May Funnies

 D: "Yes, I finally got that piece of grass out of my throat! I was so bored I tried to eat grass. I wanted to know what it tasted like."

February Funnies

 Feb 9th, 2026

M: "Hey Neela, look at this cool heart shaped rock I found."
N: "gasp! Nature is so good at love!"

Feb 15, 2026

N: "Sometimes when I pray I can feel a hand on my shoulder of someone comforting me and it feels so amazing."

Feb 24, 2026

N: "I'm so excited for you to come on my field trip!"
L: "Mom, can you be a sheriff for my next field trip?"

M: "You mean a chaperone? I would love to!"

July, August, September Funnies

7/16/25

D: “Mmm I got my talkies and all the red 40.”
M: “Gross. So bad for your brain.”
D: “No Mom, so good, it releases all the morphine in my brain!”
(Haha at least he’s been listening when we talk about brains!)


N: “Uuuhhhhgg Dax you are the most annoying brother in the world and then there’s Link and he’s like a clone! (She’s sitting in between them in the back seat on the way home from a magical day at Lowe’s jumping on trampolines for 6 hours with Harnos cousins. Close proximity to her siblings is hard to handle.)

8/6/25
N: “Why are boys SO annoying?!? I wish boys understood girls. I mean, girls understand boys! You take a GROSS body that farts in your face and burps SO LOUD ALL the time, and that’s a boy!”
(She is doing such a great job being in a family, neighborhood, and school class of so many boys.)

D: “Sooo my gummies grew a lot in the sprite. And then I put them in freezer.”

D: "Why are cat reels so funny?"

L: "Has the sun ever got a sunburn?"

L: "I wish I was born in the evening cuz then I would have a longer time to be 7."

8/10/25
On yesterday’s episode of the Andelyn show…wisdom teeth extraction! Over and over she kept saying, “I’m awake! I’m remembering, I’m aware right now!” I have not laughed this hard in a long time! I legit thought she was faking it at first, but after about 30 seconds and her inability to hold her head up, I knew she was completely out of it. She is drugged and resting. Pray for her cute squirrel cheeks to go away so she can go to work on Monday!


9/1/25
Dad: “Link do you want to watch the next episode of Star Wars with me?”
L: “sure!”
D: “Do you remember the name of the main character? And the guy who helps him? The old man.”
L: “Yes…his name is Luke, and there was someone who got his arm cut off by a light saber, and when Darth Vader kills Obi-Dohbie he used his light saber.”

June Gratitude

6/30

I’m grateful I got here for June gratitude on the last day of the month.

I’m grateful Zeke and I got to play piano at Ashford assisted living tonight. One lady said it was the nicest piano entertainment expletive she’s had while living there. That made us feel so good. We enjoyed some zeppe’s and Zeke bought some fireworks.

I’m grateful I got to watch tv tonight and last night. I haven’t sat down to watch anything for a month.

I’m so grateful how much I’ve done this month. I have spent just about the entire month doing projects. 

I painted Neela’s room with blue and pink accent walls and hung up all her art work from her art class last year. Put up a new book shelf, took off her closet doors, put up curtains instead, hung hooks, whittled down on all her stuff and she is loving it. I’m grateful she wanted to help me paint and put her book shelf together.

I painted Dax and Link’s room gray, black and blue. New book shelf, curtains, cubes in the closet, no more plastic drawers, room for toys and space to play. It’s ready to be shared for the family reunion. Link had a great time building the book shelf. He was excited about every step.

I painted the hallway and the bathroom. Cleaned EVERYTHING nasty and we are back to a good baseline to have visitors.

I’m grateful we get to have 2 family reunions back to back for the next 17 days, IN A ROW. I’m praying for all our sanity. It’s gonna be awesome and I’m so grateful we aren’t in Iran being bombed. 

I’m grateful Andelyn got a job at The Creamery even though it’s not her favorite. She has a lot of good work experience. 

I’m grateful Andelyn finished her phlebotomy class! She had fun learning how to draw blood.

