A Little Help From My Friends!

Love that Squeaker goes to her Big brother for some drawing time at church! Cutest thing ever! Sitting on H's lap and learning how to draw! Squeaker has gotten pretty good too, thanks H for being a great example to your littles!! Love this!

Just a Great Pic!

When you have to get dressed up and go to a cousins wedding and your pic turns out just right! You must blog it!!!

Random Cuteness!

Found these random cute pics! Kiddos waiting for the rest of the family to get out of church! Why not take some cute pics!!

Show me your guns???

Awe!!! Big bro with the littlest!

Enjoying the Greenbelt on a Sunday Evening!

G&G Bayley joined us with their dog Dilly to cruise the greenbelt in downtown Boise, it is a bike trail that follows along the Boise River.

Grandpa and Lil'G walking Dilly along.

H and Squeaker scooter riding! That girl loves to get rides!!

So so cute, Big Brother taking her for a spin!

A BOB!!!

It was time! Squeaker got a major hair cut! And we always have Grandma Carla for helping us out in the hair department!

Check those long locks!!! She does have quite pretty hair!! This was Squeaker's 1st major hair cut at 3 1/2 years old!!

In the process! Squeaker did Amazing!!! She has been the best of all 4 of my kiddos to get their hair cut! No crying involved! Not one bit! She was super excited for her hair cut!

The end result- A Bob for summer and she loves it!! Thanks Grandma Carla for helping make be beautiful!!!

We Are Thankful for our Ears!

Enough Said!!! Love that Squeaker's church class- Sunbeams has such basic lessons that they learn about Heavenly Father, Jesus and the world around them! I also overly adore this pic too!!

Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam!

Can't believe my littlest is now a Sunbeam at church! She did so well and I'm so proud of her for being a big girl!!

Big Brothers Rock!

Love this pic Brandon got of the kiddos at church! H and Lil'G helping to keep Squeaker quiet during church! And yes aren't they sharply dressed! Love my tykes!

Sunday Thoughts, finally and again!

Trying to get caught up on this blogging thing, don't ever take a break!!! But have wanted to start my Sunday Thoughts again! This was on the front of the program at church- it reads- "Do you, like the pioneers, have the courage and the consistency to be true to the faith and endure to the end? By Elder Dallin H. Oaks a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles I can stay true to the faith, but courage and consistency would be hard, especially with all that they pioneers endured. So do you think we were born when we were suppose to be, cause the Lord knew what each of us could handle???

Sunday Thoughts

I have the privilege of teaching the women at my church, it's called the Relief Society. Today we had a meeting before hand about teaching with the spirit and wanted to share some thoughts that I was touched by.

-The Holy Ghost teaches in a personal way.
-We are teaching people, not the lesson. Teach what they need, not every part of the lesson.
-Be prepared! Stand next to the Holy Ghost, not in front of or behind.
-Help the sisters "Come unto Christ." Challenge them!

I just really liked the part of stand next to the Holy Ghost, not in front or behind him. Meaning let him help you teach, meet each other. Don't be behind him by not being prepared and not in front of him that you don't listen to what he has to say.

*Any thoughts or inspiration you heard this past week?*

Sunday Thoughts

So at church today we were asked by our Bishop to answer this question, like a fill in the blank if you will.
"The Ward (congregation) I want to live in....
We were given a few minutes to write our answers down and then we could stand and give one of our answers. I thought it was quite interesting and what I found even more interesting were the answers people gave were almost the same as mine!
Here were my answers-
The ward I want to live in is friendly, non-judgemental, no cliques, willing, close knit, loving, learning, and plays by the rules.
Afterwords our Bishop then made an analogy about a rock tumbler. He mentioned that we as a ward are like a rock tumbler, we all rock together and come out polished children of God.
I just love how he used this analogy and what it meant to me. What a great feeling knowing that others in the ward think like I was thinking about the ward we wanted to live in. Being out here in the east alone with no family in the same state has it's challenges, but knowing that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints helps me to realize that I do have family here, my church family. They are people we can rely on for help, comfort, friendship, and love. I am truly grateful for the friendships I have made through the years living here. They are truly friendships I will always cherish.

Sunday Thoughts

Too funny that I heard this quoted in church a few weeks ago, and then stumble upon the same quote on Pinterest!
I had never heard this quote before and it totally stood out to me for some reason and I love it!
Thought I would share it with you!

Sunday Thoughts

I had the privilege of speaking at my church today to the congregation. I was asked to speak about The Transforming Power of Faith and Character, which was a talk given by one of our churches apostles by the name of Elder Richard G. Scott. I would like to share a few quotes that I used in my talk that I really liked.
The first one came from Elder Scott's talk- "We BECOME what we want to BE by consistently BEING what we want to BECOME each day."
The second is one from Helen Keller- "Character can not be developed in ease and quiet only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
This last one I found on a friends Facebook pages and I am not sure who quoted it. "Truly the Lord encourages us to walk in faith to the edge of the light and beyond- into the unknown. After the trial of our faith, he once again shines the light ahead of us and our journey of faith in every footstep continues."

