A Day to be Grateful

 Today has been hard. Gracie started getting sick Tuesday night but seemed like it was just a cold so Wed I went to work and she stayed with Amy. When I got home I found a sad little girl that had spent most of her day being held and asking about her mommy...I felt horrible. She had run a fever on and off all day and had a horrible croupy cough that didn't really allow her to rest for very long. I ran Hallie to dance and came back home since Gracie had cried most of the way there. Wed night wasn't much better she was up every 10-30 minutes til 2 am then she finally settled in til about 8.30. Once she got up I could tell it was going to be a long day any time I put her down she cried and acted completely miserable. So we settled in for the day in the recliner and found some shows to catch up on. Matt was so amazing and offered to take Hallie to her field trip to the dentist so I could stay home with Grace. I was shocked since I knew he had a thousand and one things to do but he told me he would make time....which means he will probably sleep less. Hallie was so excited her dad was taking her. I was happy we had a pretty free day planned. Gracie napped on and off in my arms all day...look at her sweet face. When she is awake her little eyes just look so sad.

Hallie was so wonderful. After she got home from her field trip she did everything without being asked. First she colored then she asked for some lunch Gracie had just fallen asleep on my lap so I asked what she wanted and she said a pb&j. I asked her if she thought she could make it herself and she said sure. She did a great job and even cleaned up everything. After lunch she got out her dolls and set out to build a doll city that kept her occupied for the rest of the day. Any time I needed something she was great and got it for me. I asked her to get a bottle of water to refill Gracie's sippy she replied of coarse mom what else do you need.  When it was time for a rest she said can I nap on the couch in case you need something and so if Gracie wakes up and needs me I will be here? I agreed and she built her bed on the couch. Seriously what 4 year old is like that.....my Hallie that's who. Here she is asleep in her "couch bed"

I had signed up earlier in the week to work tomorrow. I spent some of my day worrying that they were planning on me working and had forgotten to call or that I would have to call and tell them that I couldn't work since Gracie was sick. I finally decided to call only to find out that they were perfectly staffed. This has been unheard of lately considering they have been 4-5 nurses short each shift. After I got off the phone I started to cry. Why you may be wondering? Well first off probably because Im sleep deprived. More importantly because this past Sunday Matt and I spoke in church we were asked to talk about tithing. In many of the talks I found talked about how much the lord blesses us for paying our tithing although it may not be how we might expect them to come. It also said that often times the blessings are so small that if we are not in tune with the spirit we will miss them. In the moment I got off the phone I realized the blessings I had received today. I had worried all day about work I didn't want to put them in a spot they were short staffed but I also felt that I needed to be with Grace. Them being staffed well without me was such a relief.

And I can't imagine Hallie being any better/helpful than she was. Im grateful for the times in my life when I see the blessings the lord sends me.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries for Breakfast???

The girls and I decided to swing by our local thrift grocery store on Monday night after a few other errands and we found quite the treasure. Beautifully red strawberries and for only 50 cents a lb. We bought 4 containers just to eat.

Once we got home the girls and I decided we would dip them in chocolate and take them to some friends as part of our family home evening on service. They turned out great and the girls had a great time taking them to the door as they rode in the bike trailer and I pulled them around the neighborhood.

The next morning we still had quite a few we had kept to eat ourselves and before I could even say no both the girl had chocolate strawberries in their hands asking to have one for breakfast. I decided once in a while a chocolate strawberry for breakfast might be an ok idea....the girls definitely agreed.

Today we went to the store again and bought 6 more containers we are going to be eating a lot of strawberries.And probably most of them covered in chocolate.

Cleaning Up

Monday after cleaning the house the girls were eating some popcorn chips and Gracie decided to dump them on the floor. I asked the girls to clean them up as best they could and I would get the vaccum to do the rest. When I got back with the vaccum this is what I found...I guess that is one way to clean it up

Then Hallie looked up as to say...is this not what you ment when you said clean it up. We all had a good laugh and then vaccumed up what was left of the mess.

Love these silly girls and the fun and innocence they add to my day to remind me not to take myself to seriously.

Happy Birthday Chris

Sunday Brit invited us all to her house to have dinner and celebrate Chris turning 23. Matt's parents were there along with Chris and a couple of his track friends.  Brit asked Matt and I to take a picture

Then Gracie wanted her picture taken with mommy. I love this picture..oh how my baby is growing up into a beautiful little girl

Of coarse the kids found plenty of time to play with uncle Chris and his friends

Our little piano player

After a game of cards we sang happy birthday

The the kids had cake and ice cream...they seemed to really enjoy it

Then it was time to head for home. Happy 23rd birthday Chris!

