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Friday, December 27, 2013

Photos from Christmas

Just thought I'd share some pictures and fun from Christmas!

One of my favorite traditions is taking all your girls and laying them out on your bed and then taking a picture. :) I've done this as long as I can remember. We do it on Birthdays and Christmas.

Blakely's Christmas haul
Blakely's first time coloring! She got a book and markers from Daddy for Christmas

Stud muffin and Kaila

Grandma Cara and Papa looking at their "Blakely Book"

From Uncle Ron and Aunt Camine

Nap time

Surprise gift of the millennium, taken by the surprise gift of the century!

Christmas Chaos

Watching cousins open presents

Cuddles with Aunt Heidi

Using Dad's lens on my new camera


Blakely signing "water"


"Howie Boy"

Brock and Natalee's Christmas haul

Natalee's Birthday Haul

Blakely is always trying to sneak a drink from my favorite hospital mug, I usually have it filled with blue gatorade... her favorite!



Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas and Birthday Fun

We celebrated my birthday with the Champlin's on the 23rd and with my family on the 24th. It was so much fun! We had delicious food and great company.

On the 24th, my cousins that we hardly ever get to see (the Tuellers) came to visit and we played bingo. So. Much. Fun! That night we went to the Champlin's and watched some movies from lds.org and then Brock and I slept at our house. That night we were watching a movie, at the Champlin's, and I was cuddling with Blakely. Out of no where she threw up all over me. Poor little thing. When we got home that night she threw up again.

Christmas morning we went to breakfast at my parents, then went to the Champlin's for lunch and handing out. It was a great day. Brock COMPLETELY surprised by and went all out for Christmas. I ended up getting a really nice video/picture camera (Cannon T5i Rebel) and a new MacBook Pro. HOLY SHNIKES. I'm definitely not trying to brag. It was such a surprise. Brock is seriously so kind and loving.

So far, it's been a great Christmas.

Gifts I got for my Birthday:
Alejandra's Power Productivity Program
Airbrush makeup
organizing containers for the fridge/freezer
Apollo 11 book
colorful bowls
$$$$

Gifts I got for Christmas:
MacBook Pro
Cannon T5i Rebel
iPhone running armband
cute new shirt from Nino
cute jacket from Nicole
kitchen bowls
Martha Stewart home organizing book
pink camel back
$$$$

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Words/Sounds/Sign Language Blakely Knows

Words that Blakely can say:

Hi
Mama
Dada
What's that?
(she kind of said Howie)
Bottle
Button
Papa
Night night
Wow
Uh-oh
No
Nana
Elbow
Luke
Nino
Linda

Animal Sounds:

Dog - woof/bark
Cat - meow
Cow - moo
Lamb - baa
Monkey oo-oo-ah
Tiger/Lion - raar
Pig - oink
Mouse - squak
Duck - quack

Sign language she knows:

More
Please
Water
All done

Saturday, October 5, 2013

General Conference Fall 2013

I wanted to take notes somewhere I couldn't lose them. So here we go, this is what I felt was important and what I learned from conference.

Robert D. Hales
  • The Lord wants us to study the conference talks regularly (great FHE topics!)
  • The Lord will hear our prayers, and strengthen and guide us home
Ulisses Soares
  • To achieve our goals, they must be a constant focus and desire
  • Each day we should work on being better than the last, try to overcome our weaknesses as fast as possible
  • Learn to control your temper so we can qualify for the characteristic of meekness
Carole M. Stephens
  • We receive all priesthood blessings and covenants as individuals, except for the covenant of marriage. It is only available to a man and a woman. 
  • We need to have reverence and respect for each other (men and women) we have different gifts and strengths, we each need to fill individual roles and responsibilities so that all may benefit
  • Women should show respect for men, and recieve blessing of the priesthood with gratitute, grace and dignity
There is sunshine in my soul! Greater than any earthy sky, because Jesus is my light.

Edward Dube

  • We should accept our callings with 100% commitment 
  • We should lead from the past but don't live in the past
David A. Bednar [READ THIS TALK AGAIN]
  • Blessings from keeping the law of tithing can be ordinary, simple, and may go unnoticed unless we are in tune with the spirit. Sometimes we emphasize the immediate, dramatic and temporal 
  • Significant but subtle blessing that can be discerned if we are spiritually attentive and observant
    • gratitude that keeps us content with what we have, rather than unhappy and focused on what we don't have
    • greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances
    • we may work for a pay raise, we must notice an increased capacity to do more with less, prioritize and simplify, take proper care of the material possessions we have already acquired
    • the blessing may be a greater capacity to change our circumstances, than for someone or something to make that change for us
    • Faith, Peace and Hope may not be the blessing we think we want, but they allow us to move forward with more physical and mental stamina
    • eyes that see more clearly, hear that hear more consistently 
  • Simplicity of the Lords Way
  • Doctrine and Covenants 119 and 120 is the Lords financial laws
  • Live within our means and do not spend more than what you earn
  • A portion of your annual income should be  set aside as a reserve for unanticipated needs (food, fuel and money)

Boyd K. Packer
  • If we teach our children to love and read the scriptures while they are you they will be blessed with the ability to stay close to the gospel, and if they stray, they will be able to find their way back
D. Todd Christopherson [Great Talk, Need to Read Again]
  • Violent video games and movies are soul-numbing and should be avoided
S. Gifford Nielsen
 Exclamation point!

