December Randoms

[2013]

Olivia Turns 4 (Part Two)

I wanted to do a Friend Party for Olivia this year. She had 3 friends that she wanted to invite. Two of them could come. Boys were not allowed. Seriously. The only reason Daddy was there was because he snuck in! 

It was so simple. We ate hot dogs, opened presents, played some games, and ate cake! 

It was simple and great!

Halloween Party

[Oct 2013]
Every year, around this time, we get together with Olivia's Baby class...all these cuties were born within a week or two of each other.. Olivia was the last bundle to arrive! It's been such fun staying in contact over the years and watching them grow. Given that is was so close to Halloween, all the kids dressed up! It was pretty funny to watch Aubrey... a few ok the little ones would follow her around and pet her. She wasn't too sure what to do with that! ha! 

Thanksgiving

[October 2013]

We did Thanks Giving on our own this year! 

Olivia went down to  Grandma's house. 

We had some friends invite us over for dinner on Saturday. And then we had other friends invite us over for Dinner on Sunday! Yay!! It was a lot of fun! Here are a few pictures from Saturday.

Work, Funerals, and Callings

[June 9]
I have in my mind that date-night every Friday would be quite nice, but I'm noticing that by the time Friday comes I am completely exhausted and am just grateful for some R&R if I can get some. Wes has been working super long hours (his sub-contractor has quit and there has been a few hiccups)...so, when he arrived home at 7:00 pm on Friday he took the girls out for a date (since they have barely seen him), and I just watched a movie. Both of us fell asleep early. :)  It was nice and the girls were thrilled.

Saturday we attended a Funeral for Dave Armstrong. Wes was sad. Dave had been Wes' (and family) home-teacher for as long as he could remember. Dave was only 61 years old. A few weeks ago Wes had a painting estimate in the area that Dave lived. It had been a long time since Wes saw Dave (probably at our wedding) so he decided to stop by his home. It was then that Wes learned Dave was suffering from cancer and was only given a short time to live. 2 weeks later, Dave passed. Wes was grateful for that visit.  We just never know how long we have. Life is so short.

After the funeral, Wes dropped me off at Home Business Launch, he picked up the girls from our friends who were watching them, and turned around to pick me up.  I ran an errand before Wes went to a Priesthood leadership meeting with the Stake.

The girls were bathed and in bed at a good hour (7:00) which I was super happy about because we are having a heck of a time these days staying reverent during Sacrament meeting.

The girls woke up happy, and I decided that the girls can choose 1 toy each (because more than that they seem to fight over them all). Sacrament meeting today went better, but Aubrey just does not like it in there! .... I'm not sure what to do!

Wes was sustained as the new Ward Mission Leader (still also serving in the EQ Presidency until they have a replacement for him) and he spoke in Sacrament Meeting about the importance of Family Home Evening (I had to laugh a bit when I heard the topic because we definitely are lacking in this area!...time to repent and re-commit!). I managed to hear the first couple of minutes, and the rest was a hit and miss. I always enjoy hearing him speak in church.

The rest of the day was enjoyed by naps, meetings, a Bishop visit, a bump on the head (poor Aubrey hit her head on the coffee table), a walk outside, chocolate chip cookies, and a movie with the Family.

Freedom!

I am just sooo happy that the Dayhome is done. I love having the freedom to just do whatever we want! We come and go as we please, we get up when we want, and stay out during the day as long as we want! I absolutely love it! We also love the weather!...we've spent as much time as we could outside, playing at parks, and exploring (Olivia loves to pretend she is Dora and is leading us on an adventure). 

Wonderful Weekend

Yesterday we had the privilege of having a friend (K.M.) over for dinner with his daughter and the missionaries. K has been to church with us a couple of times, and has met with the missionaries a few times. It was such a nice visit and conversation. We discussed the Book of Mormon and how it has blessed our lives. I love the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for the answers it gives me, the direction I can receive and for the spirit it brings. I was feeling a bit stressed leading up to the dinner, but it really was such a perfect evening. 

Wes' cousin, Matt (and his wife Stephanie) had a beautiful baby girl last night. So, so precious. Having a baby really is the most miraculous thing. I am definitely in the stage where it melts my heart every time I see a newborn.  Melts. My. Heart. We are excited for them!!

This morning was date time for Mommy and Olivia. We went to get our nails done, went out for lunch,  and went shopping! We had so much fun together and had the perfect time. I love my little Liv!

A quick nap followed and then I ran off to a Mentor Meeting while Wes and the girls went on a walk. 

Home again to laundry, laundry, and more laundry. In between loads, Wes and I studied out of our Sunday School Manual.

