Kesslyn is 5 !

4 years ago today this sweet angel turned 1!

And TODAY...she turns 5!!!!!

I love Kesslyn so much, and I am so grateful for this little caboose!

She brings a smile to everyone in our family everyday with her singing and dancing, and the funny things she says...it's so hard to believe she's growing up and getting so big...right before my very eyes!

As I type this, she is still sound asleep in her bed, and THIS is what she will find when she wakes up!!!

We are going to go and have a fun day that we will tell you all about tomorrow. :)

 Happy 5th Birthday sweet Kesslyn!!! :)

We LOVE you!!!

XOXOX

Kindergarten Assessment Day

Today little Kesslyn went to meet her new Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Rizer, and had her Kindergarten assessment...I sat at a different table filling out paperwork and listening to Kesslyn's enthusiastic responses to the questions.

This made me so happy because she sounded SO  happy and confident, and it made me feel better as a mom getting ready to send my little 4 year old baby off to school everyday!(Although she will turn 5 on Monday right before school starts.;) You wonder sometimes if you have done enough to help them prepare, but as long as they have confidence and a positive outlook, they blossom and grow! I am excited to see her succeed in this next phase of life.

(I just still want to hold her in my arms for as long as I can!!!

She earned a pencil and a Smartie after meeting with her teacher, and so...the fun begins!!!

I also went to breakfast this morning with my friends for our annual traditional "Mom Breakfast" to celebrate the kids going back to school. Me, Laura, April, and Lisa had a great time talking and catching up, and realizing that life is passing right before our eyes, and we need to cherish every moment.

So that's what I'm trying to do!

Happy Friday!

 

Back to School 2020 ~ Pandemic Style

So this happened this week!!!

The kiddos are back in school!

After a five and a half month break, we are doing school "Pandemic style!"

Dallin is a SENIOR! He is also a class officer and a hilarious kid who makes me laugh every day.

He was so excited to be back in school to "do his thing" and to be with people.

He is such a ray of sunshine everywhere he goes.

He loves his teachers, and gets to go to all 3 lunches just to try and find people to sit by and talk to and help to feel included. 

Gavin is a freshman (9th grader) at OHMS and off to do good as well.

He is still a member of the HOPE squad going around and being a friend to everyone, but especially keeping an eye out for those who may be feeling sad, depressed, or lonely...he's there to brighten someone's day.

Gavin does this for me everyday too, when he sings to me, "Mother I love you, Mother I do, Father from heaven has sent me to you..." He does it so quickly that it's almost in a rap form, but nonetheless, I know he loves me and he makes me smile!!!

Here he is with the "Fabulous 5" ~ these are the same 5 kiddos that started preschool together, and hopefully will all still be best buddies as they grow up, serve missions, and get married one day!

We LOVE these kids!

We HAD to get a picture of them with their masks on (which they are required to wear all day at school because of the pandemic).

Sweet Kambriella is in the 6th grade! Top of the elementary school baby!!! ;)

She is seriously growing up SO much and to think of her going to middle school next year FREAKS me out!

(So I'm not going to think about that just yet...)

We took her to the school and got her where she needed to be, took some pictures with her friends, and then I took Kesslyn back home.

(Kesslyn starts Kindergarten this year, but not until next week AFTER she turns 5!)

Kambriella, Mia, and Mya have all been friends since they were babies too (little siblings of the Fab 5 - minus Annika that moved on to middle school)...

Emrey is also one of Kambriella's very best friends, and lucky for them, they are in the same class! Although Emrey moved this year, and next year, she will be going to a different middle school...THAT will be a sad day...(but I'm not going to think about that right now either...)

These are some of the girls in Kambriella's class this year. It should be a fun one! (I just hope Kambriella doesn't get in trouble for talking with all of these fun friends in her class! ;)

Sporting the masks...;)

And one more friend Grace Meier that got there a little late after we had already done pictures...but SO GLAD that these girls all have so many good friends to support each other!

Good luck kids! It's going to be an AWESOME year of growth and change...

You've got this!!! :)

 

Be a Loving Sister

The other morning I woke up and decided to take a drive to Logan to see my sister Andrea.

She was on my mind, and I felt prompted by the spirit to simply show up at her door, give her a hug, and let her know that I was thinking of her...

Unfortunately, when I arrived in Logan, she was not home, and so I decided to write her a note on a page I tore out of my planner that said something sweet and inspiring about love (which was what I was trying to relay to her that day)...

I wrote a note on the back of the page, and put the necklace and note in an envelope and then left it on her front door.

