Because of Him, I have had the opportunity to have my beautiful family. Because of Him, my sins are no more. Because of him, I can repent when I've done wrong. Because of Him, I may have Eternal Life.
Happy Easter!
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Because of Him
Because of Him, I have had the opportunity to have my beautiful family. Because of Him, my sins are no more. Because of him, I can repent when I've done wrong. Because of Him, I may have Eternal Life.
Happy Easter!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Easter Weekend
Spring Branding, a picnic, egg hunts and looking for Easter baskets was on our agenda for the weekend! Ryan had to work, so he stayed home while the kids and I headed to Grandma and Grandpas to "help" work cows and have some Easter fun.
We dyed some eggs (that nobody in my family will eat, and they have to be VERY cooked for me to eat!)...
our favorite part....mixing the dyes after we're done...
Saturday morning the kids found their Easter baskets that were hidden in Grandma's house...of course Tanner found all of them but his....and when he finally DID find his, we headed outside to the back yard to hunt for eggs! Uncle Reed was kind enough to scatter them ev.ry.where!
On your mark.....get set...GO!!!
Looks like everyone found a little something!
As soon as that race finished up, we put our working boots on, and went to work!
Following our very full and very fun day, we found Kortlen asleep on the rug by the back door....he slept there for a good hour, while Keetley and I tried to have a nap...then he came and cuddled with us for another hour nap. Silly, tired babies!
We dyed some eggs (that nobody in my family will eat, and they have to be VERY cooked for me to eat!)...
our favorite part....mixing the dyes after we're done...
Saturday morning the kids found their Easter baskets that were hidden in Grandma's house...of course Tanner found all of them but his....and when he finally DID find his, we headed outside to the back yard to hunt for eggs! Uncle Reed was kind enough to scatter them ev.ry.where!
On your mark.....get set...GO!!!
Looks like everyone found a little something!
As soon as that race finished up, we put our working boots on, and went to work!
We finished up the day with our traditional Family Easter Picnic...complete with hot dog roast in the back yard. While waiting for Grandpa and everyone to come over for out lunch, my boys found the peeps....and you can see what happened between building an AWESOME teepee fire with one match, and eating a delicious lunch! Roasting peeps. Um....I think I'll be buying up all the peeps left over for our summer campouts!
Following our very full and very fun day, we found Kortlen asleep on the rug by the back door....he slept there for a good hour, while Keetley and I tried to have a nap...then he came and cuddled with us for another hour nap. Silly, tired babies!
***I need to figure out how to get pictures off my phone....ever since I've gotten a fancy-smancy smart phone, I take entirely too many pictures with it, and there are a lot missing of our day stuck on that device. It is a tad tricky taking pictures simultaneously with a phone AND a camera.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Tanner's Baptism
What a fantastic day our family had!!!
Tanner was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite all the planning and checking and double checking the details, there were a few minor hiccups, that luckily I'm laughing about now that it's all over.
I tried to take my sister's advice and tone it down on the 'party' side of things, and really focus on the reason for the gathering. The saving ordinance that Tanner participated in is/was definitely more important than any decoration. Together, Tanner and I carefully planned the program; who would talk, who would say the prayers, what songs would be sung, to invite the Spirit into the service. I tried to delegate the 'details' out as much as willing souls would allow, and I'm forever grateful for the helping hands I had!
There was a mis-communication about filling the font. And while it doesn't matter, it is very comical that we were filling the font with water from the kitchen with water coolers and any receptacle that could hold water. At the time I was VERY frustrated and more than stressed that the font wasn't filled with warm water, and that the faucet (once unlocked and turned on) was running during the talks. But when all was said and done, we had a total of 12 inches of ice cold water (usually there's 3 feet of nice, warm water).
My siblings sang Tanner's favorite primary song, "I Like to Look for Rainbows", which is about baptism...and was also sung at all of our baptisms! Ryan's mom spoke on baptism, and my mom spoke on the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Grandpa Poulsen and Grandpa Crandall were witnesses to the baptism.
