Merry Christmas!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Our day was very relaxing and great. All the kids are so happy with their gifts and very grateful, to our surprise. Here are some pics I took throughout the morning. Check out my other blog at www.thepinkstamper.blogspot.com to see the gift Katelyn made for me.

Christmas Eve!

I cannot believe that it is actually Christmas tomorrow. I really want this season to last longer. It feels like it came so quickly this year and now is suddenly gone. We have so many Christmas Eve traditions that we squeezed into tonight. I can really tell that my kids are getting older because my girls are enjoying different things. For their Christmas Eve gift they all opened up matching jammies and my girls were so excited when a few years ago they wanted to open another one up after. Madelyn came up to me two times to thank me for her new jammies. She really appreciated that they all matched this year. Here are some of the highlights of our night....
Here is the Cardon traditional "Make Your Own Pizza".....



This year for the family Nativity I actually bought different types of Muslin from the fabric store to make costumes. All I did was fold the material in half and cut out a hole for the head. The rope sinched around the waist and head were the perfect added touch.





Here is a pic of them all by the tree in their new matching jammies. Aren't they so adorable??

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Thomas!!

Thomas just turned 3 last week. He is such a ball of energy, you could say. He is such a sweet boy but definitely the bully of the family. He tends to get his way with the other children because nobody wants to stand up to him. For his birthday we had the traditional breakfast in bed then had a family party after dinner that night. Here are some of the highlights.

Brayden's Day

Brayden had a wonderful 1st birthday. We started out by giving him the traditional "breakfast in bed" of homemade pancakes and yogurt. In the morning he had his professional 1 year pictures taken. After dinner we celebrated by having cake & opening presents. He had a blast!!

Trimming the Tree

Every year we decorate our tree the day after Thanksgiving. We are very blessed this year to be able to buy a 7 1/2 foot tree. We had our 5 foot tree since we got married. Wow! The big one sure makes a difference. We let the kids decorate the entire tree this year again. I don't even care if it's not perfect because it is their art! Growing up my mom also let us kids decorate the tree every year. What a fun tradition!!




Last night at the store I bought ingredients to make gingerbread houses. We are going to start a new tradition this year of making them. I know Bryan's family made those growing up but we never followed suit until now.

Have a great day everyone! I have a lot to work on for Christmas presents. I got my Christmas cards ordered on Thursday so hopefully they will arrive next week so I can get them in the mail.

Family Home Evening

We had such a fun family home evening last night. We learned about how being grumpy makes everyone else grumpy. We played a game called "Here, Kitty Kitty", and then made Christmas tree ornaments. For the treat we had some homemade pumpkin pie that Madelyn and I made before FHE. Here are some fun pics.

One Year Ago

One year ago I was preparing for the birth of this precious little baby. I remember not feeling my best but being ready for this change. Brayden has brought so many blessings to my life. He is such a sweet baby boy. I can't believe he will be 1 in a little over a week. Time flies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we went to our friends, the Newtons, home for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time!! Katelyn helped me prepare the rolls, frog-eye salad, and pies before we left. Hope you all had a great day, too! I am so thankful for my family and all the Lord has blessed me with, which is so much!

I love Fall

My most favorite season of the year is Fall. I love how cool it feels outside but is not totally cold yet. I love the leaves changing to beautiful colors outside. I love the holidays that come in the Fall and all the gatherings that come with that. I love taking pictures of my family and scrapbooking them later while remembering all the fun times we had.

I haven't posted on this blog in quite a while. I haven't blogged that much in general. Guess I've just been busy with my life. I'm not feeling that well this week. I think I have a stomach virus and I'm just a little bit moody. Don't tell Bryan that I've admitted to the second part. I don't know what it is all about but I just haven't been myself. I think I am analyizing things too much.

Yesterday I got to spend all day scrapbooking in OKC with some friends I met online in the scrapbooking community. They were all super nice and I was able to make some new friends. We are going to do this quarterly and I am in charge of the next one. The girls that were in charge really went all out with the decorations and goodies. I won the huge doorprize at the end of the day and it was worth well over $100. I only paid $20 to go so I got that all back. I was so super excited!

