Bruce and I are speaking in church today. Talk about pressure! I love going to church on Easter Sunday, and listening to a wonderful message about our Saviour and the Atonement. Today I will be the one attempting to deliver that message and I feel bad for all those in attendance because I know I won't do the topic justice. I'm just praying the Spirit will make up what I lack!

As I've prepared my talk over the past week, I've watched this video numerous times... even this morning, as I showed it to my girls, watching it for probably the 10th time myself, I got goosebumps and felt my heart swell with the Spirit.

On that Easter morning, centuries ago, the tomb was empty. The Lord had risen. He lives. And because of Him, I live. Because of Him, I am able to repent of my sins and try each day to be a better person. I am able to one day be reunited with loves ones who have passed from this life. I am able to send my husband off to work each night with the peace that all will be well and that regardless of what this life brings, we can be together forever with our precious children. Because of Him, my life has purpose and joy.

Happy Easter to all!

He Loves Us | An Easter Testimony

After Bruce's mom passed away, three and a half years ago, Easter took on new meaning for me. It has become a very special and sacred time of year that I look forward to celebrating, but not in the typical eggs and jelly beans sort of way. Last year, I decided to take on a new Easter tradition of celebrating the Holy Week. Starting on Palm Sunday, we have a short Easter devotional each night, leading up to Easter Sunday. One of the nights we attend Jesus the Christ, the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant, but other than that, the devotionals are short and sweet. We read a few verses of scripture or watch a short video clip each night to teach us about a different part of Christ's life, death and resurrection.

Tonight started out quite hectic. Swim lessons followed by Bruce and I each going for a run, followed by a thrown together dinner, followed by us trying to hurry the children into the living room for our nightly devotional. I had every intention of keeping it short so we could get the kiddos to bed and Bruce and I could enjoy a few moments to ourselves, but things did not go as planned. Our devotional was much more incredible than I could ever have imagined.

On the agenda for tonight was finishing the Finding Faith in Christ video that we had started to watch last night. Last night's clip was the miracles and parables of Christ's life, which meant tonight would cover Him suffering in the garden, being beaten, hung on the cross and ultimately, resurrected. The girls sat on the couch, watching the video intently. Bruce and I, on the other hand, were a little bit distracted and tried to hurry things along. When the video ended, I closed with a few quick remarks and asked  Beebs to say our family prayer. When she finished praying, her voice was shaky and she was a little bit teary. She climbed into Bruce's lap and started asking questions about the video. She started off wanting to know about the adulterous woman who was brought before Christ and He told her to "Go". Beebs was confused, thinking He had sent her out of his presence. We took the opportunity to explain that everyone makes mistakes and that Christ can forgive us and help us be better and that when He told the woman to "Go", He was telling her to go and live a better life, not go away because He didn't want her to be near Him.

It was a good little conversation and a great teaching moment, but then it got even better. Beebs started asking about the marks on Christ's hands and feet. She told us she wanted to see them so we talked about the Second Coming and that eventually, she will get to see them and she started to get teary. She told us she wanted to see Jesus now, and that she wants Him to bless her. I used this opportunity to explain the beauty of the Priesthood and that when Bruce gives her a blessing, it comes from Heavenly Father, but that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She kept going on about wanting to see the marks on Jesus's hands and feet, so I asked her why. She said she wanted to see them so she would know it was Jesus. I asked if she would know Him without seeing the marks and she said she didn't think so, so we asked her to close her eyes and imagine He was standing with her.

We asked her to describe Him...

Is He short or tall (tall)
Long hair or short (short)
Beard or no beard (beard)
What colour hair (brown)
What is He wearing (a white blessing dress)
Would He be frowning or smiling (smiling)
How would He make her feel (happy and she would feel the spirit)

Then we asked her what she would say to Him... she said she didn't know. So we asked what He would say to her, and without missing a beat, she said that Jesus would tell her "I love you". By this point, my tears were flowing freely. Then Beebs told us, she would tell Him that she loves Him too.

