Time Outs with My Cute Kids

Today I was starting to feel like my kids needed more attention from me than they have been getting in the past week, so I decided to take them to the Children's Museum and try and leave my racing thoughts, worries, and stressed behind.

We had a great time and were able to see the new Avatar exhibit. It was pretty awesome!

Then after Tenley woke up from her nap we got to sit on the couch and read books for about a half an hour. It was so nice to have that closeness with my kids today. I needed their fun, silly selves probably more than they needed me.

I love my cute kids!

Meetings, Advice, Support

Tonight we had our first meeting as a Relief Society Presidency and it went so well!

 I LOVE the women I get to serve with. They are each so amazing and so talented.

I had asked them to think about and pray about certain things and I was amazed at how often we had come to the same decision on those things. 

They are inspired women that love the Lord and are eager to serve and give love to others.

I'm so grateful for their example. I'm so grateful for how productive our meeting was. I'm so excited to get to work.

I have been given such good advice since I got this calling from so many different people. It has been so nice to hear words of wisdom from people who have done it before or know someone who has or who has done something similar. It has helped so much. 

And I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support I have gotten from family, friends, and my ward. Every time I start feeling worried, scared, or unsure of what on Earth I am doing in this calling, someone gives me words of encouragement that help remind me that I can do this and that the Lord will help me.

The Tree

Since we've lived here in these town homes, the tree outside of our house has been a popular gathering/visiting place for us and our friends. It is so convenient that it is right outside our front door!

This summer Kade is big enough to climb it himself! He loves hanging out in the tree and waiting for Dad to get home from school.

Callings, Priesthood Power

Today I received a new calling in church as the Relief Society President. I feel very humbled by it. I know that this calling will stretch me and help me become a better person. I am anxious and excited to serve and work with the wonderful sisters in my ward.

After I was called I was set apart by the bishopric and my husband. It was an amazing experience. I felt completely overwhelmed, nervous, and scared before, but after the blessing I felt so much peace. I know those men hold special keys from  the Lord. I know that when we are given a blessing to be set apart for a calling we are given a mantel to perform the calling in the way we need. I'm so grateful for my husband and his support and the support I've received from my ward, my parents, friends and other family members.

 I feel so blessed.

Solo Runs

Normally I would prefer to go running with friends, but this morning I decided last minute to go on a run, so I just went by myself.

It ended up being just what I needed. I needed some time to myself to think and ponder and process my feelings about certain things. I have a new challenge coming my way and I'm not so sure that I'm ready, but after my run I now know, without a doubt, that my Heavenly Father will help me through it and it will be OK. I do not have to do it alone. I know that He will be there to comfort me, to support me, and to strengthen me. 

Right now, that is all I need to know.

My Hot New Dentist, Friends

This morning I got to be Brad's first dental patient! 

It was a lot of fun to go in and see him work and see his school and meet his friends.

He did a great job! Unfortunately the appointments are 3 hours long and I have to go back in for him to fill a cavity, but luckily I have such awesome friends who are willing to help take care of my kids.

Becca watched my cute kids for me today and took them to a fun pool party/playgroup. I'm sad I missed out on some fun mommy talk, especially since I've been gone for so long, but I'm glad my kids got to play with their friends.

Dollar Store Toys, Water Fights

For our long drive back home we got some good advice to buy a lot of toys from the dollar store and wrap them up to give them to the kids every once in a while during the trip. I had forgotten to do this initially, I guess because I was having so much fun, so we stopped in Montana at Dollar Tree and I bought lots of toys! The kids got a new toy every 2 hours and they loved it! It worked so well.

One of the new toys they got were some water shooters. We finally tried them out today in the backyard and they were a lot of fun. And then Brad came home and turned our simple afternoon into a water fight!

At first the kids weren't too happy about getting all wet, but they warmed up to it and they loved shooting their Dad.

Home-Cooked Meals

Three days in a car with junk food made me crave a good home cooked meal. So, yesterday I did a lot of grocery shopping and stocked up on some fresh food.

For breakfast we had eggs and toast and for lunch I had a salad, carrots, and yogurt with granola. (I never eat that healthy!) And then for dinner we had my favorite meal. Chicken fettuccine with broccoli and almonds, homemade bread and fresh, delicious watermelon. Yum! It was so good. 

