Spring Break

Our Spring Break consisted of a 4 day weekend - not enough time to go to Grandma & Grandpa's house. Scott was off on Friday so we had to take the kids some where. We drove up north to Scottsbluff and went to the bank, got an oil change, and looked for a new saddle pad. Okay. Not so fun for the kids.

On our way home we stopped at the Chimney Rock Museum. Super fun for the kids! It was cool to actually be at the place I have read about in so many pioneer stories. And the kids even sat through the 15 minute movie.


Their favorite though, was loading the wagon with supplies. We never did get it loaded right but it was lots of fun trying.

The kids even drew a picture for the post card wall.



Before going all the way home, we stopped at our favorite park. We had to check on the fish and the geese. (Why are the goose eggs in the water?) After about 15 minutes in the 30 mph wind we were ready to go home.

The JOY of Easter

I'm not a big fan of large community events. My kids usually cling to me and we all go home crying. But, I love the ladies at our local library. At one of our recent visits, a librarian came and invited us to come to the Easter Egg Hunt. I felt like this sweet lady was personally inviting us and I couldn't say no.

It actually went better than I thought. We got there early so the kids could get used to the crowd as it gradually built. Morgan was hanging pretty close to me as we waited for the hunt to begin and I thought she might not look for eggs. But when it was finally time to start she took off to her area and found 5 eggs. Zane had no problem zipping around gathering eggs and came up with 4. They had so much fun and I'm glad we were able to support our wonderful library!

I refused to pay SO much for eggs (they used to put them on sale at this time of year) so we didn't color any eggs this year. The kids drew pictures at the church while I got some things ready for Sunday. Not very festive but they said it was still fun.

We got ready for church early enough to play with Morgan's hair. Then we went outside to take a picture and the wind instantly blew her hair all over. The messy hair look is really in here in Nebraska!

(Zane says the sun was too bright. I think he just likes to make goofy faces!)

We had a wonderful day at church! I forgot Zane's snacks but after a few minutes he forgave me. We had great speakers in Sacrament Meeting, a fabulous discussion in Sunday School and another meaningful discussion in Relief Society.

Scott was finished working by the time we got home and we were able to enjoy a delicious Easter dinner with him. The kids helped me make Easter Tomb rolls. (Mine weren't as pretty as Grandma Baird's.) They were so surprised when the marshmallows weren't inside after baking. Zane was sure that I had pulled out the marshmallow and was trying to play a trick on him. It really brought out the events of Christ's resurrection and how some responded then.

So thankful I got to talk to Brittany and my mom! Wish we could have gotten together with our family.

The sun was shining, the birds singing, and only a slight breeze. It was a JOYFUL day!

Weird Wound Week

This has officially been Wierd Wound Week!

First, Morgan and I were coming home from soccer practice. The center console was down next to her and she decided she needed to see if there was anything in the back cargo space. (Maybe she heard a spooky noise.) As she whipped her head around she caught her eyebrow on the metal latch on the side of the other seat. She wasn't crying but just kept saying how bad it hurt. I told her to hold her water bottle on it until we got home.

Before she got out of the car she had to take a peak at her head in the rear-view mirror. When she saw the blood she lost it. We got her cleaned up and decided stitches weren't needed. So glad I still had the steri-strips leftover from Zane's head wound.

The next day, the kids were playing outside after school. Suddenly, their laughter turned to screams and cries. Morgan was screaming hysterically and Zane was crying fiercely. I wasn't sure who was injured at first. Then I saw the large black spot on Zane's hand.

I sent Morgan to the couch to calm down and took Zane to the bathroom. As I tried to wash his hand I realized it wasn't dirt but actually a giant, purple bruise. He had pinched his hand in the horse trailer door. I was afraid it was broken. He kept ice on it, off and on, until bed time and Scott assured me it was just bruised.


And if that was not enough... I got a little too comfortable with my mixer. While making bread, I stuck my hand in to knock the flour down from the side of the bowl. Yes. While it was running. The bruise on the back of my hand is not as pretty as Zane's though.

Hopefully we are done for awhile. My first-aid skills are exhausted!

How did you celebrate Weird Wound Week?

{ Rejoice! }

I love that my kids are always SO excited for General Conference weekend! I made monkey bread on Friday for breakfast. Zane said, "Let's save some for conference tomorrow and when we hear the word family we can eat some." He's on to me.