We finished by talking about how much He loves each of us, and that He would probably call her Beebs instead of by her given name, since that's what she is called by those who love her most. It truly was the sweetest, most tender conversation and even as I type it up, I can't help but tear up.

These are the moments, the ones that make motherhood 100% worth the heartache and tears, the rough times and bad days. There is truly no greater joy than sharing a spiritual moment with a young child. I am sure Beebs learned a little bit tonight, but I know I learned much more than she did.

The love I felt for Beebs as we engaged in this conversation about made my heart burst, and that is just a fraction of the love our Father in Heaven and our Saviour Jesus Christ feel for us. Jesus Christ did extraordinary things out of love. I absolutely believe with all my heart that when Beebs and Christ meet face to face, the very first thing He will do is tell her how much He loves her, and I am sure that is what He would tell each and every one of us. All that He did was done out of love... the miracles He performed, the parables He taught, His willingness to suffer for our sins, to be beaten and humiliated, to be crucified and ultimately to break the bands of death and be resurrected... all of this was done out of pure and unconditional love, for God the Father, and for us.

Our devotional tonight has lit a fire under me, and given me the desire to "Go" and be better, to be a more righteous daughter of God, a more loving wife and mother, a better follower of Christ, because I know that He loves me. And I love Him.

Date Night | Chihuly In The Desert

Fact: Bruce and I never really dated.

One day I'll have to type out our love story, but the short version is, we met when he was on his mission. When he got home from his mission, we got in touch and eventually started talking on the phone a LOT. After a few months of talking on the phone for hours each night, he decided to fly up to Utah and visit me. By the end of the five day visit, we were engaged, two weeks later I moved down to Arizona to be near him and 2 months later we were married in the Mesa Arizona temple. And {almost} nine years later, we are still going strong. Despite our lack of dating. 

After we got married, we never really made dating each other a priority. Sure, we'd do things together, but actual dates were few and far between. Last Valentine's Day, I decided that had to change. I felt inspired by the dating posts of a favourite blogger and I put together a year of date nights for Bruce. 12 envelopes with a handwritten note and a preplanned date inside each one. We had so much fun working our way through the envelopes and for the first time ever, actually dating each other. The gift was such a success that I repeated it again this year.


This month, our envelope held two tickets to the Chihuly in the Desert exhibit at our local botanical garden. Neither of us had ever visited the garden, and neither of us really knew what Chihuly meant. Now we are "experts" on both.

The botanical garden itself is absolutely lovely. I am going to have to look up their photography policy because I would LOVE to do my girls birthday photo sessions there at some point. It really is amazing how beautiful the desert can be.

Then there was the addition of the Chihuly exhibit. Oh. My. Goodness. Going in, I had no idea just what Chihuly meant, so in case you are like me, I'll explain! Dale Chihuly is an American artist who specializes in HUGE blown glass sculptures and installations. They are bright, vivid colours and did I mention they are huge!? Bruce and I enjoyed looking at each of the Chihuly pieces and picking our own favourites as well as deciding which ones we thought each of the children would have liked best. It was a beautiful exhibit and we both walked away saying we'd love to go again sometime, and take the wee ones with us.

My favourite piece... it was absolutely magnificent and the colours really popped against the blue sky and green foliage

We decided this would have been Man Cub's favourite... not because he'd care for the piece necessarily, he'd just be all about the water!

This piece was incredible... each piece was moving independent of the others. I can't imagine they were floating, so I'm not quite sure how they were moving around. It was so calming to watch

Bruce's favourite... the pictures just don't do it justice. This piece was gigantic

Our top pick for Beebs... she loves purple, and she loved this picture when we showed it to her

Bruce really wanted to get a picture of me with "blue hair", so I obliged Ü

We picked this one for Sunshine... and we were right! After showing her all the different pictures, she decided this was her favourite.

