"Broken Binky"

 It's a bitter~sweet day...

Kesslyn is now 18 months old and it's the day that I am getting rid of her binkies.... ;(   

This makes me a little sad because I feel like the baby part of her is disappearing all too quickly...

When I put Kesslyn in her high chair for breakfast, she saw a binky on the counter and pointed at it and screamed...something inside of me did NOT like that action (probably because it is becoming all too familiar) and so I instinctively grabbed the binky, turned my back to her so she couldn't see what I was doing, and then I cut off the nipple part and set it back down on the counter. She kept screaming and pointing at it so I finally handed it to her. She tried putting it in her mouth and looked confused as it would fall to the counter every time...I don't know why I didn't think to video it because it was hilarious to watch!!! (Really, it was probably because this was such an instantaneous decision that I had made...I had been contemplating doing this, but had no idea when or how...)

 I smiled and looked at Kesslyn with my hands in the air and said, "Oh no! It's broken!"

She seemed to understand what I was saying and nodded her head yes to agree with me...

she then proceeded to throw it on the floor and eat her breakfast. That was it! No fit or tantrum...Until it was nap time that is...

She squirmed and pointed looking desperately for a binky...I cuddled her, read her a story, and said a prayer with her all while she tried squirming out of my arms.

I finally stood up with her, hugged her and kissed her tight, layed her in her crib with her blanket and bunny and said, "I love you! You are OK."

I left the room and shut the door where she screamed for about 10 minutes before I went BACK in and cuddled and consoled her some more...I think she had worn herself out because she seemed much more ready to be laid down. So I did and left the room...

She did not scream but went right to sleep.

It really sounds like a sad story coming from the mommy of her LAST baby...but it was really so easy for both of us I think. The time just seemed right, and Kesslyn was a happy little girl the rest of the day. Each time she would find a "broken binky" she would give it that "look" and then throw it and move on. I really think she is ready for this and I think in the end it will be good for her too. Now she can focus on talking without that obstruction in her mouth, and hopefully will decide that screaming and pointing won't always get her what she wants!

I love this little baby so very much and have thoroughly enjoyed every moment that she has blessed my life, but I realize too just like with every baby that I've had, that my job as their mother is to help them to learn and to grow and progress. So that's what I am going to TRY to do. Even if that means it hurts my heart and may be hard...helping her grow up is part of my job and they just can't stay little forever!!! ;(  ;(  ;(

Tiny Hands Grow Big

 One of my FAVORITE and prized possessions...

A couple of years ago I went with Clint to the Sheriff's Convention in St. George. It happened to fall on my birthday so we took advantage of the opportunity and I spent my days with my mom while Clint was busy with the show, and then we spent our evenings together. It was a win~win for me! :)

While we were gone our good friend Amelia Holt stayed with my kids...and THIS Hand Made Family Tree was a product of their Family Home Evening lesson and their birthday gift to me...

It touched my heart to see such a thoughtful gift from them all :)

RED ~ Kierra

ORANGE ~ Carew

GREEN ~ Dallin

BLUE ~ Gavin

PINK ~ Kambriella

PURPLE ~ Kesslyn (added later when she was born :)

These hands are all getting so big!!! So big in fact that Carew  - for the 1st time EVER IN HIS LIFE...

FINALLY beat his dad at 21!

This was HARD for Clint to accept, and very EASY for Carew to accept :)

We can't stay young forever, right??? :)

A Sabbath Day of Service

7:00 a.m.~ Clint goes to High Counsel meeting

7:00 a.m.~ Susette goes to Bernice's house to help her get up, get showered, and ready for church. :)

(Just look at that BEAUTIFUL 98 year old smile!!! I LOVE Bernice! :)

9:30 a.m.~ Susette attends Ward Counsel meeting

9:30 a.m.~ Clint attends stake meeting

11:00 a.m.~ Clint attends Quail Ridge ward sacrament meeting

11:00 a.m.~ Susette helps children get ready for church, starts dinner in the crock pot :)

1:00 p.m.~ Our entire family attends our Sabbath Day worship service. Beautiful. :)

2:20 p.m.~ Clint substitute teaches Kambriella's primary class! :)

4:15 p.m.~ Susette orients new Enrichment leader! Yippee!

