10!!!

Happy Happy Birthday Kayleen Dear

Happy Days will come to you all year

If I had a wish that wish would be...

That my baby would just stop it all ready!!

10? Really? How did that happen?

And how come everytime I look at her she looks even more grown up than the last time?



{sigh}  Happy Birthday to my beautiful baby turned beautiful girl.  Love you!

Dadsense

For those of you that enjoyed the "Mom Song" sung to the William Tell Overture ( if you haven't heard it watch it on you tube!!!)  Anita brings you Dad sense!

And if you need another reason to laugh, find and watch her Don't Breathe video!

In a rut.

I know myself (I think), but often don't like to actually acknowledge my own weaknesses.  I can' seem to shake the mood I've been in where I don't want to do anything.  You know, you do enough to keep up, barely, but just look around and see a thousand things you could do and don't do anything!  Cleaning, mending, projects, yard, organizing,  - nope not motivated to any of it. 

One of my very favorite talks is Pres. Uchtdorf's talk to women  found here LDS.org - Ensign Article - Happiness, Your Heritage.  For my birthday, my kids got me the most thoughtful gifts.  Spencer's was a copy of Pres. Uchtdorf's book that is based on that book.

But here's the catch.  I've been avoiding reading it.  I know that his thoughts are the key to getting out of my rut, but by avoiding it than I don't have to acknowledge it, right??  Lately I just can't get myself to do anything!!  I want to take pictures, but just don't, I want to do some editing but nothing seems exciting.  I think maybe I'll do some word art, but what for?  Ultimately I guess it comes down to a combination of two things.  One just plain old blahs, and two just not feeling like what I do is good enough.  I look around and see the amazing things that other people are doing and just feel like I don't have the knowledge to do the same things.  Yet, I know that finding a way to be creative and use my strengths is the key to getting out of the rut!!  So I'm taking the first step.  Admitting my weakness.  Hopefully this will be the motivation to do something and not just be overwhelmed by everything that I don't do as well as others.  Second step...  I need to choose something to actually do.  And I want it to not just be a project, but actually something useful - either to myself or to someone else... hmmm...

Umm... Thanks?!

So I challenged my family to have a question in mind as they listened to conference.  Mine was about how to be a better parent to my teen, preteen family. 

So thanks Heavenly Father, but really, the whole conference didn't have to be for me.

My Sis

I stole my sister Megan for an impromptu photo shoot.  Isn't she adorable??

I love seeing her so happy and excited!!

The Hunt

So we brought the kids into our room and blindfolded them (see here) and then headed to do our hunt for our family.  Here is what our utter destruction looked like

It doesn't look too bad, but when you factor in the fact that they were blindfolded and had to maneuver around it was pretty effective.

We had a lot of fun watching them and there was even one bloody nose, but we figured that just made the whole experience more effective.  Then we sat everyone done and watched the video.  It was a fabulous way to start our Easter morning!

The Hope of Easter - Another Testament

Over the years we have really cut back on the Easter Bunny side of  Easter.  We do some candy and they usually get some sort of surprise.  This year we decided to do even less.  So, I've been looking for things that will focus on the more spiritual side of Easter and I came across an activity that is kind of an Easter hunt, but instead you trash your house, spread candy all around and then blindfold everyone, and then relating details from the story in 3rd Nephi talk about how their has been a great destruction upon the land.  All their family has been lost, the world is in utter darkness and complete chaos, and they need to find their family (the candy),  and then find their way to the temple (which will just be the couch).  While fun and hopefully memorable I was still looking for a way to really bring the message home.  So while looking at videos on Mormon Messages, I remembered a video that I had bookmarked and never got around to going back and watching.  This one is from "Another Testament of Christ", the same photographer and team that did "Reflections of Christ".  As I watched it, tears formed in my eyes.  Not only was this exactly what I was looking for to share with my family, but I felt such an overwhelming reminder of the love of our Savior.  So on that lengthy intro...  Please watch.  And remember that He loves you.