Sunday Photo: 24

This morning we took a drive up the canyon.  It was a beautiful morning.

The flowers were blooming and everything was so green.  We live in such an amazing place.  I love that we can disappear from the real world and within a few minutes from our house we can disappear.  We have no cell phone service and can't be bothered.  We can listen to music and enjoy the peace and surroundings.  

At least until someone touched someone or someone started breathing someone else's air in the back seat.  Then we had war.  And then of course Avery sadly dropped all her gummy bears on the floor, out of her reach, and Eli thought we might fall off a cliff....but....there was maybe a second, or two we all enjoyed it.

I ran my race yesterday!  It deserves it's own post, but I did it.  And I ran the whole time, which was my goal.  I know this is silly to all my overachieving-awesome-running friends.  

But to me it was big. 

 I love this quote.  We are strong!  We need to stretch and see how much we can do.  How much we can grow.

We all have something big in us.  I'm still working on whatever mine is.  But we all can be great and succeed.  I just know it.

Happy Sunday.

Sunday Photo: 23

We crossed off a couple more items on our summer bucket list this week, including a backyard camp out.  No one actually slept all night in the tent.  One after another they all slowly came back to the house.  Silly kids. There is no monster that lives under the deck that is going to eat you in your sleep.  But once someone said that, they all believed it.  I guess we will have to try it again.

I didn't even take a picture today.  This cheater weekend picture will have to work.

I'm reading a really great book that has been on my list for a long time.  "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode" by Crystal Paine (money saving mom blogger!). I love her blog and love and agree with the book so far.  Last night I came across this quote, 

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago.  The second best time is today" -African Proverb

This week I am going to try to apply the principles I am learning from the book.  I am going to try my best.  I am running a race this week!?!  (No...really.....Literally and figuratively speaking!). Hopefully this quote in my head will help.  

It's going to be a good week.

I am planting my trees...ok, not really planting any trees, but I and thinking positively and reaching towards some goals.

What have you got planned?

Sunday Photo: 22

Happy Father's Day!  It's been a busy day...it's been a busy weekend, actually a very busy week.  Between helping my sister (who went to youth conference) and Wade's brother (whose wife is in the hospital) we've had 7-8 kids here almost every day this week.  The amount doesn't bother me.  But I'll admit, it's kinda noisy and chaotic.  But good.  I really love a full house.  Somedays I really think we need to buy one of those big huge vans.  Wade would die.  But there are days I really, really consider it.

This week we cleaned out Wade's mom's sewing room.  A bitter-sweet time.  Sad to see it happen, sweet to find little treasures and mementos.  Betty was an amazing mom.  It was a huge project that took several late, late nights with all Wade's siblings and spouses over here.  I'm telling you...my house has been very, very full all week.  But I think we have a hold on it now and this week the older boys get move up there.  It will be such a blessing.  We've had all five kids sharing one room for the past year.  Yes. You read that sentence right.  All five kids in one room. And their Legos (which take up almost as much space as an extra kid). It's become the norm to be smooshed together and everyone is excited and nervous to get their own space.  I'm a big fan of kids sharing rooms.  But bedtime will be so much easier with a big kid room and little kid room.

Add Wade taking a trip one day to girl's camp for church and just life, the office is keeping us busy as well.  So much to do!  But's so exciting to see things come together.  The rooms, the space, everything is coming together.  The countdown is on.  Are we crazy?  I can't believe we are doing this!

And of course, today is Father's Day.  We tried to let Wade sleep in today.  But he got up early to work on his lesson he had to teach today at church.  And Lucy has been sick.  So we had to flip/flop church since both of us needed to be there at different times.  Poor sick Lucy loves her daddy.  She calls him mama and follows him everywhere.  So he didn't get much of a "break" today, but he did get lots of cuddles from his favorite little Lucy.

Tonight we had a Father's Day luau with Wade's family.  Wade's dad got back from Hawaii a couple weeks ago and brought everyone fun outfits.  The little girls looked so cute.  And yet, I didn't get a single picture...what is wrong with me??!!

I have amazing father's in my life.  Wade makes us laugh every day.  He has worked so hard for our family and will do anything for us.  He teaches the kids right  from wrong.  He sets an example of integrity and standing up for what you believe is right.

My own dad is amazing.  He is one of my best friends.  He supports us and helps us achieve our goals.  He listens to me.  He is patient and kind.  He always looks for the good in people. I loved that we got to live close to them for four years.  I wish they would move to Utah.  I cannot think of a time when I've heard my dad speak ill of someone.  I need to be more like that.

My father in law...what can I say?  He hasn't kicked us out yet even though we are loud, messy at times, and the boys tend to jump on the couches.  I've grown a lot closer to him this past year and I really value our friendship.  I know he wants the best for us, and he is so excited about our new office!  I love that he buys Lucy candy and let's Avery cuddle and watch duck dynasty with him.  He is very patient and kind.

Amazing fathers. 

I can even think of "fathers" every place we've lived that have been amazing examples to me and our little family.  I have been blessed by fathers.

