Monday Madness

Randy had to drive this morning so I stayed home to get the kids ready for school before I came into work. I still got up at 4:00am to work for a couple of hours from home. It's now 7:30pm and I am exhausted.

I picked Sarah up from preschool and had a quick parent teacher conference with her teacher. Sarah is doing great in school. She really needs to work on her alphabet, sounds and numbers. I am still undecided about weather or not she should start kindergarden or not. Her birthday is August 17th and the cut off is August 30th so she is right on the line.

Sarah has swim lessons tonight and Randy came home from work early so we went to the Rec Center as a family. Randy took the kids swimming and I walked the track with Audrey for about 30 minutes. It feels good to know I excercised today. We signed Zachary up for swim lessons the same time Sarah is going which will be good to do it at the same time.

This week is "Turn off your TV Week" at Zachary's school. I am going to die. How am I supposed to not watch TV for the entire week? I realize how much I watch TV and it's entirely to much. Wish me luck.

Blonde Brownies

I want to make these this week, I think the kids will really like them. They sound yummy to me.

Blonde Brownies

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Measure 1 cup sifted flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift again. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Mix well and set aside.Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. If shortening is used, add 1 tablespoon hot water. Cool slightly.Add egg (beaten) and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Selling Spree

This past week Randy has been on a selling spree. He sold our flatbed 4-wheeler trailer earlier in the week. The trailer was just to long for our needs. He sold the Honda Odessey which he bought me about a month and a half ago and last night he sold our camp trailer. The couple who bought our trailer came up to look at the trailer and decided they wanted it. We had about an hour to clean it out and they took it away. My kitchen and living room are now full of all our camping supplies and I'm not sure where to store everything. Today I plan on buying a bunch of totes to keep camping things in until we can replace the trailer.

When we bought our 4-wheelers last summer we talked about buying a Toyhauler trailer. Last week we went and looked at a few. It seems safer to haul the 4-wheelers in the trailer instead of on a trailer behing our trailer. Randy is anxious to get a trailer now, he is afraid we won't be able to camp all summer.

Growing

The other day Z and I were talking about growing. He asked me how people grow and I said they need to eat healthy, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. Z thought for a minute and then asked if when we were sleeping Heavenly Father and Jesus stretched us out and that is how we grow? How cute is that?

Sarah's Haircut

Ever since the dreaded haircut Z gave S we have been growing S's hair out. Actually this past summer I started growing her bangs out as well. She hasn't had much of a style and we just keep her hair up in a pony. Yesterday I took S for a haircut and she had a couple of inches chopped off. We gave her an A-line bob and it's stacked in the back. It looks so cute on her.

Karate

About 2 weeks ago Z advance to Yellow Belt 2nd Degree. He has loved Karate and will keep going until the end of May. I don't know if they offer the class through the summer. I think Karate is great because it's an indiviual thing that Z can excel at his own pace.

Tuesday Things

WooHoo! I excercised this morning. My goal is start walking at least 5 days a week. I also want to stop drinking soda.

Today is Tuesday and we are off work. I volunteer at Z's class today, S has ice skating and then swimming lessons. I also have visiting teaching this afternoon. I'm hoping to squeeze a haircut for myself and S in. Tonight Z has Karate and is hoping to help a neighboor clean up his yard.

We signed the paperwork for our taxes yesterday. We always wait for the last minute to get our taxes done and this year we even got money back. While waiting the H&R Block to print our tax paperwork R, S, A and I went looking at trailers. Toy Haulers to be specific. R has been thinking of selling our trailer and getting a Toy Hauler and we had never looked inside of them.

Easter Sunday was a nice day. This kids were happy with their Easter baskets and we made it to church. Patty and Brian came over for dinner in the afternoon and it was fun to visit and spend time together.

Saturday Fun Day

Happy Easter!!

This past week R bought us season passes to Lagoon. He suggested we go on Saturday since it was opening day. Tiffany and the girls came up for an overnight visit so they joined us at the park. The sad thing was that R was unable to join us for a day of fun. The kids had a blast and didn't want to leave the park when it was time to go. Tiffany took S on any ride she needed to ride with an adult while I sat behind with Audrey and Danni, which was fine for me. Z loved the Dinasaur Drop and the Water Tube ride. Sarah loved every ride she went on, I'm not sure what her favorite was. We had a super fun day and want to go back with Daddy. Thanks for getting us the tickets R!

After our fun day we came home and colored Easter eggs.

Before I was a MOM......

Before I was a Mom....

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom....
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom ...
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Easter Rolls

This is a recipe you can do with your kids/grandkids in order for them to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Great for family nights or a sunday activity!

Easter Rolls

Ingredients: Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Read Matthew 27: 57-61

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.

2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.

3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.

4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent rollup, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside). This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.

5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb---pretend like it was three days!)

6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Now read Matthew 28:5-8

Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!

After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead ( 1 Corinthians 15:3-6). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God.

By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them. Rather than being slaves to sin and death, Christians (those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good (Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit. Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this (1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross. This is also a reason we need to spend time with other believers in Christ so they can encourage us in our faith.

Monday Musings

This week is Spring Break for the kids. They are happy to not have school and beleive it or not I am happy they are home this week.

A week ago Grandma Curtis and I were supposed to take my kids and Holly's kids swimming at the South Davis Rec Center (The Bubble) but it didn't work out. My kids were so disappointed and have bugged me about it for a week now so I am thinking of taking them swimming after A wakes up from her nap. R bought our family a family pass for a year so we need to use it and the kids will have fun.

Tomorrow S has ice skating lessons and swimming lessons so maybe the kids can go swimming again after the lessons. I'll have to check out the swimming schedule today.

I am trying to catch up on laundry today. There is always so much laundry to do and just when I think I've caught up there is more. Ugg!