Family

Gideon (this boy), has set a goal for me to write a new post each week. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around where the mom helps the kids set goals?

This week we took family photos.  I sure have a darling family.  The weather was mostly perfect (warmish with mostly overcast skies) and the kids were mostly cooperative. Even a bloody nose didn't stop us (don't look too close at Gideon's pants).

I am so grateful for this eternal family of mine.  I find great peace in knowing that we will still be a family unit even after this life.

 I love this crazy guy!  He keeps me on my toes and certainly keeps life interesting for us all.  I can't imagine this journey through life without him.

In two weeks my baby girl will be a teenager...

It's about time!

This morning as I drove the kids through the drizzling rain to school, they googled their names and this little blog popped up on their search.  They were so amazed that I had a blog and then came the question, "why did you stop?" Well... I got busy and blogging as a fad faded away, and then facebook seemed to take over and the need to communicate in this format dissipated somewhat.  The rain continued to drizzle and instead of searching for the dinner recipe I hopped onto the blog and read those entries. Wow!  I'm so grateful to have those memories preserved somewhere.  Life has changed so drastically, I felt like I was reading about someone else life.  So much has changed and yet so much remains the same.  Those kids were the focus and purpose of my life then and remain that way today.  Home and family continue to hold status as priority number one for me.  It hasn't always been easy, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

So for a family update...

Craig is working in Springfield, Missouri running the finances for a business out there.  It's not his favorite, but he works hard for us.  We miss him during the week but have become even more fond of weekend family time. We are so grateful for modern technology that allows us to talk to him on the way to school, chat about our day in the afternoon and read scriptures with him at night.

Sierra is growing up- especially if you look at the last picture of her on this blog.  She'll be a teenager soon, which seems crazy to me.  Though she has physically changed a lot her sweet personality hasn't changed much.  She still loves to sing, be with friends and help others.  She is inclusive, helpful and kind.  She still loves to snuggle and read (especially on rainy days) and dance around the house. She is keen to listen and learn from others and is obedient. In the morning you'll find her in a cozy chair reading her scriptures and this is also where you will find her right before bed.  I love being her mom!

Gideon has only intensified through the years and keeps me on my toes.  He is a quick learner and thinks deeply and logically.  His joy is solving problems (escape rooms are his favorite!!).  He is a voracious reader which is why when I make him go outside to play I have to specifically ban books.  He loves deeply and has a great sense of humor.  As a very young 6th grader, he is working to find his place in middle school.  He's at drama club this afternoon- hope it's going well!  I am often in awe at his abilities and can't wait to see what life has in store for him.


Me.  Well, for right now I am a homemaker.  I love being truly present for my family and not juggling so much.  In just a few short years these kids will be off on their own so I am trying to soak up time with them and help prepare them for that impeding indolence.  I have been spending some time on me and figuring out next steps. Life is a journey for sure!

Summertime Fun

When I started this blog nearly three years ago I posted just about every week. Then it became once a month and I'm afraid that now it's become a seasonal blog. So what have we been doing now that it's summer? Roasting in the heat? Swimming in the pool? Hunkering down in the air conditioning? YES! Summers in the south are hot but at least they are green and beautiful. Our biggest news is that now we have a HOUSE!! About three weeks ago we moved in to a beautiful new home. My kiddos can now somersault and run and dance- all in the house! And if they get too rambunctious they can go OUTSIDE!! Craig has been happily busy with house projects. We now have a stereo surround sound system, handles on all our cabinets, an entertainment center, etc. It's been fun to see his handy man side a bit. He has also helped me out on our new PRESCHOOL. I've decided to open a little preschool in our home. Butterflies & Bullfrogs Preschool will be opening fall semester. I can hardly wait to teach little ones in my home. Until then we will continue to meet our new friends, swim at the pool and enjoy this beautiful place called HOME!

We Love Spring!

Here's what we've been up to in my over two months of blogging absence:

• Starting food storage- finally! I have enough oats and wheat for one month. Got to start somewhere.


• Making our own bread. So delicious and much easier than you think. Here's one of my favorite whole wheat bread recipes: http://trainermomma.com/


• Learning to speak! Six months ago, Gideon began speech therapy due to verbal apraxia. He is now speaking at age appropriate levels. I can finally communicate with my little guy! It's amazing how his progress has lowered the frustration levels in our home.


