My Life

Holiday Recap

I skipped right over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I love Thanksgiving time.  It's nice to focus on our many blessings.  I try each day to be grateful, and focus on the good.  Cause let's face it, life is hard.  I was just talking today about how a positive attitude really does change your perspective on mundane, boring tasks.  I try almost every night to have the kids give me 3 things they are thankful for that day.  Sometimes I get eye rolls, I don't care.  Hopefully, the focusing on the good will help them to be more aware of all they things they have been blessed with.

I've seen some awesome gratitude journals.  I'm such a poor journal writer.  I really should find an easy way to document.  I think I'll do a weekly gratitude post.  Then it's recorded in the yearly book.  I'll do Thankful Thursdays and see how many I can get written down in the year.  Hold me to it.

The most important parts of Thanksgiving is the time spent together with family.  My mom hosts a grandkids mini pie making afternoon the day before Thanksgiving every year.  She is a trooper.  Cause sometimes it gets a little crazy.  That's one of the many things I love about my mom.  She will sacrifice anything (time, comfort, sleep, a clean house turning into a messy house) for her family to have a good time.  For the kids to have time with each other playing and making good memories.  She's awesome like that.

There's even a random kid in there.  Friend of Sadies :)

It's serious business.

I love me some apple pie!

Christmas was great this year.  It's always great, but I had pretty low stress about it.  I think it's crazy how I tend to go a little overboard.  Never really having a plan.  Then going to the store to pick up one more thing because it's not quite even between the four kids.  Crazy!  This year, I told the kids: want, need, wear, read and Santa.  That's it.  I got what they really wanted and didn't have to guess.  It was fabulous.  Definitely a new tradition!

I never even picked up my camera.  Didn't get any pictures on Christmas morning.  Gasp.  Oh well.  It happened, and it was fun:)

Service Chain

I love family traditions.  I think they are important in building strong family relationships.  We have everyday traditions that help bring our family together daily: trying to eat at mealtimes together, discussing our day and three things that happened or that we are grateful for, family prayer, family home evening, supporting one another at sports events, or activities we are involved in, snuggling and reading books at bedtime.  These traditions are just as important as the seasonal ones we participate in.  During the holidays I think the traditions are intensified, we add to what we already do.

Here is a new one that I have been loving this year.  We made a service chain.  We discussed what it meant to serve someone.  That is must be a sacrifice of our time or talent.  That we didn't expect anything in return and we did it with a happy heart.  We also discussed small and simple ways to serve.  That it didn't need to be something super extravagent.  That we just needed to be looking everyday for ways to serve others and those in our family.

At the end of the day, everyone must fill out at least one chain to link on our tree.

We decided to put our chain on the tree.

I have been loving many of the links so far: Rub dad's back, carry great Grandma's purse, gave my spot up in the front to sit in the back of the car, snuggled with Mom, Played nicely with my brothers, helped calm down a friend at school, helped my friend find his page when he lost it at school....small, little things that make a big difference.

it makes me happy to see it grow each day.  I hope we can carry this on to an everyday tradition once Christmas passes.

FHE at Great Grandmas

My sisters and I surprised Grandma and came over to set up her tree.  The kids had fun playing in the yard, eating cookies and putting on the ornaments.  

One year, I think it was 2002, we went over and painted ornaments for her tree.  She still has them.  Amber was cracking up that she had a cupcake wrapper angel ornament from when she was 7.

I love all her crocheted ornaments.  We have a snowman on our tree from her.  It always makes me smile :)

It was nice to go over and get her house spruced up for the holidays.

Halloween

Here's my crew on Halloween eve getting ready to go to our ward's trunk or treat.

Kyle's costume had survived the school's haunted house, parties, and Lily grabbing hold of it a few times.  He did have to keep it together with a little scotch tape.

It was low key as Halloween was on Sunday, we hung at the house and passed out candy to the trick or treaters.  We even managed to squeeze in a few carved jack o lanterns.  I was ill prepared and had a couple of small carving knives from last year.  I just didn't think about it.  They made do and I picked up a couple half price this week so we are all ready for next year.

The candy, well....it's all gone.  I have no control there.  I figure it's best to get it all out of the house and if they eat it all well that's less I have to worry about later.

Here's  a little series that cracks me up.  Kade was very much into character with Mario....

