Family Circus

If you've ever been around my family for long...you know that that is exactly what we are...a big ol' circus!  Over the summer we spent a lot of time at our friends' pool (Thanks CJ and Darcee!)  Man alive am I grateful for my mom and dad who are the best entertainers around. We spent several hours at the pool one day when Ashley, Landon and Adam were down and I got tired just watching them!

This one is going in the books for posterity! This pic just fits him to a T! He kept spitting water at EVERYONE!...and don't even think about telling him not to because that just made him do it more!

Baby Adams first time in the pool and he loved it...as long as Ash was RIGHT beside him!

Same old mom...don't know that I've ever seen her in a swimsuit.  She always comes to the pool dressed and says she doesn't want to swim.  Then, inevitably, she wants to join the fun and either gets pushed in or jumps in...fully dressed!

It was the perfect way to spend a summer day together ...and the best part...the nice long nap afterwards!

4th of July in Richfield

See how far behind I am! 4th of July...good grief!

This 4th of July was particularly fun.  For years and years we have wanted to go to Richfield for the 4th, but we've never been able to get our schedules to allow it.  This year, with Cole's job change, we decided it was a priority!  4th of July in Richfield is a hometown extravaganza.  Everyone returns home for the 4th and the town hosts a huge parade followed by a big celebration at the park.

It was a drizzly day, but it was perfect because it wasn't too hot.  Dallas and Amy and Ladd and Krystal were both able to come "home" too, which made it even more fun! (Look how even my umbrella is patriotic!)

 These guys all got more candy than you could ever imagine - bags full! It was a fun parade! 

After the parade, we headed to the park where there are tons of booths and games set up to enjoy for the day.  Families set-up chairs and generally go to the same area each year, so people just wander from area to area reacquainting with each other.  It's like a giant reunion!

 The boys had fun at the pitching booth.  It was all fun and games until the "big" boys decided they needed to see who was the fastest.  Ladd, always anxious to show the others up, threw his absolute hardest and then couldn't move his arm for the next couple hours!  Good grief! Some boys!

 Allison enjoyed having so many aunts and uncles to pamper and spoil her.  She loved snuggling Dallas the most that weekend though!

 Throughout the day they have footraces for various ages.  I'm not sure who was more nervous, my kids or daddy, grandpa and the uncles.  You should have seen their pep talks!

Kaitlin is on the far left of the line.  She was soooo nervous! She did great though, especially in a dress! She took 2nd and ran as fast as she could clear until she crashed into Uncle D who was waiting to catch her!

Brandon and Brock were in different heats, which was probably for the best! Brandon is in the middle of this picture - look at the intense look on his face!  He took first place, although when we actually reviewed the film, he took second!

Brock on the other hand won second and when we looked at his video, he actually won first! 

Oh well! They give the first and second place winners a half dollar, so at least everyone won some money!

After the races, they have a "Fish Grab."  They have a big pool and dump tons of fish into it.  Then they blow a whistle and the kids jump in the pool and try to catch one.  Brandon and Brock both caught good sized ones!  Kaitlin was grossed out!  Even though she got her hands on a few, she never actually pulled one out! 

Thankfully we had 2 cotton candy bags hanging around to dump those puppies in!

After showers, some golf and a nap, we headed out to the middle school to watch fireworks!

Dallas and Amy

Grandma and Grandpa Roundy

Ladd and Kris with Alli

Cole and I

It was an awesome celebration and now that we will both have it off each year, I think we just might have to make sure we head up there again next year! See! Who said change can't be a good thing!

Change

I don't like change - never have; never will. I am one of those people that takes what comes at me in stride, so I deal with it, but I always notice that sometime after the change or trial occurs, I go into hiding in what I affectionately call, "post-traumatic stress disorder funk."  I've always thought this was a flaw.  I've despised myself for not being tough enough to "just move on" and keep going, or for not being able to let go of what is past, but last Sunday we had a beautiful YW lesson on change and I had an epiphany.

