a former ward Primary president, ward Young Women camp director, ward Young Women adviser and temple ordinance worker. Born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Leonard Berrett and Joyce Esplin Wasden.

Just Another Day.

I told Markie I was going to work on the computer so he went and got his little DVD player (which he calls his computer) and is sitting in a chair next to me pretending to type. Too cute.

The other day I looked at the clock and it was almost 6pm. I about died. I had nothing accomplished that I had hoped to that day. I couldn't believe how fast the day went. So of course I started thinking that the days I have with my kids will go by so fast. I hadn't really even played with the kids that day. It made me so sad. So I am really going to try to record our simple everyday happenings. They are simple but so important to me and for them.

So Markie had his birthday party over the weekend (pictures to come) and he recieved some pretty "Totally Awesome" (in his words) stuff. These are the Linkin Logs from the Shipleys. He could build for hours. He brought all of his farm animals to put inside our fort. I sometimes have to make myself play action figures or cars, but this I honestly enjoy. I LOVE linkin logs.
Introducing da da da daaaaa...SUPER MARKIE. He is in love with all of his super hero capes. But now thanks to Mary he has his very own...
This little get up is from Grandma and grampa Blanchard. It makes it really fun for mommy to change our super costume every 10 minutes from batman to super markie to superman and back again.

This is so typical. Markie making some crazy face and Graham calmly watching. Mind you this is right before he started screaming at me for trying to make him sit there.

The boys playing nicely together. Notice the naked bum (good job with the arm Markie!)...we are still potty training. We only went pee once on the floor today.

Graham figured out he could reach these awesome turning nobs and handle bar. Great!

Graham didn't really feel like eating today. He has caught a little cold. He just threw his food all over the floor.

He is also in my favorite baby stage, uhg. Never wants me to be more than 12 inches away from him. It is sweet but so hard to get stuff done. This is what I see all day long.

Markie on the other hand wanted lunch (well, cheerios) at 10, 11, 12, 3, 4, and now he is on my lap asking for a cheese burger. Notice our little friends had to join us for lunch. We have a different guest every day.

This is the lovely face I get when I tell Markie to say Cheese! And Graham has figured out how to climb up on everything. His favorites being Markies bed and train table.

This sexy pose is Markie replicating what he sees his daddy and other men doing. He does it all the time. And likes to point out when others are doing it as well.

And one of my favorite moments of the day was this. Every morning DeLoy makes sure that he plays with both of the boys before he leaves. Markie always says, "2 more minutes dad, 2 more" with his little fingers held up. Then every morning when D backs the car out he puts the same rap song on and rolls down the window. Graham and I stand in the doorway waving and Markie stands in the garage doing his goodbye dance.

Today Markie really didn't want D to go. Smart Daddy told the boys to go do our good byes through Markies window. Markie ran as fast as he could. (Cause this was going to be so cool) And we did our bye byes through the open window. Then we stayed and played there for an hour.

Markie decided to take his clothes off to be just like Graham. When ever Graham is naked he gets a little jealous.

Graham just threw up all over in his bed. Yuck! Off I go to wash the bedding.

Newport Beach 08...

I know this is pathetic that I am posting pics from the summer time. But I have to catch up. Every year the Albright and Wasden families went to New port Beach for a week. And I am so glad that my parents carried on with the tradition. I think I can speak for all my siblings when I say it is the best week of the year. There where times when they would ask us if we wanted to go some where else for the summer. Are they crazy? This is the best. All the siblings some how avoided my camera but they were all there. Thanks for the awesome vacation!

Little Grahamers isn't too well represented in the pics. But that's cause he loved sleeping in the hotel and not hangin on the beach. This is him on our looong (seems longer with kids) journey there. Being oh so good.

Now what would a family vacation be with out some tantrums?....GREAT! Markie is a very good little boy, but when he cries, the whole world knows it. It is the loudest most peircing sound EVER! And he has a hard time calming down once he reaches this point. I wonder where he got that? Here is a tantrum in the house....

Him warning me not to take a picture....

One in the car...

Uh oh, here it goes. Just starting on the beach...

Starting to escalate. Which leads to the thrashing of limbs and yelling at mom...

Always leads to the floor. In this case eating sand. Which makes him even angrier ...

Thank Heaven for binkis and sippy cups to make everything better. So we can go back to look'in good for the ladies...

Me trying to make Markie Hug me for the camera at our bon fire...

Look'in too cute watching the fire. I love his hair when it is bleached from the sun...

Rico and DeLoy being good daddy's holding the babies so we can eat smores...

Mom and Dad in front of the Hyatt...

One of the 2 pictures of me at the beach. Taken by yours truely. Burnt and no make up-lovely I know...

At the fun center down by the peir...

All the cousins having fun...

D being a good sport as always while the kids burry him. Markie thought this was sooo cool...

Markie loved writing in the sand with mommy...

Nicole and Cannon..
Ashlee and Dakota girl..Daddy didn't want to set you in your bed. Just held you until we left for dinner...

The entire trip Markie was a goof ball and made crazy faces to entertain everyone...

Oh My Goodness!

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have your child disappear? Well, now I know, kind of.



Ashlee and Rico were out of town so I was watching Kota Girl. Taylor called and asked if he could drop off his kids for a few hours. I was still in my pj's and the house was a mess. But I thought, "I can handle this". So here I am with 5 kids. A 4 year old, 3 year old, 15 month old, 12 month old, and a 9 month old. Ahhh!



All 3 of the babies needed a nap and were screaming bloody murder. So I went up stairs to put Graham and Kota to sleep. Being the good mom that I am, I made sure the dishwasher was closed, the doors to the bathroom and washroom were shut, no sharp objects on the floor, and I even blocked the stair case so Cannon couldn't climb up and fall.



I told Payton and Markie to try to play with Cannon so he would stop crying while I was upstairs. Ten minutes later I came out of the room thinking, "oh good he stopped crying". When I got down stairs I couldn't see him. Payton and Markie had gone upstairs to play. I searched everywhere, toilet, cabinets, dryer, washer, back yard, he was NO WHERE!



Then I noticed the front door was opened! How the heck did that door get opened? I ran outside thinking he would be sitting right there. Nope. I started running around the neighborhood barefoot in PJ's. "Should I yell Help?" Should I knock on people's doors". I was just praying in my head to Heavenly Father to please find him and him to be fine.



I thought there is no way he got that far, he has to be in the house. SO back inside I went. Searched upstairs and down. Not there. By this time I was crying and I thought I was going to die. Literally. I thought if someone had run over him there would be people out side, paramedics. Maybe someone stole him. A pedifile. I started thinking what my life and Nicole's would be like if he was gone.



Then I heard dogs growling down my street. (Mind you, my whole street is lined with mean dogs. Rotwillers and pit bulls) So I ran 5 houses down and saw the dogs going crazy against the fence. I couldn't see Cannon. I thought I was going to him being eaten...seriously. It sounds crazy, but that is really what I thought. When I got to the gate there was little Cannon. Just chill'in. With rocks in both hands leaning against the gate. He LOVES dogs. That crazy boy.



This seems so dramatic but it really was the longest 15 minutes of my life. Pretty traumatizing. I cried a lot that week when I thought about it. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father protected my little buddy.