Story To Tell...

Your SO Vain...

2012-01-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were at Target (bad, bad idea with 4 kids alone when it is almost dinner time). As we were walking through the store Mac turns to me and says, "mom I am SO vain!" I of course responded with, "you are not vain sweetheart, do you understand what that means?" She then proceeded to tell me that her teacher was reading them a book that day that had the word vain in it and that her teacher told them that an example of someone who is vain is a person who likes to look at them self in the mirror all the time. After her explination Mac says to me, "see mom, I am SOOOO vain, I LOVE to look at myself in the mirror all of the time!!!" Well I sure got a KICK out of this. Mac does quite enjoy talking to herself in the mirror :). What a funny girl. She is beautiful, sweet, and innocent and really doesn't understand vanity at all, and I like it that way!

This made me think...

2012-01-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

Life is good!

2012-01-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

My 4 year old sure cracks me up! He is quite the little character and has so much charisma for a little guy. Several of the little girls at preschool are in love with him and he knows it! The other day I was in the shower and I had him lay on my bed and watch a movie on my laptop while I was getting ready. When I got out of the shower I found him in NOTHING but plastic grocery bags (and his undies, at least he kept those on)! He had made them into a superman costume. He made holes in the smaller bag and put his legs through and then put the handles of a big bag around his arms as his cape. Pretty smart and funny if you ask me.

J-man is such a fun little boy and I love getting to spend my days with him. Several weeks ago we were down in the basement and I needed to go up stairs to grab something. J said to me, "don't worry mom, I'll protect the baby while your gone". He is such a sweet big brother. He adores his little sis and I really hope it always stays this way!!!

Yesterday my friend Kim came up with her little boys and we went to story time at the library and out to lunch at Chick-fila. It was fun to hang out and catch up. J-man loves playing with his best buddy Grady! Kim and I have been friends for almost ten years. We met in Detroit, Michigan when our hubby's were selling alarms for the same company. It's crazy to think that at the time neither of us had kids(we were both pregnant with our firsts) and now ten years later we each have four kids! She is a great friend and I am so glad we have stayed close over the years.

This morning the girls were ready to go a few minutes early so I sat in the front hallway with them and talked before they had to leave. I need to be better about talking with them. I feel like the house is pure craziness when they get home from school between homework, dinner, piano, baths, etc... I love these sweet girls so much and can't believe how fast they are growing up. This morning we talked about how school was going and about their friends. Lex told me that a girl in her class wont let her play with her, it about broke my heart. I told her to try again today and see how it goes. She did say though that there are lots of other girls she likes to play with. Mac told me that her and her friends are having a dance off at recess today, what funny, cute kids!! I need to organize my time better throughout the day so that things aren't so crazy when they get home. I NEED and WANT to spend more quality time with them, with each of my children!

Twice this week Court has made sure he sits down with J-man and works on letters, numbers, shapes, etc... DANG it is sexy when a man is a good father. He does thousands of other things that make him a good father, but it was just so sweet to see him take the time out of his day to do this with him. He is also GREAT at helping the girls with their homework. He works kind of weird hours sometimes, which at times makes life really interesting, but I am grateful he MAKES the time to do things with his children and help out around the house. The other night he pulled out the Ensign and read the article

"What Happily Married Couples Do"

(click to read) by Douglas Brinley. It was a great article and gave us lots of great ideas on how we can strengthen our marriage. I love Court with all my heart and despite our challenges, I am so grateful we have a FANTASTIC marriage, he is my best friend, love of my life, confidant, and comedian (he is always finding ways to make me laugh). I am so blessed to be married to him!

Skype baby

2012-01-25T08:18:00.001-08:00

Courts dad goes to Africa several times a year for work, so we keep in touch with him through skype. Court was talking to his dad the other night and little baby E could not get enough of her grandpa! She loved talking to him and especially loved holding the phone. In the last week she has started grabbing and playing with toys. It is so cute to see her playing with her toys!!

Soda Free!

2012-01-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

One of Court and I's New Years resolutions this year is to be soda free for an entire year. We have a bet going to see who can make it the longest! He went six months last year and did great. He lost a lot of weight (with a healthy diet and exercise as well). We aren't big soda drinkers, but we definitely like to swing by the gas station on the weekends for a soda or two! This year we are also trying to eat MUCH healthier. We are trying to make a lifestyle change and not just go "organic" because it is a popular thing to do right now.

I really didn't think cutting out soda would be that hard for me since I have never been a big soda drinker. Well, I tell you what, it has been harder then I thought! On the weekends or when I have had a long day with the kiddos I REALLY want to stop off for a Cherry Coke (my soda of choice:). We've almost made it a month now, just eleven more months to go!!!

Court and I have a BIG bet going between us on this one. If I can make it the whole year (assuming he doesn't) I get $1,000 to go to New York or San Fransisco to take advanced hair cutting/styling classes! If Court can make it the whole year (assuming I don't) then he gets $1,000 towards new golf clubs. Now if we BOTH make it the whole year, we split the $1,000 and each get $500 to save for these things. I am pretty competitive when it comes to going up against my hubby. I REALLY want to beat him. I am pretty sure I want to beat him more then I want soda and more then I want the classes :). He knows this and I think that is making him want to WIN even more as well! Either way, we'll be healthier for this so I see it as a win, win. If we both make it the whole year then that will be even better because we will have learned to go with out something and learned self discipline!

Favorite Quotes...

2012-01-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

"Be so happy that when others look at you they will become happy too".

Each time I replace the quote at the top of my blog I like to record the one I have just taken down. I love this quote and how it reminds me to be happy. Life can be so difficult sometimes and being happy isn't always the easiest choice depending on what is going on in your life. I am working really hard to be happy despite what challenges I may be facing. Being happy isn't always my first response to certain circumstances, but I have learned through many life experiences that being happy is a CHOICE. I think it is easy to have thoughts like, "oh when we buy a house, then I will be happy" or "once I am done with school I will be happy". Reaching milestones and accomplishments are definitely something to be happy about, but I have learned that life is a journey, filled with lots of happy, sad, hard, fantastic, challenging experiences and to fully enjoy life we need to find ways to find happiness in all things. Also I TRULY believe that happiness is contagious, just like a bad attitude can spread to others, so can a good one! I want to be so happy that others look at me and want to find happiness to. My life is far from perfect but I can truly say that I am very happy!

Motivation

2012-01-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

I really need to get some motivation to loose these last few pounds of baby weight!! I can't stand that most of my pants are tight or don't fit at all. Right after I had little E. the pounds were just falling off, it was awesome, then after about 2 months I just stopped loosing weight all together. I have lost a few pounds since but it doesn't seem to want to stay off, my weight keeps going up or down 5ish pounds. I really need to pick a work out schedule and STICK TO IT! It's hard with a newborn baby, she gets a runny nose or cough every time I take her to the childcare at the gym. I need to stop making excuses and just make sure it happens. Even if it means waking up at the CRACK OF DAWN (boo) to workout!!!

We are going to Lake Powell this summer with my family and some friends. BOY are we excited!!! Court and I have never been together and our kids have never been either. I LOVE LAKE POWELL. It is my all time favorite vacation spot. I am going to use our trip to Lake Powell as my motivation for getting in shape. I want to look GOOD in my swim suite ;), not for the benefit of anyone else, but so that I FEEL good about myself.

I saw these weight loss jars on pinterest the other day and thought it was such a good idea. I am a VERY visual person, and I know looking at these jars everyday will definitely motivate me to want to shed these extra pounds I am carrying around! I need to loose 6 more pounds to get to my weight before I got pregnant with baby E, but then I would REALLY like to loose 8-10 more after that and get back to my weight before I had any kids!!!

Sweet Peyton

2012-01-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

I'm really not doing well on my goal to blog more. Last week was just crazy busy and flew right by. My cousin Megan's 5 year old little boy passed away last Saturday and my family came to town for the funeral. It was so heart wrenching. Sweet Peyton was born at only 24 weeks and against many odds survived. He had many medical challenges that he had to endure throughout his life and was truly a fighter. My heart aches for my cousin, after seeing first hand my mom's grief after loosing a child, I have just a taste of what that would feel like as a mother. I had a hard time concentrating on anything else but Megan and Peyton last week. All I could think about was how hard this must be and how I can't even imagine what this would feel like if it were me. Peyton's services were beautiful and truly a tribute to the special little boy he was! My sweet cousin and her family could definitely use extra prayers!

I loved seeing my family for a few days, I just wish it were under different circumstances. We had fun going out to eat as a family, playing games, and hanging out. Saturday they came to the salon with me and I did all of their hair for them. It was lots of fun!

Excited, you could say that!

2012-01-13T10:15:00.001-08:00

Today I am finally starting my assisting job at a salon downtown. I am incredibly excited. I have worked so hard over the past three years to get to this point! Between 2 different schools, moving twice, and having a baby this wasn't an easy road for me. Cosmetology school wasn't incredibly accademically challenging by any means, but completing 2,000 hours while raising three children often felt like an uphill marathon. This is something I have wanted to do since I was 15 and I am really proud of myself that I stuck to it. It was definitely a sacrifice for our whole family and I am so grateful to have a husband who backed me up 100%.

I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity. I will be assisting the owner of a salon in downtown Salt Lake. I can't wait for the opportunity to continue my education and learn more! This is the perfect fit for me, the schedule is very flexible and I will only be working a few hours a week.

Being a stay-at-home mom is my number one priority, but I am grateful I have the opportunity to balance life at home and a profession I LOVE!!!

Shear exhaustion...

2012-01-11T07:54:00.001-08:00

Shear exhaustion is my excuse why I have already failed at my goal to blog everyday of this new year. By the end of the day I am so exhausted that I can barely think straight! Raising children is wonderful and rewarding, but man it is hard work. I've decided I better re-evaluate my goal for blogging and change it to 3 to 4 times per week, that way I am at least doing it every other day or so.

Monday night Court got the kids to bed so that I could go get my hair done. My friend Andi from hair school did it for me. It turned out great and it feels good to have a fresh cut and color. It was fun to be back at Taylor Andrews, I do miss it. Not the having to go to school part, but being with all the fun girls and doing hair part.

Yesterday I cut Courts hair before he went to work. I'm not sure what my deal was, must have still been tired, but the hair cut turned out shorter then he wanted. Ooops, sorry babe!! His hair still looked good, just a little short. In the afternoon my cousin Jason and my grandpa (papa Don) came over for hair cuts. I love having my family close and being able to do things for them.

Last night I made salmon, sweet potatoes, edimame beans, salad, and rolls for dinner. It turned out really yummy. The kids ate everything!!! As a family we are trying to eat very healthy. I have switched to almost all organic foods. I am trying to cut out preservatives from our diets as much as possible. I feel great and so does the rest of my family. I have noticed by changing what I eat and drinking more water that I have way more energy throughout the day. Yes I am still exhausted by bed time after a long day of WORK taking care of the house and kids and just life in general, but throughout the day I have felt happier and gotten more done!

I made these homemade rolls yesterday. They were really easy to make (didn't even use a mixer) and they were so yummy. I couldn't get my kids to stop eating them :). I added 1/2 cup of creamy honey, 1/4 cup of blue agave(natural sweetener) and 1 tablespoon of flax seed to the recipe. Also I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 unbleached enriched white flour. I doubled the recipe so that I could freeze some of the dough. My friend told me that it if you roll the dough into crescent rolls that you can freeze them and pull them out later. She says if you pull them out 4 hours before you want to bake them that will give them enough time to unthaw and rise. Just stick them on a baking sheet with a towel over the top and let them sit for the 4 hours. Sounds good to me!!!

You can find the recipe and step-by-step instructions here... http://www.howdoesshe.com/delicious-dinner-rolls

Darn it!!

2012-01-09T08:43:00.001-08:00

Well I forgot to blog yesterday, so much for my blogging everyday this year. At least I made it 6 out of the 7 days last week. I even had my lap top out all ready to go and I ended up falling asleep on the couch nursing the baby.

Well here's what has been going on...

We didn't end up taking the kids sledding because Court didn't think there would be enough snow, I think it could have worked though! We all worked on cleaning and organizing the basement. We turned on some music and the kids enjoyed having a dance/cleaning party. My kids sure have fun, spunky personalities. The girls helped J. make his bed since they had all slept in it the night before, it was a great bed making job :). After we were done we ran to Walmart for a few groceries. I'm sure people think we are crazy to go to stores with 4 kids, we are!!! But we just like going places together even if it is the grocery store.

