Insurance

I just added some new links at the bottom of the page for the insurance products Durke and I sell. I just wanted to let everyone know what we do and if you have any insurance needs Durke and I could help you out. Durke specializes in life insurance and retirement investing. He also does home and auto insurance. I sell health insurance and Aflac supplemental maternity and cancer policies.

Christmas books

One of my favorite things at Christmas time is reading Christmas stories. Here are a few that we have enjoyed so far.

Christmas Jars by Jason F Wright



Room for a Little One A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell





Mr. Finnegan's Giving Chest by Dan Farr



Christmas Orangesby Linda Bethers

What's for dinner...

This is a recipe that my sister-in-law, Naloni, gave me and my family loves it.

1 loaf french bread
1 lb. hamburger, cooked
1 jar alfredo sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

Cut bread in half long way. Combine alfredo sauce and hamburger. Top with mozarella cheese and place in 350 degree oven until warm and cheese is melted.

I love it because it's simple and it tastes good too!

I love this time of year...

I love this time of year because of the traditions we have. Traditions are so important to me and I want my children to enjoy them too. Here are a few that we enjoy.

We had a great Thanksgiving at the Gordon's cabin this year. The food was yummy! Diane doesn't do the traditional turkey, but she cooks Turkey Roasts that you can only get at the Moroni Feed plant in Moroni. It is the best turkey ever. I also LOVE the stuffing and apple pie, and oh Aunt Pat's homemade rolls. The guys shot skeet, I did as well and did pretty good for a girl! The rest of the Gordon girls searched the ads for the best Black Friday sells. (See details later!) Durke's cousin Brandon and his family stayed with us. They are always fun!





On Friday, my sister-in-law Kim and I went to Walmart @ 5 am, and then headed to Provo for the good sales. We had a really fun time and I am done shopping! I have a few little things to pick up and one more thing for Durke, but other than that I get to sit back and actually enjoy December for once. I am so excited. Durke and Gracie went to a slot canyon in the San Raphael with Cory (his brother) and his kids. Gracie was a trooper and said she LOVED spending the day with just her and dad. Here's some cute pics.








Then on Saturday we cut our Christmas tree. This is by far one of my favorite Christmas tradition. I will never get a fake tree because I just love how much fun we have finding our own. Last year my tree was HUGE and this year I didn't really have one in mind so I let Durke pick it. He did an amazing job. It is my favorite tree we've ever had. We decorated the tree and the house on Sunday. Gracie is at such a fun age right now. She has thoroughly enjoyed all of the holidays this year and insists on decorating her bedroom too. So she has a cute little tree in her room and a few other things. She makes me laugh.







The finished product!




I really want to simplify my Christmas this year so I can really enjoy it. My kids are little and this is the time when Christmas is still magical for them. I hope I can do it. I set a goal to have my shopping done by December 1 and I did that, now I just can't let all the other things stress me out. That might be the hard part! I hope you all have wonderful holidays!

Miracles do happen...

I am FINALLY updating my blog! I'm sure nobody even looks at my blog anymore, but for those of you who do here it goes...

Durke: Durke is doing good. He is bumbed that the snow is flying and he can't ride his bike anymore, but I think he will survive. He got a new bike in July, and rode in the Leadville 50 mile race on it. We had a good time. He built it up himself, it is a single-speed. Which means it only has one speed, kind of hard if you're a mountain biker. That is the class he is going to race next year. He's kind of crazy if you ask me. He is loving having a little boy, and Louk sure loves his daddy. They look exactly alike, which makes me happy. Durke is also going back to school Spring Semester. He only has a few more classes for his Bachelors, so he decided to finish it. I am excited for him, but a little nervous. He already works a lot and is in the Young Men's, but I think it will be a good thing.

Jessi: Not much has been happening for me, which is actually a good thing. I am enjoying my kids, and having a boy. Louk is such a happy baby. He is always smiling and he loves to snuggle. Three has been an adjustment, some days I feel like it is a fight to get us all dressed and fed for the day, but I think that's normal. I have been working on Louk's room which is almost done, I will post some pics later. It is a cowboy theme.


