Mom's Day

Mother's Day 2011 was a day to celebrate--

More than anything -- a day for me to celebrate these four absolute darling, precious, little faces that are in my life and who call me Mom. I am so grateful to be their Mom and try to teach them the right way to live, love, laugh, learn, and be happy! They are all examples to me DAILY of so many wonderful things and teach me so many lessons! I love them more than words can say and love being a MOMMY!

A day to celebrate my own Mom and reflect on her wonderful life and example. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and reflect on the things that I do that make me feel a little piece of her nearby! Just last week I went to my Dad's and took more Daisy starts from her daisy patch to bring to my own garden. Just to have a bit of Mom in my yard. Every year I do the same and when they bloom in the Summer, it's a beautiful reminder to me that she is still very much alive and always near. The fact that the flowers come back every year and multiply, remind me that although we are without her for a time, her legacy and testimony live on through us and get stronger through time as we share her love of service, love, and example in all that we do!

A day to celebrate the Mom of my husband! I am forever grateful for my sweet Mom-in-law for raising a wonderful son that is my husband and best friend. I'm grateful for all that she taught him and helped him to be. For her constant support of all that we do and for the wonderful Grandma she is to our kids. I'm grateful for her and the blessing she is in my own life. I feel blessed to count her among my greatest blessings and not only look at her as a Mom but a dear friend as well!

A day to celebrate my Dad's sweet wife! Rosie is also a blessing to me and I'm so grateful for all she does for my Dad and our families. She is the cutest and most wonderful grandma to our kids. She is an amazing example of someone who is constantly serving others and just does so much to be there not only for her own 7 children and grandchildren, but for all of us as well! It's just always such a comfort for me to know my Dad is loved and taken care of!

It was a day to celebrate NURSERY! Gracie has been in nursery for over a month now but has NOT loved it at all! Poor Ry has been stuck in there with her every week so that I could be in RS adjusting to my new calling. He has been a great sport but has had to hold her and she has been in tears every week! Well.....this past Sunday-- the stars alligned and she did it! She stayed the whole time and loved it! Happy day happy DAY!

A day to celebrate HOMEMADE gifts!

Theses were the sweet notes, cards, flowers, and poems the kids made me! They were each so sweet and Mikelle even wrote me a song! I love homemade cards and things more than anything and will cherish them forever! They gave me a couple CDs, and a nifty banana slicer and lettuce cutter too!

And last of all, this is something I have been wanting for forever! Ry gave this to me! I LOVE it and we have it right in our living room-- We are trying so hard to keep the focus in our home around the Savior and live the way that HE would have us live. What better way to be reminded of how we should live than to have a picture of the Savior in our Home! After all, He is where I find my strength, comfort, example, testimony, and guidance daily to be the best MOM that I can be! I fall short every day but I know that if I follow his example, I can do it!

FREEZER MEAL TIME!!!

So on Friday night we got together to make freezer meals! Me and the girls! The four of us started at 8:00 and went until 1:30 am! We had WAY too much fun! (as always!) We each ended up going home with 14 meals for each 0f our families! Chipotle pork tenderloin, apple-bacon-garganzola stuffed chicken, honey-lime chicken, marinated flank steak, and turkey-artichoke stuffed pasta-- were among some of the things we cooked that night! Now our freezers are full and ready for the Summer! Thanks again gals for a great night!!! :)

Blessing day for Jaxson!

Our sweet little nephew got blessed on the first of May! It was such a special day to share with the family!

Two cute grandmas~

The whole fam!

Women's Conference 2011

My dear friend Hilary and I went down to Women's Conference at BYU for the last day of the conference! It was wonderful as usual and such a lift! Sister Beck spoke in the morning session and was so wonderful! She talked about the history of Relief Society and knowing WHO we are-- She said, "Until you really know who you are and where you come from, you cannot be as powerful as you can be" She also said she has a friend who has the plaque in her home that reads: I CAN DO HARD THINGS -- she changed it a bit and it now says: I DO HARD THINGS! :) So true so true! I think that is such a valuable lesson in life to know that indeed we not only CAN do hard things, we DO hard things and we can become stronger and better by doing them!