• Watching our new home be built. At the end of June our home should be finished and we can say adios to apartment living- yahoo!


• Spending lots of time outdoors. I can't remember a more beautiful spring in Texas. We've gone camping, explored big parks and spent many many afternoons at local parks.


• Playing soccer and "baseball". Sierra has become a little sporty girl who wants to play soccer and hit balls with tennis racquet's at any chance. I toyed with the idea of getting her a real bat then quickly realized that a small apartment, a bat and a two year old boy just don't mix well.


• Going on fun dates. Craig and I went to a Houston rockets game last month and went to a Miller Outdoor Theater production of Cats this month. We both look forward to these nights when parenting responsibilities are put aside and we can focus on having fun together.


• Teaching the primary children the stories from the Old Testament. A great opportunity to learn more about the amazing men and women who made righteous choices for the benefit of generations.


• Trying to spend more time with each other rather than the computer.

Love

Love is in the air this time of year. Here are some of my loves:

• I love being home with my children
  
• I love eating fresh whole wheat bread
• I love that my parents have sacrificed just about everything to serve the Lord as missionaries in Mexico
• I love that my new apartment has a garage- attached!
• I love days when we go nowhere and just hang out together as a family
• I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the peace I feel and the great love in my heart comes from my Savior.
• I love that my parents, my big sisters (4 of them) and my little brothers (4 of them) connect everyday- thank you myfamily.com
• I love that pure burst of joy when my 2 year old does something he couldn't do before
• I love the blogs from good friends that help me keep in touch and inspire me
• I love that my husband has a job that he loves and that is now just 1.25 miles from our home.
• I love sunshine
• I love that my 4 year old dances everyday and would rather snuggle on the couch with mom or dad and a good book than do just about anything.
• I love that I live in America
• I love the power in myself that I feel after I go for a good morning run
• I love reading the Book of Mormon and learning from those great scripture hero's
• I love that my little ones now drink spinach and call it dinosaur juice
• I love the goodness that surrounds me in this world.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy New Year!!

A new year is so exciting to me. A time to start fresh and celebrate the potential we see within ourselves. This year my list of resolutions grows with each day. Here are a few I'll share:

• Eat cookies on the weekends only
• Pay cash for groceries (when it's gone, it's gone)
• Run a 10k this spring
• Attend the temple at least monthly
• Learn to cook five good meals
• Go on a hike with my children each month
• Study my scriptures sitting up at my desk each day (so I don't fall asleep)
• Go on a date with my handsome husband each month
• Spend more time reflecting on the blessings from above
• Take new pictures of my kiddos and update this blog!

Perhaps I'm a bit ambitious as this is just a few that I'm planning on working through this year. But just for today I'm going to move full steam ahead and then tomorrow I'll do it and then the next and hopefully in a few weeks, then months I'll be more of where I need to be. Hooray for the possibilities of change!!

The Christmas Spirit

My sister tuned me into this a few days ago and I finally sat down for three minutes and watched it with my little ones this morning. It's a simple youtube video from lds.org that reminded me what a spiritual time of year this can be.

The Christmas Spirit

Our Life...

In Pictures.

These six little cousins spent a perfect day at the beach in Galveston. They still had energy to play hard at the hotel (though my sister and I were both pretty beat).

Camping on the beach is amazing and a great perk of living along the Gulf Coast.
Thanks Petty's for inviting us along.

Belle and "woof woof" showing you their version of a scary face.

Grandma Nae Nae came to visit (really to babysit the children)and so a trip to the aquarium was in order. Sierra loved riding the shark train.

Ahhh paradise! We are smiling only because this was after Hurricane Ida made us all very familiar with sea sickness. The Svetz were wonderful to vacation with.

A beautiful beach in Cozumel that I could have spent the entire day at. Instead I spent the majority of it asleep in the back of a taxi with the flu.

Feeling better and zip lining in Jamaica.

Playing Tarzan in Jamaica.

The pictures of Grand Cayman are on the water camera. Unfortunately due to all the storms, there wasn't time to scuba dive so we ended up snorkeling along the shore- still amazing and a place we definitely want to return to.

