Camping in the Backyard

Kinda camping in the back yard.  Stephen needed to air the tent out, the kids really wanted to sleep in it, so we set it up and allowed sleeping bags with children in pajamas.

It only lasted about an hour.

Poor Ollie never even got the chance of an hour.  Yeah.  There's no way I was that crazy.

Memorial Day

I am a slacker.

We met Kenna and Marc with Avery and Gabby for a picnic in the park for Memorial Day.  However, I forgot about my camera, until our guests left....

So.  Here are the after pictures.

Whole 30

So.

About six months ago Stephen brought home a book, It Starts With Food.  He thought it was the most amazing thing in the entire world.

I disagreed with it.

He told me to read it.

So I did.

And here we stand in the drudges of a Whole 30.  Honestly, I am really excited!  And we have eaten some really amazing food.  We eat meats, tons of veggies, fruits, and healthy fats.  That is basically it.  For 30 days.  Today is supposed to be day 8...but I messed everyone up by feeding us all an ingredient that is a BIG 'no no' for the program, so we had to re-start.  So we are on Day 3.

I have always had a hard time with food.  Or should I just say that food hates me.  It has been a very complicated relationship my whole life, but I think it is getting worse with age.  (Did I seriously just write the word age?!)  I want to eat food that doesn't make me sick.  I want to know what makes me sick so I can steer clear of it.  After 30 days of whole eating we slowly introduce other food groups to see how those foods react with our bodies.

The process of eating these kinds of foods are definitely more expensive, and almost absurdly more work, but we are going to give this a try.  Even if it kills me.  AND if I spend the next 30 days preparing food and doing dishes.  AND listening to children who want goldfish crackers and waffles. (We can't have those for the next 30 days.)

In an effort to make eating more exciting for the kids, we ate lunch on our 'little' table.

I COULD NOT GET EVERYONE TO LOOK AT THE CAMERA!!!

 And the final one was my fail...

Here is to our family Whole 30.

Date Night with MY Son!!

This was Cooper and my's first date night together.  We went out on Friday night.  We had so much fun!!  I love our kiddo date nights.

For our first official date night, I took Cooper on a bike ride.  The entire time we were riding he kept asking, "Are we to our date night yet?"  He hasn't fully grasped this concept yet.

Here is a picture journal of our date.

At the end of our date night I gave Cooper a hug and said, "Thank you for going on a date with me."

Cooper gave me a big hug, then kissed me and said, "Mommy, I love you very much."

That was an awesome Mommy reward.

The stuff that makes up my days.

My sons have very good arms.  Sometimes they are so good (and accurate) that I want to remove any future possibilities of them being NBA stars or anything of the like...if you catch my drift.

Sunday, in Sacrament Meeting, Cooper chucked his shoe four benches in front of us.

I was horrified.  I told Cooper, in my mean mommy whisper, to go and pick up the shoe and bring it back.  He giggled and skipped to the aforementioned bench where a cute little blonde girl was holding his shoe out to him.  Cooper giggled, then slapped the shoe out of her hand.

My horrified demeanor very quickly turned to shock and bewilderment.  I immediately stood up, grabbed the shoe, then toted a very mischievous Cooper out of the chapel.

Cooper's punishment was not up to par with his crime.  Chair time did not even do it justice.  Boys. How do you handle these creatures?!

AND on Sunday I wore my new, poofy green skirt that I bought at a second hand store for $10!  I know, steal!!  One of my Sunday School kids told me that I looked like a Disney Princess.

I'm not sure if that was a complement or not.

We're going to say that it was.

Yesterday, Tuesday, my parents came up for a visit.  This is how it went:

The funniest part of this picture is that Ollie is snoring like a foghorn and my dad is still asleep.

I really love having my parents come and see me!  It was also really fun to show off our hole in the ground.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for our visit.

Today as Maycee and Cooper walked out the back door to play Maycee says to Cooper, "You are such a little crumb cake!"

...

I have no idea what that means, or where she got it.

Still funny.

While outside the kids created a surprise for me!

Don't you love it!  They are already great decorators with an eye for positioning.  Love it.

Daddy Daughter Date Night

Tonight Stephen took Maycee out for her date.  She now completely understands 'date night'.  I told her this afternoon that she was going on a date with her dad.  As soon as Stephen got home, she immediately told him that they were going on a date.  Then she said...

"Dad, do you want to go watch a movie, or go to a restaurant to get ice cream?"

Stephen laughed and said, "What if we go to the park and play soccer?"

Maycee replied in the affirmative and was sent to the backyard to get the soccer ball.

She returned 30 seconds later.  "I can't find the soccer ball."  She sighed, "I guess we'll just have to go get ice cream instead."

...

That girl is funny.

House Update

The kids LOVE going to look at our hole in the ground.  And they made new friends.

Grandma Thelma Williams

We said goodbye yesterday to my grandma.  My mom's mom.  Honestly, it was a really good funeral.

Family gathering before the funeral

Girls Weekend - First of Many

This trip has been in the works for a very long time.  Months. The men in our lives were not too keen on this idea.  We'll just say there was a little bit of kickback.

Wow.

This trip made me feel like I didn't have a care in the world.

Brought me back to the college days.

And here is our starting point.

And our insides were saying this:

Almost a year ago Krystal told us that we needed to look into a girls weekend.  She talked about Time Out for Women, Women's Conference, and Education Week.  Lots of stuff.  I really don't know how we ended up with Women's Conference, but I'm sure glad we did.

