new routine...

I just love summer! I love the warmth and sun. I love the popsicles and trips to the pool. I love it all! What I don't love is thinking of ways to keep my kids happy and busy the whole time! Last year I made our Fun and Adventure JARS. Remember those?! They were a huge hit! It was great to have something to look forward to every day! We have the rule that you can't play with friends until 10 am, but my kids get up so blasted early that 10am seems so far away! This year I am adding some school work and chores to our summer morning routine. I found some awesome notebooks for the kids that look a lot like the papers that Noah and Zach were bringing home from school.It has a place for them to write a few sentences and then draw a picture above. I got them at Target. I also picked up a few Math books for Noah and Zach. So here is a run down of our new schedule:

8:30am-Breakfast
9am-Write in journal or do 1 math page
9:15ish-20 minutes of reading
9:45ish-do chore

Chores with my kids has been hard for me to implement. I don't know why...I grew up doing chores, but coming up with age appropriate chores has been hard. So I plan on having Noah clean the kids bathroom and Zach clean the 1/2 bath down stairs. By clean I mean wipe down the counter and mirror and take out the garbage every day. On Saturdays, however, they will do the Saturday version of the chore by not only cleaning the counter and mirror and taking out the garbage, but cleaning the toilet and sweeping the floor too! "What about Bailey?" you might be thinking...In her journal I will have her come up with a sentence and I will write it for her and then she will draw a picture to go along with it. She starts preschool in the fall and so we will be working on her alphabet and writing her name. For reading time I will read to her instead and her chore will be to help keep the loft clean.

I am hoping that more structure to our mornings will help with the boredom that seems to always set in an hour after they wake up!!

Flying High!

Heather made homemade kites for the kids a few weeks ago. They absolutely loved the kites! Oh, what a joy to be a kid!

do you see what I see?...

I know that I have said this before, but I just LOVE the wet lands behind our house! They are so beautiful! We are always discovering new and interesting things! Today these 2 brown cranes came so close to our house that I was able to snap some quick pictures. They were huge and majestic! I could have watched them for hours. The way that they moved was so graceful. It was like watching a ballet!

new item...

The new item for me to stock up on is stew and chili!
3-5 cans per person

You can never have enough of these...it is a meal in a can!

a trip to the dentist...

(So far I am still staying on top of this years scrapbooking! Wahooo!)

mother's day & this and that...

Mother's Day was wonderful! Probably the best ever. The kids are at a great age. They really understood what the day was all about and made me feel so special and loved. Through out the whole day Bailey would come up to me and say, "Mommy, I really really really love you! Happy Mother's Day!" followed by a huge kiss! I was able to sleep in, served breakfast in bed, took a shower and got ready for church stress free, the kids were fabulous during church, we came home and I got to take a nap, then Travis made dinner for not only our family but my Mom, Dad, and sister Jenny. He did it all by himself! What a fantastic day! For a gift I decided that I wanted to start the tradition that my mom did growing up. Almost every year she would request something to plant in our yard. A tree, flowers or something! A garden of love so to speak! I love the idea! So we bought a lilac bush and planted it in our front flower bed! Travis is an amazing husband and I have the cutest, sweetest kids! I also have a wonderful Mom! She is and has always been so sweet and loving. She is truly my best friend! I love talking to her and am so thrilled that we live so close to each other. I am so blessed!

Here are some random spring pictures!

wow...

So after last months visiting teaching message about scripture study I have been trying to do better...wait...let me rephrase...I have been trying to just do it! I have been pretty lousy lately. So this morning I was also reading a talk by Sister Julie B. Beck. I love this woman! She talks on my level. I loved her when she served in the General YW and I love that she is in the Relief Society now. I was reading her talk -Mothers Who Know-. Can I just say WOW!! What a talk. I kinda remember hearing this talk in conference a few years back, but you know how general conference is with young kids. I should have read it when that conference issue of the Ensign came out, but...well I told you I wasn't doing so hot in the studying department. Anyhoo...I read it this morning and I just wanted to share a little bit that touched me.