Tanner and Ryan were troopers though! There were no negative words muttered about how cold the water was once they entered the font, and Tanner was surprisingly calm. As Ryan brought Tanner out of the water, I could see a silly smile cross my dad's face (he was one of two witnesses to make sure Tanner was fully immersed)....and then I knew....a toe had popped up. Well, as is was, TWO toes popped up! And So Tanner was baptized again, having the first time not count. Poor kid was nearly purple from the cold! But he did great, and we will never for get this experience.
By the laying on of hands, Ryan confirmed Tanner, giving him the gift of the Holy Ghost, as a constant companion if he keeps the covenants he made. Those who stood in the circle included Ryan, Ken, Kevin,Gary and Mitch Poulsen, Craig, and Reed Crandall, and family friends Nick Croft and Matt Hansen (bishopric member).
I had the luncheon all set up the night before. First thing in the morning, I took soups and crock pots to the church and loaded them up with yummy goodness, plugging them in to warm so immediately after the service we could have a luncheon and feed all our family who drove hours and hours to join us. Even though I had carefully planned, when we got back to the church to eat, three of the main crocks were COLD! The one I had plugged into the kitchen was warm, but apparently the outlet I used in the cultural hall was tripped. Oy!!! THANKFULLY my mom and other family members came to the rescue (yet again!) and got all the soups heated as quickly as possible....and we all really enjoyed the food and company.
There was one detail that I was adament that happened. Because we were birthday'd out, Tanner didn't get a birthday cake of his own (I had convinced him that rootbeer floats were much more cool!), and I promised that for his baptism he'd have a lot of cupcakes....
So I made 100 cupcakes.
And they weren't too shabby!!!
I am so proud of my little boy, who is quickly growing up!
Tanner was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite all the planning and checking and double checking the details, there were a few minor hiccups, that luckily I'm laughing about now that it's all over.
I tried to take my sister's advice and tone it down on the 'party' side of things, and really focus on the reason for the gathering. The saving ordinance that Tanner participated in is/was definitely more important than any decoration. Together, Tanner and I carefully planned the program; who would talk, who would say the prayers, what songs would be sung, to invite the Spirit into the service. I tried to delegate the 'details' out as much as willing souls would allow, and I'm forever grateful for the helping hands I had!
There was a mis-communication about filling the font. And while it doesn't matter, it is very comical that we were filling the font with water from the kitchen with water coolers and any receptacle that could hold water. At the time I was VERY frustrated and more than stressed that the font wasn't filled with warm water, and that the faucet (once unlocked and turned on) was running during the talks. But when all was said and done, we had a total of 12 inches of ice cold water (usually there's 3 feet of nice, warm water).
My siblings sang Tanner's favorite primary song, "I Like to Look for Rainbows", which is about baptism...and was also sung at all of our baptisms! Ryan's mom spoke on baptism, and my mom spoke on the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Grandpa Poulsen and Grandpa Crandall were witnesses to the baptism.
Tanner and Ryan were troopers though! There were no negative words muttered about how cold the water was once they entered the font, and Tanner was surprisingly calm. As Ryan brought Tanner out of the water, I could see a silly smile cross my dad's face (he was one of two witnesses to make sure Tanner was fully immersed)....and then I knew....a toe had popped up. Well, as is was, TWO toes popped up! And So Tanner was baptized again, having the first time not count. Poor kid was nearly purple from the cold! But he did great, and we will never for get this experience.
By the laying on of hands, Ryan confirmed Tanner, giving him the gift of the Holy Ghost, as a constant companion if he keeps the covenants he made. Those who stood in the circle included Ryan, Ken, Kevin,Gary and Mitch Poulsen, Craig, and Reed Crandall, and family friends Nick Croft and Matt Hansen (bishopric member).
