He's a Driver!

Dallin is an official independent driver!!!

He got his driver's license today, Friday April 19, 2019.

STOP already....my babies are all trying to leave me!!!

Why Do We Have Easter Eggs?

 Another one of our family's favorite Easter traditions is our "Love One Another" table.

All week long everyone takes time to write love notes to each other on our tablecloth and on Easter Sunday we read the entire thing after we are all done eating our Easter dinner. I still have taped to the inside of my journal one of the notes that Clint wrote to me years ago...these are some of the best memories to me...

Lately I have loved it too because every time Kesslyn is busy writing, she also sings at the top of her lungs how much she loves her "samily"...;)

 Dallin was in charge of dying the Easter eggs yesterday and did a great job letting everyone help...Gavin was in charge of making the no-bake Easter nest cookies and also did a great job! Aren't they going to make wonderful husbands and fathers one day??? I think so...:)

 The girls loved helping and looking at the beautiful colored eggs...

 Kesslyn kept kissing each egg...;)

 ...but they also wondered why we use eggs at Easter and why we were dying them...but I KNEW that this would come up and I was prepared with this activity to teach my children the symbolism behind Easter eggs...

This beautiful book called the Legend of the Easter Egg was the perfect little story for explaining and teaching with a sweet story and pictures...

 "But why do we have Easter eggs?" Thomas asked

Mary explained, "Just as a chick breaks out of an egg, so had Jesus broken free of the tomb of death. Easter eggs remind us that Jesus conquered death and gives us eternal life."

Dallin read the story to us all and it was a sweet moment together snuggled up on the couch with my kids.

 I love them all so much.

After we were finished with the eggs we all headed out to go do a service project and helped clean up a friend's yard while she was out of town. I think the kids felt good out in the sun (finally after all of the rain!) serving and doing something for someone else. :)

 But as soon as we were home again, Kesslyn was back to the "bootisul" eggs! :)

She just can't wait to hide them and find them! :)

I love celebrating Easter!

The Light of the World Gardens ~ One on One

Yesterday was the perfect day for my surprise I had planned for the kids for a special part of our Easter celebration! It was a cold and rainy day which led me to think that it would be the PERFECT day to go to one of our very favorite places where it wouldn't be crowded and we could have the whole place to ourselves!!!

I was right...and we did!

After a yummy lunch we dressed up warm, rented a golf cart, and headed out for our adventure in the rain!

 One of my very favorite places to go is the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, and in particular, the Light of the World Garden where there are beautiful statues depicting the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

I have always wished I could have this place to myself to teach my children valuable lessons with the spirit, but with it being such a popular and public place, there are usually lots of other people enjoying the place too, which is great, but I just loved the thought of quiet, uninterrupted, and personal family time that we could have talking and learning together without the hustle and bustle of a lot of other people and distractions...Soooo...coming here on this cold and rainy day really was perfect because no one else was there and the desires of my heart were realized. Could I be so lucky? To have Spring Break during Easter week where I get my kids all to myself with no school or other obligations, AND have the Gardens all to ourselves???? Yes. :)

Heavenly Father knows what's important to us, and where there's a will, there's a way. 

 As I prepared for this Easter visit to the Gardens, I had earlier contacted some family members to prepare little videos of some of my kids favorite people (their special cousins!) reading the scriptures that coincide with each statue of Christ. Then, after the scripture that explained what was happening in each scene, their testimonies were shared. 

Oh what a sweet and special spirit was there!

 The kids listened intently to their family members words, and I believe felt an added measure of love for that special person reading AND for their Savior. It really was a sweet and special teaching opportunity. 

One that I will never forget.

 I thought it was so sweet the spirit of love that little 3 year old Kesslyn must have been feeling as she listened to her cousin Eila and Aunt Cherie read us the story of the woman with an issue of blood who had enough faith to be healed by the Savior simply by reaching out to touch the hem of His garment.

Instantly she was healed, and instantly, Kesslyn wanted to share her umbrella with the woman who was sitting out in the rain...:)

As her aunt Cherie asked Eila questions about Jesus, Kesslyn would nod her head and answer the questions with her, as if she thought Cherie was really talking to her. She had the biggest smile and you could tell she felt so happy and could feel a special spirit of love.

