BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS GALORE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU SPECIAL PEOPLE! RYAN - JACOB - DEVANIE - MADDAUX! AND ZANDER'S BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP REALLY FAST!

Cambria prepared a huge birthday barbeque for her bunch - and it was a houseful of kids, parents, grandparents and even Grandma Gurney. We ate so much - and the kids played and had a ball! Maddaux was so thrilled with every gift that he opened (his face and his voice showed it), and Devanie was a true princess - so gracious and grateful for everything.

Jonique invited us all to Moreno's Mexican food to celebrate Jacob's birthday - close to their home. Afterwards we went to their home for Jacob to open gifts and for cupcakes and brownies. Now Jacob and Ryan share birthdays - 10 years apart in age! Ryan has been suffering with back problems so Cambria spent the day with him - driving him to do bids, eating out and just enjoying the day together!

FIRST SNOW FOR GRANDKIDS - CAMPING AT CLINTS WELL

Devanie told me that she knew she had been in the snow because we took a picture of her with me at Sunrise when she was a baby. So Maddaux, here is your proof that you were in the snow with Grandma! Maddaux mostly wanted to eat the snow - but, eating is a favorite for this big boy! Jonique and Jacob added alot of fun to the trip for us! Devanie was especially happy to get Jacob to compete in Horseshoes against her! We rode Big Red, Little Red (Zander's quad) and the Ranger to our heart's content! Ryan and his family saw a herd of Elk - so did Jonique and Jacob. The altitude was a little high for Great Grandma, but she was a good sport and never complained. Of course, we always miss the ones who can't come!!!

Great Grandma Gurney (Ireta), Me (the grandma), Rick, Jonique, Jacob - and Ryan, Cambria, Devanie, Zander, Roxie and Maddaux camped where the grandkids got to play in their FIRST SNOW! Ryan and Rick wanted out of the first heat of the year - and coaxed me out of my March Desert plant gathering - and it turned out to be so fun seeing how delighted the kids were!

As soon as we turned into the gate by the Church Property and stopped the vehicles to close the gate, there were patches of snow! We ran over, the kids slid on it, and we threw snowballs at Grandpa and Ryan. I remember Rick saying something like ..."you're going to regret it..." but it died into the breeze! While the men were setting up camp, I took the grandkids in the Ranger to gather wood. Actually I only remember me gathering wood - while Devanie built her first snowman and Zander built a trap across the snow.

We had some terrific fires and Ryan, Cam and I stayed out talking until after midnight. When I got into bed and fell asleep, someone pounded on the door and scared us to death! When I turned on the porch light to the trailer and saw that it was Jonique and Jacob we were so excited that they had found us! We played Horseshoes, Ring toss, Zander did his target shooting, and we built a Frizbee Golf course through the pine trees. It was such great fun!

I INVITE YOU TO THE TEMPLE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLXYxmaHWQs CLICK ON THIS LINK TO LEARN ABOUT TEMPLES.

Why do we have Temples? What do we do when we are in the temple? Who can enter the temple? These are questions that many people are asking - and I tell them: We have temples today because God's original Church has now been restored to the Earth. After Christ and His apostles died the Priesthood was taken from the Earth. The Priesthood that Adam, Abraham, Noah and Melkizedec (and all other Prophets) held was lost and so were the temple covenants.

The original gospel of Jesus Christ was once again restored when Joseph Smith was given the keys to the restoration. Temples and temple ordinances are the crowning glory of the restoration of Christ's gospel.

The Plan of Happiness was created so that Families could be together Forever! In temples we are taught about the perfect plan of Happiness and we make covenants with Heavenly Father to do His work on the Earth. Through His Priesthood power, families are sealed for Eternity (linked through all the generations) and we are taught the things that we need to know in order to pass the angels who allow those who are worthy to enter the highest degree of Glory with our Father in Heaven (once we have finished our lives on the Earth).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a Temple-building church. Those members who are obedient to God's commandments are privileged to enter into the temples and to do the work and be taught therein.

All people are welcome in LDS temples! All people are wanted! However, baptism and obedience to God's laws determine who may enter. It is God who has set His standard, and the living Prophet, Thomas S. Monsen, is to oversee and protect the sacredness of the temples.

