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.

Josh's baptism

I can't believe he is already this old.  My little bug already baptized.  From the moment I entered the room I started to cry.  The Elders had set up the font and room.  They put out the nice chairs had a table with the podium on it; another table with tablecloth on it and pictures of children and Christ and a small round table with flowers and a place for programs and to sign-in at the door.  They even pushed in the piano.  It was beautiful!  That started the cry fest right there.

Don was the one to baptize Josh.  As he said the prayer he choked up, it was sweet.  Josh was beaming when he came out of the water.

We tried to make it a family affair, unfortunately Don's parents couldn't make it at the end so we rearrange somethings.  I wanted all the grandparents to be involved for sure.  I had Holly give the opening prayer, Aunt Arwen gave a talk on Baptism, Don baptized and Uncle Mike and Opa witnessed, the cousins sang a song, Oma gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and I said the closing prayer.  It was a spiritual experience that I will always cherish, I think Josh liked it too.

Josh's Birthday Great to be 8!

 Josh turned eight this summer, yay.  Our kids only get parties on certain birthdays, this was one of those years, he was so EXCITED!
We set a slip n slide and sprinklers and a huge beach ball that sprayed water out of it (thanks Uncle Mike and Aunt Arwen).  That's one of the perks of a summer birthday you just set up a bunch of water stuff have some water guns and let them go at it.  Through in a Spiderman pinata at the end (thanks Oma and Opa) and can life get any better.    The draw back to a summer birthday is that many of your friends are out of town, due to family trips, but

that's ok the cousins filled in quite nicely. 

Opa on the grill, hot dogs and hamburgers.  Sporting a UT hat, go VOLS, just kidding I am not really into sports.  Oh great, now they're gonna kick me out of Knoxville.

Holly and Cousin Eden

Holly enjoyed all of her cousins, she has three girl cousins so there was always someone to hang out with, ah that's the life.

Arwen holding Emmalynn and sporting a new do.

Katerina and Marion.

Oma taking pictures in adorable braids.

Josh getting ready for the birthday cupcakes I made little lego pieces on them.

Josh opening a ton of presents!

Family visits and summer

So here we go, the summer review.  Sometimes I think back about a summer and think that was a busy summer, but what did we really do.  Thank goodness for pictures.  So for the next week we will have summer review/catchup.

My brother Mike and his wife Arwen and their kids: Dallin, Eden, Marion, and Emmalynn came for a quick visit and we loved every moment of it.  They live overseas so anytime we get to see them is 
wonderful.  They came for Josh's birthday.  They came and stayed at our house.  All the girls in the same room (giggle-giggle) and 
 Josh and Dallin bunked it in the basement.  Poor Dallin got sick at the very end, but other than that we had a wet time.  We went to the downtown splash pad and the communtiy pool.  We had Josh's birthday party.  And of course staying up late and playing games. 

I love to play games.  I can play cards with my sister Arwen for hours, and we did.  We talk, eat, play, laugh, get loopy, it's awesome.  I really miss them.

Not only did my brother and his family come, but my parents came too.  Oma and Opa, as soon as they left my kids want to know when they'll come back.  The really sit down and play with the kids and listen to them.  The should get grandparents of the year awards.  While they were at my house Dad was introduced to Skip-bo and played many games with Josh.  Mom and Dad were introduced to Angry Birds on my sisters I pad.  I love when my family is all around me.  I guess that is what the celestial kingdom will be like.

Big Books Memories

I can remember when I was younger my brother and I pouring over the ToysRus and Sears Catalog. Totally drooling over which toys we were desiring for Christmas.

This was my kids first year for the "Big Book". They have looked and looked and looked again at it. It has been circled and marked all the toys that they want.

Holly- anything Barbies or Disney Princess

Josh- anything Lego's, Iron Man, Super Hero's, and a couple of Toy Story things.

First day of preschool and memories

Getting Holly to stand still for these pictures was no easy task, she was way excited to go to school.

Doesn't she look like a sumo wrestler?

When I was little and went to grade school I would brown bag it. My mom would write my name like this and do little doodles all over it. It was like taking a hug to school. My moms were much prettier, but I thought for this preschool year I would continue the tradition.

