A favorite.....

I saw this on a friend's blog and loved it so I thought I'd share...

"Boys are found everywhere-- on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping into. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older brothers/sisters tolerate them, adults ignore them, Heaven protects them. A boy is truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket."
--Alan Beck

Love and Logic Moment

I love those moments when the opportunity presents itself for you to teach your kids a profound lesson in responsiblity...which in our home happens quite often. Sometimes I'm not prepared for it and the opportunity passes me by much to my regret, but not this time. Here are my two oldest kids doing the dinner dishes. Note the look on Morgan's face. She's not happy about it because it is 6 AM and she and Layton just had a rude awakening that the dishes would not do themselves, and since they chose not to finish the night before, they would do it before they got on the bus. It is really hard for me to leave dirty dishes in the sink when I go to bed, and I almost did them, but Quinn stopped me. And I'm so glad. What a perfect chance for them to learn something! And I have to say, my kitchen was clean and dishes were done as my kids headed out the door that morning...and I made sure to give them a big kiss as they went! (I love that Morgan was so tired, she couldn't even stand at the sink and had to sit on a stool the whole time!)

Pack your bags kids, we're goin to Utah....

Or so we told them. What we didn't tell them was that we were headed to the AIRPORT in Utah, where we would then catch a plane to DISNEYLAND! All the way down for 3 hours they kept asking, when are we going to see our cousins? Are we there yet? And Quinn and I would just glance at eachother and smile. I was dying to tell them, but held out until we were in the parking lot at the airport, then I let the cat out of the bag...Kids, we're flying to Disneyland! And you know what? No one believed me! It wasn't until we were settled in the terminal waiting to board the plane that it finally sunk in.

So we boarded the plane and were off to "The Happiest Place on Earth". We arrived in L.A. at about 4:30 on Thursday afternoon, then rented a car and drove to Anaheim just in time to catch some dinner, and make a quick walk through "Downtown Disney", this great little shopping area with all sorts of cute little shops and cafes including Build-a-Bear and Lego Land...much to my kids delight!
We got up early Friday after much coaxing and pleading with my now super-excited kids who were "too excited to sleep" and headed off to Disneyland! Oh what a magical place..I think I had just as much fun as my kids. They had a blast. Kate being our one exception, the two year old stuck in the stroller all day who pretty much just tolerated it. She did get excited to meet all the characters though. And she did ride a few rides including the Madderhorn (I KNOW!!). Quinn said she was covering her eyes the whole time and when we finally got off, her poor little face was red from holding them so tight! Morgan and Layton's favorite ride was Space Mountain and Allie loved the Alice in Wonderland ride. We stayed in the park until 9:30 that night, after the fireworks were cancelled due to high winds that were apparently really high, because we felt nothing down on the ground! But we had a great day and REALLY sleepy kids!

The next day, after a quick stop at the beautiful San Diego Temple, we were off to Sea World! I was especially excited about this having never been, and wanting to ever since I was a kid. And I was not disappointed! I was completely enthralled with those amazing animals. They seem so happy and truly have such neat personalities. After seeing the Shamu show, we were able to have lunch pool side and watch the whales practice with their trainers. It was so fun to see them up so close. It was a very quick trip and the next morning we woke up early to catch our flight back to Utah... with some pretty happy and exhausted kids!

Allie

Allie was tagged by her cousin Madyson so here are five things that you may not know about Allie..

Allie was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

Allie has a special blankie that she has slept with since she was a baby. Her favorite part about it is actually the tag, which in her subconscious sleep state, she will feel around for until she finds it then rubs it between her fingers.

Speaking of sleep, Allie is always the one to say "I'm tired Mom, put me to bed. I've never had a tough time getting that kid to sleep!

Allie is definately a non-conformer. If everyone is doing it, she won't. Which is great except when it comes to the "fun days" at preschool...like last week was clown day when all the kids dressed up like clowns...except Allie. She's allergic to clowns she informed me.

Allie has a knack for making everyone laugh with her little antics...Here's the latest...
Allie and Kate in the bathtub:
Allie: Hey Kate, listen to this song...Don't you wish girlfriend HOPPED like me...

Allie is a great kid and we love her so much...she is my little shadow and I couldn't think of a better little companion to have around.

We tag:
1. Abby
2. Halle
3. Ella
4. Tyler
5. Emma

With my limited understanding of politics.....

I'm not usually the one to get on a political soapbox, or any kind of soapbox for that matter, but I guess with the current election, state of the economy, and media all combined into one, I can't help but feel a little concerned and frankly a little helpless. It makes me more than a little nervous that our future is in the hands of men in Washington who are less than honest and trustworthy, and definately NOT Godfearing.(Give or take a limited few) I can only take comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father is very aware of our situation and that if we are prepared, we shouldn't be afraid. I received this in an email from my brother recently and I loved it so much I had to share. I have always been a Diamond Rio fan, and this is awesome! Beautiful pictures, inspiring song! Not all of us can write music like this to get our voices heard, but we can research, study up, and definately be prayerful, and get out and vote this November! Okay, I'm off now.

Good Mail

THIS is what I call "good mail"! An email received from Layton's teacher last week:

I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy teaching Layton. He is a ray of sunshine in our class. I can count on him being "in the right place" and "doing the right thing". He deserves a hug for this! Mrs. C


And hug him is exactly what I did!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Morgan!


Ten years ago when Quinn and I were married, we received a serving tray from my aunt and uncle that has become one of our most cherished wedding gifts. It has been used, abused, and used again. We've used it for serving dinner to sick kids in bed, surprises for Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversaries, birthdays, and just because. I mean, really, how fun is it to wake up to the wonderful smell of fresh waffles and orange juice and know that someone loves you enough to get out of bed and go to all that trouble? Cute Quinn did just that for Morgan on her 9th birthday. What a great dad. And what a deserving kid. Here are a few things that we adore about our sweet Morgan:

*She has a heart of pure gold.
*She loves to help "be the Mom"
*She is becoming a wonderful babysitter..slowly but surely!
*She is very aware of other people's needs and is right there to help!
*She still sleeps with her "blanky" that she recieved at her baby shower!
*She loves music and often is seen bopping around the house with her ipod in her ears and the said "blanky" around her neck.
*She is a wonderful sister, daughter, and friend.
WE LOVE YOU MORG!

What is your most memorable wedding gift?