Thursday, December 19, 2013

Beautiful Words to Live By

I follow this blog. She has beautiful words of encouragement and inspiration. I loved this poem and wanted to share.
When that little voice says, “You messed up again,”
Remember every tear you ever wiped,
Every knee you ever dusted off,
Every broken heart you ever mended,
Every disaster you ever fixed,
So someone else could be put back together.
When that little voice says, “You lost it again,”
Remember all the times you waited outside the school doors,
waited in the audience,
waited on the sidelines,
waited in the waiting room,
waited in the cold,
So someone else could be found.
When that little voice says, “You can do better,”
Remember all the times you put someone’s needs before your own,
Sacrificed sleep so someone else could rest,
Pushed away hunger so someone else could eat,
Gave everything you ever had,
So someone else could triumph.
When that little voice says, “You are missing out,”
Remember when you juggled a million things so you could be there.
When you smiled through your exhaustion,
When you crawled in the bed at midnight,
When you held a shaking hand,
So someone else could feel unalone.
When that little voice says, “You are ugly,”
Remember all the times you pushed your body beyond its limits.
When you endured the pain,
When you bore the weight,
When you ripped,
When you healed,
When you survived,
So someone else could live.
When that little voice says, “You are a failure,”
Remember all the times you protected,
You advocated,
You prayed,
You offered to lay down your life,
So someone else could be sheltered.
When that little voice says, “You might as well give up,”
Remember all the times you believed,
You encouraged,
You supported,
You rose to your feet and cheered with tears in your eyes,
So someone else could overcome.
When that little voice says, “No one needs you,”
Remember this: Someone does.
Someone counts on you to be there when he wakes up,
When she goes to sleep,
When he is scared,
When she is happy,
When he is sad.
Someone counts on you to be there.
Not perfect.
Not yell-free.
Not toned, fit, and styled.
To be there.
Not always calm.
Not always smiling.
Not always pretty.
To be there.
Trying and sometimes failing, but getting back up and trying again,
Hoping to do a little better than the day before.
So when that little voice says, “It’s not enough.”
Gather all the strength you have in your weary soul and say these three words loud and clear, once and for all:
I am here.
I am here.
Someone is counting on me to be here, and I am.
I am.
And today, that is enough.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Pics of the Family

Claire reading a story with Daddy

 Claire has been so into fly tying. Every night she begs Dallin to teach her how to tie a fly. She has a pink tackle box that she puts all the flies he ties for her. She wants a fly tying kit for her birthday.


Kate with her two favorite things...her "dee-uh" and a my little pony.


Winter Sunset

Claire spotted this sunset one evening and begged me to take a picture of it. She thought it was so pretty. I love it when my children notice the beauty in this world. I hope they will always have time to stop and smell the roses, listen to the birds, and gaze at a colorful sunset. So grateful for this world!

Thankful for Friends

Isaac Linger, Dallin and Trevyn Hobbs
 I got to help with our Thanksgiving party for Kate's preschool. The boys made these indian headbands,
Claire's good friend at school, Ellary Smith
 and the girls made these bonnets. I thought they turned out pretty cute.
Kate, Izzy Oliverson, Claire


Saturday, December 7, 2013

My Powdered Donuts

 It has become a tradition in our family that whenever someone is 9 or 10 months old roughly I let them play in a bucket of flour. Year one the mess was relatively contained because there was only one child. Every year the mess gets bigger...and bigger. Claire looks forward to this! She pesters me quite frequently, "Can we play in flour today? Ppppllleeeeaaaassseee?"
 Well, the day finally came and man was she happy!

Kate's hands



 They played with their barn animals.
 Sam loved to eat it...at first. I think he figured out though that it didn't taste very good.



 I am thinking that big sisters probably threw flour on top of his head.


 Sam has had enough flour fun


Friday, December 6, 2013

First Snow

 One Sunday morning we awoke to this...the first snow of the season. The kids couldn't help themselves but to run out and play!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Halloween 2013 Part 2

 This the kids cleaning out the pumpkin before we carved it. Claire loved pulling out all the guts, but Kate was not too sure she liked it.
 My little cotton tail bunny.
 We made a typical Jack-o-lantern. Claire wanted a scary-faced one.
 We also tried to make a Denver Broncos one and a Darth Vador one that did not turn out too well.
 My crew after trick-or-treating. Kate as Tinkerbell from the movie The Lost Treasure. She had a cute visor but she wouldn't wear it. She is wearing it in the picture with her preschool class. Sam was my rough and tough Harley Davidson Biker and Claire was my sweet little cottontail bunny.




 Attempting my pumpkin carving skills...which turned out to not be too good.
 Kate's preschool class: Dallin Hobbs (monkey), Byron Davidson (monkey), Trevyn Hobbs (ghost), Izzy Oliverson (Rapunzel), Kate (Tinkerbell), Claire (Bunny), Isaac Linger (football player)


Friday, November 15, 2013

Sisters

Sometimes Claire and Kate like to sleep by each other at night for whatever reason. I think it's because they get scared sometimes. Anyways, I think it is pretty cute. I don't let them all the time, but when I do it melts my heart to see them sleeping side by side. Hope they stay close together their whole lives, because my sisters are some of my greatest blessings....and my brother. :)

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Halloween 2013

So, Claire wanted to be a bunny this year for Halloween. I think she is the cutest little cottontail bunny ever! This is Claire all dressed up to go to the Ward Halloween Party. Kate unfortunately came down with strep throat the night before, so she had to stay home. It broke my heart to watch her watch her sister run out the door in her costume, but Claire is such a good sister she shared all her candy with her when she got home!
Hopefully all will be well by Halloween.

This weekend we made a trip to the pumpkin patch. This is the last year that this pumpkin patch will be running. Claire is so sad because she loves this cow train! She rode it 5 times!

Sam does not like to be stuck in anything. He wants to be on the go...or at least have the option of going if he wants to. He was not happy in the stroller so I sat him down in the grass amidst cow manure and pumpkins and he was happy as a lark!
Kate and her best friend, Izzy.




Claire and her good friend, Aiden.