My Children = My Purpose

Tonight I was looking for Christmas activities to do with the kids. I'm always looking for something new, but today I realized that none of the activities centered around the spirit of Christmas. Everything I had planned was around decorations a.k.a keeping the kids busy, so that they wouldn't fight with each other as much. This isn't a bad thing, but I felt strongly tonight that I wasn't fully embracing the Christmas season with them. 

This time of year is the best time of year to teach about our savior, our values, service, love, and to feel the spirit in our homes. I feel as though around Christmas more hearts are open to the spirit and there is more kindness in the world. The layaway angels that popped up this year around the country have truly impressed me. I can't imagine being unable to provide Christmas presents for my children and am grateful that there are people out there who have taken that burden off of those parents, so they could enjoy the holidays with their kids. 

In deciding that we needed more activities with a moral, a value, a lesson, etc. I turned to lds.org. There I searched for Christmas activities for children and read a few articles before Teach the Children spoke to me, but not in the way I expected it to. Today I was looking for jobs for Jason on the Utah jobs website, going county by county to see all the new job openings for today, just to be sure I didn't miss one by typing in a wrong key word and came across one that I almost applied for, for me. I opened my email copied the lady's email address and went to attach my resume when something stopped me, a thought. Hello, I'm a stay at home mom with 2.5 children...why on earth would I want to leave this blessing? So many women would do almost anything to be able to stay at home with their kids and here I am applying for a job to go to 40+ hours per week....I must be nuts! I truly love working and love what I did, but I have a much more important job here at home. This quote from the article by President David O. McKay sums it up:
 “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”
It is so true. No matter how much I may love working and how successful I may feel when working in my career field, I am unable to successfully raise my children the way I want them raised. 
I feel so blessed that I was lead again to an article that pulled me back down to earth and made me realize where I'm supposed to be in life and what my true calling is. Since I was about 5 I have always known that I wanted to be a mom, I tossed around being a kindergarten teacher for a while, but I have always wanted to be a mom, not a doctor or lawyer, a mom. Being a mom is my purpose and I am going to do my best to raise my children in the gospel, to have a relationship with their Heavenly Father, to know right from wrong and act accordingly, to serve others, and to become successful adults.

Another Day....Another Message

Today we didn't make it to church, as usual. Jason didn't get off work until after it had started and I just haven't been able to find the strength in myself to fight the kids, mainly Ike, to get up and get ready and out the door by 8:30. I struggled with this decision to not go after as I have noticed in myself and the kids lately that we aren't as grateful as we should be. 

I think that a lot of my being overwhelmed yesterday has to do with not being grateful or not fully realizing all of my blessings. In myself not noticing my blessings, my children aren't noticing theirs. With Christmas approaching quickly as ever I have noticed the increased number of I wants from the kids, more use of "NO" from Jason and I and a little more tension as just one use of the word no tends to invite negativity into our home. So following yesterday's post about looking up to the lord when we are struggling I did. 

After a temper tantrum or two from Ike today, one that particularly made me angry, but now makes me laugh, I decided to look up. As I looked back at the table I saw the Friend and had an idea. I called everyone to the couch, shut off the TV and started with asking everyone to go around and tell each person that they loved them and one reason why, including themselves. It seemed to calm things down a bit and bring a more positive light to our home. After that we went through and read a few messages from the Friend before making dinner, a count down to Christmas chain, reading about eighty Christmas books, then heading to bed. 

I got the kids tucked in, but still felt I need to do more in my home to keep the positive energy up and since I haven't read this months Ensign yet, I headed there for some guidance. When I clicked on the Ensign the first article was The Choice to Be Grateful, it couldn't have been more fitting. It reminded me that we need to count our blessings and be truly thankful for them. At the end of the article there is a challenge for youth that I plan on challenging myself and Jason to do, and well you too! After Jason and I have done it I want to share it with Hailey and Ike to give them a better understanding of blessings. As a new part of our nightly routine, possibly mornings if anyone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed I am going to have them share the blessing they are most thankful for that day and a new reason why they love everyone else. 