4:30 p.m.~ Carew attends Mission Prep class

5:00 p.m.~ Clint and Susette Hi-5 each other driving down the street in front of their house as Clint goes home teaching and Susette goes home to tend to children and dinner preparations...(I hope these ribs taste good!;)

6:00 p.m.~ The 2 Love Birds pause for 30 seconds to say hello and get a hug and a kiss ;)

6:00 p.m.~ Gavin and Kambriella make Easy Bake treats for everyone :)

6:30 p.m.~ FAMILY DINNER :)

7:00 p.m.~ Clint takes Carew and Dallin to Youth Fireside at the Stake Center

7:00 p.m. Susette puts Kesslyn to bed

7:30 p.m.~ Susette records her thoughts on this journal blog...

My life is good.

I am so blessed.

Heavenly Father is good and loves me unconditionally.

I am learning to use the Atonement in my life everyday.

Service is a gift and a great blessing in my life.

My husband is so good to me and is ALWAYS serving others...and I think it makes me love him that much more and makes me think he's even cuter than ever before... because he is just so so good. :)

Happy Sabbath Day of Service...and now some REST!!! :)

Tiny, Chubby Hands

All of my children have LOVED playing with the little nativity sets every year at Christmas time...
I love watching their tiny, chubby hands carefully maneuver the delicate pieces as they bring them to life.
This will forever be one of my very favorite memories of Christmas AND childhood...

Today however, as I sat at the kitchen table working on my calling, Kesslyn walked in circles around the kitchen talking in her baby talk, and gripping tightly a small picture in her tiny, chubby hands once again...

I stopped and looked at what she was carrying around and found that it was a picture of Jesus. :)

I recognized the teaching opportunity and said, "It's your Brother Jesus!!! He loves you so much Kesslyn!" 

She smiled and gave her best attempt at saying "Jesus" and then held the picture up against her face as if to hug the picture...I just looked on lovingly and tried to capture the feeling and imagery of the moment in my mind. It was a peaceful and happy sight indeed, and I KNOW that Kesslyn felt the Spirit.

These children may be small, but their spirits are so BIG!

I'm grateful for simple moments like these that help bring heaven into my heart and home, and testify to me of  the love of our Savior Jesus Christ and how familiar He really is.

Little Girls

I really don't know if there is a little girl on the planet that loves her daddy more than Kesslyn LOVES Clint!

When he's around, that's where she is...in his arms! 

(But hey, I don't blame her! ;)

And that's the way it should be! Every little girl should have a hero in their dad.

Yesterday was also the day that me and some of the girls in my neighborhood threw a baby shower for one of our new neighbors! She is expecting a LITTLE GIRL and wanted so badly to get to know her new neighbors...so we thought, what better way than to have a baby shower! 

She was overwhelmed at the amount of love and support she received from people that she didn't even know!!! We had about 40 girls show up! It was a blast and we all had a great time!

When she told me how overwhelmed she felt I just said, "Just feel overwhelmed with LOVE because that's what you are...LOVED!"

It's the truth too...whether we may know each other or not, we are all children of God and all of us GIRLS are SISTERS!!! ...And with the light of Christ that is inside of us, and that beautiful Christ like love called CHARITY, we truly can and should love each other, even if we may at first be strangers.

Just take a minute to get to know people, because in the end we really are just FAMILY!

A Stripling Warrior

Alma 53:21

  21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

Yea, THIS is a young man of truth and soberness, for he has been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him...

I see my sons as some of those stripling warriors that were talked about in the scriptures, 

and I believe that if I can instill in them the confidence, love, and support that they NEED to BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES, then they will have the weapons they need to conquer the enemy that is trying so desperately to defeat them...BUT...

 THEY WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!

As I spent some of the day with Carew yesterday I was given little whisperings from the Spirit that showed me of Heavenly Father's love and trust in him.

