The kiddos

My mother-in-law had a theory that time was speeding up over time.  Lately I feel like she was dead on.  My kids are growing up and it's all happening so fast I hardly know what to make of it.  Pretty soon they'll be grown and I still won't quite know what I want to be when I grow up.  My grandfather recently turned 85 and I worked on a book to chronicle his posterity.  In preparation for that I took pictures on my kids to include in the book.  See for yourself if they've grown faster than it seems time should allow.

 Kaleb just turned 13!

Sage will turn 11 in a month!!!

 This handsome Karter-man turned 7 a few months ago!

















And of course our 40 pound baby Shay is growing at such a rate she'll reach adulthood before the others!!!  Every so often I get sad to see how quickly they are changing, but it's been a priviledge to be their mother.  I cherish the times we've spent together.

P.S. - I didn't take the picture of Shaylee.  That one was done by Alexandra Peterson Beckstrand.

My New Adventure

Just so you all know I have changed my mind about holistic medicine.  I've spent years laughing at how silly it all sounds.  But a few years ago I was having outrageous trouble with my allergies.  I mentioned it to a friend of mine and she said she could help.  Of course being skeptical me, I told her not to worry about it and I headed for the doctor.  At the doctor they gave me a shot of steroids which worked to keep the allergies under control for a short time.  I was scheduled for allergy testing so we could begin shots to help with the problem.  Before the testing I found out that the it was going to cost almost $200.  At the time that wasn't an expense I could afford.  So, I crawled back to my friend and told her I would try anything.  She sold me a $25 kit with 3 essential oils lavender, peppermint and lemon.  All I needed to do was mix 1 drop of each with a small amount of water and knock it back each morning and evening.  To my great surprise, IT WORKED!

Being skeptical me, I only used that one solution and paid no attention to the other "amazing" things she was doing with essential oils.  A year later that friend had moved. 

But that's not the end, an old college roommate invited me to come listen to a nurse friend of hers who was doing doTerra as a business.  Seeing as how it had been a while since I had seen her I decided to go just to see my old friend.  I was determined not to buy a thing.  I left that class amazed, intrigued and wanted proof.  So, I started purchasing oils 1 or 2 at a time from my old roommate.  Since, I have been able to get my 2 asthmatic children off of all steroids, I have slowed the progression of my varicose veins, gotten off anti-anxiety meds, warded off my annual bronchitis, shortened a number of colds and coughs, and brought my migraine count down from having a headache most days to 1 or 2 a month.  You could easily say, I got the proof I was looking for.

So, now I have decided to go ahead with doTerra as a business.  To be perfectly honest it's not about making a bunch of money.  Money is lovely, but it doesn't compare to what I feel in helping others.  I truly believe these oils can make a difference for people.  It sure has for me.

If you're curious you can take a look at the website without me knowing a thing: http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/mikihone

If you want proof. Call me up or email me and I'll get you some samples so you can see for yourself.

Fun Utah Weekend

We had the opportunity last weekend to spend a few days in Salt Lake.  Thanks to Jeff and Becki for allowing us to stay with them!  Thanks to Kale and Ken for helping us celebrate Miki's birthday!  While Miki attended the doTerra conference, Kal spent some quality time with the kids.  Here are some pictures and videos to highlight our fun:

September Utah Weekend

Hone Family 2012

Here's the latest and greatest of the our family.  This picture was taken for us by Marissa Moss at our adoption photo shoot we did a few weeks ago.  The pictures are going to be used for an adoption outreach book I'm working on completing.  If you'd like to look at more of Marissa's work visit her at www.marissadphotography.com 

Happy Easter

This Easter was a special one. We had family in town! Kal's cousin and his family came for a visit. We had a great time on Friday morning having a warm-up egg hunt. It was perfect to get Shaylee ready for Easter morning. At that egg hunt they had a unique idea: each child had a certain type of egg they had to hunt (Kaleb had camo, Sage had pink camo, Karter had blue with polka dots, and Shaylee had solid orange eggs). It was perfect! Each child had 18 eggs of their color or pattern to find. No one went without and no one hoarded. We thought it was pure genius! Plus, we could hide the older kids eggs in more difficult locations to make the hunt more of a challenge. Thank you so much Gunderson's for being a part of our Easter!

