Memorial Day Parade

This year we joined Land O' Lakes for the Memorial Day Parade in Kent.  The kids were so excited to be in a parade and it did not disappoint.  We were able to help decorate the trailer and the kids loved riding in it and throwing out candy.  Thomas had the privilege of dressing up in the cow costume.  It was super hot but, oh my, did he do a wonderful job.  He hammed it up so well.  He would run to the kids and give them high fives, fist bumps, take photos with them.  We teased, just a little, about all the teenage girls that gave him hugs and wanted selfies taken with him.  I'm sure if yo could have seen under the mask Thomas would have been bright red with embarrassment! 

 Sam and Spring were each able to walk a dog during the parade and give out dog biscuits to other dogs watching the parade.  They loved every minute of it.  Mary, Josh, Gideon, Sara, Jacob, and I rode on the float and the kids threw candy out.  I think they gave out more candy than they ate, but it may have been close.  Joel walked along handing out coupons to people.  We loved the day and hope to make it a yearly tradition.

Day of Baking

It was wonderful to have the kids home from school today.  We set about getting ready for Thanksgiving today so we could get as much baking and prep done today as possible. We have our traditional pie for breakfast tomorrow morning and the kids have invited so many people to this!  We were doing a quick count and we know of about 80 people that will probably be here sometime in the morning.  It should be fun.

 

So, we all started first thing this morning and we were in the kitchen baking all day long.  So grateful for children that enjoy helping and are very capable in the kitchen as well.  Here is what we made today:

 

2 Nut Pies

3 Pumpkin Cake Rolls

Turtle Cheesecake

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake

Key Lime Pie

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Now we just have to warm them in the crockpot tomorrow!)

Blueberry Cream Cheese Jello Salad for tomorrow's dinner

 

It was a fun filled day and all the kids were helping at some point.  Thomas didn't leave the kitchen at all.  I didn't do any of the mashed potatoes.  Spring helped him cut up the potatoes but he did the rest on his own.  He was my right hand today.  Spring went between helping us bake and reading.  Sammy, Joshie, and Gideon were outside playing most of the day and came in to help at different times...especially when there was a beater to lick!  Mary liked helping make the pumpkin cake rolls. 

 

Now I am tired and looking forward to going to bed before a crazy and fun morning of pie!

Easter Traditions

We have really tried through the years to focus more on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Easter holiday.  It seems the true reason for Easter has largely been forgotten, more so than Christmas for the most part.  I am so grateful for the beautiful Bible videos put out by the Church depicting events in the last week of our Savior's mortal ministry.  These helped us focus on the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His unconditional love for us.  We were able to sit each evening in the week prior to Easter and watch at least one of these videos.  We would then share our feelings and testimony of the Savior with each other.  I am ever so grateful for the growing testimony of our children and their sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.  They would remind us each night at dinner that we needed to remember to watch another video.  Their tender thoughts and feelings expressed after we watched the video strengthened my testimony, gratitude, and love for Jesus Christ. 

We also hold our egg hunt on Saturday morning.  This allows us to have fun and build the memories of this part of Easter without overshadowing the meaning of Easter.  This year, however, Spring became very sick Friday evening and so we decided to hold off on the egg hunt so she could participate. After taking her to the doctor Saturday morning we discovered she had strep throat.  So, she rested throughout the day on Saturday and we all just enjoyed time together playing games on Saturday.  For dinner Sunday evening Sue Ann joined us as well as a couple and their young daughter that recently moved here from Texas.  He works for Dad and they are still in a hotel room so we invited them to share dinner with us.  It was a great opportunity to share a little about our testimony with them.  They saw our FHE chart and were curious so we explained that to them and they really liked the idea of it.  It was nice to have them here for dinner as well.

