Brent Zundel as Nephi and
Kaylob Poduska as Helaman
Our primary presidency was just called 4 weeks ago. I'm the 1st counselor. We had our first Activity Day on Saturday (Feb 23rd 2008). It was AWESOME! We asked some of the men in our ward to portray themselves as Book of Mormon Prophets. I borrowed a Helamon and Nephi costume from Sis. Stout. Moroni already had his fancy duds. The men did a great job relating the prophets stories to the life's of the children. In my Sunday afternoon pic of Cannon you'll see a Member missionary tag on his shirt. He got that from Helaman at the activity. He loved it and put it on himself when he got dressed for church. Moroni rigged some fabric to tear easily. He put it under his clothes. as he told about the time he made the Title of Liberty he reached inside his coat and ripped out a piece of fabric. It was awesome to see the kids faces as the heard the fabric tearing and saw him rip his coat. then he took out a pen and wrote "In memory of our God, ect......." For Nephi we set up a room like the vision of the tree of life. I borrowed a fog machine to create mists of darkness. I also borrowed a sheet with a building painted on it. We used a ficus tree with white lights. We had a rope going across the span of the room. We turned off the lights and put a spotlight aimed at the Tree of Life. It is hard to tell in the pictures but it looked pretty good. Heidi has told me a few times her favorite prophet is Nephi.
We have a large primary so we split them up into three groups. They rotatated through each B of M prophet then they all came together again at the end. To conclude the Activity Day, Bro. Reider (from our bishopric) taught about our modern day prophet Pres. Monson. All in all is was worth the work and turned out great!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Time Machine
Sunday Afternoon
My sister-in-law Hulio (AKA Julie Harrison) just came to town. She always helps Mom Gage with picture updates. It is time for Mom's grandchild wall (or shrine) to get updated. Hulio asked if I'd take some current pics of my babies. Today after church I put my little Gagelets on the cat walk. This is what we came up with.
As I look at these pictures it sinks in pretty deep that there is no such thing as prettier or better then. I love all of my children and think they are all knock outs. They are all different and I couldn't tell you who is more attractive then the other.
When I think about their personalities I couldn't say one it better or more desirable then an other. All of my children are very social and playful (who would have thought..........both Paul and I are pretty social and playful) but they are very different from each other. Cannon is so curious and wants to know how things work and why things happen. He is constantly seeking for understanding and answers. Lucky for him he has a very well rounded and knowledgeable father. I often tell him to remember that question and ask Dad when he gets home. Cannon loves to wrestle but dislikes team sports or anything that requires running. He is learning how to do a flip on the trampoline. I'm hoping he has an interest in diving when he gets older. Many of my brothers were divers and I think it's a fun sport to watch.
Heidi on the other hand is totally oblivious and rarely asks questions. Heidi has an extra tender and sweet demeanor. She is easy to please and tends to have a smile on her face. She is in a lot of ways the sunshine of our family. She loves to sing and dance! She also loves to be active. She is constantly climbing trees, swinging on a swing or crossing monkey bars. Her upper body strength is amazing. I plan on putting her in gymnastics and voice lessons after Paul gets his Architecture License.
Kayla is my boldest child. She is very intelligent and verbal. She is the life of the party kind of girl. So many adults tell me about funny conversations they have with Kayla. She also loves to sing and dance. Luckily both girls like to wear dresses and have their hair done. Kayla has a lot of inner spark and determination in her. Her strong will is a huge asset to her personality!
Then there's Jet. Jet is a comedian!!! He just turned two but he has quite the personalty. He has been cracking jokes since he was 8 months old. I remember driving in the van and Cannon needed to blow his nose. Jet watched Cannon Blow his nose then started to laugh. Then he made a raspberry noise to imitate Cannon and started to bust out in a huge laughter. At 8 months old he was cracking his first joke and hasn't stopped making me laugh since. He is also a great cuddler. He has been my most active and my most affectionate baby.
So my point is ........I couldn't pick a favorite personalty or a better looking child out of my four. It makes me solidify my opinion that everybody is lovable and attractive in their own way. There is no need to compete or compare ourselves. There should be no room in our heart for envy or jealousy. We need to rejoice in each others successes and be happy for each other! 
Friday, February 22, 2008
The True Story of Baby Jet
All of the third graders at Red Bank write a story. The best 10 books get sent to the county and they have a reception of some kind for the kids and parents for the selected books. I don't know how many of you have read a book called "The dairy of a Worm" to your kids. It's a funny book and Cannon did a spin off of it and called it "The True Dairy of Baby Jet". I loved the idea. Cannon came up with all the experiences in the book (they all happened in real life)and I helped him finalize the wording. His book is in the top ten and we are invited to the reception (what ever that means). It seems like a neat way to praise the kids. I can't put Cannons pictures on here but I thought the story was so cute you might like to read it. Here it goes.
The True Diary of
Baby Jet
By: Cannon Gage
Author and Illustrator
January 5th
My mom pinches my cheeks way to much. Even if I use all my strength to get away and scream nobody comes to my rescue. They think I’m being “cute”. My mom says baby chub is better then play dough. I really don’t get it.
January 12th
I love bath time! After I’m all clean my dad picks me up, wraps me in Cannon’s dragon towel, rocks me back and forth, and sings “Who’s my happy baby?”. I can’t help but laugh. My mom bought me the ducky towel, but I like Cannon’s dragon towel more. With a little bit of my irresistible charm, I got what I wanted. Being the baby definitely has its perks.
January 14th
While Cannon was playing Pin Ball I turned the computer off. He never saw it coming. I know he was laughing inside even if he was mad on the outside. I just gave him a hug and we fell down. All was forgiven after that.
