Aspirin

I read this story recently and it has really made me think. A lot. And sometimes thinking makes my brain hurt. Seriously. Because it gets me thinking about what my sign would be and what those around me might say like, "My mom yells at me when I don't put my shoes in my cubby even though I'm trying to show her my cool lego creation." Or, "I just need to sit down and play with the kids because I've had a long day at work/church." Or "No, I can't volunteer right now because I have to work to make enough money to put food on the table." Mine usually says, "I am TIRED and I really want a break from all the pressures." We've been wanting to get away for a couple months now, just as a family but it just can't happen because we have so many responsibilities at home, church, school, sports, etc. (though sports and school usually doesn't stop me). It just seems like life is so busy doing a bunch of things for ??? I'm not always sure the reason.
I recently had a fun time planning and attending a scavenger hunt for the young women at church at the Stanford Museum. The photo above is of one of my favorite pieces of art there. I love the colors and the light that the artist painted into the picture. I really don't enjoy museums a TON but I do love art and I can't wait until I can squeeze that into my crazy life. Ha!
Today I went outside with the little boys and sat on the steps and just looked at the trees and the (messy) yard and how nice it felt to be in the open air and to just take a break from e-mails and phones and laundry and all the other stuff that just clogs up my mind. I have to remind myself that most of my "pressures" are simple. Easily solved with a little hard work and time (that's tricky). Others like in the story are facing real, serious pressures that I hope to never endure. I am just thankful for my life. For my kids. My husband. My parents and Phil's parents. I am thankful for my Savior and for my Heavenly Father who sent me to a life where the Gospel would be present and I would be able to grow and increase my testimony. These are the aspirin for my headaches and boy do I need to be more mindful of them each day!

Pumpkin Picking 2011

No, there are no pumpkin pictures. Why? Because the main event of pumpkin picking around here is the bounces and slides you get to go on when your parents fork out a million bucks for 30 minutes of fun! :)

 Isaiah prefers to run and find the kids.

 Noah only liked going on the ones no one else was on (then you can't get bumped around!) :)

 Elijah made a friend, went on the HUGE slide a million times and then ran all over the place so he didn't miss anything. I haven't seen that sweatshirt in a while...ay yay that kid would lose his nose if it wasn't attached! :)

Emi did it all. On her own time. Her favorite happened to be the HUGE slide and the bounce house with the butterfly on top, of course! :)

Got Reverence?

Sacrament meeting lent itself to quite the entertainment for those seated around us on Sunday.

 I actually texted these picks to Phil during church because we were way in the back and I wanted him to be part of the fun! ;) haha

You can request this ensemble directly from our very own Elijah who is our definite creator of the house.

My (Little) Boys-don't tell Noah he's little though!

My Boys

 Preschool at home has been fun! We've bought new toys that were for us to learn the alphabet, but I guess an alphabet truck is just as good.

 Especially with those cute faces in it!

 Noah making sure there are doors that move.

 And then we demonstrate our knowledge of body parts. Where's your mouth?
Just a moment...

 There it is!

 And your nose.

 And of course, your eyes.

I really am enjoying the time with the boys. We learned about pumpkins, read a book about how they grow and then we turn them into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. We even went and looked at our half-dead pumpkin plant (aka Bambi's salad greens) and Noah found a pumpkin flower. Then we made some cute jack-o-lantern pictures with pastels. I will post the picture of Noah's because it is soooo him and how he draws. I love it. I love them. This is when being a stay-at-home, everyday, all day, even when you think you'll go crazy, mom is the best responsibility I could dream of having!

Texas-Size Fun!

 Emi started off tired.

 Elijah was excited.

 Noah was enjoying every minute.

 Isaiah wasn't so much a fan of the shuttle ride.

 Elijah being "forced" to sit next to his sister.

 Our room was AWESOME!

 Bunk beds and a day bed. AND a TV!

 These boys were inseparable and had so much fun together!

 Family is the BEST! We love all these people so much!

 None of the indoor shots came out good. Darn. Besides I was too busy sliding to take pictures!

 I don't know...

 Just having a good time after dinner next to the statue dedicated to 9-11.

 He takes my breath away...(so do the others, just saying...)

 Grandpa's buddy.

 Best friends and Emi hangin' in there with the boys.

 We ate A LOT of food!

 Now we're off to Tom's band performance at the High School football game. SOOO Cool!

 You can't see Noah, but he's there next to Grandpa. During the game he decided to sit next to me and give me hugs every 10 minutes. It was the sweetest thing. Oh and Isaiah fell down the bleacher. Those clappers almost got thrown by Shari (and me) into the garbagio. We thoroughly embarrassed Tom by yelling his name loudly many times.

 Aren't they handsome?!

 Tom is the 4th from the right. We think he has the nicest form. Haha

 His adorning fans...

 The reason we all came together...the baptism of James. It was so wonderful.

 Alli was such a gracious host. I sure hope Emi will be as wonderful, helpful, kind and of course beautiful as her. What a great girl!

Emi having a little party on the floor. 

Fishing at the Bass Pro Shop was SOOOO fun. I I mean, Noah had one several times but they stole my his worm and got away! If I'd he'd had just a couple more minutes I he could have gotten it! haha

 Watching them feed the Bass was amazing. Live fish one minute, lunch the next.

 That there would be a Gar. Scary looking!

 No Saturday afternoon would be complete without a fort building session.

 While the ladies talk.

 Noah has a Caillou break. I LOVE iPads and wifi!

 Of course, Nerf gun fights are a must as well.

 Then we went to church. Boy we were tired and a bit naughty. Some of us might have left after sacrament.

 Bet you can't find me hiding under the chairs, Mom.

 In place to avoid the guns.

 While the men watched the 49ers kill the ?. Shows you how much of that I partook of.

 Emi convinced Alli to do her makeup. :)

 We spent part of the last day at the Great Wolfe Lodge doing their "Quest" game. They had a blast finding all the hidden things and pointing their wands at them and lighting them up and running through the hallways. It really was an amazing hotel.

 Then we headed to the park.

 And had a great time.

 Until Isaiah found a fire ant hill! Yes, lots of bites and one sad little boy.

 For some reason this is Noah's smile right now. ??? wish I had one of his drawings. It looks just like this...

 Frozen custard. Finally. I'd been waiting since Utah! Do we look a little tired and hot?

 Young love. This is what Phil and I looked like back in the day...so sweet. I just love Tom. He is such a great young man who is funny, kind, helpful and of course, handsome. :)

 No, you can't go on the carousel, Emi. We don't have time. Mom
We'll just go look at it. Kristi
Then you see the above picture. She is so good at getting what she wants! :)

 We got to go in the cockpit and meet the pilots and push the joystick that drives the plane. Amazing!

We had the best time! We LOVED being with family and just having a good time. Getting away is so necessary at this moment in our lives or else Phil is never really with us. So thankful that we can do things like this.