His smile is genuinely growing and he is becoming a happy and positive person to be around. 

He is excited for each day and the opportunities that he sees before him...

We went on a lunch date together and then got Carew a passport. 

For a while now I had been having the thought that I needed to go and get him one, but really not sure why...AND because I just want to be obedient to the promptings and thoughts that I have, I went ahead and took him and got one. He may or may not need one for his mission, but if he doesn't he can at least have one if he ever has the opportunity within the next 10 years to go on a cruise or out of the country somewhere fun...OR if he DOES need one for his mission, then he will already have one.

Either way, I felt I needed to get him one.

I also felt like sharing all of those thoughts with him, and he is so good...so excited for his mission no matter WHERE in the world he may be called to serve! Rigby Idaho and Reno Nevada included! :)

Fun times lie ahead and 'm just so happy that my children are choosing to walk the path that leads to happiness through keeping the commandments.

:)

Cherie's PERFECT Gift

Every year for Christmas, Clint's family takes turns drawing names for their siblings and their families.

This past year for Christmas, Cherie had our name and her gift was one of the most meaningful, memorable, heartfelt gifts that I/we have EVER been given...

Cherie set aside her WHOLE day...Saturday, November 26th, to come and bring her camera and her talent along with her cute little self ;) ... and spent the ENTIRE day doing what we were doing...and capturing EVERY moment of our time and togetherness...

 FOREVER to be remembered by this AWESOME record...

A Trickett Family Christmas Book full of pictures, memories, activities and moments that make up a day in the life of our family...

 This particular day that we recorded was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the day that we had set aside to go cut down our Christmas tree, have EVERYONE home together, and just spending time at home.

Not only was this a special day to record JUST BECAUSE, but it was also one of the LAST YEARS that our sweet little family will be together in this same capacity...this year will be a pivotal year, a HUGE year of change, and our family will begin to change shape, size, location, and members all at the same time.

Next Christmas will most likely find my sweet Kierra:

 married, moved away, and beginning a family of her very own... and my cute Carew

 serving a full time mission for the Lord and for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for 2 years.

The dynamics of our family will be different...still full of LOVE ~ in fact, full of MORE LOVE than it ever has had before, but it will just be different.

 Instead of thinking of 6 kids at home, we will be down to 4 which seems strange to me to think about...

Dallin will be the man of the house with Gavin bringing up the rear of the boys when he turns 12 and receives the priesthood in September. Kambriella will be getting baptized in June, and , well...the baby sister Kesslyn is hopefully going to be working on getting potty trained by then! :)

 All I can say right now is that my heart is soooo full EVERYDAY and I'm so grateful to be able to have this SWEET SWEET gift from Cherie. The emotions that surface every time I think about my sweet family and this priceless gift I get a lump in my throat and tears well up in my eyes...

I feel like I am living a dream... it's a beautiful dream that I have created with my sweetheart and eternal companion. We began living this dream almost 23 years ago... and the amount of happiness and love, devotion and gratitude, true JOY and SACRIFICE that has gone into creating it has made me realize and understand in some tiny little way just how much my Heavenly Father loves me, and EVERY SINGLE ONE of His children. It has made me feel more responsible for teaching these spirits what is right so that they can be armed with all of the knowledge and power that they need to make it through this awesome, exciting, hard, CRAZY journey through life. It has made me feel more indebted than ever before, because all of the goodness and blessings that I have been given are more than I know I will ever be able to repay...

My debt of gratitude is overwhelming...

 Just this weekend we were all together and just talking, sharing the details of everything going on for everyone, and I found myself feeling YET AGAIN sooo very grateful.

 I would not be the person I am today without Clint by my side cheering me on and giving me all of the confidence in the world! Trying wholeheartedly to believe his words when he tells our children that I am one of the Best top 10 mothers of all time!!! (Including Mary and Eve...which I KNOW is not true ;) I do know in all honesty though, that the amount of COMMITMENT, SUPPORT, ENCOURAGEMENT, MOTIVATION, AFFECTION, and LOVE that has come from my sweetie is most of the driving force behind what gives me the energy to move forward...that and my love of God.