I'm excited to dress the girls in their new Easter dressed tomorrow! Hopefully I'll be able to snag a quick photo before church!

Utah Trip!

]\Wes and I decided that we should take a trip before my Mat. Leave was up (Nov 1)....so, we decided to take a trip to Utah!...good timing, with conference just around the corner!  Olivia barely slept on the way down, but did SO GOOD! We took a few extra stops a long the way. What a little trooper she was!

Mary! I was so happy she was able to fit in a visit with us! I met Mary on my mission...she would come out with the Sister's a lot and ended up going on a mission herself. It was a great visit.

Emily was my 2nd-last companions on my mission! We had a lot of fun together and she was gracious enough to allow us to stay in her new home. It was fun hanging out and catching up.

Teaching Olivia about Emma and Joseph on Temple Square. I like how I'm pointing at one, and she's looking at the other. ha!

The Lion house...we ate lunch here.

An original accounting book used. If you look closely, you can see that Brigham Young purchased something for $9.00

Some of Brigham Young's (you can see his initials) original tools used to build the temple.

A letter Brigham Young wrote to his son.

Did you know Brigham Young created a new Alphabet? I had never known that! He did this as a way to help immigrants transfer from their first language to English. Pretty cool.

The room where the revelation regarding the Spirit World was received (recorded in D&C 138)

Olivia with her cousin, Morgan. I can't get over how grown up Olivia looks in this picture.

Taking a ride on the puppy!

Tracer is such a great fisher! He caught 3 in the few hours that we were there! So fun to see his enthusiasm...and skill!

Looking at a real fish for the first time. I can't remember if she actually touched it, but I don't think she did.

Eating her very first Oreo! She loved it!

 We had such a nice visit with Wendy Watson-Nelson. (that is who gave Olivia the oreo)

Beautiful backyard!

A visit to the pond with Adam and Brionna

This is a mural in one of the oldest chapels in Farmington.

Kisses from Daddy!

Olivia and her new friend, Kara.

Me and Marilee. I met Marilee when I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 13. Marillee, Rosalie (her twin), and I quickly became BFF's. So glad that we've kept in touch over the years!

Marilee and her mom, Tena. Tena invited us over for Cafe Rio.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

This is a view from our seat. Pretty close, considering the conference center seats 20,000 people.

We were so happy to be there!

Following a session...the First Presidency shaking the hands of the Apostles.

A view of the Conference Centre

Olivia trying to pass the time on the ride home.

This actually is from the way down...we stopped at the Idaho Falls temple...and, they had a Visitors' Centre.

Idaho Falls Temple.

A fountain on top of the Conference Centre (directly above the pulpit) representing the 4 corners of the earth.

Inside the Tabernacle

Here are Adam and Brionna...they also let us stay with them for a few days! (this is an old picture). And, the even watched Olivia ALL day on Sunday so Wes and I could attend both sessions of conference.

So, let me tell you something amazing. In between Sunday sessions, Wes and I were just enjoying being in the centre and watching General Authorities come out and mingle with other people. They were in a roped-off section that we were not in. We watched Elder D. Todd Christofferson (still behind the rope) shake hands of people two rows ahead of us. We were standing up at the time. Wes told me to go up to him. He is a General Authority, not a celebrity, so I didn't feel it was appropriate for me to bombard him. I just stood there. Then, Elder Christofferson crosses over the rope and approaches the row directly in front of us. After shaking a hand or two, he looks at me and Wes, shakes our hand, and asks, "Do you two know each other?" (sort of jokingly)...Wes told him we were married.  He moved on, and to my knowledge did not approach any one else in the row we were sitting (just the row in front of us).  So amazing.

There's more....a few minutes later when we were sitting back down I remembered something: the night before as I prayed, I had asked Heavenly Father if I could meet an Apostle. I asked Him only once, and didn't even think about it again....hmmm

Could you say that it was coincidence? I'm sure you could, however, I've said it before and I'll say it again: "Coincidence it God's way of remaining anonymous".  That specific tender mercy reminded me that Heavenly Father hears my prayers, and is aware of the desires of my heart....big or small. He knows me. If that experience never happened, I would still be OK and still have had an uplifting and edifying time at conference. But, it did happen...my Father in heaven heard my prayer and blessed us both with that experience. These "tender mercies" happen in each of our lives...we just need to recognize them.

I know that Heavenly Father is there, He is real, He loves us, He hears our prayers, He knows the desires of our hearts...

Our entire week was fun, educational, spiritual, and amazing in every way.  I can honestly say that we came back with an increased desire to be more kind, more loving, more patient, and more like our Savior. We are better people because of the experiences we had there, and the spirit we felt.