Saturday night Court and I went on a last minute date. My friends daughter came over to watch the kids and Court and I headed to Olive Garden to use the gift card my brother Ryan gave us for Christmas. The wait for the restaurant was 45 minutes, pretty crazy. So we hung out in the car so I could nurse the baby and just talked. Dinner was very yummy and it was nice to be alone (well almost, the baby is so good we don't mind bringing her along).

We had a nice Sunday. Getting use to 9am Church is going to be hard. It sure is nice though to get home early and relax. I had planned on making something with the left over Chicken breast we had in the fridge but it smelt kind of off and we didn't want to chance it. Bummer because I had already made all of the sides! Court made everyone grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner instead. I put all of the sides in the fridge and we will have them tonight instead. After dinner we played "Catch a phrase" with the kids. They are too young to really understand the rules, so we just kind of made things up as we went along. Then I made some snicker doodle cookies for dessert. It was a great day, crazy at times, but still a great day. I sure love my family!!!

Family Movie Night

2012-01-07T09:17:00.001-08:00

Friday nights are almost always family movie night at our house. If we don't watch a movie then we usually do something fun like swimming at the rec-center or some other family activity.

Last night Court had a late appointment and didn't get home until almost 7pm. Once he got home we found a redbox that had the movie, "Mr. Poppers Penguins" and reserved it online. We went to Riley's in West Jordan for sandwiches. It's a bit of a drive from where we live, but their sandwiches sure are yummy! On the drive there Court was cracking, "Your mama jokes", he had the girls laughing hysterically. They were the one's making me laugh so hard.

We came home and watched the movie together. J-man was cracking me up because he kept trying to make the penguin noises. Court and the kids had already seen the movie but I hadn't. It was really cute!

The kids all slept together in J-mans bed. They love to have their weekend sleep overs together. J has a queen bed, so they all turn sideways on the bed and snuggle up together!

This morning we woke up to SNOW! I can't believe it. We have had no snow this winter. Santa brought the kids each a sled last Christmas(2010) that they haven't gotten to use yet. So far this morning the kids have all been cranky!! Probably from staying up so late. Hopefully they can take their cranky pants off and get happy so we can finally go sledding!!! They will have to earn it though, no fun activities for grumpy kids in this house!!!

We're off to start chores :)

Church Ball

2012-01-06T12:59:00.001-08:00

Last night the kids and I went to watch Court play on the ward basketball team. Court absolutly LOVES to play ball, so I am excited for him to get the chance to play on a team. We have some pretty good players, so it looks like it should be a,fun season (Court being one of the good players). The kids loved going to cheering him on. They especially loved playing on the stage with the other kids. It had been a bit chaotic yesterday after school so I didn't get dinner made before the game. The kids and I picked up a pizza and brought it to the game with us. Not the healthiest dinner but what can you do on crazy nights?!?! I did bring carrots and ranch for us to eat with our pizza :)

This morning after we got the girls out the door to school Court helped me tidy up the upstairs. Then my friend Rachael came over to help me clean. I love when she comes to help me!!! It is so amazing what you can accomplish with two people verses just one. She deep cleaned the whole upstairs while I cleaned and organized the basement. It is so nice having her help and very affordable :). I love having a clean house, but sometimes it is just impossible with four kids and Courts weird work schedule!

This morning I noticed this cute little note Court left for me on the kids white board. So sweet, it made my day!!! Dang, I love that man!!!

4 years old

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

(This letter is a few weeks late but I wanted to make sure I didn't forget)

I CAN NOT BELIEVE you are 4!!! It seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital delivering you. You were the sweetest, cutest, little baby boy. Daddy and I were so excited to finally be having a BOY!

You have grown into such a fun, lovable, cute little boy. You are 100% boy and daddy and I LOVE IT! You love cars, swards, guns, ninjas, transformers, trains, etc... You have such a fun personality and are so much fun to be with.

You started preschool this year and you are already a ladies man. Your teacher told me the other day that the little girls in your preschool class fight over who gets to be your girlfriend. You absolutely love school and are having a blast going.

This past spring you played your first season of T-ball. You were SO STINKIN' CUTE in your uniform, but you really didn't want much to do with the game. You were constantly trying to run off to the playground at the park. Hopefully this next year you will enjoy it a little more. We put you in soccer this past fall thinking you would love the "fast pace", well turns out you weren't that into it either. Really you just wanted the snacks after the game :).

For your birthday party this year we had it a few weeks early. Things can get really crazy around the holidays and I wanted to make sure we got to have a fun party for you. We went to Kangaroo Zoo for your party with your best little buddy Grady and your cousin Bex. Of course your sisters, Grady's siblings, Aunt Jamie and Uncle Mike, and Gramme and Grandpa were there too. You and all of the kids had a great time on all of the blow-up slides and castles. You loved all of your presents and it was a very fun party.

I feel so lucky to be your mom. I love spending my days at home with you. Your my little buddy and so much fun (most of the time). You are so sweet to your baby sister and I love how tender you are with her. You love to talk to her, give her kisses, and hold her. Your big sisters love you so much and the three of you are always playing some made up game where you are the husband or boyfriend. I love to hear you all in the basement playing your make believe games.

I couldn't ask for a sweeter, cuter, funnier little boy. I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to raise a son. You hold your own well with all your sisters! As much as you are my little buddy when we are home together you are definitely a daddy's boy. You ADORE your dad and her adores you. I love to see the cute friendship the two of you have. You love to have your "muscle shake" in the morning with dad. You call your dad your "best buddy" and he loves it!

You are one awesome little man and we are so lucky to have you in our lives! Here are 4 of my favorite things about you:

1. You have the sweetest little voice (you sound like one of the chipmunk from the movies)

2. You have so much personality and everyone who meets you can see what a fun personality you have

3. You love your sisters so much and it shows because they love you back just as much

4. You have such a strong, peaceful, beautiful spirit and it fills our home with so much happiness

I love you to the moon and back!
Love,

Mommy

Lofty goals...

2012-01-04T09:23:00.001-08:00

This year I have set some challenging goals for myself. I know that accomplishing them isn't going to be easy, but they will be very worth the effort!!! So here they are....

Spiritual-
*Attend temple minimum of 1x per month
*Pray morning, night, and throughout the day as needed/inspired
*Magnify my calling (I teach the 8 & 9 year old primary children at church) prepare Sunday school lesson several days in advance (Thursdays)
*Grow closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior through diligently keeping the commandments and being an instrument in the Lords hands
*Seek out opportunities to share the gospel and serve others

Marriage-
*Take time to connect with my husband everyday, pray together, spend alone time together (with no tv on)
* Read the book "The Love Dare" and complete the steps (without Court knowing)
*Have a date night every week, every other week put the kids to bed and have an "at home" date
*Regularly attend the Temple together

Parenting/Family-
*Pray with my children morning and night
*Spend individual time with each of my children every day, even if it can only be a few minutes
*Read with my children every day, work with them to improve their reading
*Read The Book of Mormon as a Family
*Work on math flash cards, writing, and homework Monday-Friday
*Help encourage girls with their piano, have then practice Monday-Saturday
*Play with my children every day
*Work on controlling my temper and dicipline in a Christlike and loving way

Fitness/Health-
*Establish and keep a regular work out schedule (min 4x per week)
*Loose 14 pounds, get back to weight before ALL of my babies :)
*Drink more water daily
*No soda or carbonation in 2012 (this is a bet Court and I have going with each other)
*Eat healthier foods (cut out preservatives as much as possible, eat organic, "Whole" foods)
*Train and compete in a Triathlon (unless my knee problems don't allow this)

Other-
*Read 1 book per month, rotate between a book for enjoyment, personal development, parenting/marriage, and a spiritual book (goal Court and I have for each other)
*Catch up on all baby books, blog books, and photo books, print 1 per month
*Blog everyday, even if it's just a sentence about the day
*Establish and keep a weekly cleaning schedule

*Court and I have decided that we are going to sit down together each Sunday to talk about our family, plan out our coming week, and re-evaluate our 2012 goals. It is so easy to set goals, work towards them for a short period of time, and then forget about the goals because our busy lives get in the way. We are hoping if we review our goals on a weekly basis and be honest with our selves and each other about how we are really doing that it will help us to achieve our goals as a team!

4 months old

2012-01-03T20:26:00.001-08:00

Dear Baby E,

I really cant believe you are already 4 months old. You are getting older way, way too fast. I wish I could slow down time and enjoy you at each stage a little longer.

You are at such a fun age. You love to coo and make noises and you are constantly smiling!! You can recognize daddy and I's voices from across the room. Just a few days ago I was kissing your cheeks and you let out your fitst giggle. Oh it was so cute. Of course your daddy had to get in on the action and he had you giggling more in no time!

You are such a sweet happy baby. You love to cuddle and nurse. You want nothing to do with a bottle and just barely started taking a binky. I took you in today for your 4 month check up and you weighed a whopping 11 pounds 6 ounces, your a tiny little thing. You are pretty long though, you were in the 75th percentile for lengh and only 10th percentile for weight. The doctor wants me to feed you more often and start you on rice cereal to see if we can chunk you up a little bit. We tried the rice cereal for the first time tonight and you weren't the biggest fan, but we will keep on trying.

I absolutly adore you my sweet baby girl. You are precious in every way and I love being your mommy. I know you are my last baby and knowing that is helping me to savour each stage with you even more. I love seeing you grow and become more alert. Your sisters and brother are all crazy in love with you too. Not one of them is gelous in anyway, they each just adore you. And as for your daddy, you have got him wrapped around all of your little fingers. He can't get enough of you either. I think it's pretty safe to say you are very loved!!

I love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mommy

Ps- I took this picture of you a few weeks ago so your not quite 4 months in it, but I love this picture, it shows all of your personality bottled up in that teeny body of yours :)

365 Days of Blogging

2012-01-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

One of my New Years Resolutions this year is to blog everyday. Not because I really think anyone cares that much about what I have to say, but because blogging is how I journal and I want to be better about keeping a history of my life.

Before I can blog about all of my New Years Resolutions I have to get Christmas up here! This was a great Christmas full of lots of love, laughter, and tears. It was our first Christmas without my brother Jake and our first Christmas with Baby E. I can sum it up in two words, "Bitter, Sweet".

For my parents gift this year I put together a "Jake Tree" for our family. I contacted as many friends and family as I could and asked them to send me an ornament that reminded them of my brother Jake to give to my parents. I am amazed at how many people participated!!! My parents thought that we were coming the Day after Christmas, but we showed up Christmas Eve to surprise them. My moms friend Gina helped me get the tree so that it was already to go when we got there. Gina and her family came with us to surprise my parents at the door. My mom screamed when she realized it was us and there were many tears. My parents friends the Jackson's also came over to watch them unwrap the "Jake Tree Ornaments". Each of these ornaments was so special and precious. You could feel the thought and love that went into picking each of them out. I am so grateful to have so many people help me with this project. We had so many ornaments that in no time the Jake Tree was full and we had to add ornaments to my parents Christmas Tree. Watching my parents open these gifts from so many of their friends and family was so tender. I could feel Jake's spirit there with us and just picture the huge smile on his face as each of these ornaments was opened. Some were so silly and PERFECT for his tree. Having this tree up over the Holidays brought so much peace, it filled my parents home with Jake's memory. I know his spirit was with us throughout the Holiday's!

We had a great Christmas morning. The girls slept in my sisters room with her, and they were ready to go bright and early!!! The kids loved seeing what Santa had brought them. And were so sweet and grateful for all of the gifts they received. My mom made us all "Jake Blankets" out of scraps of his old clothes and other scraps of fabric she had saved over the past 28 years. She had lots of help from many friends and I am so grateful to all of the amazing people who helped make this Christmas so special for our family. After we had finished our Christmas morning we all got ready and went to Church. I LOVE when Christmas is on a Sunday, it is so nice to be able to go to Church and worship the Savior on Christmas Day. The Sacrament services were very nice and I really enjoyed the Christ centered talks. After Church we walked over to the Cemetery to visit Jake's grave. This is the first time I have been there since his funeral. It was incredibly difficult and made his death all the more real to me. There are many days where I still wake up hoping this past six months since he has been gone was just a horrible nightmare. I did feel a lot of peace while we were there. It felt good to know that there is still a part of him here on this earth. I know that might sound strange, but just knowing that his earthly body was there with us brought me peace. The kids wanted to sing Jake some Christmas songs. So we all circled around his grave and the kids sang a few songs they had learned at school. Then our whole family sang Silent Night together. WOW, did that start the water works! I was holding it all together until that point. As we got ready to leave both of my parents knelt down and placed their hands on the grass where he is buried. I couldn't help but bawl as I witnessed their heartache. I put my hands next to theirs and just sobbed. I still can't believe this happened, I can't believe he is really gone, and I am at times still angry because I just want him back!

