NO SCHOOL = FUN!!!

   Monday was President's Day which meant NO SCHOOL! :)

So we stayed indoors to avoid the cold and spent a few hours playing with friends at the church!

After we were done there I treated my little people to one of my favorite lunches...PIZZA!!!

 We had a bacon chicken ranch pizza from Pier 49 San Francisco Sourdough Pizza Co.

They practically licked their plates clean! :)

(And don't you just LOVE the boys' outfits?? They were sporting high confidence levels in their

 "throw back" basketball attire that they played in at the church! ;)

 After lunch we headed to Scheels where we bought Dallin some shoes for Trek that he can start breaking in, some new swim suits for Clint for Mexico, and us girls went for a ride on the Ferris Wheel!!! Kesslyn is FINALLY 36 inches tall! That is the MINIMUM requirement to ride, and she was soooo happy...and not scared one bit! :)

I'm grateful for No SCHOOL days where I get to be stingy and keep my children ALL to myself! :)

Love Is In Full Bloom

My Valentine flowers are in full bloom while the snows of winter hit the ground outside...

but don't worry...I will be in the WARM and SUNNY Mexico in 5 days with my sweetie!!!!!!!!!

Goodbye COLD and Hello LOVE!!!! :) :) :) :)

Put Me On "Time Out!"

 This past weekend I put myself on Time Out!

Time Out For Women that is!!!... ;)

 This fine crew of girls are some of my BEST life long treasured friends!!!

Lisa Penrod, me, Heather Allen, and Natalie Christensen!

We all built our first homes in the same subdivision in Roy when we were all young and newly married...that was 20 years ago!!! After several moves, growing families, job changes, and LIFE happening...we have stayed close...in fact we haven't just STAYED close, but we have grown even CLOSER to each other over the years! Although miles have taken us apart, our love for each other, life experiences, and our love for the gospel have brought us closer together than we have EVER been before.

 It was SOOOO fun to meet in Farmington, check in to our hotel, TALK, go to dinner, TALK some more, go to the Time Out For Women conference, sit at McDonald's till midnight eating french fries and ice~cream, TALK and LAUGH, and LAUGH some more!!! We stayed up until 2 in the morning talking and laughing and listening to each other try to figure out answers and solutions to some of the trials that each of us face...

(Here we listened to Laurel Day, Jenny Oaks Baker (Dallin H. Oaks daughter), and Gail Miller speak to us about being Centered in Christ.)

We jumped on the beds, LAUGHED some more, TALKED some more, and even shared a few tears. These girls GET me. They LOVE me unconditionally! We understand each other and the journey of motherhood and the challenges that life brings. BUT, we also know that TOGETHER and with the help of Heavenly Father, we can successfully navigate these waters of life that we sail leading us back home. 

We could have just went shopping or done a number of other fun things together, but we all wanted to do something MEANINGFUL and important...so we went to the temple! What better place to strengthen each other than in the holy house of the Lord!

 This is the Ogden temple, and with the Logan AND Bountiful temples closed it was sooo busy!!! But we didn't mind! What better place to have time to just sit than in the temple! :) We all went to do initiatory work and sat next to each other while we waited our turn and whispered spiritual experiences and testimonies to each other. I LOVE these sisters of mine and I LOVE that they have the same vision of things that matter most in this life. They will FOREVER be important to me, cherished by me, and my sisters in the gospel!

THIS is REAL beauty, REAL friendship, and REAL love. XOXOX

 After we finished in the temple we went to lunch at Kneaders, talked and laughed some more, and then got ready to say our goodbyes, but NOT until we "calendared our commitments!" (A phrase we learned at our TOFW. ;) We put a plan together with a date and decided to make this happen every year! We did this one other time but it was probably 12 years ago! So, next year, in February of 2019, we plan to get together again and have another weekend of girl time, and we'll put ourselves on "time out" again!!! I can't wait!!! ;)

Going home is always sweet though because I genuinely love being with my family the most. I loved hugging and kissing everyone and hearing about their adventures while I was gone! (Gavin went on his winter scout camp, Kambriella had a slumber party with her cousin Madyson to celebrate her birthday, and Clint and Dallin hung out with Kesslyn and watched Gold Rush! It's a favorite of theirs. ;)

 But Sunday was a rejuvenating day as well! My favorite day of the week! We went to church and took the sacrament, were spiritually fed, and then went home, took a nap, and then went for a drive to the cabin!

We ate chicken wings and bagel bites while we were there, made cookie dough, played games, talked to Kierra on the phone, and had family home evening. I LOVE 9:00 church! It's days like this where we have TIME to spend as a family BEING TOGETHER! I LOVE IT!

It was a great weekend that is leading into another great week! 

 Happy Presidents Day! 

There's no school today AND we received a REAL snow storm just in time for Spring! :)

Have a GREAT Monday! :)

I Want Jesus!

Yesterday I spent the entire day trying to get caught up on house work that hasn't been done in months! I went to my bedroom to tackle a few projects there and turned on some peaceful music...
Kesslyn was busy playing dolls in her room but the second she heard the music she came running and shouting..."I want Jesus! I want Jesus!"
The song that was playing was called Gethsemane and is one of my favorites, but it is interesting to me just how instantly Kesslyn recognized the sweet spirit of that song and the connection to Jesus.
I have never seen her look so surprised to NOT see someone that she was expecting...She came running into my room fully expecting to see Jesus!!! At least that was how I interpreted the look on her face and the tone in her voice...When I told her Jesus wasn't here but that they were singing about Him she looked sooo disappointed. ;( It really was so sweet and broke my heart all at the same time...
I want to try to live my life just like Kesslyn, and be ready in an INSTANT to RUN to Him at any time.
It was a tender moment in my day yesterday, and one that I won't ever forget.

