Nature said...COME PLAY!

Our neighbors and good friends, The Nortons, invited us to go camping up in Payson this past weekend. We decided that it might still be a little chilly at night for the kids so instead of camping, we headed up for a saturday adventure in the mountains to hang with friends, my parents, Andy and, his fiance Hannah. :) 
The kids LOVED the little dirt bike! Ethan couldnt stop smiling over it.

*Best of Pals!*

Our handsome stud!

 

I "Dig" Being One!

Ethan turned ONE on March 11th, 2011 but, we celebrated the big event with family & friends on the Saturday the 12th in our back yard with a little bit of a Construction theme.

The little guests got a hard hat with their name & their job title on it. They then were given a Construction Site Checklist with many different tasks they were to accomplish in order to get paid(party favors) for the day's work. Some of those tasks were things like:Draw up blueprints(they drew the plans on the patio with sidewalk chalk), Take a turn operating the Bulldoser(hit the bulldoser pinata), Demolish the bday cake, Create a building(they played with the building blocks)..things like that.

Lunch Break!

Some of the older crew...

Didnt have a place to hang the pinata so we improvised...David on our roof holding it!!

The blowup arena that we got to have for 11 hrs for the price of 2hrs! (a sweet deal we got which we owe to our location! haha) Our 2 kids loved it from sun up to sun down!

It was a geat day!

Our son is ONE!

Holy Smokes! Its crazy to think that our Ethan is ONE! This past year has been the most incredible year by far, just by having him be apart of our family. Our family unit has grown stronger in so many ways with him in our lives. He is an absolute blessing to us, just like his sister is, and we couldnt image life without him(or her). We love our little stud and totally cant get enough of him!

First thing on the Birthday Boy's List:
A Bath

The boy loves him a nice warm bath! Was a great way to start his special day!

Next comes:

Rides

My thoughts...my testimony....

*This post is soooooooo lonnnnnnnnnggggggg!! If no one reads it all I completely get it. But I had to write what I feel in my heart right now. Even if its just me that ever knows what it says right now. I hope at least one day my kids will read it.*

Sooooo, recently, February 5th to be exact, David and I moved my parents out of their lovely home in Hamilton Fort and moved Davids mom into it. Twas a TON of work since both moms have so many things haha but we managed. Brey & Ethan's wonderful aunt and uncle kept the kids with them in AZ while we went up north for the big move. We are totally grateful to them too because I seriously doubt I would have been able to be much help with 2 young kids to take care of.

Well today is the 3 week mark of how long my parents have been Arizonans. They are enjoying it here. Although Im sure its an adjustment and Im sure my mother especially misses her other kids in Utah as well as family and friends.

Everyone asked before my parents moved here how I felt about it...if I was excited or what. I didnt know what to think. Its been three weeks having them and Im still at a loss of words. It seems so familiar to be around them but yet so surreal at the same time. I am most definately used to seeing them since my sweet husband has always made a great effort to either take me to visit family in Utah or allow me to go up without him to visit.

After 7 years of living here in AZ without my parents or anyone on my side of the family, I have to say it is pretty wierd to think my parents of all people are here with me now. What a great joy I feel in my heart for the blessing it is to have my parents close by where they can be a great part in my childrens lives and my childrens in theirs.

I came from a world growing up where I lived in the middle of both my grandparents homes. And I LOVED it. I was very close to my grandma on my moms side...much like Breyonna is with her gramma. So yes, it brings me great joy to know that Brey & Ethan have gone from an 8 hour drive to grammas house to a 2 minute bike ride for them. How awesome is it that not only do my parents live in AZ now but that they live a block away!

It has been HEAVEN! The kids are so full of joy everytime they see my mother. They love the idea of being able to see gramma and grandpa anytime they want... Brey loves to tell me "Lets go to grammas house." And it brings me great joy to not have to wait for David to get work off or pack all of our bags and take a 8 hour trip to UT to 'go to gramma's house'. All we need are some shoes, a bike and a stroller!!

I NevER eVEr in my wildest dreams ever thought or imagined anyone in my family moving here let alone my parents. So it is with a humble heart and an uplifted soul and gratefulness that I thank my father in heaven for having one of my most longing dreams come true...a chance for my my parents to be in my childrens lives as a constant. I always thought that I had to move back to Utah or atleast one of those small border towns in AZ (which I knew was impossible becuase David would never leave his job) in order for that to happen. But no, the Lord brought my parents to US. I am here in awe at the love and mercy HE has always blessed me and my family with. I truly look around and have so much to be grateful for.

I have an amazing husband who now holds the Melchezedeck Priesthood, who is a hardworking, loving and devoted father and husband. I have two amazing kids with good health and function who bring the greatest of joy into my life each and every day. I have a beautiful new home and a new ward to look forward to which I know will help us progress in our determined goal of sealing our family in the temple someday soon.

I have adorable nieces and nephews and... another one in the oven who is due in September! (YES....my brother is having a kid!!!! HOW FREAKEN EXCITING!!!) I have amazing family and friends who are so sweet, helpful, loving and supportive.

I have an extremely strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. My family were converts to the LDS church many many years ago. Before and after I became an official member, I have always believed strongly in the gospel.