So, we ended up having our Easter Egg hunt on Monday night for Family Home Evening.  It was so entertaining to watch each of the kids.  Thomas and Spring still get really excited about finding eggs.  We designate the plastic eggs with different colored tops and bottoms as eggs for Thomas, Spring, and Sammy to find.  All the plastic eggs that are solid color are only for the younger ones to pick up.  Spring found the most eggs, by far.  We laughed as Thomas really struggled to find eggs.  We shouldn't have been surprised because whenever he is looking for anything he forgets that sometimes you have to move something around or look in places other than eye-level!  Gideon found an egg and opened it right away.  As soon as he discovered that there were gummy bears in it, he was done.  He started shoving them in his mouth.  When they were gone he just brought the egg to us wanting us to put more candy in it!  It was fun to spend the evening together.  I am grateful for the Easter week to help us remember and reflect on the great gift of the Atonement and Resurrection.

Fun Times

My mom told me about these fun foam craft kits so I was able to get a couple of them for our kids. We were going to do them over Thanksgiving weekend but didn't have time so Spring chose to do them for our Family Home Evening activity.  The girls worked on one and the boys worked on another one.  Gideon jsut crawled around getting into all sorts of mischief opening drawers and emptying their contents, which seems to be a favorite pasttime of his!  They were all so happy to discover they got to keep their creations in their rooms too.  Thank you, Mom, for the great idea!

Thanksgiving

We were so blessed to have some family come and visit with us for Thanksgiving.  Joel's cousin, Tracy, and her family came to visit from Indiana.  Spring was so excited to finally have more girls in the house than boys since Tracy has 3 little girls.  The kids all had fun playing and spending time together for the days they were here.  We enjoyed our traditional "pie for breakfast" on Thanksgiving morning.  I really think this is the kids' favorite Thanksgiving tradition.  This year they invited friends from school as well.  We had probably 20 families join us and at one point there were 30 little kids in the house...all under the age of 11!  It was great to share in all the different pies and, more importantly, in the associations with all these wonderful people that truly bless our family's life!

It was fun to have the help of everyone in preparing dinner.  I am so grateful for a husband that enjoys helping in the kitchen and for children that love to help cook and are becoming very independent and capable in the kitchen.  I loved Thanksgiving this year as it was relaxing and enjoyable to be all together.

The following morning we were able to take Dustin & Tracy's family to the John Johnson farm in Hiram and then to Historic Kirtland.  We love being in these sacred places.  Mary and Sammy both told me that evening that they love coming to Kirtland and it is their second favorite place to go (Palmyra being their most favorite).  We were able to witness the Christmas lighting Ceremony at Historic Kirtland.  I loved it, as did all of our family.  After the lights were turned on everyone joined in singing, "Joy to the World." I found myself overcome with emotion during this to the point that I could not sing.  I thought of the joy this season brings that the whole world takes time to remember and worship our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Then I thought of the sacred ground I was standing on...in the shadows of the buildings that this same, Jesus Christ, came to testify, teach, and witness to the Prophet Joseph Smith.  The Spirit was overwhelming and powerful.  Joy to the world, the Lord is come...Let earth receive Her King!

More Halloween

Saturday was the day our town designated for trick or treating.  Joel took the older 5 kids to get pumpkins while I stayed home with a sleeping Gideon.  Thomas, Spring, and Sammy carved their pumpkins.  Mary and Joshie decorated their pumpkins with the "Mr. Potato Head" things.  I love this way of doing pumpkins for little ones.  Joshie's had 2 faces...one for each side.  That evening Thomas and Spring decided it would be more fun to stay home and hand out they candy than go trick-or-treating so they set up on the porch with blankets and hot chocolate and had a great time giving out candy.  Joel took Sammy, Mary, and Joshie around and Gideon was already in bed! 