After nearly nine years it's wonderful to spend a week alone with the one you love.

Happy Thankgsiving!!

Full Hearts

Our lives are brimming with happiness and wonderful things. There just seems to be abundant blessings pouring from the heavens to fill our hearts and home. Peace has been the biggest blessing of late- that simple contentedness that so often eludes us. Another is Holy Places where the spirit of the Lord can touch our hearts. I am so grateful for a kind and merciful Father in Heaven that I know has absolute knowledge of me. I am truly a child of God!

Craig starts a new job tomorrow! He will be a finance manager for an oil servicing company here in Houston. He is sooo excited for this position as it's one he's looked forward to for many years. I'm excited that there is practically zero travel. The job is on the other side of town so we are looking for a place to call home closer to his work. Hopefully soon I can post that we have a home of our own.

Sierra started going to preschool. She goes Friday mornings for an hour and a half with two other little girls. They rotate homes, so once a month I get to teach the little darlings. I still do preschool with her everyday at home and love the opportunity to incorporate gospel teaching into the curriculum. I love that part of my "job" and am considering starting a preschool once we have a place of our own.

Gideon just turned two! What a happy boy he was blowing out his candles and opening up presents. I love this age of discovery and excitement over everything. The emotions are so pure- two years old is one of my favorite ages! Though his cognitive and motor skills are at 30 months, his speech is just at 12 months, so he starts speech therapy next week. He tries so hard to speak but it just isn't working for him.

I am getting so anxious for the fall weather and the upcoming holidays. I love that feeling of change in the air when you can begin to anticipate wonderful things coming your way.

Good Friends

I've kind of taken a summer time break from the blogging world and just now read through blogs I haven't read in a long time. There are so many wonderful things going on all over the world! What a great reminder to me of how blessed I have been throughout my life to be surrounded by inspiring people who are doing such amazing things with their lives. The Lord has blessed my abundantly with friends in the right places at the right times. I want to be like all of you!

Craig has been traveling all month and is finally home for a few weeks. Yeah!! During this time, we've really come to appreciate the time we do get to spend together as a family. I've become even more grateful for the support of friends and family that has gotten me through some long days. With him home I can start running again in the morning. I decided that I can't push a 50 pound stroller and 60 pounds worth of kids when it's 100 degrees. I can do one or the other but not both.

Craig aka the family barber cut the children's hair. It was Sierra's first hair cut and I admit I was a bit anxious over losing her baby hair. It was scraggly and she disliked anything but a headband in her hair, so it was time. It's adorable now and so much easier to comb. Gideon also got his hair cut- rather buzzed. He now looks like a big boy. Now if we could just get him to talk like a big boy. I've started teaching him a lot of sign language, which is helping lower our frustration levels. Any advice on how to deal with temper tantrums would be greatly appreciated. I stop counting how many he has if it's over a dozen and we haven't even had lunch. Thankfully, he makes us laugh just as much. Families are just like that- quite a challenge but oh so wonderful and something you wouldn't trade for the world.

Here are pictures of the children with their new hair cuts.

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime

Here's what we do in the summertime...

Search for flitty floating butterflies at the butterfly garden.

Watch plays and listen to concerts at the outdoor theater.

Turn our cream leather couch into a canvas with an ink pen- oh no, that's not really what you should do, but it happens and it does come off .

Make sure the goats at the petting zoo are well groomed.

Throw Princess Parties! We spent our preschool time one week learning about fairy tales and the associated brave knights and pretty princesses. It was fitting to cap it off with a royal ball.

Visit local community helpers. The kids were both very hesitant with the fire station visit, though I found it fascinating. (Yes, my hair seems to match the fire truck. Another thing you shouldn't do in the summertime is go crazy with hair dye, semi-permanent or not.)

Have a family 4th! We hosted a 4th of July party with my sister and her four children and my cousin and her five children (yes that makes 11 children when you add my two). It was crazy and fun and unforgettable.

Splash in whatever water you can.

Enjoy the beautiful flowers in full bloom.

Spend an afternoon at a museum. This is the Museum of Health Science and their 4D movie about cells.

Play at parks...but only at 8am.

As you can see, we are having a wonderful summer as we attempt to make the most of this sweltering time of year. We hope you are also enjoying the joys that come during this season.

