A little shout out....

I just wanted to tell people about a new link on my blog.

Brandon's sister and brother in law have started a new business. It is a weight loss clinic called, "Vital Solutions". They use the same "technique" there that helped them to collectively lose over 100 pounds! It is crazy how fast they lost weight without having surgery! It's definitely worth checking out just to see how amazing they look!

Look for the link to: "Vital Solutions" or go HERE!

A Merry ChRiStMaS Greeting!

*disclaimer: (I really hate to be doing this. I don't want you to think I am a "cop-out" so...let me explain! I made a list of who we would send a Christmas card to, another list of who we'd send a picture to and yet another list of who we'd be giving a goodie plate to....all on the same piece of paper. Well...I got half way through with the "Christmas card" list and then got distracted by other equally worthy tasks...and then I lost the paper...not only do I not remember who was on what list, I don't remember who the "lucky few" were who got a card...and now I am out of time....SO...call me a "cop-out" if you must but this online Christmas greeting comes from the bottom of our hearts!)

I starting typing a "family news letter"...but deleted it because anyone who has the time or cares enough to read it probably keeps up on what is going on in our family through our blog...so I will spare you!

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family members. Each of you has a different influence over our lives and we have a different relationship with each of you. Because of that we have been given the great gift of learning from your example through sharing in your joys and sorrows and in sharing ours with you.

We hope that this Christmas season you will feel a renewal of hope and peace as you pause to recall our Savior Jesus Christ and the significance of his humble birth. We know He lives. We know that through Him the heavens and earth were created. We know that He is "the way, the truth and the light". Through the scriptures, we have studied about Him and gained a sure knowledge that He is who He proclaimed to be, the Son of God and the Savior of all mankind. We pray that each of us will come to know Him better and be able to have His spirit with us not only during this magical Christmas season...but always.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
The Brandon Flake family

Am I gonna get it ALL done!?

Let me tell you! We're getting down to the wire folks! I am feeling the pressure! I have been baking my buns off today so that we can have some yummy cookies to take to our family and friends...I still need to make the frosting for them then package them up...I also need to go through the gifts I have bought and make sure I have everyone covered, I need to make a trip to Show Low to get a few last minute items, not to mention the fact that I haven't wrapped any gifts yet or cleaned my house.......I want to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning because that's what we always had for breakfast growing up on Christmas morning and my two older brothers are coming up with their wife and fiance so I want to do that for them...I still need to make dinner for tonight and I haven't had a shower today...or brushed my teeth! (I did chew some minty gum...does that count even a little?) I am feeling like I am not going to be able to get everything done! I know that when I feel this way I tend to go into panic mode and turn into a crazed woman. I am hoping that doesn't happen! Maybe I need to just let a few things "go".....I don't know.

Just needed to vent for a second! Thanks for listening!

Oh....and one funny thing!

Kaitlyn just told Addie, "I think you're going to be on Santa's naughty list!" And Addie said, "No I not! I'll "poof" myself off!".... Addie likes to pretend that she has, "powers" To utilize them all the has to do it point her finger and say "poof"!

A little update...

I just got an email from Angela today. She told me that they have raised enough money to cover all of Kaiya's funeral expenses! And, as of right now, it looks like their insurance company is going to be covering all the other monstrous bills! What a BLESSING that would be!

I just want to tell everyone who has donated to their family, "Thank you". I have NO idea who has donated but I know that many of you have and I am just so grateful for you generous people! I know that having the means to pay for Kaiya's funeral has helped to bring some peace to Angie and her family.

To learn more about the heart condition that Kaiya was born with, go HERE.

kindda funny

I know I have been doing tons of posts about Addie lately...but she's just in a funny stage right now.

Yesterday, we were making ornaments (if you want the dough recipe for that, let me know) anyhow... my Visiting Teacher who is an older lady came over to give me some yummy goodies and a little message about "the light of Christ". It was SO thoughtful of her to come over. I am sad to say that she might not have thought so after she left! Here's a little conversation that took place.

Addie: (w/her hair all a mess with dough in it) "Your hair is beautiful"

Sister?: "Why thank you!"

Addie: "Are you a boy or a girl?"

(talk about building someone up just to knock them down!)

Sister?: "I am a Grandma"

OH the things our kids say! I tried to smooth things over by asking Addie if SHE was a boy or a girl...I don't know if it worked. With any luck, Sister? has a good sense of humor right?

"heart baby"

Brendan and Katie Cluff are good friends of ours. They have a new little nephew named Conner who just underwent open heart surgery yesterday. To see how he and his family are doing, go HERE.

ADDIE is 3!

