Family Day at Dad's Plant

On Saturday Joel's plant had a family picnic and fun day at the plant. They had bounce houses, sno-cones, kettle corn, and a BBQ. They had a little "hayride" to bring you from where you parked to the plant parking lot. All the kids loved it with the exception of Mary. She looked terrified and when I asked her if she was having fun she said, "No me like this at all." Sammy on the other hand kept saying, "I love this ride. Can we buy one of these to drive around in?" Thomas and Spring were old enough that they were actually able to go with Joel on a tour of the plant. They have been wanting to do this for a long time and we were very grateful for the opportunity they had to see where daddy works. They have been to his office many times; however, it is very controlled as to who can go onto the production floor. We had a fun time despite the triple digit heat!

Happy Birthday Joshie!

Our little Joshie turned 1 today! All the kids loved giving him so much attention and telling him happy birthday all day long. They told everyone at church that it was Joshie's birthday too. We had a good afternoon once Daddy got home from all his church meetings. Joshie opened his present from Grandma & Grandpa Powell and our family. It was a Little People garage/ramp toy. ALL the kids loved it and Joshie didn't get much time to play with it. He was happy just playing alongside them though. The kids ended up setting up all the Little People things and made a big city to play together. Then we had dinner...French Toast. A little later we had his cake (brownies with marshmallow creme and chocolate frosting...the idea on the back of the brownie box that Thomas and Spring wanted us to make.). We put the cake with the lit candle in front of Joshua so we could get a picture and he tried to grab the flame and started to cry. So, he wasn't in a great mood when we sang "happy birthday" to him after that! He loved the cake though and definitely needed a bath afterwards!

How blessed we are to have Joshua in our family. He is o ne happy little guy that loves to be with his brothers and sisters. He has become a little more clingy to me lately and I have been enjoying the hugs and cuddles from him. I know they don't last forever and I enjoy them while I can get them! Happy Birthday, Joshie!

Following in Uncle Jared's Footsteps

Last night I couldn't find Mary. I asked Sammy if he knew where she was and he gave me that look of his with the big smile, nodded his head, and started to giggle. I finally convinced him to show me where she was. He pulled me by the hand into the laundry room but I still didn't see her. Then he pointed at the dryer. By now he was laughing REALLY hard. I opened up the dryer to find our little Mary sitting there waiting for someone to come and get her. It reminded me of the story of when Uncle Jared did the same thing to Aunt Tammy only he also turned the dryer on. I guess I need to be grateful that Sammy didn't turn the dryer on too!

Soccer Time Again

Well, we have been into soccer season again for about a month now. Thomas decided not to play this year with everything else he has going on (heading to Fresno weekly for piano lessons, cub scouts, and school). He misses it though and wants to play next year. Spring has been really enjoying her time with soccer this year. Her team is the Butterflies. Joel, once again, is her coach so he let her pick the team name and color. I love to watch him with the girls because he is so good with them. He has fun with them, gets them excited about playing, and also takes the time be sure they understand and are learning the fundamentals of the game. With everything else he has going on, I am so grateful he finds it important to find the time to spend 3 days a week coaching these girls. I know Spring absolutely loves it. She tells everyone that her dad is the coach and she calls him, "Coach Daddy!" Although it makes life busy right now, we enjoy the family time together watching and cheering Spring on. Thomas is a big help at the games to me as he helps keep an eye on Mary and Sammy as I tend to get pretty wrapped up in the game!

Thanks Aunt Alanna

Aunt Alanna sent a super cute outfit to Joshie for his birthday and, in true Aunt Alanna style, also sent something for the other kids as well. I have been promising to get these pictures on here so she could see the kids modeling their new duds! Thanks, Alanna!

New Dresses From Grandma

Grandma Powell made Spring and Mary these beautiful dresses. They were so excited to wear them to church today. They received many, many compliments on them. Thanks so much, Mom, for making them for the girls. They LOVE them!

Sammy's Staples

This afternoon Sammy was so excited that Thomas was home from school and kept trying to wrestle with Thomas. Thomas entertained him for a while and then had enough of it and asked Sammy to stop. Well, we all know Sammy doesn't like to stop and he didn't. He kept running from across the room and jumping onto Thomas who was laying on the couch. I was in the other room and kept hearing Thomas say, "Sammy, stop!" Then all of a sudden I heard Sammy start crying really hard. I ran into the room and the first thing I saw was puddles of dark stuff all over the carpet. I picked Sammy up and soon my shirt was bloody too. I found the source of the blood...Sammy's head. Thomas finally had enough and put his hands out to stop Sammy when he came running and jumping. Sammy went backward and hit the coffee table with his head.

