Brother Woodward

Chuck & (his beautiful sweetheart) Marilyn Woodward

So Friday morning I found out from my dear friend Amanda, that her grandpa, Chuck Woodward had passed away. I want to send my love to the Woodward/Moses family. I have been blessed to know this wonderful family for about 14 years now. Chuck served in the singles bishopric with my dad. He was and will always be loved by so many that he served with. He taught through example and love. He left behind (for a time) a beautiful and AMAZING wife! She is such a blessing to so many. Chuck and Marilyn have been together since they were sophomore's in high school. I have heard different family members say that they were the "it" couple in high school. I guess some things don't change from high school because they were still and "it" couple in my eyes. They loved each other so much and you could see it in their eyes! For anyone who may have known this great man, his funeral is being held at the Deer Valley Stake Center (about 29th Ave & Rose Garden Ln) at 10 am on this Wednesday June 2nd. If you are able to attend that would be wonderful. Again I just want to send my love and condolences to the Woodward/Moses family. I LOVE YOU!!!

P.S.
Jen thanks for the picture (I stole it from your blog)! :)

Domesticated!

So I learned you CAN in fact teach an old dog new tricks. So yesterday I was SO domesticated! Look I'm even wearing an adorable apron my mom gave me. That's right Martha Stewart eat your heart out. hee, hee So here is a summary of my endevors for yesterday...got showered (huge task as any mother knows), babysat my friend Amanda's 2 kids-Kadence (2yrs old) & Jakey (11 months old) as well as watch my 2 youngest-Kylee (2yrs old) and Brayden (8 months old) all by myself. Then I took all 4 kids (again by myself) to my parents house to let out some energy-the girls got to ride the horse with Papa. Jakey sat on the horse with Papa for a picture (sorry the pics are on my phone and I don't know how to get them on my computer). But I do have pictures of what happens to 2 little cowboys after a hard day at the ranch.

Played the recording of Tausha and I singing for my mom. Then packed up all 4 kids again to take them home. Fed them lunch and put them all down for a nap. In case I didn't mention I am doing this all alone. :) Then while the kids are sleeping Ginny comes over (actually Jakey woke up just before she came and she put Brayden back to sleep after we left) so that Billy and I could go to an appointment that we had. Thanks a million Ginny!! Then straight from our appointment we picked Mattie up from school and went home. Kylee just woke up as we are walking in the door. So I have some play time with the kids then I let them watch "Princess and the Frog" for a little bit while I read blogs. I read a blog post from here and was inspired! So I now am watching 5 children and I decide I'm going to make brownies from scratch (that's right ladies no box)
and I also made hot fudge from scratch. Also may I say they were SO YUMMY! Thanks Liz for the great recipe! In fact I called to tell my parents about how domesticated I was today and my dad said (not so sutly mentions he and Brother Fellows will be working hard at the church at 7:30 pm. So like a loving daughter I went and delivered the yummy dessert with a few scoops of vanilla bean ice cream for the 2 hard working men. I also decided to make homemade french fries to go with our barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs. Fresh cut tomatoes!
Fresh cut onions! There was lettace too but I didn't take a picture.
I KNOW! I told you I was domesticated yesterday! I also kept my kitchen clean while I was cooking. Miracles do happen. As you can see my dinner guests were very happy. Billy was here but not in the picture because he was helping with Brayden at the time. Thanks Babe!!

Then after feeling so domesticated and like I had really accomplished a lot for the day I did the following...slept like a baby! Doesn't that look great!

Hide n' Go Seek

So everyone loves the classic game of hide n' go seek, including me. There is just one thing, I do NOT enjoy the game at 1:30 am! So for anyone who has read previous post know that Kylee is "adventurous" in her sleep. She moves, kicks, punches, walks, runs and hides all while sound asleep. So the other night Mattie had come into my room to tell me her toe hurt. I got her back to sleep and went to put her back in her bed. After I laid her down and had her all tucked in, I checked on Kylee in the next bed. Well at least she was SUPPOSE to be in the next bed. So I start doing my normal search for Kylee. I check all over the floor in her room, NOPE. Then I check under Mattie's bed sure that she would be there, NOPE. By this point I'm getting more concerned so I go check to make sure she had not snuck into my bed, NOPE. So I run out to the front room and this is where I find her....


So I just let her stay there. I put a blanket on her and gave her Binky and blankie and went back to bed. I didn't hear from her again until 6 am. She never once came into my room. It was a miracle.So then the next night I was out at my friend Amanda's house until after the girls were in bed. So I went in to check on them and this is what I saw. Apparently Kylee just does better if she is sleeping near someone or a big fluffy couch cushion.I once again was ok with this sleeping arrangement because it meant she wasn't in my bed with me. Mattie may not agree. :)So why do I even waste the space in the girls room with this mattress when this is all it is...a space waster. It is always like this. She doesn't even take naps in her bed, she takes them in Mattie's bed while Mattie's at school. The other day I put Kylee down for a nap earlier than usual because I knew it was better for her to be safe in bed than me beating her. hee, hee By 11:30 am on this particular day she had poured 1/2 gallon of water all over my kitchen floor, had to 2 pee accidents on my carpet, poured a bowl of popcorn on my carpet and shattered a glass jar on the kitchen floor. Yes, it was definitely time for nap (even if it is in Mattie's bed). ha, ha

A TRUE Friend!

