March & April cont.

In no particular order

Babies change so quickly, I swear she looks so different now. I put a gate up that goes between the family room and the kitchen. She just perches herself up there and waits for me to come and pick her up. We now have to put one on the stairs cause she'll climb up all 16 of them by herself. She doesn't know how to go down though. April 3rd

Whitney came over with the kids to hang out one day and the boys asked to play outside. Then they started playing with the hose and wanted to turn it on so we just let them fill up the pool. Ryan asked if he could take his shirt off and that was fine with me, but I decided to just go get his swimsuit. I came back downstiars and he was naked.  A few second later we looked out the window and Chad was naked too. It was so funny! The water was freezing, but they played in it for a good while. March 29th

I've decided to change what I eat. I stopped making lots of the dinners I used to, because really there are so many better things I could be putting into my body and my families. One thing I've learned is that 1. It's not easy to change. 2. You really do need to do research. A lot of things that you think are "good" for you, really aren't.  3. With that said, there are so many foods that ARE good for you and they make you feel better too. I've been going to the gym 5 days a week for a couple of months now. Chris has been working out at school during lunch time when he can. We are eating healthier than ever and it just feels awesome. Do we have a good ole treat now and again. Of course! Do I feel guilty after eating it. Yes. I know I need to work on that, because it's not "bad" to have something you really want every now and again, but it's the now and again part that is the hardest. It's such a mind change!  I also was not born with a body that bounces back after pregnancy. Well in a way it bounces, that's for sure.:) Just not the type of bounce that I want! Right now I'm frustrated cause I'm working so stinken hard, but I hate journaling my food and therefore am suffering because I'm not seeing 100% of the results that I could. I know I can do it though. Because I can do hard things. And hard things really do become simple things later on.
I've also realized that childhood obesity is really a serious thing. We as parents have complete control over  what can go into their bodies. We have to be the examples. Just because they're kids doesn't mean they "need" sugar. I totally think it's ok for Ryan to have treats, but just not as often as he may think he needs them. By no means do I think Ryan is fat, he could stare at a treat and he would burn the calories, but I want to raise him to know how to make smart eating habits. So some day I'll have to post articles and recipes that we've really enjoyed, but for now blogging other things is more exciting :) speaking of treats....when I really feel like baking, I do. And I give it to my neighbor. She's a size 0 and loves treats. She told me to bring over anything that I bake and don't want!

I printed these from eighteen25 a couple of years ago and never have gotten the chance to use them until this year. Ryan took them to his friends in the neighborhood. Cute and super cheap. :)

I loved that flower in her hair...she pulled it out sometime and now it's gone. She does that A LOT. She also loves to pull off her bib. Even if it snaps she can get it off. She got blueberries on this shirt... I loved this shirt too. April 16th

We took the kids for a train ride around Town Square. 

Ryan got a conference packet in Primary and we also used the pictures from the Friend. He always wanted the prophet to be on the t.v., but enjoyed looking for the pictures of those who were speaking. March 31st

My parents were able to visit the end of March which was so fun. My dad hadn't been to our house yet either. He enjoyed visiting with our neighbors and seeing the Hoover Dam. We took them to the Gardens at the Bellagio and to see the fountains. Ryan and Paige missed them so much when they left. March 24th-27th

She really likes spaghetti. April 17th

 Whit and I met up at the 51's baseball game with our families. I think it had been a week since we'd seen each other and we were really missing one another!  April 23rd

 I was trying to get him to look at the camera but he was really interested in the game! I then told him to act like he was throwing me a baseball. That got his attention! Touro is really awesome at setting up activities for the students and their families to enjoy. The game was free and so were the hats.

Chris has become friends with some really great people at school.(not all pictured) I actually haven't seen them for a few weeks and I miss them! They are so sweet to me and our kids and are just so fun to be around. Chris introduced them to the game of BANG! and they are obsessed. They play during lunch any time that they get a chance to. Chad and Ryan being baseball "thugs." Paige and Paisley caught up on the latest gossip.

I attended the Power of Moms Retreat on April 21st. I learned so many wonderful things. Even though it's not church related many of the women are LDS. It was a 2 day spiritual conference and Chris was so awesome to let me go while he stayed with the kids.  I'm really trying to learn as much as I can about how to be the best parent I can be. I feel like Heavenly Father has blessed me with His children and I want to show my children that I value them and that I will always try and better myself as a woman, wife and a mother. I found out about Power of Moms through a blog that I'm pretty religious about reading. As silly as this may sound, she is a woman I want to be like. I just soak in all the information and spiritual insights she writes about. She truly inspires me.  I keep these thoughts posted on my fridge. They're just simple-but profound. At least for me and my life right now.


-- Do what you can to make sure your relationship with your children is a good one today. It won't just miraculously turn that way in the future without a little work.

-- Never underestimate how important it is to READ with your kids. It will strengthen your relationship as it builds their literacy skills and gives them a boost in school and in their future.

-- Partner with and support their teachers. Be involved.

-- Respect children as individuals. They may be completely different from you. Work to understand those differences and honor them.

-- Have fun.

-- Distraction is the key for toddlers. Distract them from their tantrums or their sassiness by turning the conversation to a completely different topic {this is one of my very favorite tactics that I had kind of forgotten about}.

-- One mom admitted that being a mom can be downright boring at times. Do something to make it interesting to you whether it is working on a hobby together or sharing your strengths/talents with your children.

-- One of the mothers never had enough money for private lessons of any kind. The kids taught each other what they would glean from others and they all became the best of friends.

-- Never underestimate the power of a little bit of "love and attention." When one of these mothers dealt with a child misbehaving or showing a little attitude she would grab them into a big bear hug and shower them with love and tell them it looked like they could use a little "love and attention." This would always end up in giggles and would quickly dispel the bad feelings.

Most importantly I realized once again the power of a good parent. A good, conscientious parent will in turn raise good parents, which will in turn change the world.

• Children value themselves to the degree they feel valued.
• Of course we love our children and we assume they know that.  But there is a difference between being loved and feeling loved. 
• You are a psychological mirror that your children use to build their identity.
• Be aware of giving technology more attention than we give our children.  Do our eyes light up when our children enter a room?  They should!
• Sometimes as mothers we habitually attend to what is missing or what is wrong instead of building up the good stuff.  She told a story of when she got so frustrated with her son for forgetting things and missing the bus.  She dropped him off at the school with all the weight of her lecture weighing him down.  As she was about to take off, her younger son rolled down the window and called out to his older brother: "I love you!!"  Oh the way she told that story made me so motivated to ease up a little on those lectures!
• Kids are such a work in progress...we should put ourselves in their shoes.
• Find the goodness in each child and build that up.  Reinforce the good parts of the day and how they made you feel.  We all need positive feedback, right?
• Compliment kids in front of the other kids...pray about how grateful you are for them with them at your side.
• Undivided attention with each child is so important!  
• We are all encumbered and frazzled by so many things.  We need to be sure that we acknowledge that those sweet children are so much more important than a phone call, email, blog post, etc.
• Show love through service.  The mundane (helping them clean a room, a sincere compliment) can become monumental.           

Elder Jeffrey Holland 

"Mothers, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are, better than you are, and better than you have ever been. And if, for whatever reason, you are making this courageous effort alone, without your husband at your side, then our prayers will be all the greater for you. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you. We thank all of you, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God."