Slow Down!

Where is time going?! I cannot believe how fast the days are flying by.Since my last post quite a bit has happened so here is the run down.

Savannah started kindergarten!!! I still cannot get over the fact that this girl is big enough to be in school. She goes to all day kindergarten and loves it, it has also been so amazing to see how much she is already learning. She can spell a few words and is just starting read very small words as well. She made it into the 100 club last week and she was beyond proud of herself. (The 100 club is for kids who can count to 100.) This girl was made for school and I hope she continues to love it and to do so well.

Abby is now 14 months which is also crazy to think about, she is starting to look so grown up and she desperately wants to be a big girl like her sisters. She is an expert walker now, she climbs on everything, and has just started talking. She can say hi, daddy, mom, Nanna for Savannah, more, thank you, bye, uh-oh, no, and more. There are probabley more but I can't remember, also she says all these in her cute baby way but for those who are around her we know what she's saying.

Savannah also celebrated her 6th Birthday in September she had been looking forward to it for months and was so exited to celebrate with her new class at school. I asked her some question on her birthday and her answers are below; What's your favorite color?, What's your favorite thing to eat?, What's your favorite thing to do?, What's your favorite movie?, What's your favorite thing about school?, and What's your favorite thing to do with your family? This little girl is amazing!!! She's such a smart girl, a fantastic big sister, so creative, fun, sassy, head strong, and passionate. There are so many things about Savannah that I admire she really is just the best.

We've also been trying to spend more time together sine Jacob is now done with school, the girls were excited when they found a butterfly in their pool.

We also went for little hike, poor Olivia got a blister so Savannah took a turn carrying her.

Abby with her BFF Jacob.

Savannah was convinced she was getting sunburned so she kept putting on more and more sunscreen.

The fair also came the end of September and as usual we had a blast! The girls had so much fun riding all the rides, getting their faces painted, seeing all the exhibits, and Savannah even rode a sheep!

One of my favorite things that happened the end of September was having a visit from my parents! We always love when they come and this visit was no exception. On their first full day with us we went to Bearizona and it was so fun. You drive threw part of the park and see bigger animals that can come right up to your car and then the second half of the park you walk threw. We saw all kinds of animals like bears, wolves, big horn sheep, bison, buffalo, otters, foxes, and some birds during the birds of prey show.

This was a shorter trip so they were only with us for 4 days but we had a blast hanging out, going out to eat, and exploring. I can't wait to see my parents again cause I can never get enough of them.

Also while my mom was here she took some pictures of the girls and I'm of course in love with them.

Lastly to start off our October we watched General Conference which as always was amazing! I love being able to hear from the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am always left wanting to hear more and looking forward to the next session in 6 months. I once again made conference packets for the girls and had huge success, I want to blog about them so I can have a place with all the info I need for next time.

Conference Weekend

I absolutely love watching general conference! For those of you who don't know what that is here is a link for you. Essentially it is a two day event the first weekend in April and October where church leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak. There are 5 sessions and each last two hours. Some people may think I'm crazy for loving this but I can't help it, I LOVE IT! I feel so uplifted and better about myself and who I am after listening to these talks. Its also an entire weekend that we as a family are home together, spending time together, and growing closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
This year I wanted to have something special for the girls so that they could listen with us but still be entertained. Pinterest gave me the answer as usual, I found this idea and knew I had to do it. I didn't go out and buy a holder like she did, maybe for October I will. All I did was move our kitchen table into our living room (its not that big) and I laid out all the girls activities I had put together. Each activity or snack either had a picture of someone from the First Presidency, an Apostle, or a blank paper for one of the other speakers. Some of the activities I did I got from the links on that sight like the coloring pages and the apostle magnet pages. I also did brown bags for puppets, string and beads to make necklaces, and books. This idea was golden! It worked so well that we will be doing this every time we watch conference. The girls listened and made some comments about different talks and were for the most part quiet and happily did their activities or ate their snack. I was thrilled with how it turned out, also it wasn't very time consuming to put together. Printing stuff off took the longest and it wasn't like it was a hard thing to do. All together I think it took me an hour and a half/two hours to put everything together for two days and it was worth every minute.

 I also implemented "fun lunch" as my girls call it, I got the idea from this amazing gals blog. She is totally right, its such a simple thing to do that really doesn't take any extra time. Every time I use the toothpicks Savannah tells me how its such a great idea and whatever I've used the toothpicks with is usually the first things my girls eat.