I will never forget this Christmas and the amazing spirit that filled my parents home. I was so worried that the house would fill empty without Jake, he was always the life of the party. The house felt just the opposite, it was filled with love and it truly felt like Jake was there.

I am so grateful to have had such a nice Christmas. I love being a mother and seeing Christmas through my children's eyes. I love to see their excitement and joy on Christmas morning. This Christmas was truly one to remember.

*I really need to start taking pictures the right way on my phone ;)

20 Questions

2012-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight Court and I asked the girls 20 random questions for fun. I have seen several different versions of this on pinterest and though it would be a fun tradition to start on New Years Day each year. I need to remember to ask J-man his questions tomorrow, he passed out super early!

So here they are, 20 random questions we made up as we went :)

1. What is your favorite food?
(Mac) Steak
(Lex) French Toast

2. What is your favorite color?
(M) Pink
(L) Pink

3. What is your favorite tv show?
(M) Good luck Charlie
(L) Shake it up Chicago

4. What is your favorite activity?
(M) Spending time with my family
(L) Playing with daddy

5. What is your favorite season and why?
(M) Winter, because I like to play in the snow
(L) Summer, because I get to go swimming

6. What was your favorite part of 2011?
(M)Going to Lagoon
(L) Spending quality time with family

7. What was the happiest part of 2011?
(M) Baby E. was born
(L) Baby E.

8. What was the saddest part of 2011?
(M)Uncle Jake dieing
(L)Visiting uncle Jake's grave

9. Who was your best friend in 2011?
(M) Halie A.
(L) Samantha (from school)

10. What was your favorite holiday and why?
(M) Christmas, because we had school off
(L) Christmas, getting presents, joy with family

11. What is something you learned about in school this year?
(M) Multiplication
(L) Math

12. What is something you learned about in Church this year?
(M) The story of Nephi's family
(L) Follow commandments, follow the right

13. If you could do anything in 2012 what would it be?
(M) Go on a cruise
(L) Daddy daughter date

14. What is one goal you have for this New Year?
(M) Try to stay away from Electronics
(L) Exercise more

15. If you were stuck on a desert island who is the one person you would want with you?
(M) Dad
(L) Dad

16. If you could meet anyone who would it be?
(M) Miley Cyrus
(L) Jonas Brothers

17. What is your favorite thing about your self?
(M) I'm cute
(L) I'm smart

18. What is something your really good at?
(M) Multiplication
(L) Gymnastics

19. What is your favorite thing to do as a family
(M) Watch movies
(L)

20. If you could have one super power what would it be and why?
(M) Invisibility- so I could sneak around and no one would know
(L) Hear peoples thoughts- so I would know what my Christmas presents are

Sure was funny to hear their answers! I am excited to keep up this tradition from year to year. It will be interesting to see how their answers change as they get older :)i

I am very excited for this New Year. I love setting goals and re-evaluating how life is going and how it can be improved. Yesterday on our drive home from California Court and I talked a lot about what our goals are, personally, as a couple, as a family, financially, etc... We also came up with ideas on how we can reach our goals. I am very anxious for this next year and to work hard to make it a happy, healthy, and productive year for our family. Tomorrow for Family Home Evening we are going to set goals with the kids and have a lesson on how we can set goals and work hard to achieve them. This past year has been so difficult with the loss of my brother Jake and all of the heartache and pain losing him has caused. I can say without a doubt that 2011 has been one of the hardest years of my life and I am looking forward to 2012 being a much better year!

Thanksgiving Fun

2011-12-03T11:01:00.001-08:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Courts family. I brought my camera and video camera and still somehow ended up not taking any photos or video footage. Over the weekend I did at least snap a few on my phone.

Thanksgiving day we had lots of fun eating and hanging out at Courts sister Jamie's house. Her and her family just moved back to Utah and we are so excited to have them back and living only 20 min away from us. Court, his dad, brother, and brother-in-laws went to shoot guns later that afternoon. They had a a great time and of course Court came home wanting to buy a gun of his own (no thank you!!). The kids all had a blast playing with their cousins! 10 kids under the age of 9 got a little crazy at times, but it was sure fun (9 out of the 10 grandchildren are actually under the age of 6!!!). That night our girls spent the night with their cousins, boy were they excited!! We don't do sleepovers with friends unless it is an emergency... So they have only had about 2 sleepovers ever. They all slept together in a little playroom under the stairs.

Court and I took J-man and the baby with us and headed up to Salt Lake to my Aunt Wendy's house to see some of my Waterlyn extended family. We planned just to drop in and say hi for a little while but we were all laughing and having such a good time talking that we didn't leave until after midnight.

On our way home we decided to stop by Toys R Us since we were out that way and check out some of their black friday deals. I stayed in the car with the kids while Court ran in. He found what we were looking for pretty fast, but then realized he would have to wait in line for at least 2 hours to pay for it, the check out line wrapped all the way around entire store!!! So he put the items back and we headed home. The wait wasn't worth saving 20 bucks!

Friday I took the baby and Courts mom and sisters and I shopped all day. Normally I am not a big fan of black friday shopping or shopping all day, but it was really fun and a nice brake from my older kids. We went to Target, lunch at Rumbi Grill, and then shopping at Fashion Place Mall. Court kept the other 3 kiddos and boy was he brave. Court and his brother-in-laws and dad took all of thd kids to lunch, Cabelas, and Sports Authority. The boys (grown up boys) all came home with remote control helacopters.

Saturday us girls got up early and went grocery shopping for the lunch we were making for the Ronald McDonald house. We did this as a family service project and it was a great experience!! My girls loved helping make the lunches and really enjoyed doing this. I am so grateful places like this exhist for families in need. I have such a soft spot in my heart for children who are sick and their families. I am so grateful to have healthy children!!

Saturday we got a sitter for all the kids and all the adults went out to dinner. It was lots of fun to go out kid free and enjoy each others company!!

Our Thanksgiving was teriffic and we loved spending time with our family!!!

Made me smile...

2011-11-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

This morning as I shuffled the girls out the door to school I watched them walk to the bus stop like I do every morning, but today they walked all the way to the bus hand in hand. Man this made me smile and made my day! I LOVE that my girls are not just sisters, but best friends. They fight like an old married couple, but they love each other so much and it shows! It's little moments like these that remind me why I love being a mom.

Hi, my name is Brittany and I am a list maker...

2011-11-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

I have a problem...

I make lists for EVERYTHING!

You name it chore lists, grocery lists, goal lists, Christmas lists, future home lists, food storage lists, etc...etc... Making these lists helps keep me on track (sometimes) but it also often times makes me feel defeated because I am constantly falling short in accomplishing my "lists". Life as a mom to 4small kids is most of the time just plain craziness. There is always something going on and someone needing something. Like usual I didn't even come close to finishing my to-do list yesterday. This always frustrates me because I really do TRY! I need to work on rolling with the punches more and realizing that I can't be a perfectionist. If you saw my house you wouldn't think that I am a perfectionist because there is always a mess somewhere, but really I am, I expect way too much out of myself. I have realized that part of my problem is that when I do something I like to do it WELL and when you have a busy life sometimes you just have to do things quick! I am going to try and be better about this(try).

Yesterday after feeling really discouraged that I didn't get much done on my to-do list I decided to sit down and write out what I had done throughout the day. So here it is...

1. did the girls hair/got them out the door to school
2. got J-man dressed
3. got the baby dressed/changed her diaper/nursed the baby
4. changed at least 8 more diapers throughout the day
5. nursed the baby every 3 hours throughout the day
6. had personal scripture study
(working towards finishing doctrine & covenants before the end of the year)
7. cleaned J-man's room with him/made his bed/put his clean clothes away
8. made J-man lunch
9. sent some important emails
10. worked on my Christmas surprise for my parents
11. took out the trash
(like walked the bag to the trash outside,yep I am counting every little thing I did)
12. unloaded the dishwasher/then re-loaded it
13. clipped J-man's fingernails (gross I know)
14. paid a medical bill
15. took the girls to gymnastics
16. started the girls on their reading
17. cooked dinner- garlic-lime chicken.rice-a-roni-.corn bread.mandarin oranges
18. planned all of our meals for December & printed a "meal calendar" aka- LIST19. went to the 8pm yoga class at the gym *ME TIME FINALLY*
20. clipped coupons/wrote my grocery LIST21. popped a bag of popcorn and watched 30 rock with Court
22. looked for tile online
(we are getting tile in our kitchen & bathrooms, HALLELUJAH)
23. sorted the dirty laundry into bins in the laundry room
24. blogged (my only form of journaling)
25. got ready for bed and hit the sack around midnight

I'm sure I did more then what is on this list, but this was everything that I could remember. It sure made me feel better at the end of the day to see what I had accomplished. There are SO MANY DAYS when I feel like I have gotten nothing done, but this list proves that even when my to-do lists aren't getting done as quickly as I would like, I am still accomplishing things!

I'm not going to stop making lists, I CAN'T(help me!!! j/k) but I am going to scale down my lists, make them more realistic, and not be so hard on myself!

p.s. J-man told the baby the other day that he wanted to marry her! It was so, so, so cute. He just adores her. He said it in the sweetest little voice too, totally melted my heart!!!

Say it isn't so...

2011-11-28T18:42:00.001-08:00

Dear baby E,

I can hardly believe you are 3 months old already! These past three months have gone by way, way, way too fast. You have brought so much love and peace into our home. We all absolutly adore you. Not one of your siblings have been jealous of you at all. They each are completely in love with you and are constantly holding, snuggling, and kissing you!

Last night I was up really late, I just couldn't sleep, I held you in my arms and just starred at you. You are truly breath taking. You have such tiny, femanine features. Your eyelashes are incredible. They are so long and thick that they don't even look real! And your hair is so dark, thick, and silky. Everything about you is so precious! I am so grateful for you sweet girl, you are truly a gift from above!

You are still pretty tiny, exactly 11 pounds when I weighed you today. Although I'm not sure how accurate that is since I weighed myself and then again with you in my arms. You are long and skinny. You have the cutest little body, yout so petite!! The kids love your tiny little bottom.

You are very alert now and love to smile. You smile with your whole body. Whenever you smile you crunch in and pull your legs up. It is so cute to see how excited you get when we talk to you. You are cooing now too and it is so much fun. You are so cute when you get "talking". Your daddy loves to go back and forth with you cooing! I really need to get this on video.

I just cant get enough of you, I could hold you all day!! The house has become quite a bit more messy since you came along. Snuggle my beautiful babe or clean house??? I pick you!

I love you to the moon and back!
Love,

Mommy

Lunch Date

2011-11-18T11:47:00.001-08:00

I had lunch at the Elementary School today with my favorite 3rd grader!! J-man thought it was so fun to eat lunch with the big kids. I truly love being a mom and getting to do things like this. Life is all about the little moments that make us happy :).

Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, 2 posts in one day, I'm on a roll! My post earlier was actually done from my phone, while in bed, feeding the baby!!! My hubby bought me a new phone last week for my new job. I really thought having Internet on my phone at first was silly, but WOW it has seriously come in handy. I get so much done while I am nursing (LOL)... scripture reading, checking emails, keeping up with my calendar, etc... etc...

I will be starting my new job in a few weeks. I am excited and nervous!! I am going to be assisting the owner of a salon downtown. I am extremely excited about the opportunity to learn from such an amazing stylist and salon owner. It is a perfect schedule for me since it is just 2 days a week, 8 hours total. I know everything with juggling the kids between Court and I, etc... will work out, it's just a little nerve wracking thinking about adding something more to our already busy schedule.

