The Need to Create

My cute mom posted this video on her blog, which you can view here, and I loved it. I decided to share it with those of you who haven't seen it yet. I totally agree with President Uchtdorf. I love creating things, whether it is a nice steaming pot of macaroni and cheese for my family, or a quilted table topper for my home. There is something special about creating something that wasn't there before. I have to say my best creations are these. . .

But I also love to do a bit of graphic designing. So, I have started ANOTHER blog to keep all of my projects on it. They take up way too much space on my computer but I hate just trashing them. If you want to check it out, feel free, just click this.

Now go on, create something new, perhaps one of these

Or even a little of this would be just fine too!

Thank You!

I am so thankful for my beautiful healthy family! I have been reading this. . . ugh. I just want to thank Heavenly Father again, because I can't do it enough, for every breath that they breathe, and every beat their hearts beat. Thank You.

TagGeD

I was TaGGeD by Misty!
1. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2. Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog.
3. List 10 honest things about yourself.

1. I am so NOT a clean freak! I bothers me when my house is messy and it is usually always tidy, but when it comes to the stuff like baseboard cleaning and behind the computer dusting I have to make myself set a day aside to get it done.

2. I am ultra paranoid! When things are going really well in my life I have a hard time enjoying it because I am just so sure that there is going to be a major trial around the bend. I hate feeling that way, and I am constantly praying that I can enjoy the good times instead of going nuts thinking that things are too good. I almost do better in the midst of small trials because when I facing them I think, "this is ok, I can get through this and learn from it." I think I am completely nuts!

3. I LOVE having my husband work from home. Launey and I are BEST friends and there is nobody else in the world I would rather spend time with. Most women cringe at the thought of their husbands being home with them but I really do love everything about it. He is really good at letting me do my thing, and he helps with the kids and the housework. I think sometimes it drives him nuts being home so often, but as for me, I wouldn't have it any other way.

4. Speaking of my husband helping me around the house. . . I have basically retired from laundry duties and he has taken them over. See what I mean about things being too good!

5. I yell at my kids. Not all the time but I have been known to loose my cool every-once-in-a-while and yell at them to stop beating each other up or jumping on the couch. I am SO not perfect and hopefully someday I can be one of those constantly soft-spoken tender hearted mothers that everybody dreams of.

6. I love my calling. I am the 2nd counselor in the YW Presidency and I LOVE it. It is so fun getting to know the girls and being involved in a small part of their lives. I feel totally in my element when I at at Young Women's. Maybe that is a bad sign. . .

7. I try to exercise 6 times a week and I HATE running! I have been doing weights three times a week and cardio the other three. To keep myself motivated I decided that I would start training for a half marathon, but I HATE RUNNING! I dread my cardio days and I am so tempted to stop my "training" and switch up the cardio routine. In fact, I am posting this right now because I am stalling on my daily run.

8. I think my kids are about the cutest things I have ever seen. I know that every mother feels the same way about their own kids, but sometimes I do just look at them and think, "how in the world did I get so lucky." I guess the better term would be blessed.

9. I am loosing a little blogging steam. I still love reading blogs but I am terrible at commenting on them. I think I go through phases.

10. I have been trying to think of seven people to tag this entire time and now the time has come to an end, I am still not sure who it's going to be!

Okay, I will shoot from the hip, I tag. . . . Alisha N., Lynsey, Linzy, Morgan, Tara, Jennifer, and Natasha. You lucky girls!!

The Happiest (and wettest) Place on Earth. . .Revisited!

I may have mentioned it before, but Launey and I are Disneyland annual passport holders. We love the place! So, in order to get the most out of our annual pass purchase, we loaded up the family and took yet another trip to the most magical place on earth. This time we were accompanied by a whole bunch of my great family members. My parents, Karson, Linzy, Kylee, Conner, Pooper, Papa, Grandma Red, my Uncle Mike and his family, Uncle David, and my Aunt RaNae and her family all came along.

Aren't my men INCREDIBLE!!

It was nearly the perfect scenario, less expensive hotels, and escape from our cold Utah winter, less crowded, and tons of family, but there was only one thing, it rained the ENTIRE time! We actually saw it coming, (well kind of) before we left because everyday up until our trip was sunny and hot, and everyday after our trip the same hot weather returned, but on the only three days we were to be there, the little forecast showed dark clouds, thunderbolts, and several raindrops.

I think his little face just says it all!

I was a bit worried about the weather before we left so I convinced my husband to go a day early so we could soak up a little bit of sun. Luckily my sister and Grandma Red agreed to come along so they could help with the kids. The day we got there, a day before the rest of the crew, was glorious. It was eighty degrees and the crowds were few. I just wish the weather would have continued a little longer.

This Disney princess was quite the trooper!

But in all honesty, it was a great trip. The kids were such troopers and they didn't seem to mind having to wear ponchos and wet shoes. They just loved being there. Tanner could ride the "big rides" and he loved them all except the Tower of Terror. We managed to talk him into riding it twice but after the second go-round he would have nothing to do with it. Luke even got to go on the big roller coaster, "California Screamin," in California Adventure Park. He loved it but he only got the go ahead twice out of the five times we attempted the ride. His height was right on the border and apparently some workers were just more lenient than others.

Splash Mountain broke down so we had to walk out, I am willing to bet not many people have a picture like this!

Brielle loved the rides she could ride and she got to spend a lot of quality one-on-one time with some of the characters. They took refuge from the rain in the same building that we did while we were waiting for the rest of the clan to ride the Tower of Terror, and there were no lines to visit with them, so they played with Brielle. It was really cute. She was a bit hesitant but she did manage to give a few kisses on their big shiny noses.

