Does God hear and answer...

...every child's prayer?


...for weeks our little Lukee has been praying for his daddy to get home for Halloween.




 Does God hear and answer a child's prayer?

Lukee's prayer was answered at exactly 12:39 last night, just 21 minutes before Halloween.

Yes, Luke, God does hear and answer our faithful prayers.

As our little Luke continues to grow and develop in the gospel and gain a testimony of Jesus Christ, we will remind him of his prayer, that his daddy would be home for Halloween.  We will remind him that God does hear and answer every prayer.  Though our prayers may not always be answered in the way we want them to be, they are always answered according to God's wisdom.  We are grateful today that God's wisdom was that Chris would come home.




I keep hearing the phrase, "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow", over and over again in my head.  Ever since we heard that Chris had safely landed at Fort Dix I have felt gratitude for his safety, gratitude for everyone's support for Aubrey and gratitude for the prayers that have been offered from around the world.




I have thought about those who prayed and their answer was not what they had hoped for as they gathered around flag draped coffins.  I have wondered if they know how grateful I am for their sacrifice?



I have been asked hundreds of times, since Chris left, how the Tyler's were doing.  The answer was always the same, "they are OK, but they miss their dad".  While the answer was always the same, there were times the emotions were tender as I thought about them and felt appreciation for the people who cared enough to ask.




So with gratitude in my heart, I thank all of you for your concern, your support and mostly for your prayers.

Our Blue Star Service Banner...

...has hung in a place of honor for the past 14 months.

It is the first thing people see when they walk up to our door.  It is a reminder to everyone who comes to our home that there are sacrifices being made, lives put in danger, families torn apart, to give each of us our hard earned freedom.

We hung it in our window when Chris left for Afghanistan to let him know we are proud of him, to let Aubrey know she is not alone and to let their children know we consider each of them a hero for having sacrificed a year of their young lives without their dad.


Here is a little history:
The Blue Star Service Banner was designed and patented in 1917 by World War I Army Capt. Robert L. Queissner of the 5th Ohio Infantry who had two sons serving on the front lines. It quickly became the unofficial symbol of a child in the service.

 On Sept. 24, 1917, an Ohio congressman read the following into the Congressional Record: "…The mayor of Cleveland, the Chamber of Commerce and the governor of Ohio have adopted this service flag. The world should know of those who give so much for liberty. The dearest thing in all the world to a father and mother - their children."

Someday I will give it to one of Chris's children when they are old enough to truly appreciate the sacrifice their dad made for America.

But for now, I will respectfully roll it up and put it away for safe keeping, hoping to never have to use it again. 


We love you Chris.


Welcome home!

That was easy...

...well, not originally.


In the beginning, I had a very hard time figuring this out. Some would call me O.C.D. about certain things. One thing is my dishes. I want them sparkling clean. So a few weeks ago, when things started coming out of the dishwasher with a chalky lime coating, I took it personally. I would not let hard water control my life or my dishes.


I went crazy...


...took the dishwasher apart, put it back together, twice


...had Matthew do the same


...nothing, still nasty


...bought new rinse aids


...bought new detergent


...bought a new dishwasher


...that's right, I gave up, gave in, BOUGHT A NEW DISHWASHER


....hard water won!


...or so it thought.


One evening I was unloading Dani's dishwasher and noticed her VERY expensive dishwasher was having the same issues. A few days later I noticed Aubrey's dishes had the telltale signs of lime.


...then I read this news story about phosphate-free detergent.



Aha!!!


I knew just what I would do, I would have Matthew buy several boxes of detergent on his next trip to Montana.


Then my mother-in-law informed me that Montana is having the same problem.


Fortunately, Aubrey came to the rescue. She called me and told me about this amazing product, Lemi-Shine.


...and shine they do, my dishes that is.

I'm not one to try and sell something, but I'm telling you, this is worth a trip to Wal-Mart.


That was easy!


(by the way, I'm keeping the new dishwasher, so maybe the hard water won after all)

Oh, yeah, don't forget to comment on the post about my bathroom make-over to receive one of the yummiest treats around.  (Thanks Emily, Lauren, Shay and Mardella for your comments, your prize will be arriving in a few days)

Lukee is 6 but...