And a couple of iPhone photos, to prove we were there together Ü

We ended our date with a stop at our favourite deli for hot pastrami sandwiches, followed by stops at two different Paradise Bakeries looking for chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Then it was back home so I could relieve our babysitters and Bruce could head to work. But the final consensus- Chihuly in the Desert makes for a great date night.

A Supercalifragilisticespialidocious Seventh Birthday Celebration

Sunshine's actual birthday was almost two weeks ago, but we only just had her birthday party last night. It was hard to find a time that worked well for us and for the friends she wanted to invite! But we finally got her party scheduled and it was wonderful. I think everyone had a great time. Sunshine decided she wanted to base her seventh birthday celebration around her most favourite movie of all time- Mary Poppins. This turned out to be a rather difficult theme for me to work with, but eventually things fell into place and I think it turned out practically perfect!

The Invitations

The Menu

Figuring out food was the HARDEST part of this party for me! And try searching Pinterest for ideas! Sugar, sugar, and more sugar. Am I the only person who likes to serve real food at birthday parties!?  After struggling with the menu for several weeks, I was chatting with a friend who asked about the party plans... when I mentioned the difficulty of figuring out a meal for the girls she said "Make British food". DUH! I make British food all the time, why not serve that for a Mary Poppins birthday party. Sunshine and I sat down one day after school and listed off some of our favourite British meals. She quickly decided on Shepherd's Pie and a Victoria Sandwich Cake for dessert, though we strayed from the traditional jam and whipped cream filling and instead used strawberry mousse. It was divine. I also served tea when the girls arrived at 4. They each had a few Digestive biscuits (one chocolate and one plain biscuit each) with lemonade or apple juice to drink. We served tea on china teacups and saucers, which the girls got a real kick out of using. For all the hassle of trying to figure out a menu, it turned out great in the end.

The Decorations

I kept the decorations simple... one garland made of umbrella die cuts with a Mary Poppins silhouette in the center. Then, I printed up a "Let's Go Fly A Kite" printable from Tatertots and Jello and paired it with a pinwheel I was given when Man Cub was born. Scattered a few more umbrella die cuts on the table, and that's about as fancy as we got! I do like to think that my collection of mismatched china added to the decor as well. I love my Goodwill china set. Ü

The Cake

As I already mentioned, the cake was a Victoria Sandwich cake with strawberry mousse filling. It was super tasty and pretty in a "I didn't have to pipe frosting" kind of way Ü

The Birthday Girl Attire

Sunshine really wanted to dress up like Mary Poppins in the Jolly Holiday scene of the movie... but since that wasn't happening she opted to wear the dress she got for her birthday from my friend Amanda. Amanda has a real gift for picking out dresses. It has become her tradition to get my girls each a new dress for their birthdays and she always picks the most perfect dresses. They both look forward to their yearly "Amanda dress" and as always, Sunshine's dress this year is absolutely stunning. A great choice for her birthday party.

The Guests

Almost all of Sunshine's closest friends were able to attend her birthday party this year. Only one couldn't make it and she was missed! It was a fun mix of church, school and "little house" friends, from before we moved 3.5 years ago. Many of the girls came dressed up which I thought was so cute, and all of them were super excited to be celebrating Sunshine.

The Activities

We started out by serving tea on the patio when the girls arrived, then they headed inside to watch Mary Poppins. While watching Mary Poppins, Sunshine dragged out crayons and paper so everyone could draw pictures, most of which ended up being pictures of kite flying. We opened presents (and 90% of the gifts she received were "make your own" kits... in the coming weeks, I'll be helping to make a lamp, a doll, decorate a jewelery box, put together room decor and make headbands and a scrapbook. Her friends know her well!) After presents we ate dinner, played a very lively game of Red Rover (which I joined in on and boy oh boy was it fun!!!) then had dessert. After dessert, the party came to an end! I was worried that three hours was going to be too long, but it ended up being just right. We filled the full three hours.

