Valentines Day and our 25th Anniversary!

Valentines day seems like just another day to me. However, Jon always makes it special by taking me on a date, or buying me fresh flowers and my favorite candy, or giving me a card with sweet sentiments written in it. This year we celebrated with the kids and rented a movie. We had a good time just relaxing and hanging out! Another fun surprise was when we walked out that morning and had our yard full of hearts! My sweet visiting teachers and friends from church had heart attacked us! we all loved it and felt extra loved that day! This year it was our tenth anniversary on February 25th. It seems as though time has fast forwarded and the first ten years has gone by in the blink of an eye. When I stop to think about all that has gone on and how far we have come, I can't help but look forward to the next ten years, and it makes me excited to wonder about what forever will bring. I can't lie though, I do get anxiety thinking about the trials we have had and the trials that will lie ahead. However, I feel a peace that the lord knows us and he has always been with us through everything good and bad. He won't be far and all it takes is for me to stay close to him and pray for help. oh and of course to try to be humble! A little snap shot of our lives thus far...We have moved more times then I would like to count, Lived in seven states, had four kids, entered our 30's, changed jobs, graduated university, started 4 businesses(mostly jon, but I support him in doing it), held multiple callings in our church, fallen and gotten back up, created family memories, made new friends and kept the old, and pretty much settled into our life here in Arizona. Jon took me to stay at a nice hotel in Scottsdale and we had a rare night out together. We went to a delicious restaurant, then we got couples massages. After we got to go get our sweet newborn baby sophia to join us for the night. Jon got a room that had 180 degree views of the beautiful mountains and scenery. It was a gorgeous sunset and even better sun rise to wake up too. We had a delicious breakfast, and enjoyed spending that one on one time together. We set some goals for the future and i couldn't ask for a better husband to reach those goals with than Jon. He is the calm one and he keeps me positive and on track. I am so lucky to have him in my life and he has taught me so much and loved me through the good and the bad!

Bentley turns 6!

Bentley turned six this year! It is hard letting him grow up but boy is he becoming more and more handsome, smart, and athletic. It is fun hearing about all that he is learning at school and seeing the rewards of his hard work. He is at a third grade reading level, and is doing well with math. He is a kind friend and includes everyone. He struggles when others don't follow the rules because he is so obedient and doesn't understand why people break rules. It is kinds of cute but hard to explain to him why others make different choices. He is really challenging sometimes because I don't always have an answer to his questions anymore like when he was a little boy! He is a great older brother and takes good care of his siblings. He always makes my day when he tells me he loves me and that I am beautiful. It melts my mother heart! He has a great ability for doing what is right and understanding the consequences when he makes a wrong choice. He knows and loves his heavenly father and gives the most thoughtful prayers. He loves playing football with his friends or cousins. He loves playing the wii and can beat Jon and I now at some of the games. He loves to color and paint still. He is also starting to draw really well and express himself through writing. He loves to read chapter books. His favorite food is pizza. His favorite color is blue. His favorite show on TV is Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers. His favorite game at recess is Zombie tag; its a game he and his friends came up with. This year Bentley invited his family and friends to a fun birthday party. The invitations had minions on them which made him giddy! We had everyone over for pizza, a mario brothers cake and minion cupcakes, then we opened presents. Bentley got a variety of fun new things and will enjoy using them all. After that we headed on over to Krazy air. It is a fun indoor trampoline, foam pit, and parkour park. The kids wore themselves out playing on all the equipment and having a dodge ball game. Bentley had such a great time and enjoyed his birthday thoroughly! The funny thing is the next day I got texts from several moms saying that Bentley, while at school, had invited their child over to play with his new birthday toys.! I had to kindly tell them that we would have to plan another day. Silly boy thinks he can have all those friends over everyday now. We sure love our Bentley boy and think he is wonderful in every way!

January Activities 2015

The month of January brought beautiful weather so we spent a lot of time outdoors. We watched Bentley's football games every Saturday, and practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We went riding bikes, feeding ducks with grandma, playing at parks, and going to the bike park with jumps. My kids also love going to a new indoor trampoline and parkour park. They leave my side as soon as we are there and I practically have to drag them out when its time to go. I love it because I am able to watch them but also sit and take care of sophia or visit with friends. January has been a crazy month just because the holidays are over and it was time to get back to a schedule. My good friend Adell and my wonderful mom took care of carpool the rest of December and they still help me out with that but I have had to juggle naps to get him picked up on the days I do it. It is tough trying to pick up Bentley from school right during the other kids nap times. Some days they just don't get a nap but thats ok. I am still trying to find a good balance of cleaning the house, playing with the kids, working, and teaching the kids. I tend to want them to only play with one toy at a time so that I can clean the house and keep it clean, but I am realizing I am probably too strict on this rule and the kids don't have the freedom to create and really play. Hopefully I will find a good balance for them and me. Jon is getting super busy with work as things start to warm up. He is a great help to me and has really taken a lot off my plate. He helps the kids in the morning and gets Bentley off to school so that I can either feed Sophia or get rest because I was just up feeding her multiple times at night. He also helps with dinner! Why is it that the kids all fall apart at dinner time and I have no patience left? Well I am just glad that most days I am able to get a nice meal on the table but when I can't Jon is there to save the day. Sophia is still a wonderful happy baby. Yes she still gets up around 2:30 and 5:30 but that is better then every 2.5 to 3 hours! She nurses well and is pleasant almost all of the time. The kids love to hold her hands and talk with her and it just melts my mother heart! She is good while I run kids places or have errands. She likes tummy time, her swing, and bouncer. Her favorite though is to be tummy down on mine or Jon's chest snuggling. We are so blessed by her sweet countenance. The older three kids are really growing up. They are either playing really well together or fighting but I think that is pretty usual for their age. They are all learning well and having fun discovering new talents and things. Bentley is doing well in math and got recognized in school for being a math master. I had a meeting with Bailey's teacher and she had all sorts of good things to say. She said Bailey was a good role model, that she was super smart and learning well, and that she was a good friend. Wyatt learns a lot from his older siblings. He talks a lot more and is super independent. He loves all things ninja turtle and riding his strider bike. He is a goof ball and loves to tease. We have to remind Bentley that he is just a little boy and to ignore him if the teasing gets out of hand. Bailey just takes matters into her own hands and usually ends up hitting Wyatt so we are trying to work on that. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for my family and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that on rough days I can say a pray and ask for help and that my Heavenly Father will hear me and answers prayers. I always feel more at peace on the days I take time to communicate with my Heavenly Father. It is when I allow myself to become prideful and try to do it all on my own that things get out of hand and I become a grump. I strive to be better each day but know that I am far from perfect and that I need to humble myself, be less judgmental, and work harder to incorporate prayer,scripture study, and service into my days.