Church History in Missouri

After our funfilled and packed few days in Nauvoo we headed south for Missouri to tour some of the church sites there. First on our list was Adam-ondi-Ahman. I heard it was off the beaten path and it was. Our route took us along some nice country roads and through some really small country towns. We were surrounded by pretty nature filled with lots of rolling hills, lots of trees, and lush green corn fields. This was all nice and "magical" in a way until we started to hear "I'm hungry." We realized that the nice view of rolling hills, groves of trees, and the nice corn fields was not going to satisfy three hungry kids' tummies. We also began to notice that as we went through each town all we would see were a couple of run down gas station with a maw and pa store attached; well that wasn't going to work either. We saw on the map that if we continued on the road that we were on that it would take us to what looked like a decent size town, a town that would have at least a few fast food joints that would appeal to our kids' tummies. However, this would take us away from our route but we saw that if we took a side road that it connected the road we needed to be on and the road we were currently on. So with a good plan in place off we went and after a few minutes we arrived at our destination and found a few good places that our kids were excited about and that Mommy and Daddy could stomach. You know it is a decent town when you see a Wal-Mart across the street.

We continued our journey through the nice country side driving up hills and down hills enjoying the view out our windows. As we were driving through some rough roads we were wondering if we missed a turn, but alas there was the sign pointing to our destination Adam-ondi-Ahman. We got out stretched our legs walked over to the look out space told the kids the purpose of Adam-ondi-Ahman took our pictures of the corn fields that will one day serve a glorious purpose and back in the car we went; but not before we were eaten alive by hungry bugs-I guess they like the smell of burger king that resonated from our bodies. Next on our stop was Far West to see the cornerstones that Joseph Smith placed for the temple that was supposed to be built there. So a quick journey up the road and off a beaten path we arrived at Far West. It was another good place to walk around and stretch our legs. We were able to see the four original cornerstones right where they were placed by the Prophet Joseph Smith as well as a nice monument that the Church has put there. We took our pictures read the plaques and off we went. At this time we decided to head for our hotel and see Liberty Jail and Independence the next day. Our kids were done with Church History for the day and were ready to splash in a nice pool.

Joplin Missouri

On our way to Springfield we saw that we would go by the outskirts of Joplin so we decided to get off the main road and to drive around the inner skirts of Joplin. At first there was nothing to see, but then as drove up to the top of the hill right before us as far as our eyes could see was total and complete destruction. It really was breath taking and heart breaking at the same time. The only tornado I am use to is the one that hit Fort Worth about eleven years ago; there was damage but there wasn't a wipe out. What we saw looked as if a bulldozer came through and flatened everything in a one mile wide and six mile long area. What broke my heart the most was to see children's toys and people's belongings scattered around and at some houses you would see a small pile of belongings in front of what use to be there house. How does one start over? I could imagine how overwhelming it could be to stand in front of your house and see that it is totally gone except the foundation, and knowing that somehow someway you need to start over.

I guess you do it with any other challenge that we face in life, no matter how small or how big it is all the same. You do it one step at a time only concentrating on your current step and not the other steps before you. With each step we need to remember our Savior Jesus Christ knowing that in the Garden he suffered for our pains and griefs and with a open hand extended He is there ready and willing to help us climb and accomplish each step.

My heart goes out to the people of Joplin. While there we saw groups helping with clean up, we saw people at their homes gathering what they could and sorting through the mess. It sure puts in perspective that things are things and should not cloud over what matters most. After that experience I wanted to hold my children a little closer and a little tighter, to not get frustrated easily, and create more moments that bring us together; because after all my family I get to keep for eternity my things stay here.

Springfield and Branson Missouri

Well it is Summer Vacation time and the Cooper Family couldn't be more ready to leave behind our crazy busy life and spend two weeks of fun together. I know Grant is ready for a break from work; he has been putting in some serious hours at work for the past couple of months. For the past couple of months it has felt that we are constantly going from one thing to the next with no time to breath, and so it will be nice to be able to breath and maybe slow things down a bit.

