Beautiful Day

What a great thing it was to have such a gorgeous day and for it to be a Saturday when we didn't have anywhere we needed to be. We spent most of the day outside as a family.  Joel changed the oil in the bus and we attacked our LONG lawn.  This was the first mowing since winter hit us and it has been long overdue; however, we have been waiting for the lawn to dry out a little bit.  The front yard was able to be completely mowed and edged; however, the backyard looks rather funny at this point.  We got some strips taken care of but there is a rather large section of our backyard that is still a swamp with inches of standing water so we couldn't mow that part of the yard yet.  Thomas was so excited to be able to mow again and he did a great job with it. A while ago the kids had each picked a packet of seeds to plant so we did that today as well as planting tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and zucchini.

It was strange to see how the neighborhood came to life today. Everywhere we looked people were outside mowing, pulling weeds, planting gardens, cleaning up yards. It was amazing. It was like life had returned to the neighborhood after a long, hard winter. We talked with neighbors that we had only waved at while shoveling or snowblowing all winter. It was an invigorating and very enjoyable day. We came inside for dinner and baths and then we put our very tired kids to bed for the night.

Bulldog Pups at the Aeros Game

Thursday night Thomas was able to perform the National Anthem at the Akron Aeros (minor league baseball team) game with his school choir, the Bulldog Pups.  He has been anxiously awaiting this day for a couple of months now.  Our family went to the game as well and we survived through the wind and rain that began about 4 innings into the game.  The MacPhersons also were there because Kaiden is in the choir as well.  Our seats were together so we had a fun evening.  At one point Joel and Bishop were taking a couple of the kids to the homerun section to try to get some baseballs.  The coolest thing was all the kids decided to go so Stefanie and I were left alone with just Gideon.  It was really nice to have time to just visit.  We were nice though and we didn't decide to leave and go do something else and leave them with all the kids for the rest of the night!  Thomas really enjoys choir and you can tell when you watch him sing and perform.  I'm so glad he has these opportunities at the school.

(Sorry for the movement and blurry spots.)

6 Months Old

Somehow, Gideon hit 6 months this week.  He continues to be such a sweet and calming influence in our home.  He brings out gentleness in all his siblings.  As he is becoming more and more interested in his siblings they love to have him with them.  He is often the first person Thomas greets after school with a happy, "Hi Giddy!" and lots of hugs and kisses.  Recently Spring has decided that laying him down for bed at night is pretty fun so if he is ready for bed she will take him from me, cuddle him for a few minutes, and then lay him down with extra kisses for bed at night.  Although part of me is selfish and wants this time with my little guy, I am also grateful for her desire to nurture him and care for him.  She is learning wonderful mothering skills.  Gideon smiles so easily and is so easy going.  He scoots all over the place, backwards and away from his toys, but I am always amazed at how fast he already is.  I love each moment with this little guy.

Videos from our trip to NY

Here are a couple videos from our trip that I forgot to include in the previous posts.

Niagara Falls

After our time in Palmyra we stopped by Niagara Falls on our way home.  It was super cold and windy but amazing to see.  Spring thought it was really cool that she could see Canada and commented, "I can't believe I'm on the edge of the United States."  We loved the time there and were so glad Alanna could come out and see these fun places with us.  I look forward to a return trip to Palmyra and Niagara Falls this fall when my parents come to visit.

A Day in Palmyra

We were blessed to be able to travel to Palmyra, NY this past weekend for a quick trip to visit some wonderful areas of our church history.  We went to the Smith family farm.  We went on a tour of the Smith Log cabin which is where Joseph Smith's family lived during the time of religious confusion.  As we were taught some of the history of the family it was evident that the Lord had His hand in this work.  Joseph was needed to be where he was at this time to usher in the restoration of Christ's church. We looked out the door of the home that Joseph walked out on his way to the Sacred Grove to pray asking which church he was to join.  I did not realize how close the Sacred Grove was to Joseph's home.  As we stood looking out the door and the Sister Missionary recited Joseph's account of seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ the Holy Ghost confirmed to me again of the truthfulness of this experience.  Joseph did indeed see our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ in this Sacred Grove.  It was an incredible experience.  We also stood in the room where the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph to tell him about the Golden Plates.  I was amazed at how small this home and room was for all that transpired there.  We saw some places where Joseph hid the golden plates to keep them safe from the mobs that were trying to steal them.  We then saw the Smith Frame home which was a larger home they later moved into.  The Smith farm was 100 acres and the Palmyra temple now sits on land that was part of the Smith farm.

