We are never alone

It was really nice to get together with my new sisters in our ward and have a get together before the General RS broadcast.   I feel like I now know some names and faces that go together.

I loved the broadcast.  I really got the over all feeling that through the atonement we can do so much. That we are all Heavenly Fathers Divine daughters and our brother is always with us, he understands all that we are going through. It was a spiritually filling meeting. http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/general-relief-society-meeting/2012/09?lang=eng&vid=1868438702001

Fair time

Went to the Emergency Preparendess Fair this last weekend, with my prep friend in crime, Susan.  I love Emer. Prep Fairs, it's like going to a candy store.  There are classes on bread making, couponing, budgeting, canning, food storage and many more.  I love looking at all the different ideas and just soaking up all the information.  Next year I hope to have a booth at the fair as a shelf reliance consultant.  The emergency prep fair is kinda like general conference after attending I feel recharged to do the things I should be doing.  I just love it!

JELLY

 When a friend gives you grapes and then gives you grape juice

you make grape jelly.

This is my first time making grape jelly.  I usually go for the jam, because I am a bit lazy, but she did all the hard work.  So with my 4 C of juice I got my cute little jelly.  Thank you Susan.  I really do love canning.

Holly turns six

It was Holly's birthday.  She wanted a rainbow cake and pizza for dinner. (Mommies homemade pizza has been the birthday pick for years).  Any of you that know Holly she loves fruit, so she was way excited for this fruit rainbow cake.  I had grand ideas of cupcake clouds, but put the cake on too small of a plate and then it was just silly looking.

 
Holly got some really cute new outfits from Grandma and Grandpa, she wanted to pose in her own way as I took these pictures.

 Holly also got GIRL legos, Barbie clothes, high heel shoes (the only thing she wanted for her birthday when asked) and dress-up clothes from Oma and Opa.  Josh got her earrings (which really means mommy bought and wrapped them and Josh handed them to her).  We got her a mermaid Barbie, Barbie accessories, nail polish and something else. Even our sweet neighbors gave her a gift.  This girl made out like a bandit!

Zoo with the Zufelts a summer tradition

Every summer the Zufelts have invited the kids and I to the zoo.  I thought my kids were getting too old, but I was wrong.  The zoo has added some fun things were the kids can play.

The petting zoo has been there for a while.

I love the butterfly house.  Here Holly with her elephant ears ( no I am not making fun of her, but that is what she calls her pony tails) and Zoe trying to catch a butterfly.

Josh and Ainslee at the brand new water splash pad at the zoo.  It was pretty amazing and the kids could have played there all day.

Water comes out of that giraffe's mouth.

Thank you Brenda

This summer our wards playgroup was able to go swimming every other week at Brenda's community pool. It was so nice.  Thank you Brenda for sharing with us.

Not only that but one day she bought us ice cream from the ice cream truck, something I never do because I am so cheap.  It was a  first for my kids and they thought it was so cool.

Teed Trip

The kids and I drove to visit our good friends the Teeds. It was well worth the drive.  We stopped at Katies in-laws the first night and went to Nauvoo for pioneer day (didn't even plan it that way).  Here we are in the upper room of the Smith's general store.  It was an overwhelming feeling to think this is the room where the Relief Society was organized, Sister's who had a desire to serve and give everything.  I wanted to have a quite moment to myself and I could have blubbered, but with five kids running around it wasn't gonna happen.  I will say that it was alot larger than I had expected.

As with everything we did this summer it was hot and humid it felt as if it was 100* out.  Holly loved this place she loves playing home.

Aren't  they cute.

Yeah, I am glad I wasn't born in the pioneer times, I have no idea how they were not fainting all the time without ac and with so many layers on.  In the winter it might have been nice, but in the summer torcher.

Here they're learning to make twine.  This was a really fun spot in Nauvoo.  They had several demostrations that the kids really got into.  Josh liked the candle making and twine making.  Learning about how they baked bread in their bundle ovens was fasinating and did you know they made cloth out of reed.  They soaked them until they were soft and then brushed them and through a process made cloth.  Everything they did then was so time consuming, we have so many conviances.  We want cloth we go to a fabric store. Or better yet a sweater we hit some buttons on a computer and 2 days later Amazon sends it to our house.  It took them 2 years to make a wool coat from start (shearing the lamb) to finish. I should never think that I do not have enough time, I should think I need to better prioritize my time.