Stop one of our two week trip was Springfield and Branson Missouri. We picked this location because it was a good stopping point on our way to Nauvoo, which is the main purpose of our vacation but I will get to the details of that later. We got to Springfield a little later than wanted due to the fact that after we loaded the last little bit of luggage and got our kids all buckled down for the long trip, the car didn't want to start. We jumped the car and off to the auto parts store we went for a new battery, but the auto parts store was closed. No problem we had a few things that we needed to get done and so we dropped of the library books (tired of paying fines to our great city) and we were able to find an auto part store near by. Grant got the best battery and after 30 minutes the old battery was out the new battery was in and we were off; not on vacation though. Grant forgot to scan in his receipts from a recent business trip so since we were near work we stopped by there so he could scan in his receipts. He wasn't gone too long because they wouldn't let him through the guard gate with shorts on, so errand number two was checked quickly off of our list. Then the organized person that I am forgot about Madeline's medicine at the pharmacy and so we drove all the way back to our house to pick up the medicine, but before that we got breakfast to go or more like brunch. So an hour and a half after we had wanted to be on the road we were finally leaving for our two week packed full of fun things to do vacation.

Day one of the road trip was pretty smooth for a road trip goes. The kids enjoyed their toys and movies that they packed and Grant and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Actually the car was pretty quiet, no conversations really. Grant and I went to bed around 1:00 in the morning the night ( or morning of) before and got up around 6:00 to get ready to head out by 7:00. We figured why we didn't talk much was that we were too tired to think. We did a lot of munching to stay awake during our trip.

In Springfield we planned on visiting an underground cavern as well as visiting the first Bass Pro Shop; but when we learned that the underground cavern was a driving tour (you sit in a tram and they drive you through) and the big museum at Bass Pro was closed (making just like any other Bass Pro Shop) we were looking for new plans. We grabbed a bunch of phamplets and while doing so realized that Branson was 45 minutes away from Springfield, so why not play around in Branson too.

We toured a self guided tour of a near by Civil War Battlefield. They had 8 points of interest that you could stop at read some plaques about what happened at that point. Luckily this was able to be done all by car. The first point had a little walking tour for you to go on taking you past what use to be someones mill and home. Of course the mill and home are no longer standing but they had plaques marking their location. It was getting pretty hot so for the rest of the trip we just drove to each location and read the brief paragraph for that location and then briefly explained it to our kids. Anthony has a love for the Civil War so he was excited to see the Battlefield. For me it was a neat to reflect that 150 years ago there were thousands of troops marching on those hills and fighting in the valleys and after it the battle was over, the Confederate troops won but not without many casualties on both sides.

After our Civil War Battle tour we hopped in our car and headed for a tour of a nearby cavern. It was a small cavern and not a popular one which can be nice when you are in a tour. In fact we were the only ones, which can be good or bad. Our tour guide was friendly and very knowledgable, in fact at times too knowledgable. At one point during our tour Spencer says nice and loud "Mommy I want to go home." I think Spencer was speaking what was in everyones mind. The kids enjoyed seeing the rock formations and some fossils of long ago ocean life, but when talking to kids think less is always more. After our tour was over it was time to each lunch. At lunch we had to alter our plans alittle due to the fact that it was getting late. I had wanted to do one of those duck tours where you get a car that can drive on land and in water, but time was running out for that. We had also wanted to tour another cave, but decided to do it later on in our trip. Madeline wanted to go to a butterfly museum, the museum was closed but they had a glow in the dark exhibit that was opening up during the evening hours. One we got to Branson we headed off to a local mall for Madeline to fulfill her desire of going to Build a Bear. Madeline didn't understand that souveniors are something that you get that you cannot get from where you live. Madeline had her heart set on a bear of Build a Bear being her souvenior and there was no changing her mind. It was also a good place to burn some time waiting for the Buttterfly night show to open.

