Don't Forget to Make the Cinnamon Rolls!

 The other day I was walking through my house, and I started seeing all of these pictures hanging up everywhere...

 If you notice on each picture there is a similar circular swirly pattern on all of them...

 There was one hanging in the kitchen, one on the garage door, one on the silverware drawer, one on the wall by the front door, and one on the fridge!

So, what did I do?? 

I found Kesslyn and asked her about these beautiful pictures that she had drawn...

 And do you know what she said???

"Mommy, these are cinnamon rolls, and you need to make them! Don't forget to make them!"

I was DYING!!!

This sweet little girl had been asking me for days to make cinnamon rolls, and with my kitchen all packed up, I had nothing to make them with! BUT, with her constant reminders and cute little drawings to remind me to "make the cinnamon rolls" I just HAD to make it happen!

 So, sure enough, on the morning we were closing on our new home and Clint was home to help me, I found a container of orange rolls in the fridge, and a small metal pie pan, and Clint had those rolls baked just in time for a yummy breakfast before school! :)

 This little girl was SO happy and she LOVED the rolls!!! (Even though they were orange rolls and not just cinnamon rolls...) All of the kids were happy for that matter! Those rolls were gone in about 5 minutes flat!

And now, I can't wait for the next time that I will start seeing these little swirly drawings start to appear! Or maybe better yet, I should just make the rolls without needing the reminder! When a simple pleasure like this makes a little girl so happy, then it's worth the tiny bit of effort and planning to make that happen.

I am grateful my children are so sweet and loving and patient with their busy and sometimes forgetful momma...and I'm so grateful that simple pleasures like these can so easily brighten someone's day!

Thank you Kesslyn for the sweet reminders of not only cinnamon rolls, but of my most important role in taking good and loving care of my family!!!

Wrapped Around Their Fingers

Yes, these girls have their Daddy wrapped right around their little fingers. :)

Last week for Kambriella's date with her dad, they went out to dinner and then ended up at Claire's where Clint bought the fake fingernails that Kambriella had been wanting for so long.

Lucky for Kesslyn there were enough in the pack to cover both of their little sets of fingernails...and nothing could have made a little girl more happy than these fingernails did on that day!

Thanks for being such a good dad Clint... I love you so much!!!

An Unforgettable Conference Weekend

 This conference weekend was just amazing from start to finish! As it always is...

I woke up early Saturday morning and went on a crisp morning run and it was just beautiful! The air was chilly and cooler than the water in the river making a light mist over the water. I found the peace and tranquility of the morning that I always love in my morning run. It was a great beginning to my day.

Also, my sweet ministering sister brought me a conference notebook along with a little treat that I loved! It had interesting facts about each of the 12 apostles and a place to take notes when they spoke...AND pumpkin spice M&M's! YUM! :)

 And then the very BEST part of conference was my short and sweet surprise visit from my very best childhood and beyond forever friend Nicole and her girls!!!! Seriously. This was such a sweet and unexpected highlight to my whole weekend!

They had a couple of days to get away, and so they took a little road trip just to come and see little old ME!!! They arrived on Saturday evening right in time to slip into their Sunday dresses and then we headed over to my church building where together we watched the broadcast of the Women's session of General Conference!!!

 I will never forget this session because of the array of deep emotions that I felt while sitting there in that meeting. I felt so happy and grateful to be with my own little girl, and with Nicole and her girls...Nicky and I sat intently listening to the speakers, but at the same time I was locked arm in arm with her and just feeling so grateful for the lasting and loving friendship that we share. There are not too many people anywhere that you can grow up with, go through everything good and bad with together on the planet, not see each other for years, and then pick right back up where you left off since the last time you saw each other...

It is truly a special bond and one that I will always treasure both now and into the eternities.

I loved the sweet messages that inspired me to be better and increase my abilities as an individual, a wife, and a mother, and I LOVED the new young women's theme and that President Nelson was sweet enough to announce the 8 new temples to us sisters in our meeting! That has never been done before and I really felt an added measure of Heavenly Father's and our prophets deep love for the sisters of the church.