Now I think I'm craving some junk food...

Mount Rushmore, Safe Travels, Family

We stopped at Mount Rushmore on our way back home because I've never been there before and I was so amazed. It is so beautiful there anyway, but then to see the huge carvings in the rocks of some of our former presidents was amazing! I couldn't believe how much they look like the actual people. It was very impressive!

This was in Sheridan Wyoming. It was so pretty there!

Crazy horse monument.

Almost to Mount Rusmore!

Kade was trying to put his arm around them. Haha!

We finally made it safely home yesterday! Brad drove the whole way. He is such a trooper. And the kids really did well. But we aren't ready to jump back into the car for another 30 hour trip anytime soon.

Our crazy experience happened in Billings, Montana. We spent the first night there at a really fancy, 20 floor hotel downtown. It would have been a great stay for Brad and I, but with kids it wasn't very family friendly. You get what you get with Priceline!

Anyway, in the morning we headed out of our room to the elevator. Kade wanted to be the leader so he ran ahead of us, pushed the down arrow, and then jumped on the elevator once it opened up. Brad was just a few steps behind him, but he wasn't fast enough. The elevator door quickly shut and our little Kade was in there all by himself!

Kade was screaming and I was having a bit of a panic attack myself. We tried pushing the down arrow again, but it wouldn't open. We tried pushing the elevator door apart, but it wouldn't open. I tried to calm Kade down so I could explain to him to push the 'door open' button. I spelled out the words and told him there should be 2 arrows pointing away from each other. He kept asking "This one?" 

The first button he pushed was the alarm. At least it wasn't a number. I kept worrying that if he pushed a number and the elevator left I would never know where to find him in the huge 20 floor hotel!

So we tried again.

"Push the button that says O-P-E-N."

"This one?"

Finally the door opened! He got it right, thankfully. I was so proud of him. 

Needless to say, Brad or I will always be the first person on the elevator from now on.

Our scary experience happened in South Dakota. We spent too much time walking around Mount Rushmore and it was getting dark, but we still needed to drive 5 more hours to Sioux Falls to make it to the hotel we had booked. Brad is always leery about driving at night, especially in a rural area, because of all the wildlife running across the road, but we didn't have much of a choice so we kept on going.

We kept seeing the 'watch out for deer' signs, and then we saw a dead deer on the side of a road, and then another, and another. Brad ended up seeing close to 20 dead deer on the side of the road that night. Luckily we didn't hit one! Our eyes were constantly peeled and searching the road. The only thing we did see cross in front of us was a mountain lion. We were both pretty surprised to see it! 

For me, though, it was so much fun to see my cute kids play together and get along so well. I really saw a bond form between them on this trip that I hadn't really noticed before. They love each other and they like to look out for each other. They still fought occasionally, but they played and laughed together a lot more. Every time Tenley fell asleep, Kade would quietly play the IPad and he would always whisper if he needed anything. I love my cute kids so much!

This was at the hotel in Billings, Montana. We didn't have a crib for Tenley, so Brad got creative.

Even though the drive home was long, it was so worth it to be able to go and see our family for a little bit. 

We are so lucky to have such amazing families! We love being with them, our kids love being with their cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, and we have so much fun together. It is always so hard to have to say goodbye to the people we love more than anything and drive 2000 miles away from them and not know when we will see them again. But we are so grateful for the time we had with them and can't wait to see them again!

Home Sweet Home

We made it home today!

We had some crazy, fun, and scary experiences on our 3 day road trip that I'm excited to write about, but for now, we are just so grateful to be home!

Fathers

I have the best Dad.

I'm so grateful for all the he did for me while I was growing up and all that he does for me now.

He works so hard to provide for his family and he always make sure we do fun things as a family.

I have so many good memories of skiing, boating, dance parties, camping trips, road trips, and fun family vacations. I'm so lucky to have such a smart Dad that always gives me the best advice.

I love my Dad.

I have the best husband.

He also does so much to secure a good future for our family.

He works so hard at school and plays hard at home with the kids. He never ignores us no matter how stressed or overwhelmed he may be.

 He is such a good father! He loves our kids so much and our kids love him. They light up whenever they see him and get his attention. We are so lucky to have him.