(P.S. This picture is the same one that hangs in Kesslyn's room right above her rocking chair where she can see it every night. She really thinks it's her and Jesus. :) If you ask me, I think it looks just like them. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Happy Valentines Day!!! I LOVE this day of LOVE ;)...but what I love more is that EVERYDAY is a day of love when you're married to your best friend! :) :) :)

Clint gave me a dozen beautiful red roses...

We went to lunch together with one of our tiniest valentine's... :)

 ...my roses also came with a box of chocolate dipped strawberries!!! YUM! ;)

 ...and all of the little ones had cute and creative Valentine boxes for their school parties. :)

Kambriella's was a hot air balloon...

 Gavin's was a basketball court...;)

 I thought his tiny little hoops were the cutest!!! ;)

 ...and Kesslyn had a Minnie Mouse Heart. :)

 I even added a shoulder strap for her to make it easier to carry! :) 

I think they were all very pleased with them...smiles all around!

 ...and Dallin had such a creative idea, and although he did not have a box to make, he walked around the school today handing out gummi pizzas to everyone saying, 

"You wanna "Pizza" my heart? Then you gotta be my "Dallin-tine!!"

I'm lovin' it!!! 

He also wore a heart on the front of his shirt that said, "FREE HUGS"~ Yep! he ended up with over a hundred he said!!! That boy!!! ;0 ;)

There's plenty of  love in the air, and it's time to go hand out some more!!!

XOXOXOXOXO

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

A Trick and 1st Haircut!

 Yesterday Kesslyn was with me in the kitchen and bent over in this position and said, 

"Look mama! A trick! "

I was DYING because I was instantly taken back 18 years to when Kierra would say and do the very EXACT same thing!!! Look mama! A  trick! :0 :) Sweetest thing ever! :)

 Then, I also sat Kesslyn down and gave her her very first haircut! Her hair was really struggling at growing in evenly, and as much as I did not want to cut off any length, I just had to do it so that her hair could have a chance to start growing in evenly...

This is the "before" picture...

 (Excited but a little hesitant;)

 ...and THIS is the after!

 I just cut the bottom even with the shortest part of her hair that was growing in, so now most of it is the same length. :)

 Seriously?? :)

(She's learning all of these faces from Kambriella! ;)

 And here she is after I round brushed it a little...:)

 So much thicker and healthier looking! 

Now it can start to grow in thick and long! :)

Happy Week of Love!

 Happy Monday from our little fashion Diva! ;)

Kesslyn makes everyone laugh! She is learning and growing so much and really understands what is going on around her. She cries really hard when anyone leaves the house without her, and she has learned to open the fridge and help herself to the Hershey's HUGS that my friend Shelly gave me when Carew left on his mission. She told me anytime I wanted a HUG from Carew or was missing him too much I should eat one, so Kesslyn must REALLY miss Carew because she has eaten  almost the entire big bag! ;)

Clint and I had some fun over the weekend too...Friday night we went to dinner and the JAZZ game, and then Saturday night we went to a Date Night with Dr. Matt Townsend. We had fun listening to stories and learning more about strengthening our relationships, but it also confirmed what I already knew...that our marriage ROCKS! We really do make the BEST team! Also that no one is perfect and there is always room to improve...together. :)

 On Sunday, Dallin found out who his Ma and Pa would be for TREK this summer and he couldn't have been happier! April and Max Gruber will be so great! (This is also Kesslyn's little preschool teacher and my good friend!) We LOVE the Grubers!

 Sunday was also Kierra's 20th birthday (and it was soooo weird not seeing her on her birthday!) I have always been with each of my children on their birthdays and this was the first time I haven't been with one of them on their special day...and Carew's birthday is coming up, and guess what?? I won't be seeing him on his birthday either! ;( BUT, his sweet and amazing Kate who is ALWAYS so thoughtful brought us a bunch of birthday cards for people to sign and for us to send to Carew! We had 3 different groups at church sign them, and then I took the rest to our family party last night and had each family that was there sign a happy birthday message to Carew. Maybe he will actually get them on his birthday if they go out today!

 At Grandma and Grandpa Trickett's house each of the grand kids got to decorate their own Valentine house! :) Grandma Trickett is always so sweet to make so many fun memories for everyone! It doesn't really matter how old they get, they still love going to grandma's to have fun with cousins!

 Aunt Ginger helped get Kesslyn going on her house and once she got going, she didn't stop decorating until there was no more empty space on the house!!! :)

 Look at this little cutie! She sat there for so long just putting candies on her house! :)

Kambriella, Dallin, and Gavin with their houses ready to head back home!

 This is a picture of what they looked like...

Here's Kesslyn's:

I like to call it 'Candy Overload" ;)

 ...and Kambriella's "Loving Cottage" :)

 Gavin's "house full of hearts"

 ...and Dallin's...he had all the candy off of it before we even got home. :)

I guess he was ready to get down to the business of eating it! ;)

Happy Monday and week of LOVE!!! :)