Halloween Happenings

Halloween seems to be a week long event in Ohio.  I don't know if that is a good thing for a mom, like me, that really just handles Halloween for the sake of our children.  I really wouldn't be the least bit disappointed if Halloween never happened!  However, I put this aside and do find the fun in watching our children's excitement and fun.  Our week started with the "Spooky Monster Halloween Magic Show."  This took place at our library on Monday evening.  Sammy heard about this and decided this would be the "perfect Family Home Evening" activity.  It was a cute show and Spring was asked, by the Magician, to be use his camera to capture events of the evening as the "paparazzi."  She was elated!  Last night was the Ward Trunk-or-Treat which transformed into a trick or treat through the hallway due to the bad weather.  I couldn't believe how much candy the kids came home with in just one trip around the building.  Today Mary, Joshie, Gideon, and I went trick-or-treating throughout the library and then heard some Halloween stories.  They enjoyed being able to show off their costumes to their storytime friends.  Tomorrow are the Halloween parties at the schools and then Saturday is our town's designated night for Trick-or-Treating.  We are hoping the kids may have had their full of trick-or-treating and we can entice them with some family fun at home Saturday evening so we aren't up too late before church Sunday morning.  I am glad we have been able to participate as a family this week, however, as Joel will be gone all next week for business.

4th of July

We had a fun day yesterday relaxing at home and enjoying time with Aunt Alanna and Uncle Eric. We are so grateful they came to visit us. Mary has been Eric's shadow and loves to sit on his lap and cuddle with him all day long. We enjoyed a campfire complete with smores and then had fun catching fireflies. Aunt Alanna was the pro catching lots of them in her hands. When it finally became dark the kids enjoyed sparklers and poppers. How blessed we are to live in this free land. I am so grateful for all those that have and continue to protect our freedoms.

Surprise Visitors

Grandma & Grandpa Powell, Aunt Alanna, and Uncle Eric surprised the kids by coming to visit the Monday following Christmas. Mom and Dad thought they were going to be here Tuesday morning and they scared me half to death by banging on our bedroom door just before 11:00 at night. It was so great to have them here for the week. We enjoyed sharing gifts with each other on Tuesday afternoon. We played lots of games, went shopping, watched football, and just had a great time laughing, talking, playing, and making memories. We enjoyed New Year's Eve together. Just before 7:00 on New Year's Eve Sammy came to me and asked, "Is it New Year's Eve yet? I'm tired!" So, we all went outside and celebrated New Year's so that Sammy, Mary, and Joshie could go to bed. Then the rest of us stayed up playing games until we rung in the New Year. We are so blessed to have wonderful family. I love them all so much. I am grateful for the time they take to visit us and to make so many wonderful memories with our children. It was very sad to see them go after church on Sunday. I am incredibly grateful they stayed for church to help ease my burden during Sacrament Meeting. It was so nice for all the kids to have someone giving them individual attention and I actually was able to listen to the meeting. We all relish the memories we made and look forward to the next time we are together again.

Christmas Morning

We started Christmas bright and early. Thomas woke up around 12:30 and then again every 25-30 minutes after for the rest of the night. Needless to say, neither he nor I got much sleep. Finally, around 5:00 am I told him he could wake up everyone else. We also Skyped Grandma and Grandpa Powell so they could watch our morning with us. It was so cool to have them "there" with us and sharing in the morning. Thomas had an especially hard time this year that we weren't with them so this was a great way to help ease that for him. The kids were so cute with each other. Joshie even knew just what to do. At one point we had to buckle him in a booster seat so he wouldn't open any more presents without us knowing. He was content to be buckled too, which was a pleasant surprise. The kids loved their new bikes or scooters from Santa. How grateful I am to have such a wonderful family to share this time of year with. I love the excitement of Christmas and the many opportunities to remember and reflect on our Father in Heaven's love for us in sending us His Son, our Savior and Redeemer.

Later in the morning we drove up to Fairfield to be with Grandma, Grandpa, Emily, Tammy & Ty, Jared & Haylie and their kids. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and aunts and uncles. The next day the kids helped portray the nativity and we had a little "Christmas Olympics." We visited a little more before heading back home that evening so we could be here for church on Sunday.