On Wednesday, April 29th, I left my house at exactly 11:50am to embark on a journey I had never before taken.  I dropped my kids off at a friend's house and drove to Stephen's work in Eagle.  We went to lunch, said our final goodbyes, and I was off.  I drove to Krystal's house and we were on our way to American Fork.  We stopped at the Idahome exit to gather the last of our weekend buddies: Mom and Charisse.  (Kelsey just couldn't tear herself away from the kiddos ;) and Karli, of course is on a mission in Georgia.  Don't worry girls.  We partied hard enough for you too!)

Our drive down was full of giggles, shouts of freedom, and planning of our days ahead.  I can't speak for the rest of the crew, but in the beginning I felt a little lost without my constant tag-alongs.  I soon realized my need for a reprieve from my duty as mom.  Don't get me wrong.  I love being a mom, and I love having my kiddos, but it is a v-e-r-y difficult job that, every once in a while, requires a vacation.

Dinner began at Zuppas.  Yum.

Charisse learned early on that every picture requires two shots....

 Here we are a little giddy with excitement.

Wednesday night came with pedicures and the movie 'Mom's Night Out'.  Very appropriate.

Thursday morning started early.  We could all tell that Krystal was excited as she tried to wrestle with everyone near her proximity....

BYU Campus was the location for our joyous event.  Here we are with our tags!

On Thursday and Friday we were at BYU Campus for the speakers.  We were on campus from 8:30am to 5:30pm.

Quick stop at Jamba in between classes.

Quotes from Day 1 that I loved:

• Live what you learn!!
• I don't have to be perfect, just take one thing to help make me better than I was.
• Reading the scriptures enables me to receive revelation.
• We have all been purchased by the Savior.  What an expensive price!  What a merciful purchase.
• When do we get to the point when obedience is not a burden, but a blessing or a joy?  When we have a true love for the Lord.
• Covenants are not for those who are lukewarm in their commitment.

That night we ate at a local, authentic, Mexican restaurant.  Mmmmm.

After dinner we went back to campus for a concert.  We almost didn't go.  I am SO glad we did.  It was amazing!!  Lots of unbelievable music.  Super funny MC.  An overall awesome feeling as we walked out at 10:30pm.  Mom fell asleep.

Seriously.

Who falls asleep at a super loud music concert?!

Quote from one of the guest speakers: "I don't want you to look beautiful, I want you to BE beautiful."

Picture taken just before the concert.

Picture taken while running to the concert.

Picture taken during the concert.  It was so incredible to see all of the other concert attenders waving their phone flashlights to the music.

The after-party.

Friday morning, unfortunately, we were all dead tired.  Krystal was not wrestling that morning.  We headed to campus for Day 2.

Quotes from Day 2 that I loved:

• There is a difference from having a testimony of truth and being truly converted.
• Satan is selfish.  He wants us to be that way because it turns us from God.
• Eternity is a very long time to have regrets.
• Always leave people much better than I find them.
• Is the way I feel about God conditional, or unconditional?
• The real test comes when we are asked to drink a bitter cup without becoming bitter.
• Proud people cannot accept the authority of God to direct us.
• "Let every selfish feeling be not buried, but annialated." -Pres. Joseph F. Smith
• (Alma 42-63) Why did the Lamanites leave their strongholds?  Or what does Satan use to lure us from our strengths?  We should NOT leave our strongholds, even for a moment.  We might not be able to get back.
• You won't find light in the dark.
• You didn't have to do anything to become Heavenly Father's daughter, but you have to do something to become His disciple.

Fellow Women's Conference travelers:

Friday after the conference, we started our annual shopping trip.  About six years ago we started going 'school shopping' every September.  In the beginning, Kelsey and Karli really were going to school, so it was legit.  Now we still keep up the tradition because we love shopping together!

Ross.  Of course our basket was full.  The dressing room lady was not very happy with us.

Dinner.

Saturday morning came.  Since we were dead tired on Friday morning, we were almost near complete exhaustion on Saturday morning.  That, however, did not stop us from shopping our hearts out on Saturday as well!

I was coerced into trying these things on....

We are pretty beat by this picture.  Well, I don't know if Krystal was.

Sushi!!

Dressing room picture!  I can't believe we all fit into that tiny dressing room.  That picture does NOT do it justice.  We were crammed.

Funny quotes from our party all weekend long:

• "Yeah, cause you're totally not good at asserting yourself" - Charisse to Krystal
• "You're telling me you are suddenly at a loss for words?" - Kami to Krystal
• "Last time I did my toenails, I did it with the butt crackle" - Mom
• "Do those shoes fit you? You're coming out of both ends." - Charisse to Mom.
• "I'm a bounty hunter." - Charisse
• "Garmin Roxy, how am I supposed to know which way is East?" - Krystal to her phone
• "When I'm 75 and you're 80, everyone will think I'm cooler than you. Stephen and Shane will be dead and we'll be living together." - Krystal to Kami "Mom will be dead watching the train wreck, throwing rocks at us, hoping one of us will die." - Kami to Krystal
• "Remember when they said THAT word!  You can't say THAT WORD at BYU." - Mom
• "I'm not sure what it's called. I call it the magic brick." - Random new friend
• "Who's Ed?" - Krystal
• "Let's turn on this butt warmer thing while I eat my ice cream." - Charisse
• "Well, you didn't ask us, 'Do I have a bald spot right here?'" - Kami to Krystal
• "That's what Mom's problem is." -Krystal
• "I'm going to call you Sugarisse." -Krystal to Charisse
• "I'm the most awake and I have nuts!" -Mom

Well.

Ladies!

That.

Was.

Fabulous.

Here's to next year!!  (If you are a male partner to any of these women, ignore the previous statement. We don't want to bring marital contention.)