Family Pictures 2011

Sorry for the recent lack of pictures on the blog. I know most of you probably come on here to see pictures of our adorable children. And believe me, I don't blame you :) So here are some of my favorites from the family pictures we had taken back in October.

Mommy Musings: Extremely hard...but so worth it!

I have a news flash for you. Ready?...Motherhood is hard! I know, you are all shocked, right? But that is something I have continually been learning in the 6+ years I have been a mother. Being a mother has been an emotional roller coaster for me, especially the last year or so. I have two VERY active and VERY energetic children, who keep me constantly thinking to myself "Can I do this? Do I have the energy/patience/willpower to make it to their high school graduations?" And for some reason, the last few months have been particularly difficult. There have been days when I haven't wanted to get out of bed, or I might have put Kayla into quiet time a little extra early so I could have more time to myself, or been grateful that Will is in school the majority of the day. That may make me sound like a bad parent, but it's the truth. But somehow I keep going, mostly because of things like this:


I was having a particularly bad day earlier this week, and I ended up sitting at the table with my head in my hands wondering if I could get through the rest of the day. Unbeknownst to me, Will started drawing a picture. He then comes over and hands it to me. But the kicker was what he said. He said "I drew this to make Mommy happy again." It makes me cry even now just remembering that moment. Bill and I looked at the picture for a minute, then Bill leans over to me and says "We really do have great kids." And I of course knew he was right. So I'm grateful that I now have this tangible reminder that my kids really do love me and that I can do this difficult job called parenting.

Mommy Musings: Tis the Season...To Shop?

I'm not usually the type to get on a soapbox, but I have something on my mind today. I was driving around earlier this morning, listening to a radio station that plays all Christmas music. And after about the third or fourth commercial between songs I realized something: Not one of those commercials focused on the real reason we have Christmas. Each one said something like "Get into the holiday spirit by shopping at our store" or "Come in for our great deals on exactly what they want for Christmas." Now before I start sounding preachy or like I'm condemning everyone for shopping and spending money during the Christmas season, let me clarify. I am not against going out and buying nice things for family and friends. Just yesterday I bought Bill his Christmas present and I spent a little too much time adding things to my Amazon.com wish list. All this post is meant for is to remind us why we have Christmas in the first place. I feel like it would do the world some good to return their focus to Christ and remember the wonderful things He has done for us and what an amazing occasion His birth was. His birth was so ordinary and so simple, yet so profound. Because of Him we have the opportunity to be with our loved ones again and to be cleansed from the sins and the pains that we experience on this earth, which in my opinion is the greatest gift that anyone can give us.

So I hope that, while we are enjoying the beautiful decorations around town or attending a Christmas party, we will remember that our focus should be on this man:

and not this man:

A little catch-up

I realized that I never posted about Will's 6th birthday party...over a month ago! The theme for the party was superheros, with an emphasis on Spiderman. This year was a little extra exciting because Will had a new friend from school come to his party (he's the one on the right).


First, while we were waiting for all the guests to arrive, the kids made spider cookies. They, of course, had just as much fun eating the supplies as they did making the cookies, but I think they turned out really cute.



Once all the kids were there Bill played "Pass the Spider" with them (think Hot Potato with a toy spider).


Then we played "Pin the S on Superman.



Then at the end we had cake and presents.


I have to thank Bill for saving the day with the cake. I'm still working on my cake decorating skills (and my impatience when it comes to letting the cake cool first).

Between all the activities the kids had a great time playing on the playground. I highly recommend having a birthday party at a park if you can. Made so many things much easier!

I'm thankful: Week 3

This week I'm thankful for technology. Especially things like email, blogs, Facebook, and Skype, which allow us to communicate and keep in touch with family and friends. I've been especially grateful for technology the past 4 1/2 years. Being away from the majority of our family has been hard on us (especially me) at times, so it's nice to know that, with a click of a mouse, we can be connected to parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, etc.

