Family Home Evening

I have to admit that our family home evenings with the kids at these ages can be down-right disasterous. I'll put a ton of work into a special lesson or activity, (and a treat of course) only to have it end with all the kids crying in tandem. There are moments when I just look at Jon and say under my breath, "What's the point?"

But we keep on persevering, week after week, because I whole-heartedly believe the prophet Spencer W. Kimball, when he promised that, "Regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellowmen, and trust in our Father in Heaven. It is my promise that great blessings will come to all who consienciously plan and hold weekly family home evenings."

I also am inspired to keep trying when I think about the Chinese bamboo tree analogy by Stephen Covey. "After the seed for this amazing tree is planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years, except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb. During those four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide in the earth. But then in the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet!" He goes on to compare that to family life, and that we work and invest time and effort to nurture, and build relationships and that sometimes we don't see any results for weeks, months, or years, but that finally that "fifth year" comes. And it makes all that effort worth it.

Our FHE tonight was crazy as usual, but great. I thought I'd post a video clip of the kids singing. Celeste and Benny are trying to sing the second verse of 'I am a child of God', but then Charity was feeling left out, so she steals the show. Jon and I laughed ourselves sick!! She's such a sweetie. :)

Gigantic FUN!

My weekend started out pretty crappy. I stepped on a rusty nail while helping to build our new fence, and had to get a tetanus shot. :(, Charity spilled milk all over the carpet, and it seemed like the kids were fighting all morning. It was starting to feel like a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, until... we went to the circus! (Although Jon pointed out that we wouldn't have to leave the house to do that. ;)) To be perfectly honest, I think I was probably more excited than the kids were. I LOVE getting out and being together as a family and taking the kids fun places. We had such a great time! Here are a few pics from our adventurous afternoon:

Celeste and Benny were totally into it! They loved every minute of it.

Charity loved it too!

Jacob on the other hand... wasn't exactly impressed.

But the very best part of the day was getting to ride an elephant!! I think the kids will still be talking about this day for quite some time. By the end of the day, I had totally forgotten about my rotten morning. It's amazing how having kids has made life so much more enjoyable!

Child of God

We've taught the kids from before they could even talk that we are all children of God, and that we need to treat one another accordingly. But I didn't really think it was sinking in, particularly with Benny, since he rarely seems to pay attention when we have those discussions. (Plus, we occasionally catch him stepping on an unfortunate ant after repeatedly telling him that God made animals too). But I was pleasantly surprised today. I overheard him and Charity playing together in the play room. Then Charity hit Benny and he started crying. So I went in to deal with it, but I decided to peek around the corner to see how Benny would react. I figured he'd do what any 3 year-old boy would do and whack her back! But to my surprise, I heard him say, "Charity, we don't hurt each other! I'm your brother, and Jesus made me special!" He said it with no hesitation and with such confidence that it totally made my day. Maybe it's sinking in afterall!

Tornado Alley

I don't understand how these kids can COMPLETELY trash the house in a matter of hours! I was feeling great yesterday... I spent almost the entire day cleaning and organizing the house and I even took Jon through on a special tour to see all my accomplishments. ;) And then we let out the "beasts" this morning and in a few hours it seriously looked like a tornado went through the place! Although I guess it could have been worse...


Here's what happened the day after Celeste's ladybug birthday party. I made these cakes for her, and then the leftover frosting was left out on the countertop which we soon realized was a big mistake because the kids got into it (duh!) and here was the result... brace yourself... this is UNBELIEVABLE!




I warned you! ;) When I came upon this disaster I wanted to burst into tears, but Jon and I ended up just laughing our heads off in disbelief and whipping out the camera to capture the moment.



Deep down, I really do know that this job as a homemaker is truly the most important thing I could be doing right now but it's hard to feel that way sometimes when I'm on my hands and knees, with my hair thrown up in a bun, still in my workout clothes, trying to scrub kool-aid out of the carpet. Anyway, so on days like this, when I'm feeling completely exhausted, unappreciated, and mundane, surrounded by burp rags and dirty diapers, I reread my favorite quotes from our church about motherhood to remind me that it's all worth it. I'll share a few in case any one else has days like this:



"Motherhood is near to divinity, and is the hightest and holiest service to be assumed by mankind." -J. Reuben Clark Jr.



"She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come... long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God. In her high duty and service to humanity... she is co-partner with the Creator himself" -David O. McKay



"If it so be that you should labor all your days... and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy." D&C 18:15



And I think about how Christ commanded us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked... and who does that more than a mother?


So after I'm reminded of these truths, I feel like I can clean up all the messes with dignity, and remember what a blessing it is to take upon myself the sacred calling of motherhood.

April Fools!

