I got the CD back of Liv's official dance pictures. Here is my favorite one.
taken by Christina Nielsen Photography
4.24.2011
Easter Nature Walk
I saw this idea for an Easter Nature Walk online (www.thegoldenseven.blogspot.com and myheartandhome.com), and then yesterday in the mail we got a package from my in-laws with a book titled "Easter Walk, a treasure hunt for the real meaning on Easter". So I thought we should definetly try it out. We finally had a day without any rain, so I took advantage Saturday afternoon and we set out on our walk looking for items that remind us of the real reason we celebrate Easter.
Here is a list of the items we were searching for and the reason why.
1. Branch. A week before Christ's crucifixion, as he entered the city, people waved branches from palm trees.
Matthew 21:1-11.
2. Garden Area. The garden of Gethsemane.
Luke 22:39-44.
3. Thorns/something prickly. The crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus's head.
Matthew 27:29-31.
4. Wood. The cross that Jesus carried and hung on was made of wood.
John 19:17.
5. Something no longer alive. The savior really did die for us on the cross.
John 19:30-39
6. Something White. Christ was wrapped in white linen before being placed in the tomb.
7. 3 things dark. Three days of darkness following the death of the savior.
3 Nephi 8:20.
8. Stone. A large stone was placed in front of the tomb that the angel removed.
Matthew 27:62-66.
9. Something living. The resurrection of our Savior. He Lives!!
I will definetly do this each Easter. It not only gave the kids a fun outdoor activity, but something to think about as we looked for each item. We talked about what the Garden of Gethsemane might have looked like, and pricked our fingers on the thorns, and really thought about what it might have been like for Jesus. As Shawn and I shared with our kids the story of Jesus's sacrifice and the scriptures, I was touched with the such a sweet spirit. What an amazing sacrifice we have all been given. What a beautiful time of year to remember our Savior. Truly I have been blessed. I'm glad we have holiday's like this to remind us of what's important.
Here is a list of the items we were searching for and the reason why.
1. Branch. A week before Christ's crucifixion, as he entered the city, people waved branches from palm trees.
Matthew 21:1-11.
2. Garden Area. The garden of Gethsemane.
Luke 22:39-44.
3. Thorns/something prickly. The crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus's head.
Matthew 27:29-31.
4. Wood. The cross that Jesus carried and hung on was made of wood.
John 19:17.
5. Something no longer alive. The savior really did die for us on the cross.
John 19:30-39
6. Something White. Christ was wrapped in white linen before being placed in the tomb.
7. 3 things dark. Three days of darkness following the death of the savior.
3 Nephi 8:20.
8. Stone. A large stone was placed in front of the tomb that the angel removed.
Matthew 27:62-66.
9. Something living. The resurrection of our Savior. He Lives!!
I will definetly do this each Easter. It not only gave the kids a fun outdoor activity, but something to think about as we looked for each item. We talked about what the Garden of Gethsemane might have looked like, and pricked our fingers on the thorns, and really thought about what it might have been like for Jesus. As Shawn and I shared with our kids the story of Jesus's sacrifice and the scriptures, I was touched with the such a sweet spirit. What an amazing sacrifice we have all been given. What a beautiful time of year to remember our Savior. Truly I have been blessed. I'm glad we have holiday's like this to remind us of what's important.
once there was a dog
named Olive.
For the past few months we have been wanting a dog. Our boys are obsessed, like every time we pass a dog anywhere we have to stop and pet it. Shawn has loved dogs ever since I have know him and he also grew up with one. I fought it for a long time, but I finally gave in, all for the good of my family :) Yes, your heard correct.....we bought a dog.
We've been searching, we knew we wanted a boxer puppy, but most were too expensive. It happened that on Easter Eve (is there such a thing?) I was checking the local adds and saw some puppies just in our price range. I immediately called. A few minutes later Ethan and Shawn were in the car driving to look at puppies and then a few minutes after that we had a dog. Yes, it was as simple and spontaneous as that.
Ethan named her Olive. She is perfect, everything we have been looking for in a dog. This morning when Cole and Liv, who didn't know about the late night dog purchase, woke up to a dog they were beyond ecstatic. We had fun all morning long playing and loving her.
