Ode to my Mother

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She would have been 64 years old. I just wanted to say that she was a great mom to me and my big brother Rick. We loved her very much. I miss her everyday but know that she is in a better place and watching over us like she did here on earth. She was also a great grandma to my boys and to my niece Taylor. They miss her very much but are they also know that she is in a better place and she is out of pain now. Growing up my mother always made sure that we had what we needed to get through school and to help us become the parents that we are today.

My parents were married in Dec of 1966 and they were happy up until I was 12 years old. Then they divorced and my mom took me and my brother to raise us. She never talked bad about anyone not even my dad. She was still in love with him just couldn't live with him is what she always told us. But even though she was alone raising us she made sure that we got to and from school and all of our church activities.

I got to go to Canada with my Grandma Mealey, my mom and my brother when I was little. She made sure that we knew who are family was and were we came from. This is a picture of 4 generations that was taken when we went up to Canada. My Granny Souch (Grandma Mealey's mom), My Grandma Mealey, My Mom and me. I think I was 8 years old in this picture.

My mom made sure that I graduated from High School. She was so proud of me that day. I was so happy that she was there for me too. My Senior year was tough with having to have a surgery at the beginning and having to be out of school for 3 months. She helped me fight to be able to go to the prom, grad night and actually be able to paricipate in my high school graduation ceremony. I am glad that she was such a fighter for me.

She was always a big cheerleader for me and my brother in everything we did. She was also a great supporter to all of my friends that were around me too. When ever there was anything that they needed she tried to help them out.

Even when we made bad choices she never told us that she told us so. She let us make the choices and then learn from what we did. Like when I married my first husband Travis Anderson. She never told me that I wasn't going to be unhappy and wished us both the best in our marriage. And when that marriage failed she let me come back home and try and pick up the pieces after the hurt that I was going through. She helped me get back to church and make the right choices with my next one. She was extremely happy when I found Eric and went to the temple to be sealed and take out my own endownments. She supported me the whole way through it. Even with having a cast on her hand from having surgery she was there for me.

She was so excited that the day she became a grandma when my niece Taylor was born. She was the best grandma to her and my boys. I know that her life has been changed the day that my mom passed away. She is a great young women today for some of the things that my mom did for her.

This was the last picture takem of my mom with her grandsons. They were very excited to have a great grandma like my mom. She was so great to them. I believe that they are going to be great young men because of some of the things that she taught my boys. Plus she taught me how to be a great mom for my boys. The day that I learned that I needed to say goodbye to my mom was a hard one for me. But she taught me that I will see her again and with my temple blessings and hers I will be able to do that. I am so glad that she was my mom and was able to teach me to be a great mom too.

Christmas 2008

This year we had a small Christmas at home with just our family. Since we traveled for Thanksgiving it was nice just to be here with the family. We had a great suprise the week before Christmas and had company come into town. Eric's brother Tim(TJ)'s wife Mary, daughter Lizzie and mother-in-law came into town to try and avoid the snow on their trip home from Texas and instead they it the snow here in Vegas and wasn't able to drive through it. Also Mary's mom got sick and they ended up staying until Sunday.


Also on Saturday Eric's, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bob came through town on their way to Arizona for Christmas. We got together and had dinner with them at the South Point Buffet. It was nice seeing them again. We hadn't seen them since my dad had passed away in 2002 and we had gone up to Washington for his memorial. They hadn't seen my boys since Jake was 2 and Trent was only 6 months old. And they had never met Lizzie before. It was a great visit. We stayed at the buffet for 2 hours.

Well Christmas day was just small. But we actually like that.

This is the second Christmas that we have had since my mom has passed away and it is really different without her around to help me get my house all decorated for Christmas. And then with the snow we really weren't able to get into our garage to get the house all decorated up the way that we want it each year. But we did finally get one of our tree's up on Christmas eve and get some decorations on it in time to celebrate Christmas. We took around some bags of goodies to our friends in the ward. We had alot of fun doing that.The boys didn't believe us when we told them that if they weren't good through out the year that all they would get from Santa this year was buckets of coal. Well they each got buckets of coal. One small stocking with a Toontown card in it and a little lego. But I don't think that they really minded that they got a bucket of coal from Santa. They did get other gifts from mommy and daddy and they enjoyed those.

We got Bruce, Eric's dad, some sweats for USC and a digital photo frame that he has been asking for lately. Eric just asked to get his car fixed so that he can drive it again. I got a new camera that I can keep in my purse to be able to take pictures of cute when it happens. I also got a ihome for my ipod to be able to listen to it in my room.

On Friday we took the boys ice skating for the first time. They enjoyed it. We didn't last long at the rink though. My feet really started hurting and the boys I think got bored with it. I really am the only that can ice skate to be able to help the boys but we got them out there and they started to have fun.

It took me to coax them onto the ice by helping each of them by themsleves.

We were able to find these metal walkers that helped the boys skate on their own.

I think that they did very well for the fact that it was their first time being on skates.

In fact on Saturday Trent actually asked if he could go ice skating again. So to me I think that means he had fun.