Sunday Thoughts

Here is a quote I would like to share that I got from a lesson I taught at church to the teenagers. It reads- "I believe that the best place to prepare for... eternal life is in the home."-President David O. McKay
What a true saying and really has me thinking more of what goes on in my own home and how I can make it better. A few months back we made the rule that on Sunday we don't watch TV. (we can watch it in the evening, like a family movie) So we all have been finding more things to do and a lot of the time we end up doing things as a family- playing guitar, building something, reading, coloring, play dough. I really think it helps our Sundays go more smoothly and also helps to set that day apart from the rest. I hope my tykes always feel loved in the home and know we are there for them.

This quote we got today in Relief Society, "The sure way to PEACE and HAPPINESS in this life and life hereafter is to serve the Lord today and every day. -President Marion G. Romney
Our lesson was on finding PEACE. The teacher asked us to give her examples of PEACE- responses were- serene, bed time, early morning, and quietness.
Our December activity for the Relief Society women is also on PEACE. We are hoping to create a peaceful evening for the women. We are going to have dinner, Christmas songs, and story from the scriptures, a relaxation room, a massage room, and a chatting room. I am really looking forward to this night out in a few weeks and what a great lesson we had today to get ready for it too!

*your thoughts on either of these quotes?*

Forgiving Others- Sunday Post a few days late..

This was the topic for my Sunday School lesson this past Sunday. I think the lesson was meant for me. I loved reading over my lesson and learning new things along the way.
A few things that stuck out to me were-
"Forgiving others does not mean approving of their wrongdoing or offense. Forgiving someone means that with the help of our Father in Heaven, we can cleanse our hearts of anger or hatred toward the offender, cease to dwell on the offense, and feel PEACE. This process is not always easy or quick, but Heavenly Father will help us as we try to forgive."

"There is no peace in harboring old grudges. There is no peace in reflecting on the pain of old wounds. There is peace only in repentance and forgiveness. This is the sweet peace of the Christ, who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God."

I hope we can take some time to ourselves and ponder on forgiving others.

Addiction of Mine, NO MORE! (Sunday Post of sorts.)

So it has been almost a week without my buddy- Diet Coke. I am amazed at the Big Man upstairs for listening to my pleas for help me with my addiction. It seems a little weird in asking for such help from a beverage, but it had to be done.
I am so thankful to my father in heaven how loves me and does listen to my prayers. I have only had one evening with a headache and I have really been trying to be the nice mother too.
Cold water and with sugar-free mix-ins are my friend!

Sunday Post

H and P had a great experience on Saturday of getting to go see the Boston Temple with all the kids in our Stake that were 7-12 years old. They got chartered buses for the trip. They dressed in their best, brought their lunches and were on their way for the day! I was so glad that the weather was nice too! They got to go into the foyer of the temple and write down a name for the prayer rolls, then walked to the church nearby and do activities, eat lunch, and meet with the temple president. Afterwords, they walked back to the temple to walk the grounds and get their picture taken!
It was so great to see them afterwards and talk about all they learned and saw.
I am so grateful to the neat Primary workers who made this special day possible. It is one my kids will not forget!
Besides, look at how beautiful all our temples are!
As always, if you would like to know more about our temples and religion, go HERE.

The Nativity Story

This evening for family night we watched The Nativity Story. I had never seen this version and let me tell you, it was very well done! I was very impressed with it and how it was portrayed.
What a great reminder to us all, the TRUE meaning of Christmas and why it is celebrated at all.
May you all have peace and love in your homes at this time and be ever so grateful to Jesus Christ.
I hope you all get the chance to watch this movie for the first time or again this season!

Sunday Walks

Ever since Brandon and I have been together - 13 1/2 years, we have loved to go for walks, especially on Sundays.
It was our time to be together, to talk, look at cute houses with adorable porches, get lost in life, work out an argument, become better friends, tell of our dreams and worries. Sometimes we would find ourselves way far away from our home since we were so in depth with our conversations.
Just today, I have come to realize how much I so enjoy this time. We have introduced our tykes into our Sunday walks as well. Now it consists of pushing a stroller/or having a baby backpack, someone may be on a bike/scooter. It is our time though. We get to answer a lot of why questions, find out things from the tykes that we may not of gotten the chance to hear about, we stop to smell the flowers, pet animals, peek into store windows, maybe see a friend or neighbor to wave at as we pass by.
I am just so grateful for this beautiful world we live in with different seasons so we can really enjoy the outdoors in different lights. Fall time is so beautiful here in the east and this evening was crisp with a chill. I love that we all get dressed warmly and enjoy our time as a family. Then come home to a warm house, some blankets, and a little snack before bed!
Dear family, thank you for sharing these special walks with me and your dad. May we always continue to do so and remember all the fun memories we make along the way! Thank you for letting me see into your world too! I love you all dearly!

Sunday Post

Just when you think you are all prepared to teach your Sunday School class, come to find out that they didn't have the previous lesson that ties in with my lesson, so it wasn't making sense to any of us!!
I was apologizing profusely! Thank goodness for teenagers, they are forgiving and enjoyed the time to chat.
As they were leaving class, one of the young men I teach told me thanks for a great lesson! Totally made my day!
*NOTE TO SELF*- read the previous weeks lesson and my own if they go together so that I can explain if needs be! (I do team each and only have to teach every other week.)