Today is Adelin's 3d birthday! Can you believe it!? I was looking in her journal and on her 1st birthday I mentioned that I hadn't written about the night she was born yet and promised to do it soon...well...I looked through the rest of her journal and realized that I never wrote about it...maybe I did in an email or something...in fact, in her journal I found conflicting information about her birth weight! On her announcement it says she was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and in her journal I wrote that she weighed 8 lbs. 14 ounces...which I know for a fact is false! I don't know where I got that from!

I just looked through my past emails and wasn't able to find anything containing the story of the night Addie was born. I guess it's never too late!

So, Adelin was born two and a half weeks before her due date on December 15th, 2005 at 11:36 p.m. in Show Low, Arizona at Navapache Regional Medical Center. Dr. Tindall delivered her. She weighed 7lbs. 6 oz. and was 22 inches long. We were all surprised that she was such a skinny baby because Kaitlyn had been a chunk!

Adelin Dee (her middle name is after my Great Aunt Deanna) was my shortest delivery. She was born just two and a half hours from the time I started thinking that maybe the pains I was feeling weren't gas! We had just moved here to Snowflake 2 weeks earlier and were very busy cleaning and fixing up our house (that still hasn't changed!)...we decided to make a trip to Show Low to get a few things, including a Christmas Tree. We were at Home Depot looking at light fixtures when I started feeling labor pains...but still I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not. We paid for our things and got in our car (actually...now that I think about it...we had borrowed Brandon's dad's truck to bring home our Christmas tree and it was a good thing because his cell phone was in it...and we didn't have one!) I told Brandon that I was having pretty regular pains but we decided to eat dinner and finish our shopping. We must have let Kaitlyn pick where to eat because we ended up at the McDonald's inside Wal-Mart. We ordered our food and I tried to eat my chicken nuggets but found myself timing contractions instead. People where looking at me like, "Hey lady! The hospital is across the street!" I didn't want to go lay around the hospital for hours in labor... so we walked around Wal-Mart (still timing contractions...they were like 3-4 minutes apart)...By the time we got to the garden area I wasn't concerned about what species of tree we got, how tall it was or if it had bare spots. We grabbed a tree, Brandon went and got the truck, called his mom to ask her to meet us at our house and we were off! I think we called my parent's along the way as well. Mary Louise met us at our house and I hurried and packed a suit case for Kaitlyn...(still timing contractions...they were like 1 minute apart now)...then we got my bag, hoped in the car and sped back to Show Low. Brandon and I were taking bets on how dilated I'd be and how much longer I'd be in labor. We got to the hospital. I walked into the Emergency Room and they were hurriedly getting me a wheel chair and acting like somehow coming through in the hospital door had taken away my ability to walk. But, I sat in the wheel chair and they wheeled me past all the sick people who wished me "good luck"...and into Labor and Delivery. I remember telling them that my first baby was born after being in labor for 5 hours and that I was dilated to a 4 at my doctor appointment the day before. They of course acted like I didn't know what I was talking about...which was okay...they found out pretty quick that I move along fast...luckily Dr. Tindall got there in time! Adelin was born and we were SO happy...especially me...there's nothing better than the relief from pain you feel after giving birth followed by the joy and awe of holding your little baby. We thought Addie was hungry because she kept licking the nurses hands...but we later found out that she just has an extra long tongue...(courtesy of her Aunt Kayla I am told!) Another thing I remember about Adelin's birth is that while Dr. Tindall was delivering what he called "The ugly twin" (aka placenta) He and Brandon talked about cows and how they eat the placenta after they "calf". Lovely huh? They talked about cows after Weston was born too. Anyhow...Adelin was such a cute little baby. Her nose was a little mashed up, but that helped me to know that she was my baby! I stayed in the hospital an extra day because I had group B strep and didn't have time to get the antibiotics for it prior to delivery. I loved that they brought her to me in a Christmas stocking and a little hat after they did all the tests on her and washed her up after she was born! She's been a bundle of joy and a handful every since. We wouldn't trade her in for a less hyper active child...would we Brandon? If nothing else, besides the headaches, she gives us lots of stories to tell! For instance! The other night we were at Lowe's looking at bathroom sinks and vanities. Kaitlyn, Adelin and Weston were all having a great time playing "pretend" with the display tubs, toilets and sinks. Brandon and I were discussing pedestal sinks when we heard, "I need to go to the bathroom!" and turned around to see Addie with her pants down, climbing on to a display toilet! We were lucky enough to stop her before any "damage" was done. Brandon and I both later agreed that if she had "damaged" the toilet...we would have just closed the lid and walked away.