And last but not least I know....I know that I have a Heavenly Father.  He watches and cares for me.  Just like my earthly fathers He is someone I can talk to and get answers from.  He loves me.  He loves you.  If you don't know that, you should.

Wade shared this as part of his lesson today.  It's one of my favorites.

If you've got a couple minutes you should watch it. If you don't, come back when you do and watch it.  

I love this.  

Happy Sunday.

Sunday Photo: 21

Phew.  We got through a very big week at our house.  I was so incredibly nervous to post about the practice.  My heart was racing after I hit publish!  I was blown away by all the kindness and comments.  Thank you all for the support. It really, really means a lot to us.  I am thankful.

Now, I can get back to blogging about our normal life!

This morning we enjoyed a little reading time before church.  Lucy was taking a nap so we actually enjoyed a few minutes of peacefulness!  She usually loves to run around poking, pestering and trying to hit the book out of Wade's hands.  She's got to be the center of attention!  Silly girl.

Wade has been reading Brandon Mull's book The Five Kingdoms to the kids.  They really love Brandon Mull.  Avery set up a "library" to look at and Eli usually finds something quiet to play with too while we read outloud.

What a blessing Sundays can be.  A day of rest.  I am so thankful for this cute little family of mine.  And thankful for good books, and a husband who loves to read to the kids!

I am spending today being thankful.  

Thankful for my good friends.  

Thankful for my family and lazy Sundays.

Thankful the gospel and hope that it gives me.

Thankful for the opportunity to serve and learn from amazing people.

Thankful for chocolate chip cookies after dinner.

Life gets so incredibly busy during the week.  I am not even kidding.  I wake up at 4:30am and hit the pillow exhausted by 11.  It never slows down.  This week, amongst the craziness, I am going to try to be more thankful every day.  It only takes a minute to slow down and look for the moment.

Remember my post about gratitude?  It's my "word" this year.  It's where I want to focus.  It's been a year full of ups and downs, but I have tried to always find the positive.  I have not always succeeded.  But I love this quote.  LOVE.

"No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish.  There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy, if only we will see it, and appreciate it."  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

What are you thankful for this week? 

 look around, take a moment 

find something

{our BIG news}

Wade and I have been working on a project the last couple months.  

It's been a long journey and full of blood, sweat, tears, much fasting and much much prayer. 

It is still going to be a long journey.  

We are no where near the end of our hard work.

But there was a day this last month that we took our kids and told them our plans and showed them the space and we both knew.  

We KNEW this was the right path for our little family.  

We are learning something completely new every single day, but we are really excited we can finally announce it.

Click on the image.
  

Check out our site!

Like us on facebook!

But more importantly, give us a call and come see us!

We are SO very excited. 

