Frappuccinos

A while ago my sister-in-law introduced me to a yummy, cold, refreshing drink. It is so easy to make:

1 C. half n half (or milk)

1/2 C. french vanilla coffee creamer

2 T. chocolate syrup

1 tray of ice

It was just what I needed on this overly warm evening.

Hart of Dixie

A few months ago a friend recommended a new show to me; Hart of Dixie. The first season is on Netflix so it has given me something to do while Brad is busy studying.
It has quickly become one of my favorite shows! It is so cute.
Last night my friend came over to watch the finale of season 1 with me. And she brought yummy frozen custard with her! It was a fun night and I can't wait to start watching season 2!

Primary

Today after I picked up Kade from primary I asked him what he learned. Normally his answer is: 

"I learned about Jesus!"

But, today he said, "I learned about the Angel Moroni!"

I was so surprised to hear a different answer than the normal one. But also so grateful and excited that he is learning more about the gospel from his wonderful leaders and teachers in primary. 

I'm so grateful for the primary program and the wonderful primary music that inspires and teaches children so well.

Girl Time

My friend's birthday was yesterday so today another friend of mine and I went shopping with her to celebrate. It was so fun to go to the mall kid-free and to be able to shop and talk with friends without worrying about anything else.
Afterward I got to try Blue Bell ice cream with them for the first time. It was so delicious!
I had such a fun afternoon out with my friends! I'm so grateful for girl time.

Special Days

I love looking forward to things! I especially love when a whole day of fun is coming up and that is what today was! 

This morning I took my cute kids to a gymnastics open gym for a few hours. They both had so much fun! I didn't even have to break up any fights or calm any melt downs. It was amazing! 

We came home, had a yummy lunch together, then my kids took naps and I had some quiet time to myself. That is always a bonus!

After naps we went and visited a friend and by the time we got home Dad was home!

Kade was so excited to see his Dad because they got to go to a boy party tonight! It was a father and son cookout at the church. It was so cute to see the excitement in his eyes. He even got to stay out late! It was so fun to hear him tell me all about his night out with Dad. I could tell how much he loved it and how special he felt. It made me so happy.

Tenley and I got to have our own mommy daughter date! I've always wanted a daughter so we could do fun girl stuff together and this was the first time we got to have our own mommy daughter date. We went to Target, picked up dinner at Panera Bread, and came home and watched girly shows while we ate our dinner in the living room. After a bath we read books together and cuddled until she went to bed. She was so much fun to be with! I love her upbeat, easy-going personality.

It truly was a special day.

Practice

Practice has always been hard for me. Practicing takes a lot of patience, and I'm not a very patient person, but I've learned that you can accomplish amazing things when you practice something. I really feel that you can do anything if you believe in yourself and practice a lot!
I never thought I would play the organ, but about a year ago I decided to start trying and although I am no where near as good as I would like to be, I have improved! And that makes me happy.
I never thought I would run a half marathon. I ran a 10 K once and swore I would never go any further, but all the running I've been doing with my friends lately has prepared me to run a half marathon next week! I can't believe it.
I love it when practice pays off.

Tenley loves to practice the organ with me!

Grapes

Kade talked me into buying some green grapes at the store the other day and we had a blast making funny faces with them at lunch today. Kade is so funny! Tenley loved watching the show, but for some crazy reason she does not like grapes! Or any fruit for that matter. Hopefully she'll grow out of that sooner than later!

18 Month Olds

Tenley is now 18 months old! I LOVE this age! They learn and grow so much from now on. Each day it seems like they learn a new word, or are able to accomplish a new feat. It is amazing.
Today, Tenley had her 18 month check-up. She weighs 23 lbs 4 oz and is 33 1/2 inches tall. She is so tall for her age! She is talking a lot! She can say mama, dada, please, up, IPad, treat, juice, hi, bye, off, rock, binky, uh-oh (does that count as a word?), and ouch. And she is constantly trying to say new things. She now walks up the stairs instead of crawls up the stairs and eats well with a spoon and a fork. She loves to dance and cuddle with her blankets. She is a sweetheart and pretty much always goes with the flow. We love her and this stage in her life!
I tried to take some pictures of her today. She loves to pose for the camera, but didn't really want to smile for me today. She was giving me her "model look" I guess. In this first picture she did this pose all on her own! I don't know where she got her sass from!

Earth

For preschool we learned about the Earth and how we can better take care of it. It was a fun lesson and it was a good reminder to me of how lucky we are to have such a beautiful place to live here on the Earth that the Lord has created for us.

I love being out in nature and being surrounded by the beautiful creations. Here are pictures of some of the most beautiful places I've been. The mountains, rivers, lakes, beaches, and deserts are all so beautiful.

Destin, FL

Silver Lake (Utah)

Bryce Canyon Nation Park

Grand Teton National Park

Angels Landing, Zion National Park

Snow Canyon (St. George)

Butchart Gardens. Victoria, British Columbia

Brown County State Park (Indiana)

Niagra Falls, Canada

The Sacred Grove. Palmyra, NY

Snake River in Hells Canyon OR

I can't wait to do more traveling and experience more of this beautiful world.

"The Hand Game"

Growing up, after saying family prayers my dad would put his hand in the middle of the circle, then we would each stack our hands on top of his and then, once all the hands were stacked, we would crazily slap the floor/bed depending on where we were. It was a fun little game. When we were home visiting last year, my Dad did it with Kade and Kade loved it! It has now become one of our family traditions to play the hand game each night after family prayers.
I love it.

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Here are some fun pictures from our trip to Louisville yesterday.