Favorite

You should probably try this,

then thank me for the tip.

1 Banana+ Nutella + Peanuts =

A Quick Way to Yumminess.

Blue & Gold Banquet

Can you see my little helper sorting helium balloons in color piles to find me all the BLUE & GOLD ones... while I made a sign for another BIG EVENT?

The theme was "Resourcefulness"

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Since I was assigned decorations, I had my Bears each make a big letter with tissue paper from Sis. Todd's house, to form the words BLUE & GOLD, for our sign. We printed the word "Resourcefulness" on placemat sized paper, and the boys decorated each letter with things from around the house, as centerpieces for the tables. Each boy had to come with a robot made from Recycle garbage... they were SO cute!!! Logan loved making his (1 hour before it started, ha ha, even though we knew about it for weeks). At the Banquet the boys made towers from Recycle Garbage, which they got to try & shoot down with nerf guns when they were called up to get awards. They LOVEd that!! (which means it was really out of control, and probably too crazy).

And Dr. Vernon was kind enough to let us use his 'trade credit' at a fancy cake place in Scottsdale, where we special ordered the dessert. The Cub Scouts each got their namesake cupcake... and everyone else had what was left and the BIG bavarian cream cake.

WOLF:

(Red Velvet with cream cheese center)

BEAR:

(chocolate with chocolate mousse center)

WEBELO:

(lemon with raspberry mousse center)

**my personal favorite by far**

In the end, I think the cupcakes were too yummy to have given to cub scouts... ha ha.

It was a fun & chaotic night for the whole family.

Thank you Bolanders (who don't even have sons in Cub Scouts) for smoking all the meat for our yummy dinner!!

Two

Friday Sophie was especially naughty.

I want to remember how crazy it is

to have a 2 year old.

So I had just made Sophie a bowl of oatmeal, because that was what she insisted on for lunch, when I got a phone call. It was a business call I had been waiting for for DAYS. I started talking when I noticed Sophie started "playing" with her oatmeal and spreading it around. I had some important things to find out on the phone, so I just turned my back and pretended not to know how naughty she was being. A few minutes later Sophie came over to me and I gasped... she was COVERED in oatmeal. It looked like she had oatmeal gloves on. She seriously baptized her hands and arms in the bowl of oatmeal, then lathered it all over her clothes, hair and body. So, while still trying to sound professional on the phone, I took her in the bathroom to wash her off before the damage spread around the house. (I had no free hands, so had to balance the phone between my cocked head and shoulder, which was really painful, since I had woken up with a kinked neck) When I finished she started screaming/crying, so I gave her something and locked myself in my room to finish the call.

Then I got Sophie and Lily in the car because we had an appointment. We drove there, and not until I pulled Sophie out of the car did I see that she had gotten a purple sharpie marker and drawn ALL OVER her body with it.... arms, legs, neck, dress. So I brought her in looking like a striped tiger. While there she pooped in her diaper and smelled the place up, but I had forgotten to bring diapers, so I had to wait until we got home to change her.

When we got home, I found out WE HAD NO DIAPERS left!! UGH, I hate that!! I forgot to have Bruce buy them when he went to the store the night before. Luckily Bruce had just come home early from work to get ready for a Scout Campout. He walked in the door and saw oatmeal now cemented like a waterfall frozen in time all over the counter, bar stool and floor (I didn't clean it cuz we had to rush out to the appt). Then I handed him Sophie and said, "Watch out, she has no diaper on under that dress, and I have to go to the store to buy some." Then I left him with a purple striped non-diapered Sophie and her oatmeal mess.

I have given her multiple baths since friday,

and I still can't completely get the purple stripes off of her...

so I just put tights on her for church today.

Having a 2 year old makes all of us laugh so much....

but SOME days it makes me CRAZY!!

Recognition Dinner

There was a dinner held for the mothers and young women who have earned their "Young Womens Recognition" Award this last year.

After countless hours spanning almost 5 years,

Ashlin finally completed this in January.

She received this Young Women's medallion,

which is a carving of the temple.

{nice crazy nails Ashlin}

In our church once the girls turn 12 they enter the Young Women's program until they are 18. Immediately they receive a personal progress book filled with goals to accomplish to eventually earn this special award. In order to receive the award the girls have to complete all the required goals under 8 different values: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.

They also complete a Value Project for each of the above values that takes at least 10 hours each. Some of the Value Projects Ashlin did were: learning how to make multiple meals on her own, make a cookbook of family recipes, read the entire Book of Mormon, be a team leader at a childrens camp over the summer, and more.

She was also required to go to church regularly, attend seminary, then regulary pray and read the scriptures on her own.

When I look at how much Ashlin has grown and matured spiritually over the last 5 years I am so thankful for the Young Womens program. Ashlin had to share how it has helped her grow at church and at this dinner. Both times she got so emotional as she shared how much she's learned to depend on her Father in Heaven and the importance of living the gospel every day. Her testimony was so so tender that I cried, and as a mother there is nothing more I could want then for her to know who she is and why she is on this earth.