I’m grateful Garrett too Dax, Neela and Link climbing and rappelling. He’s a fun cousin for them. They were scared and did great.

I’m grateful Cheri came over at the beginning of the month. I picked up Keara from the airport and dropped her off at the mtc, but unfortunately her feet have a bone disorder that isn’t allowing her to walk! She had to be released to go home after 2 weeks. Such a bummer. My kids had such a good time with Cheri’s kids. I’m forever grateful for our friendship.

I’m grateful we got to take family pictures in the river. It was a fun family evening together. Our neighbor Kristin is a fabulous photographer. We had fun going to in and out for dinner afterwards.

Neela started karate! She’s actually really good at it!

I’m grateful Titan took Royal and I to scout for cool lakes and show us all the beautiful places he went fishing with Zak. He caught the biggest fish of his life! He and Royal did some gold panning.

I’m grateful Royal and I had a date to see Dave Smith do stand up comedy. It was just okay, but it was fun to have a date.

I’m grateful I could take Andelyn shopping for her new college dishes and kitchen stuff. It was so fun! DI is the best place. She found a cricket pot for $15 bucks!

We went to Lagoon! It was so fun with everyone. Titan was the only who didn’t come. His head can’t do rollercoasters anymore.

Im grateful Royal and I got to go on a quick getaway. We saw a piano duel, went to dinner, and had 24 hours to breathe. It was fun.

May Funnies

Bear: “We’re not doing my-house-my-rules, right Link?”

L: “No, that is the worst idea ever. We’re never doing that again.”

May Gratitude

May 11th

- Happy Mother’s Day! I’m grateful to be a mother to my 6 amazing squidigits. They light up my life with joy and the need for earplugs. They are all so different and similar and I’m glad we all share the same gene pool. Andelyn made the funniest Instagram post for me. I laughed so hard! Today I played piano in church for the primary kids and did pretty good. I took a 3 hour nap, Royal made dinner, went slow and hung with kids, went for a walk, visited with neighbors, and enjoyed being outside. 

Yesterday was the best day to sit back and watch everyone figure out the day independently. Titan and Zeke went to the green house at 7am for the busiest day of the season. They worked 11 hours. Titan and Zak went to their tree job and cut down the last 2 trees. Andelyn slept in and got up slow, helped me with the car, went to the gym and the library. Neela ran our small yard sale and made $30 bucks! Dax and Link made it to the park on their bikes for their last soccer games. Dax scored 2 goals! Both boys won their games. All the while Royal and I worked on the garage. We are finishing the walls and the floor. Organizing is my favorite thing! I am so grateful for Royal’s skills and willingness to do projects I don’t know how to do. 

Later in the afternoon, I babysat Luna Larson; Neela learned how to change her diaper and had so much fun playing with her without any other kids. I put Luna down for her nap in her own bed and cleaned their house while she slept. Mallory is pregnant with twins! It was so fun to leave their floor crumb-less! I finished listening to “The Anxious Generation” and loved it. 

Meanwhile Link and Bear made a cookie baking mess in our kitchen with Dax and Neela’s help. They ran around the neighborhood door to door and made $18 bucks! Dax mowed the Alboroto’s lawn and made $40 bucks! Everyone was so productive and made money without help! They are all so amazing! It also helped that we put all the screens away during the week so they were able to be creative. I really enjoy watching them grow up, and I am enjoying my own growth along side them.

- I’m grateful Neela and I got to paint her room together last week. Her walls are a bubblegum blue and cotton candy pink. She is such a creative magical little friend. She had fun practicing painting clouds on the garage walls.

- I’m grateful how Dax and Zeke see me and want to hug me. They give love so freely.

- I’m grateful Zeke’s collar bone is healed and he can work at the green house.

- I’m grateful Titan has been safe at his tree job and the life lines have saved him when he has slipped. I have never seen him as stressed as he was when he started the job. I’m grateful we found good gear and videos to figure it out. His tenacity serves him well. 