This was one of the best parts of the day.  Josh just wanted to be with the Christus.  He said mom I don't want to leave him.  I was able to take my kids a side and bear my testimony to them and let them know that I know that Jesus is my Savior and that he loved both of the kids, that he died for them that they may live again with their Heavenly Father.  It was a precious moment.

The temple was beautiful.

Later that week we went to the lake with the kids.  It was perfect.  The depth was not too deep and they had a great time.  It wasn't too this day and Katie and I just sat in the shallow water talking and watching our children play.

 The kids so desperatly wanted to make a sand castle.  It had rained the night before and the sand was really wet and didn't want to hold shape.  Luckily someone had made this big hole.  Holly filled the middle with sand and wah-la a sand castle.

Don't have a picture of this, but on one of the days I was there we thought where is Faye ( the littlest one)  Katie found her outside on the hammock with all the other kids (Josh 8, Holly and Mabel 5, Charlie 3 and Faye almost 2).  Josh was reading them the Bible and the kids were just sitting there listening.  Wish I could have gotten a picture.

 

I really miss Katie.  She is a friend I could just turn up at her house for no reason at all and just hang out.  Our kids get along really well and we can play Skip-bo for hours, actually we can play any game for hours as our kids play in the background.  She is funny, sweet, down to earth, and spiritual, some day I hope to be like her.  I really hope the sisters in her ward know how lucky they are to have her.

Daddy's girl

Holly loves to mow the lawn with Don.  She thinks that it is fun.  They looked so cute out there together.  I was so proud of Don, it was hot outside and letting Holly help takes twice the  time, but he was bonding with his girl.

Holly loves her daddy, and her little smile melts his heart.  I can see many daddy daughter dates in the future.

Take me out to the ball game

We went to Mormon day at our local baseball field to watch a baseball game.  It was dollar hot dog day.  The concession stand person said they have never sold so many hot dogs.  I thought she has never had so many Mormon's there before, we are a frugal people!

Holly loved hang out with the other girls from our stake.  Some older girls (actually young adults)  took the kids to the kids place area to play.  Can you dig Holly's side pony tail?  She did it herself.

Josh trying to get the game.

And us, should never go with someone taking a picture going up, but going down. I love when we get to go together as family.  One of the best parts was we got in free because of a reading thing the kids did.  They each got two free tickets.  I think this may have to be a family tradition as long as we can cash in on that.  We didn't stay for the whole game or we would have been there to midnight it was slow going but Don and I enjoyed it.

Bowl BABY

One of the things we like to do every now and then as a family is bowl.

Holly does pretty good with bumpers.

Josh is trying to not granny it.  You know, he is getting older.  I just have  a hard time explaining to him how to hold it because he is left handed an I'm right handed.

Fourth of July fun

We went to Mississippi for the fourth of July.  We decided to take a road trip to Shiloh and see the historical site.

This is inside the museum.

Here we are at the cemetery, did I mention it was quite HOT!

Checking out the headstone.

We also went to some cemeteries in Mississippi to see some family headstones.  Every year before school is out we make a list of fun things to do, going to a cementary was one of Holly's ideas.

Holly in grandma's curlers.  Just had to add it because it is cute.

Berry Pickin'

We went berry pickin' with our friends the Pehrson's and

Susan.  My kids love Susan.  Every Monday we go to her house so I can quilt and they watched Netflix and had a cookie or two that Susan always had ready for them.  I think going to her house was one of the things the kids would miss when school started again.

We picked blueberries and Susan picked blackberries. Yum, but man it was hot!

Cub Scouts here we come

 Josh has been counting down until the time he could go to Cub Scouts.  He goes to a troop that meets at our church building.  His den leader is awesome, she has a ton of boys since the beginning of summer.  Oma and Opa gave him part of his uniform and we got the rest. 

One of their activities they went to the firehouse and took a tour.  The firemen got a call while we were there, but they came back shortly after leaving.  The firemen were very patient and answered all our questions.

 I think this was the best part of the tour.  They turned on the hose and the boys played in the spray that dropped from the main stream.  He has gone swimming, picked up trash at the park, worked on Faith in God and other goals, and he is still excited.