I had the luncheon all set up the night before. First thing in the morning, I took soups and crock pots to the church and loaded them up with yummy goodness, plugging them in to warm so immediately after the service we could have a luncheon and feed all our family who drove hours and hours to join us. Even though I had carefully planned, when we got back to the church to eat, three of the main crocks were COLD! The one I had plugged into the kitchen was warm, but apparently the outlet I used in the cultural hall was tripped. Oy!!! THANKFULLY my mom and other family members came to the rescue (yet again!) and got all the soups heated as quickly as possible....and we all really enjoyed the food and company.
There was one detail that I was adament that happened. Because we were birthday'd out, Tanner didn't get a birthday cake of his own (I had convinced him that rootbeer floats were much more cool!), and I promised that for his baptism he'd have a lot of cupcakes....
So I made 100 cupcakes.
And they weren't too shabby!!!
I am so proud of my little boy, who is quickly growing up!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Bringing in the New Year {2014}
As per tradition, we caravan'd to the ice rink and had nothing but fun!! We were the first on the ice, and were pleasantly surprised by being one of about 4 families skating....it was fantastic!
Keetley and Grandpa made a good duo while I helped the boys get their gear on.
Hey! A family picture!!!
She has so much fun, giggling when we'd call out her name as we'd skate along, and smile through her binky.
and then she decided it was time for a nap. Is there anything sweeter?
After grabbing lunch, we all filed into the theater to see FROZEN...such a cute movie!
So thankful for an amazing family, and fun traditions!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
We WILL get along!
New Year's Eve...and we're all itching to be in our own space!
The trouble with that is, it's harder to keep your hands to yourself, and you're likely to be a little more irritable than normal, and well, when mom doesn't come to the rescue as you're duke-ing it out, you'd better resolve the issue at hand before....
...you get to wear the "WE WILL GET ALONG" shirt!
Thank you, Pinterest!
Did I mention the fighting, arguing, and general contention started well before 6 am this morning??? No??? Oh, I must have been tired and forgot to mention that this 'incident' was ongoing for just under 3 hours.
Let me paraphrase: Kids woke up, fought over something, squabbled over something else, and finally got yelled at around 6 am. While I finished feeding the baby in my warm bed, they settled down briefly, before I was yet again woken up by contention in the living room. After breakfast and making quite an effort to keep a happy disposition, the fighting would.not.cease. They got time out. Had to say 10 nice things to each other, while facing each other as I listened at the kitchen sink....they had to say 10 nice things multiple times....coming up with a new list each time. When time out didn't sink in, they got to wear THE SHIRT, and when they ripped down the middle, they returned to time out. Boy, did I have a clean kitchen when I was finished with them!!! They were not allowed out of time out till Ryan came home from his first shift...around 10am....and luckily for them, they were getting along, playing a made up game at the kitchen table at 9:45...so I let them continue to play PEACEFULLY!
What a morning!!!
We spent some time in the afternoon running errands and stopping for a quick and brisk walk along the greenbelt downtown. I insisted they wear their hats, they insisted they sit on the horse....WIN-WIN.
As one of my sister's pointed out, I'm SO glad Pinterest wasn't around when my mom was mothering us as young children. LOL! We would have killed each other. Ha!
The trouble with that is, it's harder to keep your hands to yourself, and you're likely to be a little more irritable than normal, and well, when mom doesn't come to the rescue as you're duke-ing it out, you'd better resolve the issue at hand before....
...you get to wear the "WE WILL GET ALONG" shirt!
Thank you, Pinterest!
Did I mention the fighting, arguing, and general contention started well before 6 am this morning??? No??? Oh, I must have been tired and forgot to mention that this 'incident' was ongoing for just under 3 hours.
Let me paraphrase: Kids woke up, fought over something, squabbled over something else, and finally got yelled at around 6 am. While I finished feeding the baby in my warm bed, they settled down briefly, before I was yet again woken up by contention in the living room. After breakfast and making quite an effort to keep a happy disposition, the fighting would.not.cease. They got time out. Had to say 10 nice things to each other, while facing each other as I listened at the kitchen sink....they had to say 10 nice things multiple times....coming up with a new list each time. When time out didn't sink in, they got to wear THE SHIRT, and when they ripped down the middle, they returned to time out. Boy, did I have a clean kitchen when I was finished with them!!! They were not allowed out of time out till Ryan came home from his first shift...around 10am....and luckily for them, they were getting along, playing a made up game at the kitchen table at 9:45...so I let them continue to play PEACEFULLY!
