Welcome Spring...hahaha

I know there's a reason I love living in Cache Valley so much - but on days like this, it's hard to remember what that reason is. This picture was at our city Easter Egg hunt. Bbbbrrrrrrrr!!!
Welcome to Cache Valley spring! Oh wait...you took a detour. But I will embrace you with open arms when you decide to come for a visit. This project is always done outside - but not this year. Thank goodness for bleach!

April Fools!

Mother Nature played a cruel April Fools joke on us.

NOT FUNNY!

Time Out

Is this the expression a little boy in time-out should be making? Am I doing something wrong here?

Mom's "Play" time

It seems like I am always having the funniest conversations with Jarin. He's just a great kid. So here was our conversation yesterday...

Jarin: I don't like to do jobs

Me: Me neither, but we have to do them

Jarin: You do too like cleaning, all moms do

Me: We don't like to clean, but we have to so our homes look and feel nice

Jarin: When moms clean, that is your play time.

Me: (speechless)...then UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER!!!!

So let me get this straight...when I tell my kids to get to work, they think that's my way of playing with them. Aaahhhh...I like this concept. I'm killing two birds with one stone - quality time with my kids, AND getting my house clean!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I took Emilie on a girl date last weekend. I decided to surprise her with it. So after school on Friday, I told her to pack her bags, and off we went. We went to Salt Lake City, and met up with Emilie's best friend, Lindsay. We went to their favorite restaurant, Golden Corral. (side note: I really DON'T like Golden Corral - too much food and not enough self-control = SICK!). The girls wanted to go to Toys R Us - where they ran through the aisles begging to buy toys. (the answer remains "Do YOU have money to buy that?). Then Emi and I were off to our Hotel. We did all the fun stuff we girls do...getting lost at the hotel trying to find the hot tub, soaking in the hot tub (heavenly), jumping on the bed, and sleeping soundly through the entire night. Room service and a spa treatment would have been nice, but...we had to save something for the next girls date (just kidding Ira)! And what do girls do best when we get together??? We eat and laugh! So that is what we did. We got the giggles when the guy sitting across the aisle from us kept doing the "farmer blow", over and over and over. It was so unbelievable, that it became hilarious. He even had a CLEAN paper napkin sitting on his table!Then off we went on the Trax to the Disney On Ice show.

After the show we went to Temple Square, where we watched the movie on Joseph Smith and the restoration. I was so glad we went to it. I had seen it several times, but I think I really needed the message right now. I so admire Joseph and Emma and the early members of the church - for their endurance through all the trials they faced. It was a good reminder to me that no "sacrifice" is too great for the Lords work. And that anything I have been asked to endure doesn't even hold a candle to what those early saints endured. This church is not Joseph Smith's church. It is Jesus Christs church. However, I love Joseph Smith and his sweet wife, Emma. I hope someday to meet them and personally thank them for the things they went through so that I could have the knowledge that I have.

No girl trip would be complete without some shopping at a mall (personally, I really don't like malls - but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!...painful as it may be). We found this "gotta have it" hat for Emi. CUTE!!! (the hat's cute too :) ).

Also: a definent MUST on any girl trip...KRISPY KREAM DONUTS!!!! I haven't had one of those in many years - I think they have an entire days calories in one donut - but OH YUMMY! (so I had 2!!!!)

Thanks for the fun date Emi Girl.

These are a few of my favorite things...

get the tune to Sound of Music in your head...you know...the one that says, "when the dog bites...when the bee stings...lalalalala. Got it? OK, now you can read on:

When it's freezing outside...when the kids scream...when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my fa-vo-rite things, and then I don't feeeeeeel SOooo bad.

Here is one (or many) of my favorite things...what am I?

I have many of them
They come in all sizes and shapes
They are old
They are young... others are inbetween
I feel happy when I am with them
I cry with them
I laugh with them
I pray for them
I admire them and want to be like them in so many ways
Family members are included as part of them
Neighbors are included as part of them
Ward family is part of them
Some have been established for many years
Some are just starting to blossom
Too many to count
Can never have enough of them
Some are close
Some are far away
Some are past
some are present
Who/What am I???

FRIENDS and FRIENDSHIP!!!

