Soccer Boy and his family

This year, we began our first ever "big kid" activity. Brad played soccer in the community Soccer Tots program for kids ages 3-5 years. The program was every Thursday night from 5-6 pm for 6 weeks (from Sept. 15 to Oct. 20). The first 3 weeks were practice and teaching, and the last 3 were games. Brad loved it, and we loved watching him. He acted so grown up whenever we mentioned his soccer team. (I think he knew it was a "big kid" activity.) We are so glad the 6 weeks ended when it did. The weather started getting pretty cold and cheering was quite the freezing event.

The team picture - Emery Crawford, and Emily and Marissa Stong were all kids from our ward. Brad was one of the shortest on his team - so cute. (He is squinting from the sun!) 

Brad's team was the TIMBERS. His coach was wonderful! She was very excited to coach, so positive, knew all the kids names, and would run around with the kids to teach them. It was so awesome and Brad responded to her great! Also on his team, were a couple of other kids from our ward that he knew, so that was great for him (and nice for us to have people to visit with while we watched each week.) Brad also learned to love meeting new kids and making new friends. During the week he would talk about the kids on his team. It was so fun to see him growing up! I have no idea how many games they won or, for that matter, who won the games, but we loved watching all the kids chase the ball around with big smiles. It was like a swarm of bees on the chase. Emily was a great little sister, just hanging out on the blanket with Dad and Mom on the sidelines. We would usually bring dinner for her to eat during the game, which meant that everytime Brad had a "break" he would run over and get a couple bites of dinner.

For Brad's 1st game, we picked up a poweraid! He was thrilled!

Emily having a blast on the sidelines with her friend Ellia - so funny!

Brad's favorite position was the goalie, and he had a famous stance. We loved every time he got down, with bent knees and his hands ready for the ball. Also, each time he caught the ball as goalie, instead of thowing it back into the field to play, he would thow it out of bounds behind the goal (as if to say, now it is out of the way and it did not go in the goal). It would totally make us laugh.

Some mornings, Jon would take Brad out in the backyard and practice soccer. As you can see, Brad definitely got his goalie stance from Jon... like father, like son! At the end of their "practice" Brad would come into me and say, "Mom, we need a snack we have been working so hard." Then I would send him out with a juicebox for him and his Dad, and he ran over to Dad with a big smile on his face. I love it.

We love our boy and we are so proud of his diligence and hard work he put into his soccer league. He not only learned the rules of soccer, but learned a lot about team playing and being a good sport. We had a great time cheering for him. Good Job Buddy!

Here is a video of Brad during his 1st soccer game. He is the short one who looks at the camera when Dad talks to him. Hope you can pick him out!

10 Years - "Where Were You..."

10 years ago on September 11, 2001, America was attacked. I can't believe that it has been 10 years already. I am writing this to share with my children my experience of where I was on 9/11 and how much I love the United States of America!

2001 - Junior in H.S. - Disneyland trip

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was a 16 year old, Junior in High School in Fallon, Nevada. I remember, I was in theater. I was trying to learn French. I had 4 AP classes. I woke up early and went to my zero hour seminary class (which started at 6am), and then headed to my zero hour AP Chemistry class at the high school. Before school started, my classmates and I were just visiting outside our classroom, which was next to the school parking lot. Some of my classmates were in their car waiting for class to start and were talking about how the World Trade Center towers had been hit by an airplane. We walked over and started listening to the radio. I had never heard of the towers before and so the whole situation seemed very distant. When we went into our Chemistry class, we told our teacher. I remember him mentioning it, but the whole thing had just happened and no one really knew what was instore for the day. I just remember that the whole experience seemed so foreign to me. About 30 minutes into class the principle came over the speaker to annouce that America had been attacked and we were having a moment of silence. It was then that I realized that something really bad was happening. We finished our Chemistry class and we were dismissed. I must have attended my other classes and done my regular schedule... I don't remember. But, I do remember going to my English class. My English teacher, Mrs. Starr, had a TV in her room and turned on the TV so we could watch the replay of the towers being hit, and the news on the other attacks. I was stunned. Then, I will never forget, Mrs. Starr took a couple of minutes to talk with us. She told us that we would NEVER FORGET this day and where we were on this day when we learned about these events. She said that just like she remembers exactly where she was on the day JFK was assasinated, we will all remember this day. This day will go down in history as a day of infamy. Wow! What she said really stuck with me and I do remember sitting in her class and listening to her say this. For most of her class, we watched the news and replays of the attacks. It was really hard to focus on doing any school work the whole day. I remember every moment we were all trying to find out more information as we could... Probably partly because it was something else other than school, but also because the whole situation was just so unreal and unbelievable.

I don't remember much more of this day. I vaguely remember coming home and my mom talked about what had happened that day. I remember feeling so confused and scared for the people in New York, but also feeling very distant from the situation. It was over the next few days that I really began to understand what had happened with the twin towers, and the other attacks. I remember attending a special broadcast at the church where President Gordon B. Hinckley talked about the experience and asked each of us to pray and unite together as a nation. He talked about how God really is watching over our nation and we will be protected as long as we remember Him. I remember feeling how very special America really is and that this country is the promised land. I remember feeling very proud to be an American!