After the meeting was over we took a few pictures and headed over to Sodalicious for a drink and a cookie! 

Kinley, Kambriella, Brielle, Nicole and I all had such a fun time driving in the car, sitting in the shop, and talking about all of the fun things that girls talk about. ;)

 I loved that drink and cookie so much that I might have to start making that a weekly tradition like Nicky and her girls do...:)

After we finished our cookies and drinks, we hopped into the car and headed over to Bahama Bucks for one of Nicky's favorite treats! I LOVED that we went from one treat shop to another!!! :) NOT your typical night out for any of us girls...but ALL the fun no less! ;)

 After returning back home and getting into our comfy's, we talked and talked, and then took a few of our traditional "pick me up" pictures! :) We seem to take this photo every time we get together now and I love it! I just wonder how old we will be when we are no longer able to "pick each other up??"

Hopefully it will be in a really long time and we will be really, really old. :)

 We went to bed and tried to get a little sleep since Nicole and her girls were going to be leaving early the next morning to drive back home...Brielle and Kinley slept in the girls beds and Nicole took the spare bedroom.

We woke up early and talked some more over breakfast and we didn't want them to leave. :)

 I love that these girls love my girls and that they are such good examples for them to look up to! I also love that I am someone special to them and in their lives. I feel like these girls were spirits that we knew well before we came to earth, and that we are simply living up to our promises to love and to care for each other here...I love that Nicole and I decided to name our girls after each other, and that they take pride in that name. I love that these girls have high standards and love the gospel and their family just like my girls do. I love that every time I see Nicky and her girls we ALL feel loved. Especially ME. 

 And I love that Nicole is sensitive enough to shed her tears of love for both of us since half the time my tear ducts don't work anyways!!! :) And I love that even though my house was a disaster with preparing for the move, that they didn't even care. They love me truly and unconditionally just like true friends should and I LOVE them!!! I know that we will always be there for each other and that we will always have each other's backs NO MATTER WHAT! And I LOVE that they made my conference weekend SPECIAL, MEMORABLE, and UNFORGETTABLE!!!  

I LOVE you Nicole, Kinley, and Brielle!

Thank you for taking the time to come and see me and for LOVING ME!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

XOXOXOXO

Beginning Conference Weekend at the Temple

 Tomorrow General Conference begins and so Clint and I really wanted to be able to go to the temple before then, so we woke up early and made it there right when it  opened. 

I love the feeling I have while I am there, and how I really feel heaven and earth connect, and I feel surrounded by loved ones that I cannot see. I love the promises that we are reminded of, and I love that my relationship with my husband grows stronger too. 

And this morning I also fell in love with the sunrise that I saw as we walked out of the temple to go home. The pink sky against the crisp black silhouette of the mountains was simply breathtaking.

 I felt like it was a "thank you" gift and a "have a good day" from Heavenly Father for beginning our day at the temple.

It was a good morning. :)

Then after hurrying home to get children off to school, Clint and I headed over to the title company where we signed papers on our new home! It's official! We have a new home!

We are so excited and ready for this new chapter in our adventure book. We have a few big days ahead of us with the final bits of packing before we move.

I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has been in these details of our life, because without Him, I'm not sure where we would be. The great thing is that we are WITH Him, and He is with us, and we are right where He needs us to be, and THAT makes us happy.

Happy General Conference weekend!!! :)

He's My Strength

 This sweet guy right here is one of my greatest blessings.

This morning as I knelt beside him in our morning prayer, I loved how I felt him snuggle in closer to me after my eyes were already closed. I love hearing him talk to Heavenly Father about the things that are on his mind and in his heart...and it made me feel especially good to hear him say how thankful he was for his "sweet wife" who is his greatest strength and support who he can lean on...

He does so much for others, and carries some very heavy loads on those shoulders of his...

But do you know what I love?