January 16th
Today I had three dirty diapers. One of them even leaked on the floor. Mom always says it’s a good thing I’m cute!!!! My sisters say that my stink is so BIG that it smells like elephant poop.
January 20th
Cannon gives me the weirdest nick names. The newest nick name is Jetocuteo. He says it’s my Pokemon name. Who knows what he’s talking about? Not me, that’s for sure.
January 22nd
Today Dad took the toilet out of the bathroom and drug it into the back yard. He found the tooth brush I put into it yesterday. He wasn’t very happy with me. I tried to look as innocent as I could but I still got a time out. I’ll never do that again!
January 27th
My mom is NOT as sneaky as she thinks she is. She put broccoli in my Mac-N-Cheese. I did not fall for that one. I’d rather go hungry!
January 30th
I love to walk around the house wearing my sister’s princess shoes. They make a great clicking noise on the wood floors and I look good! I wonder why everybody laughs at me.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Green Eyed Monster
This is an older pic of Cannon. I talked about my other three kids so I figured I'd talk about my first baby for a second. Cannon loves to goof off. Looking through last years pics I found several of Cannon with him doing something silly. In a typical Cannon pic, he is wearing a mustache made out of tape or glasses made out of magnetics. He is always being creative. I am so lucky to have him first. Cannon has always been very obedient and good natured (if you ignore how much he loves to bug his little sisters anyway). So far he (or any of my other kids now that I think about it) has never been in trouble at school. He reads the scriptures on his own because he wants to. I really couldn't ask for a better example to be set for my younger children!
Black Eyes
My Kayla use to always argue with me about her eye color. I'd tell her her eyes are brown and she'd say "No I have black eyes!" When she looked in the mirror she couldn't see a distinction between her pupil and her iris. One time she happened to look in the mirror when the sun was coming through the window just right and said "Hey, I do have brown eyes." I love my smart little dark chocolate grillilla. She is also the life of the party type of a girl. I'd describe her as very very smart and extra social.
Aunt Gwen's Back Yard ROCKS!
If the weather is good, we love to go to my sister Gwen's house to play in her back yard. She not only has cousins to play with but she also has the hugest back yard with all kinds of fun things to play on. The kids run wild while she and I catch up. My kids will have a lot of happy childhood memories in her yard!
He's a BIG boy. This should work.........
I just took Jet to his two year Dr. apt.
He's a tall boy and hasn't missed to many meals either. He is in the 94th percentile for height. Yeah! I love big boys!
Jet can fly!
Jet was my most active unborn child! Since he's been born, nothing has changed. I will say when ever he's around I'm never bored and usually laughing. He has a very very playful personality. If I could imagine Paul as a child....he would be exactly like our Jet.
H E I D I
Last week I was pretty sick. On Monday my kids were out of school and I was to sick to take them anywhere. Heidi played with Legos for a good portion of the afternoon. She told me she'd built her name and wanted me to see. I was very impressed! I love my Heidi! She is a very good girl! She is sweet through and through!
My Hungry Rascal
I have learned that I can make whole wheat bread a lot yummier and cheaper then buying it in the store. I made bread after I put the children to bed. I got it out of the oven, bagged it, then let it cool on the racks and went to bed. The next morning Jet helped himself while I was in the shower. Cannon told me and I rushed off to the kitchen. I gave Jet a stern look and started to tell him that he'd done a No No. Before I could say anything Jet gave me a big smile and said "Yum Mom!" My heart was softened and it didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Happy Birthday Jen!!!!
This is a birthday shout out to my very special sister Jen Oyler. She is the first born of the seven Zambrana kids. She helped me out a lot when I was growing up and is a HUGE part of who I am today. She's the kind of sister that gets as excited for me as I am for myself in good times. Jen I love you!!! I still look up to you!!! You're the whole package deal (gorgeous, smart, tenderhearted, generous, creative, talented, determined to overcome all of life's hard times, a servant, good listener, bubbly,ect...)!!!!! Have a Happy Birthday!!!! (Feb. 13th)
FYI-this pic was taken on a cruise we went on in Jan. of 2007. We went with my parents, 5of the seven siblings and their spouses. It was the most fun I've ever had. I believe we hope to do the same with the Gage's in 2009. Can't wait!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Before I got "old"
I haven't figured out how to turn the pictures right side up.
Anyway, this is a pic of my family last June when my oldest, Cannon was baptized. I put it on for any of you that haven't scene me in a while. I had long hair as far back as I can remember. Right after I turned thirty I decided it was time for a change. I am loving my short 'Posh Spice" hair cut. I'll probably grow it out a little when I'm closer to forty. ;-)
Also for any old friends that I haven't been in touch with....... I've been married for 10 yrs and have four children. My son Cannon(8 1/2) came first, then Heidi (7 1/2) came 16 months later, then Kayla (almost 5) and finally Jet (turned 2 today). Paul and I live in Clovis and love it here!!!!
My husband is almost an architect. He has one more exam to pass to be licensed. He designs hotels up and down Ca. He works very hard and is an AWESOME husband and father. I really don't know how I got so lucky! I basically stay home with the children. On the side I am a Real Estate Agent. I don't go fishing for clients. My business comes purely from referalls. Last year we were able to pay cash for a new roof on our home. My income has been great for things of that nature. Anyway, life is good and I have no complaints! I hope you are all happy and well! Take care of your families!
One in a Million
Out of the million pic's my Dad took, we got one with everybody looking at the camera. I believe in miracles!
4 Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree
November 2007 I loved this pose.
Ufortunately none of these turned out wall worthy.