Jon and I love this holiday. In fact, we love this holiday so much we celebrate it year-round. It helps keep things spontaneous and interesting around here (as if 4 kids 4 and under isn't interesting enough). We have this realistic fake spider and this really freaky bobble-head that we take turns hiding for each other. (I know, it's soooo bizarre). The head of the bobble-head fell off, so instead of throwing it away, it became a weird way to have a laugh and amuse each other! This head has been hidden in the craziest places- in my underwear drawer, in my shoes, even in my cereal bowl!! But we save our extra-creative gags for April Fools. The only rules are that the pranks have to be harmless and FUN!

A few of the pranks of the past include...

-lemon juice in a 7-up bottle

-saran wrap over the toilet in the middle of the night

-a rubber-band tied to the spray nozzle pointed directly at the person using the faucet

-a fake fly in an ice cube

-the clock moved forward a couple hours

-a bucket of cold water dumped on each other while relaxing in the shower

I know... it's a wonder we're still together! But this year, I thought I'd include the kids since they're getting old enough to enjoy it with us. So I surprised them all at dinner with a more delicious version of the hamburger made with york peppermint patties and Nilla wafers. The kids were thrilled! I got this idea from the Family Fun website if anyone is interested. They're super easy and yummy too!

Blessing Day

Jacob was blessed in church today. It was really beautiful. One of the men standing in the circle said he usually keeps his eyes open to make sure the baby is doing ok, and apparently Jacob was looking up at Jon through the entire blessing, with this sweet trusting look on his face. He said it was almost as if Jacob understood what was happening. I'm so grateful to have a worthy and faithful husband to perform that sared ordinance. I'm also grateful to have the most amazing family ever! My mom (who has been to all 4 blessings) and my little brother drove 8 hours Saturday morning, and drove home (another 8 hours) right after Sacrament meeting just to be there to witness the blessing! Talk about loyalty! Plus, with the prices of gas these days... wow... they're just amazing.

Anyway, so we got baby Jacob all dressed up in his handsome white outfit this morning for the occasion. As I was getting him ready, I changed his diaper and noticed that he hadn't gone number 2 for over a day. So I knew something was coming and that it wouldn't be pretty... I even mentioned to Jon, that we had better not forget another diaper. So as predicted, right in the middle of church (gospel doctrine class) he had a HUGE blow-out! I had to hurry and go change him because I knew it was going to get all over his outfit if I didn't. But I was too late. His white blessing outfit that I was going to save forever and pass down through the generations was completely ruined. It now has a nasty poop stain all the way up the back. Isn't that just life?? Anyway, so we had to wrap him up in his blanket for the rest of the meetings, so no one would see it, (or smell it). I was going to take a picture, but I didn't want to gross everybody out. I'm just glad it didn't happen during the blessing when the microphone was close by! Anyway, we just had to laugh. I guess it made the occasion even more memorable. ;)

I was reflecting today about how fast these kids are growing up so I thought I'd make sure to document the blessings of days gone by...

Celeste Elizabeth 8/03 (2 months)

Benjamin Joseph 11/04 (1 month)

Charity Lynn 9/06 (2 months)

Blessings indeed!!!

Happy Easter!

I'm just overflowing with gratitude right now for my family and for the blessings in my life. This has been such a wonderful weekend. For our date night on friday, Jon and I did some cleaning/purging/organizing around the house. Not the most romantic date ever, but I can't believe how much better I feel when the house is orderly. It's been such a challenge lately to keep it that way. I heard a quote once that is so true... "cleaning the house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing". So we watied until they were in bed, and took advantage of the opportunity. :)

Then on Saturday we went to an easter eggstravaganza in Piqua, and had a great time, despite the fact that it snowed again this year! Here's Celeste trying to fake a smile through her frozen lips...

Ironically enough, the kids got coupons for free ice cream cones from DQ which we had to redeem because they were only good at the Piqua store! But the kids were thrilled, they didn't seem to care that it was 30 degrees outside!
The best part of the weekend of course, was going to church as a family and celebrating the real meaning of Easter. I am so grateful for the resurrection of Jesus Christ which makes it possible for us to live again after this life, and to have eternal families. I KNOW that Jesus Christ lives, and I am forever grateful for this knowlege which has brought such indescribable joy to my life. Happy Easter!

A must-have...

So a huge package arrives the other day, and I wonder what it is. Jon starts laughing, says it's a necessary addition to our home, and asks me to close my eyes. So I'm thinking maybe it's a pretty floral arrangment or a framed picture or something, but no. It was a gong. Yes, that's right... my husband bought a gong. This is NOT a joke. I think he was tired of me screaming at the top of my lungs, "Come and eat!!! at dinner-time." But instead of summoning my family to meals with the traditional dinner bell, or a triangle, we now have a GONG!!! He was too thrilled with it to even think about trying to convince him to return it, (plus it was on sale!) What am I going to do with this man??? He certainly keeps me laughing. ;) So it hangs right there in our dining room. The modern gong- a must have addition to any classy home.