2011 - Mother/Homemaker/RN - Jon's B-day party

Now, 10 years later, I live in Iowa City, Iowa. I am married to a marvelous man. I have two beautiful and talented children. I have graduated from High School, recieved a bachelors in Nursing, worked for multiple years, and become a wife and a mother. Today, on September 11, 2011 it was Sunday. It seems fitting to me that 10 years later it would be Sunday, a day of reflection and worship, to remember 9/11. I woke up and prepared to attend my church meetings. Since I was On-Call for work today, I got called-in for a couple of hours. On my drive to work, I drove under an overpass. On the overpass, there was a fire truck that was hanging a huge American flag over the freeway to honor 9/11, the heroes and civilians who lost their lives on that day, 10 years ago, and to honor America! I couldn't help but smile, and remember how much I love this beautiful country. After work and church, I came home with my husband and my two children. During nap time, Jon and I watched a video that replayed the events of 9/11. It was really amazing and unreal to see it all again and remember that day. I felt so much gratitude for all those men and women who risked and lost their lives to save the lives of others. I am so grateful for my family and friends and the wonderful life I have been blessed with today. I spent the evening with family and friends outside, and enjoyed the beautiful day. Today is a beautiful day!
Today, I am an American! I am free and I live in a free country. I am so grateful to live here. I am so blessed to enjoy the freedoms of our country. Today, I my heart is with the families who lost their loved ones on that September 11th day. I will always remember where I was on 9/11/01 and my love for America and the heroes who serve our country. Thank you! I love the United States of America!

"Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?"   - Alan Jackson

Family Fun Weekend!

As a family, we actually took a break this weekend and had so much fun! It is one thing after another, and it was so wonderful that Jon had a three-day weekend and got to participate with us in our family fun!

Starting on friday night, we went camping. This is the first time Jon and I have gone camping with kids. It was definately exhausting, but totally worth it. We had a great time together. Right when we arrived at our camp site, Jon and I started unloading the car and setting up our stuff, and Brad and Emily ran around with pure excitement. Then, Brad and Emily found the fire pit. They were having so much fun together, that Jon and I really didn't worry about them. However, when we looked up, Brad was putting handfulls of old ashes on top of Emily's head, and they were both laughing the whole time. Needless to say, they were both a mess in the end. But, overall our kids did great. Jon and I stayed up and enjoyed the fire in the evening. Emily fell right to sleep, and Brad spent about 40 minutes at the door of the tent trying to convince us that he could leave the tent, or we should go inside the tent. Finally, we gave in and let him sit by the fire for 20 minutes as long as he stayed in his camp chair. He did great, and soon we were all snug in our beds. (I forgot how very, very hard the ground is.) We slept pretty well, and it didn't even rain on us all night, despite the forcast. However, about 20 minutes after waking up in the morning, the rain began, and it rained on and off the rest of saturday morning. We were able to roast hot dogs and s'mores for dinner on friday night, and then on saturday for breakfast (in the rain) we were brave and made pancakes and eggs. It turned out great and we had a marvelous time together as a family!

Saturday we enjoyed a very wet and rainy day... so we watched BYU football! We had a family party in the basement and even ate dinner on a blanket in front of the game. (We have discovered that we can watch the game on our TV by hooking up Jon's laptop to our TV, using an HDMI cord. It is very fun and then we can all enjoy the game together.) It was a little rough in the first 3 quarters, but during the 4th quarter of the game, BYU pulled it together and won the game. Horray!

Sunday we attended church, and then took a family nap. My new calling is a nursery teacher, and I am tired every sunday... even though the kids are great. After nap time, Jon's parents arrived at our house. They visited for the evening, and then spent the night. Brad and Emily LOVE having them here! Also, because we had parents to watch the kids, Jon and I had the opportunity to go together with our ward missionaries to teach a discussion to a wonderful family, the Kalins. They are amazing people and we feel so blessed to know them and feel their strength in the gospel.

On Monday (today), we all packed up and got ready to go to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. They had a special dinosaur exhibit at the zoo, and today was the last day. Since Brad loves dinosaurs, we decided it was a definite must! It was a perfect day at the zoo. The weather was perfect, which caused the animals to be perfect, and it was perfect that Grandpa and Grandma could come with us... it was all just perfect! We will definitely post pictures soon, and they will show all the wonderful things we got to do and the wonderful time we had together with our family! Brad loved that his dad was able to come with us all day. After the zoo, we drove around Des Moines and looked at a couple homes... (Jon's parents are moving to Des Moines within the next few months and so they are trying to find the right home for them!) We loved spending time with them and we were sad when the day had to end and we both drove our separate ways home.

What a great day. What a great weekend! This is what I call a SUPER weekend! We are so grateful that Jon works so hard every single day, and we are so grateful when we get to spend time with him as a family! Wow... I am so tired... but I am so happy! I love my family!

MY-gration!

As Brad was just playing on the livingroom floor with his toys, he just started asking me questions. The conversation that followed totally made me laugh. It also made me wonder what other amazing things are going on in this boys young little mind.