The past few days I have had the 'Holiday's' on my mind quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Holiday's but normally I am not thinking about them much in advance. This year I am especially looking forward to the Holiday's because I want to do my best to make them memorable and special. I want to have a fun Christmas for my kids, but more importantly I want the Spirit of the Season to fill our hearts and home. I have learned so much this year about what is TRULY important in life after the sudden loss of my brother Jake. I feel like I have a broader perspective on life and more Eternal goals. My brothers death has been the biggest trial I have faced in my life (and I have had my share of not pleasant trials in the past) and the grief that has followed his death has often been very overwhelming and painful. The past few months I have felt and recognized the Lords hand in my life on such a deeper level. I would have never chosen loosing my brother for me to learn these lessons and to grow closer to my Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ, but I am so grateful that something positive has come out of such a tragedy. This Holiday Season I want to teach my children the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I want to teach them what it means to be Thankful, Charitable, Joyful, and Christlike. This year I am excited for the service our family is going to give and we can be an instrument in the Lords hands.

I have lots of ideas of how our family is going to GIVE this season and I am excited to see it all come together. I am working on putting together a fundraiser in my brother Jake's name as well, I am still working on all of the details, but I know with the help of family and friends it will be an amazing way to honor my brother on our first Christmas without him.

The girls just got home from school and I can hear them playing downstairs with J-man, so that's my que to get off the computer and go enjoy my children :). I promised the girls a Thanks Giving craft today, I have no idea what we are going to do, but we'll come up with something!!

ps- Before I forget for journaling sake, J. decided to eat his yogurt this morning with a medicine dispenser. It was quite funny. I was feeding the baby in my bed and he kept bringing me my "medicine" in bed. Pretty creative way to eat yogurt if you ask me!

This crazy thing called Life...

2011-11-02T18:28:00.001-07:00

Wow life can really get crazy at times!! We had one CrAzY day at our house yesterday, it just seemed like the day just flew by and I don't feel like I accomplished much. Little J-man followed me around ALL day. I love spending time with the little stud miffin, but sometimes he makes it hard to get things done.

Last night I ended up taking all of the kids to the library to do homework and get books. I thought... "this will be perfect, the girls can so their homework, J. can look at books, and the baby will sleep in her car seat." HA!!!!! Crazy is what I get for thinking that was a perfect plan! J-man didn't want to hold still and look at
books for longer then 5 minites, Lex forgot her homework sheet, some of Mac's homework even had me stumped (sad I know), and the baby got fussy right when we got there! Well, live and learn, right? I wont be doing that again alone with four kids!!

By the time we were done at the library it was late and we were all hungery. Court met up with us after he was done with scouts and we all went to iceburg for some burgers, fries, and shakes. Lex was not minding and we kept warning and warning her that she was going go loose her icecream, well once she disobeyed again we had to follow through on her not getting her icecream! Man it is so hard to not give in to your kids. Court and I are working really hard on following through on our punishments, somehow we have to teach our kids that they cant walk all over us :).

So there you have it, another day in the life of the Jones family! Being a mom is hard work, but I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world!!!

Funnies

2011-10-31T14:47:00.001-07:00

On Saturday night we were coming home from Courts grandmas funeral and we stopped off at a grocery store to grab a few things. By this point all of the kiddos had passed out except little miss Lex, our 6 year old. I stayed in the car with the kids while Court ran inside. Lex and I were talking and she turns to me and says...."Mom, do you know what I am best at? And I said what Lex? She replys..."I am best at having fun!" Then she says..."Do you know what I am second best at....being naughty"!!! Oh man I sure got a kick out of this! It was especially funny because of how true of a statement that can be :)

An Elect Lady...

2011-10-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Courts grandmother, Norman Jones passed away yesterday. She was such a wonderful, loving, kind person. She had a heart of gold and I am so grateful to have known her. She had one of the strongest testimonies of the Gospel and was always finding ways to share her testimony with us. I am not great at checking my email everyday, so I didn't see this email from her until just a few minutes ago, I am blown away that she sent this letter to her entire family just one day before her passing, what a beautiful gift to leave all of us! I will miss her dearly, I thought of her as my grandma too and loved her so much. I am so grateful for the wonderful example she has been in my life and for all that she has done for Court and I.

Dear Family,
I know you’ve heard this or read it before, but I am impressed that I should remind you of it again. I’m sure you have noticed that the world is getting to be a pretty wicked place. All of the prophecies that have been made up to this date by prophets have been fulfilled, and there are not many left to be fulfilled. That tells us that the second coming is getting closer and we need to be prepared. My one big regret is that I didn’t study the scriptures more diligently when I was young. I have realized that the scriptures I memorized when I was younger I can still quote, but now that I am old, when I try to memorize different ones, it is almost impossible. I’m having too many senior moments and my powers of concentration are not good.

I want to remind you what President Benson told us about 25 years ago. He said, “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and REGULARLY, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity – the pure love of Christ- will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”

These promises - increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness - are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God. If there was ever a time for us to draw nearer to God it is now. President Benson asked, “Do eternal consequences rest upon our response to this book? Yes, either to our blessing or our condemnation.” You can read all about the Book of Mormon in this month’s Ensign.

I want to tell you that your Dad/Grandpa was here with me a couple of days ago. I was washing the north window in the computer room and had taken three of the windows out and washed the fourth one on both sides. When I tried to push it back in place, it jumped out of the track and I struggled to try to put it back in. My arms were giving out so I said, “Weston, come and help me!” Immediately the window just jumped in to the track and I know I didn’t put it there. Several other times when I tried to do something and was not able to do it, I called on him to help me and he did. I know he is not far away and that gives me comfort. I love you all and hope and pray we will all be together throughout eternity.

Love,
Mom/Grandma

PS. I don’t have the e-mail addresses of some of my grandchildren. I don’t want to leave them out, so will you forward this to them. You can read the names of the ones I have sent this to in the address place.

Fall Break...

2011-10-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

We love Fall break at our house! I am so excited that the kids have today and tomorrow off of school. It's nice to have a break from the daily routine of getting up early, school, homework, etc... The kids all slept in this morning which rarely happens. So far today the kids are lounging around in their pj's and watching the movie Spy Kids. Later we are going to do a few chores, run some errands, and then find something fun to do as a family. I sure love my kiddos and love having sometime to just "hang out" as a family!!

First hair cut

2011-10-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness this little beauty just melts my HEART!! She is still so tiny and I LOVE IT! All of my other kids have gotten big so fast, it is nice to have her feel like a newborn longer. Well although she isn't growing super fast her hair sure is!! Being a hairdresser I just couldn't take it anymore. Mullets just aren't cute on anyone, not even darling baby girls. She was seriously growing a LONG mullet and last night I had to cut it. I wish I would have taken a before picture. I cut at least a half inch off the back and then trimmed up around her ears. It looks so much better. I can't believe she is barely 7 weeks old and already needed a hair cut! She definitely didn't get her hair from me... she can thank her daddy for her long black hair (and LONG black eyelashes)!!!

Bad blogger...

2011-10-18T08:39:00.001-07:00

I have not been so great at blogging lately, I think it has something to do with being a mother of FOUR children and adjusting to life with a newborn ;). I don't want to forget all of the "little moments" in my life, it's not hard to remember to blog about the big things... holidays, birthdays, etc... but I want to remember all of the great little things that happen in day to day life. I am going to try REALLY hard to write down the sweet things my kids say, things that make me laugh, and even the moments when I want to cry!

This past Sunday we blessed our baby girl. It was such a special and spiritual day. This was the first time that all of my family has been together since my brother Jake's funeral. For weeks before the blessing I was feeling so anxious about what this reunion would feel like... I cried just about everyday thinking about how difficult life is going to be without Jake being at the special events in our life. I have had a difficult time admitting to myself that Jake is really gone. It has been four months exactly since I last saw my brother. I haven't lived at home in over ten years, so going months without seeing my family feels so normal to me. The idea that I have to wait my entire life to see my brother again is sometimes very overwhelming. I prayed and prayed that Jake's spirit could be with our family this weekend and that he could be with us. Heavenly Father most definitely answered my prayers, I know that Jake was with us and it felt so comforting to know that Heaven really isn't that far away.

Friday night I surprised my mom with a girls night out. I had called all of her sisters and their daughters and we went to Cheesecake Factory. My mom had no idea that they were all meeting us there and it was so fun to see how surprised she was. We had a great girls night out laughing and talking! We actually got quit a few looks... my moms family is LOUD!! I love being able to go on girls nights out with my mom and sister, I wish we lived closer and could do these more often.

Saturday Court and I went to Costco and ran a few errands to get ready for the Blessing while my mom watched the kids. WOW, I forgot what it is like to run errands with just my hubby and me. Latter that afternoon we took all of the kids to see Captain America at the dollar theater. Everyone really liked the movie, J-man feel asleep on my lap half way through the movie and before I knew it I was asleep too! Darn it, I really wanted to see the ending! I guess I will have to wait for it to come to redbox. Later that night my mom and I went to the airport to pick up my dad, he had lots of work at home and couldn't come until then. I am SO GRATEFUL he came despite the fact that he had to turn around and drive home with my family the next day. It meant so much to me that he made sure he was here for the blessing no matter what.

Sunday Court blessed our baby girl in Sacrament meeting. She looked so beautiful in the long white dress my mom bought for her. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by so many family and friends! I am constantly amazed at how truly blessed we are to have so many wonderful people in our life who love and support us through the good times and the bad. It was a beautiful sight to see a large group of men who worthily hold the Priesthood surround my baby girl and give her a name and a blessing. I am so grateful for the Priesthood and the wonderful blessing it is in my life. While Court was giving the blessing I thought of my brother Jake and tears just started to fall from my face, immediatley I felt an overwhelming feeling of peace and could see Jake's face with a big huge smile on it in my mind, it was so comforting to know that we was there with us and that his spirit can still be with us during these special moments in our lives. After the blessing we came back to our house for dessert. It was truly a wonderful day and I am so grateful to have had so many people we love so much to share the day with us!

Dear Baby Girl...

2011-10-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Girl,

I can not believe you are 6 weeks old ALREADY! Time is flying by so quickly. I just want to keep you my precious newborn baby as long as possible. You are the sweetest, cuddliest, cutest baby!!! Your dark black hair is getting so long I think it's about time for a trim! How crazy that at only 6 weeks old you already need a hair cut :). I get stopped EVERYWHERE I go and people's first comment is always, "LOOK at ALL that hair". Your dark hair and beautiful skin sure get you lots of attention, not to mention that you are a litle beauty.

You are still so tiny and I am loving it! Your sisters and brother got big so fast that I felt like I blinked and the newborn stage was over. You are barely 9 pounds and still seem so tiny to me. Your 0-3 month clothes still drown you and you mostly still wear newborn clothes. You are so much fun and I am LOVING every.single.minute with you!

Love,
Mommy

love this...

2011-10-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

I ABSOLUTELY loved President Uchtdorfs talk from the Relief Society session of General Conference. What an incredible talk! I LOVED how he stressed to us women that we need to be more patient with ourselves and rejoice in our "small successes". I think often times we don't pat our selves on the back enough, we work hard and although things might not always go according to OUR plans, that doesn't mean that we aren't being successful in our endeavors. Having a sweet newborn at home has really helped me to stop and smell the roses! There are so many things that I WANT to get done... decorating, gardening, cleaning, etc... but none of those things are as important as me being a good mother. It is FAR more important that I take the time to snuggle, hold, and talk to my precious baby then to have a perfectly clean house! I am so grateful for this amazing talk given by this AmAzInG man, what a blessing to have the Gospel in my life and the opportunity to hear words from our Prophet and leaders.

You can watch or read President Uchtdorfs talk here... www.lds.org

love pinterest!!!

2011-10-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

(click on this red button to see my pinterest!)

OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this website!!! I can't believe I haven't heard of it until now!!! I surf the web ALL THE TIME (too much) looking for fun decorating-photography-party-holiday... ideas, I have HUNDREDS of pictures saved to my computer of ideas I LOVE. This website allows you to "pin" things you have found on the web to a virtual pin up board that saves the website, etc... so that you can refer back to it later. UMMMMM, it is awesome and I am totally HOOKED!

I found this great chair on one of my cousins "pin up boards" and I have the PERFECT chair to do something similar with :). I definitely wont get to it for a-WHILE, but it's saved for when I do! First I have to FINISH all of the other many projects I have started (I like to start projects, but often don't always finish them, I am working on this)

Here is my TO-DO list before my family comes for baby E's blessing...

