February and March 2012

Time flies when we're having fun....

Briggs has been busy at school during their African Unit.  They learned African songs, games and dances, made costumes, masks and drums, and worked for Naira (Nigerian/African money) to spend on homemade African crafts and trinkets at their big African Market.  

It was a lot of work, but SO much fun!  We're both a little sad it's all over!

VALENTINE'S Day was not exactly as I had planned.  

But with fun treats and love notes, gifts and more... it was a good day afterall.

We were fortunate enough to have a few special surprises left on our door that day.  But Grandpa Paul was the sneakiest as he left special Valentine gifts at our door FOUR different times, for all his special Valentine's. (Zach and I are one!) :)  The kids LOVED when they finally got to catch him the last time he came, and I loved capturing the moment.  We LOVE our Grandpa Paul!

 Other Valentine favorites included Belle's Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance, my Mom and Dad's SweetHearts Night at their house, the kids being "Heart Attacked" by Mom, and all the special Valentine's Day Treats.  

We just recently held our annual KL Ski Day in honor of Zach's late Grandpa, Laurie Mauss.  We had a great time with the family, especially because Brett, Ash, and baby June were able to come this year.

It was a great day on the slopes.  We love and miss you, Gramps!

Clancee and her sweet new baby, Hugh, came into town.  It was HEAVEN having them stay with us for a few days.  He was loved on... I mean, mauled to death... the entire time.  

We just couldn't get enough of baby Hugh.

Come back soon, Whiting Family!! 

Zach and I went to Maui.  We're lucky that Zach's Parents have a Time-Share there because it allows us to visit a lot more often than we otherwise would.  We missed our babies, but had a fabulous time!

(I forgot my camera and only took a couple pictures on my phone.  :(  

Yes, I am WeAkSaUcE!)

Here is my Mister after our first day there... OUCH!! 

@ My FAVORITE breakfast spot in Maui, The Gazebo!

And some much needed R&R...

Maui=Heaven.

I had a great time with my Main-Man relaxing, reconnecting, and just enjoying each other.

But we did miss our babies.  

And when we returned, we had lots of hugs and snuggles and schedules to attend to...

but there's truly no place I'd rather be...

most of the time! :)  

LOVE

Do you ever have those weak moments when you feel like nothing you do is good enough?  Like you are so small compared to this big vast world around us?  And that nothing you do, actually really matters?

I've been guilty of feeling this way lately and it's miserable.  

As I've heard news from family and friends of different hardships that so many are currently going through, I realized that I need to stop feeling so sorry for myself, that I need to buck up and be more humble and thankful for the many blessings I do have. 

It's amazing what a little tweak in your thought process can do.  I have been filled with such love and gratitude for my life,  for my family, for my blessings.  I've realized that everything I have is a gift and I need to use those things for good.  I have opportunities to serve and to share... to help some of the people that are struggling much more than me right now.  It's in these moments, when my life seems to have more purpose and meaning, and I feel so much more joy and appreciation in the little things.  

So today, I'm going to focus on the good... for there is SO much to be thankful for.

Especially...

Daddy's and Daughters

I chose well when I picked Zach to be my husband and father of my children.  He is wonderful.  He adores us all, but is especially whooped over his baby girl.    

As you can imagine, Belle was thrilled when Zach offered to take her to the Valentine's Dance at school.  

She "designed" her own dress, and I attempted to sew her one. :)  She was thrilled with the turn-out and had the perfect night with her Daddy.  

Being a Mother

Being a Mom is the most exhausting, stressful, and wonderful job in the world.  

I'm so extremely lucky to have these 3.  

Being married.

I'm constantly amazed by this man.  He works so hard and still has time to play, cook, and keep us all happy!

(I still can't believe we've actually been married 10 years!  We're not that old!!!)

I'm finding that what we have is rare, and I should never take it for granted.  

Our Health.

We have all been blessed with good health so far in our lives. (knock on wood!)  We keep busy and active and enjoy the things that life has to offer.  Briggs, especially, is following his Dad's footsteps and is loving (and is getting pretty good!) at Rock Climbing.  Here he is at Momentum last weekend.

Kisses and Smiles.

Do you ever wish you could bottle up a child at a certain time in life, and keep them that way forever?

Talmage makes me feel that way right now.  He is always kissing me and telling me how much he loves me.

It's the BEST kind of pay day!  I hope he stays in this stage forever!!

Creative Minds.

My kids are smart.  Really, they are!  I know most parents probably feel this way, but I am constantly amazed at the things they come up with.  Briggs gets great grades, reads very well, and is intrigued by animals (sharks in particular!), planets, football, etc... and he reads every book possible about these subjects.  

I hope he never stops loving to read!

Belle is an excellent student as well.  She even creates more homework for herself if she hasn't been given enough.  She is very creative and is always writing stories, designing clothes, doing crafts, playing make-believe.  These qualities I love and admire about my Belle and I'm SO thankful for great, working, creative minds. 

The list could go on and on.  But I think we all can be more happy and content in our lives if we just step back and remember how fortunate and blessed we are.

So start today.  What are you thankful for?

CHRISTMAS 2011

Christmas was perfect this year... except for the lack of snow!
For the sake of time, I'll give a quick overview of what made Christmas this year so special...