I am hoping that this helps bring the Spirit closer and helps us all to have a little happier glow about us from now on. And quickly I will share with you that today I am thankful for the members of the Elder's Quorum that came out to check up on us and make us feel a part of the ward. I am also very excited that church will be starting at 11 next year and that hopefully Jason will be off work on time to make it there with us. 

The Perfect Message at the Perfect Time

Today I was feeling overwhelmed as I was updating our calendar with Hailey's days off school, Jason's drill and work schedule, and listing out the number of weeks pregnant I would be each Monday. I had a minor crying spell and feeling of panic as I realized how soon Scarlett will be here, how small our apartment is, that both kids are out of school for over two weeks, and that Jason is working 12 hour shifts for the next week while the kids are home from school. It all seems rather trivial and silly now, but in that 20 minute period I didn't know what to do, where to start, or how I would get everything I needed to get done done. So to calm myself I turned to Pinterest to look for activities to do with the kids and found this: Construction Paper Wreath Instructions, after reading this I wanted to see what other fun things there were and found this much needed entry. 


The lord works in mysterious ways and I am very thankful for all he does. At that moment in time I needed the reminder to look up not down and it was there. It was there in the least expected way and I am truly grateful for it. I hope you all remember when you are having a hard time to look up to the lord and trust in him.
Love you all!

It's a...........

GIRL!!!!!

We found out Friday that we are expecting a girl. I couldn't be more excited. However I would have been excited either way. I just had a gut instinct that it was a little Scarlett Elizabeth, so it would have been odd for the ultrasound lady to say she was a boy. Hailey and Ike are really happy however they have their own name ideas...Ike likes Rapunzel or Rosie Posie and Hailey likes Rosie Posie, Penelope, Scarlett Sweetness, it changes moment to moment. I am just glad they are embracing it since Ike really wanted a baby brother. 

It's time again....

for me to update the blog :)
Being a stay at home mom is way busier and more stressful than I thought it would be. I LOVE my kiddos and we have tons of fun, but it is super tiring going from one school to another, then straight to cooking lunch, then playing race cars, snacks, then back to pick up Hailey, to homework, then dinner, and bed. It is INSANE and I LOVE every minute of it!!!

Hailey and Ike both had a week off school for fall break at the end of October, so we made a trip to Utah to visit family. It was so nice to see everyone and take a time out from all the running and doing. We also got our family photos done. I can't wait until next year when our family has expanded by one. MJ is fabulous and always makes us look fantastic even if Hailey will only make one face and Ike likes to be stubborn.

After we got back we had Hailey's first parent teacher conferences. Mrs.Bury couldn't say enough good things and I was so pleased. We were given a list of the reading and math goals through the end of the year and were told she would send the 1st grade ones home shortly since Hailey had most of these down. YAY for Hailey's love of learning. She is writing books like crazy and sounding out the words, so sometimes we have to ask and I translate it on the back, so we know what it says, but they are amazing!!!

Ike is still loving preschool! He has "lots of friends," but doesn't know their names when I ask him. While teaching Hailey all the quirks of the english language Ike often corrects me that a doesn't make that sound. He is super stubborn and I'm hoping he doesn't hate all the weird quirks and just embraces them and reads well when he starts.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and I'm excited yet sad. This will be our first Thanksgiving on our own. We have been so blessed over the years to be able to spend it with my parents, on the years they are in Utah and Jason's side of the family. I think we have taken for granted how lucky we were to have so many loving people to share the day with. I am truly thankful this year for us having moved to Colorado, yes though I do want to get back to Utah, and the sooner the better :) Jason and I have strengthened our marriage and learned to rely on one another and communicate a lot better. We truly now see what's most important to us in life, and well it's not a job, it's our family. We miss the family dinners, seeing nieces, nephews, and cousins growing up, and just spending time and seeing one another. So those of you in Utah if you hear of any jobs up Jason's line of work let us know, we want to come home.