Elder and Sister Bednar also spoke and had so many wonderful things to say-- I took a million notes and if time permitted I would love to add them all -- but more than anything -0- it was just so great to be with a great sister/friend and be lifted up and rejuvenated! As I looked out among those thousands of sisters and thought of the strength and power of the sisterhood we hold -- I was really moved and grateful! grateful to be a Daughter of God and know who I am, grateful to have dear friends and family who help me, support me and love me, grateful for the chance that I have to serve and love them, and grateful to be a member of a wonderful organization in the church-- The Relief Society!

Easter Day!

Easter Morning was a fun morning! Early- but fun! The kids woke up at 6:15! But with 9:00 church-- we needed to get up and going! They had fun looking at their baskets and new Easter outfits!

We had one of our family favs for breakfast-- pull aparts! :)

After church we had time for a few pics in our new clothes! Grace's new thing is saying "CHEEEEEZE!" and not looking at the camera! :)

Got her to look in this one for a min! A pic with Big brother!

Running with sis!

Carter has not taken these ears off lately -- He sleeps with them almost every night for the past week and even had them on for his Sunday nap!

Our Smith cousins came over for Easter dinner and Grandma and Grandpa set up a little hunt too! It was actually warm and a perfect night!

A few traditions too of course-- Easter jigglers!

And of course--- EASTER CAKE! I am (and have been for over a year now) in the process of making a cookbook with pictures, of all of my Mom's favorite family recipes-- this is one of them so every time I make something that will be in the book, I try to take a nice picture of it! It'll probably take me another year + to finish it, but it will hopefully be something we can all keep to remember our Mom by!

Neighborhood Easter

we had a fun little neighborhood hunt with great friends and neighbors! We each hid eggs in our own yards and then let the kids go nuts! And they did!

Pre-Easter Sunday

The week before Easter, we got together with Ry's side of the fam for a fun Easter dinner-- The kids had so much fun outside with cousins and we loved being together!

A little egg hunt from G&G-

One cute little bunny!

Cute little Jaxson is one month old!

The Patterson men!

While the kids played outside, they made a "tinkerbell" house out of grass, leaves, and sticks!

Sunday nap

Worn out after a busy day of church!

Bea"U"tiful lawn!

Back in November our dear, sweet, neighbors bea"U"tified our yard for the BYU-UTAH game!

Well, I guess you could say it has been the gift that keeps on giving-- This is what sprouted up this Spring!

Spring Break - Flagstaff!

So Ry had to drive back to home on Tuesday to get back to work-- So the kids and I went to Flagstaff! My dear friends -Misti and Shane had us come stay with them! All 5 of us "bless their hearts!" We had so much fun and felt right at home! Misti is more like a sister than a friend and I have missed her so much! The boys were inseparable and the little girls were so cute together! Aubs and Kel LOVE Shane and Misti and Jesse the dog too! They were lots of help and had fun too-Misti had cute crafts for the kids and they loved it!

Elise and Gracie loved this little game they mad up at the outside table -- They'd drop things through the hole and then climb under and get them!

All ready for bed and watching movies!

Shane - the "KID MAGNET"

I took the kids back to the candle store in downtown Flagstaff where they can dip their own candles -- We did it a few years ago when my Dad came to visit and they loved it!

The color dipping process!

We met Nikki and the kids for lunch at our fav Pizza place!

I was able to do 5 photo shoots while I was there and it was so fun to see some old friends and clients again!

Good old Flag-town!

I hadn't done Kel's 10 year pics --She wanted to hold out and get some graffiti ones in downtown Flag!

Aubs wanted in too!

And truthfully, I didn't even plan his outfit to match perfectly with this cool wall!

We also had to get the babies dressed in the tutus again and do this pic-- Cute Elise wasn't as interested in it this time, but Gracie has gotten used to posing and cheesing it! Can't believe how much she has changed in 9 months! Our baby is growing up!!! Misti- thanks again for EVERYTHING! We'll be back! :)

Spring Break- St. George!

Saturday morning we headed down to St. George to stay with Ry's parents. They have a great place down there near Snow canyon. We were all just so grateful to be in the warm weather and the kids couldn't get enough of the GRASS! They were in heaven! Especially Gracie! She loved running all over the yard!

There is always fun to be had at the pool! The kids (except Grace) loved swimming. Carter has become quite the swimmer and is catching up to his sisters now!

Sunning is always nice when ya can't swim :)

Walking back home with Grandpa!

Daddy and Grandpa went on a hike the last day we were there and then called us on the phone to tell us to come see if we could spot them on the ledge -- We could and the kids loved waving and yelling to them!

Daddy and Grandpa!