Rainy Day

Today it's raining! My room was dark this morning when it was time to wake up and I thought that I should just stay in bed for a little longer. I prefer to have the sun wake me up, but I got up anyway and read scriptures and had family prayer with the boys. Then Bryce and I studied Preach My Gospel on the subject "Teach when you find, Find when you teach". It was a great reminder to keep looking for people to share the gospel with. Then when you find someone, don't be afraid to say something.

Then I woke the girls up and fed them breakfast. After a yummy bowl of cereal, we headed into the living room and cuddled up on the sofa in a blanket while we read Mosiah 3. King Benjamin was speaking to the people as they camped around the temple in tents. What a neat General Conference that would have been. All the saints were gathered around and living in tents while their King spoke to them. Those that could not hear him, were brought the word from those that could hear. I imagine this to be their 'Home Teachers' or Elders of the church. Those that could hear him wrote down what Benjamin said, which would have taken a long time to write all of that down and to spread it among the saints.

We drove Emma to school after she got bundled up in her coat once again. I almost put those winter clothes away for the year. Good thing I didn't. We are longing for warmer weather.

Gracie came and cuddled with me while we warmed up together and then she had a fun idea! "Let's have a competition with the hoola hoops!" I'm thinking, "Oh my! I haven't hoola hooped for a long time." This little Tootsie Pop can hoop a hoola for a long time! Here is what I learned today:

1. Kids can find fun in any kind of weather!

2. Apparently, my hips can't move like they used to.

3. Never compete with a little girl who has more energy than you.

4. Don't let pride get in the way of letting your 5 year old beat you at something you used to be good at.

5. Enjoy the Moment! Take pictures and write about the small happy moments in life. They are too important to forget about.

Well, off we go to get lunch for the little Tootsie Pop and send her off to Kindergarten. Then off I go to the computer to update all of my receipts from missionary/birthday/Easter shopping.

Hooray for kids that keep us young and happy!

Life like a River

We took an unforgettable trip down Oneida Narrows last August and had a wonderful time as well as a great learning experience. We put the young kids in a rectangle raft that I had and we had the adults surrounding the raft as we headed down the river. There were slow parts and a little white water. Nothing like the Big Kahuna, but fun for a tube. As we headed down the river, we came to some forks. Every time we came to a fork, we would choose the right side to follow. But one time, one of the teenage boys didn't get over far enough and the current took him down the left side. As we floated to the point where the two met again, we noticed that the water was stagnant, mossy and filled with tall grass. He had to really work to get out of that to get back on the right path. We left one adult behind to wait for him and we kept floating. Occasionally we would come to some pretty big rocks that we had to paddle to get around. Towards the end the kids were frightened because of the white water. When we were paddling around the rocks, we were dragging that huge raft with us which made it difficult to move very quickly. We really had to watch ahead and plan out which way we were to go before we got to the rough water ahead.

As we go through life, we often have times where we just float. Meaning, life is good and we just get to enjoy the view and each other. And there are times, we come to a rocky path that can either help us to rely on our Heavenly Father to make it through, or we can ride it alone. The kids were surrounded by others to protect them and help them. We would try to guide them down the right path so that they would not get hurt. How many times have we tried to teach our children to always 'choose the right' and that we will always be there to help them along the way? When life gets tough ahead, it is better to be prepared to know which direction to take. It is better to go through life with a constant companion that will love and help you no matter what. We all have choices and sometimes we do not always choose the right path to follow. When we choose to take that wrong path, our spirit becomes stagnant and filled with guilt. We have to work hard through repentance to regain our testimonies and come back to right path. It is still possible! The best part is that we will always have others who love us waiting on the other side to welcome us back.

Happy Independence Day

I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Graduation!

This is Bryce. He is one awesome boy and I'm proud to have him as my son. Do you see the white cord that is hanging around his neck? That says, "I did it, I reached my goals and I maintained a 4.0 grade point average through all of High School." He actually achieved this beginning with 7th grade. I kind of wish they had an award for that, but they don't. He completed 5 AP classes and earned a 30 on his ACT. That boggles my mind, considering I took 1 AP class and didn't do that good on my ACT. He definitely got his dad's good looks and brains. (Maybe he got his stubbornness from me?)