The Favours

The favours are my absolute favourite part of the whole party. We toyed with several ideas, including sidewalk chalk (in honour of Burt) or dollar store kites, but I settled on a "Feed the Birds" theme for the favours. I got little kraft envelopes and printed a picture of a pigeon with the caption "Feed the Birds" on each bag. Then I filled them with bird seed and closed the envelope with bakers twine. Each girl went home with their own bag of bird seed as well as two "tuppence", also known as chocolate coins. I know my girls are excited to go outside in the coming days and feed the birds... I hope all of Sunshine's friends are excited too.

The Letter

The highlight of the party for Sunshine occurred during the gift opening. I should back up for just a moment... Sunshine's one wish for the party was that Mary Poppins herself would make an appearance. She even wrote Mary Poppins a letter, pleading with her to stop by, and Sunshine addressed it to "The Clouds In England". Well, unfortunately, Mary Poppins was unable to attend the party, but she did send Sunshine a very lovely letter explaining why she couldn't be there. This was for sure a highlight of the entire day for Sunshine. She has talked about the letter non-stop and she has asked numerous times to hold it and read it. And, she is insisting that it go in her special things box so she can keep it forever.

For as hard as this party was to plan, I think it turned out wonderful! I loved watching Sunshine and her friends run around, having a great time and they were all so good at including Beebs and Man Cub in their play. It was a truly delightful way to spend a Friday evening... a practically perfect party in every way!

Midweek Musings | Exercise Edition

Wednesdays are strange days in our house... Really, they are Mondays in disguise as Bruce starts his work week at 9pm on Wednesday evening. He also typically has church responsibilities on Wednesday nights meaning dinner time is... interesting! Ü {cold cereal, anyone?} Then, when he heads off to work, I have to readjust to flying solo all night. This usually leads to Wednesday evenings being a time when my brain goes crazy thinking and pondering as it's the first truly quiet moment I've had in days. I've recently decided that maybe I should use this time to tap out a few of the thoughts in my head, for posterity sake. You know, the things that don't exactly warrant a blog post of their own. In fact, they typically don't warrant a picture even! And perhaps they don't even warrant me taking the time to "put them on paper", but I'm going to give it a try. So welcome to my first edition of Midweek Musings. We'll see how this goes and perhaps these posts will occur more regularly.

I started running back in January... this probably comes as a shock to a lot of people because I make it well known that I despise running. I firmly believe that the only reason I should be running is if zombies are chasing me. Or, if Bruce made a deal with me promising diamond earrings in exchange for running a half marathon with him. Turns out, there is a fine line between love and hate and that line, is a pair of diamond studs! {Anyone catching that Friends reference? Ü} I am finding that slowly but surely, I am... not loving, but definitely not despising my runs as much as I use to. I still can't run far, or fast, but I'm running and that's what's important. And one day, before I turn 80, I will have those earrings! I will!

I started out listening to music as I ran. I figured some good upbeat tunes would help keep my mind off the torture I was inflicting on my body. Nope. I found myself bored to tears as I ran listening to music, no matter what varieties I tried. Country cardio, 80s dance, pop, even Zumba music like Pitbull just wasn't doing it. Then I had the brilliant idea (inspiration perhaps?) to start listening to General Conference talks while I run. Oh. My. Goodness. It has made a WORLD of difference in not only my ability to run but my desire to make my runs happen. And I keep finding myself hearing talks that I totally need to be hearing! For example- Bruce and I are about to start a Baptism Prep study with Sunshine, to help prepare her for her big day next year and I've been pondering what we need to teach her and how to teach it. Yesterday, I went for a long {for me} run and listened to three different talks from October's Relief Society broadcast that focused on the importance of covenants and being covenant keeping people. I arrived home from my run with several ideas of things to include in our Baptism Prep. I've also heard talks that are helping me prepare for our upcoming Primary teacher training as well as talks that have helped me to offer advice and comfort to friends in need. It is amazing. Even though I still don't enjoy the actually act of running, I find myself looking forward to my runs as they give me some quiet moments of peace where I can soak in the words of the prophet and his apostles.  And I might just learn to love the running part yet.

