Currently I am the Primary President at church and I had challenged all the children to read The Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I knew this would be difficult but a doable task and when they accomplished their goal they could write their name on the brass plates. I of course wanted to be a good example and have it read first so I came up with a 6 month plan to accomplish my reading surely finishing before any of the children.
2 weeks went by and I start hearing reports of children being in Jacob...AHHHHHHHHHH..I am still in 1Nephi I thought. I knew I needed to step up my game quite a bit. I started staying up late at night, getting up early in the morning, if all my children were at school I was reading. Somedays up to 6 hours.
This past Sunday I asked the children how they were doing on their scripture reading and then I made a huge mistake and didn't realize it until later. I told them I would have it read by the next Sunday(tomorrow)and I was in Alma chapter 20 to be exact. It is by far the hardest book for me to get through and roughly half way through the Book of Mormon. Now I could have went back to them and said I mispoke but that would not be me, I dug in staying up even later and getting up even earlier and on Thursday I decide I was going to finish it. I was up and read for 3 hours before getting the children ready for school. I came home and read for over 2 hours. I picked up Jensen from preschool and got him lunch and read. He went to Snoozeyville(this is what we call naptime, yes he loves to go to Snoozeyville not every day and he is going to be 6 in June)and I read. I read until the other children came home from school and picked up the teen and I read some more and 10 minutes after my David came home from work I had finished!!!! It felt great!
The spirit of the last few weeks has been a sweet experience I would not trade for anything. I however am now ready to go back to the more casual study of scriptures. I am grateful for the scriptures and the great blessing they are in our life!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Semester Break 2011
For semester break we(the teenager)drove to Great Wolf Lodge for a couple of days of rest. We had a blast staying in the Wolf Den and playing and playing and playing. I of course took no pictures of any of that but on our way out we always stop at the Bear Claw for a treat and I snapped a picture:
It was winterfest there and so it was all decorated like a winter wonderland and actually snowed a few times a day there in the lobby.
My children love Great Wolf Lodge and one of the things they love to do there is play Magiquest(look closely at the picture you can see magic wands in hand). They run around the hotel finding hidden treasure, talking with knights and fairies, and fighting dragons. David loves how much the kids love this activity and wish we had one closer to home!
It was winterfest there and so it was all decorated like a winter wonderland and actually snowed a few times a day there in the lobby.
My children love Great Wolf Lodge and one of the things they love to do there is play Magiquest(look closely at the picture you can see magic wands in hand). They run around the hotel finding hidden treasure, talking with knights and fairies, and fighting dragons. David loves how much the kids love this activity and wish we had one closer to home!
Christmas Morning 2011
It was a great day and we stayed in these jammies all day, even for our Christmas Dinner...I am sensing a new tradition!
Making of a Gingerbread House
At my childrens school all of the 2nd graders gather inthe gym and make gingerbread houses. Her is david's creation:
Princess Cooking Class
Awhile ago I posted about Pirate cooking class well a month later there was a princess cooking class and her she is with her tiara, apron, and treats:
Rewind to Fall
We spend a lot of our fall watching this:
and this:
I have been a mom for 17 years now and 13 of it I have been watching my children play soccer. Christian and Julianna however love it and it has been a joy as a mom to watch them do something they love!
and this:
I have been a mom for 17 years now and 13 of it I have been watching my children play soccer. Christian and Julianna however love it and it has been a joy as a mom to watch them do something they love!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Here We Are Again
Two Sundays ago I left for a early morning meeting which was the start of one of my busiest Sundays I have encounterd in a long time. When I arrived home from the meeting 4 out of the 5 people were running fevers not just little fevers we are talking 103 so what I thought was going to be time home to take a rest ended up being a get things undercontrol before I leave for what ended up being 8.5 hours. By the time I arrived home all children were nestled snug in their beds and I was quite relieved that I would be able to sleep in in the morning due to illness of children. Then an hour passed and I started to lose my voice which is always a bad sign and I went to bed and there I stayed until I decided I would not be sick anymore and that was Thursday, I got up and went and did some things and soon after I realized this was a bad idea and back to bed I went until Sunday, with 2 ill counselors I knew I had to buck up and get ready for church. I made it almost through sacrament meeting feeling good and then it hit me I was still sick and feeling a bit dizzy and exhausted. I went to shake it off and short of almost losing my voice during Sharing Time I had been blessed with feeling perfect. I made it through Sunday and was excited for a new week to catch up on all things domestic and to be a contributing member of society again.