The lesson talked of butterflies and the chrysalis. A butterfly has its beginning as an egg that hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar forms a chrysalis and goes through a time when it seems to be resting but is actually changing rapidly. This is a period in which it is very vulnerable to forces outside itself. In the latter part of this stage, if it is exposed to too much heat its wings will not expand properly; if it dries out it will lack strength. But if all goes well, the caterpillar can become what it was always meant to be—a butterfly.

I realized something.  Those funks I go through after change, they're okay.  In fact, not only are they okay, I think it might even be the way the Lord intended it.  It is a chance to re-group - to mourn, to cry, to sulk, to pout, to be denial, to ponder, to pray and most importantly, to decide if I'm going to stay that ugly caterpillar or gather my strength and become that butterfly I'm supposed to be.  While I'm hiding out in my chrysalis and it appears to the rest of the world that I am resting, in reality I am rapidly changing.  I am adapting, coming to terms with and relying on the Lord to buoy me up.

I don't think we go through this process once in our lives.  I know I've been through it at least twice this year!  With the changes that took place in our home over the past few months, I've been snuggled tightly in that chrysalis.  I haven't been dead (although most of my friends would probably think I was!)  Instead, I've been surviving - hibernating and clinging to and focusing on what was most important - my family and my faith.  I just wasn't ready to keep up the act and pretend like it was all okay.  A few times, I felt guilty for not being my normal self and tried to get out there and be who I had been a few months before...but each time I ended up feeling more overwhelmed and less like that "butterfly" I knew I was supposed to be.  I was worried that I was depressed or that my funk was so severe it might not just be a funk or phase this time.  But then I had that lesson...and I knew. Heavenly Father told me it was okay.

As we go through trials and change in life, it's okay to "feel" and to get knocked down on our behinds.  It's okay to not be able to do it all sometimes and it's okay to be in a "funk"...for a bit.  However, stay like that too long and you'll miss so many chances to fly. Go through the motions and pretend like things are fine and you'll find that you're not strong enough to live the life ahead of you to it's fullest.

I love the lesson I learned from the chrysalis.  We each have a cocoon - a safe place we run to when life gets too hard.  We stay there and we rest; we hide.  But eventually, we have to come out. "How does one become a butterfly? You have to want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."   Sometimes it's easier being a caterpillar.  It's easier to hide and to pretend like we are nothing special.  However, eventually, we come to realize that happiness is never found bundled up in that cocoon, pretending that we don't have the ability to be something great.  Eventually, we have to gather our skirts, pull on our big girl panties and hit the ground running...and when we do, we won't find ourselves back to where we left off, we'll find ourselves better, stronger, and more capable to deal with the next life event that makes us feel like that ol' caterpillar again.

How does a caterpillar become a butterfly?

It patiently accepts the CHANGES it cannot control.

In doing so, it becomes more than an average bug. 

It emerges as the beautiful creation the Lord intended, 

with wings to soar over the branches it previously clung to.

"...and out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

D&C 64:33

Yes, I guess I am grateful for change and for the chance it gives me to re-group, to ponder what is really important and to listen and feel as Heavenly Father guides me to and through the things in life that will make me great.

Time to leave that darn chrysalis now, darn it!

Reflections 2011

Kaitlin entered Reflections again this year.  The boys were really excited to enter too, but I just didn't have enough time. I felt so bad!  Kaitlin came up with this idea almost entirely on her own.  The theme was "Diversity means..."

She made a jewelry line for girls called "Be Yourself."  She wanted something to remind girls that it was okay to be themselves and that being different from each other was okay. It was pretty clever!  She won 1st place at the school and went on to district again this year!  We are so proud of her and how amazing her creative talents are! Way to go Kaitlin!

Kaitlin and Mrs. Walters, the principal

Christmas Bliss

Goodness gracious! You know it has been a long break from blogging when I couldn't even remember what to type in to get to my blog!  I can hardly believe how long it has been since I've sat down and typed out the thoughts and memories in my mind....oh, how I've missed it.  I've been running a million miles an hour and finding a million excuses (one of which has been my recent obsession to Grey's Anatomy...but more on that in another post), and all the while I've been dying to just sit and write...and remember...and ponder. The tree is up, the lights filling my house in the quiet of bedtime slumber...and I know that this has been put off for too long. 