Tomorrow I have a short run scheduled, then Saturday I am aiming to finish what will be my longest run ever in my 29 years of life. 4 miles, baby! {I know, I know. It sounds pitiful compared to what a lot of people consider a long run, but remember... I believe we should only run when being chased  by zombies or knife-wielding bad guys} So, wish me luck, and if you don't hear from me early next week, assume I didn't survive. Ü

Happy 7th Birthday Sunshine!

Happy Birthday Sweet Sunshine!!

Seven years old today! I am not quite sure how this is possible, since I still feel 18 at heart, but somehow, here we are. I am 29 and you are 7!! We have come a long way since that day, 7 years ago, when I was just 22 years old, a baby myself, and you were placed in my arms for the first time. Your birth followed a glorious Arizona sunrise and the nurses immediately nicknamed you Sunshine. That is exactly what you have been, not only in our lives, but in the lives of all you've come in contact with. Our lives changed forever that day, in the best way possible, and it has only gotten better since.

This past year has been a big one for you... I can't quite put it in to words, but right before our eyes, you have blossomed. You've gone from a little child to a girl. Gone is the squishiness and the round face of your toddler years. You've gotten tall and lean and quite honestly, it's taken you some time to get use to the new feel of your body. I still laugh when I think of the time just a few months ago when you looked at me in exasperation and told me you wanted to be a baby again, so you could crawl because you were tired of tripping over your own feet. You have since gotten use to the new you and you have become a fast runner, an excellent bicycle rider and a wonderful swimmer. All that growing is paying off!

You are just as sensitive as ever... always knowing the right things to say, or not say, to comfort those in need of comfort. Your hugs make everything in the world right again and it takes my breath away when your eyes well with tears of sadness because someone you know is hurting or out of worry or concern. You are a great friend to those around you and I am especially proud of the way I have witnessed you avoid situations where others are speaking unkindly. I have yet to hear you say an unkind thing about anyone you know and that is a trait I hope you hang on to for the rest of your life.

We are so proud of how hard you are working in school this year as a first grader. Things started out a little rough, especially in regards to reading, but you were determined to figure it out and you  have become an excellent reader. We rarely see you without a book in hand. We are especially amazed at your ability to read and understand the scriptures, in particular, The Book of Mormon. Your love for the gospel has continued to grow in the past year. Your testimony is strong and the light of Christ shines in you. You have no fear when it comes to sharing what you believe and your example helped bring our wonderful neighbors into the gospel. I hope you remember the experience of helping Bill and Diane learn about the gospel for the rest of your life. You are such a great missionary.

Thank you for being such a blessing in our home, for being such a kind and loving big sister, for your eagerness (usually!) to help around the house and your desire to help each of us be better people. We are beyond blessed to call you ours and we thank our Heavenly Father every day for the privilege of being your parents.

We love you, our sweet Sunshine and hope you have a wonderful year of being 7!
Love always,
Mommy & Daddy

Mini Monet | Alma Woodsey Thomas

For our March edition of Mini Monet, we studied Alma Woodsey Thomas. I had a feeling her fun coloured, mosaic-like, abstract art would be a real hit with my Mini Monet girls and I was right. I could hardly contain my excitement as I watched their Alma-inspired works of art emerge.They turned out so awesome!!

Alma was an Expressionist painter and many of her works looked like mosaics, though they were created with paint. I decided to have my girls use a mosaic approach and utilize foam core board, glue and a rainbow of paint chips to create their master pieces.

The results were stunning. I would seriously hang any one of these works of art in my house! It was so much fun to watch the different approach each girl took to creating her art. Some of them starting in one area, focusing on one colour at a time. Some placed one square here and another there, alternating colours as they went. I really enjoyed watching their methods and I am beyond pleased with the final results.