The sweetest things in life, aren't things......

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Month O' Love

I am going to say first off, that I am NO expert on LOVE!
My relationship IS Not perfect.
We are a normal couple.
We fight, we bicker, we annoy each other.
We laugh, we play, we find joy.

Over the last nine years we have found certain things that work well to help strengthen our love, marriage, and friendship!
So this post is based off of Beau and I , and my opinions.
I am not telling you this to put us on a pedistole at all. 
In fact it is just the opposite. I am telling you because I have had nothing but a positive experience with it!
It is also because I feel so strongly that marriage is sooo worth the fight.
So worth investing our time and effort into!
So if you disagree please don't take offense and know again that I am NOT an expert.

Keeping the Love ALIVE
Truthfully this can boil down to lots of  little things but for us mostly
DATE NIGHTS!!!

Date Nights are virtually important for a husband and wife to grow and continue to put each others needs first.
We do need time away from our children to strengthen and connect as a couple.
I hear all the time "But we can't afford a babysitter!"
Sorry people this ANNOYS me.
Isn't every penny invested in your marriage worth it?
You don't have to "GO OUT" to go on a date!
In fact Beau and I only go out 1-2 times a month (if that) and not for very long because paying a babysitter is pricey and let's just face the facts, we don't own a money tree!
But we make it a point to choose a day, once a week, and do something together.
It can be going out, playing a board game, watching a movie, ordering something out for the two of us and eating it at home, building things, laughing, joking, bbqing, going over goals, talking about better ways to parent, just ANYTHING that the two of you can do together!


On the days we choose to stay home, usually a Friday,  we put the kiddos upstairs early.
I have a few movies picked out for them, some treats, and games. Stuff to keep them occupied so that they don't distract us.
I try to make it fun for them. We call Friday nights at our house "Friday Night Late Night".
This is the night that they get to stay up as late as they want. Making it a fun night for them also, helps them to stay upstairs rather than being downstairs with us.
They are so absorbed in having a fun night too!

I was watching Studio 5 awhile ago (thanks you Farah for totally getting me hooked) and they had this mom on there with a dating contract she had come up with. She called it Project 52 : Dating your spouse.
She gives contingencies to her project about dating. And asks us to commit ourselves to dating our spouse faithfully if we are not already.
Although Beau and I , are fairly consistent, we forget sometimes too.
Plus she brought up the fact that each date needed to be different within the month.
What?
That is a challenge.
I am soooo on board!

So I challenge you to also look over the contract and commit to dating your spouse more faithfully.
Make it fun and exciting.
It really doesn't take long to fall in love even more!

I found a talk from the 1991 issue of the Ensign called Date Night at Home and loved it!

I truthfully believe that although we are still imperfect and will still fight and bicker like any other couple, our marriage has been strengthened through dating each other. Through getting dressed up and making our evening special.
Just about the two of us!
Sometimes by ourselves or with other adults.

I would love to hear who wants to take this challenge also .
And I would love to hear positive experience with date night and some of the fun dates you have planned!
Let's get this month of LOVE to continue all year long!

Monday, February 22, 2010

February Highlights

(Warning LONG POST!)

I can't believe that February is almost over!
This month has flown by!

Some of our favorites this month were:

The St. George Visitor Center


The kids and I hit the Visitor center after I did a photography session on Temple Grounds.
It was so peaceful.
A perfect day spent together!

They have a new display on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that was awesome.
The kids and I loved it!

Some awards the Choir has won....

 The kids leading the choir.....


This was a perfect day!

Another fun favorite...
FHE
Cooking 101

One of Savanah's goals this year is to become a good cook.
I had kind of forgotten and haven't helped much. But she quickly taught me a valuable lesson.

