school has begun once again

and we are loving every minute of it!  The kids enjoyed meeting their teachers Tuesday night and Wednesday was their first day back.  Jeremy and I have had a lot of discussion and prayer about school this year for the kids and what was the best option for our sweet children.  We both feel there are some issues with the school programs, but we feel very impressed that our children need to be there, and learn to be "in the World, but not OF the World".  We are disappointed with programs that were taken away and other things going on, but then it occurred to us that it is OUR responsibility to teach our children all that we want them to learn!  Instead of complaining about what the school isn't, we can provide what is important to us as a family.  So we are creating a home of learning and happiness where they can feel a love of learning for life!   We are having tons of fun doing it too!  Right now we are working on learning all 50 states and their capitals, Jeremy is teaching them Spanish, multiplication to 12's, handwriting, history and geography, science fun, typing,  music composers, and art appreciation, and LOTS of nature study.  The girls each have a book they are working on and Hunter is doing great with his reading skills.  Every Wednesday we work on a "Life Skill" our family wants to learn or we feel in important.  I love it cause learning together in our home makes learning seem a natural way in our daily lives.  It is fun and exciting!  I love the{Charlotte Mason} learning methods.  We believe that kids learn best from the world around them, we just have to help them see those things.  I love to read how other families are learning  and get fun ideas from them.  

This was Wednesday morning and everyone was beaming with excitement!

Loralie has our beloved Mrs. McDougal this year.  She has been excited about it since the last day of school in May.  Mrs. McDougal is our neighbor and we love her so much!

4th Grade

Miss Savanna has Mrs. Peterson.  Her classroom is awesome!  She is such a sweet lady and I have heard such great things about her.  We were so happy Savanna got her!

Kindergarten

Our Mr. Hunter has Mrs. Bryce this year for 1st grade.  Loralie had her and we absolutely loved her!  She is fun and enthusiastic!  Learning is fun in her classroom.  We are excited for another great year with her!

1st Grade

Fisher had to be included in all this craziness.  He will have Mommy as his teacher for the next 3 years!  And boy does she love him!

Carlee has Mrs. Williams this year.  She is new to the 5th grade.  We have heard really great things about her and Carlee is loving her class so far.  When we met her Tuesday Jeremy and I really liked her.  Carlee is super excited about the 5th grade.

5th Grade

This face makes me smile!

at the creek

We were all longing for some peace and tranquility Saturday. It has been a LONG and HOT summer! We drove up the mountain to a small creek and enjoyed the quiet beauty that surrounded us.  Jeremy and I both enjoyed the sand between our toes and the cool creek water.  The kids enjoyed splashing and chasing tadpoles, collecting colorful rocks and building a dam with their daddy.  Graham tasted all the rocks within reach and loved to immerse his hands in the warm course sand time after time.   I love to watch his face as he is exploring his surroundings in each new place we visit.  Children truly enjoy the world around them.  I am so looking forward to the upcoming adventures we have planned with our children. 

Our Very Own Rapunzel

Carlee has always been very creative. 

As a small child she would make doll clothes out of things all over the house to fit whatever she was playing.  The other day she came out of her bedroom with this long "Rapunzel" hair and her little friend "Pascal".  All the girls have wore this "Hair" everyday now.  The only problem is, the boys like to step on it and tie it to things to hear the girls scream! 

Gotta love brothers!

I Just HAVE to Brag

I am so proud of my SWEET Husband for doing such a wonderful job with his
"LIFESTYLE DIET CHANGE" He is doing so well and is feeling great!  He just got back from 2 weeks in the Congo of Africa for work and we are sooo happy to have him home.  He has some great pictures I am going to post.  Seeing the people there really makes you grateful for all we have in USA.

Each time he brings us back little African gifts.  This time he brought me this little Jewelry box.  It is made out of Malachite.  Last time he brought me a beautiful beaded necklace  made out of Malachite.  It is handmade and just beautiful.  I love to see what he will suprise us with.