So I want to take a moment to explain to all of you how much I appreciate and love a TRUE friend. Now let me explain to you what a TRUE friend is to me. It is a person who prays for you! It is a person who does what they KNOW to be right because they followed the Spirit. Now when we receive answers to prayers it isn't always what we want or what we think it should be. But none the less, if you receive an answer to prayer and you KNOW that it is the Spirit directing you to do whatever it may be you can be sure that you will be blessed. Our Heavenly Father sees the bigger picture. He KNOWS us better than we know ourselves. He KNOWS what we NEED even before we do. In the past few months I have really come to know who my TRUE friends are! I was blessed to become friends with an amazing women a little over 5 years ago. Little did I know that there would be a point in my life where I would see her not only as a friend but a sister too. She has been there through so many things. Her and her husband and their family hold a special place in my heart. I have been blessed with another dear friend that I have known for about 15 years. She also has been there to help me and give me strength. These 2 special women in my life mean so much to me. They have taught me, strengthened me and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. To these 2 beautiful women...THANK YOU FOR BEING A TRUE FRIEND TO ME!!!!!

Body Art

So Kylee just came to me to show me her new "body art". I didn't quite know what to do at that moment because she was SO proud of her work. So I explained that she is a great artist BUT we only do this on paper! :)She made sure to show me ALL of the "beautiful" art. It spanned all the way from head to toe, literally. hee, heeIt's amazing how you still think their so cute with blue marker and who knows what else all over their face.I love that she is carrying on as if nothing is weird right now. Oh Kylee how I love you even when your "blue".
So a new thought just came to me...maybe she is just rehearsing to be a member of the "Nave" (a.k.a. the blue men). hee, hee

A Day at the Races!

So for any of you who don't know my calling in my church is Ward Activity director which means I am in charge of creating, planning and executing multiple times throughout the year. Most of the activities I plan are for the whole family but a couple of the activities is for adults only...cheap date night. So hear I am calling everyone together to start the activity.So the kids had a blast! They all new for a few weeks that they each needed to create and decorate their own box car for this activity (with some help of course from their parents). So I and a group of great helpers made a 2 lane obstacle course and the raced.

So here are just a few of the kids racing their cars. They loved their course! Each kid was able to race multiple times.
Here's the big question of the night...who actually had more fun racing the box cars, the adults or the kids. Pictures below are some of the times in questions. I think it was all a pretty good success.

The adults had a different obstacle course...it was much more windy and twisty. Also their were stop signs thrown out at them at anytime during their race. If they "ran" their stop sign they had to run back 4 chairs and then continue on.
We can just say that not all of our adults that night were "law" abiding citizens. :) Some even tried to cause crashes by kicking down chairs into the opponents course. It was all so fun!
Below is one of our more "crazy" drivers...even when he is racing a women WITH a baby on board. If you look in the back I am laughing so hard!Also at this activity the young women in our ward were trying to raise money to go to a church girls camp. All the girls made different yummy treats and sold them for $10 each. They had a success in raising money...because the treats were so good! I was able to sample the yummy cake that was made by the mom and her daughter below. A SO DELICIOUS pistachio cake!Then it was time for the "drive-in" movie. When I said that to the kids they said "What's a drive-in movie?" Man I really felt old at that moment. So we got them all situated and started the movie "Johnny Lingo".After we got the movie started and all the kids sitting down I handed out cups of popcorn for everyone to snack on during the show.Now the kids can say they know what a "drive-in" movie is. They all said they had so much fun and wanted to due it again. I said maybe in 1 year. :) Now it is time to plan for the next activity...the 4th of July breakfast (that is scheduled for the 3rd of July actually because the 4th is a Sunday). So we will be having a bike parade and a big breakfast (pancakes, sausage, bacon and hash browns). I'm sure it will be a blast!!

3 wonderful reasons to love today!!

Reason # 1

Reason #2
Reason #3

We are taught that motherhood is a divine "calling" of God. I KNOW this to be true. I know it as I look into the eyes of my precious children. Now just because it is divine does not mean it won't have trials. Motherhood equals heartache, sadness, pain, stress, discouragement, tiredness and lack of energy. But with that motherhood equals things that are so much stronger than the above mentioned-pure love, a first smile, laughter, snuggling, comforting, joy, hugs and kisses, late night conversations, 1st times of so many things, I love you's, teaching moments and the knowledge of knowing we can be together for eternity. I am grateful to be a mother and I am eternally grateful to a mother who raised me (and continues to raise me in some ways). :) I am also eternally grateful to a Heavenly Father who in trusted me and my husband to such special children to raise and teach in this life.

Here are a few amazing and uplifting quotes to inspire mother's and all mother figures throughout the world today!

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are." — Marjorie Pay Hinckley

The grand and the simple. They are equally wonderful." — Marjorie Pay Hinckley"There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again. But even these years will pass away, and the lessons learned will be a future blessing." — Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Wash my car daddy! Wash my car daddy!!

So one of Kylee's favorite things to do these days is to tell her daddy that is is time for her and daddy to "wash my car daddy!" So a week and a half ago they did just that. They had help from Mattison and their cousin Ava this time too. By the way above is not a typo- Kylee really does think the Taho is HER car.
So here is Kylee running from her daddy spraying her with the hose. As she is running she is yelling "Daddy no spray me!" (as she is yelling this, she has the biggest grin on her face). :)

Now it is Mattison's turn for a spray down. Can you tell how much my girls just "hate" being sprayed. That is why they want to wash the car regularly. I love watching this time with my girls and their daddy. It is so much fun!This is where Ava Bean stood the whole time...away from the hose! She is laughing so hard here because Billy is spraying the girls and she thinks it is hilarious.

We love when Ava gets to come play at our house because she has so much fun playing with her Kyky and Mattie. Also she thinks Brayden is her little baby. She is the first one coming to rub his head if he is crying or takes him toys to play with. She loves her baby cousins. Pretty much Ava loves anything smaller than her. :)