{ Thankful Thursday }

I'm back I had so much fun so here is the run down! I went to -- Utah. SLC/PROVO.

My yearly retreat with D's work where we get the fancy hotel, fancy dinners, ladies luncheons, awesome guest speakers, lots of shopping {not on the company dang eh}, sleeping in couldn't really do it past 8:00 ha ha, reading, no kids. etc-fun!

But now I have so much to catch up on before we head out the door again! We had the best time over the past 5 days {well I did} D was in training most of the days!

But I'm so THANKFUL for the break.

I flew to salt lake through Denver that was fun. My cute sister Liv drove me up to the airport where we went through rain, HAIL again! but finally made it on time. We could barely see through the windshield it was crazy! But made it just fine to SLC at about 11:30 pm. Both good flights both window seats there was some turbulence where the lights blinked so that was kind of exciting! But it was so nice to see D again felt like forever.

The kids went to grandmas and a friends and the first night we stayed with D's sister and her family they are so fun ! Love seeing them I actually only saw them for a few minutes but we have a reunion soon so we'll see them soon!

On Monday morn I got to have breakfast with a blogger friend HEATHER check out her blog if you haven't she is seriously amazing. She is SO FUN!! Exactly like she is on her blog we talked, ate, laughed, told stories, took some pictures it was a blast!! I'm so glad I got to know her better {in real life} we had so much fun! She is seriously so so nice. I just wish we lived closer together we would have so much fun. I'm so glad we got together anyway. She is so sweet and gave me an awesome block quote that said

"Oh My! How truly delightful life really is."

I love it, love the saying! She is so thoughtful and caring about everybody! Love her!

{Love how my earrings match her necklace funny huh!!}

So then next we headed to the Provo Marriott so NICE! and upscale everything is always nice when you don't have to pay for it right! D had meetings starting at noon and then they had a meet and greet for all the wives of the employees it was fun to see and meet some of the other women. After that we went up to a BBQ in Provo canyon then went shopping afterwards real quick and came back and talked and just relaxed its amazing how when you have kids you barely have time to just talk and enjoy each others company well especially after the month and half we have had around here!!

On Tuesday I went shopping in the morning then we had a luncheon at noon where a man named Ron Clark who now works for BYU guest services talk to us he was also the Osmond's manager for a long time so he told some cool stories about the Osmond's and then some great byu stories of visiting diplomats it was awesome! THEN later that night on the way to the dinner that night that they put on for us we came out of the elevator and straight across coming out of the opposite elevator was

MARIE OSMOND!

{ This is what she said "carl, where are we going"} ha ha Seriously though what are the chances.

I have to say I was pretty calm and kept walking then freaked out ha ha.

I said to D that's Marie Osmond {she looks so good she has lost a lot of weight. {She is nutri system spokesman right now} I had to look twice just to make sure it was her. Anyway then D pretended to be on his cell phone and she walked by it was so fun!! She was on her way to a photo shot that was being shot in the room across from where we were having our dinner! After dinner she was still there and they were all looking at a computer probably the pictures from the shoot who knows!

So thats my exciting "celebrity Utah sighting" except for Heather of course lol!

So at the dinner the presiding bishopric's secretary {} can't for the life of me remember his name right now ! But it was so awesome we got to see the power point presentation on how the presiding bishopric functions and the duties and so many other things, that they made to show/train to the new General Authorities that just got called this past conference. It was so fun to see who is in charge of what and the duties of who and what and where. It was very interesting.

After that we went for a drive did a little more shopping {of course eh}

Wednesday I woke up so sick so took some pms pills and was okay about 4 hours later but not fun. So D was done at noon so we headed out and saw his old mission president that was a lot of fun to see them again we had been to see them quite a few years ago so it had been awhile but it was great to visit with them again. Then we ran a few more errands that we wanted to do before leaving then got caught in a traffic jam of course so we didn't get out of Utah until after 5 but we got a hotel in Butte, MT and got home today around noon .

It was such a nice break, the kids were all happy to see us and had fun where they were!

We even got to go to Cracker Barrel last night!! Loved it yum chicken and dumplings been craving them ever since we moved back from Florida they are all over the south and on our way down and way back we stopped in Georgia and Texas to eat there loved it!! We had a fun nice drive home talked, laughed, listened to everything from rihanna to ricky skaggs !!

