August 9th Temple Sealing & Celebration

Endure To The End

Back to innocence, we become like children again in the eyes of God, with the truth and the light restored within us in infinate wisdom and glory. We are all children of Heavenly Father.

Our Temple Sealing

"Families can be together forever"
When we were being sealed and they brought Zoey into us in her beautiful white dress and laid her soft little hand in ours, I cried such sweet tears of joy as I was overcome with the realization that I would never ever be seperated from my beloved child or husband, no matter what may happen in this life. What a feeling of relief and peace to have that knowledge.
After our photos, we had lunch in the cafeteria and then, I went to find Zoey to spend a quiet moment alone with her. As we sat in the courtyard, I told her how beautiful she looked in her white dress and I asked her if she knew what it meant when they had laid her hand inside ours and said the special prayer. She said to me, "No Mama, What?" and I answered her, "Zoey, when we are sealed in the Temple, that means that Mommy and Daddy and Zoey will be together forever and ever." She looks up at me, smiles and says, "Fo-eva 'n eva? Oh, thank you Mama!" It was one of the most heartfelt, spiritually uplifting and emotional moments that I have probably ever experienced and what I understood in that moment was that Zoey was thanking me and her Daddy for the most wonderful gift that we could ever have bestowed upon her, loving one another enough to work towards marriage, baptism and becoming worthy to enter the temple with all the blessings and promises of eternal life together as a family.
Our Sealing was only 2 days after my shoulder surgery and if you look closely, you can see that my right shoulder looks like I have a football shoulder pad in it from all the gauze and tape that I couldn't remove until day 3 or 4. I had to get help getting in and out of my dress and I prayed for strength the night before to not wear my sling and be able to lift my arm up across the alter to hold Brian and Zoey's hand. I know that I had help and I was grateful for my faith. This is our Best friends, Liz and Micheal Kuhn, My sister, Erica and husband Vince and Us. Erica and her family drove all the way from Utah the night before and Liz and Micheal actually had their own first Endowment session the very night before just to be able to make it to our Sealing the day after! Thanks guys! We also had our missionary, Sister Daniels-Brown drive out here and we had members from both of our Las Vegas Wards come to serve as witnesses. We love you all so much and thank you for your support.
Erica and Vince, soon to be celebrating thier 14th year of marriage were remebering thier special day as they sat in the atrium of the very same Temple in which they themselves were sealed 13 years earlier.
Here is little Zoey afterwards hiding under the palm bushes, eating a snack. We had an extremely early 8 am session and so, Mommy felt pretty smart to have remembered to pack some snacks inside of my purse, just in case a little starving Zoey came to tell me, "Mama, I hungry." Oh, to be prepared, is so satisfying.
Here we are in front of the Las Vegas Temple.
The Temple grounds were so beautiful. The grass was so green, the air so fresh up on the mountain top and the flowers and birds singing, so vibrant.
Zoey was such a good girl that day and acted so nice and sweet. She loved the Temple nursery because, I was told, they have a real wooden doll house with all the furniture and dolls that she absolutely adored. She loved the atrium and the water falls and spent most of her time outside collecting pine cones and flowers. My little nature girl.
Go Erica! This is Erica and Vince reinacting thier photo kiss in this very same spot 13 years ago.
Here is Liz and Micheal's first time getting to sit in the spotlight. So cute!
You two are next! Eternity awaits you and your family.



The Barbeque/Swim Party

Here is Erica and I back at our house for some celebrating.

Erica's daughter's, Anna and Olivia.
Brian, Vince and his boys, Anthony and Daniel.
Me with my lovely designer sling and chicken on a stick, haaay girlfriend!
My fuzzy bear, Brian and Micheal getting ready to swim.
Erica taking pictures of me taking pictures of her!

Caught you! Ha ha, lovely Sis!
Poor me, I couldn't swim because of my shoulder so I just sat and watched and took lots of pictures. It was really hot though! Waaah.
"Hi guys, want some watermelon?"
Here is "Miss Liz", who is not only my best friend but also, my most trusted babysitter for Zoey for the past year and a half. She and Micheal have 5 super cute kids and we were actually there to see their littlest baby, Evangaline, when she was just a few days old in the hospital. It is awesome to have friends that you can share so many of life's blessings with.
Liz with baby E. This is her angel tattoo that has all her kids names written underneath it.

Smile baby. So cute!
"Hi Baby E! Are you having fun with Mommy?"
"Its Pool Maddness!"
Looks like so much fun, I wish I could jump in!
"Here Zoey, take this, sweety-pie. I think that you lost it"

"Oh, thanks Daddy! I have wonderful plans to throw it right back in. Isn't that wonderful?"
" Lets see, how much can I carry and scavange from all the kids in the pool? I will start a small stock pile right overthere behind Mommy. She will protect it for me."
Okay, time for the manly 'football in the pool' game between the guys.
"Take that!"
"How do ya like that?"

Boys are so silly. I just had to take a picture of myself saying so.
"Yes, yes. Of course, we wouldn't want to do that."
"Haay! Pool party! Come and get it! Watermelon, apples, grapes and blueberries by the pool side. Swim up and get a bite!"
Yum, yum, fun in the sun.
Everybody looks happy and satisfied.

Okay, so this is Xander, Liz and Micheal's son who is just a year older than Zoey. They are best friends and spend every Wednesday and Thursday together with Miss Liz while I am at work and school. Liz and I have already decided and agreed that we are seriously having an arranged marriage for them. Too cute! "Zoey and Xander, sitting in a tree, K-i-s-s-i-n-g!"
"Here baby, want some too?"
Zoey says, "Hey, what do you guys all have? I want some too!"
"Ohhh, I love it, it is nummy in my tummy, Mama!"
"Everybody smile!"

Oh boy! Time for the chicken fights!
First up, Zoey and Xander. Oh look, its thier very first fight as newly weds! So cute!
Xander looks like he has the uper hand but, wait...
Zoey's got him by the straps! You go girl!
Next up is Olivia and Micheal the younger.

Micheal's "He-Man" pose. Lets get it on!
"Daddy, you will obey my every command and carry me hither." "I suddenly feel like I got brainwashed by a midget and also, I think that there is some one crawling up my back!" Da-dun, Da-dun, Da-dun...
Ahhhh! Its the Olivia shark monster!
"Carry me Uncle Brian!"

"I think I am going to have a heart attack or choke to death, which ever happens first!"
" Alright, we made it to dry land. What now?"
"Kow-a-bung-ia dude!"
Anthony says, "Me next!" (Just a side note-Brian just viewed the blog and was thrilled that I caught this on camera as he pointed out to me that if you look closely, you will see that he is actually slipping off the side and says that he was freaking out as he fell into the pool too.)
Go Uncle Brian, good way to entertain the crowd!
Mommy and her daughters.
More Mommy-Daughter loving. There is nothing like a cute little shivering baby wrapped in a towel, letting you hold and cuddle them. Ahhh!
Zoey was standing here twisting her curls around her finger, staring off into Lala-land. Too cute!
Sweet little babies all wrapped up.

Mommy is happy and content.
"Look at me! I can swim and I am fearless."
Time to head back home.
It was a super fun day...
Spending time with my family that I will be with, as Zoey puts it, fo-eva 'n eva"