Spiritual Sundays

"A wife may love her husband, but it is different to that of the love of mother to her child. The true mother, the mother who has the fear of God and the love of truth in her soul, would never hide from danger or evil and leave her child exposed to it. But as natural as it is for the sparks to fly upward, as natural as it is to breathe the breath of life, if there were danger coming to her child, she would step between the child and that danger; she would defend her child to the uttermost. Her life would be nothing in the balance, in comparison with the life of her child. That is the love of true motherhood—for children. … I have learned to place a high estimate upon the love of mother. I have often said, and will repeat it, that the love of a true mother comes nearer being like the love of God than any other kind of love." - BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH

Foto Friday

List 41: 10 Halloween Costumes I've had

To tell the truth I can't even REMEMBER 10. My mom was NOT a fan of halloween. She still isn't (funny I married someone with the same feelings about the holiday!).

Instead I will list things I remember about Halloween as a kid at our house.

1. My mom made donuts and handed them out. Since we lived in a small town (not even big enough to be a town - it's actually a hamlet!) you could hand out things you made. And you ate them.

2. Our costumes were always made from things around the house. A plaid shirt and jeans made a farmer or a Hutterite. A white sheet over you made a ghost. We didn't buy costumes. That went against everything my mother feels about halloween!

3. I think there are two pools of thought about candy and kids at Halloween. The parents that ration out the candy their kids collect and the ones who just let their kids eat it all and then it's gone (usually ending up in stomach aches for the kids.) My parents were the second type. Eat it all at once and get it done. Although me and my brother Justin usually hid pieces around our rooms to save for later.

4. I remember one year when my brother Bryan had an eye patch. (from an icicle falling into his eye. Seriously. And I was standing with him. It was FREAKY) ANYWAYS, he was a cowboy with an eye patch. Makes perfect sense.

5. We ALWAYS used our pillow cases to collect the candy.

6. My mom thought that once you reached 12 going trick or treating was not acceptable.

7. We carved pumpkins but never decorated in any other way.

8. I remember learning that if you went to the "rich" houses you got GOOD candy.

9. I've never liked the yucky part of halloween. Especially as a kid. I don't like being scared. Some people find it funny. I never have. Ask Reg :)

10. I've never seen either one of my parents dress up in a costume.

Spiritual Sundays

‎"Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved. Sometimes we are inclined to put up with a situation rather than endure. To endure is to bear up under, to stand firm against, to suffer without yielding, to continue to be, or to exhibit the state or power of lasting." - Marvin J Ashton

Foto Friday

Three things.

1. I couldn't find my remote and then I found it and the battery is dead. Sooo this had to happen with a timer. Sooo this isn't TOTALLY in focus. But I DID it.
2. My color looks all funny and off next to Heather's great shot of her kiddos and her.
3. Oliver is just so cute.

List 42 : Things I Wish I was better at

1. Parenting. There is a lot I could say about this. But I'll just leave it as that.

2. Knitting / crocheting (Easier to be better at it when you don't even know how to do it!) :)

3. Photography. I want to improve more.

4. Accomplishing things. Lately at least. But then I realize I've got a 4 week old.

5. Not caring what people think.

6. Sending thank you cards. It's my goal lately. I've sent out a few. I LOVE it when people take the time to say thank you to me, so I'm trying to do it for others.


And since I missed a few.... here is List 40 from two weeks ago....



List 40 : Things that Inspire Me:

1. My faith

2. this blog

3. Reading good books.

4. Stimulating conversation with great people

5. A good night's sleep.

6. Great photographs.

10 on Tuesday

1. Oliver throws up a LOT. I changed my clothes multiple times last night. And may have even fallen asleep in some throw up clothes.


2. And the blow outs have started. Needless to say we both needed a bath this morning (although I haven't gotten to mine yet!)

3. I am itching to get things done in my house. I mean badly. I'm trying really really really hard to not focus on it and just get little things done here and there. Sure did find the chairs I want from the livingroom. Regan doesn't agree so I haven't bought them. But MAN do I loooooove them. :)

4. I have this idea of a photograph in my head. But I need a laundry room with windows in it (like great light) and a little girl to model for me who is like 3. Anyone have that for me?

5. I've decided I'd love to shoot commercial children's stuff. Kind of like I did with Lucy but for a clothing company. Wouldn't THAT be cool?!

6. There are a few events I haven't blogged about yet. But I am going to. Like when we went to the Pumpkin Patch with Brad and Whitney and their family. Regan was the photographer for part of the day and these two he caught make me smile.



7. When I was out shooting Lucy's 6th Portraits she took this picture of me. She always asks at the end if she can take some of me so I let her every year. Kind of a fun part of our tradition.


8. Oliver's Day's 26-29 (30 is still on my camera and not downloaded yet!)
day 26

day 27

day 28

day 29


9. Someone (I think Kathy) asked what dinner club is. It's a group of friends, who all love to cook, and we get together each month to eat good food. The hosting rotates and the person who hosts picks a theme and then everyone else brings some thing that goes along with the theme for their course. (you rotate courses each month too.)
We are hosting this month and our theme is this....