The Butterfly night exhibit was really neat. They use black lights so everything glows in the dark. The first activity that we went to was a bunggie cord maze. They put bunggie cords everywhere and you had to work your way through them to get to the other side. We did have help though; we had a nice fairy that would guide us along the way. The kids really enjoyed the maze and after a few times of doing it had the path memorized and did it with ease. There was also a movie that you could watch talking about nocturnal animals with focus on the insects like lightening bugs. This movie proved borning for Spencer; but Madeline who loves butterflies loved the movie. After the movie we went to see if we could find sleeping butterflies using our lanterns. The room was dark with uses of black light sprinkled throughout. We were given some homemade lanterns to help us find our sleeping treasures. When butterflies sleep they are hard to find because they hide or blend in ( a defense mechanism), but we were able to catch a few sleeping butterflies. We had to be really quiet so as to not wake up the sleeping beauties. Our fairy guide showed up during our tour and was able to get the kids to join her in hula hooping. Madeline and Spencer were not interested but Anthony and Grant were game for it. I learned that Anthony can hula and he is pretty good at it. He just kept going and going, he would do small tricks like jumping while still being able to hula. I would say he was able to hula for a good couple of minutes. After our butterfly tour we headed downstairs for the mirror maze. I have never been on one before and at first it was a bit intimidating. I wanted Grant to go first to guide the way. Because of the way they use the mirrors and because it is also in the dark you are not sure which in the correct path and which will lead you smack into a mirror. Anthony took the whole thing like a fish to water. He just crused right through leaving us all in the dust as if the maze was in complete light. Spencer followed him while the rest of us walked the maze with our hands out in front on us and walking at a slow safe speed. It didn't take long for Anthony to figure out the pattern and off he went with no problems, I think he even came back for us. Grant figure it out pretty fast but was staying back with Madeline helping her through.

After our trip to the butterfly museum it was time for some minature golf. This was Anthony choice of activity. The minature golf place was called Pirates Cove so it was set up in a Pirates decor; other than that it was like any other minature golf. Spencer had a blast and as usual it is always entertaining to watch him try to get the golf ball down the course and into the hole. A lot of times he would just pick the ball up and walk in down and sit it next to the hole and with the club knock it in. Spencer also would get excited when any of us would get the ball into the hole and would always cheer for each of us. Some of the course was under a cave and some were next to running streams of water, and some just had challenging hills to get over. The kids had fun and it was a fun activity to share as a family. Of course when we play minature golf we never keep score, this helps with us trying to teach our kids that it doesn't matter what order you came in just that you finished and had fun. We ended the might with a blizzard/milk shake treat and then headed back for the hotel. We were gone from 9:00 in the morning to 11:00 at night. It was a day packed full of fun and the kids had no problem going to bed that night and neither did Grant and I. The next day we were off to Nauvoo, but that is another post.

Nauvoo 2011

Grant's maternal (Thompson) side of the family was having a family reunion during pioneer weekend in Nauvoo. The purpose of the trip was not only to gather together as a family and strengthen our ties to one another; but to also learn about our pioneer heritage. Grant's family on both sides has deep pioneer heritage (mainly Joseph Knight Sr. and Parley P. Pratt) that is felt all throughout Nauvoo. Grant and I were excited about about the reunion being Nauvoo and being able to not only share with our children their pioneer heritage but the heritage by all those that lived in Nauvoo.

Nauvoo was beyond words and a very testimony building experience. We were able to see all the sites and learn how life was like for our pioneers, we were able to play like pioneers, we were able to enjoy the shows, and the highlight was teh Nauvoo Pagent. Trying to record our trip would make for a very long blog post, and so to simplfy I will just hit the high lights.

Thursday July 21: Started out with watch "Plain Anna Amanda." The play was very entertaining especially to the children; however under all the entertainment and laughter the play had a very good meaning behind the play. The play centered around a girl named Anna Amanda who was on a mission to be someone important. You see Anna Amanda was given a nick name of Plain Anna Amanda and to her she felt like she was not important. By the end of the play she realizes she is important and special because she is Anna Amanda. Anna Amanda learns that she doesn't need to try to be anyone else, she just needs to be herself.

After lunch and a good fun at pioneer pasttimes, we were off to show on Parley P. Pratt. It was neat to bring our children to this play and allow them to learn about their 5th great grandfather. The show was about one of the missions that Parley P. Pratt took to England with several members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Chills ran up and down as they bore their testimonies and shared their experiences. Inside I was saying "Amen." While watching you couldn't help but feel the Holy Ghost testifying to you that the gospel is true and through the gospel one can find true and lasting happiness.

The rest of the day was spent visiting the different sites. We visited the bakery where we were given a free cookie at the end of the tour. We saw the printing press and learned how the printing press was opperated. We went to the blacksmith and saw how a black smith worked and how they prepared the wagons for the journey west. At the end of the black smith tour we were given a "prarie diamond" ring. We made a stopped at John Taylor's home and learned more about the third prophet. We were able to learn what a devoted father and disciple of Christ he was. Our journey wasn't over yet. We made our way down to the tin shop and learned the business of the Stoddard family and how they made a living making tin pans, bowls, laddles, candle holders, and lanterns. Finally we ended our tour at the gun shop where we learned about Jonathan Browning and the contributions he made in helping the saints to defend and protect themselves. By this time the kids were exghausted and Spencer was asking to go back to the hotel. We checked into our hotel quickly and went off to the camp ground to enjoy dinner with the whole family. We ended our very full day with a play "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo put on by the Senior Missionaries. We sure packed are day full and the kids had no trouble going right to bed.