Monday was great! I did some catching up and with the impending snow storm we decided to make family home evening a prepare for the storm evening. The kids were great help and we had fun as a family. We tucked all the children in short of the homework finishing teenager and made our plan of attack to the store(which I had imagined would be a mad house, it wasn't). As we were putting our coats on I hear coughing from one of the bedrooms which had been typical since the fever instances of this one child and then I hear it again and I realize it is not a cough cough it is a vomit cough and vomit there was..... dad grabs and runs said child to the bathroom there was a trail to prove it! Off go the coats and the shower and washer and steam cleaner are all in use. Over a hour later we are now putting our coats back on and are off to the store now exhausted and knowing it needs to happen tonight even if it is 11:30 at night because I am going to be at home with sick children all week. One by one they fell and so did the snow. We spent our snow days with puke pails and vomit vats. I was quite glad there was no school because by the time I was ill I was not driving anywhere. A Primary activity was delegated from my bedroom with me shaking and delirious from a fever and it went fabulous(thanks ladies) and today I woke up and was already to attend church and then there was this little voice that said you stay home and REST!!! and that is what I did. I stayed home and I snuggled my kiddos and we napped. With Super Bowl approaching I quickly whipped up some food for my teen who loves this Sunday(the only Sunday he watches football all year unless we are at Grandpas)and the only Sunday I make some of the yummiest(junk) food.
Here we are again 2 weeks since it all started. We still have one sick child and Monday is ahead to "catchup" and do you know what I learned during this last 2 weeks..I will always be catching up on something that is how life is, somedays you just need to stay home and rest, I don't have to do everything, and food that is whipped up at the last minute from food storage tastes just as good as food that was planned out and researched and fret over and surprisingly enough I came up with a new recipe in it all. So to all that have had a week and you say Here We Go Again...pay attention you just might learn something!
Monday was great! I did some catching up and with the impending snow storm we decided to make family home evening a prepare for the storm evening. The kids were great help and we had fun as a family. We tucked all the children in short of the homework finishing teenager and made our plan of attack to the store(which I had imagined would be a mad house, it wasn't). As we were putting our coats on I hear coughing from one of the bedrooms which had been typical since the fever instances of this one child and then I hear it again and I realize it is not a cough cough it is a vomit cough and vomit there was..... dad grabs and runs said child to the bathroom there was a trail to prove it! Off go the coats and the shower and washer and steam cleaner are all in use. Over a hour later we are now putting our coats back on and are off to the store now exhausted and knowing it needs to happen tonight even if it is 11:30 at night because I am going to be at home with sick children all week. One by one they fell and so did the snow. We spent our snow days with puke pails and vomit vats. I was quite glad there was no school because by the time I was ill I was not driving anywhere. A Primary activity was delegated from my bedroom with me shaking and delirious from a fever and it went fabulous(thanks ladies) and today I woke up and was already to attend church and then there was this little voice that said you stay home and REST!!! and that is what I did. I stayed home and I snuggled my kiddos and we napped. With Super Bowl approaching I quickly whipped up some food for my teen who loves this Sunday(the only Sunday he watches football all year unless we are at Grandpas)and the only Sunday I make some of the yummiest(junk) food.
Here we are again 2 weeks since it all started. We still have one sick child and Monday is ahead to "catchup" and do you know what I learned during this last 2 weeks..I will always be catching up on something that is how life is, somedays you just need to stay home and rest, I don't have to do everything, and food that is whipped up at the last minute from food storage tastes just as good as food that was planned out and researched and fret over and surprisingly enough I came up with a new recipe in it all. So to all that have had a week and you say Here We Go Again...pay attention you just might learn something!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Introducing.....
my new project blog. It is called Sweet Serendipity. Jewels of a Child will still be here for all of our family hijinx but for all of my projects go to:
sweetserendipity23.blogspot.com
Enjoy!
Julia
sweetserendipity23.blogspot.com
Enjoy!
Julia
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
SLEDDING 2011
Who knew you could snowboard down a hill on a saucer...Christian apparently.
David getting ready to go again!
Jensen having so much fun! He never had been sledding before so it was so fun to see our typically hesitant boy to grab his sled and fly down the hill. I am not saying it didn't take him some time to go down again, it did but eventually there was no stopping him.