My BLESSINGS are endless as I believe EVERYONE'S are...

I am just choosing to see them and count them and rely on them and believe in them...which makes them that much more tangible and visible and REAL to me everyday.

I asked Cherie when she was here with our family that day taking our pictures if she would please capture the picture of our family prayer.

This was done in a very respectful and loving way...

We were all starving and had ordered some pizzas that were delivered to our house...

We paused for a prayer of gratitude and a BLESSING on the food.

When we said "Amen" we all paused for a moment before lifting our heads or opening our eyes...

Cherie took the picture and to me...captured a vision of MY BLESSINGS.

She captured perfectly the way that my heart feels about everyone and everything that is important around me...She captured as closely as possible the picture of what "heaven on earth" may look like...

She captured "the windows of heaven pouring out BLESSINGS" and that there IS beauty all around when there's LOVE AT HOME.

She captured the "temple" that I feel our home can be when our hearts are full of that gratitude and love for our BLESSINGS...

She also captured PERFECTLY the miracle of living with angels, and that THAT is how I truly see my family...each one a BLESSING in my life and such a strength to me on our journey.

I look at the future of our family and see that the growth and change will not only bring us CLOSER to each other, but it will DEFINE and REFINE each one of us a little more, just as our Heavenly Father intended when He called His plan "The great plan of HAPPINESS."

 I am BLESSED.

 I am truly HAPPY.

And I am forever and eternally GRATEFUL!!!

THANK YOU SWEET BEAUTIFUL CHERIE!!!

The Sabbath Day is a Treat

The Sabbath day is like a treat. :)

I love it for so many reasons...

It's the day that we go to church, take the sacrament, and start a new week fresh. rejuvenated and committed. I get to be with my whole family and grow together.

We have time to read together,

relax together,

play games together,

eat family dinner together,

spend time laughing and talking together,

go on walks together,

and just be together.

I LOVE it. :)

Aaannndd...

Did you know if you go to Kneaders after 8pm on Saturday night ALL of the desserts in the glass case are half price??? That way, you can pick a fancy treat for everyone for after Sunday dinner. :)

Seriously, the Sabbath day is SUCH a treat!

Getting Too Big

 Every morning when it comes time to comb little Kesslyn's hair, I have these flash backs to when Kierra was little...

Enough hair that it needs to be combed, but not quite enough to know HOW to do it! ;)

Well, yesterday, I sat this sweet little wiggle worm on the counter in the bathroom in front of the mirror and attempted to do french braids!!!

They actually turned out pretty cute for a 2 minute wiggly job!!! 

 The thing that I DIDN"T like was how grown up it seemed to make Kesslyn look! She is 2 weeks away from being a year and a half old (18 mos.) and my sad mommy meter goes higher and higher the faster my little ones grow up!

 Before I know it, she will be trying to leave the house and get married like my other little "what to do with her hair"daughter Kierra!

I know it's inevitable that they HAVE to grow up, but seeing it happen is hard to do. Needless to say, the french braids only lasted about an hour and then Kesslyn went right back to looking more little. :)

Can I just keep it that way??? ;) ;) ;)

Pretty PLEASE???

A Day at the Temple

 Clint and I had a day date yesterday...no kids, and a visit to the Salt Lake Temple!!! :)

It was a beautiful day to be hand in hand with my sweetheart in one of the most peaceful and beautiful places on earth.

 We attended the sealing of two of our friends and it was a beautiful ceremony. 

I listened intently to the teachings and advice given to us by Brother Wixom there in the sealing room.

The Spirit was very strong and I walked out of the temple feeling like I was empowered to do good.

Clint and I walked around the temple grounds alone just the 2 of us and that always seems to be my favorite place to be...is with him. 

 This is McCall Gill and her mom, my friend Michelle with Kesslyn.

She was an absolutely beautiful bride...and I felt sooo happy for her.