We then were able to walk through the Sacred Grove.  This was an incredible experience as we walked the hallowed grounds, the same place that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared.  I never thought I would be able to do this.  As we walked and I reflected on all that occurred in this sacred place I was touched by the Spirit and my testimony strengthened that our Father in Heaven knows each of us and He wants each of us to return to Him.  The church was restored so we would be able to return to our Father in Heaven.  I loved having the time to talk with our children as we walked through this grove and answer their questions and hear their feelings.  I loved reflecting on the blessings the restored gospel of Jesus Christ brings to my life.  As we were walking through Joel recited the account of the First Vision in Tagalog and, even though I do not understand the words, the Spirit testified of the truthfulness of Joseph's account.  I look forward to returning to the Sacred Grove again.  How I loved being in this sacred place with my husband, children, and sister.  As we were leaving the Grove Spring told us, "I'm going to bring my children here."  Of all the fun places she has been this is the first time she has ever said this and how it warmed my heart to hear her desire to share this legacy of faith with her future family.

We then went to see the Palmyra Temple.  We walked around the outside of the temple.  Thomas and Spring commented that the Angel Moroni statue seemed really big to them.  I would love to come back sometime and go inside the temple.

We next went to the E.B. Grandin building which was the site of the publication of the first Book of Mormon.  The first 5000 copies cost $3000.  We were taught and shown all the steps of the printing and binding of the book of Mormon.  I never realized what an incredible undertaking this was at that time.  It took 7 months for the first set to be completed and 18 months for all 5000 to be printed.  What a blessed people we are to have the Book of Mormon so readily available to us today to read and study from.

We then went to the Hill Cumorah.  We were able to walk all the way to the top of the Hill Cumorah to the place where Joseph Smith received the Golden Plates.  It was quite the hike up the Hill.  I didn't realize how big of a hill it was.  It was so beautiful outside and the view was amazing.  We enjoyed reflecting on what Joseph Smith may have felt as he went to this spot each year for 4 years before receiving the plates.  Again it was incredible to walk on grounds where a Heavenly Messenger, Angel Moroni, had been.

We then drove about 45 minutes to Fayette, NY to the home of Peter Whitmer.  In this home Joseph continued more of the translation of the Book of Mormon.  He translated from 1 Nephi through Words of  Mormon.  This was also where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was restored.  This was a wonderful day for our family.  I'm so grateful Alanna was able to be with us as well.  I hope our children will remember the feelings they had as they continue to develop their testimonies.  I know Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God and that through the power of God was able to translate the Book of Mormon.  My love for the Book of Mormon grew this weekend as I realized how blessed we are to have this sacred book.  It was an incredible way to prepare for Easter as we were able to walk in places where our Resurrected Savior appeared on Earth.  Our Savior lives and we can live with Him again.  What a blessing of peace this is to me.

Inflatable Insanity

We found a fun place to take the kids today.  Thomas and Spring stayed home from school today but the weather was really stormy so we couldn't do much outside.  We had a great time today though.  There were bounce houses, inflatable slides and bungee cord things, and even indoor miniature golf.  Thomas and Sammy said miniature golf was their favorite.  In Sammy's words, "I never got to play golf before but today I got to!"  Spring liked the bungee thing even though she got a velcro covered beanbag stuck in her hair twice.  Mary said she loved "ALL of it!"  Joshie is one fearless daredevil.  He was climbing up all the highest slides and jumping to start his slide down.  He just kept going over and over and over again.  They all were very grateful and kept telling us how much fun they had.  They were sure tired from it and we enjoyed a very quiet ride home and hour at home before dinner and an early bedtime.  I enjoyed having Alanna with me to visit with and spend time with while the kids were playing.