Well!!! Addie-girl! I hope you have a fun 3rd birthday with many more to come!

Newborn...

One year old.

Turning two...

Love ya! {hugs & kisses}

Song about Jake

THIS is the song that Ken and Rusty sang at the Heritage Award dinner! (if the song isn't on YouTube yet...check back a little later because as of right now it is still "being processed")

Potty Trained???

Hmmm....can you guess who the subject of this post is?????

So...I was wondering where Addie was and hollered, "Addie, where are you?" to which she replied, "I am in here wiping my bum!" I looked in the bathrooms...no Addie...so I looked in Weston's room...and there was Adelin... lying on the changing table wiping herself with a baby wipe.

Somehow I just don't recall that being anything close to what I have tried to teach her about proper bathroom "etiquette"!

"...make sure your babies grow up to be CoWBoYs!"

Last Friday night, Brandon and I...along with the majority of his siblings, his mom and hundreds of other people...attended the 2008 Arizona Heritage Award dinner at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort put on by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board of Directors. In Jake's honor, Mary Louise was presented with the award which "honors individuals whose accomplishments and commitments to Arizona are recognized not only in Arizona but also nationally and internationally." Not only was there an award presentations...but these people went ALL OUT! They had a life size cut out of Jake on a horse and when we were seated at our (huge) table, beside each plate was a miniature f-bar branding iron with a tag attached to it that said,"In Memory of Jake Flake". We were then served a wonderful meal (if you like mostly raw steak or salmon...which I don't...{the steak was raw...not the fish})...but I am certain everyone else there enjoyed their meal and even though my steak was bright pink inside I totally appreciated the "plate presentation!" They branded the steak with the f-bar brand! WAY COOL! (I took a picture!) Along with dinner, there was a wonderful program. Whoever planned it did such a good job! They had a video presentation with pictures of Jake and comments from people he knew saying nice things about him. There were tributes given by Russell Bowers, Jeff Flake (Brandon's cousin and U.S. Congressman) and also Senator Jon Kyl. My favorite part of the whole program was the song written and performed by Ken Bennett (former Senate Pres. and a good friend of Jake's)...and another guy...I can't remember his name (Mindy told me it was Rusty Bowers???) Anyhow...the song they sang was hilarious. I was able to record most of it but it's hard to make out some of the parts...and I was really trying hard to not laugh and make the camera shake...but I don't think I did a very good job at that! All I can say is that the whole night was wonderful. I am so glad I went. It made me miss Jake, but being in a room full of people who missed him too was comforting. Arizona really knows how to "mourn with those who mourn".

The Man of Honor!

Part of our group......and the rest. Yes, these are all Brandon's siblings and their spouses...minus 7 people (Jennifer, Darin, Doug, Jenn, Pam, Jeff L. and me {behind the camera}, and plus Jeff and Cheryl).

I included this picture because it shows the little branding iron...and because it looks like Jeff is a chorister...even though he wasn't leading music! :)Them was some good vittles! :) {at least the veggies I ate were!}Getting ready to sing....stay tuned for the footage! Award being presented to Mary Louise.

random stuff

I have so much to catch up on it's not even funny...and I am not just talking about the blog! I don't know when I will have time to really bring things up to pace with pictures and everything!

Here's a little of what's happened with us (mostly me...) lately!

• We had Thanksgiving with the Barrett crew at my parents house. I peeled enough potatoes to feed a small Army! All my siblings were there except for my little brother Eric and his wife! Good food and good company...what more could you ask for? (not to gain 3 pounds...probably...which I did!)
• Friday Brandon took Kaitlyn to Urgent Care in Mesa....she had some sort of throat infection...got her some meds. and she's on the mend!
• My mommy and I carried on our tradition of Black Friday shopping. We got to our first store, WalMart, at about 5:30 a.m. We also hit Target, Kohl's and Sears! My mom had to go to work at 10:30...so we had to stop shopping. :(
• Went out to dinner with Angela and Kevin. It's was the first time Brandon and I had gone to Texas Road House. I am not a steak lover....but I ordered steak and it was GOOD! The best part of all was getting to talk to Angie and Kevin. We just need to live by each other...then we wouldn't have to hang out in the Texas Road House parking lot until midnight! (really!!!! We lost track of time and I loved every minute of it!)
• I got to take pictures of my sister in-laws family and also my friend Amber's family!
• Drove home Saturday night....and I still haven't finished unpacking!
• Took Weston to the Dr. today...found out he has an ear infection...took Kaitlyn to the dentist...no cavities again! :)