The day after Thanksgiving we will be thanking Lynne for her numerous hours of labor to bring Jason to us....odd that he gets all the presents when she did all the work, we may need to rethink this :) The next week we will make a quick 2 or 3 day trip home for our Army Christmas Party and bring back our tree. The week after that, December 9th, we find out if Hailey and Ike will be having a baby brother or sister, so keep your eyes and ears open. I personally think it's a girl, but we shall see.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!

Oh What a Month...and a Half!

August started out well. We knew it would be a busy month from the beginning, but didn't realize quite how crazy it would be, in a good way :)
The month started out with our third trip to Utah since we moved to Colorado. Luckily it was for Jason's drill which is much brighter than a funeral. It was so nice to go and see our family. It was also very nice to have a little help with the kids for a couple days.
Less than a week after we got home we found out that we are expecting baby number three!!! Due April 23rd...that should be fun with my birthday the 21st and Ike's on the 22nd.  We were a little shocked that it actually happened and didn't really believe it until we saw the baby on the ultrasound last week. This surprise is what made things a little crazier given that I have all day sickness as opposed to morning sickness and I'm exhausted 24/7.
Then the next week Hailey had her first day of kindergarten. It was fabulous. She had the best time and LOVES her teacher, Mrs.Bury. She goes on and on about her and makes her books. Mrs.Bury has inspired a love of reading and writing in Hailey that I've never seen before. She is constantly wanting to write something or another and is always trying to read.

Ike started preschool and is loving it. They are learning about their family and their senses. He seems to have lots of fun and I am grateful for a 2 hour time out a few times a week.
At the end of the month we had our 5 year anniversary, it really doesn't feel like it's been that long. It was the first anniversary we've had that we haven't spent in Park City eating at Bandits. We made the mistake of trying a bbq place around here and ICK! I can't wait until we go back to Utah in October, so that we can go to restaurants that we already know are delicious!
September had been slower. Not really because there is a lot going on, but because I am sick and tired ALL THE TIME. This pregnancy has been the hardest by far. Maybe it's because I'm older or because I have two kids, but man it's been tough. Thank goodness for Jason who wakes up and takes care of everything before heading to work and then doing it all the next day. And for Hailey who takes care of me. She is constantly giving me kisses and bringing me things to make me feel better and letting me off the hook when I can't leave the house to take her to a birthday party. And for Ikey who cuddles me and gives me hugs and kisses to help me out. I truly have the most amazing family ever and I don't know what I'd do without them.




Now we are just anxiously awaiting the 12 week mark, so that we can all get back into our own routines, at least for the next few months.

Ready for school!

Cute PJ's grandma Jayne made us!

Back to the Basics

I have learned something very important over the years and it have become much more of a reality since our move. I have learned the key to being happy, wanting what you have. I'm sure you all know it, but I think sometimes we forget get caught up in things and don't realize what we already have.
For me the key to being happy is wanting what I have. I truly am blessed, I have two beautiful children. I have an amazing husband who will work 90 hours a week so that I can enjoy our two kiddos, I have a wonderful extended family, parents, in-laws, etc. We have roof over our heads. We have the gospel which gets us through the hardest of times. And truly we are just blessed by having each other, we would be even if we were in a cardboard box.
I don't know how I would have made it through the last few months without my family, each of them has helped us through some big and trying times in some pretty extraordinary ways. Be it listening to me break down about one of a million things, or driving hundreds of miles to help us unpack a truck, or losing sleep to pack up our house. I am truly grateful for the amazing family that I have been blessed with, I don't know how I would make it without them.
I have had quite the revelation since moving into our apartment, things aren't everything. I think for a while we got caught up in the infamous "things," we needed couches, tvs, better cars, better clothes, pretty decorations, toys, etc. Moving to an apartment a third the size of our house made me evaluate what we needed and what we could live without. I am pretty sure I took at least 10 bags of toys to the DI, I have a set of pans in storage along with a tv, 10 bins of clothes, a bin or two of toys (yes after taking that many toys to the DI we still had to store some), a set of couches, and several other things that I've come to find I can live without. Really I haven't even noticed what isn't here. We have everything we need and I'm pretty sure we could live happily without it all.
 All this boils down to is that I would rather have zero possessions and just my family and good friends then a bunch of crap that I don't even use. I am starting to really place a value on the things that matter like spending more quality time with my kids and husband, getting my education, and finding ways to be there for family and friends that are miles away. I just really am finding happiness and fulfillment in those things that can't be taken away from me.
And now that I have rambled on and on I will leave you with some pictures of people that mean a lot to me. I don't have pictures of everyone, but I also didn't want to post a million. I think my new goal will be to get pictures of those who seem to be photo shy :)

Pictures....