Christmas Eve Festivities

What a great day today has been. I woke up at 4:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep. Finally, around 5:00 am I got up and decided to be productive. I made a batch of caramels, homemade bread, and did 2 loads of laundry before 7:00 am. Thomas was up around 5:30 and he kept me company. It was fun to have that time with him. Joel finally had the day off so he cleaned the carpets and changed the oil in the van this morning as well. I'm so grateful he was willing to do that to help me out.

Sammy was so excited that today was finally Christmas Eve. He kept asking us throughout the morning and afternoon, "Can we start Christmas Eve?" We finally figured out that we wanted to open his traditional gift for Christmas Eve. We were able to take some goodies around to friends today. We enjoyed that time as a family. After dinner we made "reindeer food" and the kids went outside to sprinkle it on the grass. Sammy was convinced he needed to use Daddy's ladder so he could climb onto the roof to sprinkle the reindeer food. Fortunately, we FINALLY convinced him he could just sprinkle it on the grass and the reindeer would still eat it. Then we came inside and read the Christmas story from the scriptures. As Joel read he would stop and talk to the kids and ask them questions. I am continually reminded of how much Thomas and Spring are growing up and am humbled at their insight to the scriptures. Following that the kids each opened the traditional Christmas Eve gift...PJ's. Joshie was the first one and he knew exactly what to do with his gift. After ripping off the paper he tried to put the PJ's on all by himself. Then, the kids made Santa's snack. Spring and Thomas came to us earlier today and told us they wanted to leave some vegetables for Santa also so he wouldn't get too sick from all the cookies he would be eating. Sammy decided Santa needed chocolate milk because he would probably get sick of all the regular milk from the other houses. The 4 older kids are all sleeping in the same room. The older ones were going to sleep pretty easily but Mary was just moving around and refusing to lay down. Joel went in to lay her down and Mary told him, "Me no like Santa so me not need to go to sleep." Joel told her if she didn't go to sleep then she wouldn't get any presents to which she replied, "OK. Me not want any presents." Fortunately, as she said this she layed down and stuck her thumb in her mouth!

I am so grateful for this wonderful time of the year. I am grateful for traditions that our parents shared with us as we were children that we are able to pass on and now share with our children. I am excited to see their reactions and excitement in the morning.

Gingerbread Houses at School

I was fortunate enough to help at school this morning with making gingerbread houses. Spring was so happy and excited to have me come in and help and it was fun to see her interact with her friends throughout the activity. She told me this made her even more excited for our traditional gingerbread making which we will be doing on Monday night.

Decorating for Christmas

We had a great time decorating for Christmas this year. Joshie loved taking the ornaments to the older kids so they could put the decorations on the tree. He also liked taking the ornaments off the tree. Sammy was so excited to see all the Christmas books and soon snuggled up next to Thomas so Thomas would read the stories to him. After decorating, as tradition holds, we watched "The Polar Express" together. The kids ended up watching it 2 more times that evening as Mom and Dad went to the temple. I am so excited for this time of year. It is so fun as the kids are getting older and remembering and asking when we will be doing each of the things we do traditionally at this time of year.

Day of Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful day yesterday as a family. We had the traditional "pie for breakfast" in the morning. We invited friends that were going to be in town to enjoy this tradition with us. We had over 50 people join us and lots of delicious pies. We enjoyed the time to visit and share in each other's company. The kids all enjoyed playing with their friends for about an hour in the morning. Then we set to work getting dinner ready. Thomas helped make the green bean casserole and the mashed potatoes. Spring, Sammy, and Mary helped with the homemade rolls...easily the favorite part of the meal for the kids. We were fortunate to have a couple from our ward, the Jones, enjoy dinner with us.