I'm so grateful for the privilege to attend the holy temples! I wish I could bring everyone that I love inside! I invite you to learn what is in the scriptures about temples (read the Old Testament), to be baptized, to be obedient to God's laws and to enter His Holy House (the temple) to be taught by Him!

WE LOVE THESE GURNEY GRANDKIDS!!!

Multiply the joy that our kids have brought to us - by adding these awesome grandkids into our lives! Each one is amazing and special - and we love every minute with them - and every moment thinking about them!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for allowing us to know the joys of faamily! Thank you for watching over our kids and grandkids!

WE LOVE THESE GURNEY KIDS-COUPLES!

We love these amazing and beautiful couples! I'm so grateful for each one of you and for the love you have for one another! We are an eternal family - and entitled to all the blessings that were promised even before this world began! The covenants that we have made with the Lord are stronger than anything that the world knows!

Thank you for all of the love you have brought into our lives! Thank you for all the lessons that we have learned as we've been your parents!

Thank you for your patience, thank you for your obedience, thank you for your respect and for your kindness. Thank you for remembering the things that we have taught you, and for the good that you do for others around you. Thank you for your kind hearts and for your thoughtfulness. Our greatest joys are seeing you as great adults who contribute well to society, who are honest, who have strong work ethics, who are great family leaders and members and who live lives of gratitude.

Camping Trip over Valentines Weekend

Yeah for nearby get-aways to the Desert! The beauty of the Arizona winters (Valentines) is spending time with those that you love in the sunshine!

Ryan and Cam's family, Kent and Carolyn, Doug and Leslie Alvey and Rick, Richard went to Queen Valley to enjoy a beautiful, sunny weekend. Richard took me for a ride through the river bottoms, ditching trees, climbing scary places, but I was amazed at how careful and wise he has gotten as a driver! It must be because he pays for his own Jeep now! He is such an awesome worker and he helped his dad load, move, set-up and he didn't really get much time to ride before he had to be back down in the valley.

Zander is a real sharp shooter and he spent a lot of time with his BB gun, setting up targets and practicing. We hiked, rode quads, played cards and totally enjoyed being away from the city.
Maddaux was in his element! He had space to play with his dumptruck, to dig, to haul wood and enjoy the campfires. He and Zander went with Ryan and Cam on an exploring trip and found Indian ruins while we played games with Roxie and Devanie back at camp.

And this is Roxie Baby! That's what she calls herself, because that's what her family calls her. It's awesome that she still loves to be held! Devanie was reading a huge book - and whenever she could, she found a quiet corner and read it. I'm so proud of her love for reading!

A PERFECT DAY - THE BEGINNING OF AN ETERNAL FAMILY

Two become One - They met the evening of October General Conference and four months later are an eternal family! Jonique told me the morning after she had met Jacob that she had met the man she was going to marry! Yes, it certainly was not an ordinary thing to come from her mouth, since she had just told her dad that she was on the "5-year plan".

The joy of Jonique and Jacob's wedding day is beyond my ability to express, from the 5 am awakening of my daughter standing by my bed saying "Mom, it's time to get up - we need to be at Chanteal's at 6 am to do my hair". I reached over and held her hand, looking up at our baby girl who today would become Jacob's wife - and said, "Sweetie, this is the most important day of your whole life!" People have often asked in these months if we were stressed or if either Jonique or I were riled - and I always could answer that we are so thrilled and so joyful that neither of us would allow the busy-ness to detract from the importance of making our focus the temple marriage.

Family had come into town, the spring weather was perfect, Jacob's prayers were answered and he got a good joy before their marriage, they found a little 500 sq ft home near the Mesa temple (yes, the Swat Team already came - when they took Grandma Bluth and Aunt Antoinette to show them their home - and broke down the door of a home, arresting a man and taking all his possessions), and everyone is overjoyed at this marriage! These 2 kids love and adore one another (yes, they are each better together than alone)! Uncle Evans Heywood was the sealer that they chose to perform their temple marriage and it was an amazing and beautiful experience to witness, as he taught them about the covenants they had made, as well as the covenants that they were making over the altar in the House of the Lord. These are pictures from Rick's camera, and I will add more when the photographer's are available. This is for Heather! I love you Heather! So sorry that you were home with 2 sick babies!