Mary's Masterpiece

Just before dinner last night Sammy brought Joel into the front room to show him something.  Now, we seldom go into that part of the house but Sammy had discovered something he just had to show us.  Behind the couch was Mary's masterpiece:

She had used a black dry erase marker to draw all over the wall...from as high as she could reach all the way down to the floor.  She even was kind enough to sign her artwork!  The smudge marks are from where she attempted to erase the marks with the eraser on the marker.  Needless to say, we were not very happy with her.  I went to the store last night to buy some Magic Erasers and this morning she had the difficult job of scrubbing all her artwork off the wall.  She was grunting and telling me how hard it was to get the marker off the wall.  After a while she realized how sore her arms were too.  Her brothers and sister all wanted to come to her rescue and help.  After she had done it alone for quite some time I let them come and help but she had to keep working too.  We are in hopes that she will use paper as her canvas for her future masterpieces.

Restoration Family Home Evening

We talked about the restoration of the church for Family Home Evening tonight since we will be going to Palmyra later this week.  We peeled an orange and separated all the pieces and then asked the kids to put the orange back together.  This was to represent how Christ organized the church when He was on the earth (the orange before it was pealed).  After Christ and the Apostles died there were pieces left but the church was no longer on the earth (the pealed orange and separated pieces).  We couldn't put the orange back together but through Joseph Smith the church was restored upon the Earth.  Then we had pieces of a puzzle with questions about the restoration on the back.  Following our lesson we made log cabins, like Joseph Smith grew up in, out of pretzels and frosting.  Thanks to Alanna this turned into a bit of a frosting war!  We finished the night with the ice cream cake that Spring and Alanna made for us.  We are very excited to visit Palmyra later this week.

BYU Fan

Alanna brought some BYU gear for Gideon so we had him try it out today.  She also bought him his first pair of shoes.  I can't believe how grown up he looked today! 

Aunt Alanna Comes to Visit

 

We picked Alanna up from the airport yesterday afternoon and the fun began. The kids were excited all day and had a hard time waiting until 3:30 when we left for the airport. It is so fun to see the kids so happy with her. She brought the kids each a special little gift. When she gave Mary her gift, a dress, Mary asked her with such excitment, "Did you grow out of this dress, Aunt Alanna?" Can you tell she is used to hand-me-downs? Sammy informed her that he is the coolest kid in the world! She has been the center of all their attention today as well. It's been a fun day so far and we are excited for the rest of the week to spend together.

Amazing Big Brother

The busy part of the afternoon was upon me yesterday.  We had spent the previous couple hours outside enjoying the spring weather and I had not prepared dinner earlier in the day so I was in a pinch.  Joel would soon be home from work, Thomas was doing homework, Spring was practicing the piano, Sammy, Mary, & Joshie were running around playing some kind of crazy game full of energy and shrieks of laughter.  I was trying to get dinner started so we could eat before Joel had to run off to Young Men's.  Amidst all this Gideon decided he had been patient long enough and needed to eat.  In all fairness, I had brought him outside with us right after he woke up from his nap so he had already waited almost 2 hours for me to feed him.  I was at the stove at a point when I couldn't really stop to feed him so I kept talking to him to try to calm him down until I could go to him.  After a couple minutes he wasn't fussing anymore and I thought to myself, "Wow...me talking to him really worked.  That's pretty cool."  Then I turned around to check on him and discovered the reason he had stopped fussing. 

He has an amazing big brother who knew just what he needed and lovingly took care of it.  How grateful I am for Thomas and his loving and caring nature.  He really knows how to lighten my burden.