- I’m grateful for Link’s bed time kisses. He kisses my lips, cheeks, nose, both eyes, eyebrows, forehead, and then “wrinkles” on my forehead, chin, lips. Then he hugs me tight and wants to stall bedtime forever. Then I tickle him and put his blanket on and he goes to sleep eventually. He is a sweet little lover.

- I’m grateful Link wanted to go be a helper at preschool! He said he thought it would be fun, and his teacher was happy to have him back for a day.

- I’m grateful he is learning how to go to school. Señora Diaz and Mrs. Wilson are fabulous teachers. He has learned a lot this year in first grade. Señora Diaz even came to one of his soccer games to see 7 of the kids in his class play.

- I’m grateful I could plant our salsa garden. The onions are starting to stand up and my cantaloupe seeds sprouted!

- I’m grateful for my piano lessons. I am learning so much and really enjoying it.

- 

April Funnies

N: “Ow!”

L: “Oh man…I hate it when I stubble all ten of my toes.”

April Gratitude

 4/13

- I'm grateful Titan is not in the hospital this year. It has been one year yesterday since his accident on Elena's birthday. Tonight he went to prom with Aubrey. Zak went with London. It was fun taking photos of their group.

- Link asked, "Why is milk white?" Of all the kids, he is the only one to ever ask that. It's fun to watch everyone have their own personalities.

- I'm grateful the weather is getting warm. We had fun flying the trainer kite after church today.

- I'm grateful for piano lessons. It's been so fun learning theory and being efficient at playing in primary at church.

- I'm grateful I'm almost done planning two family reunions. July is going to be awesome.

- I'm grateful Royal and I had a fun date for my birthday. Paint night, thai food, shoe shopping.

- I'm grateful the kids still want to sit by me on the couch. I mean, they actually want me to scratch their backs, which I'm terrible at, but hey, it's the little things.

- I'm grateful I've been able to read/listen to a few books lately. "The Son of Hamas" was so fascinating. The scriptures make so much more sense after listening to that one. "Fish in a Tree" was so touching and insightful into the world os dyslexia." "The Let Them Theory" had a lot of great ideas on how to be free of trying to control others. I enjoyed it.

- I'm grateful we had a Spring break to slow down. We took a day to drive to Beaver to check things out for the family reunion. We babysat two dogs, got to sleep in, and kids played way too many screens so we put everything away this past week and played outside.

4/18

- I'm grateful I am alive to celebrate another birthday! Yesterday was great. Andelyn and I went to Cheri's Mom's funeral. It was so beautiful. And so fun to hang with Cheri and Braden and their kids.

- I'm grateful Zeke played in the talent show last night. He did such a great job! Preston played the drums and did a great job too.

- I'm grateful for my neighbors. Mal, Jess, Kelly and I went to have lunch at Maryn's restaurant since she was working. It was so delicious. I love where we live and who we are surrounded by.

- I'm grateful Royal and I had a fun date for my birthday during spring break.

- I'm grateful for the spring snow this morning. It'll probably be the last time. Hopefully the fruit tree blossoms live.

- I'm grateful Zeke's collar bone is better and he can work at the greenhouse with Titan. We had a fun date setting up his bank account. He says using his debit card is like magic.

Happy Birthday Royal! 42!

42 trips around the sun and some sugar free keto muffins! I replaced the maple syrup/honey with Xylitol and Allulose. They don't spike blood sugar. And the choc chips are Lily's brand, so sweetened with erythritol which is good in smaller quantities. Really yummy with a cup of milk! Royal is doing amazing at hitting his weight and fitness goals. Ask him about fasting sometime. His willpower is incredible. He could teach a seminar for hours. Link raced to blow out the candles but will have to wait for the next birthday to try again. Haha. 

I'm grateful for Royal and his consistency and love. He is one in a million and I'm so lucky he is mine and I am his. I love the life we've built together.