 Drake read the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, and Gavin's love for his already favorite cousin was multiplied as he continued repeating Drake's words from his sweet testimony too...

 Cohen read the story of Jesus walking on the water for our beach loving child Dallin, and Xaxton read for Kambriella the story of Mary seeing the resurrected Lord...we also had Clint record his testimony of the Savior to the children where they listened to it while we were at the statue of Jesus carrying His cross.

This Garden has always felt special to me, but adding these sweet and simple testimonies of the Savior while we were there added a sacred spirit that truly made these paths we walked on holy ground.

 After we were done in the Light of the World Garden we explored some of the other beautiful parts of the gardens like the Secret Garden...

The kids were really having fun and letting their "serious" side out...;)

 I feel so lucky to live in the area that I do that is so rich in beauty and opportunity...

I don't know how many times a day I think it, but I am always so full of awe in the abundance of good that surrounds us.

 When I see the smiles on my sweet children's faces and think of the amazing things that they are experiencing, it makes me so grateful.So grateful for so many blessings in my life...

 After we were done exploring, letting Dallin drive the golf cart, and taking our last few pictures it was time to head home. I was so happy to have had this special opportunity with my children, and I thanked Heavenly Father for letting us experience this. :)

We turned in the golf cart, and went straight home to put on our bathing suits and soaked in my hot jetted bathtub to get warm! :) It was a fun and memorable day, one of my favorites yet. :)

A Progressive Temple Dinner

 On the Monday before Easter, Jesus taught us as He cleansed the temple. Merchants were selling goods at the temple which upset Jesus rightly so. They were making something sacred into something "of men."

Jesus declared in Luke 19:46  "My house is the house of prayer: But ye have made it a den of thieves."

With my deep love for the temple I feel this way too. So for part of our Easter celebration we discussed as a family how our thoughts can sometimes need adjusting too as we are in our Father's holy house. We are all going to work on what we think about, talk about, and focus on as we are inside the temple. Because even today, the temple should be a "house of prayer" and not a "den of thieves."

Since it was Monday and the temple is closed on Mondays, I took my first picture outside of the locked gates on my early morning run. 

Then, after Clint got home from work, we took the kids and began our "Progressive Temple Dinner."

When we told the kids about this they were so excited! They loved the thought of eating a progressive dinner, and they too love to see the temple, so we knew it would be a fun night. But I was mostly excited for the surprise that I had waiting for each of them when we got to the temples...

We first went to the Jordan River temple with our appetizer of wontons and cream cheese rangoons. It was yummy and just enough food to settle our tummies and hold us over until we could get to dinner!

But the surprise at this temple, was a sweet and sincere heartfelt testimony from their biggest brother Riley!

Earlier I had planned to do this and so I had Riley record his testimony to them on Marco Polo. The kids sat so intently and listened to every word that he had to say to them.

It was the best part of the visit and the spirit was strong. I know that his testimony touched their hearts and that although they may not remember everything that he said, they will always remember how they felt listening to him. I love Riley and that he loves my Kierra. :)

 After we finished at the Jordan River temple, we drove to the District and ate dinner at Zupas.

As much as I love Zupas, I have never been so disappointed because they were out of everything that we love! We still ate and were grateful for what we had, but we were excited to move on to the next temple which was the Oquirrh Mountain temple.

As we pulled up to this temple it was getting dark, so we took a picture and then I had the kids all pile back in the car where we listened to another surprise of Kierra's testimony.

There was an underlying feeling that I think Clint and I were both experiencing as we listened to Kierra (and Riley too) of overwhelming happiness and gratitude that our children are happy and love the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is truly all a parent ever hopes for their children is for them to know the truth and experience true and lasting joy because of it, and I feel like that is what Kierra and Riley are doing. 

It was such a good feeling.

The kids once again listened intently to every word that she had to say and they all commented on how much they love her and Riley and how grateful they were to hear what they had to share. 

 The ride from the Oquirrh temple to the Draper temple was just long enough to lull everyone to sleep in the car so it was a peaceful ride there (until a certain girl felt an urge to be a tease, where there may or may not have been a few tears shed...:) (and Kesslyn was out for the count with exhaustion so we just let her sleep) but we also had a surprise for them at the Draper temple too, and that was the sweet and sincere testimony of Grandpa Trickett.