Brad: Mom, what's migration?
Mom: Migration? (somewhat shocked) That's quite a big word for you!
Brad: Yes, what's migration?
Mom: Migration is when animals move to a new place. Like birds, travel from a cold place to a warmer place during the winter. You know how it gets so cold in Iowa, then some birds will fly all the way to florida for the winter and then come back again when Iowa is warm again.
Brad: But, what's MY-gration?
Mom: (laughing) YOUR-gration?
Brad: Yes, what's MY-gration?
Mom: Oh, it doesn't work like that. The word is called "migration". That's the whole word. "migration".
Brad: But, what's MY-gration?
Mom: (Since I have no idea what he is asking...I turn it back to him) What do you think it is?
Brad: When polar bears fight with panda bears, and black bears fight with brown bears.
Mom: (I THINK I am finally understanding what he is saying) Oh, migration is when birds move from a cold place to a warm place, but hibernation is when bears sleep all winter long in their cave.
Brad: Humm... so what's MY-hibernation?

Who knows...! Haha!

I love you buddy! You are so smart and make me smile! Thanks for always asking so many questions and giving me a small glimpse into your wonderful world!

Our evening celebration!

Jon and I have been married for 6 years and they really have been wonderful! So much has happened in the past 6 years. I truly feel that I am no longer a young couple or newly married. I feel as though we have past the "first 5 years" to the point that we really are a family and have really been married for a long time.

We had the most wonderful anniversary celebration last night. It is wonderful when anniversaries fall on Friday! Madison is visiting and therefore, we had the perfect babysitter. She has been here for 4 weeks and so she totally knows my children and their schedule. We left for our date at 5pm and came home around 11:30pm. Madison fed our kids, played, and put them to bed beautifully around 8pm. We then had planned for one of her friends who she has met here, Kaylee, to come and play games for a couple hours. Madie had a great night!

Now... for our glorious night with just the two of us. We had reservations to eat at a very nice restaurant, Tuscan Moon, at 6:15pm. Tuscan Moon is located in Kalona, IA, about 30 minutes away, and we had a gift card to cover our delicious dinner (the gift card I recieved from my 5K run)! So, I picked Jon up from work around 5pm, and then we drove to Kalona. It was wonderful just to be together! Dinner was delicious and such a fun environment. It was very "Italian", and there was even a man playing music in the background! After dinner we drove to the mall to get tickets for Harry Potter 7: Part 2 (Thanks Uncle Glen and Aunt Beth)! We had one hour to walk around the mall before the show started at 9:10pm. I love walking and shopping with Jon and without my children, so this was awesome! We then headed to the movie and loved it! Some people said that it didn't follow the book close enough, but we really loved how everything happened! To say the least... we had a perfect night!... and we were so tired!

Happy Anniversary Honey Bunches! I love you!!

Emily's nursemaid's elbow

NURSEMAID'S ELBOW: This term has become a common word in our home. Beginning on July 11, 2011, Emily was diagnosed with nursemaid's elbow (radial head subluxation) - an injury when one of the elbow bones (radius) slips out of its normal place. On this monday night, following FHE, we were outside playing. Jon was holding Emily by both her hands and bouncing her from rock to rock in our backyard. All of a sudden, she just started screaming and crying. We couldn't figure out what had happened. It was really hot outside, so we thought that maybe she was just too hot. Jon brought her inside and after a couple minutes, she still would not settle down. So, I came in and thought that I would give her a bath to cool her down. As I was taking her clothes off to get ready, Jon mentioned the idea that maybe her arm was hurt since he had been holding her by her arms. Once he mentioned this, I started paying more attention to her arms and how she reacted to them. She was still crying this whole time. The problem became more obvious when I put her in the bath. She was crying and trying to reach for me, but she was only using her right arm. Something was wrong. We asked our neighbor to help Jon give Emily a blessing. Thankfully, Madison is here and so we left Brad with her at home, while Jon and I brought Emily to the ER. We got to the ER and into the waiting room. While I held Emily, as long as I didn't move her arm, she was somber and relaxed. We waited for about 45 minutes and then got brought back to a room. The doctor came in and believed that she did have nursemaid's elbow, but wanted to make sure. After Emily's assessment, the doctor brought in some toys and then did a slow but constant turn of Emily's arm to replace the bone in her elbow. After about 20 seconds, Emily used her hurt arm to grab for the toys in front of her. It was a miracle! It was so glorious to see her use her arm.