 In between sessions Olivia and I made zucchini bread, she loved being my helper and getting to pour everything in since Savannah was playing some games on the computer. As a side note, don't you love Olivia's hair?! She refused to let me fix it this morning and said that a headband made it all better. She sure is the total opposite of her big sister and she sure does crack me up.

 

Overall it was a GREAT weekend! I'm sad its over actually and I'm already looking forward to October so we can do it all over again.

Goals

So I've felt like I've been in a bit of a slump lately. It shouldn't surprise me that I have been because I usually get in one after there has been some kind of change to happen in my life. Life here is going good, we're all settled but I'm still trying to figure out where I fit in and what my life will consist of here in Arizona. I'm basically a single mom since Jacob is busy from 6am-9pm Monday thru Friday. I've felt a bit lost and overwhelmed at times as I try to juggle everything that goes along with moving and restarting your life. Setting up all our utilities, changing our address with from all our previous bills, getting insurance set up, finding a new doctor for the girls, making new friends, trying to fill our days with something so we don't all go crazy, and so much more. This past weekend we had General Conference, it was wonderful and this was the first time that I've watched having certain questions I wanted to find answers to. It was amazing to me how I could find something in every talk given that answered my questions. During the Saturday afternoon session I decided I needed to set some goals, I needed something to strive for each day to bring more structure into my life and in turn the girls. So to make my goals even more real and to help me try to achieve them I'm going to share them with you.

Read my scriptures every day and read my lessons for Sunday classes at Church.
Say my prayers morning and night and say them on my knees.
Work out Monday thru Friday even if its something small.
Limit time spent on the internet.
Have school at home with Savannah Monday thru Friday.
Do 1 act of service each week.
Say kind words at all times.
Put an effort into how I look everyday, no pj's till after 6pm.
Have structured meal times for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

It was amazing to me to see how quickly I stopped doing these things after we moved, we were just flying by the seat of our pants and really lost all our structure. I hated it and I hated how it made me feel. I don't need to have every minute of my day planned out but just having the basics planned has made all the difference. Not wearing my pj's all the time has been a huge difference for me, I'd get dressed if we were going out but as soon as we got home I'd put my sweats back on. I just felt so lazy and unmotivated to do anything. Today I know we aren't going anywhere, its raining and I had Jacob take the car to work and school so we'll be home all day. I knew I couldn't stay in my pj's so I put this on instead, its still super comfy and something I won't mind wearing all day even though we're just kickin it at home plus its the first time we've had colder temperatures and I was quite excited to bust out some fall clothes.

In addition to my goal setting Savannah and I sat down and made a set list of chores that she is now responsible for. She's always had tasks she needed to do around the house and she is always a good little helper but now she has specific things she has to do everyday. In addition to these chores she also gets an allowance each week, I think Jacob and I decided on .25 cents for her to start with. I know she's going to be bringing in the money, lol. We both felt like this was an excellent way for her to start understanding the importance of saving money and being responsible. So far this week has gone well and she has done all her jobs, I'm working on making her a chore chart which I'll share later with you. Well there you have it I think I'll do well keeping my goals so far things have gone well but its only Thursday. The thing is though that I've already seen the biggest difference in myself and who I am as a mother by doing these things that I really don't think I'll want to stop.

Book of Mormon Video

So my brother in law posted this video on his facebook page, now I rarely watch video's that people post but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did, I think its a great description of what the Book of Mormon is and what members of The Church of Jesus Christ believe.

Prepared

Now I'm usually a slacker when it comes to being prepared for Sunday lessons in Relief Society. I know the teacher will tell me the high points of the lesson and I always get something from them but I always find reasons not to be prepared by reading the lesson myself beforehand. Not this week! This is my new thing I did, I actually read the lesson being taught in Relief Society. Since it was the 4th Sunday the lesson was on a talk from this past General Conference. This month it was The Three Rs of Choice by President Monson (you can click on the title if you care to read it.) I was quite grateful that I read the talk on my own because Olivia had a hard time in class and I ended up in the hall for 90% of the lesson. Two of my favorite things said in this talk are first, President Monson made a reference to Alice in Wonderland. He was talking about the part where Alice comes to a fork in the road and asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. His response is fantastic, he says, "That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn't matter which path you take." President Monson then said, "by choosing our path, we choose our destination." Its so true though isn't it, I think that when we know where we want to be, have an end goal in sight it totally effects the decisions we make because we're working towards something. My other favorite thing said in the talk was also by President Monson, he said "Eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is your goal. Such a goal is not achieved in one glorious attempt but rather is the result of a lifetime of righteousness, an accumulation of wise choices, even a constancy of purpose. As with anything really worthwhile, the reward of eternal life requires effort." I love having a reminder that I can't reach my goal overnight. That its fine if I stumble along the way because its not just one moment that will determine my fate but what I've done over my lifetime. What a comforting thing to know that if we do our best, we always try to better ourselves and those around us we'll be ok. That yes we will make mistakes and not always be kind but we can repent and try to do better the next day, we just need to learn from our mistakes and try not to keep repeating them.

