Field Trip...

 Last Friday Payton had her first field trip to the fish farm.  I seriously love Payton's teacher, she loves what she does and she is so good at it too.  Before fishing the kids made fisherman's hats so they could be true fishermen.

 Connor's attention span for fishing was a little short, so he was the designated feeder.

They had a snack when they were done fishing, crackers and cheese and goldfish.  You dipped the cracker in the cheese than fished for the goldfish in your bag.  I thought it was such a cute and clever idea.

Love this Family of Mine...

 We pulled into Lee's Market Place by the wale to feed the ducks some old bread that we had sitting at the house.  There was a man sitting at a bench reading a book, there were people coming and going filling jugs from the wale.  There was also an elderly couple with 30+ jugs to fill.  We noticed them, but our attention was on the kids enjoying the ducks huddling around them for food.  Connor even got them to follow him across the bridge which he thought was pretty cool. By the time we were ready to leave we noticed the elderly woman carrying the jugs they had filled to her van.  With out hesitation Nic grabbed 4 jugs and took them down to the van offering to help.  After seeing how slow the elderly woman was walking they would have been there forever loading up the water.  The elderly gentleman was in a wheelchair with a leg amputee and the biggest grin on his face for Nic's offering to help.  With out us even asking, Payton and Connor started to help.  I have asked Payton to help me with groceries by grabbing a gallon of milk but find it much easier doing it myself, without her whining and complaining that it's "Too Heavy."  They were lifting and carrying the jugs to the van sometimes even two at a time.  I couldn't believe it.  They did this all while having a smile on their face and saying how strong they were. We were done in minutes time and felt very good for our little bit of service.  The lady kept telling us how blessed she was and that she knew the Lord was looking out for her.  She rewarded the kids by giving them "elevator rides" with the wheelchair lift, they thought that was so fun.  When walking back to our car Payton suggested that we had to have one of those. All of a sudden we hear a man saying, "You know what, Y'all suck." We turned around to the man on the bench reading his book.  He went a very round about way to say that he is grateful for people like us who are teaching by good example to our kids.  We got into the car and were just kind of puzzled at the way he worded things.  But we couldn't help but grin and laugh at what had just happened.  I sure do love my sweet family and there willingness to serve others.  And like the elderly lady I too am so blessed.  I was able to keep that mind set as we went on a hike and saw so many beautiful things.  Spider not included.  I loved listening to Payton tell me that we were now entering the jungle.  When she saw acorns all on the ground she renamed it the acorn jungle. We traveled to many different places in her imagination including the rock forest, stick forest and as the night crept up the spooky forest.   I sure love this family of mine and am so grateful for all of the lessons they are teaching me.

Logan Time Out For Women...

I had such a great uplifting weekend with my mom and sisters at Time out For Women.  Me and Mom went last year and knew we wanted to do it again, but with everyone.  So we made a girls weekend out of it!

 The first speakers were very hard to get into and I worried that that would set the tone for all of the speakers.  Which was not the case! Thank goodness! Here are a few things that I got out of this weekend:

Terry & Fiona Givens: In order to have faith it must be challenged, in order to forgive someone, someone needs to ask for forgiveness.

Sheri Dew: There are more covenant keeping women in the world now than ever before.

Exercise our agency, pray to hear what we need to hear from Heaven.

The whisperings of the spirit are the best way to know who we are.

We were able to have a very spiritual moment and sing with Sheri 3 new verses of As sisters in Zion.  The title was changed to The Sisters of Zion and it was focused on missionary work.  It was such an amazing, overwhelming with spirit moment.  Very cool to say the least.

We all have divine potential.

God expects women to receive revelation.

Women are more in tune to receive revelation when it deals with the family.

Are we timid because we don't know what we have?

What 'card' are we carrying around that can give us greater access?

We are endowed with power.  Even in the Temple we are promised the same highest power.

Harvard, Yale, and Oxford are all great institutions of learning, but the institution of ultimate learning is the Temple.

Receive the fulness of the Holy Ghost by asking the Lord.

Mary Ellen Edmunds: You can't plant judgement and bitterness and hope to receive a harvest of charity, compassion, and joy.

To change our minds we must purposely think.

The planting of Christ like attributes takes time and requires work.

We may not be able to remove something from our memory, but we can choose what stays.

Spiritually minded is life eternal Ü

"Meditation is a form of prayer." David O. McKay

Did you think to pray, I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt. Hymn 185

Think on purpose, more meditation, and more pondering.

 Maddie didn't want to be a part of this picture...

 There that's better...

 Hillary Weeks: Say Love

God keeps his promises

I am a child of God.

Sandra Turley: We need to talk to the creater.

'There will never be a day that I won't think of you'. Phantom of the Opera, think of me

The beautiful thing about motherhood is it's never a finished product.

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.

Brad Wilcox: With repentance comes growth, we have the choice to grow.

Endure to the our end.

Endure to the end, it's the only way endurance can last longer than a day.

We will never have to say, if only we had a savior, it will never be a regret.

God is not just proving us, he is improving us.

Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt: The Lord loves me and wants me back.  Satan hates me and wants to isolate me.

Value order, be engaged, and remember what you have accomplished.

A talk a day keeps Satan Away.

Connect with stories, what is the parable to be learned.

If you would have given me what I wanted, if you had let me settle for something. I wouldn't have seen that you had a better promise for me.

Kris Belcher: Lay our broken heart on the altar and give it to him.

Have a joyful heart and choose to laugh.

We can either live in fear, or turn to our Father with a humble heart.

Examine our hearts and our heart conditions.

 Live higher, be Happier.

 Think Higher "Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." 2 Nephi 4:16

Believe Higher " for I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and i will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name." D&C 35:8

Live Higher "..the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye." 3 Nephi 27:21-22

Labor Day Weekend...

 We had such a great Labor Day Weekend with both of our families.  The majority of it was spent up at the Thomsen cabin with the Rich's.  We spent most of the weekend getting nice and muddy! Everyday there were storms but we didn't care we made the most of it and created some really great memories. 

 Grandpa reading a bedtime story..

 Ready to ride...

 And he thought he was muddy then...

 Morgan wanted to ride the 4 wheeler so Nic traded, don't you just love the perfect glove lines...

 A little on the scary side, as we were riding back to the vehicles a big storm came in and we could see the lightning hitting the ground just a few yards in front of us.  We booked it to the cars and put the kids right in.  We weren't going to mess around!

 The water was pretty brown when they were done...

 Camie's cover from the rain...

 Monday we left the cabin and went to Park City for our annual alpine slide tradition with the Montgomery's.  This year Connor was big enough to go on the slides, but not the coaster.  When we got to the slide he wanted nothing to do with it.  It took all Nic and I had to keep him on the sled while waiting for our turn to go down. 

 The moment they started to move Connor was perfectly fine and raising his hands in the air while going down...

He loves chocolate ice cream!