Well, two weeks later - Monday, July 25, 2011 - After FHE, we went as a family to the Johnson County Fair. Tonight was the night of the Truck and Tractor Pull... a favorite here in Iowa! We were all excited, especially Brad! The parking for the event was about a 1/2 mile walk away, so Jon put Brad on his shoulders, and I put Emily on mine for the trek (I was keeping her on by holding onto her hands). Emily was doing great until we got to the Tractor Pull. We thought she was just fussy because everything was so loud and overwelming. (It is so loud during this event, that they pass out ear plugs so you don't go deaf). After getting her down and settled, I realized that something was again wrong with her left arm. She was very fussy and was only reaching for me with her right arm. Now, remembering how the doctor had fixed her arm before, I did a slow and constant twist in just the same way. However, trying to "pop" your daughters arm back into place while she is screaming and the tractors are so loud was very scary for me and so I stopped. We decided that we had better go back to the ER. Again, we went back home and left Brad with Madison (such a blessing), and Jon and I took Emily to the ER. When we arrived, there were about 50 people in the waiting room. I was thinking, "We are going to be here for hours." However, Heavenly Father showed us many tender mercies of which we are forever grateful. The triage nurse took us back to assess and check Emily into the computer. When she realized why we had come, she mentioned that this same thing had happened to her daughter, and she knew it was a simple fix. She was about to have us go wait in the waiting room, when she decided to take us straight back to a room. We walked all the way to the opposite side of the ER to get to our room, only to find that this room was occupied. The nurse asked us to wait in the hall while she figured out which room we could go to. While standing there, we looked around and saw the same doctor who had helped us 2 weeks prior. This was such a blessing. We met eyes and she gestured towards us to say hi. I said "Hi, do you remember us. We had the baby with nursemaid's elbow." She responded, "Oh yes, what are you in for today." Jon and I both responded, "The same thing." Just then, the triage nurse came by and asked if we minded waiting on a bed that was in the hallway. Of course, we were just so happy to not be in the waiting room. The doctor heard the nurse and then told us, "I will see you over there." We felt so blessed and watched over. Wow! What miracles!" The doctor came over to see us, assessed Emily's arm, and rotated it back into place. Just that quickly! Just like last time, Emily began using her arm within seconds. Wow! Then, the doctor taught both Jon and I how to fix nursemaid's elbow incase Emily gets it again. We then thanked our nurse and doctor with all our hearts and checked out from the ER. Even though a lot had happened, we had only been in the ER for about 20 minutes! I truly was a miracle for Emily and for our family!

Hopefully, this is the last time Emily's poor left arm feels any pain of this sort. She is a strong girl and we are so grateful it was a quick fix so she can continue working to keep up with her brother. We love our girl so very much!

My first 5K!

Today I completed my very 1st 5K official race! I ran in Kalona, Iowa for the Mennonite High School fundraiser. This race worked with my schedule, and it was also fun to visit the Mennonite/Amish community (just 20 minutes from Iowa City). I had trained for this race by only running 4 times. I did feel that I could do okay, but I was a little worried. I ran with Kelsey and I am so grateful for all her support: before, during, and after the race. She is awesome!

When we arrived in Kalona, we checked in for the race and then sang hynms to prepare us to run. It was a very fun and inviting environment. Kelsey and I then lined up to begin the race. We had committed to stay together, although I was a little worried about holding her back. Our families were both there to cheer us on! Well, the race began and we ran the first mile in exactly 10 minutes. It felt great. We ran about 1/2 of the 2nd mile and then I needed a walking rest. We decided to rest while walking through the wooded trail ahead. However, this walk was not restful. The entire time, we had to worry about falling into and slipping around in the mud. After the wooded trail, we got back on the main road, we walked for a little bit until we passed our 2 mile marker. We were around 21 minutes, and Kelsey committed us to run the entire last mile and finish the race without walking. Although it was hard, I did fine until we got to the last 1/2 mile. My mind and body wanted to just walk for a second. I was so tired and felt like I had nothing left to give. (I also had to go to the bathroom... this did not make things any easier.) Kelsey was a huge support and kept talking and reminding me to keep going. She was so funny! She was singing, and talking about pioneers ("Would you rather walk across the plains or run this race?" I remember thinking, "At least they were walking!"), but she mostly motivated me by reminding me that Jon and my kids were at the end and they would be so proud to see me running to the end! I was very grateful for this motivation, but I was still having the hardest time for the last stretch. I just kept thinking... "I will keep running until my legs just STOP, and then I will fall, and then Jon will come and carry me to the end..." So much for positive thinking... Did I mention that I had nothing left to give! It was so hard! Well, happy news, I ran all the way to the end and finished the race! Horray! I came in at 33:39 minutes. This was an awesome time for me!

After the race, Brad came running up to congratulate me! I was so tired, that I could not even focus on anything. I just kept walking around, and I felt like a zombie. I did give him a short hug. It was so cute! He was so excited and happy for me! He just kept saying, "Good job mom! You did it mom!" It took me about 5 minutes to cool down and rest. I then felt much better. At the end of the race, they provided water, oranges, bananas, and granola bars. It was very nice, and very much needed. We also stayed to watch all the medals and recognitions (no, I did not get one! haha!), and then the door prizes. My name got picked for a door prize, and I won a $50 gift card to the Tuscon Moon restaurant. (What a wonderful Anniversary gift in a month!) I also recieved a shirt for the race ... good memories!

Overall, it was just wonderful to be participating in a real race. It was great to have a challenge and to have the feeling of really competing. I am so glad Kelsey and I could run together! It really was a blast!