Dad and Julianna worn out.....
and here she is having fun again!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Like Him or Not.....
these were inspired words by our President:
"These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, all around us, just waiting to be summoned"
"As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together."
"After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose somebody in our family -– especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken out of our routines. We’re forced to look inward. We reflect on the past: Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices that they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in a while but every single day?"
"So sudden loss causes us to look backward -– but it also forces us to look forward; to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us."
"We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we're doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order."
"We recognize our own mortality, and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. "
"And that process -- that process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions –- that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.
And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us. "
"These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, all around us, just waiting to be summoned"
"As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together."
"After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose somebody in our family -– especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken out of our routines. We’re forced to look inward. We reflect on the past: Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices that they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in a while but every single day?"
"So sudden loss causes us to look backward -– but it also forces us to look forward; to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us."
"We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we're doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order."
"We recognize our own mortality, and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. "
"And that process -- that process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions –- that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.
And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us. "
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Days Like This
On days like this I am grateful for my husband who every Wednesday morning lets me sleep in and makes chocolately cereal for the children.
On days like this feeling appreciated without even realizing you are is an unexpected surprise.
On days like this getting a surprise leaves you in tears of sadness because you weren't prepared for it.
On days like this relief from a trial makes your day and leaves you wondering what was I supposed to learn from it so I can become a better person.
On days like this you love your children more than you can describe.
On days like this you try to let someone down gently and hope they can understand.
On days like this you are grateful you are inclined to rely on the Lord more than yourself.
On days like this you are happy to be in service of your fellow man.
On days like this you are glad you have a box of tissues and chocolate available and pass on the chocolate because it feels that bad.
On days like this you are grateful for words of warning which reemphasizes decisions already made.
On days like this you are grateful for friends with a listening ear and sympathetic heart.
On days like this you are glad you can make someones day becasue it is the bright spot in yours.
On days like this your heart sinks because what you felt was true but didn't want to be was actually true and to see your child feel betrayed and feel like they can never trust again is enough to break your heart.
On days like this you want to climb under the covers and never come out.
On days like this you realize there is another day ahead of you and are grateful for it on DAYS LIKE THIS!!!
On days like this feeling appreciated without even realizing you are is an unexpected surprise.
On days like this getting a surprise leaves you in tears of sadness because you weren't prepared for it.
On days like this relief from a trial makes your day and leaves you wondering what was I supposed to learn from it so I can become a better person.
On days like this you love your children more than you can describe.
On days like this you try to let someone down gently and hope they can understand.
On days like this you are grateful you are inclined to rely on the Lord more than yourself.
On days like this you are happy to be in service of your fellow man.
On days like this you are glad you have a box of tissues and chocolate available and pass on the chocolate because it feels that bad.
On days like this you are grateful for words of warning which reemphasizes decisions already made.
On days like this you are grateful for friends with a listening ear and sympathetic heart.
On days like this you are glad you can make someones day becasue it is the bright spot in yours.
On days like this your heart sinks because what you felt was true but didn't want to be was actually true and to see your child feel betrayed and feel like they can never trust again is enough to break your heart.
On days like this you want to climb under the covers and never come out.
On days like this you realize there is another day ahead of you and are grateful for it on DAYS LIKE THIS!!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Of the Things that Matter Most
Every year at this time I have a "new year resolution" but it isn't really a resolution it is a thought or feeling I keep with myself all year. This years thought comes from a talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf called Of the Things that Matter Most(you can read it here ) and the quote that has stuck with me from the moment I heard it was this.... "In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e"
I always feel like it can be more time but I can't add hours to the day but I can take time in the moments with them. To look them in the eyes and say I love you, to read them just one more story, to sit down and eat breakfast with them instead of running around getting ready to head out myself,to turn the music off in the car and talk. We can't build relationships with anyone without taking the time and so for this year time is what I am giving to the Lord, my family, and my friends.
I always feel like it can be more time but I can't add hours to the day but I can take time in the moments with them. To look them in the eyes and say I love you, to read them just one more story, to sit down and eat breakfast with them instead of running around getting ready to head out myself,to turn the music off in the car and talk. We can't build relationships with anyone without taking the time and so for this year time is what I am giving to the Lord, my family, and my friends.
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