April Snow Showers bring May Flowers

This was a very cute day!! In middle of April we had a snow storm and it dumb a couple of inches on us. Well Whitney got really excited and ran to find some snow cloths. This is what she found and she put it on all by herself. She made sure that she put on her cow girls boots that she had gotten from Aunt Shannon. But she didn't have to look very hard because she had been sleeping with them for the last couple of nights. She does that with anything she really likes. When she was a year old she would take roman noodles to bed with her. While she was outside She made a snowman all by herself. She knocked on the door and asked me for a carrot. The end result was really cute. It was really hard for Lance though. I can't remember why now, but for some reason I didn't want him to go outside, so Lance climbed up to the window and yelled to Whitney the who time. I felt so bad that when it warmed up and the snow was gone I put Lances coat on and let him go play in the mud. He really enjoyed that and he got very dirty.

Berny's Mission Reunion and Trip to Salt Lake

Back in April Berny and I went to Salt Lake for his mission Reunion. I was really cool to see President and Sister Lake again and they were really happy to see Berny. He also got to see a couple of old missionaries that he had not seen since his mission so it was pretty cool. The next day was conference so we wanted to go but I had not packed a dress, so we went to the visitors center instead. Which was sad because one of the missionaries at the reunion had given us tickets for the first Saturday session. So I was really bummed when we were in the visitors center. Then two sweet sisters approached us and when we told them our situation they brought me a long dress coat. So I rolled up my pant legs but we were too late for the conference center so we went to the tabernacle instead.

Mission Reunion

Around the House

These are all just pictures that I have taken because the moment was just to precious not to capture. This is Lance and Whitney in the Laundry basket that I was trying to use to finish the laundry. I think that they were trying to hint that I needed to take a break.
I took these pictures because I thought that Lace look so cute in this outfit. Especially with his ear sticking out on one side. He got this suit from Leejean, so I am guessing that Wesley wore it a time or two.


Lance really makes me laugh. He has really started to take an interest in babies. He love them, in face Ay came to visit me one day with her new baby and when Lance saw him he came right over say"baby" and he wanted to hold him like he was a big boy. In this picture Lance had found two babies and was really excited about it. he was hugging them and kissing them and calling them his babies so I went grab to camera so that I could capture this precious moment and by the time I got back he was pounding both of them on the ground. He is still a boy after all :)

Pretty Whitney, I think she just wanted me to take a picture of her so that she could see it on my camera. Too bad my camera has a big crack in the screen :)

This is a picture that Whitney took. Some times she will sneak my camera because she likes to take pictures and I will have to go through and erase them but this one turned out pretty cute so I decided to keep it.
I love to see my kids playing together and having fun!! It makes me so happy!

Whitney's Tithing

Whitney is getting older so I decided that it was time to give her some chores to do. She is doing very well. She brushes her teeth and gets dressed, does scriptures and prayers, music time, writing time, and Spanish time. She also has chores around the house. She can dry dishes, pick up her toys, and make her bed. Whenever she does any of these things she gets to put a dot on her dot board. When she earns 4 dots she gets to do anything she wants to do, like watching TV, or playing with me, etc. If she earns all eight she gets to get a big price like going to McDonald's or buying a toy. She has already been able to buy tangled the Movie. On Monday she counts up all the dot that she earned from the week before and she gets a penny for each dot. Then she gets to pay her tithing. But her favorite thing to do is to give her tithing to the Bishop! Every Sunday as soon as the closing prayer is said she looks at me and says "I need to give my tithing to the bishop!! She is doing really, really good!!
Right next to Whitney's chores I have my own! I have organized my life in such a way that I have a different deep cleaning assignment everyday, and then my regular cleaning like dishes and picking up. This way I am keeping track of what has already been done and what needs to be done. It really helps me because I like having something that I get to check off everyday.

Modern Homesteaders

After our ward split we got a lot of really amazing women in our Ward. A few of which I have learned a lot from. They are women that have a great spirit of co-operation, and self improvement. They share my goals in learning to be self sufficient and healthy. We have started a group call the modern homesteaders. Our goals are to learn how to do the things that if we could not go to the store we could still take care of our family and eat yummy and healthy things.
My first two goals have been to make yogurt and sprouts. I am going to try and work both of these healthy things into our diet on a regular basis. My first batch tuned into cottage cheese, but the last couple have been really good.