Bradley 2

Bradley is obsessed with the new movies coming out: Panda 2 and Cars 2. We took him to the theatre to see Panda 2 already, but Cars 2 has not come out yet. However, he is talking about them all the time and totally knows if specific scenes or previews that he views are from the 1st or 2nd Panda or Cars movies. So, needless to say, he is obsessed and thinks about these movies all the time.

So...

The other day during dinner we were having a family conversation. Somehow we started talking about having another baby (this is not an annoucement, we are not having a baby). Anyway, Jon and I asked Brad if he would like to have a baby brother or baby sister. Brad said a baby brother. We both laughed. Next we asked, "What do you think his name should be?" Brad thought for a minute and then stated with all seriousness, "Bradley 2"!

It was so funny! I love the way his little mind works!

Let's celebrate... RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

Jon just turned 28 years old and we celebrated like true Americans! RED, WHITE, AND BLUE... everywhere!

Jon decided he would like an American themed birthday party, so without his knowledge, we went all out. Brad and I decorated the house with American flags and red, white, and blue streamers and balloons, and we even wrapped his gifts in the "birthday colors". I made an "uncle sam" birthday hat for the occasion, and we all dressed patriotic. For dinner, I decided that a BBQ was pretty American, thus the menu consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, and a couple sides. Jon really wanted the "concession stand" nacho cheese, so we had chips and dip that was enjoyed throughout the night. It was a delicious meal, and so fun to eat with all the patriotic decorations.

After dinner, we invited some of our family friends over for an American birthday dessert. Since Jon couldn't decide on a specific cake, I chose to make an apple pie for his birthday cake to go with the theme. So, the night before, I endeavored to create and bake my 2nd ever apple pie... and it turned out pretty good. As our friends entered our patriotic home, we played patriotic music and enjoyed our "birthday pie" with ice cream. Of course, all our guests were dressed patriotic as well. Everything went well, and we had a terrific night with our family and friends.

Jon, Happy 28th Birthday! We love you so much! You are amazing! We love that you bring so much strength and joy to our family. Thanks for loving each of us, and the United States of America! Enjoy being 28 years old!

Severe Storms

Yesterday, Sunday May 22, we experienced some major storms and storm warnings in Iowa City. There has been concerns about severe thunderstorms this weekend reported on the news for about 3 days now. However, Saturday was supposed to be the "bad weather" day and Sunday was supposed to be beautiful. When Saturday was beautiful, we expected that the storm had past and there was no future problems. Well, the storm had another idea. After church, the kids were napping upstairs and Jon had just gotten home from meetings. Around 2:30pm, the tornado siren went off. Jon and I ran downstairs to check the local weather and make sure it was real and not a test siren. IT WAS REAL. So, we went upstairs and woke up the kids and brought them down to the basement. For the next two hours, we watched the news and got updates about our area and the storm. There were severe thurnderstorms, including constant thunder, lightining, 2-3 inch. hail balls, and tornado sightings in the town just 20 miles down the freeway from Iowa City. The tornados were supposed to travel to just above Iowa City by around 3:30 - 4pm. It wasn't until 4:30 that we ever got any storms here. But, when they came... we got it. The rain fell in buckets over our house, and there was also coin size hail balls. I do love how amazing the thunderstorms are in the mid-west. Well, the tornados did past north of us and thankfully we never saw one. But, we did enjoy a powerful spring rain. And when I say ENJOY, that is just what we did. In our little complex, all the parents sat on the porches, and the kids ran around in the rain, splashing in puddles, and getting soaking wet. It was so fun to watch, and Brad had a great time. (BTW: We did not send him out in the rain until the hailing stopped.) Anyway, here are some pictures to share the fun. It is so hard to get the full rain effect in the pictures and video, but at least you can see Brad playing.

(PICTURES TO COME SOON)

The rain lasted about 30 minutes and then it stopped. By 5:30pm, the sun was out and the weather was beautiful, trying to dry up all that rain water. Emily was so glad that we finally let her down on the sidewalk to walk around. She loves being outside.

It was a good day, but we are tired after worrying and thinking about storms for a Sunday afternoon. I do know that the storm hit really hard in some places and there has been a lot of damage to homes and some lives lost. To these people and towns, we pray that they can be comforted and find peace and that their town will recover from this terrible disaster.

Exciting days!

Emily has just turned 1 year old... and you know what follows that... an beautiful EAR INFECTION. Just two days after her 1st birthday, Emily started getting a fever and was just more fussy. I brought her into the doctor to get everything checked out and she had an ear infection. Well, the doctor ordered for her to start Augmenten and so we did. After her third dose of antibiotics, she developed a rash over her face. I gave her the fourth dose, and the rash spread to her whole body. Cute red speckles EVERYWHERE! It has been so sad. Along with the rash came this very grumpy and uncomfortable sweet little girl who always wanted to be held, and cried all the time. Well, this, as you can tell, is not at all the typical disposition of our Emily girl. We stopped giving the antibiotic and brought her into the doctor today... and she is allergic to the antibiotic. The doctor recommended that we just consider her as being allergic to the entire Penicillin family of antibiotics to avoid any future problems. We got her started on another antibiotic to take care of her ear infection and we are hoping for the best. AND: the best part: we have our Emily back! She took a 3 hour nap this afternoon (wow!), and she has been smiling, laughing, and able to deal with life without being held. Horray from a happy mom!

