Catching up on Life

Monday, June 29, 2015

I haven't blogged for a long time.  It feels as though life has been a whirlwind these past few months...a good whirlwind, but none-the-less a whirlwind.  Here are some photos that capture what we have been up to lately....

We were paid a visit from some of our most favorite people in the world who live in California...

My kiddos are growing up so fast...to fast in fact.  I love the funny little things they do.  I love that Hyrum is always wearing some kind of hat, or helmet or goggles, or costume.  I love that Afton is a little shoe girl...she loves to try on shoes everywhere we go.

  We got to go on a little get-a-way just the two of us to Park City then to Midway while my sister watched our kids overnight.

It has been un-characteristically warm for Idaho.  So warm that we had to go invest in a little sprinkler and Otter pops in April.  That is how we survive the hot days :)

Our ward put together a little T-ball league.  Hyrum has loved it!  He has been learning to bat, and catch.  I love to see the dads out there every week helping everyone learn and have a fun time.  This was the perfect, low-key way to get Hyrum excited to play sports and learn.

This little girl loves to play on the swings each week during the T-ball games :)

There are so many funny moments each week at T-ball.  Kids running bases the wrong direction, all diving for the ball at the same time, kids climbing fences and wearing capes....so fun!  I laugh so hard watching all these things take place :)

I love that the jersey on this boy is down to his knees :)  Isn't he such a handsome little dude?

We got to go fishing at a nearby pond.  It was the perfect day...sitting in the sun, feeling the breeze, having the kids play in the mud...we were all in heaven and we even caught a couple little fish.

We celebrated Blaine's 28th Birthday with Peanut Butter caramel chocolate chip bars...yum!  I can't believe my honey and I are 28 this year!  Boy how time flies!

Meanwhile, I have been growing this little baby.  This is me at 36 weeks.  This is the only pregnancy where I have been anxious for him/her to come early.  Maybe because of the heat, but mostly because I am just so darn excited to meet them :)  I have also been teaching 2 math classes at BYU-Idaho this Spring.  It has been mostly really fun...challenging...yes, but overall such a blessing.  This has helped me realize that I love being a morning person...as long as I can get some good sleep :)

We got to go camping with Papa Dave to Buttermilk Reservoir.  It was such a fun little get-a-way.  The kids had so much fun digging in the dirt.  We floated down Big Springs and fed the huge trout at the top with little pieces of smushed bread.  We had a picnic in the woods.  We saw the sunset...I love camping!

My little family and I got to meet my best friend from growing up.  It was fun to have them get to know her...I just love Ali Marie and now they know they do too :)

Grateful

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

I am going to try to start writing a "gratitude journal" 5 days a week.  This is a little embarrassing, but it has been so long since I have actually written in my journal that I didn't realize that I don't have one right now.  So that is first on my errand list in the next few days...picking out the perfect journal from Deseret Book.  Until then, I am going to list some things I am grateful for on here.

1)  This semester I have had the opportunity to teach 2 math classes at BYU-Idaho.  It has helped me be more organized and I have had a lot of ideas on how I can tie the things that I am learning there into my mothering and homemaking.

2) I am grateful for how green Rexburg is right now!  With all the rain, it is a beautiful green place right now.

3) I am so grateful for my best friend Blaine.  We really have so much fun together.  There are some nights that we just don't go to sleep because we stay up so late talking and laughing together.  Blaine has been giving me back and leg rubs before bed to help me sleep like a baby....with a baby in my tummy!

4) I love the stages that my kiddos are in right now.  They are just so fun.  I love my little sweetheart Afton.  She is spunky and loves "running uggs" (running hugs).  I love how creative Hyrum is.  He is so good at making airplane noises and is always coming up with some kind of new thing to build with his legos.  He remembers everyones' names and says hi to everyone and loves to knock on our window and wave to all the people that pass by our apartment.

5) I am so excited to have this baby in 6 and a half weeks!  I can't wait to meet them and kiss them and love them.  It is so fun to get ready for them to come.

6) I love our little apartment.  I love that my kiddos are always so close to me.  I love the memories that we have here.

7) I am glad that I get to see my sister Mel and her family tomorrow!

Twin Falls Vacation

March 2015

Because we have a new baby coming in July, I figured that we probably wouldn't get to do an overnight vacation during the summertime.  So we took a semi-local vacation to Twin Falls.  We had never been there and had heard fun things about it.  We had so much fun on our 3-day trip.  It really reminded me how lucky I am to have my sweet little family.