Friday July 22: Grant and Anthony got up real early to join the family on a pioneer handcart trek. Grant said that they had a good time and enjoyed themselves. Anthony took a turn in help to pull and push their handcart. Madeline, Spencer, and I stayed behind. Infact, Madeline and Spencer were so tired that they didn't even wake up until Grant and Anthony returned from their one mile trek. After the trek the rest of the family was off to do a couple of sessions in the Nauvoo Temple. However, the Grant Cooper Family went off to visit the Joseph Smith sites. There we were able to see the first house that Joseph and Emma Smith lived in when they arrived in Nauvoo as well as the Mansion House where Joseph and Emma were living when he Joseph left for Carthage. We were able to see the hotel that Joseph built to house those saints and others coming into Nauvoo from various places. We ended our tour at the Red Brick Store where we learned more about Church History and the events that took place there. From the tour my eyes were opened to the deep love and compassion that Joseph Smith had for the people whether they were members of the church or not. Joseph Smith showed deep charity for others despite the persecussion around him. We rounded out our day with another play "Sunset on the Mississippi" put on by the Younger and Senior Missionaries.

Saturday July 23: Grant and Anthony woke up early again to go off geode hunting. We learned that Keokuk and the surrounding area is the geode captial of the world. I will do a separate post about their hunting experience. Afterwards we joined the rest of the family in Carthage. If you were unsure if the prophet was indeed a Prophet of Lord; touring Carthage Jail can change any doubt one would had. One could definitely feel the spirit in Carthage and a neat experience for us parents to be able to teach our children about the testimony and legacy of the prophet Joseph Smith. I hope our children in some way were able to feel the spirit and feel and understand the spirit of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Before dinner we went and saw "High Hopes and Riverboats" a play put on by the younger missionaries. After the play we met Grant's parents for dinner and then it was off to the Nauvoo Pagent. I have to say the Nauvoo Pagent was the high light of our week in Nauvoo. The Pagent tells of the history of the Saints in Nauvoo from the time they arrived to the time they were forced out. The Pagent also centers around the Nauvoo Temple and the purpose and blessings of the Temple. At the end the whole cast gathered around to sing "The Spirit of God" as they were singing they lite up the Nauvoo Temple in the distant hills. The spirit was so strong, chills were running up and down my spine, and the tears were wanting to run. All I have to say is the Gospel is true; our Savior Jesus Christ is real and His love is real and unconditional. The Temple is true, the blessings of the temple are amazing and full of peace. I am so grateful for the temple and the blessings the temple provides for our family. As I look into the eyes of my children and husband, love overwhelms my heart as I see eternity through their eyes.

I am so grateful for our trip to Nauvoo. I am grateful for the spirit that is felt throughout Nauvoo, and I am really grateful for the testimonies that were born by the missionaries as each site we visited. Their testimonies strengthened mine and I know that my children walked away with their knowledge of the gospel strengthened. It was neat to be able to teach our children about their pioneer ancestors to be able to walk the streets that they walked, to hear their testimonies, and to feel their love for the Savior and his Gospel. I hope as their Mom that I was able to teach them about the strength that their ancestors possessed and that through the strength of their testimonies they were able to endure their trials and to reach the Salt Lake Valley. I hope that they were able to see in some small way that our testimonies see us through our trials and that it is through our testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ that we are able to find true happiness despite what goes on around us. Nauvoo was a great testimony building experience. I know my testimony was strengthen as well as my resolve to be better and to keep the legacy of our ancestors alive in our lives.

Our Newest Lawn Mower

Sleeping Beauty

Want to know what an Angel looks like when sleeping?