He shared his thoughts about when him and Gerry were able to take Tammy and Clint as babies and were sealed to them in the temple. He was in tears as he shared his testimony and it was very touching. Hearts were touched by the amount of love that was felt...and Clint and I both knew that the testimonies that were shared on this special night were by far the very best part of the evening, and that was what made the night so special. Yes, we are blessed to live in this land of temples, where we were able to visit 3 in one night, and yes we are blessed to be an eternal family, and yes, we are blessed to have the Spirit bear witness to us of these things, but my heart and mind will forever be unable to comprehend the amount of deep and abiding love that our Heavenly Father has for each of us. We have been given so much, and it's so hard to comprehend although I will forever continue to try...

As we ended our Progressive Temple Dinner, we pulled into the drive through of Arctic Circle where everyone but sleeping beauty had an ice cream cone. With a family prayer to end the night we all went straight to bed where hopefully these testimonies and memories sank deep into their minds. I know they did in mine, and I am once again so grateful for the temple, my eternal family, and the love I feel so much from our Heavenly Father. It's a happy Easter week indeed.

Easter Week Begins!

 Over the weekend I took a few friends to the play "Steel Magnolias." 

I haven't had a girls date in a long time, and having tickets to this "chick flick" was the perfect opportunity to have one! I'm grateful for good friends. :)

We also went to Scott Butler's mission farewell.

The Butler's are such a good family and I love them so much. I love how all of the kids help each other to be the best they can be...after all, that is what friends are for! :)

 And...we started our week long Easter celebration!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Sabbath day yesterday and every minute of being with my family. 

After going to church and the farewell, we had short naps, our ministering brothers came over for a visit, we ate a yummy dinner together, and then talked about Palm Sunday and the significance of the palm branches used to welcome the Savior in His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

 We also went on our traditional Easter Walk to find all of the symbols of Easter.

This time we went to Daybreak Lake and enjoyed being together outdoors.

 When we first arrived there, another family had loaves of bread and were feeding the birds and ducks. The kids loved watching them and then one of the sweet girls came over and gave the rest of her bread to the kids so that they could feed them too. It was so sweet of her and the kids were really grateful. :)

 Honestly we could have just fed the ducks all day and not even gone on the walk, but finally we ran out of bread and so we walked. 

 We walked and walked, and talked and played, and laughed and read our story trying to find the symbols...but mostly we just had fun being together, which is a big part of the reason that we have these traditions anyways! To bring each other closer together, to make fun and lasting memories together, to strengthen our relationships, AND to strengthen our testimonies.

I love that my kids love being a part of this awesome family, and I LOVE that they think they are in the #1 best family to ever have graced the earth. Ever. :)

It's a good feeling to be a part of something so important. That's how I feel about this awesome family of mine too. I can't get enough of them, and I'm SO glad they have the entire week off of school to be home together, and to celebrate Easter together. Happy Spring Break! 

Junior Class Officer! Yes!

 Celebration treats at Sodalicious today!

Dallin was elected as a Junior Class Officer for Riverton High!!! YAY!!!

All of the hard work campaigning paid off...but more than that...being a good friend to everyone is really what it's all about. Dallin works hard, makes people feel special, and genuinely cares about others.

 He asked his dad for a priesthood blessing on the day of the speeches, went to the temple, and prayed for help to do his best, and he did. He knows that no matter what the outcome may have been, that he ultimately just wants to be and do what Heavenly Father needs him to be and do. 

And it looks like He needs Dallin to continue shining his bright light on others, and so that is what Dallin will continue to do. Now, and always.

So proud of you Dallin!

XOXOXOX

I'm In Awe

 Another awesome night at the temple with my most amazing sweetheart.

He is my favorite person to be with, and this is my favorite place to be...(besides home. :)

Growing up and never living near a temple always made me dream of the day when I would get to go inside. Now, I am in awe of the blessing I am experiencing of living in the land of temples. 

I see them everyday, almost everywhere I go, and I simply feel their strength not only when I go inside, but by seeing them, and knowing the great work that is taking place inside those sacred walls.

I love to see my sweetie, and I love to see (and go to) the temple! :)