Winter Adventures

As spring is quickly approaching, I thought I'd document some of the adventures we've had this winter...


This is a picture from our family Christmas concert at the Washington D.C. visitor's center.



Here's Charity, all bundled up for our first snow day in December. I swear, it took me a half an hour just to get her ready.

When we finally got her outside, she was completely miserable... (all that work for nothing!) But a little hot cocoa made everything better... she's definitely her momma's girl ;)

The frigid temps couldn't keep us from geocaching and playing at the park together!






Feeling the Christmas spirit!




Jon and I celebrate our anniversary every year by going to a temple we've never been to. We're starting to run out of temples in the area, so we went all the way to Chicago this year. We take turns surprising each other with the accomodations. This year was especially amazing.







I'd have to say the greatest adventure (and I mean adventure) of the winter was welcoming our newest bundle, baby Jacob, into our home. He has already been such a blessing to our family.





My little man's first day as a sunbeam. I bawled my eyes out that day :( .





The last snow of the winter was a doozy! We were hit with a blizzard and a whopping 13 inches of snow. We definitely took advantage of it though!

Here's the snowman the kids made (with Daddy's help)...

and here's the snowman the kids made (without Daddy's help) ;)

Whew!!! What a winter! Here's hoping spring will bring just as much fun!

7 random things...

I've been asked to write 7 random things about myself, so here goes... (and they are totally random):

1. My husband and I were neighbors for 5 months before we met. And it's kind of a cool story... We were both in college at the time, and I was feeling very reflective one night, so I sat on my windowsill and wrote a poem about my future hubby. Here's the last few lines of it...
You're out there somewhere,
Perhaps far far away,
Or maybe even next door,
When you find me, will you stay?
Well it turned out that I could actually see his window from mine that night! Well, I couldn't actually see him though... that would be creepy. But he really was next door, in the same apartment complex! We officially met in a theatre class, and then we recognized each other at a backyard barbeque and we've been best friends ever since.

2. I rode on a camel in the Sahara desert during a study abroad program in college. That was an amazing life experience.

3. My dad has Tourette's syndrome. We had no idea he had it until around 10 years ago. He was taking some medication (Zoloft) for depression, and the doctor increased the dosage dramatically. The symptoms of Tourette's were unmasked overnight, including vocal and physical tics. It was pretty devastating to all of us because at the time he was a middle-school teacher and he couldn't continue employment there obviously, so we moved to Utah (my senior year in high school) so he could work for my uncle. He still suffers from the disorder. Fortunately, there's a happy ending... after years of struggle, he went back to school for his Master's degree, and then his Ph.D., and he's now a school psychologist, helping young children with disorders like his own. He has been an amazing example to me of triumph over tremendous odds. I'm so proud of him.

4. I am thoroughly addicted to sugar. I read a book last year called, "Sugar Shock" and decided to take the author's recommendation to give up all refined flour and sugar for 21 days. Well I did it, but, I determined that it was a miserable way to live. So now I'm back to "moderation in all things".

5. I have a secret dream to be a "Turbo-kick" (kickboxing/dance) instructor someday. I love almost all forms of exercise- especially aerobics classes and I always feel so happy when I'm active. Plus, it would help me burn off the extra calories from all the sugar I consume.

6. I had a unibrow as a kid... up until 7th grade when I discovered tweezers. I still remember being teased about it. But I'm grateful, because now I'm super passionate about helping the underdog. When I see someone being teased or picked on or hurt in any way I stand up for them. I think I feel more empathy for people since I wasn't the most attractive girl.

7. We don't watch tv. Ever. Well, I take that back. We own some rabbit ears that Jon insists on taking out for the world series and the basketball finals. We also have a huge movie collection. Most people think we're crazy but I try to explain that it was one of the best things we did for our family and that we have more time for reading, playing games, and getting outdoors... and now blogging. :)

Send in the Clowns

Every morning the kids wake up and the first thing they do is pile on our king-sized bed and geronimo Daddy (They all yell "GERONIMO!" at the top of their lungs and jump on him). I know... it's definitely a rude awakening. We then attempt to have scripture time together. So anyway, last night I was listening to Barbra Streisand: The Broadway Album (one of my favorite CD's) and the song "Send in the Clowns" came on. So I hear my ever-amusing husband mutter, "That should be our morning theme song." He cracks me up. :)

Hudson Headlines

Woo-hoo! I'm finally starting a blog! We've had a family website since Celeste was born, but every time I updated it, my past entries and pictures would be deleted. So I'm excited to have a forum to keep in touch with loved ones and to keep up on my journaling. So let the adventures begin!