Gimme a Break!

Last week, Caleb was asked what he was going to do for spring break. He said " I'll probably just play solitaire."
Suddenly, I pictured the first day back at school....
Teacher: "What did everyone do for spring break?
Little Billy: "I went to Disneyland!"
Little Johnny: "I went camping!"
Little Brittney "I went a to the Grand Canyon!"
Caleb: "I played solitaire all week."
NOOOOO! I couldn't let this happen. I knew I had to make plans, so I called my sister Lydia in Bagdad AZ.
You may be asking yourself what could be so fun about Bagdad? Well.... first of all, COUSINS!!! It really doesn't matter where you go with cousins because even a prison cell could be fun if your in there with cousins. Second, there's an indoor water park in Bagdad and it's FREE! Third, there's a skate park. Fourth, there's free golfing, Fifth, there's a cool campsite with a creek for playing in (too bad it was so cold.) O.K. I'm going to stop counting now because I'm pretty sure it's getting annoying.
Anyway, we also watched movies, played games, played the Wii, and ate tons of yummy junk. Ahhh, now that's what I call a break.
Thank you Lydia, we had tons of fun!

It's a Bird,..It's a Plane,..It's SUPER COUSINS!

We had fun visits from our cousins this week. The week Started with a visit from Adam's brother Tyler his two boys and our nephew Braunsen , and the week ended with a visit from Adam's sister Heather and her family. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins.
Let's see... they Jumped on the trampoline, wrestled, read books, watched movies, went to the skate park, built forts, made paper airplanes, rode bikes, rode buggies, and just played!
Adam had fun snowboarding with Tyler and his cousins this week. He got a major sunburn and was totally sore the next day, but he had a blast, so it was worth it.

Random

We started this week not really knowing what town we'd be living in. No, we weren't thinking of moving or anything, there was an election held on Tuesday to see if the citizens of Taylor and Snowflake wanted to consolidate the towns to make on larger town. If this happened, our town would be Snowflake-Taylor, or Taylor-Snowflake. We are grateful the citizens in Taylor voted "no" and so, we still live in Taylor. YAY!
Not only did we not know what town we'd be living in, but we still don't know what season it is! Is it Winter or Spring? We sure wish Mother Nature would make up her mind. We started of the week with sunshine on Monday, snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. More sunshine and warmth on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Today we woke up to an inch of snow on the ground. I take comfort in the phrase "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."

The kids have enjoyed learning about Leprechauns in school. They have been hard at work trying to figure out how to catch one of those sneaky fellas and get his gold. I hope they succeed, I hear gold is a good investment these days. We're still trying to figure out what bait will work best. Any suggestions?
This week I've been working on finishing this very Random patch work quilt. A couple of months ago, I went into my sewing room to clean out my fabric cupboard. I emerged two days latter with a crazy quilt top. I'm finally finishing it this week. Yay me!

Welcome Home!

Welcome home Elder Quist!!!! It was so great to see my brother Russ after he served the Lord for two years in Baton rouge, Louisiana. We met him at the airport along with the rest of my family on Thursday, then we spent the rest of the weekend visiting, taking family pictures and riding buggies. It was a sweet reunion for all of us.
Thank you Ben and Suzi, for letting us stay with you. We enjoyed our late-night games, and the kids loved playing with all of Braxton's "noisy" toys. ;)

Brothers

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." Author: Clara Ortega


Adam was able to spend some time with his brothers this week. The bond that these four brothers have is a truly special one. They get along so great, even though they are all so different. I love the way they interact with eachother. They become a bunch of "big boys" and start throwing around words like; dude, sweet and sick!
I know that there isn't anything they wouldn't do for eachother. Adam loves his brothers so much. I'm grateful that families are eternal, and that this bond that these brothers share will only continue to grow and get stronger.

It Might as Well Be Spring

This week the crocus bloomed. For me, they are a symbol that spring is finally on it's way. Along with the blooms, came sunshine and warmth. It was so nice to see the kids playing outside again. All week they rode bikes, played horse shoes, flew kites, played on the swing set, and jumped on the trampoline.
It seems as though Mother Nature was just teasing us with this taste of spring, because tomorrow there is snow in the forecast. I guess we'll have to enjoy the winter for a little while longer, knowing that it won't last forever.
Spring is on it's way!

Who's Your Hero?

Three years ago we started reading the Book of Mormon with the kids each night before bed. Last night we finished the book for the first time. We started out with each of us reading one verse. The kids would simply repeat the verse a few lines at a time. Occasionally we'd read a few extra verses, but there were a lot of words and phrases that needed to be explained, so we usually just read five verses a night. Now that the kids are in school we have them read what they can while we help with the "tricky" words. It takes them a while, so were still at five verses a night. So here we are three years later and we finally finished it!!!! YAHOO!
To celebrate this momentous occasion we had a PARTY ! In attendance were some of our favorite Book of Mormon Heroes. There was Nephi, Sariah, Ammon, Captain Moroni, and an Anti-Nephi-Lehite Mother.
Adam chose to be Nephi. If you ask me, Adam is a lot like Nephi. He works hard, and is a builder. He too was born of goodly parents, and honors them. He is obedient to the Lord and leads others in the path of righteousness.
I've always considered the Mothers of the Young men in Helaman's Army to be the unsung heroes in the book of Mormon. It was their faith and teachings, that gave those 2000 Stripling Warriors the courage to go to battle. I pray that as a mother, I can teach my children to have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord. I know that as they learn and grow they will be faced with spiritual battles of their own. "If they do not doubt, God will deliver them."

Eliza's Hero is Captian Moroni. "Because he had a sword, a shield, a helmet, and a sweet flag!" Eliza is a leader,and has strength like Captain Moroni. I know that if she will put on the whole armor of the Lord throughout her life, that she will be a powerful instrument in the Lord's hands.

Sarah wanted to be Sariah. Not only are their names similar but like Sariah, Sarah follows the Prophet. I know that Sariah must have been an amazing mother, to have raised sons like Nephi, Sam, and Jacob. Sarah will be a great mother too. She is very nurturing, and supportive. Sarah made a beautiful Sariah.

One of the best Missionaries in the Scriptures is Ammon. One of the best missionaries in Taylor is Caleb. I was not at all surprised when Caleb said that his Book of Mormon hero is Ammon. Ammon was able to gain the Lamanites trust through his service to them. Like Ammon, Caleb works hard and serves others and he is not afraid to share his beliefs with anyone who will listen. Ammon may be Caleb's hero, but Caleb is my hero!


I have a Testimony of the Truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. While reading it as a family, we have felt the Holy Spirit enter our home bringing peace and understanding. Our family has gained a greater testimony of our Savior and his plan of happiness through this book.
Tonight we will begin reading this great book all over again. Even if it takes another three years to complete it, we know it's worth every minute.