Temple Square

Last night we went downtown to see the lights on Temple Square.  The last time we saw them, I was pregnant with Connor!  So, none of our kids had seen the beautiful lights before!

Last night was such a pleasant evening, we decided to go down for family night.  I think the reasons why we haven't been down before was either we lived 700 miles away, or it was just too frigid to take the little ones out.  I was grateful that last night was so nice and just our coats were needed!

My favorite red tree!

After the lights we walked across the street to the Church History Museum.

Katelyn loves this place! She loves to play "what do you want to eat?"



Jace and Kate gathering eggs

and doing some dancing!

It was a fun evening! 

Thankful.....Day 6

I am thankful for the funny things my kids say.  It makes me laugh and makes me smile and I love it!

Katelyn and I were in the car and she heard a Christmas song.  She says to me, "Mom, I love Twinkle Bells!"  I couldn't dare correct her, because Twinkle Bells is so much cuter than Jingle Bells!

I also love the way Jace calls his brother Nonnor.  And how he makes all sorts of animal sounds!

This morning Connor says "Mom, we get to have Thanksgiving dinner for lunch tomorrow."  Then Carson, in all seriousness replies, "we get pancakes for lunch?"  What?!  It made us laugh!

I love when Carson says "amen" at the end of a book.

Every time Katelyn asks for Mini Meats (Mini Wheats) for breakfast, it makes me smile!

The older boys have started to outgrow the "cutesy" things, but one thing I love, is listening to them pray.  Connor's prayers are so thoughtful and Carson thanks Heavenly Father for just about everything there is!  I love it!

And whenever Kate says something that makes me laugh, she always gets real bashful and says "don't tell daddy!"

Love my kids and the funny things they say!

Thankful......Day 5

  Friends! 

Today I am thankful for all my friends!

We made some of the greatest friends in Phoenix. 

Friends that I crafted with, taught preschool with, ate bagels with, and partied with.

Friends that we laughed with and cried with.

Friends that we vacationed with and celebrated holidays with.

It was a blessing that one of these friends is a doctor.  He came to our home to check on our sick or injured child (two different children!) And who made us feel reassured that they would be okay (which saved us from a visit to Urgent Care!)

I am grateful for FB and Blogger so that I can keep in touch with these friends! I get to hear about their families and their accomplishments.

I am equally thankful for our friends here in Salt Lake.

We were blessed to move in a neighborhood where there are so many great families!

We've had BBQs

and camping trips.

There's been Rockband,

playgroups, parties, movies, and game nights. 

I am blessed to still have relationships with some of the friends I grew up with.  We've had lunch dates, park dates, and long chats!  Even one I get to see regularly because she cuts my hair!

There are friends who play recreation sports with Kelly!  Which I am thankful for because I don't know how he would form a softball or basketball team without his friends!

We love all of our friends near and far!  We are thankful for your examples and your thoughtfulness. You are apart of so many memories and we will cherish your friendships forever!

Thankful......Day 4

Since Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away (where has the time gone?!) I have been thinking of family traditions.

I am thankful for our family traditions and it seems like this is the time of year when we have a lot of them.

Yesterday was the first of many.  It is around Thanksgiving that I start to think of Christmas cards and getting a photo ready.  Every year since Connor was a baby, we have done a photo card.  It is fun to look back at them and see just how our family has grown and changed.  So, yesterday we took the family out and took some fun fall pictures for our 2011 card. This kids were so cooperative, which doesn't usually happen!  I could have kept taking pictures all night!  This time, instead of using the timer and tripod,  we were blessed to have our friend do them for us!

Today marks another tradition.  Football!  I love football.  Seriously, Saturday can never come quick enough when there is a game to watch!  It has been apart of my family since before my birth!  I love being able to go to the stadium and cheer on my team or gather all together in the family room and watch on TV.  I also love that I have passed the tradition on to my own little family! The season is nearing the end, and that makes me sad.  But we will enjoy what is left!

Then in a week or so, I will start preparing for our Thanksgiving dinner.  It is now my job (used to be Grandma's job) to make the all important Chocolate Roll!  This is a must for Thanksgiving dinner.  We look forward to it all year (it just might be my favorite part of Thanksgiving day!)  And now I have the privilege of sharing it with the family!

Those are just a few of the traditions I have been thinking of the last few days. I can't wait for the holidays to come in full force so we can take part in more of them!

Thankful......Day 3

I know I already posted about being thankful for Kelly's safety at work, but today I am posting about being thankful for him in general. And since today is his birthday, I wanted to write something just for him!