Savanah has fasted on fast Sunday every Fast Sunday since she has been baptized. We have really been proud of her decision. 
Last Fast Sunday Beau, Savanah, and I all decided to fast together for a common purpose. When we knelt down to open our fast Savanah said " Can we also fast for me?" I asked her what for, slightly panicked that something was wrong. She said very shyly "That I can be a good cook!" My heart about melted and I felt so bad for forgetting to help her more. So we have since had a few basic cooking lessons! 
I wish I could have her childlike faith so easily! 
Gotta love these kids we have all been blessed with. They are so faithful!

So Beau and I decided that at least twice a month we would incorporate cooking into our FHE's.
1st up
Whole Wheat German Pancakes
this little one was fast asleep
 ingredients...check


Learning to crack eggs and measure milk...check



done baking....check


finished product...check

And the best part...the first bite!


Another fun day was the day the kids had off school.

Picnic @ the PARK
The weather was in the 60's and the park was inviting!
We spent three hours there!
We also ran into to some great friends there.






Our friends daughter. She is such a cute lil' riot!


and another one of Buster.



I also found Buster rummaging this month through the garbage! 
YUCK!
I forget how quickly they start to get into everything. And he is well into that stage!
Looks like leftover Panda was on the menu for him this night!




We also got to see Beau's dad, Dean, sister, Katie, and step mom, Cindy recently.

They were headed back from a vacation in Cali and stopped for a few minutes to say hi!


And Lastly some great
DATE NIGHTS.
Valentines dinner w/ good friends.
Movie rentals.
Ordering out.
And we also made our boys a  bed for our last date night!
 More to come on  my craft blog!

Over all our month has been full of fun and lots of activity!
We hope you all have had a happy LOVE month also!
I will be updating soon with some other random thoughts!
Until then....

C-YA!!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Super Bowl Sunday

Love the Superbowl!
Mostly love all the food and good company!

We had the Church's over to watch the game with us!

Here are a few pictures I snapped of some of the kiddos.

Kennedy and Brennan


Savanah, Brielle, and Jacquel
Being silly and playing barbies.


Caleb acting goofy!

Jarrin trying not to smile for me!

Ashytnn


Lukas

We had such agreat time!
I ate way to much but enjoyed every minute of it too!
Hope your Superbowl Sunday was great!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Grandpa Dean Comes to Visit



We were so excited to have Grandpa Dean here for a visit! 
We miss living closer and getting to see him all the time.
It was so great to have him here.

He was so kind and asked me to draw a closet plan up for the kids rooms so he could custom build some closet organizers.
WOW! 
Have you SEEN my closets? 
Great spaces. But wasted space. 
So it was such a blessing to have his help for these!

Before pix~
Girl's closet
 
Yes this is really all the stuff I had in there.
I will admit I need to go to CA
Clothing Anonymous!
Yes, my name is Bonnie I am addicted to clothes!
There...I said it!
But in my own defense. 
NINETY % or MORE of my children's clothes come from the DI or second hand clothing stores.


Boys room....
 
Caleb's closet is huge! So all the toys have been stored in his room!


During.....
Look at these HARD WORKERS!!



Girls room AFTER~



They get to keep their own toys in their own room now!
(And bonus...more space for more clothes..shhhh...don't tell)

Boys Room During~
 Grandpa DEAN hard at work!

And after....
Look at all that space. Even a built in computer station!
Hooray!!

All I have to do is paint them. But I will save that for summer time.

Some other fun pictures of the kids and Grandpa.
(Dang we didn't get any with grandpa and the older two. Next time)


What a messy face!!

Thanks so much for coming Grandpa. 
For your help on the beautiful closet shelves, for the great conversations, and memories!
Can't wait for your next visit!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Bad Day

I hate when my kids have a bad day at school.
But it is bound to happen.
Adults have bad days.
So it is natural for kids to have them too!

This beauty came home from school a little distraught!
Stressed out and tired, I knew just the cure!

Savanah loves to have one on one time with mom. 
We talked about her day ,hugged,  and decided that a manicure was in order!

She has such beautiful hands and fingernails. 
(Luckily she didn't get her mom's bad biting habit)

Before~
And after~


The instant "cure-all" that works every time to chipper her right back up!
Love this girl!