A Date at the Park

Shortly after school got out ( I know I am really behind) Madeline asked me to go on a date to the park. I wasn't shocked that Madeline wanted to go to the park, but I was surprised that she asked me to take her. You see Daddy is her favorite person and the one that she loves to go to the park with. I said yes, but have to admit that I put the idea aside. A few weeks later, Madeline asked again and after kicking myself for forgetting we wrote in in the calendar. The day came and luckily the weather was perfect. We went to a nearby park that is her favorite and again lucky for us not very many people were there, which meant Madeline was comfortable running around and exploring the park without fear of getting ran over by some wild kid. It was a lot of fun we pretended that we were exploring the world in our express train, and boy the adventures we had on our magical bus. Before we left Madeline had one important thing to do and that was show me that she could walk along the retaining wall. When she got to the middle she held up her arms proudly declaring I did it Mom! It was such a fun treat to go to the park and spend that special one on one time with Madeline, I am so glad that she asked me to go with her.

A Project of Love

Back around January e-mails went out announcing the Thompson Family Reunion being held in July in Nauvoo. Amongst the details were a few assignments needing to be volunteer for. One of them was a Family Book with updated pictures of everyone and a brief paragraph about what is going on in each families life. I thought that would be a really neat project and something that I would love to do, and besides I already have a binding machine at home; so I quickly volunteered for it. I then put the project on the back burner as I had time and there were other things going on that needed my attention. Though it was on the back burner I didn't forget about entirely. As time grew closer to the Reunion I sent out the e-mails requesting the information and as the information came in I began putting the books together. It was really neat to see what everyone is doing and how life is treating them. I decided to add another book into the bunch and that was a coloring book for the kids. I got this idea from when I helped with the Cooper Reunion and putting together coloring books for that one. Our kids enjoyed it a lot I thought why not do one for both sides of the family. I found the coloring book nicely tucked away on the hard drive and began editing and adding a few pages. I took out the Cooper side of the family and added more pages about the Thompson/Baker ancestors. As I researched the family I gained a deep love and appreciation towards these family members who gave up a lot for the gospel. Many of the ancestors left nice comfortable lives for the gospel and some never saw their family again. The one common thread they had amongst them all was a deep love for the gospel and our Savior Jesus Christ. They had that eternal goal in mind, they saw it and they lived it. Through these books I realized my roll as a mother is to carry on these traditions and beliefs of these ancestors to our children so that they can live their life with the same conviction and testimony as their ancestors; and hopefully they will carry it on to their children. The temple resonated through my mind as I worked diligently on these books. I am grateful for the power and blessings of the temple that take family members today and bind them with family members that lived long ago. I am grateful to be apart of an eternal family who loves and loved the Lord and who let their testimony shine through their actions.

After all the information was put together and all the pages were created to be just right the printing began. In my mind this project seemed but a small and simple task but as I picked up the printing and as the color pages were printed off at home, I was surrounded by mounds and stacks of paper and things got to be a bit overwhelming, this was no longer the small and simple project in my mind. The kids and I worked together at organizing all the stacks of paper and then making an assembly line; and then they simply entertain themselves and I punched and bounded away. Though at first things felt a bit overwhelming things turned out to be just right because of a little bit of team work-but if you think about family is all about team work none of make it back home to our Heavenly Father without a little team work.

I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity to put these books together and to be reminded of the richness in ones life from being part of an eternal family. This richness doesn't come from man, but from living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ceramic Fun

It has been extremely hot here in Texas, makes you sure miss the weak of snow and ice we had earlier this year. With all of Madeline health issues, being outside in this heat is not an option; and frankly who would want to be outside in 107 degree temperatures. It seems that all there is to do in the summertime here is water activities and we are getting pretty burned out with water parks and pools. I was discussing with my friend about what activities to do with the kids while their Daddy was out of town on business and she came up with the brilliant idea of taking the kids to the pottery place. Brilliant idea I thought. The kids love it there and best of all it is indoors. This time I was feeling a little generous and allow the kids to each pick their own piece of pottery to paint and I just helped them. Madeline and Anthony really got into the project with color schemes and all; and well Spencer he was just out to see how many layers of paint he could safely put on top of each other. By the end lets just say that Spencer had a very colorful Lightening McQueen or "race car" as he calls it. After our painting outing we went out for lunch and then quickly came back home to our nice cool house.

That night we Daddy called to talk to the kids they each were all excited to tell their Daddy about the fun day they had painting. I am so glad that we went; it was a good time had by all.

