Oh, how we learn...

I spent most of the day Saturday doing laundry, and washing load after load. When I clean I don't listen to music, I just talk to myself. My thoughts were turned to how I was going to answer at judgement, when I am asked how I managed my finances. On Friday night, I decided since John was at a football camp, I would pack all four of my kids in the car, and go shopping. I'm sure my mom is gasping about right now, and asking, "Why would you do that?" I don't know, I had a target gift card for $30, and oh ya, I needed to pick up Brigham's crib bedding. After 8 months of being in my room, I think it's about time he sleep in his own room. I found a crib set for $69, you can't beat that!!!! So anyway, I headed to target, and oh ya, Target also had my wallet that I lost 2 weeks ago, I canceled the cards, and got new ones, but at least I know someone doesn't have it. So, we're at Target, my kids are doing pretty well; I decide to shop around a little. I bought some stuff that came to about $40. I pulled out my new wallet, and my gift card wasn't there? I don't know where I put it, so I just used my debit. We stayed and got popcorn, pretzels, and chicken fingers at Target(gross). Then I decided that I wanted to run into Children's Place to see if they had a swimsuit for Lydia, they didn't, but had some great sales for Brigham. I got him a cute pair of shorts and a shirt for church, no he didn't really need them, but I thought I'd use them for our family picture I intend to get someday soon!!! Then Lydia came up to me with this purple dress. Lately she has decided that she loves PURPLE. She carried it around and told me she "Weally wanted to get it!" I thought it was on sale for $9.99, and thought it was kind of cute how she was so determined that she wanted it, so we found purple flip flops to go with it for $1.99. She was so EXCITED! Well, I didn't find a swimsuit, but managed to spend money for clothes we didn't necessarily need, and her dress was not on sale, it was $14.99, but I caved. So we walk out, and I thought I should check Gymboree for a swimsuit. I didn't even have a stroller for Brig, I was lugging his car seat. So we all walked down to Gymboree. Of course, they were having a HUGE sale. I found the cutest swimsuit! I was so excited, it was on sale for $9.99. The kids were watching a movie, so I shopped around a little, and found a cute skirt and shirt for Lydia for only $11, and come on, tell me it is not fun to go to church with a cute new dress. So, I went up to the register, and of course had to buy the cute matching swimsuit cover up for only $7.99. While I was at the register, the lady at the counter asked if I saw the cute plaid shorts that matched the shirt I bought for only $5.99! How can you not buy them? Well, the kids were tired, and I still needed to get Brig's bedding. Why do I tell you all this, because all day today, I have been thinking, thinking about why finding a good deal makes me feel so good, and it is so easy justifying a good deal for shorts when in reality I really don't need them. I mean, am I really going to look back at my life, and say,"Oh, I remember those shorts, I got them for such a good deal." I know that I could be better, I think I find a good deal, but always end up buying more than I need. Just a thought, I have a feeling, that I am not the only one who thinks about this. I know we hear over and over again, that our generation is the generation of more, more, and more. I don't necessarily think that it is evil to shop or buy stuff, I absolutely LOVE Lydia's swimsuit. It makes me smile when I see it on her, because it is so cute. The other stuff was not necessary, Lydia would probably not even remember today that I didn't buy her dress. I just want to be smart, be conscious of my wants, and my needs, and my daily choices. On Sunday, I taught Payton's primary class, the lesson was on making choices. I told them to imagine they were alone on a raft in the middle of the ocean. They discover that they must lighten their load because the raft is riding low in the water. They must throw overboard all but two items of their supplies: Life jacket; first aid kit; chest filled with gold; Fishing pole, tackle and bait; Case of one dozen bottles of fresh water, Two-way radio, Box of emergency flares, Large can of shark repellent. This activity posed a dilemma, choosing would be difficult because they would not know what would happen in the future: they might sink and need the life jacket, become thirsty and need the water to drink, become hungry and need the fishing pole, encounter sharks and need the repellent, need the radio to seek help, get hurt and need the first-aid kit, need the flares for a nighttime rescue, or get rescued in the next few hours and wish they had kept the treasure. Anyway, how fitting that a lesson I was teaching to 8 year old children helped me so much. I am thankful that I have the choice to learn more to be like my savior. He is the true example, and it might take me all my life, but ultimately it's not about the choices that we think will make us happy, we do not know the future. I am grateful that I have the knowledge that we are here on earth to learn and grow, and we will make mistakes, and then we will learn to recognize those mistakes, and strive to be better. I am thankful to know that "The Lord is my Shepperd; no want shall I know. I feed in green pastures; safe folded I rest. He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, Restores me when wandering, redeems when oppressed. I really felt like I needed to add this, because I struggle with this, and want to strive to make better choices not only for myself, but for my children to learn that they can't make choices by themselves without the help of the Holy Ghost, no choice is a silly choice, because each choice we make is another step closer to where we want to end up, and for me, that is back with my Father in Heaven and to hear him say, "Well done, way to make good choices!!!(or mostly good choices:)) "
Brig's new bedding, what a steal!