Love this man!!
Well hope everybody had a great week here are a whack of pictures! All taken with my powershot instead of my good camera didn't want to risk anything on the plane! I'm so thankful to have gotten away, spent time together, had so much fun just the two of us! I'm also really grateful for the great company D works for we really are blessed.

SO I bought a new quote book and love it so here is the first of many to come.....

LIVE GOOD.

HAVE AN ADVENTURE.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

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Here is a funny sign we saw in Idaho!

I'm so thankful I don't live where traffic is like this!!

Have a great day!!

{ Flashback Friday }

My little sister took this picture on one of her runs. Love it.
Another day, another Friday the weeks are going by so fast can you believe it will be august next week. Crazy! On the spur of the moment last night I took the kids to KUNG FU PANADA with my sister and her husband and cute kinlee and aunt allison. It was so fun and the kids loved it! Masen actually did really good until he decided to be a human vacuum cleaner and eat all the popcorn off the floor ----yuck!!!! I felt like a good mom yesterday, so yesterday was a good day

today well that was another story!! Some days eh!!!

So anyway flashback Friday question of the day is a bunch of random questions:

What is the most adventuresome thing you've ever done??

Going to Germany with my mom in 2006 I planned and booked most of the trip activities and where and what we were doing when and it actually turned out it was a big thing for me that I COULD do it. It was an awesome trip! Loved it!


What is the first piece of furniture you bought together?

That would be our bed! We still love it!

Describe your cooking skills as a young spouse.

When we first got married I planned out like 3 course meals everyday { Because D's mom is the best cook ever and every time I went to there house before we got married they had such awesome big meals so I thought that's what I was supposed to do cause he was used to it } But don't worry I got smart and that only lasted a year. Now 11 years later he's lucky if he gets supper j/k ha ha

Is there a special smell that reminds you of your childhood?

okay this might sound so weird but the smell of cucumber and play dough reminds me totally of kindergarten walking into the room I can picture it still when I smell those two things together! But it always reminds me off kindergarten grade one etc...

and the smell of tar that's just been rained on or in the hot sun reminds me of the boat docks in Bella Coola when we were young kids running to meet my dad when he can back from a run {he was a commercial fisherman} I really like the smell.



What is your least favorite household chore to do?

I hate cleaning the bathrooms especially the toilets yuck!!

Did you and your friends play at each others houses, at the playground, in the streets or fields?

We played all day in the woods by our house building forts used our imaginations, ran, climbed trees, and didn't come home till dark! or supper time.I think its so so sad how we can barely send our kids outside without having to worry about some sicko or something equally worse! Kids don't get out enough or use there full imaginations enough! We had it good growing up.

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Well that's probably more then enough! It's fun to remember things we used to do growing up sometimes I don't feel like I did much the kids always ask at bedtime to tell a story about when I was a little girl sometimes I can't think of anything for some reason!

Take a minute and watch this its 11 minutes long but well worth the watch.

Life is short.

When its running out you learn what is very much the most important things in life.

Which aren't things at all.

Have a great weekend.

{ Thankful Thursday }

Thankful Thursday

It really is a blessing to me to think of new things I'm thankful for each week. It really makes me more aware of all the blessings I have and the great things that we are able to do and be apart of in life.

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I'm thankful July is about over. This month has been a long single mom month most of the month D has been gone. But August is our vacation month. I'm excited to go camping, go to a reunion, do some water skiing and go to the lake for a week! AND Spend some good family time together! We all really miss D and he will be so happy to be able to take a breath and RELAX!!!

I'm super excited and THANKFUL for a much needed break to be doing this in a bit

and staying here doing some shopping, relaxing, sleeping in {what's that eh } and spending some time with busy boy D {oh did I mention kidless!}and meeting a fellow blogger! {Tell you when, where, who when I get back!}

I'm grateful Masen's finger is slowly getting better he will lose the nail and it might never come back but after about 20 bandages I'm ready for it to completely heal! What a trooper that kid is it seriously never even slowed him down!!

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I'm so so Happy and thankful for a girl I've known for a long time and her husband who just received a new baby girl through adoption this week!!

She had ovarian cancer years ago and knew when she got married that they would adopt and have been waiting for awhile I'm just so happy and excited for them.

LDS family services ---- ADOPTION is such a blessing in the lives of those of us who want a family more then anything and can't get it any other way.

I'm so THANKFUL for it.

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I'm so thankful for an awesome neighbor who helped me out this week at 4 am !!!

