Holly's Preschool

Thank you Holly! It's was an awesome year! 

Bea will ever LOVE you dearly!! 

Thank you Kelsey for the pictures! These look so cute! You do a great job!

Pop that leg girl! :)

Can't take the California out of this girl!

I miss the California Central Coastal air today. :) I was last there when I was pregnant with Charlotte. I have been aching for home. It wont happen this summer either. Bummer. But, I still get happy when I hear songs like this! :) Gotta LOVE Cali!! :)

Bea missing fruit snacks

You'd think her pet cat died. So sad.

Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers day to all! :)

I always love Mothers day to see what all the kids have done for me. AND all the things they say they want to do for me. :) It's pretty fun. 

I was greeted with Addy making me breakfast in bed!! It was so yummy too! She made eggs and cheese in a French toast sandwich and Strawberries. She is a good little cook. She made flowers out of paper she saw in her American Girl Mag. and they turned out cute. So, I sat there in bed again Chris's back eating my breakfast and feeding Addy and Bea and Char some too. :) It was really fun! They all came in together singing Happy Mothers Day to you... in happy bday melody. 

I had a picture on the phone and I may have lost it. boohoo! 

This year, Bea's preschool teacher did a very nice gift.

Chalkboard paint on a pot that Bea wrote I Love You Mom! :) I wish I could keep the writing forever. Its so totally cute!  And this hand print is to die for. :) 

This totally cracks me up...

Just so the record is striaight, I dont know what Spaghetti Salad is. hahah. and I think she is mixing me up with Izzy that makes her mac n cheese. Funny. But, she knows me well! Ok, so I am a little older than 30 and I may weigh more than 7 1/2 pounds, but I would never tell. :) I love that she put that I tell her I love her all the time. :) Oh my Beatrice! :) 

OH! AND she let me kiss her on the lips on Mothers day! She usually only likes me kissing her on both checks like a European diva. :) haha. 

ALL this talk of being nice to mom, Char brought me a flower from the backyard. Yes, she's naked. AKA free. 

 Izzy did my toes nails. :)

 And gave me a charm that she made, but this card came with it. 

Oh she's funny. 

The boys bought me awesome flowers for the front gardens, but they have to move all the roses before they can plant them. Gabe also made me a card on Mine Craft, his video game. He used all his diamond and gold and natural resources and created a huge sign for me. He actually is good at the virtual creativity. :) 

Chris of course made me my favorite meal he makes which is own recipe of Steak Teriyaki. Its to die for!!  It reminds me of the good old days when he would make me that in my little apartment at Ricks College. He tried everything to win me. :) Good job Tophy. :) I loved it then and I love it now. :) 

the festival of colors :)

Izzy is a true teenager doing teenage stuff with her girlfriends. 

Today at the Twin Falls HS the kids bought bags of colored chalk and simply threw it at each other. What a fun day! Not hard to keep kids out of trouble and happy! 

Don't worry, Lord of the rings necklace was not harmed in the process. She still has the power. 

Gpa Lee's Oregon farm

Meet my dad! :)  

This is him on his 75 acre land on his Creek side carving up of fallen trees so he can mow a trail.

And he says that every backyard should have these things in the background.... a dog, clothesline  tree swings, an airplane...

Doesn't it look like he needs another family of, oh... say... 7, live in the corner of his property and help him with his crazy projects and starting some of their own? I dont think he would miss even 3 acres. Let's ignore the zoning laws and do it. :) I mean, if it was me, I'd raise food for my family (aka instill hard work and teach them about life while doing so to the kids) on that very land so I would never have to shop and still have time (ha!) to do my other love of  sewing all of my designs a few hours a day. YAY! Dreaming is so fun. :) Everyone has got to have at least one. :)

Thanks for the pictures dad! :)

Idaho Shoshone Indian Diorama

by Adeline :)

3rd Grade Project

Our family all took a piece of the project and made this with Adeline. That was the assignment from the teacher. I was so happy to see it was a family effort because knowing our family... it would be anyway. :) 

Addy told everyone what she needed and we all went to work. I am sure if you know Addy, you know she LOVED being in charge. :) We looked around our yard to see what we could gather to make look like real things. It was really fun. Then, we needed to build it in my sewing room, so we gathered some paper and fabrics to complete the project. I will walk us through what we made so it can be completely documented before I throw it away. :) hahah. 

You have to look really close, but we drew on the slate rocks just like the Indians did with the petroglyphs.

A fire with gold fabric and some sticks glued together. :)

 A reed boat made of old flower vines next to the blue fabric waterfall and river. All with a silver fish and spear. :) 

 Gabe drew a few Indians in authentic clothing and we propped them up. 

 This would not be complete with out a TP and fabric cover that shows they drew on their homes and with clay pots the Shoshone specialized in. 

Adeline's beautiful handwriting in 3rd grade. :) All the descriptions are here explaining her project.