Now the story turns sour. Our perfect, lovable, and most wanted dog is no longer ours. Shortly after returning home Shawn got a really funny pit in his stomach. Something just didn't feel right. This was a familiar feeling to him, as it happened once before in Las Vegas when we almost bought a home. He knew immediately that it wasn't our time to have this dog. He pretty much tormented himself all morning trying to fight this feeling. The dog was perfect. He was devastated about telling the kids because they had already adopted Olive into the family. We sat down as a family and talked about it and explained that sometimes the Holy Ghost tells us things we need to do. As we dreaded, the kids screamed and cried. We drove the dog back to the breeder. Ethan cried in the van on the way and Cole just yelled obscenities. In the end we felt it was the right thing to do. The spirit has never led us astray, and we've done some crazy things, so we felt it best to listen. Maybe there will be another little boxer puppy named Olive in our future, maybe not. But we sure had a fun easter with our dog for the day.
For the past few months we have been wanting a dog. Our boys are obsessed, like every time we pass a dog anywhere we have to stop and pet it. Shawn has loved dogs ever since I have know him and he also grew up with one. I fought it for a long time, but I finally gave in, all for the good of my family :) Yes, your heard correct.....we bought a dog.
We've been searching, we knew we wanted a boxer puppy, but most were too expensive. It happened that on Easter Eve (is there such a thing?) I was checking the local adds and saw some puppies just in our price range. I immediately called. A few minutes later Ethan and Shawn were in the car driving to look at puppies and then a few minutes after that we had a dog. Yes, it was as simple and spontaneous as that.
Ethan named her Olive. She is perfect, everything we have been looking for in a dog. This morning when Cole and Liv, who didn't know about the late night dog purchase, woke up to a dog they were beyond ecstatic. We had fun all morning long playing and loving her.
Now the story turns sour. Our perfect, lovable, and most wanted dog is no longer ours. Shortly after returning home Shawn got a really funny pit in his stomach. Something just didn't feel right. This was a familiar feeling to him, as it happened once before in Las Vegas when we almost bought a home. He knew immediately that it wasn't our time to have this dog. He pretty much tormented himself all morning trying to fight this feeling. The dog was perfect. He was devastated about telling the kids because they had already adopted Olive into the family. We sat down as a family and talked about it and explained that sometimes the Holy Ghost tells us things we need to do. As we dreaded, the kids screamed and cried. We drove the dog back to the breeder. Ethan cried in the van on the way and Cole just yelled obscenities. In the end we felt it was the right thing to do. The spirit has never led us astray, and we've done some crazy things, so we felt it best to listen. Maybe there will be another little boxer puppy named Olive in our future, maybe not. But we sure had a fun easter with our dog for the day.
4.23.2011
Eggs and the Easter Bunny
Every year my Grandma has an Easter Egg Hunt on her farm, and my mom even has one with a golden egg containing a ten dollar bill (Ethan got it a few years ago). It's always sad that we have to miss out on those easter traditions, but this morning we started a new one by attending our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. It was held over at the Elementary school and we even had a surprise visitor, the Easter Bunny. I won't lie, I kind of think the Easter Bunny is a little creepy. Maybe it is because I have a picture of me when I was around 5 being thrown on the Easter Bunny's lap kicking and screaming. Anyway, the kids weren't that fond of the idea either, but Liv convinced the boys to get one quick picture.
We also got our eggs dyed. This kids did a little mixing of all the colors and created some new colors. It was fun.
4.22.2011
Diorama Day
Cole's been working very hard this past week on his diorama. He chose his favorite story to display, Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss. We had lots of fun making the characters out of clay, we actually ended up with a few star wars figures also, but they didn't make the diorama.
Earth Day
It's raining today, so our Earth Day outdoor adventure has been cancelled. But I did make these cupcakes to celebrate.
The kids thought they were gross. I definetly don't have adventuresome eaters!!
4.20.2011
Ethan's Class
Today I spent some time with Ethan on a field trip. For the past few months Ethan's class has been going to an Independent Retirement Community (aka. rest home) every couple weeks. He was put in a group and each group is assigned to one resident, Ethan's is Mrs. Kesich. They spend the time interviewing her and learning about her life. At the end of the school year they make books with all the information they accumulated about her life and give it to her. It is really a neat project. Today Liv and I went with the class. Mrs. Kesich is from Poland and today we learned all about her child life and home in the early 1900's. The kids were blow away that they didn't have hot water and had to heat up water on the stove for baths. Ethan learned that her favorite thing was to play Jacks and make paper dolls with her friends. She also hates pizza, which the kids thought was weird.
Also, Ethan has been growing meal worms in his class. It's really gross, but the kids love it. Eventually they turn into little beetles. They actually get the worms out and play with them and feed them sweet potatoes. Like I said, it's really gross!!
Also, Ethan has been growing meal worms in his class. It's really gross, but the kids love it. Eventually they turn into little beetles. They actually get the worms out and play with them and feed them sweet potatoes. Like I said, it's really gross!!
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