BUDDY, our Elf on the Shelf, came to visit this year and it was SO magical! I couldn't believe the joy that having Buddy in our home would bring. The kids would happily and eagerly wake up each morning to try to find our Elf and they would examine each other's and their own behavior if they thought Buddy was watching... (wouldn't want to get put on Santa's Naughty List afterall!)
Buddy had some great experiences while he was here, and we found him in some very silly places! I think each of the kids have taken a turn crying over how badly they miss Buddy at some point since Christmas, but his return is giving us something to look forward to for next Christmas!

Christmas at my parent's house is always highly anticipated. The kids love being together with all their cousins,  acting out the nativity story, playing games, eating delicious food and opening lots of presents! :)  I wish I took more pictures, but here are the THREE that I got!  (If any of you brothers and sisters took pic's, please email them to me!)

Belle was the big winner in one of the kids games!

Santa usually visits us at Grandma Red's Party on Christmas Eve. This year he brought the kids presents on their lists... though Briggs is certain he's not the "real" Santa! :)

Belle and Alexie Jo

Christmas Eve Night would not be the same without our Mauss Party at Mimi's. There is something so warm and comforting about our night there. I think it's because Mimi's house feels like HOME. It's where so many memories have been made, and so much love has been felt. It's beautiful to look around the room and be completely surrounded by people we love, in such beautiful surroundings on Christmas.

Briggs was asked to speak in our Christmas Program at Church on Christmas Morning. (at 9:30, might I add!!) So we had to hurry a little bit to see what Santa brought, then rush out the door. I was SO proud as I watched Briggs do something so out of his comfort zone, and do it so well! I cried as he stood at the pulpit and told of Christ's Birth.  It brought the spirit of Christmas into my heart and I felt such joy and love for my family, and especially for the Savior, Jesus Christ.

It was a beautiful Christmas!

Birthdays, Holidays, and Baptisms... OH MY!!!

November began our "BUSY SEASON" with Briggs' and Belle's Birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, with my birthday and a BAPTISM in the middle. I get tired just thinking about it, but we had a LOT of fun.

On November 7th, Briggs turned EIGHT!

This year he wanted a big ticket item for his birthday... a Nintendo 3DS and games. Usually, Zach and I do a smaller gift because the kids' parties are considered their "big" gift. So Briggs begged to NOT have a party. After I agreed to this, I felt sad.

Turning 8 is a BIG deal... and I wanted it to be a special day he would always remember.

So... we did forego the party and Briggs did get his DS and games. But we gave him another surprise too. On Saturday, Zach woke him up early and they flew down to Vegas for the day to see the Sharks at Mandalay Bay.

If you didn't know, Briggs is completely OBSESSED with Sharks. He reads every book about sharks he can find, and downloads many different apps about sharks on our phones... even if they're one's that teach correct pronunciation of their names. :) It's cute.

The boys had a great time together. I think it's fair to say it was a very happy birthday!

Another reason turning 8 is great is because you are able to be Baptized and Confirmed a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Briggs has been looking forward to this day for a long time. On Sunday December 4, 2011, Briggs was Baptized and Confirmed.

He was surrounded by many people that love him and felt so special on his big day.

Here he is all ready to go...

(what HANDSOME boys!!)

The Proud Momma

Briggs's Uncles and Grandpa's (well, most of them!)

Briggs and his best buddy, Wyatt

After the Service we had everyone over for yummy treats.

Here's Briggs with his Mimi.

Grandma and Grandpa Miller

Grandma and Grandpa Beynon

Our happy family! We LOVE you, Briggs and are SO proud of you!!

(And Yes, I know we should've closed the wii cabinet!)

Belle turned SIX on November 14th. After Ariel's appearance at her party last year, she assumed I was "in" with all the princesses, and requested Rapunzel to come to her party this time.

Thank goodness she did! :)

She was darling with the girls and Belle was ever impressed.

We had the girls make their own candy-filled magic wand. They were cuter in my head, but the girls loved them so i guess that's all that matters!

Happy 6th Birthday, Sweet Girl! WE LOVE YOU!!

THANKSGIVING 2011

Thanksgiving was next on our list of events for November. It was the first time in THREE years that we were together for Thanksgiving with the Beynon side of the family. (We missed you, Brett and Ash!) It was a beautiful day, with delicious food and great company. We truly are SO blessed!

Belle and Avery

Briggs and Savvy

Talmage and Mom

I'm sad to admit that I turned THIRTY in December. This was a day of many mixed emotions for me. I was happy because I've lived 30 years, I've experienced a lot, I've served, I've loved...

I was MAD because I'm now 30 and I'm starting to FEEL and LOOK 30!! I wanted Zach to give me Botox for my Birthday, but he refused! :)

I was also sad because I've always had this idea of what I'd be doing, what I'd have already accomplished by the time I was 30... and now that it's here, I realized I've fallen a bit short. I haven't done everything I thought I would do... I'm not quite the person I thought I would be.

But as I stepped back and looked at what I have done and who I have become... I realized that in 30 years, I haven't done too bad.

Maybe in the next 30 years I'll get the rest of what I wanted to do, done... maybe! ;)

Zach helped soften the blow by planning a surprise Birthday Dinner for me with some of my very best friends and their spouses, at my favorite restaurant. It was a nice surprise, and helped make turning the big 3-0 a little bit sweeter!

Thanks for a great night, Zach, and for treating us all to such a yummy dinner! I LOVE YOU!

And I'm 30! (Sigh...)