Eye doctor and Glasses

I finally got all of my boys into the eye doctor. Trent was the first to go because his teacher was worried about his eye sight. It was taking him along time to copy something off of the whiteboard. So we took him in and he actually did need glasses for reading and looking at the board in school. So he doesn't need to be wearing them while playing outside. But he looks really cute in his glasses. But he could grow out of having to wear glasses.
So I finally got Jake and Eric to the eye doctor too. Jake got a good clean bill of eye sight. He actually has 20/20 eyesight. We were really proud of him for that. The next was Eric to see the eye doctor. He actually has good eyesight but in his left eye it was blurry. So he actually needed to get glasses to see long distance. He has to wear them when he is driving or watching tv at a distance. I think he looks handsome too.

Snowing in Vegas

We were luckly today and was able to get snow here in Vegas today. The boys wanted to go out and play in the snow when they found out that it was snowing. So we were able to find a place up in Summerlin where the snow was sticking and they had alot of fun playing in the snow.

We found an empty lot and was able to make a snowman with the boys.

We had alot of fun while playing in the snow.

Thanksgiving and the Beach

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. I got to go up and have Thanksgiving with my family in California. We drove up to Bakersfield on Thanksgiving and had one dinner with my family that lives there and my grandparents.

This is Trent and Jake with one of their cousins in Bakersfield, Nevin Gillis

The next day we drove up to Fresno and had another Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Fresno and Madera, my niece Taylor and my grandparents again. It was great. I hadn't seen alot of them since last year. And I hadn't seen Taylor for a year now. I really need to see her more often.

Jake and Trent with their Cousin Taylor Boswell (my niece)


Jake and Trent with their Great Grandma Mealey, my grandma.

Jake and Trent with their cousin Taylor and Great Grandparents, my grandparents.

Then afterwards we drove back to Bakersfield and spent the night and then the next day we drove down to Ventura and visited with Eric's Grammy and took the boys to the beach.

This was actually the first time that we had ever taken the boys to the beach. I think that is interesting that after 9 years of having the boys we had never taken them to the beach.

But they enjoyed it and forgot that it was the winter and decided to play in the ocean and get all wet.

Halloween and the Dentist.

Well this post has been long time coming. I know that I needed to post this after Halloween put I just now put I just now downloaded the pictures from Halloween. The boys really had a great time. We did Trunk or Treat on the 25th of October for our ward here in Las Vegas. Jake actually got brave this year and went into the spook house that they had set up at the church. Trent chickened out again. But they had alot of fun playing with their friends and then of course going around and Trunk or Treating.

We decorated the back of the van and handed out candy to everyone. I know that the picture really doesn't do it well. But this is what it looked like. Jake went as a Clone Trooper from Star Wars and Trent went as Ironman.

This is Jake playing around in the church. Eric took these pictures and I thought that they were great so I wanted to share them with everyone.

Then for school our boys dressed up as Cowboys for Nevada Day. The school celebrates Nevada Day instead of doing Halloween parties. They get a lunch supplied for them and do Nevada Day activities. Trent was so excited to finally get to dress up as a Cowboy. And both of the boys wanted to dress like thier Uncle Rick who is a Cowboy. I think they would make him proud.

This is Trent wearing his hat over his eyes he wanted to wear his hat that way for the picture.

Now onto the Dentist. My mouth started hurting on the 25th of October and the pain just got so bad that I needed to go to the dentist. I found a great dentist that is in our ward. They call him Dr. Mike. I ended up needing to have 2 root canals done and some deep cleaning of my teeth. I still have to go back to get the rest of the 2nd root canal done next week but my teeth are clean and I am feeling much better now.

http://www.justsmileslv.com/

The boys also went to the dentist. Trent got his teeth cleaned and didn't have any cavities. I was very proud of him.

Jake on the other had ended up having on cavitiy but he got it filled today and did a great job at the dentist. I thought that he would have had a hard time when they went to numb his mouth. But he was very big boy about the whole thing.

And Eric will be going to the dentist tomorrow. So we are just getting everything taken care of before the year is up. But it is a great blessing to have such great people that go to our church and being able to find a good dentist that will take care of you.

All about my love

The rules are posted at the beginning. Each person answers questions about their sweethearts. At the end of the post the person then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they are tagged!!
WHAT IS YOUR HUSBAND'S NAME? Eric James Bronley
HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN MARRIED? 11 years and still going strong.
HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? 6 Months
HOW OLD IS HE? 33 years old
WHO IS TALLER? He is!
WHO CAN SING BEST? I can
WHO IS SMARTER? I am but with cell phone products and data he is.
WHO DOES LAUNDRY? Both of us
WHO PAYS BILLS? ME!
WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? He does
WHO MOWS THE LAWN? WE both do depends on if Eric is in town.
WHO COOKS DINNER? We both do.
WHO'S THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG? He does.
WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? He kissed me.
WHO WEARS THE PANTS? We both like to think that we do! We're about equal!
I tag...Tricia Young, Karen Baker, Michelle Mierzejewski