Silly Boys

The boys are always telling me ...."Mommy, take a picture of me." So then I get out the camera and these are the faces that automaticly come out as soon as the camera shows up.

I sure do love these little boys and it never fails when ever I need a "pick me up" they are always there to make me laugh, smile or tell me I love you Mommy!

Helping Daddy

About a month ago we got the boys a bunk bed. When we left Rexburg we left there beds behind since they were so old and in such bad shape. So for the past 6 months or so we have just had there matresses on the floor. So getting the new bed was very fun for the boys. Thomas claimed the top bunk as soon as we started talking about getting bunk beds. We bought the beds and brought them home and started to put them together. Both Thomas and Noah love to help especially if it means putting something together. So we had plenty of help....maybe even a little to much help at time. Here are a few pictures of putting the bed together. I didnt think about it and get a picture of the final product I will have to do that another day.

Here they are unloading the box

Noah had to show us his muscles and what a big boy he is here

Thomas trying to get something out of the box. They didnt want any help at all unloading everything

Noah thinks this might be the easiest way to get things done.

There is always time to stop and strike a pose.

Daddy did help a little bit......but just a little bit.

Climbing in the box might make it a little bit easier to get things out of it.

Maybe if we both climb in it will be easier

Happy Birthday Adam!

Happy birthday my sweet Adam that I love with all my heart. I sure got lucky when I got to marry him. He is wonderful and I thank the Lord everyday that he is part of my life. Here are 34 reasons that I love Adam, not in any particular order.

1-Adam is always fun to be with.

2-Adam is hard working, always has been.

3-Adam is a total smarty pants.

4-Adam will always eat anything I make for him for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And always says it is good, even if it isnt.

5-Adam is a very honest person

6-Adam is a very giving individual, always thinking of me and the kids before himself.

7-Adam is a very funny person, always making jokes and fun to be around.

8-Adam is big and strong. He can always lift something or open something for me.

9-Everytime I see a spider or some nasty bug. Adam will always kill it for me with out hesitation.

10-Adams smile

11-Adam puts up with me and everything I throw at him (not literally).

12-Adam is a very nice person, he can talk to anyone about anything.

13-He is a great singer.

14-I love his hands, big and strong. He gives great massages.

15-He loves Jesus, the gospel, the scriptures, and has a wonderful testimony.

16-He is patient with the boys and especially me.

17-He holds the priesthood.

18-Adam works so hard to provide for our family.

19-He married me for all time and eternity.

20-Adam knows when I need a little "Heather" time and always makes sure I get it.

21-Adam is a wonderful wonderful father.

22-Adam loves to cook, and is good at it. We both love to be in the kitchen together.

23-We make goals and work on them together.

24-Adam likes to camp and spend time together ourdoors as a family.

25-He works hard on everything in his life church, family, callings and work.

26-Adam is not afraid to try anything new.

27-Adam can make me feel like I am the only one in the world that matters.

28-Adams understanding of the scriptures and gospel.

29-Adams love for life and family.

30-Adam is my very best friend.

31-Adam can make me laugh at just about anything in life.

32-Adam is a big kid at heart.

33-Adam always tells me he loves me and kisses and hugs me, several times through out the day.

34-He loves each of us alot and we love him!

These are just a few reasons why I love Adam so much. I dont think I could have found anyone else that is more perfect for me then Adam. I love you Adam and hope that you have a wonderful birthday!

What more could I ask for???

This morning at breakfast this little boy said something that melted my heart.

"Mommy if I ever have to pick a different Mommy, I would always pick You!"

Such simple words that just melted my heart. I hope that I can always be the mom that my kids would pick me everytime. I know no matter what I will always pick my little family every time. I feel so lucky to have my little family and know that I couldnt have picked a better family for me. I hope my family always knows that I love them. I love all three of my boys no matter what. I think that I am the luckest girl around to be surrounded by boys that love me. I love you my little boys Thomas and Noah! And I Love you my big boy Adam!

Learning to ride bikes

This year for Christmas Santa brought the boys bikes. They have had lots of fun learning how to ride them. Noah seems to think its more fun to just sit on it and let you push him around. Its been fun living out here in the country where the boys can just run and play and there is not alot of traffic around to worry about. We are looking forward to spring time coming so we can play outside everyday.

Its hard to believe how much these little boys have grown up and how independent they are becoming. And what great friends they are to each other. I hope that they always love each other as much as they do know. We are so lucky to have them as part of our family.

Playing Outside

We has some beautiful weather this week, which means great weather to play outside. Something my little boys love to do. Cars, Trucks, Balls they are all fun but, when you get to play with them outside it is sure to be a fun time. And everyone knows when little boys can go outside and run all there energy out it is a wonderful wonderful thing. It always cracks me up when Thomas and Noah come up to me through out the day and say "Mommy I think it is warm outside and we need to go outside and run all of our energy out." My favorite thing about playing outside is that almost 100% of the time they fall into bed at night. Well here are some cute pictures of my little rugrats enjoy!

Im glad we have moments like these captured in pictures. When you look at this its hard not to remember the joys of motherhood and how fun having a family of your own can be. And if you ask me those are by far the cutest kids out there!

Invisible Mother....

I got this off of a friends blog and thought it was so beautiful. It was just what I needed to read after a day....heck who am I kidding after a Week like I have had. To put it short my wonderful children.....drove me NUTS this week. They got into anything and everything. Dumped dresser drawers. Dumped all the toys in there room that they could get to. Got into things in moms room. These are just a few of the things they have done this week. Im glad it is saturday and im looking forward to next week being a much better week.


It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask me a question. 
Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' 

 Obviously not. 

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. 

 I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? 

 Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' 

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone! 

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ...

 Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. 

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. 

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. 

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 

 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 

 No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 

 These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. 

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' 

 I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. 

 It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' 

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. 
 It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. 

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. 

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.' 

 As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. 

 
And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. 

Great Job, MOM! 
 

 
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.