What a morning!!!
We spent some time in the afternoon running errands and stopping for a quick and brisk walk along the greenbelt downtown. I insisted they wear their hats, they insisted they sit on the horse....WIN-WIN.
As one of my sister's pointed out, I'm SO glad Pinterest wasn't around when my mom was mothering us as young children. LOL! We would have killed each other. Ha!
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Making Christmas Memories
We made it to grandma and grandpa Crandall's just in time for their ward Christmas party, where two middle children (ahem) made a spectacle on stage, singing for Santa. Between punches, Kortlen picked his nose and ate it while Taylor kicked and flicked his little brother in the ear. Grandpa and I were slumped down in our seats, dying a slow and burning death (my face was SO RED!). Tanner gave Santa a letter even I wasn't allowed to read, and thus started our Christmas Eve Night.
After a quick acting of the Nativity at grandma and grandpa's, complete with costumes and a nekkid baby Keetley (sorry, no pictures of the acting crew....even though it was AWESOME!), everyone retired to their beds, nestled under the covers and waiting to hear sleigh bells ring.
Much to our surprise, Santa DID stop I'm pretty sure his sleigh tipped over in Grandma's living room!
Some pictures from the morning:
 |
| LEGOS!!!!! |
 |
| Electric Circuit boards! |
 |
| RIBBON! (go figure) |
The boys' electric circuit boards were a HIT!!! They played with them for two days straight, and still pull them out every day. :) So much fun to be had by all!
Thanks for letting us stay for Christmas, and enjoy our toys at your house, grandma and grandpa!
We have much to be thankful for, and look forward to the memories we'll make as we spend time together, becoming a more loving family with what we're given.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Living life and loving it
If she could walk, Keetley would be toddling down the catwalk, winning me some more material!
I started this little gem at 10 pm Saturday night.
But when the jumper's zipper didn't go in perfectly (1/16th of an inch off...and with plaid, it was REALLY noticeable), I decided to go ahead and make the jacket to go with the dress....It was all cut out anyways, and baby girl really needed it to make THE LOOK. I started with a pattern, but after realizing it wasn't what I really wanted, I drafted my own. (Thank you, "true major" required classes!)
I am in love with this fully lined, dropped waist, pleated, invisible zipper, scalloped edge, frog toggle and peter-pan collar ensemble!!! Long enough to cover legs in tights, but short enough so when Keetley starts to crawl, she won't be too frustrated (which I anticipate will be happening before I can get her New Year's dress done!).
I won the plaid wool at my very first "Make It With Wool" contest when I was 13 or 14. I think I might have cried when I opened my paper bag prize, and saw this horrid piece of material! I have held onto it for over 17 years knowing I'd someday make a darling Christmas Dress with it.
The red wool came from a large 'donation' to the 4-H office when I worked there. The majority of the fabric came home with me, including all the gingham, wool, vintage rick-rack and a handful of zippers. I was floored that the club leaders didn't want to deal with it. Didn't I get LUCKY?!
I finally turned off the sewing machine at 4:32 am. Took this picture, and decided to shower, then head to bed for a cat-nap before getting ready for Church.
:::
I was asked to prepare a piano number for Sacrament Meeting. Found a little ditty on Sally DeFord's website, and practiced every day for the 5 days notice I got. Being as sleep deprived as I was, I am so proud of myself for getting lost on line two and ending up at the end of page two, without having to stop and start over. Quite honestly, I don't even remember playing the song once I got to the piano, so to say I made it through, was pretty special.
:::
Every once in a while we have to just live a little. Since I've re-dedicated my life to motherhood and am more focused on being at home and with my children, we decided to cut 'er lose and enjoy our Christmas decorations!