Ah the memories

Two things.

First I love the library for giving us coupons for reading books. So many of the things that usually cost money and are fun come from this coupon book, because we can actually do them for free.



Second. My mom used to take my brother and I to McDonalds when we were little. Where she could get one Happy meal and split it between the two of us and we were full. She loved to tell us that story when we were teenagers and scarffing down a Happy Meal plus food. I flashed back on that memory as I took my kids to Chick-fila and was able to use the library coupon to get our free 8 piece chicken and added 1 small french fry and 2 milks. My kids were full and happy. Oh if feeding children could always stay this price.

Can't throw them away

See these painted little animals? When I was pregnant with Josh I worked at a Great Harvest Bakery and there was this song that came on our ever repeating music selection about Noah's
Ark. In the chorus it said "There were green alligators, and long-necked geese. Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees, a rat, a cat, an elephant and sure as your born don't you forget that unicorn." I decide to do our nursery in Noah's Ark theme. We lived in an apartment, so we couldn't paint. Instead we bought some 1/4 inch play wood and cut it into 4 inch wide strips. A friend painted them blue and we stenciled the chorus of the song up to the elephant on it. Then we hung it around the room about a foot and a half down from the top so it looked like a cute boarder going around the room. Well, I found these wood cut outs and I bought two of every animal they had. Some of my friends and family gathered one night for an all out painting party we even got the guys do to it, I can tell you Jake Cord did that lion. And theres a calico cat (I can see it in the picture it is yellow and green about the middle) my nephew that was like two did. (it was a lot of splotches of different paint, but you outline it and give it a face and it was perfect) We hot glued these on the planks as well. The planks are long gone but I can't get rid of the animals. They were in a toy box forever and my kids played with them before we got plastic animals. I didn't want the wood to break so I put them in a plastic bag in our educational/art closet.

Today I found a purpose for them. I put the plastic bag in a pillow case and let Josh pull out an animal. He had to tell me the letter the animals name started with. Then he had to:
1. Write the letter.
2. Write three words that start with that letter.
3. Write a sentence using one of the words above.

Translation: L, Light, Lion, Letter. The Lion eats a pizza.
D, Dolphin, Doll, Daddy, The dolphin swims in the pool.

Not bad kid, he thought the whole picking an animal was fun and I can keep my memories, I mean my wood painted animals a little longer.

Since I was a girl...

When I was a little girl I used to go to Tu-tu and Pops (grandma & grandpa Beermans) house.
They had some long cabinets that they put all their canned goods in. I would slide a stool over and stand or kneel on it and rearrange the canned goods. I would put all the fruit together peaches with peaches and pineapple with pineapple. Then move on to vegetables and organized them, soups etc. Yes, I know a weird thing to entertain a small child, but I loved it. I used to think that I was a grocer.
Now, it makes me happy after I do our monthly shopping and I am able to replenish our food storage (our church feels it is important to be prepared spiritual, physical, financially. So part of that, is having food in case of natural of financial disasters. And no, we don't get kicked out if we don't have it, Uncle Terry:D) So this may look like a mess in my kids bedroom closet, but to me it is a little bit of happiness. Not only do I feel a bit more prepared, but I feel like a kid again as I orderly put things away. I know pathetic and a little compulsive, but that's a bit of me!

Tea time, book club and Ma-ga

My book club was coming over. I chose the book this month,'North and South' by Elizabeth Gaskell. I had seen the movie and my friend Aimee had given me the book. The drink alot of tea in the book so I thought for our themed snack we should have tea. After talking to my mom I decided on making petits four. My grandma (Ma-ga) used to make them for different baby and bridal showers and my mom can remember watching her mom make them. So with the help of my grandma's old cookbook and a bit of time I made these. I also made orange and cranberry scones (thanks Tina: my professional tea time lady, Yeah The Roosevelt Bed and Breakfast Inn)and chicken salad sandwiches (thanks Arwen for our yummy recipe) with the crust cut off, of course! We all had a good time discussing the book and nibbling on our tea time food.