Fun Together

I loved our time together today.  We went to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park for a couple hours after lunch today.  The rangers had a free program about frogs for the kids and then we went for a walk in the national park.  The river was flowing VERY fast from all the snow runoff.  Joshie kept climbing on the wood railings and scaring this poor mother half to death.  I would hold onto his shirt, which he did not like, but I was scared he would topple right over.  He, of course, had no fear of it all.  The park looks so different from when we went hiking there last summer when Alanna and Eric were here because the trees are all still barren of leaves but it was great to be outside enjoying the time together.  The railroad runs through the park and you can go on a scenic train ride through the park (about 2 hours long).  The kids really want to do this and we told them we would take them sometime but we would rather do it in the summer or even fall when the leaves are changing colors and it will be prettier.  They think it would be fun to do when family comes to visit us.   After our time at the National Park we headed to a playground to run off more energy and enjoy the outdoors.  It is amazing how warm 55 degrees feels to us now!  After coming home the kids spent even more time outside before coming in for baths, stories, and bed.  Days like today really make me excited for the fun activities we can enjoy as the weather turns warmer in the coming months.

Who Knew Putting on PJ's could be so exciting?

So, last night the kids were supposed to be getting their PJ's on which should be an uneventful activity; however, I should know by now that when Sammy is around there is no guarantee for uneventful! He started off putting his pants on his head and dancing around and then it just escalated. Their shrieks of laughter were contagious and we were all just enjoying the "clown show" they were giving us! I'm grateful for the laughter, smiles, giggles, and joy that were abundant in our home last night stemming from our silly Sammy!

Could it be Spring?

The kids assure me that it really is Spring because the calendar said the first day of spring was sometime last month.  I have been reluctant to agree with the snow we continue to receive.  Yesterday afternoon, however, the snow had melted and it was really quite nice outside.  We headed outside after naptime and had so much fun.  I think I had forgotten how wonderful it is to get outside and just play.  It was amazing to hear the kids laughing and giggling as they rode their bikes and scooters.  Soon they were off running around finding rocks for their "rock collection" and climbing in the trees.  They were amazed to see some flowers beginning to bloom from the bulbs.  We picked weeds, cut back a bush we had forgotten to before all the snow came (it had been completely flattened from the heavy snowfall) and just loved being in the yard.  Sammy and Joshie found every mud pile imaginable and were in absolute heaven jumping in the mud, picking it up and watching it ooze through their fingers, and making prints in it.  We loved being outside and it made me even more anxious for more days like this.  I am amazed at how quickly our grass has greened up as well.  Our backyard, especially, is already a vibrant green.  It was brown and dead just a few days ago from being dormant in the winter.  I thought for sure it was going to take longer to green up.  I am pleasantly surprised.  I can't wait to experience an Ohio Spring.  We've been told it is just beautiful! 

General Conference Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we just had listening to our Beloved Prophet and Apostles of the Lord, Jesus Christ during General Conference.  I so look forward to this weekend for the renewing strength, comfort, and guidance it gives to me.  Our children have been so excited for conference for the past few weeks.  Unfortunately, it fell in between nights of sick kids.  Thursday night we woke up to Joshie throwing up in bed, Friday night was Sammy's turn, Saturday night was Spring's turn, and Mary was suffering from continual melted poop all weekend.  Gratefully, we were able to be home and hear conference from the luxury of our own home.  Spring was so sad on Sunday morning when she was still feeling sick.  She cried as she told us, "Why do I have to be sick during Conference?  I would be happy to be sick on any day other than conference."  She wanted to desperately to keep taking notes but just didn't feel up to it because her stomach hurt so badly if she sat up.  She asked if she could watch the talks she missed on the computer because she doesn't want to miss a word that Heavenly Father wanted to tell us.  What an example of faith and testimony she is to us.  It was wonderful to hear the younger kids say things like, "Hey we have Family Home Evening" if they heard someone mention FHE or make other comments that showed us how much they, too, were listening to the inspired words of counsel and instruction. We plan meals that we can have during conference due to the time it is on here...we are still adjusting to watching it a whole 3 hours later than we have done for most of our lives.  The first session is from 12-2 and the second session is from 4-6 so they both fall right at mealtime.  The kids enjoy helping up prepare fun meals to enjoy during conference. 

I loved all the talks that we were blessed to hear this session of conference.  I'm including some of the highlights that are personal to me here (for journaling purposes).  I can't wait to be able to read and really study these words more.

