....just call it {GOURMET}

 

  The kids invited some friends over and they were playing so nice and quiet in the playroom.  I was at the kitchen table catching up on emails and they came down into the kitchen and starting pulling things out.  They do this a lot!  They joyously pretend to be cooking something while they play house or restaurant so I thought this moment was no different. 

 

 Well,.. until I turned around and saw their magnificent food creation: 

Shredded Cheese Soup w/ Pan Fried Cheese. 

(they didn't turn the stove on,...thankfully!) 

Gross. 

I did scold them for their misdeed to which Ethan replied....

."We were so hungry Mom!  We had to make our friends dinner!" 

How cute and messy are these kids!???

 

Sidenote:  It is not easy to clean up shredded cheese off of a floor! 

...a {FANCY} Nancy party...with bugs!

Our cute nieces Leah and Ryen invited us to their "FANCY NANCY" birthday party!  The ladies were asked to wear their "fanciest" attire and the boys were asked to come ready to catch bugs.  We showed up with our fun outfits and had a great time.  The kids played some fun games and eventually ripped off their "fancy" and "bug" clothes because they got in the way of fun.  Before the party was over we heard the sound of an ice cream truck outside.   The kids squealed with excitement.  Little did they know the truck was just for them!  Nicole had hired Jana to come in the ice cream truck and let the kids each pick their own treat.  It was so fun and the kids loved it! 

 

Happy Birthday Leah!

Happy Birthday Ryen!

Ice cream for all....

Ethan and Nyah picking their favorite...

Ethan chose a BATMAN popsicle... Leah picked TWEETY BIRD...

Nyah picked out a SHREK popsicle...

 

..and Ryen chose Dora the Explorer!

...our little {COWGIRL}

 

Nyah made her dancing debut!  We enrolled Nyah in a clogging/tumbling class and she has really loved it.  Her cousin, Taylor also took the class and it was really fun to watch them practice their moves with each other.  They clogged to "Woody's Round-UP" and the crowd thought they were adorable.  We loved her teacher, Crystal (our old neighbor) and couldn't be happier with her experience.  Her teacher said she was a great listener and was always ready to dance.  So proud of this girl! 

...building {FORTS}

Ethan & Nyah woke up with a plan to build a fort today!  They even had a little snack inside!  We secured the blankets with elastics onto different chairs and the banister!  They loved it! 

 

...turning {Thirty-FIVE}

I had a wonderful 35th birthday!  I was spoiled by my dear husband, my sweet children, my family and friends!  I am so blessed and find that being {THIRTY-FIVE} is pretty awesome!  While there are many goals I have not yet achieved and lots of things I would like to do (like travel to FRANCE or somewhere tropical) ,..I feel very blessed to be where I am! I have a wonderful husband that tells me everyday that I am loved and treasured (boy do I have him fooled...)    I get to be a mother to the most beautiful children who bring me JOY and make me want to be better.  I have been blessed to be raised by wonderful parents who have taught me about kindness, service, unconditional love, hard work, and the importance of family.  I have treasured friends who have loved me through many stages of my life and have helped shape me.  And...I have a testimony of many sacred and important things and am very grateful for a loving Savior who is willing to forgive me continuously! 

My cute sisters took me to a movie the day before my birthday!  I adore these women and love spending time with them.  It was a great birthday gift to be together!  (We missed having Paige with us though!)

 Marty took me to the temple, out to dinner at the Garden Restaurant, and then to a late movie on my actual birthday.  It was so fun!  He also set up challenges for me to complete (35 of them) throughout the day while he was at work.  The twins loved helping me with all the fun he planned....

 

{WEDDING} fun...

 

We had the blessing of attending our good friends' wedding reception.  The bride is the sister of our dearest friends (Brandon and Heather) and was a student of Marty's at Viewmont Seminary.  We were so thrilled for the couple.   We had a great time at the reception and the twins had a ball dancing and eating from the fondue table.  Good times!  They included a photo booth for all the guests which became part of the sign-in book.  So clever.  WE had fun taking some shots as a family!

come listen to a {PROPHET'S} voice,..

When we were little, growing up in New York, we would travel to the stake center to watch general conference and then basically "live" at the church all day long.  My mom would bring us food and we would often times have picnic lunches outside in between sessions.  We dressed up in our Sunday's best and it was a great time but made for a LONG day for us kids.  Now, living in Utah we are able to view conference in the comfort of our home and in our PJ's!  It is the best.  Since the twins were little we've tried to include them as much as possible and they love it!  We are really looking forward to conference in a couple of weeks!  It is ever powerful,..... listening to men and women called of God!

Ethan and Nyah are excited to use our Conference Board.  When they see a member of the First Presidency or one of the Twelve Apostles, they get to pick the snack, treat, or activity that goes along with that speaker. 

Snuggling with mommy during one of the talks...

Graham crackers and milk while listening....

We absolutely LOVE conference.  What a blessing it is to have a living prophet and leaders of our church who so willingly stand worthy and ready to minister to each of us. 

 

 As a mother, I feel especially grateful for conference because it helps me understand my role, what is most important, and what we should be doing as a family.  Also for me, it is a treasure because I always walk away with greater hope and resolve.  There are times when the words spoken are a direct answer to my prayers and worries.  I can only  imagine what it was like to stand at the foot of prophets like Moses, Noah, King Benjamin, or Abinadi as they stood as a witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that just as they were prophets, we have a living prophet who reveals to us, in our day and for our time, the important truths and principles of the gospel.  It gives me an enormous amount of comfort knowing that our prophet stands as a mouthpiece for our Savior and is there to aid us in this mortal journey.