Because I have been given much!

I have been thinking lately, well, I think about this all the time how I have been blessed with so much. I look at my life with my sweet husband and my beautiful children and just think that I have a pretty great life. I see sadness and hardship hit other families and then think, "Why do I have it so easy?" This is me not trying to temp God in any way but I feel like I have not had it very hard. Many that I love and respect are suffering with some sort of trial and I continually feel like I am not worthy of the blessings that I have been given. Jared would say that we have had plenty of hardships but hind sight is 20/20. While going through something you feel like there is no way you are going to make it but once you come out on the other end, you see that the Lord prepared you to be able to make it through those tough times.

Two sister's in my ward have lost a parent this week. I have never had to deal with death with someone really close to me. I am not looking forward to it. I really can't fathom how anyone could deal with the loss of a loved one without the knowledge that they will be together again. My family means everything to me and I know with all my heart that we will see eachother again. Be together again. Live together again. Death is only a stepping block to so much more. I love my Savior for taking away the sting of death with the Atonement and Resurrection!

One of the greatest blessings of my life. My family!

 How could anyone think that Heavenly Father would give us our families only to take them away from us after we die. The greatest joy we can ever experience is with our families.

I also have been blessed with amazing friends. I don't say very often how much I love you guys but I do! A girl needs girlfriends and I have so many friends in my life. I was talking with Jared the other day about my childhood friends and how we stayed friends from First Grade all through High School. He said that that is a rare thing to happen. Most friendships tend to sizzle out or change when you go through school but mine didn't really change. Then, I made friendships in college that I treasure dearly and even though we don't see eachother but once in a while, we still are so close! And then the most resent friendships that I have created. I don't think it was an accident that we ended up meeting. I thing the Lord knew I needed you and that you needed me too.

I just wanted to post that I have been given much and I am so thankful for that!

Strippin'

 Lately I have had so much troubling keeping Jordyn in her clothes. She is always taking off the clothes that I have put on her and then I find her wearing something else minutes later. She can't quite figure out how to get the new clothes on right so they are hanging around her neck or draping at her waist. She changes clothes at least 5-10 times a day. It drives me crazy!

Well, she has just transitioned to a big girl bed and so that means she can get out of bed during naps. I just put a gate up at her door so she can't escape. She'll open her door but then she can't get out. She cries at the door for a while and then gets in her bed and falls asleep. One such time. I found her like this. She had stripped down and then decided to take off her diaper too. I thought it was so funny!

Luckily, she didn't pee in her bed or anywhere on the floor the whole two hours that she slept.

I don't know how she gets out of some of her clothes though! I put onsies on her and tighter neck stuff and she still manages some sort of Houdini act. I can't keep her clothed! Her footie pajamas are the worst and I have to put those on her backwards to keep her warm at night. At least this incident was the only time she took her diaper off. I have given up on dressing her because she likes to do it herself. I hope I don't have a picky dresser, who has to accessorize everything when she gets older. But until then, I deal with a naked baby every day.

Blast Off Fun

My kids have a lot of Fridays off this year from school but Jared has to work because they call it a teacher work day. So, the kids and I have a full day to do whatever we want. Usually we stay home but every once in a while we go play. Today I brought the kids to Blast Off. It is a glorified, indoors playground with tubes and slides and ball pits  that fill a huge warehouse place. The kids love it! I usually come with a group of friends and their kids but this time we went by ourselves. (Still fun for the kids, but not as fun for me. I sat there all alone while all these other play groups chatted and giggle and joked. I tried to get  a conversation going with some of the ladies but no luck. I was an outsider. So, I will make sure I get a friend to come with me so that it isn't so lonely.)

Alexis and Jordyn going down the slide. I love the kind of scared look on Jordyn's face.



Kenzie was enjoying the climbing bars.

Eli likes to peak through the plastic glass in the crawl tubes and call my name and wave. Here he is cheesing it up for the camera.

After going down the slide once and knowing it was fun and safe, Jordyn kept wanting to go on them more and more. Lexie was a sweet sister and stayed right with her the whole time.

Mackenzie's Baptism

My sweet little girl got baptized. I am so proud of the choice she made to get baptized and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She is so sweet and gentle and willing to do what she knows is right. She may seem quiet and calm but when she wants something, she does it with conviction. Jared likes to tease alot and he kept saying to her, "You don't want to get baptized." and Kenzie would say, "I want to be baptized!" Then Jared would say, "But you don't have to be baptized." and she would say, "Yes I do cause Jesus was baptized!" I love her for choosing the right and setting an example for the rest of her siblings.

Kenzie with Jared

 Mackenzie is wearing the same dress that I wore when I was baptized 22 years ago. I am so grateful to my mom for finding it so that Kenzie could wear it. Sharing this special white dress means a lot to me and I am excited that all my girls get to wear it and start making special covenants with their Heavenly Father just as I had/have.

