the story of a car wash

Jon is Conner's friend.
Jon and Conner like to play together.
The other day while Jon and Conner were playing, they asked to wash my car.

I couldn't resist an offer like that.
I quickly reversed the car out of the garage, located the soap, and assembled the sponges and hoses.

Four words: Best. Car. Wash. Ever.
Twelve words: Anyone. Friend. That. Washes. My. Car. Can. Play. At. Our. House. Anytime.

this is the way we fold our arms

When prayer time arrives, CJ immediately raises his arms, folds them in mid air, and covers his eyes.



I am sure in love with CJ's "prayer time pose"...
in addition to his smile, laugh, and personality. CJ has brought a lot of love, creativity, and happiness into our family.

Timber

Our cute little house in Orem came fully equipped with two very large pine trees that like to drop needles. After a lot of thought, we decided to cut them down. Many family members and neighbors came to help, and we are very grateful for all of the chopping, pulling, towing, car borrowing, and love that we received throughout the process.





Did I mention that Grampie knows how to drop a tree in ten seconds flat?
I am grateful for his tree cutting skills.

not everything has to make sense

CJ rides his bike in the morning to school with Conner.
And then CJ pulls the bike the whole way home.

Because everything in this world does not have to make sense... and I like that.

kindergarten graduate

Mr. Conner completed his last day of kindergarten today!

Kindergarten at Cascade Elementary has been an amazing experience for Conner. He has learned more about what it means to be a good friend, how to show respect, and what it means to always try his best.




His teacher, Mrs. Black, was phenomenal. About mid-year, Conner began a note writing craze with his classmates. To encourage their writing and learning, Mrs. Black purchased a classroom mailbox to carry and hold everyone's notes until the end of class. Conner received quite a few love notes from the cute girls in his class, and they always put one large smile on his cute little boy face.





One of the fun things about kindergarten is participating in school traditions. Conner was able to meet and talk with Santa Claus,



sing in front of the entire school "Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer,"



and dance at the dance festival held on the last full day of school.



Conner completed kindergarten with high honors and advanced reading levels, writing abilities, and math success. He loved PE, recess, computer time, playing the game stations, and riding his scooter to school.



We are sad to leave kindergarten behind, but excited for the challenging opportunities ahead. Conner was accepted into the first grade Chinese immersion program... which we are all excited about.

make a wish

The boys stop at the creek and bend down to pick up rocks. We toss them in making wishes of things we would like to do or be. I stand close to Conner and listen to him quietly whisper:

"I wish to be good like Jesus."

"I wish to be good like my mom and dad."

"I wish to be nicer to my brothers."

"I wish to listen the first time."

And with each stone tossed in the water, tears begin to fall down my face. I am so honored to be the mother to three amazing boys. I wish to be as valiant, faithful, and loving as my three boys.

Tuesday's List

1. Conner was accepted into the Chinese immersion program at Cascade Elementary. So. Excited.

2. Conner loves bearing his testimony in sacrament meeting. He has stood and shared his love for Jesus every fast Sunday for the last four months straight. I was beyond proud when Conner decided to stand on his own and bare his testimony last fast Sunday without any help whatsoever. He is quite the public speaker and I am very proud of him.

3. Caleb loves riding his bike. All day long all he wants to do is ride.

4. CJ has learned to climb the kitchen and bathroom counters. Faucets are continually running in the house with his hands and face submerged.

5. My boys love each other. I am so proud to witness moments of love shared between my boys.

the person i am

I spend a lot of time worrying about what others think of me.

I want to please the world and everyone in it.. and I want to do it right now. Often I end up putting the happiness of others before my own... and at the end of the day I am left feeling empty and unsatisfied.

I will never create happiness for others when I do not feel it myself.

I will never make everyone in the world happy.

The only person I should try to please is the Savior.

"What thinks Christ of me?"

I am going to STOP comparing my waist size, anxious comments, and mistakes to the strengths of others. I am going to STOP telling myself that my dreams and aspirations are not good enough. I am going to STOP destroying happiness.

And I am going to start embracing HAPPINESS. I am going to embrace it on the kitchen floor with Lego's surrounding me. I am going to embrace it with fabric and string and attempts to make fabric bike baskets. And I am going to embrace it while lying in bed with my children at night reading stories and talking about our day.

I am happiness.

Surprises

The boys love to give surprises. Toys wrapped in toilet paper, kisses, and hugs. I love their surprises.

Often, I forget that God has amazing surprises awaiting. Surprises from my Heavenly King involve peace, love, and forgiveness. His surprises erase guilt, pain, and sadness.

Oh, how I need these surprises.

I often wonder how it is that I can attain more of His love. I need more peace, forgiveness, and strength in my life... how can I possibly hold onto His help when my world is spinning so incredibly fast and my arms are exhausted?

How can I hold on tight when the tears begin to fall and the weight of the world becomes overwhelming?

The answer is found in His arms.
His arms have the power to hold us when we lack the strength to hold ourselves up.
His love has the power to motivate, heal, and refine our very beings.
His arms are the best surprise of all.