My Family, My Greatest Blessing

 The weekend was a good one! (But then again a weekend with family to me is ALWAYS a good one! :

We took down the baby crib and replaced it with a twin bed to make Kesslyn's old room a guest bedroom for when my mom comes to visit. I felt a little ache in my heart as we did this because it really does close the chapter for me of having babies and that makes me a little sad...but only a little.

 I will miss that stage in my life, but I will always cherish the time and memories I have with the 6 children I have been blessed to rear and raise. Motherhood and especially the innocent time of infancy is truly a sacred time, and beautiful calling. Challenging and hard, and yet soooo rewarding. 

I am going to hold on to that crib though...since I am certain that there will be grand babies somewhere in my fufture! :)

Over the weekend we also rode unicorns in the pool...

 ...had Grandma Panter come for a visit, and of course had to go eat at Zupa's for lunch! ;)

 You can see that mischievous little 2 year old in the picture...

she LOVES the chocolate covered strawberries that you get with your meal at Zupa's, and so she quickly and quietly ate hers, and then mine, and then Grandma's! 

You CUTE little stinker!!! Ooo I love you!

 Gavin was also a sweetheart and gave up his ticket to the Hale Center Theater play "The Newsies" so that Grandma Panter could go, and he stayed home with Xaxton and Kesslyn and had fun with them. I'm pretty sure it was a win~win~win for everyone. :)

 On Sunday Kambriella gave a sweet talk in primary about how Heavenly Father hears and answers her prayers. Although I wrote it for her, it was real experiences that SHE is having, and they were so sweet that it brought tears to more than a few eyes of the sisters in primary.

That is just Kambriella's heart. Loving and powerful and so so good.

 She took all of the time to play with her baby sister and helped her feel the joy of a playful imagination. They were superheroes playing baseball, and then made cupcakes for a friend's birthday. It made me smile to watch them. :)

 These snapshots of life and of childhood are so priceless to me. They are moments that I know one day I will be looking back on with fondness as my children each continue to grow and leave home, and begin lives of their own...

last night as we visited with Kierra and Riley on the phone too I felt a little more connected and the togetherness that a mother always longs to have with her children. My family is my greatest blessing!  I'm excited for the day to come when I will have ALL of my children back together again. Even if it's just for a minute. Then I might feel like Kesslyn looks in this picture...a Superhero that can conquer the world!!!