Gracie: Gracie started preschool this fall and she absolutely loves it. She has an amazing teacher, who happens to be my dad's cousin. She moved here from my hometown which is kind of ironic. Anyways, she is such a great big sister. Louk adores her, I mean ADORES her. She can always make him laugh and she even knows how to change his diapers. She is such a beautiful little girl. I can't believe how grown up she is getting. It actually makes me kind of sad. She has a ton of friends and wants to have a friend over every day. She had a really fun Rock'n Roll birthday party in September. She loves music especially 80's rock. (This might be my fault!) She always asks if we can jam. She likes when we turn the music up really loud, and we all play in the band. Her favorite song is "Slow Ride" by Foghat. Wierd, I know. She loves to ride her bike, and wants to start racing next summer.


Abi: Abi, Abi, Abi. She is one funny little squirt. I absolutely love her personality; she makes me smile everyday. She is getting so big, so fast. She got a new bike for her birthday and has no problem keeping up with her big sister. We have a hard time keeping her from mauling Louk. She gets so excited she says she just wants to squeeze him. She loves to play with her toys and is always carrying around some random item. She started ballet this fall and is so funny. She is actually very good, and asks if she can go to dance everyday. I am looking forward to her first dance recital in December. It could be interesting.


Louk: Louk is the best baby. He has brought sooo much joy to our family. I decided that boys are WAY easier than girls. He is much less emotional, which is a very, very good thing. He is always smiling, and he loves to sit and talk to me. I love just snuggling with him and playing with him; that is probably why I never get anything done. He is growing fast though and has already been to a few bike races. It's funny how when new ones are born they just fit right in. I can't remember life without my sweet little boy.



We are all doing very well. We have had a few mountain bike races, all of our birthdays, Halloween, and just life keeping us busy; and busy is good.

Anybody want a 2 year old?

AHHHH!!!! Abi is the sweetest little devil in the world. She can be so darn cute and then the next second be putting all my hand towels in the toilet, or cutting her hair, or painting her own toenails as well as the carpet, her clothes and anything else that might need a touch of color. I really don't know what I am going to do with this child. I have to constantly be watching her every move or else it's trouble. I know they say it's the "terrible 2's" but Gracie was NEVER this rotten. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but she does make my life a little more stressful. So about the offer, you can take her until she's like 30, get her through all the rough stuff, and then I'll take her back. Give me a call if you're up for the job :)

I feel like this some days...

(Click on picture)

No offense honey!!!

Louk Zeb Gordon

Our sweet baby boy is here and we couldn't be more excited. He was born last Tuesday, June 23 at 7:31 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 22.5 in. Everything went really good for the delivery, well, as good as labor can be. He is such a sweet baby, and I just love to spend all day cuddling him. He is finally getting his sleeping patterns figured out so that is nice. There is something about a boy that is different. Everyone kept telling me how different they are than girls and I finally understand. There is a certain bond between a mom and her son and I have definitely felt that. Anyway, we are so happy to have Louk in our family. Here are some pics...

Sadie Huish

Some family friends of ours have been dealing with a very hard trial this past week. Their little girl Sadie, passed away from a very rare form of cancer. She had been battling the cancer for 16 months, and her battled ended last week. My heart breaks for them and for their loss, I can't imagine how they are feeling. Please keep them in your prayers.

I am still alive... I think!

Hello to anyone who hasn't totally given up on me. I am still alive, just really, really busy, and really, really pregnant! My life has felt like a whirlwind lately, but I made myself a to-do list and update blog was one of the things on my list.

I am definitely in the "nesting" mode of pregnancy. I have organized most of the closets in my house, re-arranged my office, cleaned out the playroom to make room for the nursery, and many other crazy fanatical things.

We are very excited that warm weather is FINALLY here. We have spent as much time outside as possible. I don't know about any of you, but boy was that winter a long one. I really was about to pull my hair out!

This post is probably not going to make much sense, and I already feel like I am rambling, but I will let you know a few of the highlights of our lives.

* It is official. I and my doctor have no idea when this baby is coming. He keeps moving my date forward and it's freaking me out a little. As for right now we're shooting for the week of June 16. My original due date is July 1. We'll see when this little guy really decides to make his entrance. Speaking of the little guy, he has made himself nice and comfy right in my rib cage and nestled on my bladder. How sweet. It's a good thing I already love him, because sometimes I get a little bit ticked off! My sweet sister gave me 2 HUGE boxes of baby boy clothes. Aww how great it is to have such a great sister, and the blessings of sharing. Thanks Jaimie!