...it seems like just yesterday when I saw the magic happen.  Preston crawled up on a chair in the hospital, Chris laid just minutes old Luke on his lap, and the renewing of friendships began.  That friendship, between these two brothers, has been a joy to watch.  After witnessing the tenderness Preston showed toward his new little brother, no one can tell me that they didn't know and love each other a long time before this life. 

Luke is spoiled.  The experts would tell you that is bad, but this is not that kind of spoiled.  He is not spoiled in the sense that the world revolves around him, but in the sense that he knows we love him more than the whole world.   Just look at this cute face...

...and then you know why he is loved.  He looks like his dad, but has the determination of his mom. 

Not only is he determined to do what he wants, he is so dang cute that all I have to do is look in his beautiful blues and see his smile and then I am determined to let him do whatever he wants.

On a weekly basis Aubrey calls to tell me one of his Lukeisms.  No matter how down his mother is feeling, he knows how to lift her spirits.  He has filled a hole in her heart while Chris has been gone. 

He makes us all laugh.

But more importantly, he has taught us to love a little more.

He has taught us to hold on to each other a little tighter.

He has taught us that life is short, so wear crazy hair.

He has taught us it is OK to wear your pajamas all day, sometimes.

...and he has taught us how to party.

We love our Lukee!!!!!

Want to win...

...chocolate?

Here's how...


I know I blogged about the big project that was started and finished in 5 days.  I find myself just opening the pantry door and staring in to the vast space created by adding and organizing shelves and feeling really good about my accomplishment. 




...but...

...I actually started another project several months ago that I haven't mentioned.  I redecorated the guest bathroom.  I tore out 20 year old wallpaper, painted, added a new faucet (so cute), new light bar, and a fabulous, and I mean FABULOUS mirror that I bought at my favorite boutique in Farmington. (call me crazy, but I think I look much younger in this mirror)(The boutique is called, "Just A Bed of Roses" and it is a fun place to buy things that you don't really need, but can't live without) Thanks to D for telling me about it.



The paint is blue/green depending on the lighting, as you can see, there is a lot of difference in the pictures.  Long ago, when the girls were all home, I found the best place for me to get ready for the day without getting in the way, was to use the downstairs bathroom)  I wallpapered it a few weeks after we moved to UT and I loved the yellow wallpaper so much that it made me sad to tear it down.  The time had come, though, with years of hairspray built up, the green vine on the wallpaper had turned a sour brown. 

...so it was time and now the job is done...

...well, almost....

(Yes, I saw the toothpaste smears on the mirror, but hey, I've been busy so keep all negative comments to yourself.)

...I need help.  I want to put a vinyl wall saying on the wall above the towels and I can't find one that I really like.  I could use suggestions.

If anyone has good ideas for a powder room saying, send it to me or leave a comment and I will send you one of my favorite new chocolate treats.  (I'm not telling you what it is, because I want you to be surprised.  You know me though, it will be chocolate.)

PS Your saying doesn't have to be picked to receive the prize.  All you have to do is submit a suggestion and a fabulous chocolaty dessert will show up at your house.

Every family has their secrets...

...right?

Don't we all have something hidden away that is too embarrassing to share.  My secret has been hidden and ignored for so long, that if anyone came to visit, I would do anything to avoid them seeing how bad it was.  Heaven forbid I should die and the Relief Society would come in to clean my house.  I would be forever a scorned woman if they knew how bad my hidden shame was.


For a long time (I hate to admit it, but really it has been years) I have wanted to fix it.


The problem was my pantry was totally wrong.  The shelves were on the wrong side, they were too wide and to top it all off, there was a cold air return in the center of the pantry.


For years I have come home from the grocery store and placed/thrown canned goods and rice-a-roni boxes, marshmallow bags and chocolate chip packages into the jungle of junk in the pantry.  If I ever needed anything from the pantry that was out of sight or beyond an arms reach, it was easier to run to the store and buy it than to search through the pantry for it. 


All of this combined into a plethora (love that word) of out-dated canned goods that had turned into a Pandora's box (love that phrase) of boxes and cans.  A jumbled mess that contained packets of pancake mix (Christmas cards still attached with curly ribbon) from the neighbors that have long since moved out of the neighborhood, jars of homemade peaches that had pickled themselves,  and broken spaghetti noodles spilled from split cellophane packages were my deep, dark secrets.