Jesus is Coming

This morning I was doing scripture time with Whitney and she chose this picture to talk about. So I held it up and said, "I see Jesus, Whitney what do you see." She then said, "I see the angels." Then I asked her what Jesus was coming out of. She couldn't tell me that he was in the clouds so I took her outside. I pointed to the clouds and said," Those are called clouds, and when Jesus comes he will come out of those clouds." I looked like an light had just turned on in Whitney head and she all of a sudden got very interested in what I was saying. She began to ask questions, She asked, "What will Jesus say?" That question took me of guard a little and I couldn't really think of the answer. Then answering her own question and looking up at the sky, and the puffy clouds she said in a very excited voice. " Jesus will say my name, WHITNEY." She continued to say, " Than he will say your name, and Lance's name, and Daddy's name, and he will talk to me." Overcome with feelings of joy and truth, I told her that she was probably right. Then she said, " I going to sit right here and wait for him to come, so I can see his face." And there she sat for quite a long while, for a three year old, just looking up!! I had to go to the bathroom so I left her sitting there in the doorway. From the bathroom I heard my elated child screaming to her daddy who had just pulled up, "DADDY, JESUS IS COMING TO TALK TO ME!!!" When I came out of the bathroom I was very sad that I was not their when Berny heard her say this just to see his face. By the time I got there Berny looked as if he had just swallow a time bomb, as he said to Whitney, "but I'm not ready!" That taught me a really good lesson, We better get ready!! I want to be one of the one sitting outside my doorstep waiting for Jesus to come and talk to me when he comes, I want to be ready!

The most fascinating this about this story was that Whitney is the type of child that is very cautious, even if there is absolutely no reason that I can think of to be afraid of something she will find a way to be afraid of it, for example; when I told her that Santa Clause was coming to our house to give her presents she said that she didn't want him to come. He needed to just stay at his own house. So the fact that she reacted this way to Jesus coming out of the clouds to talk to her, really made me feel like her spirit was remember her savior and she was remembering that she was looking forward to this day. She could feel that Jesus loves her so much that there was no reason to be afraid, but to be overly excited. Like the way that she gets when she know grandma or one of her cousin is coming to visit. She is such a special girl and I am truly blessed to be able to be her mother!!

A Testimony on Tithing

Way back in October Berny and I decided that it would be a good thing for our family if he apply for ISP (Idaho State Police). There were over 200 applicants so we weren't sure if we would have a chance but we knew it was the right time to try. The application process was very long and grueling. Berny had to go to Boise twice for polygraph, psychological evaluation, interview, and physical fitness test. He also and to take a test online that was like an ACT test and had an extensive background test. I kept asking him when his swim suit competition was going to be the whole thing reminded me of a beauty pageant. I was really impressed with how important honesty was to them, they will drop you even if they think you are being the slightest bit dishonest. Which is definitely Berny's strong point, for example; when he was taking the test it was one that he was able to taking online and someone told him that they don't ask you if you used anything or anyone to help you with the test. But Berny did not feel right about that and even though I was here when he took it he went down stairs just so that he would not be tempted to ask for help. I love that about him, he would never sacrifice his integrity even if that means he might to get a job that would really help our family.
Well we just found out that Berny has been hired on to be a trooper with the Idaho State Police. He will be going to a 12 week high intensity training in Sept. He has to be able to start off running 5 miles and they told him that if he cant do that by the time he gets there they will pack his bags for him. YIKES! But that has really inspired Berny. He has been working out harder than I have ever seen him, and he is loosing weight everyday.
Here is the Testimony on tithing. After I found out that Berny had gotten the job I knew that it was a miracle. He has only been a police officer for 2 years and there were so many applicants. So I felt so much gratitude when I found out. In fact the day I found out, Berny call me and said, "I have the bad news for you...... I didn't get the job." My heart sunk and I realized in that moment how much I had been depending on him to make it. Just as I was getting ready to sob Berny dropped the ruse and told me he was kidding and that he had gotten it. Once I knew the truth I felt so much joy toward my Heavenly Father that I gave a prayer of thanks. After my pray I got the strongest feeling that we were blessed because we pay our tithing!! and I have felt that same feeling about this situation multiple time since that moment. Tithing really does give you and advantage, like a head start in a race, now we must keep the lead but enduring to the end in faith and humility!! Good Luck at the Academy I love you Berny!!