Picking Apples

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We went to Kyle’s mom’s house to pick the apples from her tree. Since Laurel went over and trimmed the tree down in the spring, it’s about half the size it was last year, and there were less apples. But that’s ok since the tree was getting so tall that it was quite interesting having me climb up in the tree last year to get them.

Of course right as we were going out to pick, Chloe decided that she was hungry so Kyle got started picking while I fed her. And he was just about done by the time I got over there, so I helped him finish up. The kids were having fun running around picking grapes, some got eaten and some made it into the bags that Granny gave them to collect grapes in.

Pretty Bows

My mom used to make bows for my sisters and I when we were little, and I had never made hair bows before but I thought it would be nice to make a set of bows for Tyra to wear on her first day of school. So I looked online for some instructions and went out and bought some supplies and got started. And I must say that I like what I’ve made so far. 😀

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Tyra is excited about her new bows. I have no idea why she is making that goofy face though….

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We’ve got a double stroller!

Well I made it through 4 kids with the single stroller I got before Ethan was born. I’ve never had a double stroller or even an umbrella stroller, we’ve never had the money to buy one, so I just made do without. A sister in our ward noticed the juggling act that I do to walk all 5 kids down to the school to drop Ethan off, and commented on it. I told her that I don’t have a double stroller, so I just use the single stroller that I have. I put Dinah in the stroller, Jeremy sits on the cup holders (I never walk away from the stroller while he is sitting up there, I always stand there and hold on to him) I wear Chloe in a baby front pack, Tyra walks or rides her bike (when she can find her helmet) and Ethan rides his bike. Well she was just in shock when she found out that I don’t have a double stroller, and she was excited as well. She has a double stroller that she doesn’t need anymore and everyone she had offered it to, says that they already have one, so she was contemplating donating it to DI. So when she found out that I don’t have a double stroller, she got excited and offered it to me, of course I accepted. So she brought it over today, and dusty though it may be I loaded the kids up in it: Dinah in the front seat, Chloe in the back seat and Jeremy on the cup holders 😉 and went to pick Ethan up from school.

Stake Relief Society Fireside

Every year our Stake President holds a fireside for the sisters in our stake. A couple of months before hand a box will show up in the Relief Society rooms to collect ANY questions that the sisters may have. The question can be about anything, personal, doctrinal or even non-church related. The Stake Relief Society Presidency then categorizes the questions and our Stake President researches and takes notes and at the fireside he goes through and reads and answers every question. I just LOVE and look forward to this fireside every year.

In years past a lot of the questions have been regarding intimacy, but not so much this year. This year there were questions regarding calling, and modesty, the word of wisdom, and other topics. Some of the things that stood out to me the most are

  • We should be going to the temple and participating in ALL of the ordinances offered there. We shouldn’t just go and think we are limited to just doing endowment sessions.
  • “I just can’t do it all”-I’m not expected to do it all.
  • “A mother is only as happy as her saddest child”
  • I must have a regular accounting with my husband, and counsel with him often. “Communication is everything” President Draper kept coming back to counseling with our husbands over and over again. We must sit and look our husbands in the eyes and counsel with them.
  • In the relationship with my husband there should be three intimacies. Spiritual intimacy, such as going to the temple together, studying scriptures together, praying together….Emotional intimacy (we need to like being together, we need to be able to communicate our deepest thoughts and feelings….) and physical intimacy. If the spiritual and emotional intimacies are strong, physical intimacy will take care of itself.

I have lots to work on over the course of the next year, and I look forward to next years fireside.