Let's Play Music!

If you want to enrich your child's life through music then this is the program for you! My children have been in Let's Play Music with Melissa Lunt for the past 4 years. We love it and they have learned soooo much! Kenna & Jonah graduated after 3 years this past spring and Griffin is in his second year. The children love the fun songs & interaction and I love how much learning is happening and that I am able to learn right along with them. This is a fantastic program and right now they are having a fun contest where you can win a month of free tuition! So if you have this program in your area I highly recommend that you check it out!! Click on my title for the link.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I have heard this quote a few times over the past few months and each time I am moved more and more to want to emulate the statements made in it and so I am now claiming this as my life's motto. I am making this statement publicly so no one will have the need to question where I stand or what my intentions are. I may not follow it perfectly every day, however this is my goal.

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.
The dye has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I wont look back, let up, slow down, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.
I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity.
I don't have to be right, first, recognized,praised, regarded or rewarded.
I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven.
My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away,d ivided or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I wont give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ.
I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me.
And when He returns for his own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
Because...
My Banner will be clear.

JulieHanksshine-blinkie

JulieHanksshine-blinkie

Here is a contest that Twilight Saga fans will LOVE!

Here is a great contest to win a PREVIEW to BREAKING DAWN!! Check out the link in the title! Go Team Edward!!

VIP Eclispe Tickets at Spanish 8

Check out the Awesome Twilight Eclipse VIP Party at the Spanish 8. Why go all the way to the city when we are going to have a BLAST right here in SF. Yeah Team Edward!!!

Giveaway:Win a $25 Scentsy Gifd Card!!

Check out the title link for a chance to win $25 Scentsy gift card! I love to win free stuff and I just won a beautiful cake for Griffin's birthday! Good Luck!!

Get Free Pizza!!

This is a great blog on how to get free stuff and this week you can get free pizza!!! Click on the title to link to the site. FUN! FUN! FUN!!!

First Annual Gately Family Camping Trip

We have been having a wonderful summer and one of the highlights has been our camping trip to Flaming Gorge near Vernal, Utah. Shawn kept G and I took M,J & W. We had a wonderful time sleeping under the stars, roasting marshmallows and making smores, hiking, paddle boating, fishing (for trout,minnows and crawfish), horseback riding and exploring the beauty of nature all around us. We saw a lizard, deer, chipmunks, squirel and big horned sheep. My sisters and their kids came up for one of the days and we had tacos and so much fun with them. M & J said that this was the best vacation ever! I am now officially a "Fun Mom". Check out our fun pictures.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Willow Smiles

Shawn took this adorable video. Click on title to check it out!

As a way to say THANK YOU!

I snagged this off of my sister Valerie's blog. I hope some of you will take me up on my offer. Love you all. And I am so grateful to have great friends!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. :)

The catch? Oh the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Better Late Than Never

I am finally back into the blog scene. I apologize to those of you who have been bugging me for pics and stories of our newest little addition. So here they are. Shawn got these while she was "talking" to him in her cute baby language of coos and shrieks. She is now three months old and is such a good baby. She loves to be held and loved on, which we are all so willing to oblige. She is even sleeping through the night, bless her little heart. She is truly the joy in our lives and we are enjoying her immensely!

Born to Be Wild!

Last week Jonah learned how to ride his bike sans the training wheels. Both McKenna and Jonah has been concerned about falling and so had convinced themselves that they could not ride unassisted. One of Jonah's friends has a small bike that I felt Jonah could ride if he tried, and I was right. He got on and with a little nudge was off and riding. After taking a few spins up and down the street he asked if I could take the training wheels off of his bike. I got them off and he quite easily was riding on his own. We went over the rules of riding, ie: always wear shoes that cover your toes (no bare feet or flip flops), always wear a helmet and always let parents know where you are going. He was following the first two rules great, however he had a bit of trouble remembering the third. With his new found freedom, he decided to go exploring and visit Dad at his office which is 17 blocks from our home. We only knew he was on his way when a neighbor saw him and called us. By the time Shawn was able to intercept him he was only 1 block from his destination. When Shawn asked him where he was headed he said "I was coming to see you Dad, and it was fun!" We love our little explorer's adventurous spirit and have reviewed in detail the rules for riding and reiterated that freedom comes with responsibility.

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice!

So for everyone who has been waiting with bated breath, the torturous wait is over. And the winner is...A GIRL!!!! Yes we officially can start the remodel of the nursery from blue to pink according to the ultrasound technician and our applied Kinesiology energy test. McKenna swore that if we turned out to have a boy she was going to faint. Shawn had the camera at the ready for the big announcement. To our relief no fainting. Baby is growing and developing wonderfully. We are excited about our progress and will share more updates as they come.

Movin' Right Along!

Well we have made a decision about how and where I am going to deliver our baby. I had my best experience for Jonah's birth at a birth home in Pleasanton, CA. And I have always wanted to repeat that as close as possible. I have had a difficult time finding anything even remotely similar here in Utah county. Suprising for the baby birthing capital. However I believe my search is finally complete. I am going to have our baby a BellaNatal Birthing Suites http://bellanatal.com/. Assisted by a Midwife and Doula this is going to a great birth and I am looking forward to bringing a new life into the world, gently, quietly and in an environment and love. So different from the way our little Griffin came to us, poor baby. We have an ultra sound planned for Aug 11th. So stay tuned for an update.