Today I'm going to spend getting my house in order for tomorrow's scrapbooking day. A few of the girls from church are coming over for a couple of hours. My house is still pretty clean from last week, believe it or not, so I only have a few loads of laundry to do today. FUN!

I am letting Katelyn stay home from school today because her throat still hurts and she doesn't feel well. She missed church yesterday, too, because of it. She is definitely going to school tomorrow but I went ahead and told her to go back to bed this morning. Poor little thing. She hates missing school because she doesn't want to get behind.

I've really been enjoying the New Testament in my personal scripture study. There are so many parables & stories that are familiar to me but I've never read. It seems like simple reading to me. I miss reading the Book of Mormon so I am starting to add some of that to my daily routine, too, instead of just reading that as a family. The BOM was written for our day and there are many teachings in there that I can apply to my life now. If you've never read it I highly recommend it. You can go to www.mormon.org and request a copy or I can send you one. :)

Well, I'd better get on with my day. I just wish I could feel normal. I just have all these thoughts in my head and I can't contain them.

I wanted to add that Bryan's practice is doing great! They have doubled their patients since last month which is really wonderful. Maybe now we can start making a dent in the money we owe. I don't think people realize that we haven't even started paying anything back yet because when we were in the AF it was all deferred. Also we had to pay for the residency and we didn't get paid. The phone calls are already beginning for donations and I'm trying not to get irritated but I would like to get out of debt first. You know what I mean. We have lived like students for 11 1/2 years now and I'm ready to be out of that phase.

Have a great day!

Hello

Well, I haven't been on my blogs much this past week. I have taken a moment to reflect within. I have made some changes to my daily schedule and I have found that I am getting more done, having a better attitude, and serving my family better.

Here is a brief update on my past week......

Monday I had a day of preparation. I was having some girls from church over the following day so I needed to get my home in order. I started the day by waking up at 6 am to read my scriptures. I am reading about Jesus in the New Testament and I am feeling like I am understanding it a lot. Bryan and I have also started studying the Doctrine and Covenants together at 6:30 right before he goes to work and then saying a couples morning prayer. The children do not get up until 7:30 am so I still had some time to myself so I picked up a copy of the Ensign and read a talk by the late 2nd Counselor in the Presidency of our Church, President James E. Faust. I had a great day!! I wasn't even tired like I thought I would be. Monday night our family had the regular Family Home Evening where Madelyn gave the lesson on Prayer.

Tuesday I had a few friends over for scrapbooking. I got so much done!! I had prepared 16 pages the night before so all I needed to do was put them together. I think they all turned out great! After piano we just had a quiet night at home. I have decided that the TV is off during the week so the kids are really learning how to amuse themselves and use their imagination.

Wednesday I didn't do much but clean my house and play with the kids.

Thursday was my Book of Mormon Institute class. I really love getting together with other moms and adults to discuss the teachings of the Book of Mormon. What a wonderful set of scripture that is. Even if you are not a member of the LDS faith I highly recommend reading that book just for the stories alone. They are amazing!!! A lot of the same teachings are found in the Holy Bible we just have another set of scripture that is another testament of Jesus Christ. They really go hand in hand. If you would like a copy just let me know. :)

Thursday night we all went up to Madelyn's school to see her perform in the 2nd grade play. She did wonderful!! We took her out for ice cream after so it was a very late night for my family.

Friday we didn't do much. Katelyn went with her friend, Andrea, ice skating. It was her first time and she had a blast.

Saturday we organized the house and did a lot of cleaning. Later that night I went with the Young Women to a YW in Excellence at our church. After we went to Braums for a girls' night out. It was fun.

Yesterday I went to church for a Fast & Testimony meeting. I really felt the Spirit. I do have a testimony of Jesus Christ and it is growing stronger every day. I taught the girls in YW about Honesty and we had a great discussion.