Ingredients

• 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with silicone (or paper) liners.
• Place all ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each muffin cup almost to the top. Drop 4-5 chocolate chips onto the top of each muffin.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. (Silicone liners can be removed once muffins are cool.)

Notes

• These muffins have a lot of moisture and will not last long at room temperature. They are best stored in the freezer. Cool completely and then store in a zip-top plastic bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost in the microwave or at room temperature.
• You may also store the muffins in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• If made with certified gluten free oats, muffins are gluten free.

February Gratiitude

 2/21/25

- I took sushi to Westside to have lunch with Neela today. It was fun to sit with her and her friends. She such a sweet little love. I love that she still gives me hugs and kisses in front of her friends. Little ages are so special.

- I'm glad I got to chaperone Neela's field trip to the aquarium. The octopus was moving all over the tank and so fun to watch. Neela has a new friend in her class who moved here form Mexico and speaks only Spanish. Neela has learned a lot having her as a friend. It was fun to hear them talk all day long.

- I got to go snowboarding on President's Day with Royal, Andelyn, and Dax! I haven't been snowboarding since I was pregnant with Dax. Andelyn brought her friend Alisha, she's an exchange student from Austria and it was fun asking her all about her life. Her English is amazing. I had SO much fun snowboarding and I'm amazed at my muscle memory. I even improved a little. I'm grateful Royal has access to corporate passes this year. Andelyn bought her own snowboard at the beginning of the season, and Titan bought his own pass and ski's before the company offered passes. I'm grateful Sundance is so close to our house. It's fun to let the kids go skiing for a few hours after school, or skip a few classes on a perfect snow day, and they can still get all their stuff done.

- I'm grateful Zeke's collar bone is fixed. Surgery went well and he is healing. I'm amazed at his good attitude and willingness to get up and do his day. "Hey Zeke, what's your pain level?" "Annoyed." Haha he is so funny. I think this is his 8th or 9th surgery, but his umpteenth time going under anesthesia. I lost count. I'm grateful for the pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists. They are all such cool guys and do a great job putting Zeke at ease. At least we can max out Zeke's coverage already and get an echo soon for a side dish. 

- I'm grateful I could go with Andelyn to MTECH to figure out job opportunities. Her counselor saved us so many hours by giving us a firehose of info. Andelyn is loving her EMT class and I am amazed at her capacity for remembering. What a gift.

- I'm grateful I get to take piano lesson. I started at level 1 in August and I'm up to level 3 already. It's fun to fill in the gaps and have the piano make more theoretical sense.

- I'm grateful I've gone to hot yoga two days in a row! It's my favorite way to exercise. Yesterday I went to an alignment class and the teacher taught with anatomical terms so we knew exactly what was happening in our muscular and skeletal structures. For the last stretch of the class, she put her feet on mine and pulled my hands over my feet and my toes touched the middle of my forearms! I have not stretched that deep for a very long time. My back feels amazing today.

- I'm grateful we've had a strict 7pm bedtime this week. Dax and Link managed to punch a hole in their door while they were squabbling. They've had early bed time to figure out how to get along, and Royal and I have had time to talk with the older kids and watch a couple movies with them. It's been really nice and the evenings haven't felt so rushed.

- Last weekend I took the younger 3 kids to the hunting expo with Titan and Zak and it was so fun! The boys had antler necklaces to sell, but weren't having much luck until cute siblings with baby faces showed up. Neela and Link were their gold mine. Neela is so adorable and Link is in his prime time with two missing front teeth. I'm so glad Link decided to put his extreme shyness on pause and talk to everyone. Titan and Zak were great big bros and everyone got rich. They made $1,000 bucks! Link and Neela got $2 bucks for every sale and both ended with $93! 

- I got chosen to interview next week for Jody's coaching program! I would really love to go deeper and learn the tools enough to help others. 

Grandpa Bowman’s Funeral

It’s the end of an era. My Grandpa’s funeral was masterfully orchestrated by his dream team of seven children, filled with beautiful stories, complete with a rainy day and military honors. 