1. Paint last coat on changing table/baskets
2. FINISH painting, distressing, and glazing kitchen chairs
3. Finish Halloween garland with kids/hang up outside
4. Decide on "menu" for after the blessing get together/buy decorations, plates, etc... (pink & brown theme)
5. Paint last coat on front door/ re-attach kick plate
6. Touch up paint in Kitchen
7. Have new family pictures taken
8. Order birth announcements/blessing invitations
9. Have upstairs carpets cleaned!!!
10.***BUY baby E's blessing dress & shoes, make flower/bow & bracelet***

re-designing!

2011-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to change up the color scheme in my house for quite while now. For YEARS we have had dark furniture and lots of black and red. I was SOOOO ready for a change! Now RED happens to be one of my favorite colors for decorating... I love how it is bright, Cheery, and lifts my spirits, so I couldn't get rid of it. But all of the dark has to go!!! I've started to re-do lots of my decor... it's been fun to see what a little spray paint can do and it is much cheaper to buy some spray paint rather then get all new decorations. Here are some picture frames that I re-painted, it was a quick project and I love the new look and colors!

Before:

After:

20 Ways to Make a Good Marriage Great

2011-09-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog today and wanted to share! I think it is such great advise :) I LOVE my husband so much and I am so grateful to be married to my very best friend. Our marriage is far from perfect, but we love each other and that is what matters most. I am so grateful to have married someone who shares my same values. We have been through THICK and THIN together and with the help of our Father in Heaven I am positive we can make it through just about any trial (although I could SERIOUSLY use a brake from trials, we have had our fair share of BIG trials over the last few years)

by Richard W. Linford

1. Night and Morning Prayer … to say thanks, to ask for help in your marriage and family, to worship together.

2. A Weekly Planning Meeting … to discuss the calendar, talk over needs and problems, decide priorities and next steps.

3. A Daily Phone Call or Personal Conversation … to say “I love you,” to touch base, to discuss the day, to show you care.

4. A Weekly Date … to a favorite park, a concert, the library, the gym; or staying home for a candlelight dinner, a game, or a mutual hobby.

5. Patience Regardless … of missed meals, tardiness, forgotten favors, a thoughtless remark, impatience.

6. Daily Service … helping with house or yard work, mending a piece of clothing, taking a turn with the sick baby, fixing a favorite meal. (Write it down. Do it!)

7. A Budget … to tie down income and expenses, help set financial goals, and give you control over your finances.

8. Listening … not only to what is said, but also to what is meant.

9. Regular Attendance … at church—and where possible—the temple.

10. Daily Scripture Reading … to learn the gospel, to receive inspiration for yourself and your marriage, to become more like Jesus.

11. Working Together … caring for a garden, painting a bedroom, washing the car, scrubbing floors, building a piece of furniture, writing a poem together, team teaching a class.

12. Forgiving Each Other … always learning from each other, trying a different way, being the first to make peace.

13. Courtesies … like saying please and thank you, not interrupting or belittling, not doing all the talking, continuing the niceties of courtship.

14. Soft and Kind Words … of tenderness, compassion, empathy.

15. Learning Together by … reading to each other, discussing ideas, taking a class.

16. Respecting … opinions, ideas, privacy.

17. Supporting Your Spouse’s … church service and righteous goals.

18. Caring for Your Spouse’s Family by … enjoying their company, praying for them, serving them, overlooking differences.

19. Occasional Gifts … such as a note, a needed item—but mostly gifts of time and self.

20. Loving with All Your Heart. “Thou shalt love thy wife [thy husband] with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her [him] and none else.” (D&C 42:22.

Nine Years Old!

2011-09-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Mac,

I can NOT believe you are nine years old. It seems like just yesterday you were my tiny newborn baby girl. Baby E. is the exact size right now that you were when you were born and now you have grown into this beautiful girl. How can it be possible that you are this old already?

I can remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. I was so excited and so nervous to become a mommy! The night before I had you I prayed and prayed to Heavenly Father that you would come SOON. I was 39 weeks pregnant and so ready to have you in my arms. Daddy and I were living in suburb of Chicago, although it was fall it was still so hot and humid during the days. I woke up the day I had you and the bed was wet. Daddy was golfing with friends and I was so embarrassed to call and tell him that I wasn't sure if my water had broke or not. I called grandma Kelly and she said to go to the doctor because she thought it sounded like my water had broken. Dad came home (after he finished the last few holes, not cool!) and we headed to the Doctor. Sure enough they did a quick test and it was amniotic fluid. Then they sent us straight to the Hospital!

As soon as we got the news that you would be coming that day we started calling all of your grandparents and aunts and uncles. Everyone was SOOOO excited for your big arrival, being the first grandchild on both sides is pretty special! Grandma Kelly REALLY wanted to be there when you were born and I REALLY wanted her there (I was so scared for the labor and delivery). Papa Ron called the airlines and tried to book her a flight with a buddy pass they had. I guess Papa was in such a fluster that he wasn't very polite to the airline worker when he was trying to explain what he needed done. After a few arguments with the airline they refused to let him use the ticket that day and put his name on a "watch list", hahaha... so funny because he is normally not like that at all. So Papa Ron called another airline and booked grandma Kelly on the first flight available from Denver to Chicago. Daddy's friend Cade and his wife Leslie picked grandma up at the airport when she arrived. Since they weren't sure if I was close to delivering you yet they were speeding down the highways and streets of Chicago to get grandma there in time. AMAZINGLY she made it to the hospital a few hours before you were born.

For my first baby your delivery was pretty smooth, 10 hours from start to finish and no complications. Even though my water leaked I never ended up going into labor, so they had to brake my water and start my labor with pitocin. You were 7lb. 8oz. (exactly average) and 21 1/2 inches long (you were tall). You were so beautiful and we were instantly IN LOVE with you. My whole pregnancy I wondered and wondered what you would look like. Your dad and I look so different from each other that I was so curious to see what traits you would get from each of us. Throughout my pregnancy I had several dreams about a beautiful, dark haired baby girl. Then when you were born you looked just like the baby in my dreams.

Your birthday is so special not only because we get to celebrate the day you were born and joined our family, but we get to also celebrate the day we became parents. Your daddy and I love you SOOOOO much and are so grateful that Heavenly Father sent you to us. I can not believe you are nine, the time has gone way to fast. I sure hope that time can slow down! You are such a precious, sweet girl and you make our home a better place. You are a darling big sister to your two little sisters and brother. You always watch out for them and you love them so much. I am so proud of the wonderful girl you are becoming. You LOVE school, love to make friends, always have a big smile on your face, and you are so outgoing and friendly!!

Here are NINE things that I LOVE about you...
1) Your love for your family
2) Your testimony of the Gospel
3) Your imagination (you talk about wanting to be an author one day)
4) Your kind heart
5) Your beautiful long brown hair (I always wanted long hair as a little girl)
6) Your relationship with your sister (It is precious to see the friendship you two share)
7) Your excitement for things
8) Your willingness to still hold our hands, give hugs and kisses, and snuggles
9) Your ability to light up a room with your infectious personality

Happy birthday gorgeous girl!!!
I love you so much!
Love,

Mom

2 Weeks Already?

2011-09-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby E,

I can't believe how fast time is going by already. I took you in for your two week check up yesterday, you have already grown an inch and a half (I'm having a hard time believing that one, maybe there measurements were a little off) and you weighed 7lb. 7oz. (still smaller then any of your siblings were at birth)! You are just so precious and perfect. It is such a joy to have a sweet newborn baby in our home. You are so peaceful and make everyone in the family so happy. Your sisters absolutely ADORE you and want to hold you every chance they get. Your big brother adores you too, although his attention span isn't quite as long. He will ask to hold you and then a tell me a minute or two later, "Ok get her off me now".

You have had your daddy wrapped around your little finger since day one! He is so cute and sweet with you. I love being able to see this side of him. He loves you so much and loves to snuggle and hold you. At night when the big kids have gone to bed he and I fight over who gets to hold you! You love to snuggle right into his chest!!

I truly love being your mother and I feel so lucky to get to stay home with you and your siblings. I love that the sound of my voice calms you down instantly and that you love to curl up on my chest and go to sleep. You smell amazing, if I could bottle up the newborn smell and save it, I WOULD!! More then likely you will be our last baby, I thought that I was going to be totally okay with the idea of not having anymore kids, but ever since you arrived the thought of never getting to have a new baby again has made me a bit sad. Knowing that you will probably be our last has made me want to enjoy every second with you even more. I truly have a hard time putting you down, I just want to enjoy cuddling and holding you as long as possible.

So far you have been a pretty good sleeper for a newborn. We have had a few rough nights, but other then those few you are sleeping really well and only getting up once or twice. You are so sweet and such a good baby, I really don't mind getting up with you. I enjoy the quiet time to hold and nurse you. You always eat and go right back to sleep.

Just a few weeks before you were born I was having a really hard day. I had a lot on my mind and I was really grieving over the loss of my brother Jake. I remember walking down the hall and feeling the most peaceful and calm feeling come over me. I could feel your sweet spirit comforting me and telling me that everything would be ok. I am so grateful for that tender experience with you before you were even born. It is such a privilege to be the mother to 4 of Heavenly Fathers choice spirits.

I love you more then words,
Love,
Mom

She is here!!!

2011-09-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Baby E. 61b. 13oz. 19in.

Our sweet baby girl joined our family just a little over a week ago. She is so precious, perfect, and cuddly. I SERIOUSLY can't get enough of her!! I really can't believe I had such a hard time deciding to have another baby because she is just a little piece of Heaven right in our home. This pregnancy was so challenging for me with being in school full-time (literally 40 hours a week), the death of my baby brother, and then my mystery bug I got in Mexico that ended up lasting about 8 weeks. I have never been more of an emotional wreck in my life. Having this sweet spirit fresh from Heaven in my arms has been so spiritual and healing. During my labor the spirit was so strong... I could feel the presence of my sweet brother Jake and I know that Heavenly Father allowed him to bring her to me. I can't even describe what peace it has brought me to literally FEEL my brother with me just minutes before I gave birth. I completely believe in life after death, I know that our family is eternal and that we will be together FOREVER, death does not change that. It has been very healing to finally cry HAPPY tears for the first time in months. This precious baby is truly a gift!!

Study Space...

2011-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have a to-do list that is at least a half mile long, but some how I have now gotten on this kick of feeling like I need a "Study Space" in our house for my girls. I can't believe they will BOTH be in full day school this year. I just want a clean, organized space where they can do there homework quietly without distractions. Our house isn't super big, so I've been brain storming about WHERE I can do this in our house. I've considered the kitchen (but it's too small), the playroom has lots of room, but then they would be distracted by toys, etc... So I've decided to make a space for them in Courts office. He does work from home a few days a week, but he is rarely working out of his home office during the time they would need it for homework, plus there is this random little alcove in there with nothing in it :). Once I get all of my baby projects done I am going to get to work on this space for the girls, plus the office could use some major organzing, we have been avoiding this room since we moved in 6 months ago! I am hoping to find a great desk in the classifides for cheap that I can paint cute :)

(I would LOVE to do something like this picture, but space and budget just wont call for it, looks like I am going to have to get creative)

Oh Baby!

2011-07-31T09:07:00.001-07:00

My very sweet Aunt with Tammy Eggen Photography did a maternity/family photo shoot for us the other night! She is so talented and it was very fun to capture this time of our life in photographs. If you are looking for a TERRIFIC photographer in Utah or Salt Lake County I highly recommend her!!! She is very affordable too :)

Waves of Grief...

2011-07-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

I shared this on my brothers memorial page this morning...

He Came For Us... by Michael G. Facer

When Jesus Christ was on the earth so many years ago,
He taught our Heav'n-ly Father's plan for children here below.
He came for us; He died for us--All to fulfill our Father's plan.
On Calvary, Gethsemane. He sacrificed that we might live again.

Through parables, with simple words, He said, "come, follow me,"
That we might now have joy on earth and live eternally.
He came for us; He died for us--All to fulfill our Father's plan.
On Calvary, Gethsemane. He sacrificed that we might live again.

That Easter morn, disciples ran to see where Jesus lay;
And there they saw a miracle: The stone was rolled away!
He came for us; He died for us--All to fulfill our Father's plan.
On Calvary, Gethsemane. He sacrificed that we might live again.