10. Good thing THIS kid is cute... cause he keeps us up at night lately almost as much as Oliver.

Alden's 9th Birthday Party

For his "topic" as he kept calling it, this year Alden asked for a Mario party. I asked him if he wanted us to borrow a Wii and just play Wii games the whole party or do real life sized Mario games and he picked the latter. I was kind of hoping this time for the easy route, but he really wanted this so we did it.

So we made an obstacle kind of course with the things being loosely based on the Mario Bros game. (Which speaking of that Alden always says Bros not Brothers and it cracks me up every time). So we timed the kids for a little healthy competition :)

First you fished for Cheep Cheep fish. (This is Ben fishing)


Then you did the Boo Bean Bag toss. (Dane tossing)


Then you jumped over the "pipes", grabbed coins off the floor and hit each hanging block. (Alden looooved this part! He made all the pipes :) )


Then pinned the mustache on Mario. (Carter pining)


Then you were supposed to stomp the Goombas....

But most boys just did this cause it was faster.


Then outside for Yoshi's egg hunt.


He had asked for a pinata, but I frankly just didn't get to it. At first he wanted a Bowser one, which I quickly said no too! Then we switched to boo then lastly to the chain chomper which would have been good to do but I just didn't get the time. That and he wanted Mario hats for all the boys. Both which I had all intentions to do but I just didn't. (I explained to Alden that I just didn't have the time and he was fine with it. And then LUCY right after the party said to me, "Wait where are all the hats you were going to sew for all the kids??" )

The cake was an item box.




And with all the candy I had bought for the pinata, I came up with this instead and for their favors they filled bags with candy to take home.

And all the other food....



All the guests...

To end the party, we borrowed our neighbors Wii and the boys played a little bit.


I am glad it is over :)

Spiritual Sundays

"How sweet is the assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the certainty of death and the passage of time. Men may write love songs and sing them. They may yearn and hope and dream. But all of this will be only a romantic longing unless there is an exercise of authority that transcends the powers of time and death." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Listography: List 41

Things i like to wear:

yoga pants.
jeans
shirts that aren't tight on my left over baby belly.
cute earrings.
cute necklaces

Lucy's Art Party

Lucy's party was great. I had planned a girlie party since she has only ever invited girls... but this year she wanted a couple boys. I asked her multiple times if she was SURE she wanted those two boys and she always said yes. So we went with it and made some last minute adjustments.

When the kids first showed up, they started drawing on the paper that was covering the table.


First art project, was making people. I had at first called them dolls... but with boy guests we had to switch the name. We used pre sewed muslin dolls with fabric markers and fabric paint.




While Grandma Davis took each guest to do a melted art craft. Each kid did this and they all thought it was GREAT!



Then each guest painted a canvas.


The food for the party... colored popcorn.


Rainbow jello.


Fruit


And the cake.

The inside of the cake...


For the goodie bags I made these in my printer and filled them with the popcorn. And then all their art crafts and the supplies they used to make them all.


Lucy blowing out the candles...


All the guests.


It was an easy fun party. And the best part was Lucy and two of the other kids telling me it was the BEST part EVER since they love art :)

10 on Tuesday

1. It was Lucy's birthday this past week. I did throw her a party which was lots of fun. I took lots of pictures. So I'll try and do a post all about her party and one about her at six. I had planned on posting all about her on her birthday but I didn't get around to it!

2. I did do a photo shoot with her though. It was last night. This is one of my favorite images from it. You can see the rest over here.


3. Alden announced to me that he wanted to have a bake sale. I asked him what he wanted to raise money for. And he looks at me with a look of are you serious? and said "so I can have money mom." I'm not opposed to helping him have a bake sale. But we'd have to donate some of the money and he'd have to help me bake some of it. I have no idea where I'd do it though, cause summer is gone and making a cute booth to go outside just isn't going to happen.

4. Still doing my 30 photos of Oliver. Haven't posted them up here yet.
day 13

day 14

day 15

day 16

day 17

day 18

day 19

day 20

day 21

day 22

day 23

day 24

day 25


5. We had a great Thanksgiving. Even hosted my family at our house. It worked great that we don't have much furniture yet. :)

6. Speaking of furniture, we bought a couch. And I LOOOOOOOOOVE it. Its' this one.

7. My brother in law is painting my living room wall for me this week and I am sooooo happy about it.

8. We are hosting dinner club this month and I am trying to come up with a theme. I wanted to go with Chinese but Reg thinks that is too boring soooo we are trying to think a bit more exciting. One time he picked the letter R as our theme :)

9. I love eating left over thanksgiving food.

10. Oh pinterest. You've got me. I need to make a goal to actually MAKE some of the lovely things I've pinned. BUT with a newborn, that frankly just isn't going to happen any time soon. Wait. i did make some food I've pinned on there.... a few times. Like these lovelies for Lucy's class.
Found right on my dessert pinboard.