*President Monson's call to donate to the General Missionary Fund

*Sister Stevens reminder to "Behold our little ones."  This means not to just look or glance but to embrace with our hearts and arms.  This reminded me of the talk, "Stay on the Path", from last Conference.

*Elder Cook's Parable of the Purse

*President Eyring's talk on doing good.  I loved that he told us we need to help our children feel the joy of doing good and spreading joy around us.  We want to find more opportunities to involve our children in looking for ways to help others.

*President Packer:  The husband/father is the head of the home; the wife/mother is the heart of the home. 

                               Frankly forgive others and "leave it alone."

*Elder Maynes:  Establish a Christ-centered home by establishing eternal traditions that will overcome the false traditions of the world.  I love the reminder that the simple things like FHE, family prayer, and family scripture study are the keys to fortifying our children from the influences of the world.  During this talk Mary kept saying, "Hey, we do that Mom!"

*Elder Oaks:  "Our desires dictate our priorities.  Our priorities shape our choices.  Our choices determine our actions."

*President Uchtdorf:  "Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words!"

*Elder Johnson:  Trials help us put on the divine nature.  Don't resent those things that will strengthen us.

*President Monson:  85% of church membership lives within 200 miles of a temple.  Our sacrafice is to visit the temple regularly by setting aside time from our busy schedules.  I'm grateful to be in that 85% and only live about 180 miles from the temple.

*I loved Elder Scott's talk on marriage and the family.

*Elder Robbins talk on "To Be and To Do."  Children that test our patience and abilities are a blessing to us.  We need them more than they need us as we are able to become more like our Father in Heaven as we learn to work with and teach them.

What a blessed people we are to have a true and living prophet upon the face of the earth to guide us, comfort us, encourage us, and remind us of the very things we need to do in order to return to Him.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Mary

Our sweet Mary is 4 today!  She has been anxiously awaiting her birthday for weeks now.  She would give us the countdown each day.  She had her menu planned out too...cheese stuffed shells, strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, with strawberries on top, and strawberry ice-cream.  She said that way she could be just like "Pinkalicious."  When people would ask her what she wanted for her birthday she would tell them all about the meal she was going to have.  She never asked for a toy or present or anything.  I don't think she even really thought about that part of it.  She invited Elder and Sister Brower to dinner on her birthday and was so happy when they accepted.

Unfortunately, she was sick yet again today. Shortly after naptime she started having her, as Sammy has termed it in our home, "melted poop."  Our poor little girl has been so sick lately and I am really beginning to worry about her.  For the last 3 months it is easier to count the days that she has felt good than to count the days she has been sick.  It just drains her and she has no life to her. I  asked her if she wanted to wait and celebrate on a different day but she was very sure that she wanted to still have her party tonight. 

She loved going to the store to get her balloons, per tradition.  She chose a princess birthday balloon for herself and then very carefully and deliberately picked out a special balloon for each of her siblings.  Although she didn't feel much like eating dinner, she perked up when she was able to open her presents.  The Browers gave her a stuffed bunny rabbit to sleep with; Spring made her a cute coupon book; we got her some Tinkerbell figurines; and she got a new doll and lots of clothes from Grandma & Grandpa Powell.  When she opened that box and saw the doll her eyes got so big and there was the twinkle in them that we hadn't seen all night.  She loved changing her outfits and playing with her doll.  After a while she blew out her candles and had a few token bites of cake and ice cream.  We sure hope she is feeling better soon.

Mary is our little sweetheart.  We love her smile with a scrunched up nose.  She is a nurturer by heart and so kind to all around her.  We are so blessed to have our sweet Mary.

Bedtime at our House

Following family prayer last night Sammy asked, very excitedly in only the way Sammy can, if he could tuck Joshie into bed.  Joshie thought that was a great idea so we agreed.  The two of them ran off to Joshie's room and we set about tucking in Mary, reading her a story, tucking in Thomas & Spring, and getting Gideon ready for bed.  I had kinda forgotten about Sammy's request until I headed down the hallway to the stairs and found the following going on:

I love our Sammy.  He is a sweetheart and he really wants to choose the right.  He seems to be growing and maturing right before my eyes.  I never want to forget this moment!