She responded later at how much it lifted her spirits that day and said that I was inspiring her to be a better sister. It's ironic, but that was what I was trying to do too...(Be a better sister. :) If you really want someone to know that you care about them, you need to be sure to let them know! Spend time with them, get to know them better, treat them how YOU want to be treated, and maybe just maybe, that same kind of love will come right back to you. :)

I'm working on doing a little bit better every single day. :)

 

Back to School 2020 ~ Minister Like Angels

Sunday, August 23rd was our family's first Sunday back to church in 5 and a half months.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down everything we have been thoroughly enjoying enjoying Home Church together, but it was nice to see some of the friendly faces that we have missed!

This special Sabbath Day was also our family's Back to School Celebration!

I had been preparing some special things for our family...

After receiving some personal revelation and direction for these sweet kids, I decided to make our family's theme for this school year, "Minister Like Angels."

I bought a small angel Moroni pin for each person to pin to their back pack as a reminder to minister like an angel throughout their day.

Clint helped me set a nice table and we wrapped up these pins with a bracelet and a picture, a different one for each child...

These beautiful water color paintings were a soft reminder of what ministering can look like, and we plan to discuss these in greater depth tonight for FHE...but they are also for the kids to put wherever they choose as yet another reminder to minister like an angel.

In their little gift was also a bracelet with a card to "Be the Good" and to "Let Your Light Shine."

This one below is Kambriella's.

We have all discussed what this school year may look like, and together we are prepared to minister to anyone, anywhere. Teachers, friends, parents, kids, bullies...you name it, and we want to help.

I truly believe that THIS is why my children are out in the public school system...to be a leader, a light, and a missionary. The schools are yet another "training ground" for what lies ahead.

There are opportunities all around us to do good, and I feel like my kids are so good at that. 

They have been saved for this time and I'm excited to see them in action.

Dallin helped me with hanging up the lights and making this a sacred space. We all gathered around the table and enjoyed a delicious meal as we discussed  our families theme for the year.

This conversation of course was not without bursts of brotherly jokes and laughter, because we also had Carew's mission companion (and now roommate at BYU) with us for the evening.

There is definitely never a dull moment around here with this bunch. ;)

I loved how people talked about serving selflessly, being prepared spiritually at all times so that when you are called upon you are ready, worthy, and willing...

I loved the comments about how when we live worthily, others who do not have the gift of the gospel in their lives will be blessed simply by being in our presence and feeling the hope and the Spirit that we carry. 

I really really loved the comments about how ministering and service are most effective AND important within our own family, ESPECIALLY among little sisters. :) (They seem to be a little more emotionally needy than some others...;)

But all in all, we had a great night.

Clint gave everyone a priesthood blessing, and we headed to bed before midnight! (It's a miracle, right? ;)

I look forward to this year, even amidst the constant changes that loom all around us...we are grateful for the opportunities ahead to minister like angels, wherever we may be, and whomever we are with.

Bedtime Cuddles

Kesslyn loves for me to snuggle by her at bedtime, and quite honestly, I love it too.

She is my baby and she's growing up, and bedtime is about one of the only times when she WANTS to cuddle, so I'll take it. :)

She will be going to Kindergarten in just a few short days and I'm not sure if my heart can handle it.

But maybe, just maybe, if we cuddle at night, she will still feel like my baby. ;)

 

Cousin Time

This last week or so before school gets ready to start we have been holding onto summer by having our cousins some to stay!

Cherie and Blake went away for a trip and so we got o have the kids with us for a few days!

We started out our fun by having endless ice-cream cones at Tiffany's house. 

They had one last day with the ice cream machine before they had to give it back from the wedding, and so we took full advantage of as much soft serve ice cream as these kids could eat!

Everyone played hard, and crashed just as hard at night. :)

The boys LOVED having some freedom and feeling like one of the "big boys" by playing with Dallin. :)

He was so good to make Sawyer feel like the most amazing kid in the world. :)

Because he IS amazing after all...

Brier is entering the 8th grade in a couple of days and wanted a new hair style...bangs. :)

She looked so beautiful with them!

We went out to lunch at Freddy's and went bowling.

It was a fun and crazy time!

We played on the slip and slide...

...which was actually really fun because we were hitting record heat temperatures around here! It's supposed to be 106 degrees today! That's HOT for here!

We ate popsicles and ice cream again to keep cool of course...;)

...and once again that never ending soft serve ice cream was a BIG hit with the little ones!

They ate as much as they wanted RIGHT out of the giant bowl!

(Honestly I was glad to be getting rid of it, and especially to people who loved it! ;)

Basically having cousins is about the best thing in the world. :)

Cousins and never ending summer days, that is. :)