Braces...

This sweet boy got braces put on a few days ago. He didn't anticipate that they'd actually be painful for several days but he's been quite the paratrooper. I sure love this little guy. 

Chocolate memories...

I'm a firm believer that if you want an interesting life all you have to do is choose to make it interesting. 

Chris and I had a denture conference we attended this weekend. We took the kids with us and Austin did the dutiful deed of watching them all day Friday and part of the day Saturday. Well, Saturday after we finished we wanted to find something cheap and fun to do. We decided we'd go on a search at every thrift store for our favorite movie Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory....surely we'd find it somewhere. Then we'd buy lots of chocolate and eat it all (because the movie will make us insanely jealous) and stay up late in our hotel while watching our movie. We even came prepared with our own TV and VCR.

We went to three thrift stores, two video stores (yes, a few of those still exist) a Barnes and noble until we finally found it at a music store in the mall. Chris found it and announced "I found the golden ticket." It only took us three hours of arduos searching to find it.

This is a memory I want to always remember. 

A truly good man...

When I opened up Halee's wedding photos these were the first few I saw. I knew upon first glance what was transpiring and I immediately felt goosebumps and my heart felt warm inside. It's my dad...no doubt giving his sweet granddaughter and new grandson in law words of wisdom. That's what my dad does. That's what he's cherished for. My sister and I talked on the phone and she had the same exact reaction. She said "that picture of Halee and dad. It brought a tear to my eye." It touched us so, because this is the man who taught us what a good man is, just by being one. I'll forever be grateful to my dad for every piece of advice he's ever given me. For every lecture he threw at me as a child...teenager....adult. For every time he called me out and told me to do/be/act better. I can honestly say that without this (along with a billion things my mom did to teach me) I would not...could not...be the woman, mother and wife I am today. Thank you, dad....a million times over. 

P.S Thank you mom, for marrying a good man and being an example of choosing to settle for nothing less than a man who loves you dearly.

In love...

This is the first time I've experienced this, and I can tell you this much....watching your child be completely and madly in love is one of the most beautiful things in this world.

Kiss and tell...

The kids laugh whenever Chris and I tell them the story of our first REAL kiss. You know...the kind that makes you get goosebumps all over...

We tell them of how we were driving down the road somewhere near L.A trying to get to Oregon from Missouri. This was over 20 years ago of course and we were engaged. We kissed driving 70 miles per hour down the road for probably a whole half hour. I'm still not sure how my husband managed to make that happen. I should have known then what a talented man he would be. 

I hope Halee and Jared kiss like that until they're old and can barely move. I hope Chris and I do too.

Never grow old...

Stay little so that I don't have to say goodbye to you anytime soon.

Everyday...

You make me smile everyday, everyday, everyday.

Sisters...

Sisters. I have four of them. A huge portion of my childhood contains the bonds of sisterhood in one way or another. They taught me how to wear makeup. Style my hair. Filled me on what it's like to kiss and how to do it. It's little details that without sisters...I may have been left in the dark. It's not like I was gonna ask my MOM how to kiss. Sorry mom! 😜

I cherish those days and even still, I know if I need advice. I always have a sister or sis-ters....that I can call at any given moment.

I thought of that special gift when I saw this picture of Halee and her sisters from the wedding. The girls asked just yesterday if they could write Halee a letter and Mail her and Jared a dollar. 

Sisterhood never goes away...nothing really changes even though circumstances might. Nothing can break that bond.

Letting go...

How do I put my thoughts into words without sounding scattered? Because quite honestly I feel scattered and my feelings are kind of all over the place. We awoke yesterday morning to the day our daughter would become Halee Thomas. Taking her to the temple and watching her and Jared be sealed together was emotional in the "good cry" kind of way. Everything I had ever wanted for her happened right before my very eyes. Seeing the happiness and joy in their faces is a moment I will never in my lifetime forget.

Saying goodbye to them as they ran to their car was surreal. I was clapping and Chris was quietly crying. 

This morning when I woke up I felt sad which I didn't expect. I realized that my little girl was gone for good. 2600 miles would most likely remain between us for many years to come. That was a hard pill to swallow. 

Saying goodbye to your child is not easy. But she and he were given excellent counsel during their sealing. The sealer (the man marrying them) said to them that they are now one. They are their very own family. Not even parents are part of this Union. We can of course be there for them, but this is THEIR life. 

It may take some getting used to, but underneath those sad layers of my heart lies insurmountable joy. 

The temple...

We took our Halee to the temple yesterday for the first time. There are no words to truly express how strong the spirit was and how full and blessed my heart felt. Chris mentioned that he felt his dad's presence there. I felt it too! Seeing Jared and Halee there together was beautiful in every way. I love the temple because it makes me feel like I'm not surrounded by the world but embraced by heavenly fathers love. 

Little things equal big epiphanies...

I I know without a doubt that I love my children unequivocally but I ask myself on a regular basis if my children love each other as much as they should. They can be great to each other at times, but there are so many times where they can be just plain obnoxious to each other. So when I went to the store with my older boys today my heart was truly warmed when Connor saw this miniature container of milk. He excitedly grabbed it and asked me to take a picture so he could show it to Grace and Scarlett because they love "little things." I know we shouldn't really ask for signs, but once in a while as a parent...a sign is exactly what I need to know that love does exist.

Safe and sound...

The boogy man is going to have a real struggle finding his way through all these pillows to get to our Grace. I think it's safe to say that nothing will be bothering her tonight.

6 days...

My baby girl is in town with our soon to be son in law. We've been eating lots of yummy...very bad for you, kinds of foods. Ice cream, pie, banana bread, cinnamon rolls...But I'm convinced that eating fun foods...despite the calorie intake, brings family together. We also went to a beautiful waterfall. We are now doing the countdown to the wedding. 6 days to go...

Cookies are for the soul...

It's absolutely true. Being able to make cookies for my children coming home from school is what real joy is. Knowing they've worked all day striving to learn new concepts along with the arduous task of finding their own social niche. This is when making cookies means more than just mixing ingredients. It's literally like adding a little bit of love. A little kindness. A little soft place to fall. And then they walk through the door and smell the aroma of fresh baked cookies and you get to see their faces light up because you're home with them. That's when every bit of sacrifice as a mom turns into a privilege and a blessing.