I love my husband.

I have the best father-in-law.

He raised such an amazing son and worked so hard to provide for his family.

He is such a good Grandpa to his grandkids. He always takes time to be with them one on one.

I love my father-in-law.

Road Trips, Montana

We started our big 2,000 mile road trip back to Indianapolis today. 

I've always loved going on road trips. It's always fun to listen to good music or a book on tape and eat red vines and M&Ms, but I was hesitant about a road trip with two young children. Luckily our cute kids did a great job on our 10 hour drive today! They are the best. I hope tomorrow goes just as well.

Our little car is packed to the brim!

Montana is breathtaking! We were so lucky to have such beautiful scenery to look at today. We stopped in Bozman for dinner at a yummy pizzeria. Brad's sister, Kimber used to live there and suggested the restaurant.  It was delicious!

Exercising with Kids, Boating, Hot Dates

This morning I wasn't able to leave/take my children in order to go for a run so we all exercised in the backyard together. The kids and I raced back and forth on the grass and then did some lunges, sit-ups, and push-ups. They made it so much fun!

One of my favorite things to do as a youth/teenager was to go boating. I love cruising around on a lake/river on a boat. My dad would take us out boating a lot and he taught me how to water-ski, wake-board, and knee-board. I have such good memories of boating with my family, Brad's family, and the Simmons.

Today we got another sweet ride on the Simmons' boat. The kids loved it! Tenley was even excited when we were going so fast that we were bouncing up and down on the waves. It was a nice afternoon.

Hayden is a pretty sweet bare-footer!

Heidi knows some amazing young women and one of them was nice enough to come watch my cute kids tonight so Brad and I could go on a date with Kent and Heidi, and Brad's parents who came into town today. We had a lot of fun going to dinner, and seeing the new Superman movie. 

I love going on dates with my hot husband. He is the best!

Ross, Piano Recitals, Dogs

When I first moved to Lewiston several years ago I was pretty sad to realize that there weren't many options for places to shop. Ross quickly became one of my favorite places to go and I shopped there a lot! Today Heidi and I went there to do a little shopping there and it was fun to do that with her and remember the good ol' days!

Tonight Kade and Tenley got to see their cute cousin, Emmett, play the piano in a recital. He had memorized both the songs and he did an awesome job! We were all so impressed!

Kade and Tenley have both really enjoyed playing with the Simmon's dog, Chopper. They love to play catch with him. Tonight during dinner they barked at him through the window. It was so cute. I can't wait to get a family dog. Kade already knows that when his dad is a dentist he will get a dog!

Summer BBQs, Kent's Reese's

This afternoon Heidi had some youth over for a barbecue. The burgers and fresh fruit were so delicious! It was fun to have a summer BBQ and see some old friends!

Tonight Kent made his famous Reese's. He doesn't cook very much, but he does love to make Reese's peanut butter bars and they are so good! I tried to learn how to make them tonight and I need to try and remember the recipe:
1/2 C. butter (melted all the way)
7 graham crackers crushed up
1 1/2 C. chunky peanut butter
2 C Powdered Sugar
Mix all together and press into a 9x13 pan.

Melt 2 C of chocolate chips and pour over the top of the peanut butter mixture.
Freeze for 10 minutes. Cut into pieces. Freeze for 5 more minutes and enjoy!

Spencer's Own, Private Pools

This past weekend the Simmons had the band Spencer's Own staying with them because they had a concert here in Lewiston. Our stay overlapped with them so we got to meet them. They are so awesome! They are 5 brothers that grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho and they now live in Nashville to pursue their dream of music. They are all so nice and down to earth and friendly and their music is amazing. I got to sit in on one of their rehearsals and I was blown away by their talent. I can't wait to buy their CD when it is released and I hope they have a concert in Indianapolis soon so I can go to it! They are inspiring to me. I love that even though they've had a lot of ups and downs in the industry they are still working hard to pursue their dream. I hope they make it huge soon!

This afternoon we went to a friends house to go swimming at her pool. It was so nice of her to have us over and my kids loved it! We put them in life jackets and they both enjoyed jumping in and floating around on their backs. The best part was that there weren't a ton of other people/strangers there so we had so much room to play!