I called the Doctor's office to see if I needed to bring him in and they said I should. Fortunately Sister Haight willingly watched the other kids so Sammy and I could head off to the doctor. The pediatrician took one look at it and said he needed staples but that he didn't do that in his office so we had to go to the ER. Off we went. Whenever somebody asked him what happened he would go through the whole story..."I was westling with my broder Thomas and he tode me to stop and I didn't. So he put out his hand and I fell on the table and crack my head open. SEE!" Then he would duck his head down and show everyone his wound. He was so brave and didn't cry at all until the doctor put the staples in his head. He cried so hard and I felt so bad. He told me on the drive home, "Mom, I don't like this!"

And he's off....

Just a few minutes ago I sat down on the floor and called for Joshua to come over to me so I could change his diaper. He was standing up at the coffee table. He looked at me, laughed, shook his head no, and walked off in the opposite direction about 5 steps! He has yet to even take a single step before this. Sammy said, "Mom Joshie walking!" I quickly changed his stinky diaper and by then Thomas was out of the shower so he came over and called for Joshua and off he walked from me to Thomas. He did it about 4-5 different times (soon Mary and Sammy joined Thomas in encouraging hi to come over). Then he got tired and resorted to crawling off. We've known this would be coming soon, but how is it that when it does happen I am surprised and filled with bittersweet emotion...excited for him to learn something new yet sad that our baby is embarking on the next stage in life.

Picking Grapes, Blessing Lives

This article, "Picking Grapes, Blessing Lives" gives a wonderful description of the great blessing we have when we are able to work in the vineyard. Although our move and transition to Lemoore has been very difficult for our family, this opportunity to work in the vineyard and serve as a family has been probably the greatest highlight for us. To have this opportunity to serve and be blessed by the Spirit is enough to help us continue each day to make the most of our time here. I thought those of our family so far away would be interested in this article and the information it shares about the work in the vineyard.

What Matters Most

I came across this video and absolutely love it. I am grateful for the reminder of taking time to remember what is truly important in my life...my family and the relationships we share together.

Can you Guess What Mary is Doing?

Yesterday I happened to look over and see Mary doing this. It took all I had to not laugh out loud. It was so cute. Last night she started to do it again so Joel grabbed the camera to capture this moment in time. Can you tell what she is doing? Can you tell what we have been seeing a lot of lately?

Night at the Vineyard

(This was taken after we washed up at the vineyard! We were sure dirty!)

As soon as the kids came home from school yesterday we headed up to the Church's Welfare Vineyard near Fresno. It is grape harvest time again. This year our ward was responsible for 4 rows (1/4 mile each) to harvest all the grapes. We were able to complete all 4 rows and also complete an additional row to help a very small ward in the stake. The kids have been excited for the vineyard all week. Yesterday Sammy and Mary started asking me first thing in the morning if it was time to go to the vineyard. We all love our time working and serving together. Thomas and Spring were huge helpers this year dumping pans of grapes on the trays to dry. They even helped cut some of the grapes. Sammy's favorite part was helping to lay out the grapes so they weren't in huge piles on the trays. We were all dirty and tired by the end of the night. We asked the kids how they felt as we were driving away. They all replied with excitement, "Happy!" We headed to In-n-Out for dinner at 9:00 pm! There were about 7 families that inundated In-n-Out all at once. I am sure they were wondering where all these filthy people were coming from to eat so late at night! The kids thought it was fun to eat at the tables outside! When we finally got home last night we woke kids up and showered them (they were half asleep in the shower/bath) and put them to bed. I thought for a moment of not having them shower but I knew I would have to wash all their sheets and blankets in the morning if I didn't! How grateful I am for this opportunity to serve and work together as a family. Service really does bring joy to our hearts.

Time at the Temple

Last night Joel and I were able to attend the temple again together. We have committed to attend the temple at least once a month together. We schedule the day on the calendar for the entire year. Once it is there, we don't let anything change our plans to attend. Our trip to the temple trumps all other activities. We are so grateful to have been able to do this consistently for almost 5 years. Many times people comment that they don't know how we do this with young children and our response is, "We don't know how we couldn't do it." There have been times when it would have been easy to find an excuse to not go that night. How thankful I am that this is a commitment we have made together with our Father in Heaven. This gives us the strength to keep to our commitment.

I know our Father in Heaven blesses us when we make temple worship a priority in our lives. We need the peace and calmness that surrounds us within the temple walls. We receive answers to questions, comfort and strength, increased understanding of our Savior and the Atonement in our lives, and a continued resolve to live according the commandments and covenants we have made. I am so grateful to be close to a temple. I am grateful for a loving husband that finds value in us attending the temple together. I know it blesses and strengthens our relationship.

Joel and I were talking on our way to the temple last night. He mentioned that on his way to work yesterday he was listening to Elder Scott's address from conference entitled, "Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need." We enjoyed sharing our thoughts on this talk and we felt much more prepared for our time in the temple last night. One particular quote from Elder Scott spoke to us because yesterday was one of those times that it would have been very easy to stay home. Elder Scott counsels us:

"When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple.

What is there that is more important than attending and participating in the ordinances of the temple? What activity could have a greater impact and provide more joy and profound happiness for a couple than worshipping together in the temple?"