More July FUN!

Picture #1: Savannah and Luke went to a VBS camp that was a week long. I wish Tammy Lee could have joined but she was too young. She was so sad not to be a part of it but was a good sport and I assured her that her time would come. 

Picture #2 Tammy Lee is learning how to make her bed and I am so proud of all her efforts. She is always willing to do her part and help our family function.

Picture #3: We loved having Daddy home on Saturdays. We went to a fun splash pad in Wilsonville. I love that Stephen is such a hands on dad. When he is with the kids he is usually chasing and playing with them.

Picture #4: The girls love helping me in the kitchen. They take turns putting ingredients in the bowl. This particular time we were making avocado brownies. Shhh... don't tell them they were healthy!

Picture #5: Savannah is such a big help to me. I don't know what I would do without her. She makes Hudson crack up multiple times a day. He gets excited when she is near and loves the attention she gives him.

Picture #6: We went with the Callahan's to pick berries and the girls played so cute and were so creative while Shelby and I picked. 

Picture #7: Hudson and Caleb crawled around, ate a ton  of berries, and made a huge mess while we picked berries. haha

Picture #8 and #9: I ran almost 4 miles with Shelby and Holly and had over 7,000 steps before 8 am one morning. I have been working really hard lately to be active and get in good shape. I am training for a 10K and it has really motivated and pushed me to work hard.

Picture #10: Tammy Lee can fall asleep anywhere and in any position. 

4th of July 2016

We had a wonderful first 4th of July in our new town!

Monday morning we decorated our bikes and rode in the parade while throwing candy to all the people watching. Savannah was the one in charge of throwing candy and loved every minute of it. Her huge smile in the picture below shows exactly how much she loved it.

That afternoon we enjoyed lunch at the Lujans house and let the kids do some sparklers and set off a couple fireworks. They had the cutest reactions to each firework. 

That night the Cheney's/Warr's came over for a barbecue at our house. I grew up with the Cheney's in GA so it was SO fun to see them again. 

The collage at the end of the girls with the sparklers cracks me up. I was trying to get a cute pic of them smiling but all I got was the silly faces below.

We are so grateful to live in America and for the freedom we have!!

JUNE 2013

I love these kids of mine so much! Some days are hard and I am exhausted but they are SUCH good kids. Don't get me wrong... sometimes they fight, quirl, are whiny, etc but they really are so well behaved. Each night I pray for each one of them individually and just thank Heavenly Father that I can be their mom. I hope I am doing an ok job as their mother. I love them so much and can't wait to see what they accomplish in their lives. 

Lately I have felt so overwhelmed and discouraged with all the wickedness going on in the world. There has been shootings, bombings, protests, and many more things that make me scared to raise kids during such a wicked time. The other morning I went out on a run and just poured my heart out in prayer. I had this overwhelming feeling of peace come over me and I had the thoughts to look for all the good in the world and stop focusing on all the bad. That feeling really influenced me to not only look for the good but be a part of the good in my every day life. I wanted to be better at being a missionary, looking for opportunities to serve, and teaching my children every opportunity I was given. As I went throughout my week I noticed so much good around me. 

A kind young man offered to help me unload my groceries as he noticed me struggling to get my kids to the car. A friend offered to watch  my kids so I could work on a house project I needed to get done. Tammy Lee came up to me and said, "Mommy, did you know that Jesus died for us so that we could be saved?" I said yes, I did know that. I asked her where she learned that and she told me her primary teachers taught her. As Savannah was saying her bed time prayers she thanked Heavenly Father that she had a home, a bed, and water that was clean. 

All these instances are moments I may have overlooked if I hadn't had that sweet feeling to look for the good instead of worrying about the bad. 

I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. They bring me so much peace, hope, and comfort during this time in my life.

Update on the kids:

Savannah enjoys playing with friends, being competitive, "babysitting" Hudson, and barbies. She is the sweetest sister and is SO helpful. She really takes her roll as a big sister very seriously. She is also my entrepreneur. She is very motivated to work hard to earn stickers so that she can get surprise. We signed her up for soccer this fall and I look forward to watching her play!

Tammy Lee is so excited to start preschool this fall. She is as sweet as can be and is my sensitive little one. If her feelings are hurt a long hug and a back tickle always help her feel better. She is adored in her primary class and gets so excited to learn. She is very smart and picks up on things quickly. She melts Stephen and he can't get enough of her snuggles.

Hudson is 14 months and is at such a fun age. He isn't walking yet but gets around just fine crawling. He LOVES playing with sand and making a huge mess every time he eats. He is an amazing sleeper now and sleeps through the night and takes awesome naps. We are having so much fun watching him grow.