This could have been one of the favorite parts of our trip...riding on one of these babies to get our stuff up to our room on the 3rd floor...

By the Twin Falls temple

Twin Falls temple family snapshot...we met the nicest couple who we got to know a little bit

Perhaps my favorite...okay it was my favorite part of the trip was our spontaneous star-gazing by the temple.  All 4 and a half of us laying under the stars together in the cool but warm air...so fun

No water yet at Shoshone Falls, but still cool to see

Little hike up Shoshone Falls trail

By the Perrine Bridge...we actually saw 4 parachuters jump off this bridge in a half hour.  This is one of the only places in the world where it is legal and you don't have to have a permit

The thing that Afton said she wanted to go do was to "Swing" so we found a park and had a blast.  Love the smiles and laughter from all of us this day

Beautiful tulips blooming by the temple

Sunday Will Come

Friday, April 3, 2015
Passover Friday

This morning I read one of my favorite talks from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin entitled "Sunday Will Come".*

Here are a few of my favorite excerpts from that talk:

• "I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest." (Speaking of the Friday before Easter, or Passover Friday.) 

•   "But the doom of that day did not endure.The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind."

• "Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays."

• "But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.  No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."

• "I testify to you that the Resurrection is not a fable. We have the personal testimonies of those who saw Him. Thousands in the Old and New Worlds witnessed the risen Savior. They felt the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. They shed tears of unrestrained joy as they embraced Him."

Sometimes I let fear get in the way of hope.  I let the fears of messing up my kids cloud my view of the hope that the Savior's atonement offers to help me be the mother that I need to be for my children.  Today I am rejoicing in the hope that came to those on that Easter Sunday, that Jesus lives!  Because Jesus lives, I can overcome all!

Happy Easter Everyone!  I hope your Easter weekend is filled with lots of things that remind us of the wonderfulness of Easter, Jesus Christ!


*Talk given in the October 2006 General Conference.  Text from this talk can be found at https://www.lds.org/liahona/2006/11/sunday-will-come?lang=eng&query=sunday+will+come+elder+worthlin

Barn Dance Saturday

Saturday, February 21, 2015

My sweet babies are sleeping in the other room....I should be asleep right now.  We haven't had the best sleep lately at our house.  A Utah trip and sickness, and teething have thrown our good nights of sleep out the window for the past couple weeks.  I just feel so happy that I have to write all about how our Saturday went today.  It was the best, most fun Saturday we have had in a long, long time.

The morning started out with a breakfast/temple date with my sweetie.  We have never gone on a breakfast date.  I rather like breakfast dates.  The hospital here makes the yummiest food so we went and got delicious breakfast burritos and a fruit shake.

The rest of the day was filled with making homemade wheat bread, cleaning, organizing, napping, and getting things done.

Tonight was the most fun of all...when we went to the Barn Dance.  The library put on a no-cost barn dance featuring The Teton Shadow Band (a bluegrass band).  We had so much fun dressing up in Western clothes, showing off new dance moves...you should have seen Hyrum...that kid can move!  We laughed and ran around and were completely goofy.  We didn't have any reservations, which I love.  We were all just silly and ourselves and laughed a whole lot.  I am surprised that Afton and Hyrum didn't ever get run over....they had a few close calls with all the running they were doing around the dance floor. I loved dancing with Blaine...we are awful dancers but have so much fun.  I also loved dancing the polka with Afton in my arms, occasionally giving her little kisses on her cheek.

I wish I would have gotten pictures...I took my camera only to find that the batteries were dead.  I am glad I have a good memory so that the pictures from tonight will ever lighten up my bad days.

On the way home, Hyrum said, "Now you know all my dance tricks so you can do them next time."  We stopped and split a blizzard for dessert.  I hope there are more Barn Dance Saturdays to come soon!

Visit from Papa Dave

Monday, January 19, 2015

This past weekend we got to have our Papa Dave up for the weekend.  The weekend memories consisted of snowshoeing at Harriman State Park, visiting and old hometeacher who now lives in Island Park, having a Curious George movie party, having a second cousin and his roommates over for dinner, and shopping at our favorite store for quilting fabric.  Papa Dave makes all the grandkids beautiful minkee quilts, and Afton got hers this weekend.  We love our Papa Dave!