Of course, life must stay interesting... so this afternoon, Brad and I decided to make cookies for FHE tonight, and so we started No-Bake cookies. I turned on the stove... and Brad reached up and touched the hot burner. AHH! OUCH! The ends of his 4 fingers are burned and blistered. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep his hand in cups of cold water. The horrible thing about burns is that they hurt for so long. Brad was a tough kid and kept trying to play through the pain. However, he did convience his mom that he needed 2 yummy cookies and (in his own words and with a sad look on his face), "I need a drink so my fingers can feel better." No need to worry... he is doing well and is sleeping great in his little toddler bed upstairs. It just reads as a good story after a long day. Smiles!!

It is great to be a mom! Life is definitely exciting and keeps me on my toes. I love my kids so much! They are my joy and my song! AND, I love when, after an exciting day, they are both sleeping soundly and resting up for our next exciting day! I love you Bradley and Emily!

Fire pit

We had a tremendous Family Home Evening last night. We have been talking for a while that we would like a charcoal grill to use not only as a grill, but a little fire pit on our back porch. Well, yesterday we got one and set it up. For Family Home Evening, we started up the charcoal and cooked marshmallows to eat s'mores. It was perfect. I love being outside, especially when it is not a ton of work to do it. It was great to have our fire pit right outside our kitchen door and have everything ready to eat s'mores. Brad loved being around the fire pit and even more, he loved cooking and eating marshmallows. Emily loves being outside also and gobbled down some gram crackers. Jon had the lesson and he talked about the power of Prayer and praying to our Father in Heaven. That Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers and He does it personally and in the exact way we need when we need it. After the lesson, we sang "I am a Child of God" around the fire pit. It was a beautiful night to enjoy being outside in the beautiful world Heavenly Father created for each of us.
I am so grateful for my family. We had a wonderful night together... spending time around our fire pit, talking, and eating our treat. The weather was a little chilly, but the fire made it perfect. I couldn't help but feel so much love for my husband and my children and all that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I am excited to build more memories with our family outside by our new "fire pit"!

Easter 2011

I really can not believe it is already Easter 2011. Wow! Well, this year presented us with a slightly different Easter than we had been originally expecting. Just prior to Easter weekend, I, Mindy, found out I had an ectopic pregnancy, which lead to having surgery that day and therefore, spending the rest of the week recovering. (Just so everyone reading this is aware... I am doing great! I am recovering well, and I am emotionally healthy.) I feel so much gratitude for the overwhelming service and love of my family and friends during this experience... especially, the selfless service of Jon's mother! The moment we found out I needed surgery, we called our parents and asked for their prayers for our family. We are very far away from most of our family, however, Jon's parents moved to Missouri last year and we are so grateful they are close. Jon's mom expressed her willingness to come and help our family. She drove to Iowa that day and has perfectly served our family for the past week, and we are so grateful.  Another huge blessing for our family and our chilren was the Tingey family's willingness to watch our kids for most of the day of the surgery. Kelsey was so kind, and although I know it was not easy for her, she was so willing to serve. I am so grateful for good friends and such love from our church ward. Within about 2 hours of knowing I was going to have surgery, friends in our ward were already offering to bring meals to our family. Thank you!
Although living through this experience, with every little act of service, we had a wonderful week with: Mindy recovering from surgery, Jon taking two Law School finals, and celebrating Easter with our family. I have been impressed that family really is everything in our life and all that we do must be to keep all the commandments of God so we can return to live with Him forever being sealed with our family forever! I am so grateful for my family. I love my husband so much. I love my children. I am so grateful to be a mother. I am so grateful for my Savior, for His perfect sacrifice for each of us, and that He was resurrected so we can all live again after death and with our families forever!

"HOW ARE YOU DOING?"

So, my Bradley is growing up so fast and he is so much fun. He talks really well and is able to understand so much in conversation. The other day, Brad, Emily, and I were all out running errands. Most of the time when I am in the car with the kids, I try to talk with them a little to feel that we are spending some time communicating together. Well, sometimes I don't know what to talk about with a 3 year old, so to try and get the conversation started I ask... "How are you doing?" Obviously, I ask this question a lot, because this is how our conversation continued on this particular day...

Mom: How are you doing?

Brad: (no response)

Mom: How are you doing, Brad?

Brad: I don't like it when you say that Mom.

Mom: You don't like it when I say what?

Brad: When you say... How are you doing? How are you doing? How are you doing?

Mom: (smiles) Ohh, what would you like me to say?

Brad: Just... "How are you doing?" and then I say "good", and then we're done! (very serious and to the point)

Mom: (smiles & laughing) I think I could do that. I love you Bud!

I love my Bradley! He makes me smile and is such a joy to be around. Thanks for helping me smile and laugh and enjoy these moments with you Bradley Tillman!

Forward, Pressing Forward...