Lydia, showing off her PURPLE dress she picked out all by herself! The purple flip flops were only $1.99, she has a ton, but we're always looking for flip flops when we leave the house.

The shorts I was easily sold on.

Lydia's cute skirt for church. My justification,"They are both 4t, so they will fit her next year too."

The swimsuit that should have been my only purchase for her!!!

Who needs a Wii?

We almost bought a wii last year, John was checking every Walmart from American Fork to St. George, and we were so close to getting one, but someone snatched it up before us. Well, after failing at getting the wii, John decided to get the xbox 360. I wanted the wii, so the kids could at least get some excercise, and not just sit and play. Well, Payton can NOT play the xbox while sitting still, so I guess it turned out ok.

52 blessings #6 grateful for a sister who does HAIR!

Ok, I'm so bad at this blessings once a week Laurie, but maybe I'll get 52 before the end of the year. :) OH, how nice it is to have a sister who does hair. Today Maryann came over, and we did each other's hair. I decided to go a little blonder for summer. I wanted to get a picture of the both of us, but Mares was in a hurry. I didn't do much to her hair, just fixed her much needed roots.:) She's still the cutest blond ever. Thanks Mares, I love my hair.

Proud moment for me.....

so much has happened, we had a wonderful Father's day, I actually got all four kids up and ready by ten minutes to 9, and we were to church on time (very important to my husband, and very hard for me, usually he gets the boys ready, and I get Lydia ready, and we barely make it). Breakfast in bed was not possible for me, so we had a brunch when we got home. John got himself a phone , he is the king at finding a bargain and got a $400 phone for $130. John has been really busy, he has started coaching football this year, he just has a passion for it, and he took a break for 2 years, but is so ready to get back into it. He is coaching the freshman team at Snow Canyon. He has had a football camp every Saturday for the last three Saturdays, and he gets up every morning at 6 to go to practice. In his spare time, he takes the boys to the High School, and throws the football around with them , and they absolutely love it! So, I've been trying to keep the kids busy in the summer, not as easy as I thought. The highlight of this summer so far has to be a silly 5k run/walk that we signed up for because Michelle wanted to do it for her birthday. On Saturday morning, we woke up at 6:30, and went to St. George town square. I needed to register my kids, so I wanted to get there early because I wanted to beat the crowds, well it turns out we were the crowd! Not very many people signed up to run, maybe 30 or so signed up. Well, there wasn't really a start, they just told us to start running. We started running, and I was prepared to NOT get a workout, thinking I would spend most of the time trying to get Payton and Marcus to keep running. The kids started running with Maryann (she wanted a workout), and then started dropping off except for Payton, he kept running with Mares. Well, about a mile into it, I decided to run up and catch up to Mares and Payton, so Maryann could get her workout. I tried, I ran as fast as I could(I was pushing Lydia and Brigham in the stroller), but I couldn't catch them. I finally caught up to them at the very end. I just couldn't believe Payton, he was jogging with Mares like 3 miles was NOTHING! He ran in to the finish, well we didn't really know where the finish was, there was not much of an ending, but he was the FIRST one in! It was incredible, I was so proud. We got some water, and headed back to cheer everyone else on. Marcus and Bryson were next to run in. Before the race, they were handing out free candy to all the kids, and Bryson and Marcus both got a side ache soon after they started running. I took video of the race, and thought it'd be fun to post it Play by Play, so if you want to get the real effect, start at the bottom, and go up, I posted them wrong, so the first video clip is the end of the race. I ended up sweating a ton trying to catch up to this guy!