I'm thankful: Week 2

This week I am thankful for this man


Since the day we met he has been doing whatever he can to make me smile and make our life together wonderful. He is one of the most patient, understanding, and thoughtful people I know. In our 7+ years together we have had our share of ups and downs, but even when things have been at their worst, Bill has done his best to turn a negative experience into a positive one. I could go on and on about the reasons why I love him and am thankful for him, but here's a Top 10 list.

10. He loves to serve others.
9. He is a family man.
8. He's a great kisser :)
7. He helps around the house.
6. He handles tough situations a lot better than I can.
5. He's very smart.
4. He's handsome
3. He's not afraid to show his emotions
2. He's supportive
1. He loves me in spite of my insecurities, my flaws, and my bad days.

Needless to say, I am a very lucky girl. Thank you honey for everything you do for me and our family and for just being you. I love you.

According to Will

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

1. Will
2. William
3. Sweetie


THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

1. Shirt
2. Pants
3. Underwear


THREE THINGS YOU WANT VERY BADLY AT THE MOMENT:

1. Superhero toys
2. More doggies
3. I don't know


THREE PEOPLE WHO YOU HOPE WILL DO THIS TOO:

1. Jessica
2. Justin
3. Sargis


THREE THINGS YOU DID LAST NIGHT:

1. Took Mommy to the church
2. Went to Sonic for dinner
3. Read books


THREE PEOPLE YOU LAST TALKED TO ON THE PHONE:

1. Grandma and Grandpa Evans
2. Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Rollie
3. Auntie Erika

THREE THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO DO TOMORROW:

1. Go on a field trip for school
2. Maybe get hot lunch
3. Play at recess at school


THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE DRINKS:

1. Water
2. Juice
3. Chocolate milk


THREE THINGS THAT MADE YOU SMILE TODAY:

1. Playing with Eddie and Cookie (two of his favorite stuffed dogs)
2. My stuffed kitty Milo
3. My 3 friends at school

I'm thankful: Week 1

I kind of missed the boat on doing a daily post about being thankful like I was originally going to, so I've decided to do it weekly. This week I am thankful for the gospel, specifically I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who know me and love me. This week has been a bit stressful for me for one reason or another, and there were days when I would be so emotionally exhausted and frustrated that I wasn't sure how I would survive the next day. And inevitably, more often than not, something would happen that would remind me that God loves me and is watching out for me. Whether it was a really good Institute lesson, something someone said in testimony meeting, or reading a scripture that totally applied to my situation, I have been reminded this week that all I need to do is use the Atonement and turn my burdens over to the Lord and I will get through whatever trials and afflictions come my way in the future. Which is definitely a very comforting thought.

Someday before I die

I'm sure we've all heard the term "bucket list". I never thought about doing one before, until I heard about someone creating one to enter a vacation giveaway. So I thought, "why not, I'll enter. And even if I don't win the vacation I'll at least have my bucket list created." So here are 15 things I'd like to do, in no particular order.

1. Go to Europe
2. Train for/run a half marathon
3. Attend a Hollywood movie premiere
4. Go on a cruise
5. Take a road trip and visit all the national monuments (Mt. Rushmore, Washington Monument, etc.)
6. Write an article for a church magazine
7. Go on an African safari
8. Get a graduate degree
9. Go to a taping of a TV show (Dancing with the Stars is at the top of my list)
10. Learn how to sew or quilt
11. Take a vacation by train
12. Go to pro-football or pro-baseball game
13. Take a cake decorating class
14. Re-learn the guitar (and stick with it this time!)
15. Sleep on a houseboat

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

Mommy Musings: What will you choose?