Now here I sit on the computer. I will get off now and get my chores done. I am going to try to do a better job of being a homemaker. I have been slacking off in many areas and I know I can do better. My family deserves a hot meal every night for dinner and a clean house.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Scrapbooking

Today I had some friends from church over and I got 16 scrapbook pages done!! I love my Cricut. It is the best investment I have made lately.

I Wish You Enough

I just got this quote from a great e-mail my friend Heather sent me. I took this part out of it because it is what touched my heart the most.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

Life is good....

This weekend General Conference was so wonderful. I took great notes of things I want to do better or accomplish. One thing Bryan and I decided to start doing was have couples scripture study in the mornings before he left for work. I set my alarm for 6am this morning and we started on the Doctrine and Covenants. Then we were able to kneel in morning prayer together as a couple. It's funny but once kids came along we only have done "family" prayer and scripture study. I think this is going to be so great for our marriage.

On another note, I did something this morning that I never thought I would do. I turned down the opportunity to be on a Design Team for stamping. I have always wanted to be on one since I retired from Stampin' Up! and the chance finally arrived this week. I was supposed to send in some samples this morning after receiving a 2nd e-mail from the owner of the company asking me personally to apply. I sent her a message that I decided that it would be in the best interest of my family just to enjoy them and stamp for fun. Yes, it would be wonderful to be on a design team but I know me. I get stressed out pretty easily if I have deadlines. I know I made the right decision.

Since I have been up for almost 3 hours now I have gotten a lot done. I have even already had my own personal scripture study. I am going to read the New Testament by Christmas. I have never read it before, just bits and pieces. I just read the Sermon on the Mount and am in awe.

One other thing I am going to do better with is writing in my journal everyday. That can include my blog. I'm just going to print out my pages and attach them in my journal. I type so much fast than I write.

Conference

Today was the Saturday session of our church's General Conference. For more information visit www.lds.org.

I loved every single talk but I think my favorite was by Elder Worthlin. It touched my heart how he completed his talk even when his Parkinson's Disease kicked in and Elder Nelson had to come and hold him up for support. His talk was on Charity and that act showed true charity. Every time I watch or listen to Conference I come away feeling recharged and have a desire to try to do better. I think that is what it is all about.

Here are some quick pics I took during the 2nd session. Katelyn made this playdough sculpture of Elder Worthlin. I think it turned out great!



Whatcha doing Bryan? "Resting your eyes?"

No root canals!!

I'm in Bryan's office right now where he just gave me two fillings. He thought at first I might need two root canals but thankfully I didn't!! I am numb up to my eyeballs, though, and I had to have lots of gas. I'm still a little dizzy so I am hanging out in his office for a little bit.

Not much else is going on at the moment. I'm so glad it is Friday. We had a pretty stressful morning and night last night. Mostly because I was so nervous about my appointment today. Isn't that weird that I am married to a dentist but I do not like going to one. Does anybody enjoy the dentist, really??? He did a great job, I do have to say. Very professional and gentle. He was super fast, too!!

Be Not Idle....

The other night when I was reading my scriptures this one just popped out at me. I guess that is the message I needed to hear this week. I have been struggling with a sense of laziness. I just have not wanted to do much. A lot of that had to do with my illness and the kids' being sick. We are all better now, I am happy to say, so this has been very enlightening.

Alma 38:12
"......see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."

Believe it or not, this has really helped me. I think back to our pioneers and all that they had to do. They were never able to sit around all day and type on the computer or read a book. They had to work. I believe that this is still the desire of our Father in Heaven. Yes, we have a lot of modern conveniences but does that mean that we have to be idle?? Why is it that when we have all the time in the world we still are not able to put a hot meal on the table for our family? This is what I am going to work on first. I am going to really try hard to think about dinner and making it a great time for my family.

Food for thought...

Bread........ Take Two!!

Yesterday was a great day! I got caught up with some chores, cleaned the kitchen, and made some bread. My family has been living off my homemade bread now since the end of May. For some strange reason when I took the bread out of the oven and cut it it was complete dough in the middle of both loaves! I don't know what I did wrong but I tried again this morning and they seem to be perfect. I'm thinking I might have set the timer for 20 minutes instead of 30 yesterday. I must have gotten a little relaxed in my cooking mode.