I am so grateful for a day set aside to remember our many blessings and to express gratitude for all we have. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family...my parents and siblings, Joel's family, and our little family that we have been so blessed to start. How grateful I am to know that these bonds and love can be eternal if we we choose to live worthily of that in this life. I am grateful for our Savior and His love for us and for temples of God which makes eternal families a reality. I am grateful for Joel's job and the freedom it provides for me to stay home and be a mom to our children. I am grateful for the peace and comfort we enjoy each day as we are together with our family.

Happy Halloween

We went to the ward Trunk or Treat for Halloween this year. The kids had fun dressing up in their costumes made by Grandma Biggs. Spring was Mary Poppins; Thomas was Burt, the Chimney Sweeper; Sammy & Mary were the penguins, and Joshie was a Dalmation. It was fun to have Grandma Powell with us for Halloween. She rescued Joshie from the Trunk-or-treat and brought him home when he was too tired to stay but the older kids weren't ready to come home. At the trunk-or-treat Mary just wanted to be with her nursery teacher. So she sat in the trunk of her car and handed the candy out to everyone that came around. When there weren't kids coming to get candy she went through the bowl and found the candy she wanted and put it into her bag. So, even though Mary didn't even go to any other car she came home with a bag full of candy.

Carving Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins Thursday evening. It was fun to have Grandma there with us. Grandma found some fun "Mr. Potato Head" type things for Sammy and Mary's pumpkins. It was perfect because they could really do it on their own. Thomas and Spring had a great time carving their pumpkins all by themselves. They still do not like getting the seeds out of the pumpkins and do all they can to have Mom and Dad help clean out the guts.

Pumpkin Patch

We headed off to Harvest Acres Pumpkin Patch tonight. It was the closest pumpkin patch we could find (just under an hour away). The drive was definitely worth it though. We were able to take a tractor hayride together. Josh was fascinated by the big tractor tires and we could hardly get him to look away the entire ride. We went on the last tractor ride of the night. As we were getting off the kids were talking to the man that drove the tractor and thanking him. We were going to take a picture of the kids by the tractor when he said, "Let's get a better picture than that." The he lifted Spring onto the seat of the tractor. He proceeded to do the same for all the kids. He then insisted that Joel and I get our turn as well. It was very kind of him and the kids LOVED it. Then there was a corn maze and a hay barrel maze for the kids. They also were able to pick their own pumpkin right off the vine in the big pumpkin patch. We had so much fun and the kids were really tired on the way home. Thomas and Spring fell asleep within 5 minutes and Joshua soon after that. Mary and Sammy successfully stayed awake the whole way home by playing the "He's touching me...Well, she touched me first" game ALL the way home. It was a fun way to get more into the holiday spirit. I am grateful we found this and were able to share the evening together.

Our Wonderful Saturday

What a wonderful Saturday we had today. We greatly enjoyed watching both sessions of conference today. Thomas and Spring have been anxiously awaiting conference all week. They woke me up this morning reminding me that General Conference would be starting in about 3 1/2 hours! We were so impressed with the kids today as we watched Conference on the computer. I had found some fun packets for them to work on while listening to conference. Thomas informed us that he was going to take notes in his journal, "just like you guys do" and he held true. He told me that he didn't need the packets anymore because he wanted to just take notes. Joel and I were amazed by his notes. Not only did he write down things that were said during the talks, he also wrote down his thoughts and feelings of what was said. Some of his impressions included:

"The Opening Hymn was 'Glory to God on High.' It's making me feel happy."
"There are so many new temples. The church just keeps expanding. I can't wait to go to the temple when I am 12 to do baptisms."
"The next hymn is 'Choose the Right'. It's one hymn that almost makes me cry."
"I want to be like Nephi and always feel the Holy Ghost tell me what to do."
"They are singing one of my favorite hymns. "We Thank Thee O God for a Profet."
"Should tell our testimony. The last time I did was last fast Sunday."
"Now they are singing, 'O may my soul comun with me" It is butiful"
"The choir is singing, 'Come, Come, Ye Saints.' I love this song."
""If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.' This is my favorite scripture."