2 nights ago at 4 am my fire alarms went off. -Scary! I woke up thinking my house was on fire and since the record around town with 2 burning to the ground I was a little more nervous then normal} anyway I ran around checking things but no fire. I couldn't for the life of me get the alarms to shut off they are hard wired so no battery to take out so for 10 minutes I'm trying to get them off and calling all the numbers I had for D left a message but nothing.

I wondered after about 20 minutes who I could call to help me cause I had no ideas left of what to do.

Me being the smart girl I am probably would have nuked myself pulling wires out! So after a prayer and a phone call at 4:30 my neighbour across the street came over and helped me he was here in less then five min ! He had to shut the breakers off and disconnect the wires {so I never even thought of the breaker box duh!!}

Anyway sad thing through it all the kids never even woke up!!! And it was so loud my ears were ringing after 40 minutes of it!!

Anyway our neighbour took the alarm bought a new one the next day and install the new one for the one that malfunctioned. Didn't have to do any of that but he took the time and I so appreciate it!!

That is going the extra mile I am so thankful for him for being there.

{But why do these things happen when D is always gone?? Last time the sump pump broke and flooded the storage cellar we call a basement he came home and fixed it in two seconds!! That's when I feel like a true girl ha ha!!!

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I'm grateful for babysitters that I can trust and guess what I have a great one who actually cleans and plays with my kids !! and takes messages and writes them down whats that eh!!

She has sat with me on Sundays for about a year and half she is a wonderful wonderful blessing to me. She is responsible, kind and loving to my kids and they love her too. She has sat with us so long in church now that new people have asked if she is my daughter.

I'd definitely take her she is a great girl!!
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I'm grateful for this book The peace giver by James L. Ferrell if you haven't read it do it will change your life and perspective on alot of things.

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I'm also so THANKFUL for my families health and safety.

There are so many people suffering right now from a 3 year old being thrown from a horse with skull fractures, to those who have cancer and battle new trials every single day in there health and wondering what is next, I have two friends going through leukemia right now and I feel for them there families and the lives that they touch, those who are struggling with the loss of babies right now I know of three, those who have met an untimely death at such a young age, those that are going through emotional heartache and those that ache inside for reason we don't understand.

Those that have lost everything in the house fires we've had around here.

I feel so blessed that if the least that happens to us is an almost severed pinkie then we are lucky.

My prayers have been long and my thoughts are overflowing at the trials some people are given but remain some of the strongest people I know. That is a testimony builder hearing the faith of those that are called to bare so much time and time again. and still continue to give and teach us all what is important in life.

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THANKS also for those of you who left a memory comment it was fun to read them and thank you so much for the words of inspiration and encouragement and the fun memories.

You can still leave a memory if you haven't-- Come on I know you want too.

Actually thanks for all your comments its always fun to read about others experience and learn from each other!!
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Well I hope everybody is having a great summer, have an awesome JULY 24!!!!

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”

{ Me Thinks Monday }

Monday Monday .........
Well first we had a fun weekend together.

Doing a little of this.
Laughing.

Playing. Swimming.

Masen got a new car from some friends and loved it as you can tell.

Hanging out. Working together. Went on a few Bike rides.

Gave this a try one of the best idea's out there - awesome!
The kids loved it and it took them 25 minutes to eat! Give it a try- seriously!

Helping this little princess tame the "whiny ness" and the "I can't's" hard job any tips or helps cause I need them!! She is a feisty one! Good thing we love her so much!

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ME THINKS

This world needs help and the best place to start is in the home and teaching our children.

We can save our Nation by saving our homes.

From Standing for Something:

10 neglected virtues that will heal our hearts and homes

by Gordon B. Hinckley

From the section on THE FAMILY:

1. Accept responsibility for our role as parents and fulfill our obligations to our children.

Barbara bush said: Your success as a family- our success as a society - depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house."

2. Get married and stay married

Wall Street Journal -"American society would be better off if more people got married and stayed married."

"Marriage is much more than a civil contract, much more than an agreement between two people. It is an institution essential to the purposes of God. Children are entitled to be born within the bonds of matrimony, and to be raised by a father and mother who honor their marital vows with complete fidelity."-GBH

3. Put the father back at the head of the home.

"Far to many families have been denied the leadership and stabilizing influence of a good and devoted father who stands at the side of an able and caring mother in quietly training, gently disciplining, and prayerfully helping the children for whom they are both responsible."-GBH

4. Recognize and value the supreme importance of mothers.

5. Celebrate and treat children as our most priceless treasures.

6. Discipline and train children with love.

"As the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined."

" Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually without much difficulty. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it," {proverbs 22:6}

7. Teach values to children.

"Teach children tolerance."

Teach them respect

Teach them loyalty

Teach them the beauty of freedoms

Teach them obedience to law

Teach them the importance of health

Teach them the quality of charity and the meaning of service.

Teach them that there is a Power greater than their own to appeal for help

Teach them the thrill and joy of learning

Teach them the sanctity of sex

8. Teach children to work.

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."

Children need to learn to work.

A little hard work breeds a greater respect for personal and public property.

May we show them by example that some of our finest work comes through service to others.

9. Read to and with Children.

"Television is perhaps the greatest medium ever discovered to teach and educate and even to entertain. But the filth, the rot, the violence, and the profanity that spew from TV screens into our home is deplorable. It is a sad commentary on our society." -GBH

10. Pray together.

" I believe that there is no adequate substitute for the practice of kneeling together, morning and evening, as a family in prayer. This , more then fine carpets or the latest in window coverings, will make far better and more beautiful homes." -GBH

We can change the course we are on. We must begin with parents. We must provide, to every man and women, an understanding of the eternal purposes of life, the obligations of marriage, and the responsibilities of parenthood. Then we must teach our youth of all races, languages and cultures that there is a better way than the way so many are now going. It will take patience. It will take persuasion. It will take the counsel of wise fathers and mothers. It will take inspiration and a spiritual guidance that reaches beyond our own wisdom.

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I've been thinking so much about the things that are happening to our world, to our youth, to families, to our society the things we blindly accept. The things that we just let slide by or don't stand up for. It makes me sad to think how many things have changed since even I was little.

i sometimes wonder if my children will be able to make it through this life to be strong and grounded and untainted by the things in and of the world. Its scary but we can do our part in our homes to help our children be respectable strong adults.

It starts with us.

It's a big job.

But every day we can make a difference.

IN our homes.

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Have a great week! Make it a new beginning~!

{ Flashback Friday }

{{{First I can't not post this touching, sad blog that will bring tears to your eyes and make you feel something, something deep for this family for their pain and for the more spiritual things in life and for the knowledge the Gospel brings in that we will see our loved ones again, and the peace it brings in this life in those moments of despair. Scroll down to the third slide show the funeral and don't forget to pause the music at the bottom.} http://www.babymckallister.blogspot.com/

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Guess what D and I went on a date last night it was so fun and so nice to get out just the two of us - to hold hands, to remember that there are two of us, to just talk, laugh and spend time together!

Everybody needs time alone together as a couple, to remember who you were, what you have and what you want to be.

TOGETHER

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OKAY For flashback Friday

I'm going to do a memory post so here it is:

So whether you know me in real life or not

The Memory Post

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If were only blogging friends write about a post that was the most memorable for you. (and if you usually don't comment leave a comment would love to hear from you too)

2. Next, if you feel so inclined, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you...!

Have a great weekend make it an memorable one!!

{ Thankful Thursday }

What a week! I'm so THANKFUL Masen's finger is starting to heal its almost impossible to keep a two year old in a bandage all day long so we have to redress it about 3 times a day its a miracle its even healing back together.

Have you ever thought how amazing the human body is?

The things it can do?

SO anyway Lauren is learning to ride her trike everywhere and its her new love she is enjoying freedom on her little wheels lol! Kolten is going to a reading program everyday now and enjoying that {is it bad that I am too, he gets so bored. Yesterday I got him to go clean the neighbors yard of all their tree branches and sticks so he cleaned their yard and they came out while he was doing it and told him what a good boy he was etc and anyway he came in and said it made him feel good that he helped them out!

{considering I had to threaten his life just to get him out there ha ha j/k}
Yesterday we had another house burn to the ground here a huge house that was for sale for $800,000 seriously what are the chances of having 2 homes burn to the ground in less then a month in a town the size of not more then 4000 people!

{Mandy hope you don't care that I stole your pics!}

Sad and about an hour after the fire a crazy hail storm came through. The hail was huge it broke windows around town and about 10 minutes from here it broke people's windshields, dented vehicles, destroyed siding!! It got windy and pelted and flooded in minutes! I thought this was the end-- my kids woke up from there naps scared of the pounding sound it was crazy!! Mandy had this amazing picture of the storm clouds:

Check out the size of those hailstones! Huge & Loud !