And are scheduling to see patients starting this July!

~~~

I've spent many, many nights up thinking about my blog and our announcement.  I know it might sound silly, but Wade especially doesn't always want his work and home life mixed together and out there.  I have to respect that.  I've argued both sides in my head if I should go private or stay public.  I've taken my blog off search engines and made it a little bit harder for people to find us.  I really love sharing my thoughts and believes on my blog.  I love sharing about the gospel, and families and life.  I have actually prayed about this silly blog, it's been mine for 8 years!  I feel really good about keeping it open.  It feels great to finally share this news and not have such a big secret.  The goal is to share our news in a way that doesn't always link back and forth.  I hope that makes sense!

{May in the Books}

I read 6 books in May.  I read most of these all at the beginning of the month, because by the time it got towards the end of the month I fizzled out. I got a little bored with some of the books I was reading, but hopefully June will recharge me.

English Trifle, Josi Kilpack

This is the second book in a series of murder mystery books I've found that I really enjoy.  They are fun and pretty clean...not to gory or descriptive.  I like the recipes that are in each book and I've tried a couple of them.  This book took me a little longer to get into, I'm not sure why, I did like it.

Your Divine Purpose, Richard Paul Anderson.  

I've had this book on my shelf for a couple months and I haven't got to it till this month.  I loved it.  It had some really great ideas and I found myself underlining and highlighting a lot of passages.  I think it would be a great read for anyone!

Too Much to Carry Alone, Camille Fronk Olson

This was a short book, Time Out Classic book.  I enjoyed it.  I read it in one sitting and it had some really interesting points about what it means to take upon the yoke of Christ in our lives.

The Power of Everyday Missionaries, Clayton M. Christensen

I had seen some good reviews of this book online and heard a couple people talking about it so I decided to give it a try.  I LOVED this book.  I even sent a copy to my dad.  It was really great and had some really great real life experiences that he shared.  I think every member should read this book.

Devils' Food Cake, Josi Kilpack

Book 3 in the culinary mystery series, this book was really fun to read.  I have enjoyed reading more about the characters in each book and seeing how some relationships are developing.  

Key Lime Pie, Josi Kilpack

Book four was great!  I really enjoyed this book and the recipes in this book were even my favorite.  I love that I can sit down and read these books pretty fast.  I have taken a little break after this book, I started the 5th book, but decided to read another book in between.  Then life got busy.  I hope to read more culinary mystery books in June.  They will be a great series to finish reading this summer.  The final book comes out this fall, and then it looks like a cook book will be published!

~~

My total for the year is now 43.  Almost halfway to 100!

May

May was such a fast month!  

I don't feel like I have a lot of photos to show for how busy we were, but we were busy!

At the beginning of the month I had had enough with the Lego table so I decided we needed a sort day.  The kids love to help - for half of the time, then they find what they have always been looking for and forget the real project at hand.

Before:

 After:

(I wished it still looked that good)

Since my job as a reading teacher's aide at the school ended, but I was still able to work hours, I took on  the lucky job of recess guard.  Most days I thought it was a pretty easy, fun job.  But other days, ugh.  It was not my favorite.  If I had to pick again, I would be a step-up (reading) teacher again in a heartbeat.

One Saturday I made twelve freezer meals.  Wade didn't think I could do it in a morning and he thought it would take me all day.  Challenge accepted.  He took the kids out to weed the front yard and I finished in about 2 hours.  

We've really enjoyed having nice weather.  Water guns, water, pool time and swimming suits have taken over.  Our garden is thriving.  And so are the weeds...so that is a nightly challenge to work on.

I went with the lovely ladies I work with in Relief Society to get pedicures.  It was such a fun afternoon!  One of the girls is having a baby any day and we wanted to pamper her.  This presidency is such a fun group, I really love the time we spend together.

My niece Charlotte comes over a lot of afternoons.  I love it!  One day I was holding sick, sleepy Lucy and so Charlotte helped make dinner.  She is such a help!  Lucy loves CJ.  The other day we were at a park without her and I kept wondering why it was so challenging for me to keep track of everyone, and then I realized it was because CJ wasn't there! We all love Charlotte!

We finally swapped our washer and dryer out of storage and put my father in law's set in the garage.  Lucy has loved doing laundry since and she stands there all day saying "woah, woah, woah."

The ending of school meant lots of activities.  Gage had a choir concert one night.  He is wearing an orange shirt on the front row.  Students that sang in the choir had to be at school at 7:30am for practices throughout the spring.  Some mornings it got a little rough, but Gage really had a good time.

Charlotte also sang in choir with Gage.  She sang a solo at the concert and did fabulous!

The school had a dance festival!  It was so much fun to watch all the grades perform their dances.  The teachers even did a special dance at the end! 

Noah in the orange shirt behind the girl in dark pink.

And Gage, they danced to Michael Jackson.

It was so much fun!  We've never had a dance festival at any of the other schools we've attended.  I love this tradition!  I can't wait for next year!

 Here is Noah at field day with his cute teacher.  He is such a goofball and made a funny face.  I didn't get a picture of Gage with his teacher this year, but she really was so good for him and one of his all time favorites!

The kids love sleeping in different places.  Some nights they pile a bunch of blankets on the floor and sleep all together.  One night Lucy thought she would be funny and she grabbed Eli's blanket and pillow and joined the crowd.  She wouldn't let Eli have it back.  Silly girl.

And on the last day of school my neighbor had a summer kick off party!  They had water balloons, BBQ and this fun water slide.  The kids had a blast.

I love Avery's face in this picture.  

We are so excited for summer!

{last day of school}

On Friday these goof-ball boys of mine had their last day of school!

It's such a great feeling to be done and head into summer.

Noah completed first grade this year.

Noah has really enjoyed school and has loved his teacher.  She was fantastic for him.  His reading has taken off and he loves to read anything he can get his hands on.  His teacher gave him a chapter book on the last day of school and he was so excited to come home and start it.  He is such a hard worker and always tries so hard to do the right thing and do his very best.  He really has excelled in every subject this year.  Most of his good friends are going to the new school (our school was so big they built a new one and divided us).  He hasn't quite got that they won't be around in second grade, but he has good friends sticking around too.  He is super excited for summer and very proud to be a 2nd grader!

Gage completed 4th grade!

Gage acted so surprised when he got his report card and it said he passed 4th grade.  I am NOT sure why though, he has worked hard and got good grades all year.  His teacher is one that some people feel is on the strict side, but Gage has really thrived with her and loves the structure.  He is a black and white kid...he likes rules and likes structure and she has bee so good for him.  Once I asked him if he thought she was too strict and he said, "Mom if you do what is right and do what she asks you than it's never an issue!"  I bet every teacher wished kids had that attitude.  He tries so hard to do the right thing.  Gage has always struggled with reading in the past, but this year his reading really excelled.  He worked very hard.  The math came easy to him and he really enjoyed it.  It took him a while, but he has made a good group of friends and they have a good time at recess on the playground together.

~~~

These boys are so happy it's summer and they can play all day long.  They are so excited for 2nd and 5th grade. They already have their fingers crossed for certain teachers.  I have loved this school and I am so glad this year worked out well for my boys.  

We celebrated the last day by playing water games at our neighbors house, having a movie/pizza party and our traditional first day/last day root beer floats.

Next year I'll have a kindergartener too!  Wow!