I decided to change it up this time. I created a bag for each of the members of the 1st presidency and the quorum of the 12. Each bag contained an activity or treat but could only be opened when that person spoke. Not knowing the order of the speakers made this a little tricky.

Amazingly, they spoke in an order that provided a good balance of activities and snacks. I had two big activities (playdough and Legos) and I feared the speakers would be back to back. Miraculously, one spoke on Saturday and one on Sunday. Perfect!

I've printed off packets for the kids in the past but Zane would complete all the coloring and puzzles by the end of the 1st session. Separating the activities by speaker helped to pace him and gave him something to look forward to. Morgan still had her packet that she worked on in addition to the other activities.

I also printed an Easter basket, which they decorated, and I created Easter eggs with possible topics written on them. They listened carefully for the key words and by the end of conference their baskets were full!

We were also blessed with temps in the 80s so we got to run off some energy outside between sessions. We chased pheasants with the dog, shot BB guns, and made a trip in to the park. We are SO ready for summer!

I even managed to make a couple cards. What a busy weekend!
I also took 5 1/2 pages of notes. Wow! I have lots to work on. All of the talks were so good and I want to remember every word.

I loved how President Monson opened the conference by encouraging us to have the courage to make the changes in our lives that we need to. Sometimes we KNOW what the right thing is but it's hard to have the courage to DO it. And then at the end of conference he encouraged us to become better than we were when conference began. What a blessing it is to have Prophets and Apostles to provide guidance and stability in a turbulent world!

One year older & wiser too!

This sweet little boy is all grown up!

Scott ended up having his birthday off. We went to lunch at Runza, bought dog food at Walmart, and made omelets for dinner. Then we had his favorite, Jello poke cake!

Happy Birthday Dad!

{Creating Joy}

I wish I had more time to create...

Morgan has been trying to memorize the Articles of Faith. She did really good with the first two but then it got hard. I saw this really cute idea for flash cards and instantly new that was what she needed. She takes them with her to study during Sacrament Meeting and she took them on our road trip. They are the perfect size to carry along any where!

This is where I found them. This lady is amazing! All I had to do was upload all her hard work to Walmart and pick up my prints an hour later.

I cut them apart and used scrapbook paper to create a list of key words on the back of each card. I laminated them just to make sure they hold up to lots of use. Then I punched a hole and strung them on a ring. When Morgan came home from school and saw them she almost cried tears of JOY. Yep. That day I was the Best Mom Ever!

What do you do with plain, white, cloth diapers and pretty ribbon? Make burp cloths, of course! These diapers are the BEST burp cloths but just not so pretty. My friend had a baby girl and I needed a cute gift for her.

These were so easy! I think washing and drying the diapers took the longest, and that was done by a machine. Make sure you cut your ribbon a little longer before you stitch because it really does shrink up a little. Learn from my trial and error. :) Then trim your end when it's all stitched down. If you can sew a straight line, you can make these.

Creating food, especially dessert, brings lots of JOY to this household. I made Banana Beignets and we devoured them. It's basically a fried banana muffin ball rolled in cinnamon sugar. The banana makes them healthy, right?

There is something about creating with my hands that truly brings me joy!

The JOY of Work

Several years ago I created a chore chart using magnets. When we moved it got set aside and covered in dust. Recently, I've had discussions with several friends about the importance of chores and teaching kids how to work and I decided it was time to revamp the old chore chart.

It was sad to remove Brittany but she has her own home to clean now. (Although, I wouldn't mind if she came and washed dishes occasionally.)

I re-did all the magnets and covered the bare metal with some cute scrapbook paper. It's not exactly the right shade of blue so I will be recovering it again, I'm sure. (Does it really matter? No. But it makes me feel better when it looks so cute hanging on my kitchen wall.)

I added pictures to make it easier for Zane to know which chore was which.

Morgan & Zane love it! They love to see what needs to be done. And they love to move their magnets when they have completed a task.

"One of parents’ most important responsibilities is to teach their children to work. Even young children can begin to experience the benefits of working when they are involved in household chores and in service to others. Wise parents will work alongside their children, will provide frequent praise, and will make sure no task is overwhelming."
~ Bishop H. David Burton, Dec. 2009