Fourth of July

For fourth of July we were still staying at the Gaylord Resort. For breakfast we decided to treat the kids out to eat for breakfast. The place we chose was right next to Lego Land which we had tickets for after breakfast. The restaurant was not prepared and we ended up waiting for an hour for our food. We were not the only ones, a lot of people just walked out and left which I felt bad for the manager because you tell she was trying really hard and feeling the stress. By the time we got our food we had to rush to eat so we could make it to Lego Land. When we went up to pay for our breakfast the manager gave it to us for free, which was a nice bonus. This time going to Lego Land was a bit different because I had Grant and we were able to do the rides and enjoy more of the attractions. This time there weren't school field trips, but I was a little worried with it being a holiday that there was going to be a lot of people. Surprisingly when we got there it wasn't too busy which made it nice because the kids were able to participate in more of the hands on activities. Towards the end of our visit the place started to get crowded and lines started lining up; but there was one thing that needed to be done. Spencer wanted to go see Bob the Builder movie in 4D, so while Madeline and Anthony played around in the jungle gym, Daddy took Spencer to see Bob the Builder movie and boy was Spencer on cloud nine. After Lego Land we headed back to the hotel for a little bit of down time before going to the pool to work on Anthony's aquanaut badge. After our swimming venture it was time to eat dinner and head for the firework show. The nice thing about staying at the hotel was that it was near where the fire works were being shot off. Madeline does not like the sound of fire works so we watched them right outside the lobby while the boys went to the top of the parking garage for a front view of the fireworks. We were going to stay that night, but after we all got back to the hotel room we all felt tired and just really wanting to go home. We decided to quickly pack up our things and leave that night and beat the morning rush the next day. It was nice to get away and spend sometime with each other, and it was nice to come home to my bed the bed that my back loves and feels the most comfortable with.

Gaylord Vacation

With Grant's crazy summer work schedule we thought as a family we could use a break and some time together. So we decided to go away (really it was just 30 minutes from our house, but we were away from it) for the fourth of July weekend. A nearby resort was a promotional deal going on to get people to come to their hotel and try out their new water park. The money was the right price and the water park looked like a fun idea so off we went. We have never been to this hotel so we didn't know what to expect. Because of the handicap pass we were able to get valet parking for the same price as self parking. Right there we felt like we were rich and famous. Well we proceed to take out our luggage and a very nice employee comes and helps us load our luggage onto the cart. We then get our care squared away with the valet person and proceed to take the cart, but then that nice employee said he has to stay with the carts and that someone would be up to our hotel room to deliever our luggage. Grant and I said Ohh, see we are not use to that. We are use to having to hunt those carts down or to take our luggage to our room in several trips. Grant immediately finds an ATM machine because you know you have to tip those people. A side note we didn't tip the valet person every time they retrieved our car, instead we tipped the lucky person that retrieved our car when it was time to go home. The hotel room was nice and fancy, the beds nice and soft, and most importantly they had HGTV I was in heaven. Other things that we enjoyed was walking around the hotel. Inside it is decorated to look like a mini San Antonio with a replica of the Alamo and a mini Riverwalk running through. They have lots of benches for people to sit and relax. Of course they have lots of restraunts and bars for you to enjoy a lovely dinner, if you don't mind spending what it would cost in two weeks worth of groceries. Because it was fourth of July they had a balloon man, Uncle Sam on stilts, and a golden cowboy that was made to look like a statue. He was so good at what he was doing that you didn't know he was real until you sat by him and he would say "hi" or put his arm around you. He scared so many people! Of course our kids were not interested in going anywhere near him. The only down side was that I got food poisioning that kept me up all night in really bad heart burn pain and caused Grant to drive around looking for a pharmacy that is opened at 3am. Because of said food poisoning I was able to stay in bed watching all the HGTV I wanted. We were able to go to the water park at any time we wanted and go swimming in their two pools that they had. The kids were in heaven with all the swimming fun they could handle. They were also excited because they were able to watch disney cartoons in the morning. The magic of a hotel. Hotels have disney cartoons, Mommy and Daddy don't; that is why hotels are a special treat to our kids. There were times that we enjoyed playing board games, working on projects, or reading books in our hotel room. It was a nice quiet weekend where we were able to spend it together as a family with no work or other responsibilities getting in the way.

Oops!