I was thinking this morning about how greif comes in waves. I googled a picture of waves on the beach, when I clicked on the picture it took me to a blog of a mother who recently lost her son, she shared this song on her blog. As I was reading the song I really pondered the line that says.. "He sacrificed that we might live again". I have an UNSHAKEABLE FAITH that if we will follow our Savior, we WILL live again. I KNOW that Jake is not gone, his spirit lives on, he is on the other side, working, serving, and teaching those that did not have the knowledge of our Heavenly Fathers plan here on earth. I KNOW I will be with Jake again, that our family will someday be whole again. The last few weeks I have done pretty well, but today not so much, grief most definitely comes in waves and today, for me the tide is very high, but I know if I lean on the Lord for comfort and depend on him that I can get through today and all of the hard days to come. I LOVE YOU JAKE, I MISS YOU TERRIBLY, I WISH I COULD GO PICK YOU UP AND SPEND THE DAY WITH YOU... I WISH HEAVEN WASN'T SO FAR AWAY!!!

Me, Myself, and I

2011-07-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today I had two Doctors appointments, one this morning all the way downtown and then one this afternoon. Court was so sweet and knew how BADLY I needed a break from the kiddos after being sick for 3 weeks. He offered to stay home for the day and let me have the day to myself! I left around 9am this morning and didn't get back until 4pm this afternoon. As much as I would have rather not had Doctor appointments fill half my day, it was a GREAT much needed break.

After my first appoitment I headed down to Gateway Mall for a little shopping and then had lunch at Jason's Deli. I really wish I would have had a good book with me because I could have just sat in that booth quietly alone for hours! Maybe I am weird, but every once in awhile I just love an "alone" day. I don't mind one bit getting lunch by myself or shopping, I find it really relaxing! I wish I would have thought ahead and could have spent the afternoon at the Salt Lake Temple, as I drove past it I thought to myself, "darn it..why didn't I think of that, that would have been a terrific way to spend my day alone". Next time, FORSURE!

After lunch I headed up to a Salon my friend works at downtown to say Hi and check out the place! It was fun to chit chat for a little bit and catch up!! As nice as it is to be done with school and a stay-at-home mom again, I have to admit, I was a bit jealous that she is already in a salon and starting her career! I am REALLY missing doing hair and interacting with clients!!! Once my baby is at least a few months old I may look at working one day a week to keep up my skills and get some more hands on experience.

I finished up my day meeting with my OB. It really was great to FINALLY get to meet with the actual GI specialist this morning and then get to follow up with my OB this afternoon. We still don't have answers to exactly WHAT is wrong with me but we are trying out a heavy duty antibiotic and are hoping that cures whatever strange bug I have. If that doesn't work then there will be more tests and such from there, but I am HOPEFUL that the medication will work. My pregnancy is basically considered high risk from here on out and truly it makes me feel so much better that they are being overly cautious. The baby is measuring small, but her heart rate and amniotic fluid look good, which really calms a pregnant mammas nerves! I will have a full ultrasound Saturday to make sure that everything is ok with the baby!

It really was a great day and so nice to finally be getting some help with whatever is wrong with me!!!

We're Rich!

2011-07-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided to take the kids to a movie since it was a Holiday. We ALWAYS take the kids to the dollar theater because for starters it's cheap, the kids don't care, and we usually wait so long to see movies that they are almost always at the dollar theater or already on DVD by the time we get around to seeing them. Well the movie we wanted to see was only in 3D and those make me really sick. So we decided to check out what was playing at the regular theater. The kids have been dieing to see Kung Fu Panda 2, so we decided to spend the big bucks and take them to the BIG theater.

I was doing the girls hair and our 8 year old, Mac, asked what movie we were going to, I told her Kung Fu Panda and she immediately replied, "but, that's not at the dollar theater"! I told her that we were going to the BIG theater, she then then said to me, "You mean the RICH theater"??? Hahahaha, I sure got a kick out of that one! She was thrilled to be going to the BIG movie theater and couldn't believe that we wern't going to the dollar movie.

We will still be sticking mainly to our trusty dollar theather, but every once in awhile it's fun to go to the "Rich" theater :).

18 days straight!!!

2011-07-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

AHHHH, I have been sick with this "mystery bug" for 18 days straight!!! I can safely safe I AM LOOSING MY MIND :). My Doctors office is closed today because it's the Pioneer Holiday here in Utah. I was up ALL NIGHT last night, I think I got a total of 3 hours of sleep. I called the Doctor on call this morning to see what I should do. Like usual, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL ME. I really am trying to be patient, but this is getting sooooo rediculous. I have been to the hospital twice already for IV's and to run tests with no results. They only want me to come in if I can't keep fluids down and luckily I am AT LEAST doing that. Call me CrAzY but isn't a 34 week pregnant woman who has barley been able to eat a thing in 18 days and has lost 8 pounds a cause for CONCERN??? I am REALLY hoping that I can actually see the GI specialist tomorrow and get some answers (instead of just another "consultation"). If not I am marching me and my pregnant belly to the hospital and demanding that they run MORE tests!!!

*Sorry for my pity party, I am just so frustrated and I want to feel good again!!!*

Nesting...

2011-07-24T15:22:00.001-07:00

The nesting stage sure is in full swing for me! In five weeks or less this little babe of mine will be here. I can't believe it!!! I am technically not due for 6 more weeks, but since I have been induced with my other three, my Doctor went ahead and scheduled me to be induced with this baby as well.

I am beginning to feel some anxiety about being ready for this babies soon-to-be arrival! My to-do list is a MILE long!!! With being so sick and the kids out of school for the summer, my list is coming along very slowly. Hopefully this next week I can get some energy to really start cracking down on the things I NEED to get done.

With every other baby we have had their name picked out way in advance, but with this one we are still struggling to make a decision. We have narrowed it down to 3 names. I think we are going to have to see this little one to make our decision.

We are very excited for our new baby girl to get here, but nervous to be parents to FOUR CHILDREN!!! We are 99% sure that this is our last baby, so even with being uncomfortable in this last stage of pregnancy I am trying to enjoy the feeling of having a sweet baby growing and moving inside me. I love feeling the baby move, feeling close to her, and already falling in love with her even though I haven't met her yet. It is a beautiful blessing to have the ability to bear children. I am sad that this chapter of pregnancy and new babies is coming to a close in my life. As difficult as pregnancy can be, it is such an amazing gift to be a mother and have the privilege of having your child grow inside your body. I will in many ways miss this sacred stage of my life and will forever cherish my pregnancies with each of my precious children.

Thank You!

2011-07-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the chance to reply to all of the comments, emails, letters, etc... that I have received since my brothers passing. But I just wanted to let all of you know who have gone out of your way to let me know that you care how much it means to me and my family. I feel incredibly blessed to have such a huge support system of family, friends, and even people I don't know personally who are praying for my family. Your prayers have LITERALLY been felt and are holding us up in our time of need. I truly believe in the POWER of prayer and have never in my life had the privelege of truly "feeling" the prayers of others in my behalf. Many blessings have come despite this tragedy and our family is incredibly grateful for those tender mercy's

Sincerly,
Brittany Waterlyn-Jones

Be Happy!

2011-07-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

This last month has been so strange and so hard. I haven't felt like myself and just can't seem to get out of this "funk" I am in. I know that I have very good reasons to not exactly be super chipper, but truth this, this spot I am in is really starting to drive me crazy!!! I am the type of person who thrives on being productive and lately I just can't seem to muster up much energy to get a whole lot done. I finally got most of the upstairs tidied up today, thanks to my awesome neighbor keeping the kids for several hours. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the energy to tackle the basement, it really is beginning to look like a BOMB has gone off down there!

A few days after Court and I got back from our trip to Cabo I came down with some really WEIRD bug and I just can't seem to shake it. I wont go into details, but basically EVERYTHING I eat makes me extremely sick and this has been going on for two straight weeks now. I am loosing weight (not good when you are pregnant) and have been to the hospital twice for IV's and to monitor the baby. My Doctor has me working with a specialist to try to figure out what the problem is, but so far the hospital has run tons and tons of tests and they can't figure it out. My fingers are crossed that we can figure this out quick because I am going CrAzY!!!

Despite how difficult the last month has been, we have had some fun and are all working hard to stay positive. Our family has had some very spiritual and sacred experiences since my brother Jake's passing that have brought us so much peace. There are still MANY days that I burst out in tears, mostly in the quiet moments when my mind has the chance to think about him and try and wrap my head around the idea that he really is gone. At least every other day I find one of my children crying and when I ask them what is wrong, the answer is always that they miss their Uncle Jake.

Loosing my dear Grandmother this past November and then my baby brother has at times been a very heavy burden to bear. My grandmother lived a long happy life, her passing was shocking, and so sad, but I have felt content in knowing that it was her time. When your baby brother dies at just 20 years old, that same comfort of, "it was his time", just doesn't exist. When I focus on the feeling the spirit and leaning on Heavenly Father for answers, I do feel peace in Jake's passing. But the peace doesn't take away the pain, it only eases it. I know that as time passes the grief will not be so heavy, but life for my family will forever be changed and that is hard to come to grips with.

I REALLY am doing my best to focus on all things HAPPY! When I have moments of sadness in missing my brother, I try to think of fun memories with him and all of the positive he brought into my life. For future proof to myself that we really are focusing on happy things at our house, here is a list of fun things our family has done this past month...

*Cabo trip with my hot hubby
*4th of July fireworks with our neighbors
*Swimming with the kids
*Girls started tennis lessons
*Kids lemonaide stand
*Church playgroups
*Dinner with Gramie and Grandpa Jones for Courts b-day
*Date night out with friends for Courts b-day
*Renewing our Temple recommends
*Playing on the slip-n-slide in the backyard
*Swinging on the swingset
*Riding bikes and scooters with friends around and around the cul-de-sac
*Checking out books at the Library
*Ikea for lunch and the kids playland
*Started getting the nursery ready for our baby girl
*Lots of feeling the baby move in my tummy (kids sure love this)

***And I almost forgot, our 3 year old, J-man is finally potty trained! One day he just decided he was a big boy and he's been in big boy underware ever since (tender mercy from Heaven during this challenging time)

(My 7 month preggo belly)

ALL in ALL, we are trying our best to be positive and have a FUN SUMMER!

Our Missionary...

2011-07-06T09:53:00.001-07:00

*Please feel free to click on the "What I Believe" button on the side bar to learn more about our families Faith, what we Believe, and why we can find Peace and Happiness amidst this tragedy we are facing*

I read a blog today of one of our cute friends daughters from Kansas City. Her missionary just got home and her pictures and story were darling. I am so excited for her! Not too many couples make it through those 2 years apart. I cant wait to see what the future holds for them. It is such a cute love story!

In the last year whenever I have seen missionaries around town I have instantly thought, "Jake would be such a great missionary, I really hope he decides to go." A few months before Jake turned 19 he told our family that he had decided not to serve a mission. He was an incredibly talented skateboarder and had even gotten sponsored. At the time he felt like he wanted to stay home and pursue his skateboarding career. Over the past year it has been very clear that Jake regretted his decision to not go on a mission. I never in a million years thought that this would be the way that he would serve his mission, but I truly believe that he will be a missionary on the other side. I know that Jake has a testimony of the Gospel, that he loves the Lord, and that he will have the opportunity to serve and teach those who were not blessed with the knowledge of the gospel in this life.

I wish so badly that he was only going to be gone for two years. That seems so much more bearable. I can only imagine what an incredible day it will be when our entire family is re-united once again.

(My dad, Jake, and Devon before General Priesthood, sorry guys not the greatest pic :)

This is the song that was sung at Jake's funeral, it is a special version of "I am a Child of God" written for parents who have lost a child...

I am a child of God and He has called me home.
My earthly journey's through but still, I do not walk alone.
He leads me, guides me, walks beside me, helps me find the way.
He welcomed me with open arms. I live with Him today.

I am a child of God and I have gone ahead.
My earthly life was brief but oh, such peace and love you gave.
You loved me, held me, stood beside me and though I cannot stay.
You gave me much to help me and I live with Him today.

I am a child of God and I will wait for you.
Celestial glory shall be ours, if you can but endure.
I'll lead you, guide you, walk beside you.
Help you find the way.
I'll welcome you with open arms
One bright Celestial day.

Greif beyond words...

2011-07-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

I wasn't planning on posting today, but I got online to check a few things and found myself here. My heart is so heavy right now, I'm not even sure how to put into words what heartache and pain the loss of my little brother has caused. I have experienced some pretty huge trials in my life (most of them very private and personal), but nothing like this, nothing this difficult. I just want him back so badly, I want to tell him how much I love him, how much Court loves him, how much my kids love him. 20 years old is just too young to die!

