Fall is here!

Yikes! The summer just passed us by and I must say I am bewildered by time and how quickly it gets out of reach. We had such a great summer, we didn't travel too far but we traveled more than usual and we made such great memories. I am so grateful that the kids are growing up and becoming more independent. They still need to know I am there but they can function in public without my constant hand holding and without being attached to my side. It is actually kind of freeing and makes family trips much more enjoyable for all of us. This summer we got to travel to Pacific Beach,
Spokane, and Cannon Beach/Seaside and of course made our traditional trip to Ohanepecosh. We took lots of pictures, made lots of memories, bonded with family and friends and vowed to go back to each of these places at some point. The only trip we were sad not to be able to make was to visit our friends in Walla Walla.

We so wanted to go but did not budget as well as we should have and consequently had to make some cut backs. We hope to make up for it sometime this year. As we came to the end of our summer, exhausted yet fulfilled, we discovered how much we love to discover new places and are so excited to realize that we are finally at a point in which we feel we can pursue our traveling dreams. In fact we have decided for Christmas instead spending our hard earned funds on "stuff" we are going to save for family trips. This year we are going to Great Wolf Lodge and the kids are super excited (Aunt Gretchen, Uncle Joe, Andrew and Trevor get to go with us) Next year is in the works and we will be taking the kids to Disneyland. Its so fun to see and hear the excitement on the kids faces as they speak about our upcoming trips. So after the summer came to an end with our one last trip to Ohanepecosh
we settled
back into the routine that was seriously lacking during the summer and I think we are now getting into the groove of school, piano, homework, practices, and all that goes into having kids and staying busy.

I must say that things changed dramatically for me this year in that ALL the kids are in school all day. It has been FABULOUS! I get so much done and I still have time to do some of things that I WANT to do. My biggest goal this year is to get my house organized and things in their place. It has been so hard to do with the kids at home constantly taking things out of their place as soon as I clean. It also entails having to purge, which is not going to be easy and then having a place for those things I can't quite part with yet but may need to down the road. I also plan to paint every room in the house by the end of the school year. The other thing that I have wanted to do for a very long time is build shelves in our old, tiny, coat closet. I have been asking for a year or longer and it finally was accomplished last week. yeah...thanks to David and I working together as a team to get it done.

I also had the extreme pleasure of saving, looking and searching for a piano this year and recently we were able to purchase a very nice, used but well taken care of, piano from the nicest lady on Craigslist. I really have been praying we would be able to find a piano that would fit the needs of the kids as well as my extreme desire to learn and play the piano.I have been looking for the past year and when I found this one for sale it was as if we were meant to be. Everything came together in a short period of time and within a few days it was mine!

Thanks to many family and friends who made it possible.

I have also been doing a lot of studying of books that help me to understand the gospel more, historically and symbolically. I love gaining knowledge that helps me to have a greater understanding of how the gospel works and further solidifies the testimony I already have. It's amazing how it all works together to testify of our Heavenly Father and His plan of Happiness for us, His children and of His Son, Jesus Christ, His atonement and sacrifice for us. I love it all. It brings me great joy. It gets me through the difficult times and helps me overcome the weaknesses I have, just by knowing that by having faith in Him- I can become someone far greatter than I am today.

My family is a blessing to me and the things I learn daily from serving them, helps me to understand the love my Heavenly Father has for me. I love that my children teach me, love me and have patience with me. I am thankful for my husband who does the same for me on a far greater level. We learn together and love together. We are constantly learning to be friends and every day I love him more. I am looking forward to creating new memories with each of my family members and choosing to be with them for eternity.