Emily is growing up so fast. I love watching her figure things out and move more and more. She has just started pushing things around the room so she can walk. Who needs a baby walker? I also love watching videos of the proof of her new skills. I just watch them again and again and I just love it all. Also, she is almost saying... "Da-da". I know... babies always say that without trying... but really, Jon has been working with her, and I think she may really understand!?!  : )

I love you Emily, my little angel girl. You are such a joy to my heart and make me smile each day. I am so grateful for you love, your flexibility, your patience, and your smiles. You have so much happiness stuffed into your little body... its addicting! I love you forever!

Temples to dot the Earth

Yesterday for FHE (Family Home Evening) we had a lesson about Temples. Dad gave the lesson and focused on being worthy to enter the House of the Lord. Then for our activity, Dad thought of such a cool idea. We made the United States puzzle we got for Christmas... Brad loves puzzles, so this was a hit for our family!... and then with some small wooden pieces from a board game, we showed where all the Temples are in the US. It was really awesome to see how many temples there are just in the US and then to think about all the temples around the world. I feel so blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and to be able to receive the many blessings the Lord has promised as I make covenants in Holy Temples. I know God lives and He has a perfect plan for us on the earth and for eternity as we keep His commandments. I know that through the power of God families can be together forever! I am so grateful for my family and for Temples that dot the earth!

Can you kind of see the little yellow square blocks... those mark the locations of all the temples in the United States.

This last picture is the one that Brad took. I was taking some pictures and so he wanted to join in the fun. It is pretty crazy that we actually have a kid old enough to take pictures of our family so Jon and I can be in a picture together. Wow, kids grow up so fast! Thanks Bradley!

"An Early Spring"

The warm weather is finally here... at least for the next couple days. Maybe the groundhog was right when he said that spring would come early. Horray! Notice: No coats! We have had such a great day outside. Of course, all the snow is melting, which leaves nothing but soggy grass and mud everywhere else, but we are happy to be outside! Even Emily got to hang out outside for a while. It was just so beautiful with the sun shining and our prize 50-60 degree weather! I am learning to not be such a control freak about getting mud everywhere, and let my kids enjoy their childhood. So... we have gone through 3 outfits today and had 2 baths. Who knows... at least Brad is having a blast! Brad also wore his new "barn" boots we got in Nevada. He loves them, and I love that at least his socks are protected from getting muddy! (In the pictures, he is actually wearing his snow boots... the "barn" boots got all muddy from the morning mud stomp, and they were drying out. Lucky he has two pairs of boots!)

Just so you can appreciate our excitement even more... here are a couple of BEFORE / AFTER pictures of our yard!

BEFORE:

Snow blizzard on Feb. 2, 2011 (Irronically enough... Groundhog Day!) 

AFTER:

TODAY!!

Brad and his friend Mariah... in the "community" wagon!

Poor Brad was stomping in the mud and totally fell down. I ran to help him up, but there was so much mud all over that I couldn't get to him in my tennis shoes, so I cheered him on to stand up on his own and walk out of the mud puddle... of course... I snapped a picture first! Love you buddy!

This happy face is after falling in the mud, and we talked about how it is okay because we are getting dirty today! He realized that maybe it is not too bad and he kept on playing! Oh... I can't say it enough, I am so ready for spring!

Outting to the children's museum

Brad, Emily, and Mom all went to the Iowa Children's Museum to get out of the house. It is located in the mall and is therefore a great trip for everyone. I can pick up a couple of things at the mall and then we can all have a great time playing at the museum for a while. Today we were there for about 2 hours, and Brad did a great job. Emily slept for 1 hour in her travel system and then woke up ready to play. Our children's museum is amazing. I love it. Whoever though of such a cool idea is genious. (Do you understand how cool I think this place is?) Anyway, we played in many different room with different themes, and everyone had a blast!

 One of the rooms is the City Grocery... there are little shopping carts and tons of pretend food on the shelves for kids to shop for. Today, Brad filled three carts and then brought them to the register to check out. He loves feeling like a big kid.

 The "Take Flight" room is so cool! There are little airplanes that the kids can get in and pretend to fly. The planes have pedals that make the front twist around!

 The "Movement" room includes tracks, trains, and golf balls that you can roll down tracks to watch the speed. As Brad played with the trains, Emily checked out the golf balls. Very facinating room!

We had a great day together... and we were all ready for a nap when we got home!

The many faces of Emily Ruth

 We love our Emily! She is such a joy and makes everyone smile with her charming and sweet personality! It is so fun to get to know her as she grows up. She is 9 months old and loves life. She smiles almost all day, unless she is clobbered by her BIG older brother, but then the smiles are quick to return. She is crawling everywhere and pulls herself up to stand on everything she can. She walks along furniture and her toys, and loves to play with Bradley's toys! Emily also loves to wrestle... When Dad and Bradley are wrestling in the evening, Emily crawls right over to them and rubs her head into the floor and on Dads lap to indicate that she is ready to play. Then Dad picks her up and tickles her little tummy. She is all smiles during the whole playtime. Emily has no teeth yet, but she is starting to gum some food! It looks appetitzing... let me tell you! Just today, Emily discovered that she can pull all the kids books off the shelf and it makes a loud crashing sound! Horray... I forgot this day would come... she is just so perfect! Here are some pictures to highlight our girl and her many, many faces! What a cuttie!