June 19th, 2011 will forever be burned into my brain as the hardest day of my life. The day started out so great, it was Fathers Day, and for the first time ever we were getting to celebrate with both my husband and my dad. We were in Monteray California with my parents on a fun weekend get away. I had planned a surprise Fathers Day breakfast at Pebble Beach. Court has always dreamed of going there and since actually golfing there was 100% out of our budget, I thought it would be fun to go eat there and at least get to drive around and see what a beautiful place it was. We all enjoyed a great breakfast and then walked around the grounds. That place is truly breath taking. It was very quiet and peaceful there. We took a drive on the historic 17-mile drive. After we were done it was time to take Court to the airport, he was coming home to work and the kids and I were staying with my parents for another week.

We all headed out on the main highway, my parents were a few cars in front of us when suddenly we couldn't find them anymore. We looked over and they were pulled over on the side of the highway, but by the time we saw them it was too late for us to stop. As we drove past them I noticed my dad sitting up on the side of the hill, he was on his phone, and looked very upset. My first thought was that something was wrong with the car. We pulled over on the next exit and waited for them to call. We waited and waited but didn't hear anything. Frantically I started calling each of my parents cell phones, no answer. Then I called my little sisters phone and finally my mom picked up... I could hear them all screaming and crying, but I couldn't even tell what they were saying. After a few minutes I heard my mom scream, "Jake's dead". I started bawling and shaking, I was in complete shock, I was able to calm down enough for us to get back on the highway and get back to where my parents were. After about ten minutes of all of us hugging and crying, Court and I convinced my parents that we needed to get off the side of the highway and get everyone to somewhere safe. My parents were in no condition to drive and I knew that if I were in the car with them that I would fall apart, so Court drove my parents in their car, and I drove our car with our kids.

We pulled over in a hotel parking lot and my husband gave each of my parents a priesthood blessing of comfort. Then we all held hands (a tradition in my dad's family) and I gave a family prayer. A very sweet hotel worker had noticed us in the parking lot, he brought us a box of Kleenex and told us how sorry he was although he didn't know exactly what was going on. I know that the Lord was with us that day, the Spirit gave me strength to remain relatively calm in an unimaginable situation and gave my husband the ability to step up and direct us in what to do. I am so grateful for the power of the Priesthood, I am grateful for a husband who was worthy to use that power when it was needed so desperately. I am grateful for the power of prayer and that in our darkest hour we could turn to the Lord.

I immediately started making calls to my Aunts and Uncles in Utah to tell them what had happened. They all rushed over to be with my brother Ryan, who had been the first to find out the devastating news of Jake's sudden, unexpected death. My dads sister looked up to see the next available flight to Utah, booked my parents on it, and we drove them to the nearest airport. I can't even explain the gratitude that I have for my extended family, how they all stepped up and took care of us without a question or second thought. After Court and I got my parents situated at the airport we began the two hour drive back to my parents home with my younger siblings and our children. When we got back to their home we were met by my parents best friends and the Bishop of their ward. The Bishop spoke with us, gave us words of comfort, and then he and Court gave both my sister and I a blessing. After about an hour we packed up the cars and my dads twin brother meet us at the house to help drive everyone out to Utah.

I think I am to a point still in shock of all that transpired that day. It doesn't feel real and I wish so badly that it was all a horrible nightmare. I am so grateful that the Lord had things set in place so that Court and I could be with my parents that day and that Ryan could be in Utah with Jake. I will forever be grateful for my brother Ryan and all that he had to endure the day of Jake's death. He was there for Jake and he had the unimaginable job of having to call my parents and tell them the news.

Despite the heartache, questioning, and sadness that has come from this tragedy, I feel strengthened. I feel that my testimony has grown immensely in the past two weeks. My gratitude for the Gospel, The Plan of Salvation, The Priesthood, Family, and the Savior has been intensified ten fold. I feel that I now have a better understanding of Heavenly Fathers plan for each of us and know that if we live worthily then we can return to live with him again.

I KNOW Jake is in a better place, a place so beautiful and peaceful that our mortal minds can not comprehend it's beauty. I know Jake is surrounded by his loved one's that past on before him. He has people there to love him and care for him. I know that there was a purpose in Jake leaving this earth so quickly. I know that he has things he needs to do there and people that need him there. I know he will be an instrument in the Lord hands. I know these things because I can feel them, the Holy Ghost has confirmed them to me in my heart. My heart is still broken that he is gone, that our family is changed forever, but I feel peace in knowing we have a Guardian Angel looking down on us.

A Priceless Gift...

2011-07-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

(my brothers Jake and Devon, with Jake's best friend)

The night before my brother Jake's funeral both my brother Ryan and I recieved this beautiful email. I am amazed at some people's amazing gift with words. This letter is so priceless to us and has brought us so much peace...

The email was titled... {I Will Never Stop Praying}

I was going to write a letter and send it, but it seems that technology is a lot easier to get a hold of the people that I am trying to reach.

I met Jake Garrett Waterlyn over a month ago, when he moved in with Tyler Melvin (my boyfriend), when I met him I could not believe the spirit that he brought into a room. Jake would always fill the room with laughter and smiles, no matter where it was. We had a couple conversations about his life. He talked about the church, trek and all of his beliefs that followed. He talked about his beautiful mother who he admired deeply for the love that she gave him growing up; he talked about his dad being the biggest influence in his life. He talked about growing up with an amazing family that was very close because of God; he told me stories about his siblings that made me laugh until I cried. He talked about his family a lot; he told me that his brother Ryan was a very strong role model in his life. That even growing up, no matter how much they would fight, they were always close in a special way. He told me that his mother would do just about anything to make you smile and his father would always have the best advice. He was the happiest person, who hardly had anything bad to say. Every time that I was visiting Tyler, he would dance, sing and the funniest thing that he did was his impression of an old guy with a cane dancing to music. Jake was a perfect soul, who made a giant impression in my heart. He made me feel better every time I would see his beautiful smile. Jake talked about wanting a family just like his, he talked about going on a mission one day, and he talked about the love that he shared with the Lord. He would read his scriptures and pray almost every night before going to sleep. Jake is a beautiful, loving and warm soul that I will never forget. The night before his passing, Jake went to Schlotsky’s sandwich diner with me, Tyler and Tyler’s friend Colton. We ate delicious sandwiches and Jake talked about making videos of him skate boarding. Jake told me that one day he would be famous for his talents and that he would make sure to share the wealth with his friends and family.

Jake shared with me his absolute favorite poem...

Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you.”

I know that Jake is at peace with God. He is looking down on his family and friends, trying to help them understand. He was so young and so full of spirit and that spirit will go on through everyone that he touched in his life. There are no answers to why this happened, only the faith that it was his time to be with God. Please remember to be strong and to remember him for all of the good he did for people. I only knew him for about a month, but he will forever be in my heart. He will forever be remembered as the most beautiful soul that I have ever met. I am so sorry for your loss and I have not stopped praying and I will never stop praying for you...Amber

Smile...

2011-07-02T08:53:00.000-07:00
Court and I just got back late last night from being in California for my brothers funeral and from our trip to cabo. The last few weeks have been so strange, I feel like it's been months not weeks with all that has happened. When I get a chance I want to sit down and record my feelings over the past few weeks, but I know it wont be easy, so I am going to give myself sometime to keep processing things.

My little brother was a funny soul. He loved to laugh, smile, and goof off. My mom shared this funny story of him on his facebook memorial page and I thought I would share because it made me smile, I can't think of him and not smile! I MISS HIM SO MUCH ALREADY!!! I know he must be doing amazing things on the other side and that his laughter and charm are blessing those around him.

Here is what my mom shared...

Thought I would share today. I shared a funny story about Jake, Devon & Aubrey and friends, collecting frogs with Jake and making a frog pond on our side yard, and then frogs coming from everywhere, and they all were in our pool, never seen so many frogs. Jake worked with me at Gold's and I heard all the time how wonderful my son was and his award winning smile meant a lot to everyone there. We've never had frogs come in to the gym, since we opened in 2005, over the last couple of days, guess what has shown up? FROGS, hopping around. Jake's reminding us to LAUGH, have JOY and be GOOFY, attached is a GOOFY picture of him, what character..... Please share if you wish....WE LOVE YOU, JAKE LOVES you... The Waterlyn's
(Jake being his goofy self!)

***I have decided my kids need some pet frogs***

In Loving Memory...

2011-06-22T12:23:00.000-07:00
"At moments of crisis and challenge, some choose to abandon faith just at the time when it most needs to be embraced. Prayer is ignored at the very hour when it needs to be intensified. Virtue is carelessly tossed aside when it needs to be cherished. God is forsaken in the all-too-human yet mistaken fear that He has forsaken us.

"The truth is that our only safety, our only security, our only hope is to hold fast to that which is good. As the mists of darkness gather around us, we are only lost if we choose to let go of the iron rod, which is the word of God."
(November 2006 Ensign)

Jake Garrett Waterlyn: April 26th, 1991 ~ June 19, 2011

This past weekend our family suffered a most tragic loss. My baby brother Jake, who was just 20 years old unexpectedly died. He was taken from us quickly and we were given no time to say our final goodbye's. Our hearts have been breaking, we are in shock, and we are all still trying to search for understanding. At this extremely emotional and difficult time we are asking that our friends and family keep us in your prayers. There is nothing we need more then love and support. At times like these your faith can be tested, but I believe our faith has been strengthened. I absolutely know with not a doubt in my mind that we will be with my sweet brother again. I know that our family is Forever and that through the covenants my parents made in the Temple that our family is Eternal and death will only separate us physically for a time. We feel so loved for the outpouring of support and love that we have felt from so many. It is times like these that people's true characters come out and we are so blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives to lift us up in our time of need.

My husband and I were on vacation in Pebble Beach, California with my parents when we received the news. I know that the Lord knew that we needed to be there for them at that time. Seeing my parents receive this news and process this grief has been the most traumatic and devastating experience of my life. But at the same time this experience has been beautiful as we have literally felt the prayers in our behalf and as the spirit has overwhelmed our hearts.

I am trying to wrap my head around the events of the past few days and I just can't seem to. It is hard to understand why someone so young would be called home to our Heavenly Father. But I do know that the Lord has a purpose and he has a plan. His timing is not our timing. I believe Jake has a mission to full-fill on the other side and that he will be serving and teaching those that were not blessed with the knowledge of the Gospel in this life. I feel that Jake is at peace and I know he wants us to all feel that for him and for ourselves. I was able to go with my parents and brother Ryan to see Jake yesterday. I was very unsure if I wanted to go, but once I was there I could feel his spirit, I know he was there with us, and I know that he wanted to comfort us.

I am so grateful for my amazing family, for the family I was blessed to marry into, and especially for the incredible blessing of having the knowledge of the Gospel, of The Plan of Salvation, and of the ability to be with our families in this life and in the next through Eternal Marriage. I am truly blessed and I know that through the Lord our hearts will be healed until we can hold Jake in our arms again.

Swingset Before Photo...

2011-06-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting a swingset for the kids for awhile now. They REALLY need something to entertian them in the backyard :). We have looked all over town... costco, walmart, etc... We really didn't want to spend a ton since we KNOW we will be moving to a different house in the next year or two. We were seriously considering the Lifetime swingset and found it at costco for $450. WELL... just last week the brakes started to go out our van. Took the car in and found out that we also needed new front tires and needed some repair to our struts (whatever those are). $700 later the van is all fixed, but there went my swingset money! DANG CAR REPAIRS!!!

So I began searching the classifides and found an old heavy duty swing set for 10 BUCKS!!! Court and I went over to the peoples house to check it out, the swing set was sturdy but needed to be re-painted and needed new swings. We decided to go for it. Just getting the thing taken down ended up being quiet the project! Thanks to my strong hubby and some DW40 we were able to get 3 of the legs off, the 4th would NOT come off the frame. SOOOO Court decided to put all of the seats down in the van, put the frame of the swingset inside the car and have the 4th leg stick out the passenger window (straigt up). Now this swing set is NOT SMALL, it is at least 10 feet tall!!! I was kind of freaking out, I thought forsure he was going to get a ticket or that the giant metal leg would come untied and smash the front of our car. Well he took all of the back roads home, thankfully it was only a 10 min drive, and we got the swingset to our house safe and sound!