I love going to the temple with him and hearing the promises given in the initiatory about literal blessings of strength to carry our burdens...and I really believe that when we try to keep the commandments and serve and love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, that we really can do all things.

Alma 26:12:

"Yea I know that I am nothing as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things..."

I love you Clint.

Together with Heavenly Father we've got this. :)

Children and Youth Programs of the Church

 When the new changes for the Children and Youth programs for the church were introduced on Sunday, I was very excited. I love everything about our amazing church and whenever there are adjustments made, it proves to me in yet another amazing way, just how much our Heavenly Father loves us, cares about us, and really wants us to be happy while we are here on earth, AND just how much He wants to help us on our journey in returning home to Him.

As we are quickly approaching General Conference this weekend, I decided to take advantage of this perfect timing and held a FHE lesson where we discussed the new changes, and how setting personal goals and striving to improve ourselves because WE want to, will bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I really felt the spirit as I testified to my children about these important truths.

We decided to take the 4 categories given to us on Sunday (spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual), and set 5 personal goals in each of those categories, and then we will each listen to General Conference with those goals in mind, and a prayer in our hearts of just which ONE Heavenly Father wants us to begin working on FIRST.

I love that this directly affects and involves my children both in becoming better at seeking personal revelation, but also in giving them a genuine and personal reason to seek that revelation as they listen to our sweet prophet and other church leaders.

I honestly feel that the timing of this couldn't have been more perfect.

I also love how our home centered and church supported learning will connect Come Follow Me with this personal mission for the children and youth to set and achieve their goals "at home" while they are increasing in the spirit, and not necessarily because someone else wants them to. 

I can truly see the wisdom and the blessings that will come from this and it makes my heart grow in excitement, motivation for good, and in LOVE for helping these sweet souls that have been left in my care to learn the pathway home.

Homecoming 2019 Goes Down In History

 This past weekend was Homecoming at Riverton High!

Dallin and his cute date Claire had a ball with a day date at Scheel's playing games, a picnic lunch at the park, a fancy dinner at The Porch in Daybreak, the Homecoming dance at the high school, and then the "after" party at our house!!!

 Dallin built some trust, and his dad let him drive his Challenger to the dance! We told him to be good because Dad's name is written all over his car...and so Dallin drove just like his dad...the "Grandpa driver." :)

I told him good job, and that way he could smile and wave as he rolled on by...;)

Dallin also looked so sharp in his new suit that we went and bought together! You can't really tell from the picture, but there was a sweet "baseball" stitching along the outside trim of the suit that was so classy. What a handsome boy!

Also, this house will now go down in history as the "Party House."

Dallin asked us a while ago if he could host the "after" party at our house because we have a swimming pool...I knew that the timing was terrible with us moving and all, but I always look for opportunities to say "yes" to my children and support them in the good things that they want to do. 

Sooo.... I explained to Dallin that I would buy the food and drinks that they would need and that the rest would be up to him. So, Dallin worked hard to set up, prepare, and invite his friends. 

And BOY DID THEY COME!!!

I asked him, "Dallin, how many kids are coming to your party?"
Dallin said, "Probably about 100."

Oh boy.

 This is going to be a PARTY.

So, sure enough, as soon as the dance was over, hoards of teenagers began flocking to our house and I literally felt the walls shake! We heard cheers and shouts and laughter and singing and games and ALL kinds of fun happening...we even had the police show up! Yep! And thank goodness Clint knows them all so well...they laughed and were glad we were all up to some good wholesome fun, but at 11:30 it was time to quiet down so that our poor neighbors could get some rest. (I hope they will forgive us for going out of the neighborhood with a literal BANG!) ANNND....Dallin and his friends said that THAT was the BEST party EVER. I think they were right. :)

Oh yes, and all of this happened while I was fighting the flu. SO fun. :)

But honestly, it makes me so happy to see my children leading out in all things good. I love that friends flock to my children because they all want to be their friends. They are good, kind, natural born leaders who I am training to be on the Lord's battalion. We are all on the Lord's side, even the police who were so kind to come to our party. :) :) :) :)