Love Language Date Night

About a month ago I found a website that listed a bunch of date night oppertunities put on by Weber State through their marriage and family department. After talking to Matt we decided to sign up for a handful of them and try them. Some are free and some have a small fee. We were really excited to go to this love languages class. I had read the book a while agao and Matt and I talked about it when we first got married. To be honest the day of we were a little hesitant and wondered if it would really be fun. We decided that if it was boring we would just leave early. Cierra came to watch the kids, she is my favorite babysitter. The girls love her and she is more than capable of taking care of them, bathing them, and she is about the only babysitter my kids go to bed for really well. Matt and I decided to do something quicker for dinner and stopped at Arby's we decided to go in to eat since Matt usually eats dinner on the road on the way to school. Once we got to the class we figured out pretty quickly that it would be a really fun class. Matt and I learned what love language we are I was pretty equally spread between words of affrimation, physical touch, quality time, and service. Matt is physical touch and words of affrimation. Then they talked about each of the categories and how to stregthen our marriage through those love languages. This class just reaffirmed that Matt and I have a fabulous relationship we both do a really great job reading and knowing what the other person needs. They gave us a packet of questions to ask one another for a few minutes I really enjoyed that. Although I have known Matt for a long time I still never get old of hearing stories I never heard or learning new things I didn't know. At the end of the class the men were given the oppertunity to choose a flower for their spouse and the wives a chocolae treat for their husbands. Matt immediately got up when I asked where he was going he said he wanted to be first so he could choose the best one for me. I never get tired of how much he loves and cares for me. And I love date nights that help us to remember that we do really love each other and we are doing a great job of showing it.

FHE-Cookie Making

Last week for family home evening we planted tulips in vases to keep inside so the girls can watch how thye grow step by step. We talked about how a plant need sunlight, water, ect and how God provides these to us. They are absolutely loving it and the tulips are actually growing quite quickly. After we let the girls roll out some sugar cookies and decorate them. This was probably one of the most fun fhe nights we have done.

Matt helped Hallie get the feel for piping on her cookies. She really enjoys stuff like this and spent quite a bit of time getting them just right.

After cookies we sat down to watch a show to wind down before heading off to bed. Of coarse both the girls wanted to lay by me and Matt caught this sweet picture of me and the girl. I sure love them and all the fun we have together as a family.

Silly Gracie---Do you have to wear pants with shoes???

Gracie has such a fun and outgoing personality. She is very social and is always keeping us laughing. On this paricular day we were being lazy and spent most of the day inour Pjs. Gracie wanted to go outside so I told her she would have to put her shoes on. A couple minutes later this is how she came out...I guess at our house you have to first undress before putting shoes on

This last pictures is when I asked her to look at me with her eyes and smile...we are now working on different phrases to help get the point across more effectivly.

Also yesterday I put her down for a rest and after about an hour I went to check on her and she had emptied both clothes drawers and had herself dressed with a shirt for both the top and the bottom. She is so creative with her wardrobe.

Our Valentine's Day

Valentine's day at our house is pretty low key. Matt and I hate to fight the crowds to go out to eat so it is usually spent at home ordering takeout and cuddling watching a movie with our little family. I remember growing up my parents always got us little gifts for Valentine's and I remember loving it so Matt and I have continued to do that with our girls. I was pretty excited I had put together a love day menu and some fun activities for the day but then Hallie's preschool announced they would be doing a Valentine party the day of. I was bummed but Hallie was so thrilled to get to exchange Valentines and do various activities with her friends so we made the best of it and scaled things back at home. The night before we set our the girls gifts

 Gracie got the little Sophia dolls that came with a bunch of pieces for a tea set, a balloon, and some gummy princess candy.

 Hallie got the heart balloon, some gummy candies, a book, and what they call in the dancers world "foot undies" Hallie has wanted these for months

 Hallie was super excited when she got up and found the gifts. I heard her come up the stairs and say outload what are these for....are they for me?

 I think this balloon kept her busy for longer than I had anticiapted

Then Hallie was off to preschool and Gracie and I partied at home. Once Hallie got home she had a friend over and then both girls had a nap. Once they got up it was time to get ready for our dinner company. Originally we had planned to order take out and hang at home like we usually do but then we had some friends invite us to join them at their house for a nice dinner. It ended up they had some things come up at their house and they asked if we would be willing to host and we said yes. We had another set of great friends stop by to bring the girls valentines so we invited them to join us as well. It worked out perfectly and we had one of the most fun valentines day ever. Matt and the guys grilled steaks on the grill, we also had steamed green beans, grill asparagus, twice baked potatoes, pasta and potato salad, spinach and strawberry salad, and a fruit tray...we had plenty of food for sure. Oh and I can't forget to mention we had amazing and delicious cheesecake for dessert. Here are some of the older kids who sat at their own table.

And here is the whole group minus me(I was taking the picture). After our bellies were full we started a movie for the kids and ended up watching most of it before we decided to play some games while our kids were entertained. After about an hour we decided to call it quits for the night and get our kids home to bed since it was about 9:30. I don't know that I can really put into words how much fun we all had. The kids played so well together...they shared and were kind so the parents could actually enjoy ourselves. In my experience it has been hard to find couples with kids that everyone for the most part gets along and when everyone leaves my house doesn't look like a cyclone hit it. It was a great day filled with some of the people I love most. Happy Love Day!

