Spring Break

What we got to do for spring break and who we got to see...

Spring break came and went and we had a great time!  Alyssa and her family came up and we had so much fun.  We had a lot of fun just seeing each other and catching up.We were able to take some family photos and just have fun together.

Since it has been long to finish this post I really don't remember what I can put.  We just loved being together and having fun.  Glad Brody and Camilla were able to see their aunt and uncle and cousins from Arizona. Hope at least the pictures are fun to look at!!!

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St. Patty's Day

This digital greeting personalized with Smilebox

Well we had fun on St Patricks Day! It was such a beautiful day we just wanted to get out and enjoy it. We decided to go hiking and went to Graffiti Falls in Manitou Springs. We brought our friend Tara and her kids.

I am grateful that our kids love to be outside. It is getting easier now that Camilla can walk more and longer, but as you can tell she has to have her monkey on her back. I have to have something to grab onto when she decides to go running off. Brody does great listening and following the path, he is just so clumsy that he falls all the time or thinks he can jump off of a rock he is standing on and land on his feet. So he is always on the ground. But they love to explore and be out in the open.

Is it true?

Is it true that kids say the darnedest things? I am afraid so... I have of late really come to believe this and have really wanted to write them down so I don't forget them. So I hope that I don't bore you with these kinds of post. I am really doing it for more of a type of journaling. So I really do hope you enjoy!!!

Brody talking on a play phone..."Hello, how are you? Yes, yes I know you! You are Jesus I know you love me, I love you too, bye! This one made my heart jump that he wants to talk to Jesus.

To give a little background, Camilla has been in nursery with me since before she was one and I just recently got a new calling and I'm not in the nursery any more.... Let me tell you she is not loving nursery any more. She loves to cry all the time....

Ok so at a ward activity Camilla saw her nursery leader and gives her high five and did not cry at first, I was getting excited thinking yay she is coming a long. Then she realized what just happened. She came running back to me in tears. "Mommy I don't want to play! I NO PLAY! Mommy, no make me play!" She cried for a few long minutes saying these things over and over. Guess she didn't want to "go play in nursery"

In the car watching a train go by Brody points and says "look fwain" Camilla copies and says "look ayne" Brody "no Millie moo fwain" she tries again "ayne" He kept trying to teach her how to say train for a good 5 minutes and she went with it and tried to say it better. I finally said "Brody, Camilla is still learning to talk it is ok if she cannot say train very well. A few minutes later she said a word wrong again and he went to correct her and said... "oh ya Millie moo is small she can't say it!" I do love that he is trying to correct her in how she says it and he can't say it correctly either. And me being mom of the year, let him!!!

Brody talking on the play phone he started dancing around like he needed to go potty. I told him to go and he said "my phone come?" I said his phone could go. He went in and went to the bathroom and I heard him talking the entire time. He came out, I asked if he washed his hands he stuck his finger up at me and shook it and pointed to the phone and said "sshhh I'm on the phone" and walked away. I couldn't laughing. I promise I have never done this to him.

I just love that my children are getting so big and are communicating so well. I love that they keep me on my toes. I love them soooo much....

Camilla's 2

Our little girl is 2! She is getting so big, and she is so much fun. She has gone from this adorable little baby to a beautiful little girl!

Just leaving the Hospial!

On her birthday 2012!
I love that she is holding that money like she is already thinking about what to buy!

We had a blast with family and friends at her birthday party. She loved having all the attention. We just did a few things that she enjoys to do like crafts and being outside. We had the first letter of their names printed on paper and the kids were able to decorate them how they wanted. We had noodles, yarn, sickers, foam shapes, pipecleaners and more. They all loved it.

We then went out side and did diet coke and mentos "fireworks". They loved it! But really they were just so happy that they were able to play outside because for a February day it was beautiful!!! They had said that it was going to snow, I'm so glad that it didn't because they all just had so much fun playing outside.

Camilla is getting so big. She is talking more and is very clear. We never worry about what is on her mind because she will always let us know. She is still our shy child and gives the glare when new people come around her. It takes a long time for her to feel comfortable around new people. She has the cutest smile that can make most anyone do anything for her even the ones that she is glaring at. And she will still glare! We as parents think that we are not taken by that smile, but the truth is we are. She has us wrapped around that little finger of hers.
Camilla is very independent and wants to do what the big kids are doing. She loves to run and play and tries so hard to keep up with her brother. She has quick little legs and is always running around. She loves to be outside and playing. But at the same time she is a girlie girl! She loves her dolls and and purses, that is why I made her purse cakes for her birthday... She loves to talk on the phone and has conversations with who ever is on the phone, even if the phone is her fake phone. She is still always wanting to help clean and make things "better". If you can say a 2 year old cleaning makes everything spotless and "better"! She as of late has been very interested in going potty in the toilet, this is great for me! She has gone potty in the toilet, and was so excited. But really she has figured out that she gets her "treats" or "candy" when she tries to go potty. So I am not very sure how into the potty thing she really is or if she is just into the candy thing.