I'm thankful we had no broken windows or damage and that it wasn't my house on fire!
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I found a few paragraphs from the book that I am reading {yearbook by Allyson Condie} and just had to use it for today its really a me thinks but I'm doing it today! I love profound things that jump out of a book and make me evaluate how I think and do things.
I am so thankful for the ride of life the ups the downs all of it shapes us into who we are.
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"In our lives we hear a lot about the future and what we should do with it. Those that tell you the the future is up to you are dishonest. The future is not always up to you. But the cynics who would tell us that the future is not up to you are also lying.

What then is the truth?

The truth is that your heart will be broken. People you love will die. Dreams you have will not work out the way you intended. People are capable of cruelty that will wound you deeply. At the end of you life your body will be old and out of control. This is if you are lucky. There are those to whom this happens when they are young, which is one of the saddest things that can happen. You will be scared. In the world in which we live, people will murder and degrade and hurt other people in ways that are incomprehensible. You will wake up in the middle of the night and feel a weight on your chest and in your soul that you don't know if you can shake.

So what makes life worth living?

There is so much that makes life worth living.

The gospel is true. Jesus Christ died for us and HE and our Father in Heaven love us more than we can imagine. You will hear babies laugh. You will love people, and they will love you. One night, you will wake up and hear the quiet and you will feel peace. People are capable of kindness and goodness and they will show it to you, and you will show it to them. You will learn things. Dreams that you have had will come true. Not all of them but some of them. You will have moments of joy at just being alive that will fill you soul. You will have to decide if these things outweigh the others. But you cannot be lazy. You cannot expect good to happen to you and think that you do not have to contribute.

Pres. Hinckley once quoted Jenkins Lloyd Jones saying

" Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise......

"Life is like an old time rail journey -- delays,sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.

"The trick is to THANK the Lord for letting you have the ride"

Pay attention to those around you. Do not take your association with others lightly, without thinking about what effect you might cause. Don't let this cripple you, let it empower you and make you think. You can't do things only for other people, you also can't do things only for yourself. It will ruin you either way.

Your life is going to be wonderful if you embrace wonder and worthwhile if you embrace things that are of worth. Remember that one of those things is service.

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I'm so thankful for good books.

Thankful for good people.

Thankful for being able to learn from our mistakes and to try harder each day to be better.

I'm thankful that kids forget easy like when you get so mad sometimes at them and are having a horrible mom day and the next minute they are telling you they love you and giving you a hug.

I wish we all could be so forgiving as a child.

I'm so thankful for the Book of Mormon. I know its true. I love it. I'm so THANKFUL that I know for myself that it is true. That I've taken the challenge and asked and felt and know for myself. That everything that is written in it did happen. That it applies to me like it was written especially for me to use to study and to help me understand so much more in this life and to help me in the times when I really need it.

I am so Thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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This is probably long enough so I should really quite writing. But we are so blessed with so much there is so so much to be thankful for every day.

Especially when it doesn't feel like it.

Have an awesome day!!

{ 2 boys ER a severed pinky and a lost tooth ...}

Oh my heck what a night last night was seriously I am so drained! There is nothing more horrible then watching your child be in so much pain! Masen got his pinkie slammed in the bathroom door. closed completly on his tiny finger. blood everywhere. and a fast trip to the ER.

I seriously thought I was going to puke I felt so so bad for him he was screaming and thrashing and the top of his finger was hanging off.

{I would never be good in a first aid situation I couldn't even think we just ran out the door to the hospital } Straight to the emerg FOR 25 minutes I had to control masens screaming, hitting, yelling he wanted Dad, he wanted down, he wanted out of there.

The whole bed had blood on it, I was sweating so bad from fighting him to keep him somewhat under control and trying to control him and holding his hand away so it wouldn't get more damaged he had already thrown the bandage they gave us away.

Finally they called in another DR and sent us for x-rays to make sure it wasn't broken he calmed down enough to do that. It wasn't broken thank goodness and it couldn't be stitched up cause it was to close to the nail bed and up and out!!

Don't worry I didn't take a picture of it it was more then disgusting my poor baby@!!

So they bandaged it and taped it and hopefully it will grow okay back together perfectly well but he will loose the nail and with the amount of kicking the nurse and pulling on the bandage and three people holding him down it will be a miracle if the underneath bandage is actually in place!! Anyway we are okay now lots of Tylenol-- didn't even slow him down.