Ashlin and I recently went to this modeling interview she thought would be fun to attend. I went with her and we listened to this lady talk about all the training models go through to help them with confidence, appearance and to train them in how to carry themselves. We left cuz Ashlin was not interested in participating. I couldn't help but think how superficial that training would be in comparison with the last 5 years of training Ashlin has had earning this award. We talked about it the whole drive home, how her confidence has grown in a real way, not because of superficial instruction on how to act confident. But because she knows in her heart that she really is a daughter of God, and nothing matters more than obeying His commandments and becoming who He wants her to be. We decided in that car drive home that because she clearly knows how God expects her to act, and she really lives that way, she has this confidence within her that can be obtained no other way.

I love you Ashlin and we are SO proud of you and the amazing young lady you have become!

(pictures taken by Sara Ratcliff in December for fun)

Fun.

I have to admit, I am a little jealous right now.

Ashlin and her friends just posted this picture on Facebook...

they are at a "Fun." concert.

Best. New. Group.

I have a bunch of their songs on my ipod.

Yesterday I drove to Zia Records to buy 9 of their new CD for Ashlin and her friends to secure them a spot at the signing/concert there tonight. And I WANTED to get one for me too... but I didn't want to embarrass Ashlin by having her mom there at the same concert.

Here's probably their most popular song:

(love the song, not necessarily the video)

My other favorites are: At least I'm not as Sad as I use to be, Light a Roman Candle with me... and some of the ones on their new album sound awesome too.

Today

Last night we decided that since there was no school today we would go on a family bike ride to the park for a picnic. Sophie talked about the "pic-a-nic" all night. We asked her what she wanted to eat... she said "chips.... and cheetos".

Then we got ready this morning. I made and packed lunch.

Then we had to borrow a bike pump cuz we couldn't find ours.

Then we all got on bikes (my 6 kids, Zack, and me) & started riding.

Then Lily said, "Hey... this is like the Sound of Music! Because we are all riding bikes and there are 7 kids".

Then I laughed, and thought Lily was so cute for saying that.

Then we kept riding & Dallin got mad at Logan for not riding faster.

Then we got to the Spectrum park we were planning on, but it was under construction and CROWDED.

Then I told the kids I didn't want to have the picnic there.

Then we kept riding to a different Spectrum park, even though the kids were all mad at me.

Then we all yelled at Emma to ride faster.

Then we got to the other Spectrum park, and there weren't any shade trees, so I wouldn't let them stop there either.

Then we kept riding to an Ashland Ranch park, even though the kids were mad at me again.

Then we got to the Ashland Ranch park, and there were big shade trees, and nobody was there, and it was perfect.

Then we had our pic-a-nic,

and everyone was happy.

Then Emma told us that she wasn't riding slow because she was tired, but because her ear hurt.

Then we made fun of her for saying that.

Then I took this picture of Sophie and we all laughed so hard at her crazy hair.

(don't mess with Sophie's cheetos)

Then all the kids left me alone on the blanket, to go play.

Then Emma snuck over to get some Oreos...

... and Lily found a dandelion.

Then Logan snuck over for Oreos.

Then Dallin and Zack ran over mad cuz Emma told them that the Oreos were all gone...

ha ha... but she was kidding.

Then we kept laughing at Sophie's crazy hair.

Then we eventually left.

Hooray for a good Presidents day.

PS- After we got home from the picnic, Ashlin took a picture of what the boys were doing in our backyard with her phone and sent it to me.

Then I told the boys to stop.

Then they told me they wouldn't get hurt.

Then I told them I didn't care if they got hurt, but I didn't want to pay to fix a broken deck rail.

Then they took their rope to the park to dangle from trees instead.

Last Saturday

The kids were SO excited about our Rockwell Block Party saturday.

But first they had a Piano Recital to worry about.

I was so proud of them, they did wonderful.

Emma played Pachelbel's Canon and Maple Leaf Rag.

Logan rocked out so cute playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and "I am a Child of God" from the primary song book. He played it 1st by himself, then Dallin accompanied with guitar the 2nd time through.

It was really pretty.

After Logan's basketball game (coach was so kind, and told him he earned "Defensive Player of the Game"), and some saturday cleaning (which we all hate) we moved on to a...

I didn't get a lot of pictures. But the Davis's, Cleggs and us were celebrating that all 3 of our houses broke ground (Congratulations Em & Mckane!), and we invited all the lot owners on the street. 9 of the 11 families came. The kids brought all kinds of riding things, which is perfect on that big empty street, and we had lots of food, a HUGE blow up slide, a snow cone machine and beautiful weather.

Here are some people on our lot,

looking at our basement progress...

Ashlin definitely earned "Most Valuable Player" for the night. Her and her friend were so SO sooosososososososo helpful with the kids all night then cleaning up at the end! (Do I say enough how much I love her???) Even though it turned out wonderful and we had a great time... it ended up being more work then I thought and I am vowing one of these weekends to not be in charge of a major event.

When it was over Lily said,

"Can we PLEASE have another lot party next week??"