Marcus did really well, but wasn't sure why Michelle wanted to run a race for her birthday

We won for being the biggest family to run, thanks Michelle for having a fun Party!:)

(start with the last clip first and then end with the first)(ok, I threw the very last clip in, it was funny, because both Bryson and Marcus had side aches because of the candy they downed right before the race, and yes that is Michelle ready to have her baby any day RUNNING! )

Happy Father's Day Dad

I just wanted to wish my dad the Best Father's Day, and reminisce through the years of my childhood. After having one girl myself, I can't imagine raising THREE more. I think my fondest memories of my dad were in the car. Because I chose to go to Lehi, my dad drove me every morning, and because I was a teenager, I had no concept of my dad having to be to work......oh the drama of not having anything to wear, and not finished with my hair.......and of course if I got into the car, and dad thought my shorts were too short, I had to march back into the house to change, of course the shorts would go into my backpack to change into when I got to school(sorry dad). I have many memories of sitting in the garage and helping my dad (really just keeping him company, and fetching his water) with the little blue Renault that my parents let me drive to school. I knew if I didn't stay in the garage until it was done, I wouldn't have a car to drive. I remember holding up sheet rock in the basement while my dad went to find nails. I remember hiking Timpanogas mountain with the family, and my dad always trying to teach us to be prepared in any situation. I remember the many, many, many times my dad would be out looking for me in the wee hours of the morning. Now that I cherish sleep so much as a parent, I am so sorry for that. I always hoped that he would be asleep when I got home, but NEVER did that happen. I remember running the Salt lake marathon and I passed my family at the end, but the only one at the finish line was my dad, I collapsed in his arms and had such an overwhelming feeling that I was witnessing a little bit of how it will be when we return home to our Father in Heaven! I remember my dad going to everyone of my basketball games, and being so supportive. I remember my dad taking me to UVSC every day the first year I went there, he always tried to get me to memorize, scriptures, or Articles of Faith. Mostly I remember the importance of Family Prayer, and Family Scripture EVERY day were to my dad. Dad never missed an opportunity to have Family Prayer. I am so thankful for my Father, and want him to know how much I love and appreciate him. Love you Dad. Greg, where did you think your good looks came from?

I love the expressions on my mom and dad's faces.

What a great example you are to all of us dad.

Payton's baptism and more birthdays

So much has happened, I hate playing catch up, but I'm going to try because I know it is important to document our lives, so here it goes. On May 31st we had John's parents, his sister's Kristine, and Kim and their children, and my parents stay with us. We had a full house, but we had a great time, and the kids were in heaven. The baptism was more than words could express, the power of the Holy ghost is real, and to witness one of our own children receive that precious gift made all our endless efforts to try to be the parents god would want us to be so worth it. I am so proud of Payton. Payton and a little girl Tegan were the only two getting baptized from our ward, so after they were baptized, we went into the primary room, and listened to my sister Maryann play primary songs on her violin(thanks Mares) while we waited for Payton and Tegan to get dressed. The bishop said a few words, and then Tegan and Payton sang, "The Things Jesus Asks of Me" it was so cute. Plus, Brigham slept throught the whole baptism.( a tender mercy :) ) All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, thank you everyone for coming and supporting Payton on his special day.

How cute would this family picture be if it wasn't blurry!!!! Dog gonnit! Grandma and Grandpa Kemp thank you for coming

I love this boy!

We celebrated Grandpa's birthday on Sunday,

Grandma and Grandpa Meacham, thanks for coming

Payton's cousin Joshua

Payton's cousin's Jordan and Bryson

Payton's cousins Jasmine, and Mckenna, and of course, his cute younger brother Marcus who looks up to Payton so much.

I had to throw this picture in, I've been telling Lydia for like the last year that when she wears underwear, she can take dance. Well, she has been really good, so I signed her up for ballet. We went and bought her and her cousin matching ballet outfits and got all ready to go to dance when five minutes before AAAAggggghhh Lydia had an accident in her dance outfit!!!! We took it off, and she had to go to dance without her cute ballet outfit, she was so sad, but got over it real quick, and had a blast at ballet. This is a picture of Maryannn, Jayni, and Lydia stretching.

MORE DRAMA! Recently Lydia got my hair scissors, and cut her hair. I had to cut it into a cute little A-line bob. I put up all the scissors in the house, and then one day, I found her with her hair chopped up by her ear!!! She got scissors from Payton's back pack, and they are not sharp scissors, but she managed to do damage. I really didn't know if I could fix it and make it look cute. This is a picture of the damage, it was just chopped everywhere!

Here it is, the cut I probably would never have given her if she hadn't cut her hair, but I think it turned out so cute, it definitely suits her.

Here is my cute Brigham. He is now 8 months old, and oh we love him. This picture was taken at Jayni's 2nd birthday party, he got sunscreen in his eyes, so he had tears the whole time, but that doesn't stop him from smiling. It was a swimming party, and while we were there, I laid out my towel to try and get a few rays, and Payton laid his towel next to me, and said, "This is the life isn't it?" Kids really notice so much more than we think they do.