Some people can know through the scriptures and through prayers of the truthfulness of the gospel. But as I live and breath today, I know it is the true and everlasting gospel from experience with trials in any form up to this very day. I have literally seen the powers of Satan rip through my family and home with full force in many occasions.

BUT, I have also seen the power of the priesthood...the power of God. I have seen the beautiful miracles of deliverence from our enemies, I have seen the troubles of tribulations that happened to us at a very young age without it being our fault. I have seen many horrific things in my life, that when I think about it these days, I shake in disbelief that those things really happened.

But I also kneel in gratitute for the other things I experienced. Like my mother who raised 3 children on her own after a horrible devorce. A mom who worked as hard as she could to take care of us, a step father who is full of selfLESSness, a highschool sweetheart husband whom I would never have met had it not been for those trials such as my parents divorce. A brother that served a full time mission to the Dominican Republic in the service of God and who sealed himself to a sweet lady, a sister who is such an amazing example to me for her hard work and love of her family, 2 amazing kids and all my dreams coming true.

How could I not know with every fiber of my being that the gospel is TRUE to the core after being delivered from the hands of satan to having the richest of blessings??!!!

I bare testimony, that this life is sometimes if not most of the time, extremely hard to go through. But I also testify that if we let the Lord and his spirit into our hearts and homes, that he will comfort us, even from those petty problems we (at least sometimes me) complain about from day to day. That He will guide us and stregnthen us in our every endevour. That he will be there as a companion and a friend anytime we may feel in doubt or alone.

He does not leave us EVER. It is sadly us as people who leave him behind as we go about our lives seeking for things of this world..which is an illusion of happiness that this world has created for us.

It is a sad place to feel alone or overwhelmed. If we open our hearts and mind to HIM, I know we will all be blessed in the Righteous prayers of our hearts.

I thank the Lord for not only the blessings in my life but also for the trials in my life. The trials are what makes us wise and teaches us strength and perseverence. Trials also make the blessings that much sweeter because the blessings that often follow trials after perseverence come to us as an, 'I earned these blessings from the Lord through my following the commandments and my strength to endure through the trials.' Which makes us feel accomplished.

They teach us to never forget the Lord. They remind us that we need Him always.

I say these things with gratefulness to Heaven Above and do so in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

David & Gary in the white truck & trailer, Curtis in the gray truck & trailer & mom & I behind in the Cadi going through The Gorge heading to AZ ...........................................................

A Specific Special Sunday

I will keep this post simple by just saying that our little family was so excited for this day to come in many ways....

Reason 1: To see our husband and father recieve the Melchizedek Priesthood to have in our home.

Reason 2: To finally see little Ethan (8 months) blessed by his own father.

Reason 3: To accomplish another step closer in getting our family sealed in the temple someday soon.

....This day seemed like it took forever to come but when it finally did, it was well worth the wait.... This specail day happened on November 28th 2010.

Jambo!

This weekend David was in Cali with some of his siblings at Universal Studioes and walking among the Hollywood Stars in LA. So I took the kids to a little amusement park as well for some fun. Brey and Ethan had a blast! And so did I because it wasnt very busy, no real lines for the rides and it was super cheap. Jambo had a little bit of everything for little kids. It was so nice to be able to take the kids somewhere breyonna could enjoy all the rides that were meant especially for little ones. :) I think next time I go, I'll try to make it when my sisters in law can go too with their kids to make it funner. But this time was great just to have some fun bonding with my kids. So, here's some of the pics from our little adventure....

Although Ethan was too small for me to want to take him on the rides, he did get to go on the little rides that you insert tokens into. And he LOVED those rides!!

I love this photo booth pic! Ethan was giving me slobbery kisses so Brey did the same. :)

Freestone

With TEN days of watching nieces and nephews while their parents were out of town, we just had to do something fun together....fReeStONe pARk! Feeding the ducks...
Can you say... All Aboard!?!
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I love these kinds of moments when I can see by her grins that, Breyonna is having genuine fun! She was so thrilled to be able to ride all of the rides at this park because normally she does not quite measure up to the height requirements at carnivals and such. Eventhough I was responsible for 6 other kids, I am so glad that I got to have some special moments with my little girl. She's the BeSt!!
These two crack me up. My niece Ariele was so tired that she fell alseep on our last train ride so, I had to carry her to the suburban. And, my sweet pea was out like a light the moment I put her straps on. How precious....they played so hard they wore themselves OUT!

A day with my brother...a day with my family!

The weekend that Elder Stroud got back into town was crazy awesome!! We had so much fun spending time with family and partying at my parents home. But, Monday was by far the best night because we got to spend the entire day with Jesse and our immediate family.

The siblings went shooting in the morning with the big guns. Then we had a bbq at the house. In the evening I made my famous chicken enchiladas for Jesse. David made a fire. So we all gathered around the firepit for some marshmallow roastin' as we sang all kinds of songs with Jesse and my old guitar.

It was the perfect way to spend the day with JESSE!! So proud of him and all that he accomplished in the mission field. But, man does it feel so great to blog about a day with my brother!! AGAIN-FINALLY!! :)

Side Note: It was when she took off in the dark and started dancing and twirling forever and doing silly things that we decided Brey had too many marshmallows for one night and we finally cut off her supply! :)