Continue in Patience

This was a good reminder for me so I thought I'd share.

New Adventure

So a few weeks before I had Olivia and the first few after I was a slacker mom. I basically let Savannah watch movies all day because well I was exhausted. So I've decided that the all day movie watching is over and we are going to have a schedule and do fun activities. So this morning I was watching my sister in laws wedding video and Savannah watched with me. She kept saying temple and saying how pretty it was so right then and there I decided that we were going to the temple. I've never taken Savannah to the temple and I thought it would be a fun little outing and she could see all the flowers. So my other sister in law Sandi ended up coming with us and we had a picnic lunch. It was a fun trip and Savannah really did like it, I think her favorite part was the fountain. At one point she started to take off her shoe and I though something must have gotten in it until I realized she was going to try and get in the fountain. Needless to say we had a quick fight to put her shoes back on and she did not go swimming in the temple fountain.

Some of the flowers, I'm glad Savannah didn't try to pick any.

Me and my girls.

This is when we first found the fountain, she was so happy.

Time Flies...

I can't believe its been so long since I've posted something, I guess I haven't felt anything super exciting has been happening until last week. I apologize, I'm a huge slacker and didn't take any pictures so you have nothing to look at but I will still tell you my adventure of last week which my brother in law called the Jefferies Olympics. It all started on Wednesday, March 3rd (as a side note that is my moms birthday too:)) My favorite Aunt Fran was in the Boise area for a work conference and invited my cousin and I to go out to dinner with her. This was such a huge treat because for one it was nice girl time with NO kids or husbands, and two I got a wonderful free for me dinner at the Cheesecake Factory one of my favorite places to eat. It was also nice because I've passed my getting sick phase of being pregnant so I actually got to enjoy my dinner and I won't lie it was divine. So going out to dinner was like the calm before the storm, I'm not meaning to imply that the rest of the week was horrible just that I can't believe how much was packed into 4 days. Ok here we go...
On Thursday morning Jacob and I dropped Savannah off at my cousins house at 9am so that we could drive over to the temple for a 10:30 endowment session. Whey get there so early you ask because Jacob's youngest sister Sandi was receiving her endowments and we wanted to make sure we ended up in her session. Its a good thing we did to because it was packed and we arrived an hour early. It was a wonderful experience and Sandi was just glowing, words really can't describe how happy I am for her and that we got to share in such an important step in her life. Right after the session we headed off to pick up Miss Savannah and then we headed west to Nyssa, Oregon, that's right Oregon. Now, Nyssa is right over the border but still we drove to a different state and went to Jacob's aunts where we had lunch and then headed over the the church building. Jacob's grandma Jefferies passed away the previous week so were there for her funeral. It was a beautiful service and it was so nice to learn a little more about her. They had a nursery for the younger kids so it was nice to have Savannah playing with her cousins so Jacob and I could pay attention to the service. I kept thinking the whole time how grateful I am for the gospel. That the though of death really doesn't bother me and that I know what happens after we leave this world. What a comfort to know that because of the choices that Jacob's family has made that we will be together again as an eternal family. Jacob's sister Jeni sang a beautiful song and for the closing hymn Jacob along with his siblings and parents sang Each Life That Touches Ours For Good. It was so touching for me to see Jacob who I have never seen cry in 4 years of marriage try to keep it together as they sang through that closing hymn. After the service we grabbed Savannah from her second set of babysitters that day and went to the grave site. After the funeral it was time to get back in the car and head back to Middleton, Idaho and to Jacob's parents. There we all got changed out of our church clothes and dressed for Sandi and Jared's pre wedding party. Savannah was then left with her third set of babysitters that day and we all headed over to Jared's families ranch for our pre-wedding party. It was so fun! The food was AMAZING and it was a riot! They showed a slide show of pictures the happy couple growing up and then it was open to family to share funny stories or advice and of course singing. Now I am not a performer, I don't sing at all but I have married into a very talented singing family and Jared's family is also incredibly talented as well. Jacob who never gets up sang a song that he and Jared had been planning for quite some time as a surprise and it was the funniest thing ever. If I can figure out where the clip is I'll add it to my blog, its that good. So we ate and had fun and then I was done for the night because by now its like 9:30 at night. I won't lie I was a bit worried how Savannah had done with her last set up sitters, everyone told us how great she was with them and I was hoping our luck would continue. As it turns out it did, we walked in the door to Jacob's parents and Savannah is sound asleep in the sitters arms and the two girls couldn't say enough about what a doll she was the whole time. Needless to say I was relieved.