I have been thinking a lot about frienships the last few weeks, and how grateful I am for them. During my lifetime, many have had the wonderful title of friend. Some of them have been in my everyday life for a short time, and circumstances change where they aren't there everyday anymore. Others, I have kept in touch with for many years. But in both cases, once they have that title of friend, they will always have that title. I have had and continue to have, and hopefully in the future will have more of these friends who have such an impact on my life. I often think, "If I had made this or that choice differently, I would have never met so and so." I think that every person who comes into our lives, comes at the right moment. My life has been changed many times because of good friends. I wish I could name all of the people that I have considered friends, but that just isn't possible. I am one of the blessed people who can truly say that my family are also my friends, (all of them - my immediate family and extended family, and extended extended etc. family). I am just so grateful that Heavenly Father saw that we would need friends to make it through this life - and that He has sent so many my way!

Just as it's not possible to add a list of all the friends who have been such an influence to me in my life - it is also not possible to post pictures of you all. But being the picture goo-roo that I am, I can't have a post without a few pictures!

My best friend and eternal companion. We went to Boise to see some good friends, and on the way home, we made a few site-seeing stops. This one is at the new Twin Falls LDS Temple.

The rest of my bestest buddies at Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, ID.My parents and our family. I have laughed with, fought with (when we were young), and cried with these friends. Then they all went and married some new friends for me to love!!This is the only picture of non-family friends I'm adding, because these friends were the reason for our trip to Boise. Jason and Ira have been friends since grade school - or high school - I really can't remember...but a LONG time. I met Jason at Ricks College, when he was telling me about his good friend Ira, that was going to be coming the next semester. His wife, Alisha and I have a much newer friendship - but I love her dearly. The thing I love about reaquainting with good friends, is that we can pick up from where we left off - weather it was a recent visit, or years previous. None of that awkward silence.Kam and Em are the best of friends.
The next few are pictures of kamden and his very best friends. He has to have one of these guys everywhere he goes. And I didn't pose him for any of these, I just grabbed the camera to capture the moments.

Not all of my friends past or present read my blog - but I have only invited friends to my blog. So if your reading this, thanks for being my friend. Friends are one of my FAVORITE things!!!

Winter

Jarin: "Mom, I want to see the grass."

Me: "Me too Jarin...me too."

Jarin: "I want to see what the world looks like."

Me: "ME TOO!"

Shouldn't winter be over yet? Come ooon warmer weather!!!! Until then, I'll hold on to the memory of last year, and be counting the days.

In this case, the grass is DEFINENTLY greener on the other side.

Since When...

Welcome to my modge podge post. I haven't posted in quite some time, and I have really wanted to. So my thoughts have been...Since when did this time of year get so busy???? Isn't this the time of year that we have a little less of this...

(notice how Kam is crying with one eye closed and one open - it's his "pay-attention-to-me cry", he's trying to see if it's working with that one eye open!)


and a LOT more of this... (CLEANING OUT FROM THE HOLIDAYS)

And this... (I usually try to find time to indulge in a book or two this time of year, but...not this year). And a lot more of blogging, scrapbooking, movies...!

But for some reason, this winter hasn't slowed down...not even a bit. However, in all our hussle and bussle, we have had a couple of fun activities.

First, WHO KNEW that ducks need to be fed in the winter time too??? I always thought of it as a spring-summer-fall activity - but winter??? Those ducks were mighty hungry too. Kam and I went with Jarin to his preschool field trip to feed the ducks. It really was so much fun!

AND,...have you ever tried this OUTSIDE in the WINTER??? We went to Riverdale Hot Springs, where the water is naturally hot. It's fun...until it's time to get out. BBBRRRRRR!


I'll let you in on my greatest gift ever (well maybe not EVER, but it's pretty great). A few years back, Ira bought me a water-proof case that goes around my point and shoot Canon camera. I have been snorkeling, tubing, swimming, boating etc. with my camera. I have gotten some really fun pictures with it. Definently worth every penny.







So now I'm still waiting for that slow time of year to find me. If anyone finds it (the slowness), please send it my way. I've been looking and looking, and just can't seem to find it anywhere!

These two boys (and their older siblings, of course), are a big part of the chaos in my life - but they are also the greatest joy. So if it meant trading them to have a little Rest & Relaxation- NO WAY!...I'll keep the CHAOS!

(but a few days of trading is negotiable...any takers????)