She was the sweet girl that I had the privilege of teaching a one on one temple prep class to...we grew very close during that awesome time together, and to see her take this final step of temple marriage made my heart swell with joy...I am so happy for her.

I also thought her hair looked amazing and just had to see it up close...but only after picking my friend Traci Day up as high as I could lift her to take a picture over the top of the photographer's head...trust me, if we could have caught it on camera, YOU would be laughing your head off!!!

It really was an awesome day.

I LOVE the temple!!!

The 15th of Every Month

 The 15th day of every month is Gavin's day for a date (since his birthday is on the 15th of September) and he couldn't wait for it to come!

It always reminds me just how special each one of my children are when we carry on this tradition with each of them because we get that one on one time together, we get to talk about things just the 2 of us, and it's always the simple things in life that seem to bring the most joy.

All Gavin wanted to do for his date was to go to the store and buy a treat, and some deodorant. :)

Yep!

That's it!

So, he ended up choosing a chocolate milk, some things for school lunches, and a Dragon fruit and a Star fruit (which we need to ask google how to eat since we have never before eaten a Dragon fruit!!! :)

I'm tellin' ya that these kids are easy to please! You give them just a moment of your time and it's amazing what they will give in return...love, conversation, and real communication about what's in their heart and what's going on their life...not to mention the number of genuine smiles and laughs!

I love each of them so much and truly enjoy these one on one dates with each of them on "their" day.

 After the usual business of the rest of the evening with weekly activities such as dance, SBO duties, a trip to the orthodontist, going to the bank, young men activities, and scouts...I headed out to my Relief Society presibency meeting where I was pleasantly surprised by one of my friends/counselors with a 

PUMPKIN SPICE GHIRARDELLI  CHOCOLATE!!! :)

I told you!!! EVERY time one of my friends finds ANYTHING pumpkin spice they think of me..and I feel so loved!!! ~And so do my taste buds! ;)

At my meeting we visited about details, individuals, and needs like normal, and then the 4 of us headed out into the night like secret bandits and "Heart ~attacked" 9 families in our ward.

This was so simple yet so fun to do...

A "We Love You" heart along with a few other little hearts and a bag of cookies just to let someone know that they are thought about and loved.

This may seem like a very small thing...but I personally know the effects of this gesture and how it feels just to know that someone is thinking of you, that you are loved, and that your actions do not go unnoticed.

We are going to try and do this for a year long service on the 15th of every month. Hopefully, if we can do 8 to 10 families every month, we might be able to hit every home in our ward by the end of the year...spreading the love and hopefully making EVERYONE feel loved...because they are!

That's how the Savior ministered...One by One.

So, my service to "the one" weather it may be to my ward family, or my own family...just like it was Gavin today...is a Christ like service that I KNOW can make a difference in the lives of others.

Plus, I feel extra happy when I make this time for others because I know that I am being an extension of the Savior's hands and THAT"S what I am meant to do.

I'm trying to be like Jesus. It's going to take an eternity to do, but I'm working at it one day at a time and I love it. :)

A Sweet Day Indeed

 Kesslyn and I got to take OUR very favorite person out to the Chinese Buffet for a Valentine's lunch. :)

I say OUR favorite person because it is quite simply the truth!!!

Kesslyn LOVES her Dada more than any other person on the planet!!!

 I mean, just look at that smile!!!

Whenever I go in for a kiss with Clint, she very quickly reaches in for a kiss herself!!!

(I don't think she wants to be left out at all!!! And she has to be quick because Mom is REALLY good at that "going in for a kiss" thing... :)

...and yes, that IS a chocolate ice cream cone in her hand for lunch... :)

Tell me she doesn't have her Daddy wrapped around her little finger?! :)

(OK, she DID eat some noodles before the ice cream cone...:)

 Later on after everyone was home for the evening, I set up a candlelight dinner and a movie for ALL of my Valentine's...(except Kierra who doesn't live here anymore)  :(

We had lasagna, salad, garlic bread, Sparkling apple~mango cider, chocolate dipped strawberries, and chocolate covered shortbread cookies. We watched the movie TROLLS and cuddled up on the couch.