Since it has been a while since I have posted, I thought I would share some pictures of the last few months. Hailey took the one's of Ikey and I. She is quite the little photographer :)

The creepy Easter Bunny at Walmart.

Soccer 

Hailey refused to smile for the camera...go figure.

Sassy Kids

Ikey and Cousin Zane

Love these kids!

Cool spot at the park

Hailey took this, she rocks!

Cuddling on the couch!


I hope you all enjoyed these. We have had a fun few weeks and there are many more updates and pictures to come!

Denver, Stay At Home Mom, What??

Well hello everyone! We are back and hope to be a little better about this, this go around. We have had quite the life changing events over the last couple months...

First we had birthday fun in April which included taking a trip to Colorado since I had taken a few days off for mine and Ike's birthdays. It was not very well planned, but it was very fun. We pretty much just booked a hotel room and hopped in the car. We however forgot many things like Ike's birthday presents and that it would Easter when we got home and we had purchased nothing! We pulled it all off pretty well, thanks to our minivans stow and go seating area, we were able to hide all of the presents and Easter supplies in the floor :) For Ike's birthday we celebrated with cake for breakfast...I think this may become a new tradition it sets the mood for the day and tastes delicious! However Hailey found it so great that she would like to celebrate her next birthday in Hawaii or Mexico....this could get expensive in a hurry.

Next we were on to Jason getting a job offer with Sports Authority in Colorado! Wow we went there fell in love and now we had a job, things couldn't have been working out better. Soon Jason left for his two week summer camp, blech! While he was there Saralee got wind of him leaving and found him a job here...even better! So the kids and I began packing and throwing things away. We listed the house and found an apartment. When Jason got back, I went on a work trip while he finished and we met in Ogden to drive out with my parents. Thank you mom and dad we couldn't have done it without you, you truly are the best!!! We were settled in a day and it was great.

Jason started work and I took the week off to do some exploring and settling. I LOVED the time I was getting with the kids and they loved it too. When I had to go back to work you could cut the tension in our house with a knife. The kids HATED it. They were crabby, fitty, pouty, whiney, and just rude...I'm not sure that I was much different. After a couple days we all knew this wasn't working, so we looked over the numbers and decided I needed to be done working. I finished out the week and have been exploring parks, libraries, and everywhere else ever since! I love being home and the kids love having me here.

This has truly been an amazing couple of months! It's been a large whirlwind, but now that it is all settling down we feel blessed by how it has all fallen into place so perfectly.
We love and miss all of our family and plan on visiting soon!!

Short and Simple

In March I was gone 12 out of 31 days for work. I know other people travel more, but almost half the month about killed me. I missed my kids, my husband, my pets, everything! I don't know how some people travel so much, it just takes such a toll on me. Since I've been gone so much I am just going to post some new pictures which sum up the last few weeks. I hope you all enjoy. Also, we want to say thank you to the Willden family, Hailey and I had a wonderful time with you guys and it is so great to have you all back in Hailey's life!!! When we left she asked if we could come back the next day :) We look forward to seeing all of you again very soon!

Hailey having fun with Aunt Lyndsay, Aunt Hillary, and Grandma Amy!

Our family outing to the bowling alley! It was Ike's first time :)

Hailey's first day of Soccer, she had TONS of fun!!!

I hope you all enjoyed the picture, I will try to update more often!