💕

He spent his career building rockets and was part of the the moon landing and the development of the Space Shuttle.

🚀

Ross Bowman held the Utah State record for growing the biggest pumpkin at 2,142 pounds. We stayed at the cemetery until the very end, and it was so tender to watch his casket be wrapped with straps and lifted and lowered gently by a crane, just like a giant pumpkin.😢 I think he will rest easy in the earth he loves so much. 

🎃

Tonight we looked at thousands of photos ranging from the 1940’s all the way to the present. My Mom told us stories and treasured memories. She is so proud of her Dad and all the chapters of life he so fully lived.

💕

I will miss his house, swing set, garden, eating creamies, and watching his pumpkins grow. Our swing set was inspired by his. I loved his summertime visits and I appreciate the effort he took to drive fresh garden produce an hour and a half to my house and stay for the afternoon to visit with my kids. Link is one of the youngest great-grandchildren and will have a few memories, that’s pretty amazing to me. On the night of his viewing, I said, “Goodbye Grandpa! Say hi to Grandma for me.” Clear as a bell I could hear his shaky voice say, “Goodbye! Thanks for comin’, see ya next time.” 

💕

January Funnies

Gratitude - Neela isn’t sick, 11 hours
She played the same song as Titan did in 2018.
Got to video Andelyn on piano
Fires aren’t here
Got to read to Neela and link today since they stayed home. Pippi Long Stocking is so fun.
Zeke got to change his schedule and now he doesn't have a seventh period
Piano
Link's bed time kisses are precious.



1/8/25
M: “Link it’s time to get out of the shower.”
L: “Ahhh I haven’t washed my hair or my body yet.”
M: “What have you been doing?”
L: “Playing with my socks.”
M: “Oh. Naturally. That sounds like a fun thing to do in the shower.”
L: “Ya, I got in the shower on purpose with my socks on.”


Neela doing dishes…
“Ehhh I don’t wannnnna do the disheeeezzzz. Why is it so gross? I hate touching food. Why do I have to do alllll the dishes. When I have kids I’m going to make them do dishes SO much. Ehhh the water went up my sleeeveee…wait.......why is my hair wet?!?”
(So I laughed. And then she laughed. And it wasn’t so bad because I was eating and coaching her through it. Now she’s doing dishes again tonight. Her hair isn’t wet yet.)


1/12
L: “Bear, I have park place. How much do you wish you were me? You can tell that I’m winning, right?”


N: “I have to do allllll the dishes?!? Even the salt shaker?”


Z: “Mom, I think you're on drugs, because you're way too happy!"


N: “Did you know you can’t breathe through your nose while you’re talking? Unless you could talk with your nose. That would be weird!”


N: “Once at school I sneezed 6 times in a row.”



Z: “I was in the shower and I realized that I could see in 4 dimensions”


1/15
When we were homeschooling I made all the kids get dressed and do their hair every day. You know, all that good habit practice. Today Titan and Zeke went to public school wearing sweats. Cute teenage hobos. At least they did their hair and brushed their teeth. Haha.


1/16
L: “Neela I’m a genius!” (Building with magna tiles after staying home from school).

Christmas Cards

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Christmas Cards

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Christmas Cards

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Christmas Cards

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Christmas Cards

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December Highlights

Titan took Neela and Dax to the pens to shoot their bb-guns. They had a great time.

 

Titan took Neela and Dax to the pens to shoot their bb-guns. They had a great time. 

Ice skating with Sadie. I got a good workout in the gym at the same time. Always a win.

Cory and Marcie came to Utah with their crew! Cory had an interview with a doctors office in Vernal and they might move here! We had a fun day with a white elephant game, the kids went ice skating, and had fun catching up and hanging out.

Jake and Sage's Wedding

 Jake and Sage had a beautiful and simple wedding. It was fun to see family and stay local for the day. Time is flying. I remember when Jake was a toddler. It's been fun to get to know Sage over the last few get togethers.

Christmas 2024