It was such a fun time just to be together and relax for an evening. :) 

..and to just be together with our very favorite people! :)

Clint smothered me with hugs and kisses and LOVIN" like usual, and gave me these beautiful roses, made the chocolate dipped strawberries, and whispered those sweet nothings in my ear... :)

I'm so thankful for the LOVE of this family that's found in this home. It is most definitely my favorite place to be, both at home, and surrounded by these sweet hearts of mine!

XOXOXOXOOXO

Happy Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day to the LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!

We LAUGH together...

 We can be SILLY together...

 We are CRAZY about each other in every single way...

 ...but you just KNOW that you are loved FOREVER...

 ...when EVERYDAY feels like Valentine's Day.

A smile, a kiss, a wink, a look, a lip reading session across a sea of children whom you DO NOT want to know what you are saying... :)

A hug, an embrace, a "What can I do to help you?" every day...

A dance around the kitchen floor, a date night ANYTIME you're alone, 

and a trip to the temple OFTEN...

a lunch date at work, a pinch on the bum when no one is looking :) ...or so you think. ;)

A compliment, a brush of the hair, a hand on my shoulder, an arm around my waist while cooking dinner...

A prayer, a conversation, a foot massage, or an "I'll go check on the baby"...

A last memory of everyday...laying down at night wrapped up in each other and hearing the words...

"This is my favorite part of the day!" :)

LOVE is so many many things.... but for me...it is my eternal heart throb...

Clint James Trickett!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Saturday Was a Special Day

Saturday, February 11th was not only Kierra's 19th birthday, 

it was also Xaxton Jace Stuart's baptism!

My sister Tiffany's little boy was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was so stoked...his little body was almost bursting with excitement and his enthusiasm was contagious! I LOVE that little boy! Tiffany gave the talk on baptism, and Dallin gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, and all of the primary children that were there sang Xaxton's favorite song "Gethsemane."

They all brought the Spirit in so strong and it was such a beautiful baptism! 

I was so happy to be there to witness it. :)

After the baptism was over, Clint took Kierra, Riley, and Dallin to a Monster Truck show at the Maverick Center where they got to sit in a box suite and be entertained, while the rest of us went out to lunch at Chuck~A~Rama. We ate and visited and then I had to leave to help with a funeral in my ward.

It was also the Sweethearts Dance that Carew was going to and so I picked up his corsage for his date and went back and forth from the house to the church in order to spend time with everyone, AND help with the funeral dinner that we were putting on.

 When I arrived home I found some mad Wii competitions going on!!!

Let me tell you, it was quite entertaining to watch these cute boys shakin' their booty's and flailing their arms all over the place! You can never have a game go on in the Trickett household that doesn't have that edge of competitiveness!!! Clint actually won once which made him SOOO happy!!!

 We sang our family's favorite birthday song and blew out the candles...

and then I tried to assist Kierra in getting her "birthday wish" by having Riley give her a kiss on the cheek...

I knew what she was wishing for, but knew that only Riley could deliver that gift!!! ;)

 Birthday hugs and kisses were handed out right and left, she opened her presents, and Kambriella enjoyed decorating Riley's face with stickers all over the place! 

What a good sport he was! :)

After a little while it was time to go back to the church to help clean up and distribute left over funeral food to some families that needed some help in our ward..

Clint came to be my helper while the kids stayed home and watched Kesslyn for me.

Kierra and Riley left and went on a "surprise date" which ended up being looking at rings in the jewelry store, and Clint and I took dinner to 4 families, stopped at home to take care of the kiddos and got Kesslyn to bed, and then headed out to go to the late JAZZ game. We had dinner there and then stopped for a massage in the massage chair before heading home.

It was such a FULL day, but such a GOOD day too...

Each day that comes sends me to my knees in so much gratitude. I feel so blessed to have the sweet family that I do and to experiencing so much joy and happiness while traveling here on this mortal journey.

I love my life, my family, and my blessings...they are all around me in everything that I see and I am so grateful for them! :)