Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Shortest Story


There was a man named Harry Chapin who was a beautiful story teller, the best to some. He wrote many stories and songs. He died several years ago at far too young an age. He was an amazing man who did so much for people and was a huge advocate for the cause of world hunger. This is a song he wrote called The Shortest Story



I am born today

The sun burns a promise in my eye

Momma strikes me

And I draw a breath and cry

Above me a cloud softly

Tumbles through the sky

I am glad...to be alive



It is my seventh day

I taste the hunger and I cry

My brother and sister

Cling to momma's side

She squeezes her breast

But it has nothing to provide

Someone weepsI fall asleep



It is twenty days today

Momma does not hold me anymore

I open my mouth

But I am too weak to cry

Above me a bird

Slowly crawls across the sky

Why is there nothing

Now to do but die



Even just writing this out makes me cry. It is so unbelievably unfair to me that someone who did so much for the world was taken so early. He could have done so much more good and helped so many people if he was given the years to do so. What is written on his gravestone sums it up perfectly:



Oh if a man tried

To take his time on Earth

And prove before he died

What one man's life could be worth

I wonder what would happen to this world.



Friday, September 25, 2009

OOOUUCH!



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Vincent went to the park yesterday with Casi & Ryan. He took Chance's long board with him. He loves to play with that. Normally he lays on it and slides back and forth in the family room. This time his hand slipped and his face fell onto the longboard, with a sandpaper type surface. Tough guy that he is, he got back on again. And again he fell. The first fall only gave him a little scrape, but the second really left him all busted up.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Blessing Day




Friday, September 11, 2009

America

In honor of September 11th, can you believe it's been 8 years?, I'm posting my two favorite videos.



Thursday, September 10, 2009

Labor Day Weekend

First of all, I need to start by saying that I totally dislike the way pictures go in backwards on blogs. So the first picture you put in actually ends up being the last one. Well this time I tried to think backwards and did okay but there are still some mixups!

This weekend we went up to Showlow/Snowflake/Taylor for a family reunion of sorts. Jeremy was super anxious to get out of town so we decided to go up on Friday while everyone else was going up on Saturday. My wipers have been in need of replacing but the weather didn't look bad when we left so we decided not to worry about it. There was no rain....for a while. When did the rain decide to appear? In the very bottom of Salt River Canyon on course. Julian & Vincent were still sleeping when we drove through Globe so we decided we would stop at the rest stop at the bottom of the canyon to feed Julian. That would have worked if the stop had been open but no such luck. So we ended up pulling off at a scenic view point and feeding Julian and having some out of the car time.

Well, we finally arrived in Snowflake and checked in to the hotel. We spent some time with my Grandpa & Grandma who had also come a day early. There were plans already set for that night that did not involve us (gotta love family cliques) so we decided to do our own thing. We went out to see the Snowflake Temple. Vincent has been learning a lot about temples in primary so when we told him where we were going he seemed to think that he couldn't go because he wasn't ready to get married but eventually we helped him understand....I hope. Oh man, I just scrolled down and realized I didn't put any pictures of the temple that night on here. Well, just imagine how pretty it was. It was all lit up and there were very few neighboring lights and there was rain and it was just beautiful. Vincent & I sang I love to see the temple as we walked around it, it was a perfect moment.

I love him. The end.


Saturday was the beginning of the Sweet Corn Festival in Taylor. It is my favorite thing ever. I highly recommend it. We went to the parade first thing in the morning. I love parades in small towns. In this picture, Vincent is eating a popsicle someone gave him from the Bashas float. This is a picture of Jeremy & Vincent goofing around before the parade started. He is teaching him 'uncle'.
We went to go eat some corn..well I did. Jeremy & Vincent had navajo tacos. I need to add a video too. Jeremy was reading the newspaper article about the festivities of the weekend and decided to use this ridiculous accent, I think he was trying for some southern/Texan accent but it ended up sounding like Brad Pitt from that Nazi movie. It's hilarious.

Once everyone filtered into town, we ended up at the Social Hall since the parks were rained out. Vincent was playing huckle buckle bean stalk with his toy screw driver. For those of you who aren't familiar with the game someone hides an object and the others look for it and when they spot it they say 'huckle buckle bean stalk' but don't give away its location. Vincent found it in the cooler and couldn't contain his excitement.


I love this picture. This is Julian on Sunday morning.

This is one that is out of order. It is from the park on Sunday afternoon.

Our family picture at the Snowflake Temple on Sunday. From left to right... my Dad, Chani, Casi, Chance, Me, Vincent, Jeremy, Julian & my mom.

I love him. The end. Again.

Some more at the park. Vincent had so much fun playing with his cousins. He played with every single person at one time or another.

This is Julian laying in the grass. He hated how it felt, but I still like this picture.


Jeremy & Julian at the cemetary. Who knew I had so many relatives from there? I always associated it more with my dads family with Edmond Ellsworth, LeRoy Ellsworth, Frank Ellsworth, Corwin Ellsworth, etc. but then when I thought about it there was William Jordan Flake, Jefferson Hunt, Celia Mounts, and John Hunt all from my mom's family. What an incredibly family history I have!

The girls & Vincent at the memorial in Snowflake. My dad and Chance are hiding in the back. Punks.

My great uncle was buried in Showlow last year. He was an amazing person and taught me more about the gospel than anyone else. I had some family members who were so incredibly pushy and so un Christ like in their pursuits that it pushed me so much further away. I really appreciate people like Corwin who live Christ like lives and love people so purely. This is my Grandma & Jeremy at his grave in Showlow.

Chance, Julian, my dad, my grandpa, and Vincent

Thursday, September 3, 2009

It's Official!







PRESCHOOL


Vincent had his first day of Preschool this week. He goes to Busy Bees Preschool, he really likes it. After he went on his first day he told me that his teacher called him an angel and he is not an angel. I think this will teach him so much!


This morning as he was getting ready for his second day of preschool he told me that at preschool they do cutting and tracing and coloring and reading and arting. Gotta love that boy!

Jeremy's Big Day

On Tuesday, Jeremy got the priesthood. This month has been full of amazing experiences but this one was at the top. There were so many family & friends who were there to support Jeremy. It was amazing! Thank you to everyone who came. And special thanks to Brinton, it meant a lot to Jeremy! You guys are birthday twins.

Jeremy & Casi's boyfriend Ryan

Jeremy, Julian & I (Vincent wouldn't join us)

The Whole Family (good picture except for Vincent twirling my hair)

He is such a sweet daddy

Vincent & Julian are so lucky!





Primary Activity

Vincent had his first primary activity. It was a water day! I got to go with him since Jeremy went to go and visit his grandfather in Tucson. He loved playing on the blow up water slide. After it was time to leave this station he kept trying to sneak back. He was keeping up with all the bigger kids!

Then, we got to build a sugar cube model of the Mesa temple. He had so much fun and showed it off to everyone when he got home.


Then we got to learn about temples and practice the family home evening lesson that he would give about temples. We got to finish it off with an awesome popsicle treat. I loved it! What a gorgeous little boy I have!










Grandpa Russell

This last weekend, Jeremy went with his mom, Aunt Roxanne, and his cousin Derek to visit his grandfather who lives in Tucson. It meant a lot to Jeremy. This is Jeremy's mother's father and his name is Robert Russell. This explains the origin of Julian's red hair!


This is a really special picture to Jeremy. He took a picture of a picture that he saw at his grandfather's house. It is of his Uncle Marty who our son Julian Martin Contreras is named for. Jeremy said this picture made it look like Marty was just across the room. He passed away several years ago.