Children's Museum Field Trip

      This June marked my very last preschool field trip to the Children's Museum, Hallelujah!!  The first time was fun, the second okay, but the 3, 4 & 5th time ... Ugggh!  But my boys enjoy it, and if I didn't take them I would feel like the worst Mother ever, so I endure.  Andrew, on the other hand, only wanted to go so he could hang out in the gift shop.  I found that out once we got there.  He literally could care less about any of the exhibits, he was dead set on buying something in the gift shop.  I couldn't believe it.  That made for a short field trip, which sadly I was okay with.  I loved spending time with just Andrew though.  He is such a great little companion.

 

Class of 2013

      Being able to attend Megan's graduation from high school was a real treat!  I knew this was going to be a big night for her.  She was invited to honor her Leadership teacher, which was a surprise to him, and I knew she was really excited about it.  In our high school one member of the graduating class is awarded the Rutherford Cup for "Outstanding Senior".  When the school principal started describing this years recipient, I kept getting more and more excited that it was being awarded to Megan.  This person serves in Leadership.  Yes.  This person volunteers in SHINE.  Yes.  This person will attend BYUI in the Fall.  It's her!!  I could hardly sit still.  And I was so proud of her in that moment when she was called up to receive her award.  She was also the recipient of three (3!) $1,000 scholarships during their senior awards night, just prior to graduation.  How awesome is that!?  She is one amazing young woman!!  And while I know she is off at college having the time of her life, and is where she is supposed to be, I can't help but miss her dearly and wish she was still here.  

Cameron Turns 8!

      What kind of tricks can you play on someone who's birthday falls on April Fool's Day?  I'm still trying to figure out a good one, but this year I decorated the house with the normal birthday stuff and in the morning when the kids got up I yelled, "Happy Birthday, Austin!"  Cameron teasingly told me it's not Austin's birthday, but I kept going with it.  Maybe one of these years I can come up with something more clever.

 

      Spencer and I thought it would be fun to surprise Cameron during lunch at school and took Burgerville to him.  He seemed to really enjoy having us there at school and getting to eat something special.  Before dinner he was allowed to open his presents and was super excited to find a new guitar.  He has been so anxious to learn how to play one.  He also got a brand new suit for his baptism and lots of cash.  I think it's evident by the grin in the picture below he had a great day!   

The Book of Mormon

      In the beginning of February I made a commitment to myself to read the Book of Mormon, and I knew in order to accomplish this (in a timely manner) I would have to set some parameters to help me reach my goal.  I decided that in order to stay committed, I would need to put a hold on reading any other book for the time being.  That challenge was hard, because I love to read!  Getting started on my goal was the hardest part though.  Since I couldn't spend my time reading a fictional novel, I decided to peruse Netflix and Hulu Plus; anything to occupy my free time other than reading the scriptures.  That sounds really bad, but I'll admit I wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity to immerse myself in the scriptures.  Then I finally did...

      I don't know how many weeks later it was until I finally bucked up and started reading but once I did, I truly found joy in them!  I was reading all the time; better yet, I was taking notes, and by taking notes I feel like I have really absorbed the stories found within.  And what powerful stories they are!  A lot of things struck a cord with me during this time, but hands down the most important piece I took away from this experience was remembering how Christian this book truly is!  The moral of every story in every chapter always centers around Jesus Christ.  In fact the entire book showcases exactly what life is like when you have faith in Christ, and what its like when you don't.  I came across a scripture I really liked in Helaman 12:1; it says, "...yea, we see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him."  Today's world is scary; but it feels great to know that we can choose to align ourselves with Jesus Christ, and put our trust in him!

      Other important principles that the Book of Mormon taught me:

      I was reminded how important it is to keep a journal, or in my case a blog.  I may not be writing "scripture" but I certainly want others to know what I treasure and hold dear; who I am; what my struggles are; and how I find peace during those times.  Sharing those experiences with others is worth it if I can bring even a tiny bit of understanding and hope to just one person.    

      It really hit me how much the things we say and do can affect others.  An example of this is Abinadi's testimony.  We never really know who is watching and listening to us.  I guess what this means to me is that I need to be more willing and courageous to share the gospel with others.  Not just in a "safe" place like testimony meeting at church.  You just never really know who is standing back in the shadows listening.
 
     Finally, another really, really important piece I learned from the Book of Mormon is to NEVER give up on people.  There are several examples throughout the entire collection of scriptures that proves this point, but more specifically it was Alma the Younger and Mosiah's Sons who really drove this one home.  I have two older brothers who are not only in-active in the church, but who, at one point or another, successfully went out of their way to pull many people away with them.  I feel like over the years I lost hope of their return to the gospel and finally came to accept their decision.  I also stopped praying for them to find their way back.  And what's sad is the fact that I just now realized that I haven't shared even just a tiny bit of my testimony with them for a really long time.  That's not right!  I need to do everything in my power to bring them back, whether they do or not is up to them, but I need to never give up trying!    