Today we had our own egg hunt and gifts from the big bunny.  We always have so much fun!  For sacrament meeting we got to visit the Serene Ward where we used to live.  One of my former young women just returned from a mission to Guatemala and was speaking today.  It's always so rewarding to see the young people we've taught make good choices.

We hope each of you had a wonderful Easter and took a little time to reflect on the gifts we've been given by our Lord and Savior.  As I told my CTR 5 class, someday we too will live again!  What more can we ask for?!?
 

Daddy Daughter Day

A few months ago, Sage heard about The Color Run and decided she wanted to do it. And so we did. She paid her own registration fee, then got up with me at 6am to train for two months before the big day. The Color Run is a 5K run for charity, so it is not timed...but it's a ton of fun. I put a video together to remember it by. It's quite colorful!

http://youtu.be/Kr1ryWH02DA

More pics here:

The Color Run Las Vegas 2012

That same night, her school sponsored the annual Daddy Daughter Dance, so we got dressed up for the occasion and went to dinner at the Olive Garden with her friend Pheobe and dad before heading over to dance the night away. I was so privileged to be able to spend the day with my sweet Sage. What more could a dad ask for?

Christmas 2011

This year has sped by for us at an incredible pace. Already we're 2 weeks from Christmas and 1 week from Kal's graduation (a day we thought might never come). 2011 has been a busy and blessed year. Our family has grown in stature and love.

We've thoroughly enjoyed watching our little Shaylee grow and develop. She is still a bright light in our lives. Her smile lights up the most difficult day. Her new achievements are less than fun at times. She loves to stand on the chairs, counter or table and yell "get down!!!" She then giggles as though she's done something clever. She's definitely going on 2. All the same, we still feel so grateful she is ours.

Karter (6) is our big Kindergartner! He's doing a great job learning to read and is really good at addition and subtraction. His new love is tennis. He loves wielding a tennis racket and running drills. As always he loves anything Kaleb is into and anything rough, tough and huge. He loves having a baby sister which is such a relief to us and is such a wonderful, loving big brother.

Our preteen, Sage (10), is becoming such a little lady. She loves attending achievement days and being with the girls. She's regularly painting finger and toenails. Like Karter she loves tennis. But her true love is dancing. For her birthday we bought her Just Dance 2 and we have a steady competition going in our house to see who is the best dancer.

We officially have a middle schooler, priesthood holder (deacon) and young man. Kaleb turned 12 this past October. He loves scouts especially since his dad is the deacon quorum adviser. He still enjoys Lego's, tennis and playing the guitar. Next Friday Kaleb will have his guitar accompaniment debut at the Silver Sands Montessori Holiday Festival at UNLV. He and his teacher will accompany his class while they sing "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing".

Kalvan is SUPER busy. His schedule keeps him hopping and at times sleepless. Besides his full-time job at the City of Henderson he's completing his MBA at UNLV. Fortunately as I previously mentioned graduation is only a matter of days away. His new calling this year is one he's always wanted. He's the deacon quorum advisor and assistant scout master. Hopefully, in January we'll be seeing a bit more of him in the evenings.

As for me, I'm still driving the family taxi, balancing the budget, nursing sick and bruised kids, the family shopping guru, cooking, cleaning and am Shaylee's acting best friend. In September I was released from the primary presidency then placed right back into primary as the CTR 5 teacher. Don't let anyone tell you other wise, primary is the place to be! The spirit of these little ones is so humbling. It never ceases to amaze me how much I can learn about our Father in Heaven while interacting with the primary children. His love for them is so undeniable.

At this Christmas season it's easy to get caught up in the busy work and abundant activities. In the quiet moments I'm reminded that it is because of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who descended from his throne above that makes our lives not only worth living, but sweet. The love and gifts he gives us are so numerous our lives can be rich with joy if only we seek Him. The precious gift of his life is what this magical holiday season is all about. With joy and thanksgiving I share my testimony that He lives. He loves us and wants us not only to obey but to find joy in our journey. This Christmas season take a minute and reflect on His love.

With all our love,
Kalvan, Miki, Kaleb, Sage, Karter, and Shaylee Hone