Last night was the first night of the 12 Days of Christmas that the town puts on. There's a performance or display of some kind every night for the first 12 days of December! Last night was the "town lighting"...the H.S. Honors Choir sang songs, they had a hay ride, a live nativity (with a very ornery goat! It was ramming kids left and right! It rammed Kaitlyn but she just fell on her bum and didn't get hurt...I don't think any of the kids did...) and a nativity scene display with all sorts of different sets...there was hot cocoa, cookies and SANTA! We weren't going to wait in line to see Old St. Nick...but by the time we were going to leave the line was half it's original length, so we decided to go for it. It was getting kindda chilly so Addie and I went into Ed's and bought some hot cocoa (the free vendors had cleaned up). I was filing the cups with hot cocoa and before I could get a lid on the first cup, Addie tried to get it off of the counter and spilt cocoa all on her face and in her eye. I hurried and got some napkins wet and put it on her face, cleaned her off and put some ice on it. The funny thing is that she didn't cry and the cocoa didn't even burn her. I was thinking that maybe the cocoa wasn't that hot so while we were leaving the store, I took a drink and it burned my tongue. I mean BAD...it still kindda hurts! The cocoa was so hot that Brandon and I blew on it for a half hour before we could even let the kids take a sip! I have no idea how Addie didn't get burns on her face from spilling that streaming hot cocoa on herself. I told Brandon that she has a legion of guardian angels keeping her safe! I was thinking about this today....wondering why she didn't get burned...I thought maybe it's because I pray for her safety everyday. But then I started thinking about all the other moms that pray for their kids health and safety and still bad things happen. I of course thought of Angela and Kevin and their sweet little Kaiya. I know they prayed harder than they have ever prayed in their lives for that girl to be healthy...but still, Heavenly Father took her home. So today I had to ask "WHY?" I know that not only does Heavenly Father have a plan to make it possible for us to return back to Him, but he also has an individual plan for us...one that will make us experience the joys and sorrows that we need to experience in order to learn and reach our fullest potential....but still...this afternoon, I had to ask again, "Why?" Why pray if the outcome is already set? And the answer to that, I think, is a basic gospel principle..."faith". When trials come upon us...they are either a consequence of our own actions...or something we have no control over. When I have found myself in situations where I can wondering, "why?" (like today) the outcome I have come to is that I don't KNOW why...and that is where faith comes in. I have to have faith that I do have a loving Father in Heaven who does have a plan just for me. I was reading in the Ensign today and came across this quote by Elder Oaks. "Healing blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to Him who loves us best. Sometimes a 'healing' cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are 'healed' by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us." So, why do we need to pray? So that we can exercise our faith...so that we can ask for those healing blessings. If we are not willing to ask, and look for ways to over come our trials, then we aren't going to learn from them and we aren't going to have joy...and we aren't going to be able to stay close to the Spirit by expressing our gratitude for the blessing we have. It's so easy to wish we didn't have to have trials and to only always be happy...but I think that as we overcome each trial, our joy becomes greater than it ever could have been.

...I don't know...what do you all think?

Well......speaking of joys and sorrows....I hear my two youngest "joys" expressing their "sorrows". (Addie and Weston are both crying)....better go see if I can get them back to sleep!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

We're off to the Valley! We're having Thanksgiving with my family this year!

Can I just say that I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner!? I only eat turkey (besides the lunch meat kind) once a year...(okay...more than once...but all in the matter of like 2 days!) ...and I think I eat enough in those 2 days to make up for it! I love leftover turkey sandwiches...but not as much as I LOVE pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream! I miss my mom's homemade rolls though. Since she's been working at the bakery...she doesn't make them as often. I guess it's easier to bring fresh ones home. If I were GOOD...I'd make the rolls...and I DO know how to make rolls...but the last time I baked in my moms kitchen...well...I wont share that story....

I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

{{(gobble gobble!)}}

I highly recommend reading the post Angela and Kevin have on their blog about Kaiya. It's something we all need to hear and remember I think.

This Weekend.....

We just got home from the Valley. We left Thursday. We got to Mesa at about 7:30 p.m. and went directly to my friend Jami's house. She, Skye, Liz and I got together there and planned out who needed to be in charge of what for the fundraiser breakfast. It was fun to chit chat and work together...but...by the time we left...I was beginning to feel like there was NO way we were going to pull this thing off in two weeks. We got to Brandon's sister (Mindy's) house and Mindy told me about her neighbors who did a car wash and earned a GOOD amount of money...and that got me thinking that a car wash would be a WHOLE lot easier to plan and probably be as lucrative. I was nervous to bring this up to the other ladies...but when I did...they said that they were having similar thoughts...SO...we're going to have a car wash! (I am a little sad to not being eating breakfast with Santa. That would have been SO fun!)