Utah Part 2

Now the purpose of our trip was mostly so I could attend a Power of Moms Retreat in Park City at the home of Richard and Linda Eyre.  These two are some of my MOST favorite authors!  I love their books so very much!  The retreat was wonderful and meeting them and listening to them speak was such a treat!  Park City was gorgeous and the weather was wonderful!  Not to mention the company was just splendid!

Loralie Turned 9!!

This year Loralie had a very fun party with all her girlfriends!  These girls know how to have fun.  They are the cutest sweetest you ladies!

Birthdays seems so magical when you are a child!  I love how creative kids  are and how they can have fun doing just about anything!

Stop & Smell the Flowers

So part of my prioritizing is including a lot more service into my life.  I get wrapped up in my own little world and forget about everything around me.  I was flipping through the April Conference issue and decided to read the talk Finding Joy through Loving Service. Jeremy has been saying for a while that we as a family need to make service a bigger part of our lives.  I am really bad at listening sometimes.   Well, the other day the light finally came on and I got the motivation.  Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to listen!  I start reading this talk and what do you know, it was just what I needed to hear.  I couldnt believe my eyes!  Read the following story and you will see what I mean.

Oftentimes we are like the young merchant from Boston, who in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.

Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit until one day an old, experienced prospector said to him, “That’s quite a pile of rocks you are getting there, my boy.”

The young man replied, “There’s no gold here. I’m going back home.”

Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, “Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.” He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open, revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.

Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, “I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.”

The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.

The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.”

This story illustrates the spiritual truth that Alma taught his son Helaman:

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. …

“… And by very small means the Lord … bringeth about the salvation of many souls” (Alma 37:6–7).

Brothers and sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, no matter how much we try to make it complicated. We should strive to keep our lives similarly simple, unencumbered by extraneous influences, focused on those things that matter most.

What are the precious, simple things of the gospel that bring clarity and purpose to our lives? What are the flecks of gospel gold whose patient accumulation over the course of our lifetime will reward us with the ultimate treasure—the precious gift of eternal life?

I believe there is one simple but profound—even sublime—principle that encompasses the entirety of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we wholeheartedly embrace this principle and make it the focus of our lives, it will purify and sanctify us so we can live once again in the presence of God.

The Savior spoke of this principle when He answered the Pharisee who asked, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36–40).

It is only when we love God and Christ with all of our hearts, souls, and minds that we are able to share this love with our neighbors through acts of kindness and service—the way that the Savior would love and serve all of us if He were among us today.

When this pure love of Christ—or charity—envelops us, we think, feel, and act more like Heavenly Father and Jesus would think, feel, and act. Our motivation and heartfelt desire are like unto that of the Savior. He shared this desire with His Apostles on the eve of His Crucifixion. He said:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you. …

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35).

The love the Savior described is an active love. It is not manifested through large and heroic deeds but rather through simple acts of kindness and service.

I have realize I wait a lot of time to do many things waiting for that "Large Nugget" rather then just looking for the small and simple things in life to enjoy and ways to serve. 

Stop and Smell the Flowers Today!

Taking Inventory

It's that time in life again!  I am sitting here close to the end of summer with my children and thinking about all the things I wished I were doing with them and myself.  I've decided it is time to take a break from some things and really get my life together again.  I have just been "getting by" without much purpose.  Jeremy is leaving early Wednesday morning for another trip to the Congo for two weeks with his job.  So I decided what better time to refocus on myself and the children and get back on track.  I love that life is always changing and allows us to change right along with it.  Whether it is changing our hearts, changing our schedules, changing our priorities, or whatever needs changing.  Staying focused on what is of most importance can be hard.  That is why I "TAKE INVENTORY" every little while and see where I need to make some course changes.  I don't know about anyone else, but life seems to be flying by and I feel like I am not accomplishing all I want to do cause I am waiting for the perfect moment to do it.  So I've decided to make this scripture my motto:

'Wherefore, be not weary in well doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.' (D&C 64:33)"

I need to focus on the small and simple things and just DO THEM!  I think that is where I get overwhelmed.  Trying to get all the great and wonderful things done I never start cause I am too overwhelmed.