Celebrating 11 Years

11 Things I LOVE about this man:

1.  His love of God

2.  He chose me

3.  His BIG heart and love of people  

4.  His ability to play with our children and be present in their world

5.  His neverending drive to work hard to provide for our family

6  His patience and desire to understand me on Crazy Mom days

7.  His aching for a good adventure in the outdoors

8.  Those baby blues (that all our children were lucky to get, too)

9.  He shares my love of learning

10.  Even after 11 years, he can still make me laugh

11.  I get to share the rest of my life with him

Happy Anniversary!

The Ivy Girl Academy Workshop

Last weekend we had a house full ~ with 28 girls and a few volunteer moms (thank you ladies!) in and out all day.  Jessie was amazing with the girls... inspiring them to have confidence through engaging activities - not to mention, she sang for them and told her story about having the confidence to say 'No' to a worldly singing career when she was only 15 years old. 

They dicussed gratitude, self defense, motherhood, true beauty, etiquitte, and what it means to be a lady. The girls loved creating Dream Boards - I loved seeing their individual personalities shine through the pictures and random items they chose to put on their boards. Loved it!

My sweet friend Carey huddled with the girls and talked about service and good works and I had a great time chatting with the girls about nutrition and exercise.

Jessie's Shoes

Escape

Once or twice a year, my wise husband literally kicks me out the door for a few days away to catch up on sleep, do a little reading, and self reflecting. So, over the weekend I slipped away and it wasn't a coincidence when I was handed the keys to my rental car, a spunky silver Ford Escape.  Where did I escape to?  A relaxing and uplifting Mother's Retreat put together by two wonderful women - Saren and April (their website Power of Moms) at the beautiful Red Mountain Spa in St George Utah.  The mountains and weather were gorgeous.

I spent time with amazing women and ate yummy food.  I had a chat with Linda Eyre ~ I will be forever grateful for her example, as her words rescued me during a chaotic year (when I had a newborn and barely 2 year old twin boys) through her books - Teaching Children Joy and A Joyful Mother of Children.  I came home with fresh ideas for family systems and traditions and wonderful memories of inspiring conversations.  Thanks to my sweet husband and mother for keeping up with the kids and the house so I could escape for a few days!

Inspired by Stitches, the Stomach Flu and The Sound of Music

How can I use the words stomach flu and inspire in the same post?!? Doesn't the flu mean extra loads of laundry, sleepless nights, and three boxes of Clorox wipes?!? Yep. But, because we were all forced to stay home together as the flu rotated through seven people (we couldn't all get it at once, that would be too easy!) it also meant five days to be together. So, what do we do when it's HOT outside and we can't go swimming or play with friends??

Inspiration #1 The Sound of Music

I pulled out this family classic a few years ago and the kids fell asleep before the first half hour was through. But, this week I figured it was time to try it again. Magic. The kids begged to watch it again... and again. Three times.   All 175 minutes. It sparked amazing discussions about the von Trapp family, Nazi Germany, and Agency.

Inspiration #2 Paint

It's amazing what fresh paint and brushes will do to inspire my kids BIG imaginations. For as long as I can remember, the twins have LOVED to paint. Their latest masterpieces...

Inspiration # 3 Stitches 
The late night ER trip, you know, when the 3 year old silently snuck out of bed at almost 10PM and hit his chin on the counter while playing in the bathroom :-) Funny, but I really cherished the time I had to hold him while we waited to be seen by the doctor. I will always have the memory of laying in the hospital bed next to him and talking softly with him... an unsual charactaristic of my tenacious, active, loud 3 year old. Of course, to stitch him up, he had to be sedated because of the location and size of the split. 7 hours and 7 stitches later... still smiling.