I have made a discovery since becoming a mother: I have a very short fuse. I tend to get irritated/frustrated/angry quite easily the majority of the time, especially when dealing with my family, and often it's the little things that will set me off. I know that most mothers probably struggle with patience, but some days it seems like my patience got lost in the mail somewhere along the way over the past 6 years. I'm working on not comparing myself with other mothers, especially since hearing President Uchtdorf say that "God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect...God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not." I realize we all have flaws, and there is no perfect mother out there. I'm also trying to work on something that my husband keeps trying to remind me of. The way that I deal with stressful situations, whether it be parenting, a church calling, housecleaning, etc., is my choice. For example: recently we've been having some behavior issues with Will. Each time he acts out or does something wrong, I have a choice. I can either get angry, wonder "Why me?", and make it an even worse situation. Or I can try to calmly deal with the problem, treat Will with love and kindness, and keep the spirit of contention out of our home. On the wall of our bedroom I put up a question for myself. It says "What mood will you choose to be in today?" Admittedly I look at that question very infrequently these days, but when I do look at it I am reminded that I am the one who chooses how I'm going to go about my day and deal with whatever life throws at me.

Best birthday present EVER!

In my 30 years of birthdays I've had some pretty fun and memorable ones. And for the longest time my favorite birthday was when my parents threw me a surprise party for my 16th birthday. But I think that this year has topped it, because my amazing, wonderful, fantastic husband gave me one of the best presents I think I've had in a long time. I FINALLY got to see this:



And if that weren't awesome enough, I got to see the play here:



When we found out that it was playing in Atlanta we decided to make a quick trip out of it and visit Bill's cousin Tom and his family again. Our kids enjoy playing together, and I was able to take Tom's wife Jenn to the play with me, which was SO much fun. So Jenn and I left the kids with our wonderful husbands and hit the town. First we had dinner here:


(Cheesecake factory, in case you can't read it)

Oh my word, this place was heavenly. They have so much to choose from, and their cheesecake is AMAZING!! I think this restaurant tops my list of favorites now. Definitely a repeat.

After dinner we headed over to the theater. And even before the show started we had a couple of funny experiences. First of all, when we were leaving the restaurant is was pouring rain. And of course we didn't have an umbrella, so by the time we got to the car we felt like we had just been swimming. Lovely. But we just laughed it off and went on our way. When we got to the theater I realized I left something in the car that I needed, so Jenn was nice enough to run back and get it. While she was gone I got to witness a marriage proposal. About 5 feet away from me. The couple drove up in a horse and carriage, then the minute they stepped out the guy proposed. It was really cute. And then of course the play was AWESOME! I didn't know anything about it beyond hearing bits and pieces of some of the songs, so I really enjoyed it. It is such a unique story with wonderful music.

So let's just say, I have no idea how I am going to top this birthday. It was definitely one that I will remember for a long time.

We love grandparents!

Last weekend Bill's parents stopped by for a couple of days on their way to see Bill's sister and her family in Florida. We did our best to pack in as much fun as we could in the time we had. On Saturday evening Bobby and Susan and their family came over and we had dinner at our house.

I think the kids enjoyed having someone to play with other than Mommy and Daddy.


Bill and his dad cooking the ingredients for the yummy fajitas we had

After dinner we headed over to a local park that has sprinkler-type features that they turn on a couple of times a day. It was great because it gave the kids something to do while the adults (or at least the moms - thanks to Bill and Bobby and their dad for watching the kids!) had a chance to sit in the shade and talk.

(sorry for the random picture, Susan!)


On Sunday Bill's parents went to church with us, then we had another yummy dinner, this time at Bobby and Susan's house. After that we let the kids run around and play while we chatted. Sorry, no pictures from this day. It was really sad to say goodbye, but we hope they'll be back again soon.

An Update

Lots of things have happened in the last few weeks and months to our family, so here's a quick update

Kayla:

It seems like almost overnight that she's become such a big girl. I am loving having a girl who enjoys being in dresses and playing with princess stuff. If she had her way she would wear a dress every day and watch "Cinderella" 24/7. She loves nursery so much that we end up just following her down the hall at church while she runs. She misses Will now that he's gone all day, but she and I have been having some fun girl time. We go grocery shopping, read books, play outside, anything to make the time without Will go faster. Recently she moved from her crib to the bunk bed with Will, which they both love.

Her next big adventure: potty training! Wish me luck!

