Interactive FHE

I'm sure there would be others who would agree with me that having FHE with small children can be an interesting experience. Their attention spans are low, they get distracted easily, and other issues come up. Recently we've started having what I call "interactive FHE." I've noticed that if we involve Will in the lesson as much as possible, he's a little more likely to pay better attention. Here are two of our recent attempts.

THE ARMOR OF GOD


Using two big paper bags, some packing tape, a milk carton cut in half, and aluminum foil, I was able to turn Will into a soldier.

LISTEN TO THE HOLY GHOST

I'm sure we've all done this at one point or another. We blindfolded Will, Bill and Kayla made a bunch of noise, and I was a few feet away speaking quietly trying to get Will to come over to me. It was pretty funny by the end, but Will did a great job.

I have yet to come up with more lessons like that, so if anyone has ideas that have worked for them, I'd love suggestions.

Making sense of the world

I have always been a people watcher. I enjoy looking around at other people and watching how they interact or communicate, seeing what quirks they have, etc. Being a mom allows me to be a people watcher 24/7. I love seeing Will and Kayla grow and learn and get to know the world around them. Lately Kayla has discovered connections. She is constantly pointing to things in books, then either pointing to the real thing or going to get it. Her favorite things to point to or retrieve are clocks, dolls, balls, dogs, and bears. It's been really neat to see things click in her head and how much she's growing and learning.

Our life through pictures

We've done a lot of things over the past couple of months, and I finally have the pictures to prove it. So bear with me through this picture-heavy post.

FATHERS AND SONS CAMPOUT

Once again Will and Daddy got to bond together with other fathers and sons in our stake (and Kayla and Mommy got to enjoy some quiet girl time). The weather wasn't ideal, but they seemed to have a good time anyway.



Such a helpful boy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Unfortunately this is the only picture we have from my birthday. We had a combined birthday party for me and Bill with a bunch of our friends. We had a BBQ, endured the sweltering heat, and had a great time.



NAUVOO

We decided at the last minute to go to Nauvoo for the pageant. We had done it a couple of years ago when it was just Will, and decided Kayla might be old enough to take this time. We were smart enough to borrow Bobby and Susan's tent, which made camping after the pageant a little more comfortable (but only barely - Nauvoo is HOT at night!) We loved the pageant, and enjoyed walking around Nauvoo the next day. Bill took the kids to a play ground near our campsite and let them get their wiggles out before the long ride home.












SOCCER
We decided to sign Will up for soccer this summer to help him (and us) get out of the house and doing something active. It's been so much fun to watch him play and learn new skills. We have a lot of respect for the coaches who are so patient and understanding with all the kids running around.


His "official" pose




I love how serious he looks in this shot. Total concentration.




SILLY SHOTS

Ever since we got our new digital camera (Thanks again Karen and Jake!) the kids love when we take pictures of them.



So that's a little update on our family. Beyond that, Bill has been hard at work either on campus or with his various church responsibilities. I have been at home with Will and Kayla trying to keep our lives running smoothly. It's been a great summer so far, and we look forward to what the future brings.

Our new addition

Thanks to some friends who were moving this weekend, we were able to get something we thought we'd have to wait years for.

An upright piano! We are very excited to have it, since all we've had up till now is a keyboard.


Will and Kayla are constantly asking us if they can play it. I think piano lessons for Will might be in the near future.

Ode to Bill

With today being Father's Day and since Bill's birthday was this last week, I decided to write a post all about one of the most wonderful men I know. I have a lot of great men in my life - my dad, my father-in-law, my two fantastic grandfathers, 4 awesome brothers-in-law, cousins, uncles, the list goes on and on. But there's one man who tops them all (in my humble opinion). And that would be my husband. Since the moment I met him (remind me sometime to tell you the cheesy line he used), he's made me smile and laugh. He fits all the criteria that I wrote down when I was a teenager of the kind of man I wanted to marry. He makes me feel special, appreciated, and loved. He goes out of his way to take care of me and the kids. He is smarter than a lot of people I know, in many different ways. He is dedicated to his schoolwork and his church callings. He is a worthy priesthood holder who loves the Lord. He is an amazing father who takes time out of his day as much as he can to spend time with each of our kids. He is handsome, kind, loving, funny, forgiving, selfless, honest, and overall just one of the most amazing people I know. I'm grateful that I get the opportunity to be his wife and to spend my life with him. I love you honey!