Grant came in from mowing the back yard saying Oops. When Grant comes and tells you Oops you know something not very good happened. Well this Oops moment was no different than the others. While trimming in the dark ( I know we were trying to hurry up with the lawns before it got too dark) Grant said he hit a rock and that rock hit one of the glass window panes on our back door. Luckily it is double paned so it was just the outside one that was shattered. With darkness upon us Grant was outside cleaning up the mess before the window completely shattered and glass went flying everywhere. I enjoyed watching him and taking pictures, I like to capture all the moments (the good and the Oops) in our family and the kids had fun watching from inside and being amazed at the cracked glass. After a bit of time Grant was able to get everything all cleaned up and then put a piece of plywood covering the window until we can get it taken care of after our vacation-isn't that when things like this happen when you are busy trying to get ready to go on a 2 week family vacation.

Notice how Grant "the engineer" is cleaning up the glass mess with sandals. I guess we should trust him, because after all he is a Jedi.

Cars 2

Yep we went and we loved it! Don't go to the movies very often was shocked at how much snacks cost. The kids loved the 3D part and I think they enjoyed the glasses just as much. Since then Spencer wears them around the house as if they are his actual glasses (silly kid). Mommy and Daddy enjoyed the movie as well, the kids just like the action and well us parents were the only ones that got the jokes. Going to movies is a rare thing so the kids were extra excited that they got to see Cars 2 and they were surprised that they were able to even get snacks.

The Simple Life

Can life get any better than this. Working on a book while sitting in the sunshine listening to your favorite music; I think not.

Silly Spencer

Words cannot describe how much we love this crazy silly boy. Everyday he makes us laugh with his personality. So grateful to have Spencer in our family, he definitely keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh everyday.

Views of our SMALL Garden

They say great things come in small packages

Anthony's Room

When Grant's parents left for cooler temperatures they decided that they would just go ahead and get their own place. This left us with an extra room. We contemplated doing many things to our extra space from a play room, to a craft room, or even a family room. But in the end we decided to allow Anthony to have his own room, a place where he can build his lego designs without having his brother go through destroying everything to pieces. We let Anthony take the lead in decorating his own room and as each of ideas came true the smile on his face would get bigger and bigger. He has really enjoyed having his own space and has stepped up to the challenge of taking care of his space and being responsible for his things.

I decided to add a special touch to his room. I had Anthony give me a picture of his favorite Star Wars ship and luckily I am married to Super Man he was able to draw it perfectly on paper. From there I added my touch through water color. It was definitely a labor of love but totally worth all the work it took when Anthony saw his picture hanging above his bed. I have enjoyed decorating his room, it has been a fun out let for me. While doing Anthony's room, I have been working on Madeline and Spencer's room. Madeline's Spencer's room is almost ready for picture taking just a few more touches. It has been fun working with the kids in decorating their spaces and helping their personalities comes out through the decor in their room.

My Sweet Angel is 7

I cannot believe that my Madeline is seven years old. Who knew seven years ago the daughter I gave birth to six weeks early and weighing only 4 pounds would be where she is today full of life, spunk, and personality. Madeline adds so much to our family that I think our family would be rather dull without Madeline's spunky personality. Madeline has a great love for life and she is game to try just about anything. Madeline loves to have fun and enjoy any activity that is presented before her. Madeline loves her family the most and feels most comfortable at home in her room coloring and drawing whatever her imagination leads her. Though Madeline has had her share of health problems and challenges she does not let it get in her way or stop her from enjoying life. She takes all her challenges in stride and just goes with the flow. What I enjoy the most about Madeline is hearing her testimony. She loves to bear her testimony any chance she gets, even in sacrament meeting. She especially loves to bear her testimony about the Resurrection and returning to our Heavenly Father someday. I feel that she has a special love for the Resurrection because of what it means to her; know that there will be an end to her challenges and that one day her body will be whole again. At one time we were talking about the Resurrection and she was asking me questions and I was doing my best to answer. The spirit was so strong during our conversation and then I was prompted to tell Madeline what the Resurrection means to her. I told her that when Christ comes again her heart will be whole and healthy, that she won't be sick anymore, and she won't have any ouchies. Madeline sat there for a moment and with a big grin on her face said "an no more IV's." Yes, Madeline no more IV's. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who allowed his Son to come to earth to not only atone for our sins and burdens but to willingly give his life for us and then to be resurrected on the third day. Because of this love my daughter too will be resurrected and her body will be whole and she will have no more IV's. I look forward to that day where I can share in Madeline's joy and excitement and to tell her you did it; you over came your challenges with grace, strength, determination, and faith.