Will:

Obviously the most exciting thing in Will's life has been starting kindergarten. I asked him what his most favorite and least favorite parts of kindergarten are so far. This is what he said:

Most favorite: Playing with Mr. Potato Head, Mr. Corn and Mr. Carrot and drawing and learning how to write letters and learning how to make things.
Least favorite: Don't like kids pushing me off things on the playground or talking mean.

Hopefully the fact that his list of most favorite things is longer than the least favorite means that kindergarten will be a good experience. So far he's been the "big dog" (aka teacher's helper, snack provider, etc) for a day, learned a few new songs, and made some new friends. We're proud of him and how much he's grown and matured.

Kristin:

On August 20th I participated in my second 5K. Bill and the kids came with me to show support. It was quite a bit different from my first one. First of all, there were WAY too many hills! I was so tired and achy by the time I was done. And unfortunately the hills caused me to be about 2 minutes slower than my previous time. I had been hoping to beat my previous time. Oh well, maybe next race. Bill and I are thinking about training for a race together now.

Bill:
A couple months ago Bill was able to go with the ward scout troop to Iowa for High Adventure. They went rock climbing, swimming, and had a great time.


And when he's not home with us being an awesome husband and father, this is his life:



He's working hard to get ready for prelims hopefully the end of next month, which unfortunately sometimes mean long hours and late nights, but we're hopeful it'll all be worth it in the end.

And here are some other fun pictures of life at our house.


We role-played Joshua and the Battle of Jericho for FHE one night. Will was Joshua and the rest of us were Israelites.




We were lucky to get some good bikes from a neighbor a few months ago. Kayla is still trying to get the hang of using the pedals, but they still have a great time.

Mommy Musings: Memories

Have you ever come across a picture from your childhood or teenage years that made you go "Eek" or "What was I thinking dressing like that?" Well, my dad recently uncovered this little gem



Hellooo 80's! I love so many parts of this picture. The big hair, the prints on the shorts, the shoulder pads, the ugly pink cast I'm sporting. I'm not sure what's happening in the picture. It looks like some sort of school program. And it's definitely not one of my most photogenic moments, but it's fun to look back and remember other parts of my childhood. And possibly curse the fact that this picture is now floating around the web for all to see.

Mommy Musings: The Importance of Women

We had a really good lesson in Relief Society today. It was based on a talk by Quentin L. Cook entitled "LDS Women Are Incredible!" There have been a number of times when I feel like a lesson or talk has been prepared or given just for me. Today was one of those days. As a stay-at-home mom there are many days when I think to myself "Why am I doing this?" or "Can this get any harder or more overwhelming?" I love my children, but motherhood can be very taxing, not only physically but emotionally. I often feel like I don't measure up to my full potential. I feel like I'm not doing enough for Bill or the kids. This quote by Elder Cook made me feel a bit better

Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer—from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems—they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

We can't avoid the trials of our life. That's why we are here on this earth. How we approach them is what matters the most. I often lose track of that. Unfortunately I've been known too often to ask "Why is this happening to me?" It's something I've struggled with for a long time and something I have decided to work extra hard to overcome.

Another interesting point that was brought up in the Relief Society lesson today was about the organization of Relief Society. The sister giving the comment brought up the fact that the Relief Society is an organization of the Church that wasn't proposed by the priesthood. Emma Smith and others went to the Prophet Joseph Smith and talked to him about starting an organization for women. Eliza R. Snow drafted a constitution all on her own. These were strong women who knew what they wanted to do and knew how to get it done.

I'm very glad that we had this lesson today, because I needed to be reminded of my important role in my family, in my church, and in my community. As a woman I have special abilities and qualities that are unique.

Mommy Musings: To clean or not to clean?