* The biking season has officially begun. I'm not sure how I feel about being 8 months pregnant and chasing my husband and two children all over the state for the next little while, but hey if he's happy I'm happy right? We had a fun trip to St. George. We were able to eat out, shop, and swim. I couldn't ask for more right?

* My dad got into an accident on his horse. He was practicing with Austin, my little brother, and the horse and cow collided. My dad crashed into the fence and then the horse landed on him. He broke his femur and hip. He was in the hospital for a few days and now is home recovering. That was quite a scare, but I'm glad he's going to be ok. We have spent some time up at my parents with him.

* We had a great Easter. It's a family tradition to go to Durke's families farm and to have a BBQ. They have a really cool orchard on their farm and the adults hide like 50 bags of candy, and then we have a little hunt. The kids love it, but I think the adults have more fun. We also played kickball and baseball out in the field. A good time was had by all. We love Easter in our family. Maybe because it's a sign of Spring, and that winter is on it's way out.

* We have been hiking quite a bit. The girls really like it and there are some really cool canyons down here with water falls and cool arches. It's really fun, and it's about the only exercise I get.

* I am the enrichment leader in my ward. Tough, but I guess someone has to do it! :) We just did a big ward party, and we did a County Fair theme. It turned out really fun, but it was a lot of work. We had all the typical fair games, cotton candy, popcorn, raffle tickets, dinner, the whole works. If any of you are looking for a fun ward activity, give me a call.

Anyhow, if you are interested in what's going on in my life and are still reading, thanks. I pledge now to do better at posting. It's one of those things if you put it off it seems like a really big thing. Here's a few pics. Have a good day.

We're having a baby boy and we couldn't be more excited. I think Durke is still in shock, he said he didn't think we had it in us, but I knew better. I knew it was a boy from the very beginning. I better get started buying blue, because all I have is pink!

Not sure if I'm ready for this....

Gracie has started to want to do her own hair, and this is the result. Isn't it lovely. Boy can the girl accesorize! I don't have the heart to change it, because she is so proud of it, so she goes around looking slightly ridiculous. Everyone who sees her says "ooh, I love your hair"! So that makes her want to do it even more. Hopefully this is just a stage, a really fast one!

Our new puppy...

For Christmas all Gracie asked for was a "real" dog. Durke has been dead-set against getting a dog since we were married; but one day he came home and said "come look at this". He had found a litter of Aussi pups for way cheap and he said we should get one for Gracie. I was truly amazed, but jumped at the chance so we loaded the family in the car and headed to S.L. When we saw this cute little puppy there was no turning back. We told Gracie that Santa told us we could get a puppy, but we had to pick him up ourselves because he can't carry puppies on his sleigh.

The girls named him "Jake" and I am not sure why, but it does seem to fit. He has been so much fun and we all love him to death. He goes skiing with Durke, watches movies with Gracie, and hangs out with me in the kitchen. Abi's still not sure that she loves him, but she pets him sometimes.

Anyways, something to post about I guess.

Louk...

Yesterday was 4 years since my brother-in-law Louk was killed in an avalanche in Ephraim Canyon. It's always a hard day and we still shed some tears. It's been a very hard lesson for all of our family, and we still miss him everyday.

I wanted to do a little tribute post to him. Louk was one of the most amazing guys I know. He touched so many lives. Him & Durke were the closest of brothers and best friends, and losing him has definitely made an impact on Durke and our whole family. He was always making us laugh and we still often laugh about the funny things he did or said. He was such a big guy, but a teddy bear really. He loved the little kids in our family, and boy did they love him. One of my favorite memories of Louk was right after Joslynn (his little girl)was born I would watch her, and everyday he would come down at lunch (we lived in the apartment just under theirs, and he would ask if I had any treats, and then hug and kiss on the girls. (Gracie & Joslynn).I wish my kids could know their Uncle Louk, because I know they would have loved him too. We miss him so much.I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and to know that we will be with him again.