Thank You Babysitters

This week sure was a long one! I was away auditing for the first half and when I came home, I hoped things would slow down, but no such luck. Work is INSANELY busy this time of year. I want to let all of you who have been our amazing and loyal babysitters, THANK YOU!!!  You are all amazing and we appreciate you more than you know. Your help in babysitting when I need to go out of town has made it so that I can stay home with the kids the other 90% of the time. I realized in this past year I had missed out on a lot with the kids while I was working away and am so grateful now for the opportunity to be with them this much and not miss out on all of the fun things the kids are doing, the doctors appointments, their learning new skills, and just their overall growing up. They only grow up once and it goes so fast, I guess I just want to keep telling you thank you, thank you, thank you, so that you know how much what you have done for us is appreciated!!!
Oh and here are some pictures of the kids from the past year or so and the things that all of you made it possible to be there for...

A fun day at the park!

Hailey's 1st Trophy

Road Trip to Minnesota

Sledding - we had soooo much fun! -My legs hurt so bad from climbing the hill so many times.

Ike's First Haircut

Shopping at Smith and Edwards - we always have to try on the hats...I think Hailey wants to be a cowgirl.

Shots, Kindergarten, and a Lazy Weekend...

On Friday Hailey had her 5 year old check up!  She was awesome about her shots and stared intently as they pricked her finger and dripped the blood into a tube.  And as usual she chose a sticky hand from the treasure tower.
After the doctor, we got done really quick, we headed to the school to register her for kindergarten. She was so excited when we walked inside, looking at every little detail, and just in amazement that she was in the school.
Then we went home, so I could work and her and Ike could play. The two of them have become pretty good friends lately and I just love it!
Saturday Hailey wasn't feeling to hot, so she stayed at Grandma's while Jason, Ike, and I went out with friends. Ikey made good friends with Reagan, they played so cute together. I just loved listening to them giggling and him giving her his "pretty eyes." He is so funny! However they did have a big collision, so that was kind of sad. They ran and hit each other head on and both had big goose eggs.
Sunday was a lazy day for us. Hailey still wasn't feeling to hot, darn those pesky shots, so we stayed in and watched movies and played.
Overall it was pretty good weekend! I can hardly ait for the next one :)

Hailey's 5th Birthday Party Photos!



Hailey & Ike getting ready for her birthday party.

Opening Presents



Delicious Cake



It's Been A While.....

...as usual :) I know I am a horrible blogger, but I am here to update you today! The last two months have been CRAZY! Christmas, New Years, Hailey's Birthday, and Valentines. That I would say makes for a busy couple months.
First Christmas was fabulous. The kids made it the best one yet! They were so excited for all of their presents. Hailey is NUTS for Barbies, so she got TONS of Barbie things, I didn't know we could have so many little pieces around our house and they get lost in the carpet until I step on them and man they hurt. I'm pretty sure the vacuum might eat them sometimes too ;) Ike got trucks, cars, planes, etc. He is a boy need I say more.

Oh yeah they also got basketballs, soccerballs, and footballs!!!

Speaking of Soccer, we just registered Hailey for SOCCER!!! She will be starting the first week of April!!!! YAY for her finally being old enough.

New Years, was a great fun having our friends over and playing the Wii!

Next Stop? Hailey's Birthday

Hailey is 5 years old!  Yes you heard me right, she turned 5 last week. She is so excited that she will go to school in the fall. She chose to go to Texas Roadhouse so that she could sit on the saddle and this is how she looked the whole time she was up there.  She is so darling, I just still can't believe that she is 5. I could swear that I just found out I was pregnant with her yesterday, so how she is 5 already I don't know. 

Anyways, she had an amazing birthday party with tons of friends and lots of Hello Kitty! It was so cute and so fun. I have pictures to post, that I will do later, I am in Mesquite today, and I forgot my camera.

On to Valentines...what a fun day with the kids! Hailey and Ike always get a stuffed animal and they loved them! Hailey had a Valentine's party at school today and apparently ate candy for dinner....darn holidays! Last  night we hand our annual heart shaped pepperoni pizza and it was a hit. However dinner was cut short due to me having to travel last minute to Mesquite. I look forward to coming home Thursday and cuddling my kiddos!

Lastly a couple cute pictures of the kids, they are two of my favorites!!