I love Christmastime. I love the sweet joy that fills the air. I love the general attitude of charity and selflessness that exists at Christmastime. I love that I take time to reflect on what matters most.  I love that is comes just after Thanksgiving, which in our home is a BIG deal.  I love looking at my "Blessing Branch" and swelling with pride at the things we've found to be grateful for over the past month.  I love my mindset at Christmastime - it's where I wish it was all year long. Most of all...I love the peace I feel at Christmas time. I think I've narrowed down my favoritism of Christmas to that single, simple word...PEACE. For some reason, I am filled with peace during this holiday. Of course, it's no wonder...my home is sparkling (literally) in lights and gold and tinsel and sacred hymns singing of family togetherness, the Savior and of joy fill the air from sun up to sun down. Our evenings are filled with gift wrapping and Christmas stories by the fire and then the kids bustle off to bed in their matching PJ's. It just feels magical. During Christmastime, Cole and I snuggle by the fire more nights than we ever do in the whole year. We all, even the kids, start our mornings off with Hot Cocoa or Cider and sip lazily in our robes before hurrying about to get ready for the day. When chores and school work are done, I even break the cardinal rule of no TV on school nights and we all end up sitting and watching a Christmas movie - most of which end up inspiring and with a great moral. I just love Christmas. Despite the chaos that surrounds us, Christ really does enter our home during Christmastime and we manage to focus on all that is good in life right now. I feel such a sweet peace...and it feels amazing!

I was having some issues getting my camera settings to work right...but they are still super cute, so I posted them anyway.  We always have a special devotional to kick off the Christmas season. At the end, the kids all open their first gift of the season, which are matching PJ's from Cole and I. This year our devotional was on gifts that we can give that don't cost money.  They included the gift of listening, the gift of time, the gift of prayer, the gift of service, the gift of patience, the gift of forgiveness and several others.  A sweet spirit filled the room as I saw my kids begin to understand (again) that they didn't need to worry about buying things, but that they could give  gifts in other ways. It was a beautiful night and I am grateful for the impact it had on my Christmas season and how it helped me focus on what is really the most important.

Oh how I love these little buggers! And  I can't believe how much more I seem to love them when they are all cute and snugly in matching pajamas!;)

Last night Kaitlin had her very first Riverside Choir performance.  They sang at the tree lighting ceremony for Washington City.  I could not believe how many people were there, but it was so much fun to watch.  The park was set up with barrels around the perimeter that had fire in them.  They served hot chocolate and donuts all night and Santa was even there.  I was so impressed.  Kaitlin's choir did great too.  It was a little hard to see her, but I went around back and was able to catch a glimpse of her "up-do" bobbing around...which was good enough for me! They sounded incredible.

Afterwards, grandma and grandpa took us to Dairy Queen to have a little FHE and celebrate Kaitlin's first performance.

Add caption

Love this girl and how excited she was to be in choir.  She's definitely a keeper!:)

Father's Day Flashback

This year for Father's Day, we tried to do some really fun, but cheap things.  The kids and I worked so hard to surprise Cole.  While he was at work, we completely cleaned out his old tool box.  We wiped and scrubbed and sorted and labeled...and by the time we were all done, it looked brand new!  We also cleaned the whole garage and had shutters installed on the window (thanks, Ladd!) to help control the temperature a little better.  The kids were so proud of how neat it all looked when we were finally done, but boy oh boy, was it a lot of work!

As soon as we got home from church, the kids were ready to show Cole their surprise. It was killing them having to wait so long!

I love how Allison is supposed to be leading Cole, but she is covering her eyes too! Silly girl!

Then, after a few little gifts from the kids (like Kaitlin's coupon for a Daddy-Daughter date and the boys coupons for lawn mowing and back massages), lunch and a nap, poor Cole was off to work at the Golf Course and the kids and I headed over to my dad's house to celebrate Father's Day with him.

My silly dad with his funny faces.  We tried and tried to get a picture with him acting normal...but eventually decided we weren't going to succeed! Gotta love my dad...and I do!