Super Heroes at the library!

A few weekends ago the big boys left for the weekend to help with my brother John's eagle project, so the little boys and I decided to attend a little circus at our local library. 

Mitchell's favorite activity was the balloon clown!  He asked the clown if he could make him a HULK, and he DID! 

  

Girls retreat

Last weekend my mom and some of my sisters had a little retreat at the cabin. It was a very solemn occasion. We  wore our fancy clothes, lots of make up and worried about being perfect...

Um, RIGHT!

We piled on the jackets and blankets

enjoyed yummy food

and drank lots of hot chocolate.

We laughed and cried together until our eyes couldn't stay open any more.

We made flower hair clips with fabric scraps all morning long, then finally decided we should go see if our homes were smoking craters.

I'm so blessed that my mom and my sisters are my best friends.

I will cherish you forever!

(we missed the sisters who couldn't come-- don't worry, we'll do it again soon!)

Night of the Ninja

Mitchell and I have been listening to the Magic Tree House CD's when we're out and about.  We recently listened to "Night of the Ninja" after which Mitchell immediately got all dressed up in his Ninja garb.  He insisted we all call him Yoko for several days, and he enlisted Josh to be his Ninja Master!

 

Hot Chocolate

Guess why we had hot chocolate for snack time this week?

 Because it looked like this outside!!

I guess it's a good thing I still have such a "Merry" wreath hanging on my door!

Celebrating Easter

Oh I just love Easter time.  There is something so wonderful about a Springtime celebration focused on the Savior. It is truly amazing to reflect on His life as we watch nature come to life all around us. 

We enjoyed celebrating bits of Easter all week long...

We had an Easter family home evening where the boys taught us about the last days of the Saviors life.  It was tender to hear them recollect the details of the Saviors life, death and Resurrection.

For our preschool time, Mitchell and cousin Emma matched upper and lower case eggs.

Anything is fun to learn if it's packaged in a EGG- especially when there are treats inside!

We wok up on Saturday to birthday presents for me and Easter baskets filled with treasures!

We had an Easter Egg hunt at Grandmas house, and the boys filled their baskets to the brim!

 

 

 

 

 We got dressed up for Easter Sunday and were inspired by the lessons taught.

 

We ended our day dying eggs.  I'll never get tired of watching the Easter eggs turn different colors- MAGIC!

 

 

HAPPY EASTER!

To Know

Lately Mitchell has been worried about strangers.  We talk about it a lot when I'm tucking him in at night.  He asks me things like, 

"How will I know if a person is a stranger?"

"How will I know if strangers are good guys or bad guys? 

"Should I just ask people if they are good strangers or bad strangers?" 

"If someone says they are a bad stranger, should I just spit on them?"  

To simplify life for Mitchell I usually tell him, "If you ever wonder if someone is a good stranger or a bad stranger come and check with me and I'll always help you to know."  

The other night he asked me, "What if Jesus comes and I don't know if he's a stranger or not- what if I don't know he's Jesus?"  I answered the way I always do.... "You can come to me and I'll help you to know."

That simple answer has brought Mitchell a lot of peace.   It has also made me ask "Am I teaching my children in a way that they will recognize the Savior?  Is my example helping them to know Him?"  

I want to live up to the confidence Mitchell has- that he can always come to me and I'll help him to know. 

To my boys:

I want you to know that we have an older brother, Jesus Christ.

I know He lived on the earth.

I know miracles happen through him.

I know He heals

I know He hears our prayers

I know He understands our hearts

I know He had a personal moment for each of us in the garden.

I know he felt the weight of our sins, sorrows, worries and heart ache.

I know He did it willingly with a heart full of love.

I know He suffered and died at the hands of those who hated him.

I know He forgave them.

I know He is risen.  

I know He conquered death.

I know we will never have to say good bye forever.

I know through Him, we can be a forever family.

I know He is anxious to help us repent and be better

I know He is always near.

I know He loves us perfectly. 

I know He wants us to follow him.

I know He will keep loving us even when we make mistakes.

I know He will pick us up when we feel broken.

I know He will bring us peace when we feel worried.

I know He is proud of you.

I know He loves you more than even I can understand...

and that's a lot.

I want you to know I am eternally thankful for Him, and I will strive each day to help you know who He is. 

Happy Easter!

Love, Mom

 

Spring Break- Sledding!

You wouldn't think of sledding as a spring break activity- but it was for us! There is still plenty of snow at my parents cabin, so we spent an afternoon sledding down the hill! It was such a delight to hear the whoops and screams of the boys as they cam barreling down! Dallan and I had some great runs and tried to talk Mitchell into going down. Mitchell insisted he was too afraid, until Ashley and Hyrum came on the scene. My sister and her husband somehow talked him into it then couldn't get him to stop. Mitchell was hilarious as he woo hoo'ed the whole way down and gave us all thumbs up as he passed! The older boys slept at the cabin and loved tunneling in the snow with Alisa even after it got dark! They made some wonderful memories with my parents and can't wait to go back.

Hooray for sledding- yee haw!

Spring Break- Grandmother

One of our favorite treats over spring break was the chance to spend some time with Grandmother. She had a heart procedure just a day or two before our visit but didn't let that hold her back from sharing her heart with all of us! We had a wonderful dinner at Uncle Paul and Aunt Annette's and enjoyed visiting with one another.

Thank you for the wonderful time! We love you grandmother. 

Spring Break- Salt Lake

We all enjoyed a wonderful day in beautiful Salt Lake!  I absolutely love the Salt Lake Temple.  I am filled with gratitude every time I walk the grounds and reflect on the faith of the early saints.

We were able to take my little sister Alisa with us on our day trip.  She is an absolute delight and is a sweet aunt and best friend to my boys.

One of our favorite stops of the day was the church history museum.  I haven't visited the museum for years, and it was the first time we've taken our children. 

They had a special quilt exhibit, and they also had a wonderful exhibit for the children to explore.

We also peeked into the new church history library and learned how they store all of the special collections.  We ate lunch at the Nauvoo Cafe on Temple Square, and finished our afternoon at the Clark Planetarium.  It was a cold and blustery day, but we had a great time being all together!