Heavenly Homes

Well we just signed a six month lease extension for this tiny apartment. If it weren't for the guidance of a loving Heavenly Father reassuring me this is the best thing for our family right now, I'd lose my mind thinking about staying here longer. I'm often frustrated over the lack of space for our stuff and especially that the children really have no place to play. Last weekend, Craig and I went through all our closets yet again to organize and attempt to create a semblance of order. Because of our small space and my desire to make the best of it, I've been intrigued with the idea of creating a haven in my home. A little piece of heaven to retreat to. As I've pondered and prayed about this desire, ideas that really work have come to my mind. Slowly but surely we are building our eternal home albeit a small one.

"Actually, a home is much more than a house. A house may be constructed of lumber, brick, and stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. A house can be a home, and a home can be a heaven when it shelters a family." Thomas S. Monson

Highlights

Since it's been so long since I've updated this blog, I figured I better just stick with a few recent highlights:

Craig: He turned 30 on Sunday! We celebrated at my sisters house in Corpus Christi with my nine day old nephew! At work he just moved out of finance to program management. It's a great opportunity for him however, the travel involved isn't much fun for me. He's been gone all week and wouldn't you know the battery on the truck died so I've been somewhat stranded at home counting down to Thursday night when he gets home. Thankfully he called our home teacher who came and fixed the problem tonight. Yeah! Now I don't have to do my grocery shopping with the stroller.

Craig's feeling's about turning 30

Gideon: Finally said his first word! It was "hi" as he held a play phone to his ear. I'm pretty sure he also said "dog" the other day too. Though his speech is delayed he still manages to communicate through gestures and grunts. I can hardly wait until he calls me mama. He is at a delightful stage where everything is funny and his giggles are heard most of the day. I love this boy!

He loved his first ice cream cone

Sierra: Is our little chatterbox that talk about anything and has a question about everything. She is fascinated with becoming an astronaut and wants to go live on the moon with her daddy (mommy's and little brothers have to stay on earth). She is very empathetic and covers you with band aids for any and all wounds. She seriously makes me laugh out loud every single day.

Sierra loved playing at the beach and searching for seashells and starfish

Me: I put six weeks of training to the test and ran a leg in a marathon relay in Corpus Christi. I ended up running the leg that went up and over a huge bridge. I really enjoyed the experience (especially the finish line) and am so grateful to my wonderful husband for supporting me especially on those long runs Saturday morning. This was hard for me but I just couldn't help but feel grateful for a strong, capable body. What a blessing!!

This is the end of the race and I had just spotted Craig and the kids

Run!

I've officially caught the running bug. First, Craig got me a jogging stroller, then I bought real running shoes and this week I signed up to run a race. I'll be running a marathon relay with five other women in Corpus Christi. I haven't done anything like this before and I'm nervous but very excited. It's in just six weeks so I've got lots of running to do between now and then- yeah!


Here are four cute cousins in Nevada testing out the stroller for the first time.

Called to Serve

My parents have been called on a mission to Guadalajara, Mexico working with the Perpetual Education Fund and the Church Educational System. They've sent eight of us kids on missions so finally it is their turn to spend their days serving the Lord. We will miss them terribly but I know what they will be doing will bless so many lives. This deserved a grand farewell fiesta so my children and I flew to Sparks, Nevada. Seven of my eight siblings were able to come join the festivities and with Craig's family living just a few miles away, we were surrounded by lots of family. What a wonderful feeling! We played and played and were completely worn out after two weeks. Craig came and spent a long weekend with us and we were actually able to get away for a night together (thanks Grandma). It's amazing how rejuvenating it is to leave behind mothering and housewife task for even just a day. Now we are back to the regular routine with the bonus of a fantastic jogging stroller that allows me to run each day even if I don't make it to the gym at 6am. Sierra and her cousin spent hours jumping on the trampoline.

One of Craig's favorite things to do at his parents home is to ride ATV's around their property. Even though it was freezing, the kids seemed to enjoy it too.

My parents and most of my siblings (one sister wasn't able to come as she's due to have a baby soon and another brother was there but was napping with his son and missed the picture)

Gideon was mesmerized by the snowfall!

Gideon's first hair cut by his Grandpa