      So in conclusion, I must say that I love the Book of Mormon!  Reading it definitely drew me closer to the Savior and it will you too.   Understanding the words that are written inside will encourage anyone to never lose their faith in him!   

Spring Break Activity - Zoo Trip

      Spring Break almost wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Zoo, so we decided to go on Thursday, along with the rest of the Portland-Metro area.  Surprisingly though, the Zoo didn't feel that over-crowded.  A few of the highlights from our day include:  Getting to see the new baby elephant, Lily, who was born December 11, 2012.  I had never seen a baby elephant in person before and she was certainly cute!  The other highlight was seeing a baby monkey.  The first time we walked by the exhibit Momma Monkey wouldn't let anyone catch a glimpse.  But when we walked by later baby was out.  As we were standing there watching the two monkeys the baby took a step towards Mom and started to fall off the tree branch.  The Mom's hand reached out so fast to catch her baby and just as fast pulled baby into her body.  The protectiveness was sweet to witness.  I do love going to the Zoo, but I'm a in-and-out kinda girl.  2.5 to 3 hours is plenty for me! 

Spring Break Activity - Hiking Multnomah Falls

      On Monday of Spring Break I took the kids along with Megan & Caylin to Multnomah Falls.  The weather was gorgeous and perfect for the 2.6 round-trip hike.  It didn't take us long to climb to the top and I was really impressed with how well all of the kids did.  There was no whining or complaining, in fact, they all but raced to the top.  Seriously, I hope I can keep up with these kids when they are teenagers and their real competitive nature comes out.  It was a joy to have Caylin & Megan with us as well.  Since I don't have any daughters of my own, I feel grateful to be so close to those girls.  As we were leaving the Falls, Andrew climbed on top of a rock and assumed a meditation pose.  He called it, "His Inner Peace".  A little too much Kung Fu Pandpa, maybe!?

Spring Break Activity - Archery

      I realize I'm a little late in posting this stuff, but better late then never, right!?  Anyway, during Spring break we managed to get in a few fun activities.  On the first day, which was technically Friday, I took the kids to an archery range in Rainier so they could all shoot their bows.  I think they could spend all day there, they love it so much!  Plus, it's an activity that our whole family enjoys.  Austin was fitted for a new youth size bow and Spencer made a deal with him that if he worked really hard in school he may be able to get it for his summer birthday.  He took that deal to heart and the improvement he has made in school has been remarkable! 

Preschool Easter Party

      I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this is Andrew's last year of preschool and that next fall he is off to our neighborhood school with his older brothers.  Although I'm excited for him, I am afraid that I'm going to miss all of the little kid things he does now.  The endless parties at school, and the cute little arts & crafts that he does there as well.  Oh, wow, I can't believe the feelings that are stirring inside me now just thinking about it.  Good grief!  Anyway, his preschool had a great Easter party.  They were lucky to have an egg hunt outside because the weather was nasty that day.  After the hunt they played several fun games indoors and had a super cute snack (a peep in a sugar cookie nest with coconut and chow mien noodles).  So fun!

Pacific Beach, WA

      About a month ago our friends from Seattle, Mike & Amanda, called and asked if we'd like to share a beach house with them for the weekend.  Absolutely!  Mike found a house online located at Pacific Beach in Washington, just north of Ocean Shores.  We left early Friday afternoon and stayed through Sunday.  The house was gorgeous!  It comfortably fit our two families and the boys' room was equipped with an Xbox 360.  Needless to say they were in heaven!  Mike & Amanda have 4 boys all under the age of 6!  Hard to believe!  They are the most adorable kids too.  Despite being in a house full of kids it was such a relaxing weekend and the kids absolutely loved combing the beach for sand dollars!

      I really enjoy this particular friendship because Spencer and I have known Mike before either of us were married and had kids.  We all met around the same time in a singles ward.  We hung out then and we continue to hang out still.  Several years later, Mike met Amanda and she is wonderful!  I just wished we didn't live so far away from each other! 

Family Vacation - Day 6

      On our final morning we woke up at 8:30 a.m. docked in Miami, signifying the end of our cruise.  We lazily made our way out of our room and upstairs for breakfast before debarking the ship.  I was sad to leave!  It was around 11:00 a.m. when we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and our flight home wasn't until 4:00 p.m. so we decided to rent a car and go to the beach.  We had about 3 and a half hours to play before we needed to be back.  The first hour was spent walking along the boardwalk shopping.  After that we played on the beach and in the ocean before stripping our clothes off in the car (literally) and found a place for lunch.  We ate lunch at Ernie's BBQ which was so good!  Spencer said it reminded him of Texas BBQ joints from his mission days.  The flight home felt long!  We were all just beat from playing so hard, but they boys were perfect little travelers.  We had several people tell us how impressed they were with our kids on such a long flight.  That was nice to hear!  I have to say, this trip was probably one of the best trips ever.  I loved every minute and the boys can't stop talking about it.  We will definitely be taking another cruise with the kids in the not-so-distant future!   

Fishes made out of water bottles.