Henry B. Eyring
We must magnify our calling and be willing to serve with all our hearts even if we think because of our family situations we can't or shouldn't be asked to serve.
There is joy guaranteed to the faithful. With the help of the Holy Ghost all truths shall be brought to our remembrance.

Dallin H. Oaks (Watch this again)
The first two commandments direct our worship to The Lord.
Mercy is show. Unto those that love The Lord and keep his commandments.
We offend God when we serve other things before him. What is our ultimate priority?
God's commandments are based on and inseparable from the Plan of Salvation.
Our priorities must be in line with the Plan of Salvation or we offend God.
The ultimate blessing that we can receive are our children and our family.
We must be respectful of the religious beliefs of others and be hopeful that others will respect our beliefs.
The unique characteristics of male and female are essential to our Heavenly Father's Plan.
Man's Law does not change God's law and His commandments.
Remember, our first priority is to serve God. Courage, not compromise, is what we must have.
We must never deviate from our paramount desire which is to obtain eternal life.

Bonnie L. Oscarson
Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.
We live in perilous times and the decisions that you are called to make have eternal consequences. Follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Become truly converted.



Sunday, August 4, 2013

Bear Lake Fun

We talked about journals and keeping records today in Sunday School (I teach with Heidi Thornley, the bishop's wife). So I decided that typing is much easier for me, so i'd journal on my blog! :)

This past weekend (Aug 1-3) Brock, Blakely and I went to Bear Lake for the Allen Family Reunion. We stayed in this cool place USU owns, the main floor was a kitchen and living space with few bedrooms, and the upstairs was bunk beds and bathroom/showers. The backyard had a volleyball court, horse shoes, beach access, and a nice big deck.

We had SO much fun! I wanted to highlight the top 10 things we did this weekend (in no particular order):

1. Go boating with Uncle Blake, Brock and I went in the tube together and nearly got flipped... and I tried wake boarding and got up for about two seconds on the fifth try.
2. Watched an insanely awesome lightning storm across the lake, the lightning was so cool and it kept lighting up this huge cloud.
3. Played with Blakely in the lake, this was the first time she's played on the beach/in sand. She loved it! She kept splashing the water, pushing the sand, and would try to eat the little seashells. I'd hold up a handful of sand and she'd pick out the seashells. She's so dextrous and cute.
4. Cuddling with Blakely in the hammocks at Brock's Uncle Burke and Aunt Louanne's cabin. Seriously heaven cuddling with that little sweet pea. I love her so much.
5. Hanging out with cousins and family in general. It was so fun to meet Jenny Allen (Paul's wife). She is the sweetest person ever! She gave almost everyone haircuts and curled the girls hair. Brock hung with my cousins and got to know them better- Jesse, Jenny, Kimmy, Curtis.... I had tons of fun with Curtis, Jesse, Tim and Lydia on the boat the second day we went out. It was a blast. We should totally hang out with them more.
6. Raspberry Days! We went to the craft fair... got some yummy spices for corn on the cob, grilling, cooking- whatever we want :) and I got Blakely a super cute pair of grey chevron leggings with cute frilly lace. Seriously SO CUTE.
7. The family talent show. Grandpa told some cool stories about "The Panaca Quilt Walk". Grandpa's Great-Grandpa John Butler was one of the men from the story. We come from awesome heritage.
8. Hanging out with Brock's family at his Aunt and Uncle's cabin. Blakely made a new best friend, cousin Rachel Christensen!
9. Helping Uncle Burke run 67 miles around Bear Lake. He started Friday night at about 5:30 PM in Laketown, ran clockwise around the lake and finished the next day at about 1:45PM at the Bear Lake Library. I ran 5 miles with him at about 10PM on Friday and then walked the last 8.5 miles with him the next day. SO awesome. One thing I loved was that Burke's oldest son Andrew gave a family prayer before it started and he asked that we could all learn something about ourselves. I learned that we can and should do great things, even when we may not feel our reward has enough pomp and circumstance.  Burke ran in to just a humble finish line with a few thankful librarians waiting for him with a picture, and apologies from the mayor (who couldn't be there). If it were me I would have expected cameras, news crews, headlines, frontpage articles and waaay more than what Burke got. He's an awesome guy. I could hardly complain about my sunburned shoulders, burning feet, and achey joints while he had a stress fracture on one leg, blisters, and having had to walk about hitting about mile 30. Totally cool experience I will never forget.
10. Being with Brock and Blakely. Those two are my everything.

Well... There's a little glimpse of our weekend. It was surprising how much fun I had. I had a little bit of a negative attitude about it, but i'm so glad we went, glad I was positive, and had such a great time!.