 "... and good-bye to you all! Enough faces for today... I have places to go!" - Emily 

We love you Emily! You are awesome!

A little cash goes a long way

Smiles... Brad on his 3rd Birthday!

So, my little Bradley says the funniest things lately. He is just growing up so much and talking so well and becoming his own little man. I love the way he thinks about things and all he is learning about the world.

The other day he got a birthday card in the mail that had a $5 bill in it. The moment Brad opened the card, he held the money and exclaimed, "Money"! I tried to regain his focus to read him the card and explain who it was from while he focused on putting the cash in his pocket. It was so funny, he was so focused on folding it small enough to fit it into the small pocket of his little jeans. We were both laughing silently while watching him.

Well, Jon and I start thinking that this would be a great opportunity to teach Brad about paying tithing, and so Jon says, "Brad, what is the first thing that we do when we get some money?" Brad looked up at his dad and then said questioningly, "Put it in your pocket?" We started laughing and then Jon explained that we can pay tithing.

Then, we were talking about money in general and how you can buy stuff, and Jon asked, "So Brad, what do we do with money?" Brad responded with full conviction, "We pay taxes!" Jon and I were totally laughing by now. It was such a funny conversation and we loved seeing how our son's mind works!

(Just for your info: Brads understanding of paying taxes with our money is from the Nativity Story. We told the Nativity story so many times during Christmas and Brad really caught on to the part about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem to pay taxes.)

Venturing out in the "dead of winter"

Well, we finally ventured out in the snow today. After the blizzard on Tuesday, we have been stuck inside for the week. Today Brad and I found a couple minutes while Emily was napping so we could go outside and see this huge pile of snow. As you can see below, the snow was up to 3.5 to 4 feet in some places because of the drifts. Other places were as low as 3-6 inches. We thought it was pretty neat that even along the sidewalks the snow was up to Brad's waist or chest. Also, around the hill behind our house, there is a huge snow drift which caused some places in the snow to be probably around 6 feet deep. Other people had been out in the snow earlier this week and had built snow caves, sled runs, and snow forts. We loved tracking through the snow in the back and exploring!

It definately took some time to shovel out the sidewalks from all this snow.

This is our first snow cave we explored. The people dug into the snow about as deep as Brad. He was a little intimidated to get inside this snow hole, but I assured him that it was safe and it would be really cool! There as a small window at the bottom that Brad could look through when he sat down.

This is the top view: looking down into the hole.

Traveling to the backyard was not as easy as it may look. When just walking, the snow is about 1-2 feet deep, so this means... take a step - fall into snow - take another step - fall into snow! Needless to say, but I carried Brad - there is no way he could walk in it - and he had a great time as I fell into the snow with each step.

In this picture, Brad is standing on the drift. Meaning: He is stand in an area that when the snow melts, is not part of the hill, yet at this time, it is equal with the red fire "thing" which is on the top of the hill. (If this discription makes any sense... it means the snow is really deep where he is standing!)

This is a sled run that our neighbors were working on. They dug it into the snow hill so you go through a snow tunnel on the sled. The neighbor boy (who is at the bottom of the hill) went a couple of times while we were outside. He invited Brad to go, but Brad was not sure he was interested in going underneath the snow... maybe next year!

At the top of the hill some people built a snow fort. Brad thought this was pretty cool! The walls were about as tall as Brad! Perfect for a snow fight! (Hum... when does Jon come home?)

Peek-a-boo! Enjoy the snow! We love it!! (most of the time)

Dancing queen!

We have a dancing girl! It's in her genes! It makes me so happy and makes me want to dance when I see her movin' and groovin'... twistin' and shoutin'! Check out this video and let our 8 month old sweetheart put a smile on your face!

My Bradley... working hard!

The following story is about our Bradley:

Bradley loves his dad! Everyday when Jon leaves to go to school and work, Brad is sad after he leaves and tells me, "It is so sad when Dad leaves." To which I respond, "Yes, but he will always come back!". That seems to make the day a little easier for our 2 year old and we continue on with our day looking forward to when Dad will walk through the door.

A couple of days ago, Brad, Emily, and I were in the car running errands, Brad told me how he missed Dad and wished he could be with us. I answered by explaining to Brad that Dad was working hard at school and work so we could have our house, and food, and clothes, and toys. We talked about this for a while and Brad decided it was okay that Dad was working so hard.

Then, just yesterday, as we were hanging out at home, Brad made the connection... He said, "Mom, I need my tools." I said, "Okay, go ahead and get them, they are downstairs." He went downstairs and returned with his play tool box. He then told me, "Mom, I am working really hard with my tools so I can go get some food at the mall with our family." I realized what he was saying and then just started laughing... If you want food at the mall (which we rarely get), you need to work really hard!

It was a priceless Bradley moment. I love the way his brain works. He talks so well, and is able to make so many connections with conversations that are going on. Jon and I already spell out things in our conversation because he is just too smart. Brad, I love you! You are so amazing!