Sunday, June 16, 2013

A Week in the Life {June 10th-17th}

Lots on my mind this week, I've been thinking about a new car, a new house, a new baby...and I'm getting so caught up thinking about ifs, whens, and what ifs...so my goal next week is to appreciate where we are at in life right now, and to enjoy.

I've felt super grateful for our car this week. Adam has been working across town so he's had full use of the car, meaning we've been home. I'm grateful that for the majority of the time I'm able to have the car and Adam is able to ride his bike. I don't know how this summer is going to work out but we'll figure something out!

One of my favorite Hannah moments came this week when we were driving around together, just her an I and I started making up a song that went something like this, "Hannah is a genius, Hannah is the greatest, she is so smart and beautiful, she is wonderful and awesome." Hannah humbly chastised me saying, "That's not my song Mommy, my song is this...I am a Child of God, and He has sent me here..."

I don't know what it is about the summer but I seem a lot more relaxed. It is nice, since I'm usually pretty tightly wound.

This weekend is Father's Day weekend. I'm sure grateful for Adam and that he is the father of my kids. We are very blessed to have him and I think he's pretty great. For Father's Day he got a JC Penny gift card because he's in need/want of new clothes and then a new tie for the temple.

I've been listening to a lot of talks on CD by people like John Bytheway and Sheri Dew. It's been a great way to get a quick spiritual boost.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

A Week in the Life {June 3-9}

Summer is officially here. Adam is out of school (for the moment). We all smell perpetually of sunscreen and our skin is changing from super white to a little less white.

We went to the water park this week with friends. It was  better for all of us than when we just go with the four of us (though that is enjoyable too). The big thing we did this week was go to Nana and Papa's house in Visalia for Avery's high school graduation.

Avery is the sweetest kid and the sweetest uncle. He's an awesome guy and it was great that we could all go out to celebrate his life event. We also had a family BBQ on Saturday that culminated in a pool party. It was the best time I've had with the Turney's since Hawaii. Kris made a very special, very beautiful quilt for Hannah.

The girls are so sweet and so good. Hannah was the best she's ever been in sacrament meeting, so attentive and reverent. They were both excellent on the road trip.

One of my best memories of the week was playing The Game of Things. A card is read with a prompt and then we all answer, while everyone else has to guess and come up with who said what. One of the funniest rounds was "Things you shouldn't celebrate" Kris forgot how to spell Holocaust and instead wrote "Holoquast." We were dying. Another funny category was "Things you should learn in school."  Adam didn't learn that Helen Keller was a white woman until he was 21 years old (no joke) so to poke fun of him I wrote "Helen Keller was black." In the same round Adam wrote "Helen Keller WASN'T black." As I type this, I realize it probably isn't funny to anyone but us, but I'll tell you...each of us had tears pouring out of our eyes and uncontrollable laughter. It's great to get together as a family and rehash old inside jokes. Helen Keller is a running joke in the family anyway, so it's great to get together and just laugh.

Anyway, Adam has one day off tomorrow and then he has a three day science class and then orientation for summer school.

Adam and I listened to Truman Madsen's lectures on Joseph Smith's life and Gene R. Cook's "Raising a Family unto the Lord" so it was a pretty productive drive to and from Visalia. We are learning great things.

Monday, June 3, 2013

{May Pictures}

Hannah worked hard on learning to write all her letters. 

After Hannah learned all her letters she got this awesome prize. 

Bird Flu...

Finished my book! 



As seen in the temple parking lot. 


Sunday, June 2, 2013

A Week in the Life {May 27th-June 2nd)

This week has been extremely emotional, as two members of our ward family lost their newborn son on Tuesday. I'm not going to say much about it now, but I will say that I spent the entire week feeling pretty low and depressed until baby Louie's funeral and I was lifted up by the spirit, and by the patient and graceful way Rachel and Dustin are handling their trial. I'm so grateful for the plan of salvation and for the knowledge of eternal families that ease our burdens. I'm also grateful for the amazing women I'm surrounded by. I posted this on Facebook: "I just want to say how blessed I feel to know many of you personally. Every time I log on I'm amazed to see everyone's willingness to serve and "bear one another's burdens," and to "comfort those that stand in need of comfort." It reminds me of the second verse in the song As Sisters in Zion: The errand of angels is given to women; And this is a gift that, as sisters, we claim: To do whatsoever is gentle and human,To cheer and to bless in humanity's name. Thanks for being shining examples of service and love to me."

I also had the opportunity to go to teach a lesson with the sister missionaries. The spirit there was extraordinary  and those sisters are meek and strong at the same time. They bore powerful witness and I was able to feel my Savior's love for beautiful Katie, the girl who we were teaching. I also felt the spirit guiding me and directing my words and testimony. 

My parents were back from their trip to California so they watched the girls while Adam and I went to the temple. The peace was incredible and I felt the spirit teaching me so much while in the session. I'm grateful for the temple. We forgot to leave a key with my parents so they were locked out and spent hours at the park. I didn't have my phone with me so we didn't know until after we left the temple. My dad promised Hannah a parfait about a month ago when she claimed she must have kidney stones so they went to get a parfait and when Hannah ate her last bite she declared, "I don't have kidney stones anymore."

Hannah had her last day of preschool for the year. I felt so much gratitude for a year of fun and learning. The co-op was a success and I love each one of those beautiful children. I kept vacillating between feeling sad that she was growing up, and gratitude that I had the opportunity to watch her grow and learn. 

We've been having a blast at the water park which finally opened. Paige isn't a fan of being wet or cold so the water park isn't a great match for her. Good thing she is free. Hannah and Adam especially love it and they are good buddies together. We all look like we've finally gotten some sun. 

One of my favorite exchanges of this week was this: 
Paige: "Mommy?" 
Hannah: "No, shhhhh....I need her first! Mom!" 

Another was when I was staring off into space and Hannah asked me, "Are you thinking about how to make cupcakes?"