Boys will be Boys!

While mommy stayed home and cooked dinner...Daddy and the boys went to the canyon a played!

Looks like Mommy missed out!!

As you can see it started snowing while they were there and it scared me...knowing they were climbing down in the canyon!  Thankfully all was well!  What a fun adventure for the boys and Daddy!

TOES!

So as a mother of boys I get to be a very TOM-BOY mom...

don't get me wrong...I love every second of it...

but...when I get to do GIRLY things with my niece I will soak it all up!

We did hair, 
Played baby (with my old cabbage patch), 

Watched Rainbow Bright while playing with my Rainbow Bright doll, 

and of COURSE...

Painted FINGERNAILS and TOES!!

 

PiNk with PuRpLe SPARKLES!!!

The best part was threatening all the boys that if they bugged us 

we would hold them down and paint their fingernails too...

Boy did they RUN and my niece giggle!

Valentines Day FUN!!!

We had a SUPER fun Valentines Day this year 
I thought I would share some of the things we did!

We made Valentines with our good friends...
It was fun to hand them out to all the nephew's and niece 
and watch them get a sugar high!!  
Here is what we made!!

This past sunday we made a very yummy cake!!  

I got the recipe here!  

TRY IT!!  

It was YUMMY!  

But the best part was all the help from my boys!

Dinner was a HUGE hit!  I found this mystery valentine meal from Gourmet Mom on-the-go!

I changed it up a bit.  The kids had fun guessing what each part of the meal was!  It was funny to see which ones they got right and which ones they couldn't figure out.

Desert!!

MmMm....chocolate covered strawberries!!  

These were for Mom and Dad more than the boys...

Having a child with sensory issues can sometimes be tricky...

Strawberries have a funny texture for him...

How cute is this!!  

My hubby brought this home 

and the boys were excited 

to make me close my eyes 

while they set it up on the table!  

Love my boys!!

 As if they weren't spoiled enough...Sky brought us CUPCAKES!!

They were sooo yummy and the boys loved the suckers that were in the top of a few of them!

Thanks SKY!!

N said prayers last night and said "Please help everyday to be just like this one!"  

A asked me this morning if next Valentines we could do exactly the same thing!

Think they enjoyed their Valentines Day!

Happy day after Valentines Day Everyone!!

Monica...an ordinary MORMON MOM

What is Love....

It is Valentine's weekend and of course I am thinking about my sweetheart and how much I love him.  

Almost 11 years ago he asked me if I would be his "Gardner"...I have been head over heals since!!  I am so lucky to have a man that will do anything to take care of me and the kids!  I am blessed to have someone that loves me unconditionally through all my good days and my PULL MY HAIR OUT days.  

And when I think of love I think of my boys...my boys are both amazing little dudes!  

N has a nack for sharing and is so good at making sure everyone is happy...he doesn't want to leave anyone out.  

A is my charmer.  He knows what to say to make me feel good.  Last night for example, my hubby and I  went to a Stake Valentines Dinner and Dance.  I was getting ready and came walking out feeling frustrated with my outfit and hair not doing what I told it to do when A said, "Mom, I really like your hair like that!"  How sweet is he!!  

As I was thinking about all those dear to me I began to think about the meaning of love...

What does LOVE mean...

To have strong affection for someone or something.  

So how can I show my Heavenly Father how much I love Him?  

I thought of the Hymn 

"Love One Another"  

As I have loved you,

Love one another.

This new commandment:

Love one another.

By this shall men know

Ye are my disciples,

If ye have love

One to another.

By keeping the commandments and serving those around us we will be showing how much we Love our brothers and sisters and that alone shows how much we love our Father.

President Monson said...

"Love is the catalyst that causes change. Love is the balm that brings healing to the soul. But love doesn’t grow like weeds or fall like rain. Love has its price. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, gave His life that we might have eternal life, so great was His love for His Father and for us.

I extol those who, with loving care and compassionate concern, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the homeless. He who notes the sparrow’s fall will not be unmindful of such service."

Thomas S. Monson, "The Doorway of Love", Liahona, Oct. 1996

This time of year when we are all showing love for our Valentines

...let us also serve our fellowmen.

Monica...an ordinary MORMON MOM

As I lay in bed listening...trying to sleep

I have been listening to podcasts from http://radio.lds.org/eng/podcasts on my i-pod for a few weeks at bed time every night.  I had heard one on the Everything Creative podcast about Mormon Mommy Bloggers and was intrigued with what the ladies had said.  I was trying to come up with something that I could blog about to give me some much needed ME time and be of some worth....I couldn't come up with anything.  What could I possibly say to anyone that they would want to hear about.  I have never been a very confident writer and so I shy away from these types of things.  


About a week after I heard this podcast I heard one on Conversations by President Russell Ballard and Sister Ballard.  I was at my mom's house on a blow up air mattress trying to sleep...without much luck...when I heard President Ballard say this...


"We have to speak out individually and correct misconceptions but do it in a wise and in a loving and gentle way but with facts with reality with what we know to be true...get involved and be involved in answering these criticiszims on the internet.  Be involved on blogging... and Twittering...and Facebooking and anything else to be sure that we are telling the world who we are and not allowing others to tell the world who we are."


I immediately thought..THAT'S IT!!  I immediately had ideas rolling through my head!  Needless to say I had a very hard time sleeping that night and wanted to get up right then and start this...knowing I had to be up early the next day for my newest nephew's blessing the next day I tried to roll over and put it out of my mind until I could do something about it.  


When I returned home I got on my laptop and typed in the name that came to me on the car ride home...not thinking it would be available and I would have to come up with something else.  To my surprise and excitement...IT WAS AVAILABLE!  Was this a sign or what?!?!  


I hope that I can do as President Ballard said and share what I know and believe in the way that would be pleasing to my Heavenly Father!  I am so glad I was in tune to the Spirit and was able to find my way to this blog!  


I believe in this gospel with all of my heart and soul!  I know that my Savior died for me and that because of that I will be able to live with Him and my Heavenly Father again.  I know that the words that are in The Book of Mormon were translated by Jospeh Smith for me and all who will read them! I am thankful for my family and the support that they are to me!  I wouldn't be ME without them!  

Monica...an ordinary MORMON MOM