I cannot believe that it is nearly Thanksgiving, and I refuse to even think about Christmas.....

**I have no idea why my horizontal pictures look so blurry.  Click on them and they are sharper (most of them that is :)

Preschool Halloween Party

It was a success.

I survived.

They were adorable all dressed up in their costumes.

I sent them home with tons of junk.

His partner in crime was at school all day.  Hoping to get a good shot of Mario and Luigi together.

The morning crew:

The afternoon crew:

Brandon was so over his costume at this point. 

Until next year!

Birthday Weekend

Friday evening we spent a few hours at Claire's birthday party.

 
It was a slightly windy evening.  The kids didn't seem to mind.  They loved blowing bubbles and running around outside.  Claire was quite excited about her gifts.  We enjoyed seeing her reaction to receiving Baby Alive.  I have a feeling she has been eyeing that doll for awhile.  Sheer delight I tell you.

This quilt was set up and the idea was to have the kids dress up and do some fun photos.  The backdrop was blowing all over the place, but these boys couldn't pass up a silly photo op.

When I was editing this, Kade says, "DON'T show this to anyone!"  I didn't promise :)

 

We had to jet home to get ready for Kade's party that would be happening early in the am on Saturday.  He was having a mad scientist party.  We were still behind on getting the rockets done.

Lauren and Kade stayed up to prep the party bags and get the cupcakes going.

Aren't those little nerdy scientist glasses the cutest?

 

The party was out of this world!

Seriously, they had THE best time....

We:

made snow

made slime

played with a tornado in a bottle

watched a mentos geyser.

experimented with decorating our own cupcakes 

and for the grand finale had a water rocket launch.

They had a blast!

They could have stayed out there all day launching their rockets.

Cousin Tanner wants to know where to get one of those launchers.  I told him Steve built it but he is welcome to borrow it if he ever needs it.  Apparently he told his mom about our little exchange several times.  I think he has plans :)

Brandon and Kyle both want to do rockets for their birthdays.

Kade's favorite part of the day was "the rockets." 

Even though I am so exhausted from the week, seeing those kids so excited made all the time and work to build them worth it!
  

  

Easter in Pictures

We watched general conference

Hunted for eggs in the backyard.

Met up at my parents for an egg hunt with cousins.

Candace was the lookout.  Holding the kids back :)

And they are off.....

 

 

My kids were voting for the cutest cousin....

They decided it was Claire. (and Talan and Greyson, oh and Crew)  They couldn't decide.  I told them it's always the youngest ones cause they are so little.  They agreed.

She is adorable with her blonde hair and brown eyes.

I think that combo totally rocks.

Hung out on the steps watching the kids and eating candy....

 

Snuck in a quick family shot (Thanks Melissa)

 
 

 
 
   

 

Saturday

I love that it is General Conference weekend.  No worries or concerns.  

Get to have some serious spiritual enlightenment while in my PJs :)

I didn't even buy Easter clothes this year.  

Today we got ready for all the festivities.....

 

The boys helped me dig up the dead plants in the backyard.  

Lauren helped straighten so we would be ready for an egg hunt.

 

While digging, we found a few worms to keep Brandon company.

 

I stopped off to get a much needed pedicure.

 

the boys played most of the afternoon outside.

 

Later we dyed some eggs.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

 

Hope you have a happy easter!
   
 
 
 
 
 

Valentines

Kade gave me this special valentine.  We had a FHE on Monday and I had everyone write a special note to each member of the family.  They needed to tell WHY they loved them.  Kade by far exceeded everyone's written valentines.  The others were focused on the designing of their card :) 

  

Later in the week over dinner, I heard this conversation between Kyle and Kade:

Kyle: "If Mom jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?"

Kade (without hesitation): Yes.

Kyle then shook his head and said something about being stupid.

Kade: "What! I LOVE her."

Seriously I could bottle this kid up and keep him this age forever!

 

We partied it up at preschool.

They decorated sugar cookies, strung heart necklaces, made special handprint 

cards for their parents, and

handed out valentine's to all their friends.

 

It was nice to focus on doing nice things for those we love.

NOW.....to get rid of all the sweets.  Oh, mylanta, it's almost as bad as Halloween.
  
 
 

Christmas Greetings

I'm sure I forgot someone.....

Hope your Christmas was wonderful!

Now on to a new year!

Photo taken by Kristin Conk