And our Official Due Date Is...

All is well on the baby front. I went for my first prenatal appt and our official due date is...December 28th. We are having one baby (thank goodness) and she (wishful thinking) is very active all ready. We will keep you updated each month.

Life is Good!

I did not realize that it has been sooo long since I last posted! Well...We buried my dear friend Tonia and the service was absolutely beautiful!! It brought all who attended much peace and it was wonderful to reconnect with friends and family I had not seen in 25 years. I love you Tonia and think of you each day.

Shawn and I took a quick trip to Chicago for Adepticon (gaming convention). It was fun to see Shawn completely in his element and treated as a pseudo-Celebrity. He was interviewed on 40K radio and people knew who he was, but he did not know them. It was a fun get away and when we got back we found out we are having a baby in December!! We are all very happy and excited and we are hoping for a girl. McKenna "can not take another pesky brother!" or so she says. I thankfully do not get morning sickness, however during this pregnancy I have been extremely tired and have needed to take a nap every day. Needless to say I have not gotten much done, but I am trying to sort through things and purge as much as possible. I have my first appointment with the doctor next week and I am hoping that he can let me know what I can do to feel like myself again. I hate feeling like a lump. I suspect that I may be anemic or diabedic, since I have had issue with those before.

We made it through the final weeks of school and Kindergarten graduation and we are loving summer vacation! I do not schedule much during the summer as I want it to be a true vacation. We so plan on going to the Zoo quite a bit and Shawn & I are going to Tuacahn in St. George and may go to Lagoon.

In Loving Memory

Tonia Eileen Townsend Eccles

April 2, 1970- March 27, 2008

My sweet, brave, stalwart friend ended her long battle with pain and adversity in typical Tonia like fashion, making sure that everyone was taken care of before she allowed herself to rest. She was able to help at least 3 people with her final physical gift. She was surrounded by her loving family including her 5 children.

Tonia was the strongest, most generous, loving, compassionate, thoughtful, understaning, spiritual person I have ever known. She is my hero and I enjoyed and treasure our years of friendship more than I can say.

She loved her family and serving them brought her utmost joy and she was so proud of her children, Austin, Riley John, Sageryann, Brady and Kayonia and enamored of her loving elf of a husband Ryan. She and Ryan were constantly trying to "out-do" each other in being kind and thoughtful to eachother.

She found great peace being in the outdoors and riding her horse Trigger. I enjoyed hearing about all of her adventures hiking the hills, fishing the lake in her boat and watching the ducks and geese, growing her beautiful flowers and delicious veggie garden.

I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I had in calling her my friend, loving her and feeling her love for me. I will miss her so very much, yet find great comfort in knowing that I will be able to see her again and that she is now at peace with her loving Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

LOVE YOU FOREVER TONIA!!!!

Happy Spring!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter! So sorry that it has been so long since we have written. We are doing well and so glad that spring is finally here! Shawn and Tamie are looking forward to their trip to Chicago in April and the kids are really excited about spending some time with their cousins. McKenna and Jonah both received high marks during their last SEP's. We are so proud of them both and grateful that they are enjoying school.

Tamie's brother Eric was married to Nell Elizabeth Harris on March 8th at the Homestead in Midway, Utah. We had a wonderful time and it was great to see family and friends we have not seen for quite some time. McKenna was the flower girl and she preformed her duties wonderfully. This is a video of the evening's events. The next morning we received word from Uncle Randy that Grandma Ernie (Erleen) had passed away peacefully around 3am. She had colon cancer and had been just waiting for her time to come. We love you and miss you Grandma, but know that we will see you again soon. Say hello and give a hug and kiss to Grandpa Harry, Aunt Maxine and Uncle Art.

We received some very sad news this week. Tamie's childhood friend Tonia Eccles was in a tragic car accident on the 18th and is paralized from the neck down. We have added a link to her blog, please read about her and include her and her amazing family in your prayers and donate to her medical fund if you can. toniaeccles.blogspot.com

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

We are all enjoying our celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ and want to wish you all A Very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2008! We have been having a great time going to the various parties and festivities that are so abundant this time of year. Some highlights have been Gardner Village (Elf Hunt), The Gateway (Santa vs The Snowman @ Clark Planetarium), Temple Square (Lights, Singing, Dinner at the Pantry, I am a Child of God exhibit), playing with the cousins and eating fabulous food! So glad that you stopped by and would love for you to leave us a comment.

You've Had A Birthday, Shout Hooray!!

Well we have been celebrating Jonah's birthday over the past two weeks. He official birthday was on the 19th. We were up at Snowbird Ski Resort over his birthday which was so beautiful and relaxing, we had a small family party with the cousins while we were up there and then we had his friend party on Friday as there was no school. He had a wonderful time and recieved some fun gifts. His favorites being the Game Cube and Bionicles.