Friday, yes everything above this was just Thursday! So we needed to be at the Temple at 1:30 because Sandi and Jared were getting married at 2. We were taking Savannah over to Jacob's sisters to be once again babysat. We were going to drive over with Jacob's 2 sisters and brother in law so we had to be at their house at 12:30 because we were dropping of their car to be fixed since the service station was right next to the temple. So we drop off Savannah who is NOT happy were leaving her again and climb in our cars. As were heading out of the neighbor hood I actually look in my wallet for some reason and low and behold I don't have my recommend like I thought I did. It was in the side pocket of my temple bag which was sitting on my bed at my house in Nampa 20 minutes away from where I am. Jacob turns around and dropped me back off that his sisters because his younger brother was there. I then had to get Scott to drive me back to Nampa and back into Boise so that I could have my recommend. Its a good thing we were so early and that Scott drives like a lunatic! I totally thought we were going to get a speeding ticket and I'm socked we didn't. We make it to the temple at 1:30 so right on time and then at 2 we got to be with Sandi and Jared in the sealing room to witness their beautiful sealing. It of course made me think of my own and how grateful I am to have married Jacob. He is of course not perfect but neither am I and I really do think I found someone who complements me so well and I would hope he'd say the same. It was just a beautiful day for a wedding, the sun was shinning and it wasn't too cold. The happy couple were radiant and I am still beyond excited for them, Sandi couldn't have picked greater guy and I'm so excited that Jared had joined the ranks as a Jefferies in law with me. After the wedding we headed back to get Savannah who did not do well being babysat I think by this point she was just done not being with her mom and dad. We all grabbed our things and then headed out to Middleton for a quick dinner at the church before taking family pictures and having the reception start. It was a great time and everyone had lots of fun. Savannah looked adorable in her zebra print dress that was made for her and the two other younger girls just for the reception. We finally headed home around 9:30 and I was beyond exhausted.
Saturday was a bit more relaxing, Jacob and all the boys went off shooting that morning so Savannah and I played at home and relaxed in our jammies. Then that afternoon my niece Sarah was getting baptized. We headed down to Meridian to be at her baptism at 4, Sarah was so excited and I don't think I've ever seen such a big smile on her face. After her baptism we headed over to her house to celebrate as it was also her birthday. We once again had amazing food and lots of fun visiting and just being together.
On Sunday our busy weekend was coming to a close, we went to our ward for Sacrament Meeting at 9 and then came home for an hour before heading back up to Middleton because we were having 2 baby blessings. Jacob's oldest brother Jeff and his wife Anne had two adorable twin boys the beginning of January and while here for all the festivities they blessed their babies. Savannah was louder then both boys during the blessings but as I was trapped in a corner with no way out I had to do the best I could to keep her quite. Following the blessings, Anne, her mother, and my mother in law bore their testimonies of the Gospel and of their love for their families and there was just such a sweet spirit to be felt in that home. Following that we had another fantastic meal and just visited and had fun.
As I look back at all that took place over this very long weekend it really helped my testimony grow. I was really able to see how important the plan of happiness is. Over those 4 days all the important phases of life were covered. It help me realize even more how important ordnance's are and how much they affect our lives, how without them we lose blessings and protection that our Father in Heaven wants us to have. I am so grateful for the path my life has taken and that I have participated in the ordinances I need to have done to help me secure my place in the Celestrial Kingdom. What amazing blessing await us if we hold to the rod and do what is right, we might stumble along the way but I hope we never let go.