Do you see those dimples and brown eyes? Those got him out of a lot of trouble as a kid. Tom and I kept saying to each other, "Man he is stubborn! If we can teach him to be a good kid, he will never sway from it." I can't say that he has never been naughty, because 'Time-out' was my best friend while he was little. That is, little enough to still be able to pick him up and haul him there. However, when he turned 4, something clicked. He then became this cute little determined boy, who was going to do his best in everything. If it weren't for his determination, and drive, Matt would have been stuck in the same piano books for years. We as parents have never, and I do mean never, had to ask him if he got his homework done. He just did it. He doesn't like to have things on his task list, so he just gets them done. Whenever there was extra credit offered in school, he treated it like an assignment and did it. Most often he would have above 100 % in his classes because he would do the extra credit assignments.

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took of Bryce. It was the symbolism of the whole shot. To me, it's like he is walking away from High School, looking to the future and still taking all of the knowledge that he gained, with him. Bryce, you are Amazing and I love you so much. You have been a great example to me and our family. Even though you have passed me up in height, you will always be my "Buddy Bryce". CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Happy Birthday Tom

Everyone helping clean up after dinner. I made lasagna, a fresh green salad, and corn with hot garlic bread. Then for dessert, we had fresh Strawberry shortcake. It amazes me how many dishes it takes to make a big meal like this. At least everyone was helping clean up.



Tom and Gracie together. Gracie gave her Dad about 5 presents wrapped in Spiderman Wrapping paper. All of which were hand drawn pictures for him. She also gave him a lot of hugs. Then, after he opened them all, Tom thanked her for all of the presents and asked "How come I get all of these from you?" she climbed on his lap and said, "Because, I love you, today."



I love that smile!
Emma and Tom together. Emma wanted to stay home for her dad's birthday. When she woke up in the morning, she had a fever and croupy cough. She got what she wanted though.
Tom's favorite hero, Thor, is coming to theaters on May 7, thus the gift with the Thor hammer and helmet. The boys dared him to wear it to the movie with them.

Thomas Albert Hales
I am married to my best friend. I usually tell him everything, unless I spent way too much on something for me. However, he has this sixth sense that when he sees something new, he knows it's new and asks, "Is that new?" I'm always amazed at this, because his memory is not all that great when it comes to other, more important, details.
This man, I love, was born on April 26. He must have come with a good disposition, although his dad remembers babysitting him once, when he was a baby, and he cried the entire time. I have learned that he loves good food, good compliments, and lots of love! He is hard working! Thus the reason for his huge muscles! On holidays, he would rather accomplish a project with the family than go somewhere to get away. Sometimes, this means that the kids come to help while grumbling about working on a Holiday. Once the project is finished, everyone is happy and glad they got to spend time with each other.
He is a great example of optimism, love, courage, knowledge, service, forgiveness, charity and humility. He has never raised his voice at me or the kids. He has been stern with the kids when they needed discipline. To me, this shows that he has control of his temper and his words. I couldn't ask for anyone better than him to share eternity with.
I love you Tom!

Recognizing the Blessings

Emma and Gracie eating breakfast.
Gracie didn't want anyone to see her cute curly hair.

We were gathered in the kitchen. It was Tom's dish day, but I decided to help wash the big pans that don't fit in the dishwasher. Tyler was drying. Tom was washing the counters. Emma and Gracie run out to give Goldie a treat, the ends of the loaf of bread. They come in giggling because Goldie licked them, thanking them for the treat.
The kids sit at the counter and draw pictures for Matt while they sing songs with each other. It's moments like this, that make me aware of the wonderful blessings we have. Family, Music, Life, Sunsets, Spring, and Lots of Love!

Who Are Your Heros?

We just spent a wonderful weekend watching and listening to the Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For all the talks Click Here

I hope that you can find a Latter Day Hero among these great leaders.