(Sorry for the random picture, honey. But you look handsome! :-)

Just a taste

For the past few months I've been involved in an Institute choir called Heritage Singers. It's been such a privilege and so much fun for me to be a part of it. Our director is incredibly talented and we've all enjoyed performing and sharing our talents. Recently we had the opportunity to record one of our songs to be part of the BYU Magazine podcast. When I heard the finished product I was blown away by how good we all sounded (it's a lot different only hearing a few voices at a time during rehearsals compared to the whole choir), so I thought I'd share. The song is called "The Road Home." Enjoy!

"Motherhood" comes in all shapes and sizes

I was sitting in sacrament meeting this morning listening to talks about motherhood. Normally when I hear them I'm merely listening and not paying close attention to anything more than 5 feet ahead of me (as happens to most mothers with small children, I'm sure). But today for some reason, I started looking around at all the women in the congregation. And I realized that, mixed in with the women who are in my similar situation - young, just a couple of kids, husbands in school, etc. - there are many other types of women. There are great-grandmothers; first-time grandmothers; divorced, working mothers; grandmothers raising grandchildren; pregnant women; and women who are single with no children. It got me thinking about the word "mother." It doesn't always mean a woman who is married with a bunch of kids. It can mean an aunt or a grandmother who is raising family members, it can mean the bishop's wife who takes care of ward members, it can mean a visiting teacher who goes above and beyond her calling. I heard someone once use the phrase "mother heart." I think all women in some way have a "mother heart". They are naturally nurturing and loving, they care for friends and family, sometimes complete strangers, in numerous ways. There are women who take in foster children, who babysit for friends on a regular basis, who sit with stressed mothers in sacrament meeting. I could go on and on. So this Mother's Day I not only honor my own mother and those in my family and circle of friends, but all women who are mothers-at-heart, who are true examples of what a mother should be. Happy Mother's Day!

Since putting it on my blog makes it official

I don't usually write a post like this, but I needed to have it in writing so that you all can ask me about it and motivate me on the days that I might not want to work on this goal. I have decided to "run" in a 5K. A lot of my friends participated in a marathon on Saturday, plus on "The Biggest Loser" (one of my favorite shows these days) they ran a 5K. So I figured, why not me? I don't know when or where, but I'm determined to do it. I'll keep you posted with details later.

Easily entertained

First of all I apologize that these pictures are not the greatest. With our camera still out of commission, I have to make do with my phone camera. But I had to capture a couple of pictures of Kayla. Recently she's become quite the climber, and has enjoyed playing in some unusual places


Like the inside of her toy box


And on top of the end table between our couches. This one started occurring just in the last couple of days, and I've learned that if I don't watch her like a hawk sometimes, this is where I can usually find her.

The Birthday Girl

Due to recent computer issues this post is about 2 1/2 weeks late, but here it is. Kayla's 1st birthday was March 7th, and we got together with Bobby, Susan and Alice for a fun little party the day before. Thank you so much, Bobby and Susan, for taking some great pictures and videos to make up for our lack of a working camera.




Opening presents - Some great homemade balls from Bobby and Susan, and some stuffed animals and baby doll from Mommy and Daddy and Will.


I love seeing these three together. They have so much fun.


Will and Daddy helping Kayla blow out her candle.




The obligatory "eating the cake" pictures. I was surprised at what a neat eater she was. But she seemed to enjoy her cake.


This is my favorite video from the party. She's very subtle at showing her excitement :-)


It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year since Kayla was born. She is such a sweetheart and a joy to our family. Since I was still in school when Will was this age, I feel like I missed out on certain things, so I have been enjoying seeing Kayla go through all of her milestones. She is such a good-natured, happy girl, and we love her so much.