We have been TV-free now since Saturday night. My boys are actually playing with their toys ALL morning long and have not once came to me crying that they were bored. It's funny how having the TV on makes them feel a sense of boredom. The girls have not even asked for it to be turned on when they got home from school. Instead they have been doing their homework and then going out back to play until scripture time & bedtime. I don't miss the TV at all!!! It is nice having General Conference in my home, though, so it will be hooked up for that in a couple of weeks.

My Book of Mormon reading is going great!! I'm in the end of Alma and I am just so amazed at the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's (Lamanites) and their conviction to live the word of God and the covenants they themselves made. I read a few days ago that once these Lamanites were converted they never went back to their old ways or fell away. The Nephites, of course, were a different story. The way I can liken that to my life is that I need to be careful with all the blessings the Lord has given me and to not take them for granted. I want to be a Lamanite or better yet, an Anti-Nephi-Lehi. Isn't that weird to hear?? Most of our children pretend they are Nephites and do not want to be a Lamanite but weren't the Nephites destroyed from off the face of the promised land??? Food for thought.

Quiet

It has been so quiet around here today. The boys are playing with blocks while the baby is sleeping. I have been able to get two chores done that I have been needing to do for a long time. You can actually see my piano now from all the clutter and I changed the shower curtain in the kids' bathroom. I look around my house and try not to feel overwhelmed. I have so many "hot spots" now that I can hardly believe it. Where did my energy go?? I still feel like I am fighting off that infection I had 2 weeks ago. My throat has been sore for about 3 weeks now but I can deal with it.

This past week was great. Here is a small recap....

Monday........
Katelyn stayed home from school because she had a major headache & her eyes hurt. I took her into the doctor and found that it was just a virus that needed to run it's course. I also took Brayden in for his 9 month checkup. He weighs 19 pounds 11 ounces which is only in the 25-50%. He used to be in the 90%. He is really slimming down just like all my kids seem to do.

Monday night we had a fun Family Home Evening. I taught the lesson on Pioneers and I even used my Cricut to make little Pioneer people. The kids really enjoyed it and I actually felt like it went well. Usually it is a struggle to get all the kids to even sit down for a little lesson.

Tuesday I let Katelyn stay home again because she still had a headache. I really don't get as much done when I have a sick kid at home. It just throws everything off. It is okay, though, because a mommy needs to take care of her babies.

Wednesday not much really happened. I decided to stay home from Young Women and let Bryan go and do the cubscout thing. I had a terrible night on Tuesday getting a certain child to bed and I really wanted to get things in order this night. It's really hard coming home late on a school night because by the time we read scriptures, say prayer, brush teeth, use the bathroom, read for 20 minutes it is almost 10:00. I really pay for it in the morning when the kids are super grumpy.

Thursday was wonderful!! I went to Institute at the Edmond building on the Book of Mormon. I am learning so many things. I felt the Spirit very strongly and really got an understanding about Lehi and his family. A friend and I are trying to finish the Book of Mormon by General Conference the first weekend of October. I usually read from the BOM every day but not 5 chapters a day, so this is a great experience for me. I did this with my friend Tana a few months ago but I was ready to do it again. I feel the blessings in my life from doing it again.

Friday I took the girls Taco Bell for their lunch at school and sat with them while they ate. Madelyn was so happy that we were there and didn't want us to leave. I think I am going to go have lunch with the girls every Friday. It wasn't that bad at all with the other 3 boys. It was great!

Friday night I went to dinner with some friends for Terre's birthday. We ate at Charlestowns and was yummy.

Saturday we took our kids to the state fair. Here are some of the highlights.



Saturday night Bryan went to a Stake Youth activity and I stayed home with the kids. I was able to work with Katelyn on her volcano for her school project. I can't believe I have a child old enough to do this sort of assignment. I really don't feel that old yet but I guess it is creeping up on me. Here is the beginning of her project.

Bryan's Office

Bryan took my camera into his office yesterday to take some pictures for a brochure he is having made to send with his referral packs. Here are some of them....