We are so happy that she is a part of our lives and are excited to see her keep growing.

Just a picture of her cakes I almost forgot to post!

Here we GOOOO!!!

I guess everyone has noticed that I don't post very faithfully. So I guess I have to catch up on everything... This is going to be a crazy long post, I will try to get everything in. I'll make a list of some of the things that I can remember!


1. Christmas:
We had a casual Christmas together with nothing to crazy going on. I do enjoy those kinds of Holidays. Our kids loved getting bikes and really that probably should have been the only thing they got, because everything else did not even matter.


I am just so happy the my children are still young and they are not demanding everything under the sun. I can have fun choosing what I think they would like. It really is a selfish thing!!! I love seeing their faces when they get something new.

I really can't think of anything else to say, this is why I should really get things posted earlier.


2. Cakes:

I for my birthday and Christmas Mike gave me cake decorating classes. Something I have really enjoyed. I have only taken the first class but have enjoyed learning new techniques and just having fun trying everything out.

This was my first cake in the class. I finished this at the class in about an hour. I used a template and traced in on with piping gel and then filled it in with icing to make the design. I still need practice and I'm trying to figure out different opportunities to "practice". 'Cause this means I have to make more cakes, if I don't give them away that would be bad. I love cake way to much. I will have more pictures of cakes that I have made later on. I love cake, and have fun decorating. Mike also enjoys helping and giving ideas of what I can do. It's a family affair... We have fun!!!

3. New Years:

This past New Years we were able to go to Missouri for the baptism of Maddie, Miles' oldest daughter. It was great to go out there. Mike and the kids had never met Miles' family. We all had a blast getting to know everyone. We were also able to visit with my Uncle David, my dads brother, and his children. I have not seen them for a long time, it was great to catch up.

We were able to visit some of the church history sites. We had so much fun with the family. At the visiter center there was a little play area my kids loved it.

We had fun at the Independence Visitor Center. Here the kids were able to play and learn about living in the pioneer times. Brody really love the Sister Missionaries. He would go and grab their hands and want them to just walk with him. It was pretty cute, I think at one time he even said he loved them. He is way to young to start falling in love with missionaries. This is also were Camilla realized that she really dislikes being confined to a stroller if there are a lot of people (family) walking and running around her. So Miles and Tam let us borrow a monkey backpack with a strap for us to hold on to. This was the first time I put a leash on any of my kids and well it worked. I was one of those people that thought she would NEVER put my child on a leash, so inhumane. But it worked and it was better than her screaming because she wanted to go and be like everyone else. We now own our own monkey leash. Thanks you Miles and Tam for helping me see the light! Don't judge me, LOL! I digress... I do love to visit anything that has to do with church history.
We were also able to go out to Liberty Jail this was a spiritual site. They work to invite the spirit as much as possible and it works.
Across the street from the Independence Visitor Center the RLDS (now the Community of Christ) Temple, very interesting design. It was closed the day we went to visit so we could not go in but it was interesting to see the outside. We also got to see the new Kansas City Temple still with construction going on, not much because the open house is in April, I believe.

The real reason for going was Maddie. We are so happy that she made the choice to be baptized!!! We love you!

4. Superbowl:

We went to a the Rhodes one of our friends to eat and watch the Superbowl. If anyone knows Mike and I we are not that interested in watching the silly football game. But we went just to be in good company. The have a son Brody's age and they are best friends, the best thing is they are so much a like. They get a long so well, I love watching them play together. Brody says they are best friends. I love it!!! I did have fun watching the game and the commercials. We also had great food. I and Mike provided dessert here it is! Well that's it folks. I think that's it.

What Matters Most?

This has been a post a long time in the making... Trying to figure out what to say, how I feel and what really MATTERS MOST!!!

It really started nagging me a few months ago when a dear friend of mine died after a long struggle with cancer. She was an inspiration to me in her years of health and years of trial. She never let much get her down and never passed a moment up to show her love and compassion to those around her what matters most to her. She had these trials and she lived through them with the best attitude! I thought about this a lot and wondered how I would handle what she went through, I most definitely would not have handled it as well as she did. She was remembered by her friends and family in such a great light. It really made me think of what matters most to me and how I would be remembered.

*How do I want my family and friends to think of me? If they were asked to describe me what would they say?
*What would or do church members say about me?
*What would my children say about what type of mother I am?
And the list could go on for ever! And this made me start thinking man am I a little conceited! So I started asking more and more questions.
*Am I selfish at wanting people to think so great of me?
*Was I trying too hard to have the approval of the world?

