"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley


"None of us come to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us."

--Sheri L. Dew

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The trouble with backyards....

The only trouble with backyards is my children come in a whole lot dirtier than if we had gone to the park.  Today we got the pool out, so hot, even in the shade, and Grace and Thaddeus made mud, Madelyn got into it and was licking it off her fingers like it was Spanish chocolate not even making a yucky face.  When we came in I had to strip Thaddeus down because he was covered in sand (note: pour baby powder on sand and it comes right off, it's amazing)  Grace was the cleanest one and she had raspberries on her face. 

It is okay though, I wouldn't trade our backyard for a million dollars!!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Articles of Faith

    Today was the day.  We've been working for this day for quite a few months!  A couple things have gotten in our way, illness, vacation, lack of trying/practice, but today they did it!  Grace and Thaddeus both passed off their final Article of Faith!  Those two are amazing.  Grace remembered a lot of them from passing them off last year and would sing them to Thaddeus.  We sang while we brushed teeth, we listened to them in the car, over and over and over again.  Thaddeus had some days where he was done learning them and didn't want to pass them off.  He is a shy little boy and I think we'll need to pass them all off about 5 times each before he is FULLY understood each time :)  (I made sure he really knew it before I would let him try to pass if off) 
   Thaddeus is only 4 years old!  And he only turned 4 in March, so it's not like he is practically 5 or anything.  He is probably the first sunbeam I have ever heard of to pass them all off.  And the really neat thing is this, he came home and told me he wanted to learn them with Grace, and off they went.  We'll see if we can't get Madelyn to do it while she is still in nursery :)  If she ever learns to talk, she still only has about 5 words, at least that we understand :)  Anyway, we are excited and I thought I would share!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Good Parenting

Have these words ever come out of your mouth?  "Be reverent"  I bet they have.  Have they ever come out of your mouth during prayer?  And here is the kicker, have you ever yelled those words?  Yep, I have.  I'm not sure if that is and all time high, or low......