I think it was really funny when she came home after turning her project in. She was so animated as she said that her project was the best because everyone else used store bought things in their dioramas. She was kinda mad so many other kids did not use their imagination as she did. Not really humble, but we are working on that. But, at least she knew she did a good job. Oh my sweet Adeline. :)

planting flowers leads to playing in the gutter

I think enjoying the simple things in life is THE BEST!!

I planted some flowers because it is FINALLY not freezing outside and the girls came out to clean up with me... only prob is that they got so muddy themselves that we needed to clean them up too. Playing in the gutter reminds me of when I was a kid. I loved it. :) We build damns and float leaves that act as ships on a voyage. Humm.. I need to move to the country, but for now, I will have my little neighborhood act as my homestead in town. :) 

forgive my pics, they are with my phone because Char broke my camera. :( 

 Those little Char toes... perfect!

 My Forget Me Nots! :) 

Everyone needs these in their yard thanks to Pres Uchtdorf! 

 I finally have Hydrangeas !! 

now to keep them alive... humm?? Thanks Honey! :) 

 I saw this and needed this saying instantly! :) 

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one Wild and Precious life?"

It might be a little crooked, but I love it anyway because getting it up there was hilarious with Gabe and Izzy's help. Its worth the memory. :) 

And that was the simple things that happened with my weekend. :) yay!

Heaven is Here

I read the most amazing book that has changed my life. 

I have loved Stephanie Nielson and her blog for years and have watched her video about her on Mormon Messages. But, I didnt really know how amazing she really was. :) I wish I could see her to just hug her and tell her I loved her. She is such a precious amazing woman.

 Thank you for sharing your life with us Stephaine! 

I already know I do have an amazing life. I know I am blessed in millions of ways and I love my family so much. I find joy in simple things and know that Heavenly Father has a hand in my life. So, why did this book change my life? I just have no doubts that my life has a purpose and I may not know what my mission is here on earth, but I seriously know that this life is a true gift. I could go on for hours and I probably will edit what I think on this post several times. :)

I want to really start blogging again. I am going to figure out how to fit it into my schedule!! :) 

A great way to start out the new year!

I've mentioned before that I teach Sunday School in my church to the 14 and 15 year old youth. It seriously teaches me more than I think I teach them. Honestly, I prayed for a way to strengthen my testimony and my knowledge of God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost. When I was called to this duty to teach, I thought maybe this was my answer, but I was not sure. It totally has been. It's awesome. The new teaching method to the youth is really for all of us. And the new theme for this year to Stand in Holy Places.... it is inspiring! As a mother of all these little people, I have to be better. I have to teach them to be strong and immovable in the gospel. Heavenly Father has given me a way to do it. YAY! That sounds pretty hard with out Him. :) 

Festivus

I made up another Holiday! :)

Right now? At this time of year with 5 birthdays and the 3 other holidays going on?? Why on earth would I do such a thing??

Ok, I should move it to July, but I do it on New Years Eve. Except, we did it tonight. :)

Here is what Festivus is to us and why we do it....

I did not take any pictures because it was one of those nights that I just soaked up the feelings and enjoyed my children and family. 

  I invented this holiday because I wanted to teach my children that it's so amazing to look at the new year with new goals and a fresh start. When people look at the new goals, so many look at their last year thinking of so many things they did wrong or so many things they should have, would have, yada yada. I know we need to do that to an extent to find out our new goals, but I wanted to show them that they can focus on the things they did awesome and only they could do better at in their year. I just want to take every opportunity to tell them how much they are loved and how with hard work, they can become people to be proud of. 

  Each child gets a gift that expresses something about them. We start with the youngest and before they open their gift, we go around the room youngest to oldest and then mom and dad, to tell that child what we love about them and what we think they did great at this past year and what they have improved on this past year. We only say positive things and stay away from facts ie. Isabel is the oldest and she has a red shirt on. hhaaha. We did need to skip a kid a few times and come back because they are normal kids that only thought of the fight they had with the other earlier today (haha) but, that is to be expected and they find something to say that is great and good feelings are exchanged. Isabel always has to wait to the last one to have the kids tell her their love and support and then to open the gift. Tonight the spirit is so loving and wonderful so I of course cried and laughed a lot while watching their faces tell each other they loved each other. We all just love each other more and feel this unity that I wish we had all the time in the house, but that got us through the night with no fights or whining. :)  

So, when you see my vinyl "This is my idea of Heaven" in my playroom (which is usually a Barbie explosion) it's because I feel that my home has to be the closest thing to heaven I have on earth. :) It's because of those moments I had tonight. 

For God so Loved the World, He sent His only Begotten Son

I am teaching my lesson in Sunday School and this is a video I am showing the youth. I have watched it 10 times and I still cry and I still find more amazing things in it. We are so lucky to know of Christ and to celebrate his birth. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I love Him and feel His love for me. I know He loves all of us. That makes me very happy.