I am so thankful for my dear husband! Here are some things about him that make me especially grateful (and here are some outdated pictures of him doing some of his favorite things:)

  

He is kind

He is patient

He is hardworking

He is forgiving

He is not easily offended

He is an easy going, goes with flow kind of guy

He is selfless

He is great at playing with the kids

He is adventurous

He is young at heart

He is faithful

He is obedient (not just to me!)

He is helpful

 

 

 

 I guess I could go on and on, but you get the point! I am one lucky lady to have married this man. And when I count my many blessings, I count him twice!

 

 

 

Happy birthday my sweet!

 

Thankful......Day Two

Today I am thankful that my kids love to play! To be specific......they like to play out in the cold snow with their friends. And I am thankful that we have a great sledding hill right behind our house which makes it possible for me to stay in the nice warm house! Double thankful for that!

Last Saturday we woke to snow and the kids were overly excited. Before I knew what was happening, they started digging through the closet for snow pants, gloves, boots, and coats. Oh, and I just realized one more thing I am grateful for.........their snow gear still fits from last year! Yay, I didn't have to run out and buy new boots or snow pants!

Here are some pictures of them out with their friends, enjoying a fresh layer of snow!

Jace and mom drove around the corner so I could get some pictures.  He wasn't quite sure what to think!  And he wasn't quite happy to have cold hands!

I am sure we will find ourselves here again.  Probably sooner rather than later.  And I will have the continual pile of snow stuff right by the door.  I've got to find a solution to that!

Thankful......Day One

(Kelly and his bike partner, Freeman)


My good friend gave me a good idea. During the month of November, she tries and posts a couple times a week of things she is thankful for.

So, thanks Heidi! I am going to copy your idea!

Something that I am always thankful for is that one my husband has a job and two, that he is kept safe at work.

I realize that every job and activity we do each day has an element of danger. But Kelly's job as a police officer might have a slightly higher danger rate than other jobs.

Performing a traffic stop can be a bit unpredictable. Does the driver or passenger have a weapon? Do they have drugs? Are they going to be cooperative or cause a fuss? He always has to be prepared for the worst.

Also, he has been to a lot of domestic problems. Most of these people are drunk or impaired because of drugs. These types of people aren't always easy to deal with and often times he has had to wrestle people to ground or chase them over fences.

At any rate, I am thankful each and every night/early morning when he crawls into bed and I know he has made it home safe and sound! Lots of people have asked me how I handle having him have a dangerous job. I just tell him that first of all he loves it! I have to remember he is happy and doing something that he loves and that he is good at. Also, early on, when he was in the police academy, we felt strongly that as long as we were doing our best at doing the things we needed to do (attend church, have family home evening, pray, etc.,) then he would always be safe. I am thankful to say that has continued to happen over the last 7 years!

Here is a link to his blog if you want to read some exciting cop stories! It is a bit outdated, but nonetheless, there are some good things on there!

Rosette Boards

I love fabric rolled rosettes! They are so fun to make and the possibilities are endless!

Here is my latest creation.

I got the printable here on Pinterest (who doesn't love this site?!) I saved it as a photo and sent it to Walmart to get printed.

First get your fabric. Each rosette takes about a 3"x22" strip of fabric.  They length will vary, depending on how big of round you want them.  If you have scraps on hand, great! Pick a few coordinating fabrics (I picked 3.) I bought a 1/4 yard of each. Which is enough to make several rosettes.

Next, cut the fabric into 3 inch strips.

Then, you will want to fold those strips in half.

Tie a knot at the end, leaving just a little fabric.

Fold the fabric at the end of the knot over and secure with a dab of hot glue.

Then you start twisting away! You can twist as tightly or loosely as you wish. Make sure you continue to twist the same direction and that your knot remains facing up and in the center of your circle.

Secure with a little more hot glue as you twist.

When you get the rosette to the size you want, cut the remaining fabric.

Fold over the remaining fabric and secure with hot glue (just like the beginning.)

Here are some finished rosettes. Notice how they are all a bit difference in size.

I then put my printable in a 8x10 frame and arranged my rosettes and hot glued them along the frame.

I love it! Now it just needs to be Christmastime so I can put it out!

This is another one I did. We did this dry erase board at a church craft night.

I love them and there are so many ways you can use the rosettes. I have seen them on headbands, hair clips, wreaths, etc.

Give them a try, you'll love it too!