Madeline is such a simple girl who enjoys simple things. All Madeline wanted to do for her birthday was to go to Build a Bear and have dinner at Golden Corral. Done I can handle that. However, being her mother I wanted to give her a little more. There is nothing that will bring Madeline more joy than her Dad. Madeline and her Daddy are close and have a close and loving relationship. Madeline has won her way into her Daddy's heart and is there to stay, and I think Grant wouldn't want it any other way. Grant was not able to take the day off from work due to his major projects going on, but he was able to take some time to surprise a little girl for lunch on her birthday. We went to Madeline's favorite place to eat Chipolte and there she found her Daddy and boy did her face lit up with excitement. I think it was in that moment that she felt loved on her special day. Later on in the day, Daddy met us at Build a Bear where Madeline was in paradises. With the money given to her by her parents and Grandma Gates, Madeline was able to pick out the perfect bear and the perfect accessories for her growing collection. After our bags were full, it was time to fill our stomachs. During our dinner outing Grandma and Grandpa called to wish her a happy birthday which brought a smile to her face. After our stomachs were full we came home to a pink cake with pink frosting and pink, green, and purple nerds; which was all requested by the birthday princess. I found some bling bling candles that I knew would add the perfect touch to her cake. When it was all said and done, Madeline's cake screamed Madeline as it should. Overall I think Madeline enjoyed her special day and I think she felt loved by her family as we gathered around the table singing Happy Birthday.

We love you Madeline and our eternally grateful that you are apart of our family. You bring so much joy, happiness, and blessings to our family. As your parents we are grateful that you are our daughter for eternity-the best blessing of all!

Father's Day 2011

Grant is such a wonderful husband and father who works really hard for his family and the kids and I wanted to make something to show our love and appreciation for him. Awhile back I found these bare books where you can order blank books ready for your children to draw and write on. I thought the kids could make a book together telling their Daddy what they mean to them individually. To simplify this project and make it easier on the kids we used the words DADDY to describe what he means to each one.

Anthony:

D: He is the real deal

A: My Dad is awesome

D: I love him very deeply

D: I can depend on him

Y: I love you

Madeline:

D: He goes on dates with me

A: He plays with me anytime

D: He is the best dad

D: He helps make all my dreams come true

Y: I love you

Spencer:

D: He is dedicated to our family

A: He listens to Anaconda with me

D: His desire is for us to be healthy and happy

D: He devotes his time to helping me be a great Spencer

Y: I love You

Now I know that Spencer's answer sound kind of deep for his age well he did have a little help as he sat there with a clueless look on his face when I would ask him want he wanted to write; but I am sure that if Spencer could understand what I was talking about that he would have agreed with everything that I wrote. The kids were also having a hard time coming up with words from DADDY so I went through the dictionary and wrote any word that would be fitting and let them choose from the list to make their sentences. I thought they did a great job.

Well I just didn't want to get Grant a sappy gift, I wanted some humor in it as well. Grant is a hard person to shop for because he has everything that he will really needs which isn't much because he is a simple man; so I really had to think outside of the box. The thought came to me to make him some tie dye pajama pants. I thought the kids would enjoy tie dying and Grant would get a kick out of the pants. First I went to the fabric store and bought plain white fabric to make him his pajama pants. I let the kids come up with the design using rubber bands and I dyed the fabric. My original plan was for them to dye the fabric but being knew to this I didn't think of gloves and the kit only came with one pair. Next time we do tie dying I will remember this so the kids can be able to participate in the whole thing.

The kids were so excited to show their daddy their gifts and I think Daddy was excited to receive them. Grant of course loved the book and got a kick out of the pajama pants; and I am glad they fit him.

We are truly blessed as a family by having Grant in our lives. I couldn't ask for a better spouse who loves me unconditionally and who shows so much patience and charity towards me. I couldn't also ask for a better father, there is nothing he won't do for his children. They are so important to him and you can tell. He is completely hands on and will play with them even if it dress up with his daughter, a star wars battle with Anthony, and a good old wrestling match with Spencer. They get so excited when daddy comes home from work. They meet him at the door and mob him with hugs, such a nice site to see.

All Tired Out

Spencer was just too tired from all the fun excitement of the day that he didn't have enough energy or strength to climb all the way up on the couch.