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AND Kolten finally lost his first tooth he was so excited ! I gave it one tug and it came out he says

"did it come out? Yeah it didn't even hurt!!"

Then it started bleeding but he was so happy he wrote his note to the tooth fairy and everything!! He was so cute about it!!
{Just curious what you tooth faires pay out there??}

I used to get 25 cents !

Does anybody do something else besides money?

Anyway that was the excitement in our home last night after a little FHE and dessert and ER and teeth its been a long day!!

Hope everybody has a better day then our night last night!!

{ Me Thinks Monday }

ME Thinks Monday again ?? The weeks are flying by that means summer is flying by! It's been so nice to have D home we spent the weekend biking {kolt finally got the hang of it }, camping in the backyard{ which really only lasted until 2 in the morning thanks to masen. But you'd have thought it was Christmas the kids were so excited and that was the best part they loved it }, so we also got in some water skiing, tubing and boating and gettin eatin alive by mosquitoes {have I mentioned my strong hatred for mosquitoes!!! } They were horrid sat night at the lake, so bad that my father in law took off his wetsuit and his entire back was covered {like a feeding ground instantly} of massive mosquitoes it was the sickest thing ever. D saved the day and swiped them all off. They attacked him the minute his back was exposed.

We were all heavily spayed and it still didn't prevent the kids from looking like they had some disease, spots and welts everywhere for church on Sunday poor itchy kids! SO it was a fun busy weekend there were a few things I wish I could have got done or gone to but we can't do everything I guess. right.
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Me thinks

for this week is from a book I was reading and these few lines really stood out to me.

"One of the most important parts of life is realizing that the things you do affect other people. You can't do anything without it impacting someone else, and they impact you too. You're more then just a face in the yearbook or a name on paper.....and so is everyone else"

{"DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU'D HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU"}

We all have our stories in life and our decisions greatly affect others especially. We all make an impact on others in some big or small way depending on our choices. We need to be kind to everyone no matter what we look like on the outside we all have our stories, our own feelings and our own life experiences that bring us to who we are today.

Something to think about anyway.

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So here are some pics of our backyard camping experience! Fun times.

Anybody going anywhere really fun and exciting??

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEK ~ MAKE IT AN AWESOME ONE!

"It's all in the attitude"

{ Thankful Thursday }

I am so THANKFUL this week for the awesome people who took pity on an exhausted tired worn out mother --- me. Late nights that are too light to late and and extra supply of energy in my 2 year old have pretty much given me a run for my money over the past couple weeks by myself!! D is finally home again and it is so nice to have him back once again for a bit! I've had phone calls from friends this week, dinner at a friends house so the kids could have a change of scenery and play with other kids! A wonderful family in my ward called on Wed and said we want all your kids to come play at our house so yesterday my kids went to there house from 12-6 and she told me not to come back until supper time. So I really enjoyed my afternoon I went shopping got my house cleaned up and enjoyed the break so much!! AND the kids had so much fun and the very best part of the whole day was that they went to bed at 8:00 !!!!! That was awesome winter hours they were so worn out they fell right asleep so I got so much done last night too!! So a great day! So thankful for people that see an opportunity and serve! Makes me want to be more aware of others needs. It helped me so much and I so so appreciated it!

I'm very thankful for this certain 6 year old he is my helper and my boy who is growing way to fast and is always full of wisdom and new questions. Love him! we went out this morning and took some pictures I love that he lets me take his picture every so often and goes with it!!

Good Kid!!

I'm thankful my kids had so much fun at swim lessons and I'm also glad swim lessons are over for one thing and that is keeping Masen out of the pool, I had him in a stroller watching for a week and some then decided maybe he would be good but this is usually what he spent his time doing!! He even climbed half way up a tall chain link fence MONKEY that he is! Good thing he's such a lovable ball of joy!!! Dad came and watched the kids today to they loved it they hadn't seen him in 4 days so they were pretty excited!!

Just a few of Masen's pool tricks! Besides actually getting into the pool or at least trying to or running to the diving board or drinking pool water sitting in the puddles on the deck yeah nice eh so I did a lot of running!
Both kids did great and passed to the next level they loved swimming. They are total fish!!! I loved talking to Laura everyday she is a riot and I love her!! She makes me laugh and we have good talks! So it was fun to talk everyday while watching our kids swim!

And since this is such a picture post here are a few typical of Masen pictures!!
I am so very thankful for my three children who keep me busy, keep me laughing and keep me on my toes!

Have a great weekend!!