I wish this picture was brighter but I still think it's priceless

The boys didn't let a little rain stand in the way of having a great time

Man, just writing about it makes me yearn to go back. Maybe I will hop on Trip Advisor and start planning our next visit!

We were just pumping ourselves up for the big plunge

I Truly am Amazed

So my dad went to a Jazz game the other night and as he was leaning over the ledge to look at the people below he heard a familiar voice say, "Don't lean over too far, you might fall" when he turned around he saw President Monson standing there. My dad said that he was immediately overwhelmed so much that he could barely shake our Prophet's hand. I asked my dad if he could feel the Spirit when he saw him standing there, like at conference when the Prophet walks into the room, he brings such a strong Spirit with him. My dad said that he definitely felt the Spirit so strong it brought him to tears. How neat!
That made me think of how it might be when we get to meet the Savior again. I have heard that many people won't even recognize that it is Him when He does come again. I don't know if His face will be familiar, I hope it will be, but if nothing else, I am sure that if we are spiritually prepared, the feeling will be familiar. If there was somebody who had no idea who President Monson was and was not spiritually prepared to recognize him as a Prophet of God, the same conversation he had with my dad would have probably had no impact at all. But to many of us, when we see, or if we are lucky enough to meet a Prophet of God, the Spirit is so overwhelming, to me it almost feels like I have a personal relationship with him. That is how I think it may be when I get to meet my Savior. I pray that I am spiritually prepared enough to feel like I have known him all along.

In church a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the theme of the day was the Atonement. What a great and little understood thing that is. A woman spoke in sacrament who has had many trials in her life including a son who died 48 hours before he was to leave on his mission and a husband who passed away suddenly from no known cause. Wow! She talked extensively on what role the Savior has played in her life. That because He suffered for us, not just for our sins, but for our trials and tribulations, she was able to lean on Him. He was the only one who truly knew exactly how she felt. Isn't that amazing.
That day in Young Women's Jamie asked if we felt like we had a better relationship with Christ or Heavenly Father. Most people felt like they had a better relationship whith Christ. That got me thinking. I pray to Heavenly Father, and I feel like I can somewhat relate to Him. Not that I am AT ALL comparing myself to Him, but he is my Father in Heaven, and because I have kids that I would go to the ends of the Earth for, I think that it kind of helps me have a small grasp on how He may feel for us. I am sure that I have no idea the extent of His love for us, but I do have the love of a mother, and as far as this mortal state goes, that is a pretty incredible thing. Anyway, I have really wanted to form a stronger relationship between myself and the Savior. Since then, I have really been thinking about the talk in sacrament that I mentioned, and how amazing it is that He knows exactly how we feel. That He can help me get through the trials I may have to face, He will help me overcome my own weaknesses, and He suffered for me because He loves me. Not only that, He did it for my kids too. My kids are still young, and I am sure there is a lot more of this to come, but there have already been times that my kids have been hurting and there was nothing that I wanted to do more than to take away their pain. I usually can't do that, but HE CAN. I am so thankful that He can do that for me, but I think even a little bit more, I am thankful that He can bare the burdens my children may have to bare. I truly do "Stand All Amazed." I feel so blessed. I know that He lives, I know that He knows all of us, probably better than we know ourselves. I know that He can make our burdens light and that it is never never never too late to reach for Him because He is always reaching out for us. I love Him!
I say these things in His name, Amen.

You've Had a Birthday Part 2 (And Very Overdue!)

I finally loaded the pictures from my camera to my computer and I wanted to post a couple more pictures from our family birthdays and Christmas.

Brielle's Birthday Cake

Brielle and the Grandma Greats!

Brielle and Bampa on Christmas Eve at Grandma Red's house

Luke, Tanner, and Brielle in their new Christmas Jammies from G-ma Red

Luke and Tanner (If only they were really as sweet as they look!)

Tanner with his Tractor Cake

Luke at the Kay Family Party

Tanner at the Kay Family Party

One Year Older and Wiser Too!

So this is certainly the season for celebration around the world, and it may be even more so, just a little bit, in my family. The reason being, Tanner and Brielle both celebrate birthdays within a week of Christmas.

I guess I will start off with the must-writes, Christmas was wonderful. We all had a great time and the kids must have been very well behaved because Santa managed to find them. I didn't take many pictures because I was too caught up in video taping and enjoying myself. I am having major regrets now.

(Don't be offended if you didn't get a Christmas card, I never actually printed them!)

Tanner's birthday was before Christmas and he had a great little party. I made him the tractor cake he had been dreaming of and he got more toys than he know what to do with. I still can't believe he is three. He is such a fun little guy and he is just as melt-your-heart sweet as he is pull-out-your-hair wild. He constantly has us laughing our heads off. We are very proud of him and I can't wait to see what fun and surprises this year brings.

Brielle's birthday is after Christmas and I can not believe that my sweet little baby is one! She fell asleep in my arms this morning and I just couldn't get over how much she has grown. I thought of holding her a year ago as she slept in my arms. She was a tiny little princess with a head full of sporadic black hair and the softest skin in the world. Now she is still a little princess only quite a bit bigger than before, she has too little pig tails and can walk on her own two feet. She brings so much joy to our family and I am so excited for many more wonderful years to come.

It kind of feels weird not to mention Luke even though his birthday is nowhere in sight. He is such a good big brother and I can tell he truly loves his brother and sister. As I am typing this I can hear Luke saying to Tanner in the other room, "fine, I'm not playing with you unless you do what I say! Now, make a funny face!" I don't know about you, but I can definitely see the love in that statement. But in all honesty he is a great kid and a wonderful helper. I love them all more than I can say.

I haven't downloaded my pictures to the computer for a LONG time now so I will have to get on that and post some when I get them.