I am starting a new feature on this blog. A few months ago I attended a book signing by The Pioneer Woman. During her Q&A period someone asked her how she got started with her blog. She said that one of her first posts was pictures of food in her pantry and the expiration dates. She is famous for writing about random happenings around her house and about her family. So I have decided to try and do something similar. Every once in a while (I have yet to decide if this will be daily, weekly, or just whenever I feel inspired) I am going to talk about family, church, housewife duties, etc. Today's musing, as you can probably tell from the title, is about cleaning. I'm not the most effective cleaner nor the most consistent, but I do like to have a clean house on a regular basis. However, today I had a thought: Why do I bother cleaning certain areas of my house? As anyone with small children can attest, the minute you clean a room, especially if it's frequented by family members, it stays clean for very little time. If you clean it right before you go to bed it stays clean a bit longer, but you aren't able to enjoy its cleanliness because you're sleeping. So I was trying to figure out why I take so much time and energy to clean my house. And the answer is that I get a sense of accomplishment and a good feeling from doing so. Even if a room or the house is clean for half an hour or less, for that small amount of time I can look around and say "I did this. This makes me happy." And I even realized a while back that cleaning can be a form of exercise. For example, when I clean my bathroom I'm constantly bending forward to clean the tub or reaching up to clean the mirrors. And by the time I'm done I've worked up a sweat. So I've come to the conclusion that cleaning is very beneficial, even if the results are only temporary. And since, if you were to come to my house now you wouldn't believe it, here is proof that my house was clean earlier today.

Videos

We've had requests for more videos of Will and Kayla, so here are some of our favorites. Enjoy!


Kayla is definitely all girl. She loves to wear dresses and dance to any music that is playing. Part way through the clip she says "I need my slippers." She's currently obsessed with Cinderella and princesses.


Will decided that he and Kayla ought to be in charge of the opening song for FHE recently. "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is his favorite song.


Will and his friends playing at preschool graduation. I didn't even know this video existed until a couple of days ago, so I'm glad Bill took it.


Will showing off his awesome memorization skills. Our stake president encouraged us to memorize at least the first paragraph of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." Our family took it a bit further and decided to memorize the whole thing. So far we've done 3 paragraphs.

Seven Years

Seven years ago, a dream came true. Kristin and I had been dating for about a year when we finally got married on July 10, 2004. While we were dating, I really fell in love with her empathy, her caring, and her independence. I thought I loved her and was amazed by her then, but I am still constantly surprised and amazed by her. She does so much to help make our house a home. She constantly finds ways to celebrate special occasions and to show those around her that she loves them. She stretches outside her comfort zone to do things to help her children and to support her husband. Happy Anniversary, I love you Sweetie.

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Today is my 30th birthday. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days about my 20's and wondering about what my 30's will be like. It seems like, as I'm sure it is with a lot of people, my 20's were a time of changes and new experiences. In the last decade I have accomplished pretty much all of the goals that I set for myself when I was a child and teenager. I served a mission, graduated from BYU, married in the temple, and started my family. The first half of my 20's was spent living in an apartment and enjoying life as a single college student. The second half of my 20's was spent dating then marrying Bill, having my two kids, and adjusting to being a homemaker. So recently my question to myself has been "Now what?" Now that I've accomplished everything, what's next? I was talking about this with Bill yesterday, and he said something that I thought was perfect. I wish I could remember exactly how he put it, but I'll try to paraphrase. He said that I spent my 20's reaching my goals of becoming a wife and mother, and I'll spend my 30's perfecting those roles. By the time my 30's are over Will is going to be almost 16 and Kayla will be in Young Women. So my 30's will be spent teaching them how to be good people and helping them through their childhood and early adolescence. Which is quite a daunting and overwhelming thought. And of course I can always make new goals for myself. So even though I'm saying goodbye to a fun and enlightening time of my life, I'm looking forward to seeing what the next 10 years have in store for me.

Look Who Graduated!

No, I'm not talking about Bill. That's still at least a couple of years down the road. A few weeks ago Will graduated from preschool. It was a fun little celebration.


I thought the little graduation caps were a great touch.


The whole class. One funny thing about this particular preschool class is that at least 75% of the kids were from either our ward or our stake. Will had a lot of friends to play with.


Will and his teacher Mrs. Yagow. She is really great and Will seemed to like her quite a bit.

So now Will is officially done with preschool and will start kindergarten in the fall. It's hard to believe we are old enough to have a child in kindergarten, but we are excited for him and hope he will enjoy it as much as he enjoyed preschool.