Thursday was my day to come out of the closet (actually it was the pantry and I was going in rather than coming out).  I faced my fear and dove in head first.


Step 1:  removed everything, food, flashlights, bake pans, all the way down to the floor and including the floor.  Gutted it!  Gone!  Out of there!

Step 2:  headed to Home Depot for shelves, screw, brackets and floor tiles


Step 3:  fresh coat of sparkly, high gloss, white paint

Step 4:  more paint (looking better and smells great)

Step 5:  start installing shelves


Step 6:   back to Home Depot for more screws


Step 7:  install all of shelves


Step 8:  back to Home Depot for carpenter's square


Step 9:  start to install floor tiles


Step 10:  back to Home Depot for liquid level to even floor


Step 11:  pour liquid level and WAIT for it to dry (hate the wait)

Step 12:  finish installing floor

Step 13:  back to Home Depot for vent covers

Step 14:  Monday night, throw out bulging cans and organize shelves

Step 15:  back to Home Depot to buy a garbage disposal (why does something else always fall apart in the middle of my projects)

Step 15:  eat a whole box of Cavanaugh's mindy mints

Ta-Dah!

Here are pics of the weekend soccer games.  Emry and Amelia love Preston.  He loves to make them laugh.  Here is Amelia tickling Preston and Preston pretending to be tickled.

Abbie's fancy footwork.  Proud to say that that fancy footwork paid off.  Abbie was the first one to score at her game Saturday.  Madison, Abbie and Luke all won their game.  Good day in the Tyler home.

Michael coaching the goalie.

Luke practicing using his headlamp to go hunting with Grandpa.

...still practicing.

High fives to Michael for installing the disposal and Matthew for cutting shelves and being supportive through the process. I know I'm overly focused during my projects and tend to ignore everything else, including my husband. He is always forgiving and patient. Love him!

Let me tell you...

...about the sweetest girl I know.



Abbie's favorite color is yellow.  And I mean YELLOW!!!  Yellow suckers, yellow shirts, yellow balloons, yellow toothbrushes, yellow.....well,  you fill in the blank, because it doesn't matter what it is as long as it is yellow. 

 ...and now that I think about it, there is a perfectly good reason that this sweet birthday angel loves yellow....

 ...yellow is the color of sunshine that brightens the day, daisies that warm the heart, fuzzy ducklings that make us giggle, and sweet lemonade on a hot summer day.

 ...anything yellow, from stop lights to sunflowers, make me think of Abbie.

 ...Abbie is a hundred percenter!!!  100% of the time, when I see Abbie, she comes running, arms open, smiling broad and bright to throw her arms around my waist to give me a hug.

...it's a gift I believe, a spiritual gift, to be able to spread sunshine everywhere you go.  In fact, I think that song, you know, "Scatter sunshine, all along the way.  Cheer and bless and brighten, every passing day", was written about Abbie. 

 I have never left Abbie's presence, that I didn't feel better about life, about me.  I have never spent time with this angel girl and not loved every second of it and thanked Heavenly Father for bringing her into my life. 

If you ask for a volunteer for a new adventure, Abbie's your girl.

If you hear laughter, look for Abbie to be in the middle of it.

If you see a sunbeam radiating light in the yard, it's probably Abbie.

If there is someone having fun, no matter what, no matter where, it's Abbie.

If there is joy in your heart, it's probably because Abbie is near.

If a song is being sung, it's Abbie singing with her whole heart and soul.

I love the memory I have of Abbie the day she was born.  They wrapped up our newest angel, put a hat on her head and handed  her to her daddy.  He sat on the couch, cradling her in his arms and cried happy tears.  He was so happy.

I turned to get the camera to take their picture, but stopped and just took in the moment.  It was amazing.  This beautiful little girl, just minutes old, was staring directly into her daddy's eyes and it felt so familiar.  The two of them had been together before and they were just renewing a very old friendship that started long before the veil was drawn.

Abbie was more alert than most newborns.  She wouldn't take her eyes off her dad's eyes.  She was looking directly into his soul and I know she realized that he would always take care of her.  She felt safe and she felt loved.

She is sunshine in a bouncy, blond-haired, blue-eyed, 8 year old body.


Yes, Abbie is loved and treasured by all of us. 

She is joy!