In my DREAMS!

Well our little family has lived in our Brookside home for 8 1/2 years now. When we bought our home it was a MESS. I can't even begin to find words to describe the filth of this house. So I won't. From day one we have been refinishing, painting, drywalling, intalling, removing, residing, updating, carpeting, improving, and remodeling! We LOVE our home now and have been able to make it what we want. However, I think we have decided that we don't want it to be our forever home.
Our dream would be to someday build a home of our own. There is so much we love about our home....except the layout. So after a few years of back and forth of whether we should add on to this home, buy a different home, or build one of our own. I think we have decided to aim high and go for our dream. BUILD! I am super excited. Mostly about making a decision! Plans could change and so could our circumstances and even our dream. But as of right now we have decided to try and save to maybe purchase a lot and build. Now before anyone freaks out, our timing on this plan of ours is somewhere in the area of 7 years or so. So there is a lot of time for plans to change. But as of now I am excited that we at least have a plan.
I actually have been looking at floor plans for awhile and found one that we both LOVE! There are a few modifications we would make, but for the most part this is the one.

http://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plan-75117DD.asp

L.D.S.

I recently went to a Stake Primary training. At this training we were challened to set a goal. It could be anything we wanted. And then we have to L.D.S. (Learn It, Do It, Share It). The goal that I've set is to read from the current Ensign or the Confrence Ensign everyday. I have really enjoyed doing this. It suprises me how much more my thoughts are turned to the Savior or the teachings of the prophet during the day. I really like having my thoughts on those things rather than the daily rigours of life. I feel happy and content.

A Great Weekend

Last weekend was alot of fun. We spent quite a bit of time together as a family. It was so wonderful. We took the kids to see Tangled. Which is an adorable movie by the way. But we had some time before our movie started so we decided to grab some lunch in the food court. On our way over there we of course saw Santa! Our girls were so excited. There was no line to see him (which I thought was strange for 12:00 noon on Saturday) so we walked right up. Hannah, with huge eyes, and a very serious face, walked right up to him and said, "I want a unicorn pillow pet!" It was hilarious. They got to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted. Brooklyn, oddly enough wants a box of cereal!! That's right, as if the 50 boxes I have in my basement aren't enough, she would like cereal! And she asked for some helium balloons. WIERD? But Santa is a pleaser and said he would see what he could do.
After Santa and lunch we took the girls to buy Christmas presents for each other. It was fun and challenging. We each had one kid and were trying to avoid each other, while shopping on basiclly the same isles.
I loved that day. It was so nice to just spend the whole day as a family having fun. It seems like forever since we have been able to do something like that.

My tender little girl

Last Sunday we watched, "Where the Wild Things Are" as a family. It was an enjoyable movie. Near the very end where Max is leaving the island, one of the "wild things", Carol, is so sad that Max is leaving. As I am watching the movie, and getting a little chocked up, I hear some little noises. I look over to see my sweet little Brooklyn has HUGE tears streaming down her face. She was trying so hard to not be heard. But when her dad asked if she was ok she let loose and burried her face into his shoulder and sobbed.
I love that she is so tender. When she was 4 years old she cried while watching Wall-E. And when she was almost 2 we were trying to have a little family home evening with her on baptism. For our opening song we played the song "I Like to Look for Rainbows". During the song she started to cry. It wasn't the typical two years old cry either. I really believe she felt the spirit.
She has always been this way. She is so sensitive to other children and their feelings. And she often can feel the spirit.
I love her so much and am grateful for the sweet spirit she brings to our family.

A neat experience.

Last Sunday was a good day and strengthened my testimony of prayer. An inactive friend of mine and three of her four kids came to church for the first time. Here's the story:

A few months ago I was given an updated visiting teaching list. On this list was a girl that is about my age and has four kids. She is completely inactive and leads a much different lifestyle from me. I felt very nervous and quite frankly scared to be her visiting teacher. Even though our daughters play together from time to time, I had never really talked to her. I wasn't sure how to go about be her visiting teacher. I knew I needed to become friends with her and it needed to be genuine, and yet I was still scared. So from time to time I would invite her to go the park with us or come over and just hang out while the kids played. Every time I was rejected.
Then, one day she accepted an invite to go over to my awesome visiting teaching companions (love ya girl!) house and have lunch. We were so excited and felt that this was a huge break through.
Then just this past fast sunday my, again awesome visiting teaching companion, called and suggested we fast for the girls we visit teach. I loved that idea and of course joined her in that fast. However, I had this one girl on my mind heavily during my fast. I was praying hard to know how to "reach" her.
Then this last weekend Brooklyn was scheduled to give a talk in primary and I was doing sharing time. The theme for October was, "The Mission of the Church is to invite all to come unto Christ" I contemplated that topic for a couple of days. I finally realized that I would not be the one to reach her, Brooklyn would. When I sat down with Brooklyn to write her talk I was discussing what that topic meant and challenged her to go invite the daughters of the girl I visit teach to come to church. She said she would but didn't want to do it alone.
So we walk over there and caught her just as she was loading her kids in the car to go some where. Brooklyn asked and the two little girls cheered and said, "yeah!! and mommy will come too! Right mommy?" She was caught off gaurd and taken by suprise and gave an excuse of why she couldn't.
Well, on Sunday morning Brooklyn and Hannah went over and woke them up to come to church. They didn't answer the door right away. It took much persistance from my kids. :)
We took only one of the girls to church with us and she did great. But then something awesome happened. During the second hour BJ motions me to come into the hall (I am in the primary presidency) and there is my friend standing there with two more of her kids. They were dressed and at church. I went back into primary and showed the other kids where to go and off went my friend to sunday school and relief society.
I come to find out that she had been fighting with her husband and decided that she didn't want to fight anymore so she was going to go to church. It was such an awesome feeling to see her there and realize that the Lord does hear and answer our prayers.

This is about Pooping!

So yesterday, I was in Provo having lunch with BJ, and Hannah was with us. As always she needed to use the restroom. So I take her to the bathroom and she needs to go #2. We were in there for a while (and she was going the whole time) when I said, "are you almost done?" She said, "No, this one is a big one!" And then, through grunting, watery eyes and a red face she says, "buuuuut it won't come out!" I just busted up laughing. Oh, to feel so comfortable in a public restroom.

Family Pics are kinda stressful...

We recently had our family pictures taken. And let me just say that it is quite a stressful event. Well, not getting them taken, but all the prep work. Finding the right outfits, right day/time, right lighting, getting myself and kids picture perfect ready and then trying to keep them that way. And then, just hoping that they will cooperate and smile. Phew, I'm exhausted. But I am pleased with the outcome.