 Mom and Dad standing proud with our little girl.

Again, Jared likes to tease and so he was telling Kenzie that he was going to see how long she could hold her breath.

 We waited until Jared's parents were home from their mission and for my parents to be able to drive down from Washington to see their grand daughter get baptized. I loved having our parents there to share this special event.

Grandpa Jerry, Grandma Betty, Jared, Me, Grandma Weber, and Grandpa Weber and Mackenzie

All but one of my siblings was able to come and support Mackenzie on her special day. I know that it was Kenzie's special day but I sure did feel special too having them all come and show their love. I have an amazing family and I love that even though there is 20 years that spans between the oldest and the youngest of us 10 kids, we still are all so close. Family, isn't that the whole point of why we are here!

I love that Jared's family is so close too. We have family pictures coming too and I will post those as soon as I get them. They all came too. Even Heidi, Jared's oldest sibling and only sister, flew all the way from New Zealand to support Mackenzie. They all made Kenzie's day a very special day!

At church the next day, Kenzie was presented as the newest member of the church. She got to go up on the stand and be welcomed in with everyone in the ward raising their hand to welcome her. It was Fast and Testimony meeting and Lexie wanted to go up and share her testimony. She said, "I'd like to bare my testimony, I know this church is true, I want to be baptized so much but I have to wait until I turn 8. I love everyone in the whole world and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." I loved that she bore her testimony about baptism and that Kenzie was able to set that example for her. Then Kenzie went and shared hers and here is how it went. "I want to share my testimony, I know I have the gift of the Holy Ghost. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Simple and sweet but also very powerful!  To know that you have a gift from your Father in Heaven is very special. I am excited for her to constantly feel that warmth and guidance from the Holy Ghost.

Thank you to everyone who helped and supported us that day!

The Girls and Basketball

  The girl's basketball season was great this year. Both Mackenzie and Alexis have improved so much. Kenzie and Alexis were the only girls on the team and the oldest on the team too.  This league goes from Kindergarten to Second Grade and Kenzie was the only Second grader, Lexie was one of only two first graders and then we had three Kindergartners. If was hard to have such a young and small team but it was great because it made my girls step up their games. I was so proud of Mackenzie. She had to get tougher and start rebounding, which in years past, was very hard for her. She would duck and turn whenever the ball came her way and now she goes after the ball. Alexis's shooting really improved. She started making shots left and right.

One of the things that Jared and I stress is proper shooting and proper guarding. We think swiping and stealing at this age is inappropriate. Allow the kids to learn how to play basketball without having some kid swipe the ball out of your hands. We get very frustrated with other coaches who seem to teach that kind of defence. Just so you know, that is not proper defence. You will be called for swiping by any good ref. So don't start it young! Our girls start doing it when it gets done to them but we always tell them to put their hands straight up and do not swipe or foul. I hate that you have these little kindergartners just learning how to dribble and in comes this huge Second grader and bullies the little kids. Unacceptable! Anyways, as you have read, I feel very strongly about this and now you know that my girls will not be taught such horrible stuff.

 One thing that is funny to me though is the drive that Lexie has and her passion. There was one game where a little girl was guarding her pretty tight. Lexie couldn't get anywhere. I mean this little girl had her hands constantly on Lex. Well, I noticed this and started to point it out to Jared when the ref called quarter. Just as Jared looked, Lexie turns and pushes the little girl because she was so frustrated. Though it was funny, we told Lexie that she can't take her anger out on the other little girl and then we had her sit out in order to cool her down. I see that being a constant thing throughout her basketball career.

On the flip side, I love that Mackenzie keeps her cool. She lets everything roll off her shoulder. She is always composed. She is really catching on to the dribbling and her shot is so good. We are working on her lay ups now and shooting from further back. I am so proud of my girls and their accomplishments!

Next year Kenzie will be in the older league of Third and Fourth graders. It also splits into boys and girls teams. Jared and I have decided that we will bring up Lexie too. I think Lexie can handle it and it will help keep a constant for Kenzie. In this upper league they start calling fouls and traveling. It is much more fast paced because you don't have little Kindergartners dribbling slowly up the court with their heads straight down so it might be a shock to the girls. Jared and I are going to work with the girls during the summer so they aren't as shocked by this "new" type of game. We are excited for them! And, Eli will be in the beginners league. He has gone to practices for three year since Kenzie started so he is ahead of the game. He made his first basket all on his own the very last practice of this season. I love that he wants to play so much!

To start the game off, they line up the teams and match them up against their defender.

Mackenzie dribbling down the court.

 Alexis dribbling down the court.

Mackenzie dribbling into the mix

 Alexis driving down the floor.

 Kenzie looking for someone who's open.

 The kids most favorite part of the game is the treat given after the game is over. Mack and Alex are right there and ready to get their bounty.