Thoughts from Me

So I've said it before but one of my favorite things is the Conference edition on the Ensign. Last time it came out in April I attempted to put in a quote a week and I failed. I didn't even make it half way through. So I don't think I'm going to commit to a quote a week but I did want to include some of my favorites that I've read so far. Hopefully they'll lift your spirits as they have mine.

"Spirituality yields two fruits. The fist is inspiration to know what to do. The second is power, or the capacity to do it." -Elder Richard G. Scott

"The challenge for each of us is in providing an environment where the Spirit can be felt daily in our homes and weekly at church. One reason we are encouraged to pray and read the scriptures every single day is that both of these activities incited the spirit into our homes and into the lives of our family members." -Vicki F. Mastumori

"No matter the burdens we face in life as a consequence of natural conditions, the misconduct of others, or our own mistakes and shortcomings, we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent us to earth as part of His eternal plan for our growth and progress. Our unique individual experiences can help us prepare to return to Him. The adversity and afflictions that are ours, however difficult to bear, last, from heaven's perspective, for "but a small moment;and then, if [we] endure it well, God shall exalt [us] on high." We must do everything we can to bear our burdens "well" for however long our "small moment" carrying them lasts." -Elder L.Whitney Clayton

"All parents and gospel teachers are messengers from God." -Russell T Osguthorpe
"We can begin to become more diligent and concerned at home by telling the people we love that we love them. Such expressions do not need to be flowery or lengthy. We simply should sincerely and frequently express love." -Elder David A. Bednar

"When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden...if we truly learn to love our Heavenly Father and our fellowman with all our heart, soul, and mind-all else will fall into place." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"If anyone thinks that godly or parental love for an individual grants the loved one license to disobey the law, he or she doesn't not understand either love or law." -Elder Dallin H. Oaks

"However, we much be careful not to constrain [the Spirits] influence. When we do not do what is right or when our outlook is dominated by skepticism, cynicism, criticism, and irreverence toward others and their beliefs, the Spirit cannot be with us. We then act in a way that the prophets describe as the natural man." -Elder Robert D. Hales

The Lord does not expect that we do what we cannot achieve. The command to become perfect, as He is, encourages us to achieve the best of ourselves, to discover and develop the talents and attributes with which we are blessed by a loving Eternal Father, who invites us to realize our potential as children of God. He knows us; He knows of our capacities and our limitations. The invitation and challenge to become perfect, to achieve eternal life is for all mankind." -Elder Jorge F. Zeballos

What Matters Most

I Love to See the Temple

"When we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent." -Elder Richard G. Scott

Faith in Adversity

"Living the gospel does not mean that we will everlastingly escape adversity. Rather, it means that we will be prepared to face and endure adversity more confidently." -Elder Rafael E. Pino

Faith

"There is no other thing in which we can have absolute assurance. There is no other foundation in life that can bring the same peace, joy, and hope. In uncertain and difficult times, faith is truly a spiritual gift worthy of our utmost efforts. We can give our children education, lessons, athletics, the arts, and material possessions, but if we do not give them faith in Christ, we have given little." -Elder Kevin W. Pearson

2 for 1

" He knows you. He loves you. He wants you to be eternally happy. But according to your God-given agency, the choice is yours." -Elder M.Russell Ballard

"The Savior has made it clear that we are not to judge each other. This is especially true of members of our own families. Our obligation is to love and teach and never give up." -Elder Quentin L. Cook

Adversity

"We must be transformed through making righteous choices where that is hard to do." -President Henry B. Eyring

Better late then never

"Love begets love, compassion begets compassion, virtue begets virtue, commitment begets loyalty, and service begets joy. We are part of a covenant people, a community of Saints who encourage, sustain, and minister to one another." -Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Do you Know?

"We must know-and know that we know." -Elder Allan F. Packer

Let us go Forward!

"Let us go forward in faith, confidence, and virtue, serving with Christ to help save our families and all of our Heavenly Father's children within our reach." -Michael A. Neider

Examples

"Our examples of respect for each other are critical for our youth and children because they are watching not only the media- they are watching us! Are we the examples we need to be?" -Margaret S. Lifferth

Something New

So one of my favorite things is the Conference edition of the Ensign, I always look forward to reading it but sometimes struggle doing it. So this time I decided that each week I'm going to read at least one talk and then post my favorite quote. So here you go..."Our success in never measured by how strongly we are tempted but by how faithfully we respond." -Robert D. Hales