In some aspects I believe I was, and in other I just wanted to feel like the Lord is happy with me. I have great examples in my life of people who focus solely on what matters most. This knowledge is what is going to keep me going. All of these wonderful people in my life were not doing what they were doing because they wanted to be recognized by those around them, but that they truly know what the Lord wants for them. This gives me great comfort! I want my life to be focused on what MATTERS MOST! I believe that this is going to be an ever changing aspect in my life. Because what matters most to me right now will be different in a few years. I will have hopefully grown spiritually so I will have to set new goals and challenge myself to be better.

I have pondered this quote I read on my friends blog. "Life is God's gift to us, and what we do with our lives is our gift back to Him." What little time we have to show our Heavenly Father how much we appreciate what we have been given.

Today I was looking for talks to study so I could prepare for my talk on Sunday and I got a little side tracked and found this wonderful Mormon Message. So I am going to share it. It made me want to finish this post. So here it is...


This is just the beginning of what I am going to do as I prepare to focus on what really MATTERS MOST!

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." I love this quote, it keeps me wanting to be better to those around me.

To make me accountable I am going to post my goals of becoming a better mom, sister, friend and companion.

Autumn Time!!

Well once school started for Brody our lives changed funny how that happens. He had to be up and ready to get on the bus at 8 in the morning. Which does not seem that bad, but he is my child that loves to sleep in so I have let him. He still was usually up by 8 but he was never ready for the day. It just takes time for him to get moving. So we now have to wake him up by 7 to get him moving. This made him very mad and he would cry having to go to school. He just needs his sleep. So he now has to go to bed at 7pm so he wakes up happy. This one simple change has made all of us change our routine. But it works out and well I really love that my kids go to bed so early, a lot more free time for me!!! We couldn't do as many of our evening family outings. But it is great we still have the week ends. We now get the joys of doing homework in the evening and making sure we get reading in. Ok so it really just makes us have a routine. We are really enjoying it. Brody had his Paddington Bear for a week and we had fun taking it around with us when ever we went some were.

Brody and his silly faces. He loves to stick out his tongue!

Brody and Paddington Bear on a train. He loves, loves, loves trains.

He had to share ice cream with Paddington Bear.

Reading with Cole and Paddington Bear.

Showing off for the camera! He has BIG muscles.

Just love this picture of daddy and Brody!

Camilla has just grown and started to repeat words and talk. She really is so fun. Most of my pictures are of her making funny faces or closing her eyes or looking at something and plotting what she is going to do next. I just can't seem to get too many pictures of her with her great smile. She is just non stop and too busy. But that is what I love about her. She is so inquisitive and always wanting to run and play. I love that she will bring me books so she can read them and really it is me pointing to a picture and saying what it is and she repeats me. When Brody is doing homework she has to do homework also. She really loves to learn, I hope she stays that way through out her schooling.

No pictures mom I'm busy!

Trying to drive the train, getting mad at dad because he is trying to move her away from the edge of the train so she does not fall off.

Loves to pull out all the containers to find the perfect one to play with.

I love shelves!!!

Loved the water and dirt!!!

I just love this time of year! We always try to get out and have fun playing in the leaves and looking at all the beautiful colors. Here are some pictures of what we have done.

We did not get to eat our watermelon!!!!

This critter loved it.... And he ate more than just this watermelon from our garden. He loved the spaghetti squash too.

We has a wonderful Halloween. It was such a wonderful night. It was pretty warm and clear. We loved going first Trunk or Treating at church and had fun going around with the kids and seeing everyone. Brody getting mad that Camilla is breaking his lego...

Camilla waiting to go trunk or treating. She loved using her bag as a hat.

The trunk!

Camilla and Brody had so much fun getting to go Trick or Treating also. We only went to a few homes and that made them soooo verrrry happy. Brody just wanted to say "trick or treat" and get his candy and then he would try to ask about something he saw in the peoples homes. Our little busy body. Camilla figured out that she could smile hold out her hand and everyone would say how cute she was and then give her a handful of candy. She was not really ready to stop when we got back home. But she found the bucket of candy that grandpa was handing out to the tricker treaters ( that was left on the piano bench at her level) and she started taking handfuls of candy from the bucket and putting it in her bag. She would not let go of it or share at all. She loved getting all the candy, and sorry but she did not get to keep the candy she took from the bench. Silly little girl. Brody just saw his candy and wanted to start eating it. I am such a mean mom and only allowed him to have a couple of pieces. He did have to get up and go to school. We more fun this year now that the little ones understood a little more of what was going on.

Tayloranne, Mallory, Camilla and Brody

I almost forgot... My mothers dear friend Kay came to visit so we took her around the Springs and got to go to one of Brody's most favorite places. The United Stated Air Force Academy, because of all the planes. He loves them. Camilla just loved being able to run and play. We have decided that we are going to be the parents that just focus on the Air Force Academy and hope that is were all of our children go... A good education and a job that follows. Hope it works out for us. (wink wink)

He loved looking in the plane.

His thumbs up to seeing the plane.

Yay we get to run.

Wow big plane!

We are such a cute family!!!!!