Trip to Utah and other stuff

Okay here are some totally random pictures. We went to Utah for a few days to see Nate's cousin get married in the Logan temple. I don't have pics from the actual wedding since they were on Nate's camera- I will get those later. I also don't have the pics from our little stop at Cove Fort. Anyway- We left Thursday morning and started our LONG drive to my parents home in Layton, UT. We had eventful car rides both coming and going. The short version is we stopped way too many times for bathrooms, cleaning up after Mara's carsickness issues, and waiting forever for our lunch to be made. The stop at Cove Fort was nice, inspiring, and spiritual. The ride home was a little better with stops at the Parawon cemetery to look for ancestors on Nate's side and some fun potty accidents with Mara. The wedding was nice, seeing family was great, visiting with friends was fun, and being cold for the first time in a while was wonderful. Thanks to all the family and friends who put up with us and took time out of their busy lives to spend time with us. Thank you to my mom who spent the day Friday with us in Logan to take care of our kids so we could go the sealing. Next visit we will stay longer and hopefully get to see everyone. We had a family dinner for my family on Saturday afternoon ( we missed the Smith's) and right in the middle of a serious family discussion, in walks Wyatt dressed as Minnie Mouse. The room burst into laughter and the tension disappeared. Everyone thought this was hilarious, but little do they realize that Wyatt does this on an almost daily basis- usually he comes in as Cinderella because her dress is blue. I should post some of the pictures of him in all his girly outfits he makes with Mara's dress ups. Nate and I also visited the Salt Lake Cemetery and Mt. Olivette Cemetery looking for Nate's relatives- we found a ton of deer instead- a cheap way to keep the lawn mowed. We also visited the Rhondeau's, a family I started babysitting for when I was 13. I can't believe it has been almost 17 years- I feel really old after seeing their children. Elizabeth was 3 when I started babysitting for them she is now in college and the youngest is 9 already! Man, time flies and I am getting old. I am sure I am forgetting tons of stuff but the kids are running around me and I can't think clearly. Oh- the baby booties- this is what I have been doing in my "spare time" lately. We have tons of pregnant women in our ward and so these make great baby gifts. Kate wanted to see what this pair looked like so I posted a pic for her. The picture of Mara with the flowers is showing the fun project we made with our friends Kate and Emilee. We made flower pens- they turned out so cute- Thanks Kate!!! One picture is my sister Krista and the other picture is my brother Griffin and my mom, Susie. I think we were giving her a headache. Our family is so loud- I love it.

One more thing- I lost Wyatt at the grocery store today- the scariest couple minutes of my life. He ran away from the cart and disappeared in seconds! They called a code Adam and found him quickly but I was terrified. That is the last time he talks me into letting him walk with the cart instead of being buckled up front!

The past few days

The last week or so has been crazy (Mara's new favorite word.) The car has been in the shop twice, but it is feeling better (it better after what it cost!) and we are ready for a trip to Utah next week. My parents stopped by on their way to and from my cousins wedding in California. It was great to see them if only for an hour. Mara and Wyatt have been very creative this week. They made a monster out of all kinds of things they found around the house. The body is our desk chair, the arms are diapers, the eyes- two of Mara's toy dishes, etc. Mara has been working on her letters and spelling- she decided to play with her lunch yesterday and instead of eating her french fries, she would spell words with them. Let's see, um.. oh Sunday while I was helping Mara pick out a dress, Wyatt decided to be helpful and get himself dressed. Notice in the pictures that his shorts are on backward, his shoes are on the wrong feet and I love the no shirt look! These two keep me on my toes!!!!

Saturday was such a nice day here in Las Vegas. Nate was home and so we all went out to lunch, to the library and to the Las Vegas Art Museum. I wasn't sure how the kids would like the museum but it was Mara's idea to go. They really enjoyed it. It is a small museum. They showed three artists' exhibits. Mara really enjoyed the the black and white work of Paul Morrison, Nate and I were impressed with Victoria Gitman's oil paintings which we thought we photographs at first, and Wyatt liked the sculptures of Stephen Hendee.

Today I have had two beautiful experiences I would like to write down so I can remember them later in life. General Conference this past weekend was inspirational to say the least. I have really tired so much harder to be patient and loving with my kids. I have seen the instantaneous results which has brought much more joy to my life this week. I feel closer to my Heavenly Father and feel His spirit more strongly with me throughout the day. Today, on the way home from a few quick errands, Mara began a conversation with me about the movie Enchanted. She explained to me that the movie is just pretend and that it is a story someone made up. I was glad to know she understands that real life isn't like the fairytale movies she loves to watch. She then started to speak of the Joseph movie. I asked what Joseph and she said Joseph Smith. The next few minutes were spirit filled and brought me to tears. Mara told me that the Joseph Smith movie that we have is not like Enchanted- it is real not just a pretend story. I had the opportunity to park the car and sit and bare my testimony to my children that I know that Joseph Smith did, in fact, see God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. That Joseph Smith truly is a prophet of God. The spirit in our car was so intense. I asked Mara how she thinks I know that this is true. I was pleasantly surprised that she understood that the good feelings we were having at that moment were from the Holy Ghost and that means that it is true. How grateful I am today for the gospel in my life and for all of those wonderful people (aunts, uncles, grandparents, primary teachers and leaders, and so many others) that have helped to teach my children the gospel and have been good examples for them. The second experience was an email from a good friend of mine, Kami, who sent a link to a beautiful video of Christ that brought the spirit right back into our home. Take time to view this video and feel of the spirit. Thanks Kami! http://www.eastvalleyproductions.com/blog.cfm?postID=31

I must be getting old!

This morning I registered Mara for Kindergarten!!!! I can't believe she is old enough for this. Time has flown by (for the most part.) Her school seems so nice, clean, and orderly. I am excited for her to start school for lots of reasons, but this morning I really was hoping that she would love to learn as much as I do. I really enjoyed school growing up and still love to learn new things. My friend, Kate, went together to register our kids and I hope we will be able to get our kids in the same class, or at the very least, the same track so we can carpool. Go Forbuss Falcons!!!

Haircuts and stuff

Wyatt and I both got haircuts this week. Wyatt just needed a trim but I decided to just buzz it all off. A couple days later I went with Emilee and Kate to get their haircut and ended up chopping my hair. It has taken a couple days to get used to it, but now I really like it. It is perfect for our hot weather here in Vegas. Mara started crying when she first saw it, but says she likes it now. Nate is another story. Nate is working on becoming the Principle (a position at work they want him to get) and took a couple of tests this week. He still has some more tests to take but I am proud of him for all the hard work he puts into his job to provide for us. Thanks, Babe, I love you! While Nate went to the Priesthood session, we met a few ladies from the ward at the park. Our kids all played and snacked on the goodies we all brought. It was perfect park weather! Thanks for organizing the fun Janet! Mara had her kindergarten shots and check up this week. She had to get four shots- she didn't appreciate that too much. She also had to pee in a cup which was a very tear-filled and interesting experience. Afterward we went to play at her friend Dallin's house. The kids had lots of fun and it was nice to visit with Nicole again.