She starts off by saying, "The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12) However, mothers NEED NOT FEAR. When mothers KNOW WHO THEY ARE and WHO GOD IS and have MADE COVENANTS with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children." Did she just say "need not fear"? I could use a little of that! Sometimes the responsibility that I know I hold weighs heavily on my shoulders. I wonder if I can really do all that is required of me. I worry that I am not doing enough to protect my family. She is saying that if I really truly know who I am and who God is I have no reason to fear. She then goes on to talk about some amazing things about mothers who KNOW.

• Mothers who know bear children
• Mothers who know honor sacred ordinances and convenants
• mothers who know are nurturers
• Mothers who know are leaders
• Mothers who know are teachers
• Mothers who know do less
• Mothers who know stand strong and immovable

She goes though each of these bullets so beautifully. I also just wanted to share the one sentence that stood out the most to me this morning (it is under the heading Mothers who know are Leaders) : "These wise mothers who know are selective about their own activities and involvement to conserve their limited strength in order to maximize their influence where it matters most." Wow, what a wake up call! I think...no wait...I KNOW that I have some big changes to make in this department. I waste a lot of energy and time on things that I KNOW could be spent with my kids.

Just some morning thoughts...

new focus...

I always hesitate sharing spiritual things on this blog...I don't know why, but I do...I just want to share what has been on my mind lately...plus when I get really excited about things it is hard not to talk about it! So...

This last week I was called to serve in my wards Relief Society presidency as the counselor over Enrichment activities! I am so excited! One of the things that my bishop said is that he wanted all of our activities to focus on provident living. "What is provident living?" you might be asking your self...well a great place to find out is by clicking -HERE- I am always amazed at how the Lord prepares you to serve. The last few months I have thought a lot about provident living and what it means to be self reliant. Travis and I have been setting goals for our family and working to achieve them. I have been slowly building up our families food storage and finishing our 72 hour kits. About a month ago Travis got the "it's time to move" bug. Right now is a great time to buy a house! He started looking and I hesitantly started looking too. Then one day after a few weeks of this "bug" he comes home from work and says, "I don't think we should move anymore!" Huh? Well...he was listening to the recent talks from April's General Conference and felt like we needed to stay put! Can I just tell you how great it is to have a husband that loves and listens to the Lord! Anyhoo...the next day this quote showed up on our fridge:

"I urge you to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage...If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That's all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

Now does this mean that we will NEVER move? No! But for now we both have the peace in knowing that we are where the Lord wants us to be. I love this quote and read it almost daily! Isn't peace what we all want in our lives? Well...here is a prophet of the Lord telling us how we can gain some of that peace that we so desire! All we have to do is change our focus...

oh how i love this boy...

I can't believe that Max is 6 months old already! What a joy he is! I love his clear blue eyes and the dimple on his chin. I could kiss his cheeks all day long.

This is the best picture I have of his 2 teeth so far. Oh the amount of drool 1 baby can make! He makes the funniest faces! Because of those 2 teeth and his need for chomping I have quit nursing...I'm not a fan of bleeding and swelling! Max has such a fun personality. I wish I could hear his thoughts. Oh how I love this boy!

fairytale friday...

Today I get to go into Noah's classroom and do their weekly Fairytale Friday. They have done this each Friday the entire year. My turn being near the end of the year the list of Fairy tales for me to choose from was pretty picked over. When Noah brought the list home I was so excited...one of the only fairy tales left just happens to be my very most favorite! The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen. I loved this story as a kid. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it! If you have...you will totally get the activity that I am doing to go along with the story. Below is a picture of it! Though out the year as Noah has brought home the activities from Fairy tale Friday and used them to retell the story most have been pretty girly. Think about it...most Fairytales are girl centered fairytales...but not The Tinderbox! I think everyone is Noah's class will enjoy the activity, but especially the boys...they have waited long enough! There is only so many times you can color and make a cinderella, thumbelina, princess and the pea, rapunzel, or red riding hood craft before you crave something manly/cool.

"Finally, he entered the third chamber. What a horrible sight! The dog had eyes as large as windmills, and they turned round and round in his head. "Good evening!" said the soldier, saluting the dog in his smartest military style, for never in his life had he seen a dog like that."