Friday morning Brandon and I attended Kaiya's funeral services. (a BIG thank you to Mindy for watching our kids!) We arrived early and were able to see Kaiya. She looked so perfect and peaceful. I loved watching her big sisters interact with her. Emma, Riley and Kaiya wore matching lockets containing pictures of them and their family that I thought were precious. Angela looked beautiful. Honestly... I have always thought that she's pretty...but Friday, she really looked great! It was SO good to see her and give her a hug and to hear her laugh. I love Angie's laugh! It's contagious! Kevin had put together a slide show on his lap top that they played. While watching it I realized that little Kaiya got to be a nudest in only a diaper her whole life! I mentioned that to Angie and she said the first time Kaiya got to wear clothes was when she dressed her in her pretty white dress.

After the viewing we went into the cool breezy day and gathered around Kaiya's grave site. So many people had showed up that there was standing room only. I was touched by the arms I saw wrapped around the person next to them. Angela had asked me to take pictures during the service. I was grateful for this for two reasons. Number one...it kept me busy (and my eyes free from tears...I am not against crying...but I knew if I started crying it would be hard to stop and crying would make it hard to take pictures.)...and number two...it was an honor. I consider it a privilege that I was able to capture those memories for Angela and her family. Someday, I hope that they will be able to look back on those pictures and be grateful for the feelings they invoke...and I pray that those feeling will be ones of love for their tiny daughter, peace found through their Saviour, increased compassion for others who grieve and hope in the promises of Eternity. The Bishop who was conducting the services said something that I thought was touching. I wish I could remember his exact words. But he said something to the affect that Kaiya's life may have been short but it was full of love and that the love her life created is still here..and because of that love, those who know love her now have a greater capacity to love. Kaiya may not be here but the that love is and it will continue to grow. It just made me think that if we could all love each other in that pure and perfect way...then we'd know what it truly means to have charity which is "the pure love of Christ". I have to mention an act of charity I witnessed at Kaiya's services: It was pretty windy outside. They had placed Kaiya's casket on a stand and the wind was making it so wobbly that it looked like it was going to fall. The thing that touched me was that a man from the funeral home knelt there through out the whole service (probably about 30 minutes) and held that platform still. He was an older gentleman and I am sure it got uncomfortable to kneel there but he never showed it. I really think it was a great lesson on how we need to reach out and help others even if it makes us a little uncomfortable.

Well...after the services Brandon and I picked our kiddos up from Mindy's house and went to the luncheon at Angela's in-laws. I just loved being able to talk to Angela in person...and her whole family is just so warm and welcoming.

After eating, we went back to Mindy and Chad's. Mindy had asked me to take her family pictures. We ventured out to do it...but we ran into a couple issues...we were losing light fast and Karalee wasn't feeling too photogenic. We got a few shots and called it quits. We went back to their house and ate pizza and some yummy salsa that Mindy whipped up!

This morning Mindy and I went garage-selling! I LOVE to shop garage sells...but I seldom get up in time! Mindy's neighborhood had some good ones! I didn't really think I'd find anything I'd want to buy...but I found a few things! My best deals were an old wooden sled for $5 and a big mirror for free! Mindy scored pretty good too! She got a bin of craft things and a sewing machine (that works) all for $10! After our yard selling adventure, I edited pictures for the Hodges then we loaded up and took them to Angela. After that we got some lunch and went to my parents house to eat. The kids were happy to see Grandma and Grandpa...they even got to see their great-Grandpa Newbold! He drove over and we all sat in the front yard visiting while the kids rode bikes and scooters. My mom rode a bike today for the first time in probably 20 years...and I rode around with Kaitlyn for a little bit too....then we left to drive home! The kids did great...they're so used to the trip...we don't even use the DVD player to keep them entertained anymore!

Now we have next week to look forward to! Kaitlyn has her Thanksgiving program on Tuesday that I am so excited to go to! Then Tuesday night (or maybe early Wednesday morning) we are driving back down to Mesa! I hope to get in a little more visiting time with Angela! I also have plans to meet up with my friend Amber (from my MCC days) to take her family pictures. They live in Huston (but will be in the Valley for Thanksgiving) and just found out that they are moving to China! Then Thursday we will have dinner with my family...and Friday I hope to get some Christmas shopping done...and then we'll come home on Saturday!

Hope you all are doing great! I have to go get my kiddos in bed now!

Love ya!

"Breakfast With Santa" CANCELED....

(A different fundraiser is being planned)