A Valentine Party---Cousin Style

The older all of our kids get the more fun the cousin parties become. Sunday I decided I wanted to get together with my sisters and do something for Valentines. So I checked with Nic and Kim on their schedules and started making plans. We decided we would exchange Valentines, decorate cookies, have lunch, and do a craft. We decided to do it at Nic's house since it wasn't as far for Kim to come and Nic seems to have the best kitchen space with the bar for our parties. When we got there the kids watched a movie and played while we waited for everyone to get there. These 2 girls are so cute together. Gracie is always so excited to see and hug her

 This toy is always a big hit the kids often have to be refereed as to whose turn it is but they have also become creative in making space so more than one of them can play...like I said pretty creative.

 After we attempted to feed the kids lunch...which was a waste of time since all they wanted to do was play. We got to our cookie decorating. We had pink, orange, and blue frosting. Pink and red sprinkles. Cherry and cinnamon hearts. The kids each decorated 1 cookie and then proceeded to eat it. Hallie on the other hand spent about 2 hours decorating numerous cookies. She had a great time and every time we asked if she wanted to go play she said no I love to decorate cookies.

 Luke in his body armor of a bib to keep this little mess maker clean for cookie decorating

 After cookies we moved on to crafts. Kimber had put together a cute craft that was a Valentine Boy/Girl. The kids had a good time gluing and folding the paper to build them

 Here is Kim's model so the kid had an idea of what he should look like

 Working on her Valentine Girl

 The finished product

 They are very versatile and can also be worn as a hat

 Thanks to Hallie we got our "mommy picture" Oh what a great time we had with theses great ladies

Happy Valentine's we were happy to celebrate with the ones we love

The Randomness of Life

Saturday while Matt was at the testing center the girls and I headed out to do some shopping. I always shop for the girls a season in advance when most of it goes on sale or clearance so we were on a mission to find wardrobes for Fall 2014. We made great progress and just have a few odds and ends to pick up to complete outfits. One thing that I always laugh at when out shopping is the kids fascination with the manikins. I couldn't resist asking them to take a picture with their new manikin friends. 

 Another silly kid moment. The other morning while watching a show Gracie dumped out the polly pocket tupperware and made herself comfy. While Hallie moved her chair to higher ground in another chair. They were so mesmerized by the show they sat this way for probably 30 minutes. 

Sometimes the random moments in life are the moments that remind me how blessed I am to be living this crazy fun life.

Sometimes you just have to get out

This semester has been hard for our family. Matt is busier than he ever has been and in turn that means when he is home he isn't really home he is always having to read, work on projects, or other school stuff. He really is doing the best he can but there is still only a certain hours in a day. Friday morning while the girls and I were getting ready Halli accidentally kicked me in the eye. I was upset and was short with Hallie and told her to hold still. She started to cry, I was crying, and at that moment Gracie ran into something and started to cry as well. I called Matt needing to vent momentarily he suggested taking in easy and having a movie and pj day. After I got off the phone with him I realized that by doing that it wouldn't really help us so I called Nic to ask about the mommy and me class she had taken Riggs to at Get Air. After I got the info from her I decided we were going. I quickly finished getting the girls ready and headed to Kaysville. Rigs and Kinley were both sick so Nic was going to take them to the dr and meet up with us after. The mommy and me class is basically they don't allow kids over 5 years and they do a set price(a mom and child is $8 and for each additional child is $2). The girls were both so excited and quickly got their stuff put in the cubby and off they went. We had a blast!!! The day quickly turned around. We were laughing and having a great time together. It was just the outlet we needed. Hallie's favorite was the slide into the foam pit. such a little girl in a big pit.

 Gracie's favorite was the floor full of tramps she ran from one to the next.

 They played the full 2 hours with a few rests and drink breaks

 Once we left the park we headed to Nic's house. We all ate lunch and played/visited for about an hour before heading home for a much needed nap time. The girls both slept for 2 hours after that Gracie came out and was still tired so we snuggled up and both fell asleep until I woke up to Hallie taking pictures of us sleeping....silly girl. 

It was a great kind of day and reminded me that no matter how poorly my day starts I always have the choice to make it better. We all had a really great time and one of those activities I felt like we all equally enjoyed ourselves and the time we spent together.

A Little Love Day Package

 Ever since my parents moved to Las Vegas my mom does a great job at being involved in the girls lives in several different ways. Valentines packages is just one of the many but that doesn't make it any less exciting when it arrives in the mail. The girls were so excited they would hardly wait to open it. Im surprised I actually got some good pictures.

 Underneath all that brown paper was a beautiful wrapped box...oh what could it be???

 And the best part is my mom sends stuff for all of us not just the girls. The girls each got a light up heart necklace and some treats. Matt and I got some yummy valentine treats as well.

 This is Gracie latest when you say, "look at me with your eyes."

 Or then there is the super excited...getting closer

 Now this may be something we can work with. They love their new necklaces and wear them just about everywhere they go. They didn't mind the candy either.

 It hard to put into words what it means to me when someone takes the time to do something special for me and my family. I guess that could be described as what you do when you love and care for someone. Thanks mom for adding some extra "love" to our day