Yay for trains, exploring, pajama pictures, nativities, and ornaments that roll like balls!
Tonight we drew names. Not to buy gifts, but to do acts of service. Taylor excitedly wrote the name of each family member on a piece of paper and with Kortlen, they folded and placed in a bowl. Our family could use a healthy dose of service and humility, especially since we seem to have a bad case of the gimme-gimme's. I'm excited to see how this all unfolds in the morning!!! We seemed to be off to a good start after dinner, and I hope it goes well.
I started this little gem at 10 pm Saturday night.
But when the jumper's zipper didn't go in perfectly (1/16th of an inch off...and with plaid, it was REALLY noticeable), I decided to go ahead and make the jacket to go with the dress....It was all cut out anyways, and baby girl really needed it to make THE LOOK. I started with a pattern, but after realizing it wasn't what I really wanted, I drafted my own. (Thank you, "true major" required classes!)
I am in love with this fully lined, dropped waist, pleated, invisible zipper, scalloped edge, frog toggle and peter-pan collar ensemble!!! Long enough to cover legs in tights, but short enough so when Keetley starts to crawl, she won't be too frustrated (which I anticipate will be happening before I can get her New Year's dress done!).
I won the plaid wool at my very first "Make It With Wool" contest when I was 13 or 14. I think I might have cried when I opened my paper bag prize, and saw this horrid piece of material! I have held onto it for over 17 years knowing I'd someday make a darling Christmas Dress with it.
The red wool came from a large 'donation' to the 4-H office when I worked there. The majority of the fabric came home with me, including all the gingham, wool, vintage rick-rack and a handful of zippers. I was floored that the club leaders didn't want to deal with it. Didn't I get LUCKY?!
I finally turned off the sewing machine at 4:32 am. Took this picture, and decided to shower, then head to bed for a cat-nap before getting ready for Church.
:::
I was asked to prepare a piano number for Sacrament Meeting. Found a little ditty on Sally DeFord's website, and practiced every day for the 5 days notice I got. Being as sleep deprived as I was, I am so proud of myself for getting lost on line two and ending up at the end of page two, without having to stop and start over. Quite honestly, I don't even remember playing the song once I got to the piano, so to say I made it through, was pretty special.
:::
Every once in a while we have to just live a little. Since I've re-dedicated my life to motherhood and am more focused on being at home and with my children, we decided to cut 'er lose and enjoy our Christmas decorations!
Yay for trains, exploring, pajama pictures, nativities, and ornaments that roll like balls!
Tonight we drew names. Not to buy gifts, but to do acts of service. Taylor excitedly wrote the name of each family member on a piece of paper and with Kortlen, they folded and placed in a bowl. Our family could use a healthy dose of service and humility, especially since we seem to have a bad case of the gimme-gimme's. I'm excited to see how this all unfolds in the morning!!! We seemed to be off to a good start after dinner, and I hope it goes well.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Learning Gratitude
As a mother, I strive to teach my children to be grateful. To say "Thank You", and to show appreciation.
One evening, I grabbed an old roll of Christmas wrap, that was brown on one side and started in on it with a pair of scissors. I wasn't sure how well I'd turn out a tree, but it worked out well enough.
I snatched some construction paper from the craft box, and Tanner's water colors. I had quite a fun time making such colorful leaves (purple paint on red paper, red paint on orange paper, and green paint on yellow paper), and cutting them out was even more fun, as I instantly had a pile of colorful papers for us to write on.
Each day (or whenever we remember) we write what we are thankful for. On occasion, I find leaves with little boys' handwriting that says "I luv mom", or "I am a child of God", and my heart swells. Each member of our family has a leaf. We even have leaves for oxygen, flushing toilets, forks, and whipping cream, matching socks, soap and books. Anything we can think of, really.
Hopefully we'll find so many things to be thankful for, that I'll have to cut more leave out and buy more tape! Hopefully our children learn gratitude; to be thankful for all that we've been given. To be grateful that we have good health so we can work hard, love each other, and learn and grow.
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