I love this son of ours. He is such a blessing to our family and a reminder of what is truly important in life. His example of faith and obedience helps me strive to be the mother I need to be for him and our other children.

By the second session of Conference today, Spring decided she, too, didn't need the packet anymore and just wanted to take notes in her journal. She wrote down all the hymns that were song, the names of the speakers, and what she thought they were talking most about. She also drew pictures of what they were teaching in their talks. She has such a desire to be obedient and to listen to the words of our prophet and apostles. What an inspiration she is and how wonderful it was to see her push herself to really listen and learn from the wonderful words of counsel we heard today.

Sammy and Mary enjoyed sitting with us. They colored and sang the hymns during the 1st session. They napped during the second session. Sammy didn't want to miss "the movie on the computer" though. He slept all through the second session and was so sad when he woke up and realized it was over. We had to pull it back up on the computer so he could "listen to the prophet tell us what Jesus says."

Spring's soccer game was at a great time today because it was right in between the sessions of conference. We enjoyed going to her game. While Joel was at the Priesthood Session the kids and I pulled out the Halloween decorations so they could put them up. They all had great fun with that. Then we played outside for a while before heading in for baths and bedtime routine. We are so grateful for the cooler weather we have been blessed with this week. As the kids were heading to bed tonight I heard Thomas, Spring, and Sammy talking to each other. They were saying they couldn't wait for morning when they got to watch conference again. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to be taught and edified by God's chosen and annointed. How blessed we have been today to have the abundance of the Spirit in our home. I pray that our children will always look forward to hearing and following the Prophet of God.

Memorial Day

Our day started early with Thomas and Joel heading out with Garrett and Chuck to put out flags. They had sold subscriptions to people as a fundraiser for scouts. They then put the flags out in the morning and pick them back up in the evening on 5 different holidays. Thomas and Garrett had a great time doing this. Sometimes I am still in awe when I see Thomas in his uniform doing these things. Can he really be as grown up as he is becoming? I am so grateful for the cub scout program for the values it instills in these young boys. It was a great way to talk to Thomas and Spring about Memorial Day because Spring asked what the holiday today was all about. We talked to them about how it is a day to remember and honor those that have sacrificed for our freedoms so we can live life the way we do each and every day.

This afternoon we went to our friends' home, the Haights. They invited some families over for lunch, swimming, and fun. We all had a great time. Thomas, Garrett, and Spring were in the pool for hours. Sammy and Mary went in a little but they played more than anything else. We really enjoyed the time with friends. All the dads were swimming too and many times it was hard to distinguish between the dads and the kids! We really are blessed to have some great friends here.

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day. It started off early with the four older kids coming in our room very early singing out loudly, "Happy Mother's Day!" I opened my eyes to see all of them around me with a tray full of food for breakfast. Thomas and Spring got up early and made me breakfast all by themselves. They made a fried egg, tortillas full of sour cream and cheese, and a breakfast burrito with scrambled egg, sour cream, cheese, and casserole leftovers from the night before! Then I received all their wonderful cards and gifts they had made at school. I was very happy that they all wanted to sit on the bed and help me eat my "delicious" breakfast!

Church was really good too...I only had to leave Sacrament Meeting one time! That was the best Mother's Day gift of all! We have been working really hard with Sammy and Mary during the last few weeks...talking with them and helping them practice how to act in Sacrament Meeting. They really are good...it is just that Sammy, Mary, and Joshua all want to sit on someone's lap and my lap is the only one with Joel not being able to sit with us. Yesterday was so good! We were sure to praise them and really thank them for doing so well!

Joel did not have as many meetings as usual so he was home more yesterday also which was wonderful. I am so grateful for our children and for the gospel of Jesus Christ that helps teach us the importance of eternal families. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a mother to these wonderful spirits of our Father in Heaven. I am grateful for my mom and her wonderful example of love, compassion, and selfless service to her family, those around her, and the Church. I love being a mom!