So far the kids LOVE it! We went to home depot to get new swings, chains, paint, etc... All together the swingset cost us $130, not to shabby for how sturdy it is :). Hopefully we can get this project done asap and then I can post some after pictures!

Yummy!

2011-06-13T16:50:00.000-07:00
Now that I am home I am really enjoying cooking "REAL" meals for my family again! I actually love to cook and would LOVE to get better at it!!! I am going to try at least one new recipe a week. I saw this recipe on the foodnetwork.com and it looked soooo yummy!

(*When I try this one I will probably leave out the onions to make it more kid friendly)

Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Finally!!!

2011-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:00
WAHOOOOOO, the day is finally here!!! MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! WOW it feels amazing (and a little weird) to be DONE (well at 5pm tonight)! I have to take my practical state boards on Tuesday the 7th and then I will officially be graduated. I studied my booty off for my written state boards and passed with a 98%. I am very excited to close this chapter of my life and move onto bigger things. I am thrilled that I get to be a stay-at-home mom again but also really look forward to the day (when my kids are older) that I can more seriously pursue my career. I TRULY love being a cosmetologist and I am so glad that I decided to finally go back to school and do something that I have wanted to do since I was a teenager. Someday I would like to go back to college and finish my degree, but for now I am very satisfied with accomplishing this. The last 2 years have been very challenging for our family and then adding me being in school hasn't made things easier, but we have all stuck it out together :).

The BEST part about being a cosmetologist is the clients. I absolutely LOVE when someone leaves and you can see how something as simple as a hair cut, color, or style totally lifted their spirits and boosted their confidence. I love being able to help people look beautiful and feel good about themselves!!! In my opinion I have the 2 best jobs, #1 Being a Mother, and #2 Being a hairdresser (who wouldn't want to get paid to play beauty shop:). I am very excited that several of my clients are going to continue to have me do their hair now that I am done with school, I would be so sad if I never got to see them again.

Can't wait for summer!

2011-05-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

I am sooooo excited that summer is right around the corner. There are just so many reasons to be excited... girls are out of school, I am DONE with school, the weather is going to be warmer (hopefully if it will ever stop raining), we are going to the Beach with my parents, Court and I are going on an ALONE (KID FREE) trip to Cabo, etc..., etc... I just love summer time and I especially LOVE summer in Utah, the weather here in the summer is perfect!

Last night Court and I brainstromed some fun things we can do here in Utah this summer. We will be taking our family trip to California and Court and I's trip to Cabo in June since that is the last month I can travel (really CAN NOT believe I am SIX months pregnant already!!!). So other then our 2 trips we will be home all summer. I am excited to be a stay-at-home mom again and get to take the kids on some fun summer adventures. Our neighborhood is just BURSTING with kids, which is so great because anytime they are board the can just walk right outside and find someone to play with :).

I am REALLY starting to LOVE where we live. I wasn't sure if I would EVER be able to say that because moving back to Utah was such a hard transition for me. We have an amazing, fun, friendly ward (church congregation) and I really believe for me that is what has turned my attitude around and helped me to grow to love it here. PLUS I really love the area that we moved to. We can WALK to 4 different parks, a spray park, the rec-center, the library, and the girls school. With all that we have to do right by our house my goal is to drive as little as possible this summer, we'll save money on gas and be healthier walking and riding our bikes!!

Our yard is pretty tiny, but I am hoping to find a fun little swing set and maybe a little playhouse for the kids to enjoy this summer. Since we have so many parks close by I think I am just going to look for one that has JUST swings. Hopefully I can find a good deal. We told the kids that we were going to start saving up for these and decided it would be a good learning experience to have them do extra chores around the house to help pay for them. So we'll see how this goes ;)

So close I can almost taste it...

2011-05-18T09:02:00.001-07:00

ONLY 70 hours to go until I graduate!!! WOW am I excited. I can't believe I only have about two weeks left of school. I am very happy with my decision to go back to school and do something that I LOVE. It sure hasn't been an easy road. Originally I started school in Kansas City (over 2 years ago), ended up having to move 5 months later, moved back to Utah, transfered to Taylor Andrews Academy, then in January we moved to Salt Lake County and I had to transfer yet again to a different TA campus. I would have loved to start and finish in one place, but I am just so grateful I was able to finish.

I have heard all the "beauty school" jokes, but let me tell you it sure isn't as easy as it sounds (2,000 hours is a LONGGGGG TIME)!!! I have worked my booty off and have recieved an excellent education. I have really loved attending Taylor Andrews and have LOVED the opportunities for business classes, hands on classes, guest speakers, and so on. I really feel like I have gotten a well-rounded education and have really gotten to know myself better in the process too.

WAHOOOO for only 2 more weeks! What will I do with all my free time ;)?

Parents of the YEAR...

2011-04-27T11:27:00.000-07:00
Things have been CrAzY as usual at the Jones home! Yesterday our 2nd oldest turned SIX years old (can't believe it still), we had a fun family party at Hollywood connection, rides, roller skating, and mini golf. We all had a blast but were VERY tired by the time we made it home at 10pm. This morning we all slept through our alarms and the girls were a hour late for school (whoops)! I convinced Court to take the morning off since I am on spring break from school and help me get some things done around the house. Well we were picking up the house, etc... when I looked at the clock and it was 11:30am, ummmmm, our kindergartner is suppose to be picked up at 11:10am!!! Yep, like I said, PARENTS-OF-THE-YEAR! Not only was she an hour late for school, we were 25 minutes late picking her up.

I REALLY need life to slow down! I am beginning to feel totally overwhelmed and exhausted!!! I have about 5 weeks left of school and desperately need to study for the written and practical state boards, BUT WHEN??? I hope that through prayer, scripture study, and attending the temple that the Lord can bless me with the energy and sanity to get everything done that I need to in the next few weeks.

I am WAY behind on my blogging over the last month, so hopefully this next week I can catch up. We have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY but life is great and we are having TONS of fun. Here is what we have been up to lately (pictures to come)...

*Court took the girls to a daddy daughter dance at the church, they got dressed up and had a blast with their daddy and their cute friends!

*I took little man on a mommy/son date to the mall. We rode the merry-go-round, choo-choo train, and got an ice cream. It was so much fun, he is such a little stud, and I loved having some one on one time with my little guy!

*We celebrated our Wedding Anniversary on the 5th of April! Still can't believe we have been together so long. We got the kids to bed and Court brought Olive Garden home for dinner. We thought we were going to have dinner alone but our little man took a nap that day and would NOT go to sleep, so he enjoyed a few bread sticks with us :). I have ALWAYS wanted to go to La Callie for dinner, so Court got a gift card there for our anniversary gift, but it has been soooo cold that we haven't gone yet. I want to wait until it is warm and we can enjoy the gardens!

*On the 14th of April I turned 28, man I am getting old ;). I had to go to school that day but was able to go get a pedicure on my lunch break. That night when I got home Court had taken the kids to get some cute little gifts for me and cupcakes. We went to a little fast food Teriyaki place for dinner and got the kiddos to bed!

*The Friday after my birthday we went to Cheesecake Factory with Courts parents and siblings to celebrate Courts mom's b-day, my b-day, and our daughters b-day. Courts sister and her kids were in town from Washington which made it extra fun. Sure love that place, it is so yummy!

*On the 21st of April was the Annual Taylor Andrews Hair Show. My girls were on Spring Break so they got to be "extras" in my groups segment. They had SOOOO much fun. It was lots of extra work for me having them there but I am so happy I got to bring them with me and spend time with them over their Spring Break. This is the second Hair Show that I have been apart of. It is SO much work but so fun to see it all come together. I was in charge of working with our dancers and choreography (so glad we had amazing dancers because that is so not my thing:). I also did a hair piece, it was lots of tedious work, but really fun to have it all come together on the model the day of the show!

*A week ago Wednesday, Court was in a car accident. The roads were wet and someone cut off the car in front of him. Everyone hit there brakes and tried to keep from hitting each other but there wasn't enough time for Court to stop and he slammed into the back of the SUV in front of him. Our little old Accord that we bought when we were first married is completely TOTALLED. Pretty sad considering we have had it so long. AND it really stinks because it is paid for and we quite enjoy not having a car payment. Courts dad is working in Africa for his company for the next month so luckily we are able to use there car until we can find a new one. LUCKILY Court (nor the other drivers) were hurt badly. The airbag hit Court pretty good in the head, but other then that he walked away with no injuries!

*This past Sunday we had a great Easter. The kids loved getting their Easter baskets and TONS of candy. We had dinner at Courts parents house and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins in town from Washington!

{So yes our life is NUTS right now and I REALLY need things to slow down! I feel like I can't get ANYTHING done around the house and being pregnant I have NO ENERGY!!! As much as I want things to slow down, I need these next 5 weeks to FLY by so that we can enjoy a nice, calm summer!}

I love General Conference!

2011-04-04T11:53:00.000-07:00
(LDS conference center)

This past weekend was great getting to listen to General Conference. (Our Church has a World Wide General Conference twice a year in April and October where our Church leaders speak to us on various religious topics.) I always LOVE general conference and especially LOVE reading the talks the following month in the Ensign.

Saturday I took the day off of school (first Saturday off since January, WAHOOO). Courts mom made cinnamon muffins for breakfast (a yummy family recipe) and we watched conference. The kids watched a little bit but mostly played, it was beautiful outside and they even wore shorts for the first time this year. In between the 1st and 2nd session I cut Court and his dad's hair (I guess it wasn't an official day off). Normally Court goes with his dad and brother to The General Priesthood meeting, but since we needed to get the kids home and feed he just went to our stake center instead.

Sunday we woke up to AT LEAST 3 or 4 inches of snow. CRAZY considering the day before was so beautiful outside. We stayed home to watch conference. It was so nice to not have to get everyone ready for Church and just enjoy a day at home. Our house was pretty messy from a VERY crazy week. We didn't do any deep cleaning but we did HAVE to do some tidying up (it was just to cluttered for me to handle, I like things TIDY)! My brother Ryan came over and after conference we all had dinner together. We had roast, potato's, carrots, and corn bread. It was YUMMY!

I really loved President Monson's talk on Temples. Sadly with our busy schedules we have been slackers at going to the Temple lately. His talk made me just crave going to the Temple. I miss being there and I miss the spirit that I feel there. I know we HAVE to find a way to fit it in at least once a month. We are so lucky to live just 5minutes from a Temple. I need to stop taking that for granted!!

It was a great conference weekend and I look forward to re-watching some of it and reading the talks!

Jones Baby #4 is a...

2011-04-02T08:05:00.000-07:00
GIRL!!! I can hardly believe it! Not that I had a feeling either way. I guess just logically I had it in my head that we have two girls and one boy, so time to have another boy. We are VERY excited though and can't wait to meet our new baby girl. All of the kids thought it was a boy so they are a little surprised as well. My 5 year old kept telling me that she thought it was a boy but that she wanted a girl, SO she is very excited to say the least!!! I am pretty positive that this baby will be our last. I can't say that I am 100% sure yet, but I am starting to feel that "I'm done" feeling. I feel overwhelmed with three, so I'm pretty sure I will be maxed out at four! I just want to be able to give them all of the time, attention, and opportunities that the deserve in this life. (I have some cool 3-D ultrasound pictures so I will have to scan them and get them on my blog)

I really want to do a pink & brown nursery! I have been thinking of nursery ideas in my head for awhile now:). I stil have my girl bedding (thank goodness) it is a sage green toile pattern, so luckily with it being pretty neutral it will go with just about anything! Here are a few cute one's I have found...

{After the ultrasound yesterday we went to the Zoo like I had planned. It was sunny and beautiful outside. We finally got up into the 70's yesterday. It felt good to wear short sleeves, sandals, and soak up the sun! The kids had a great time and didn't want to leave. We had my 18 month old niece with us and she loved her view from the stroller, she was just happy and content the whole time!! After the Zoo we stopped by my Grandpa's house to check in on him. He didn't have any dinner plans so he came with us to Red Robbin. We called my Uncle and Cousin and they joined us too. I SURE love my extended family, we all LOVE spending time together!}

Quotes of the week...

2011-04-01T10:52:00.001-07:00
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us". Helen Keller

Fun, Fun, Fun

2011-04-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my girls had moms and muffins at their school. It was so fun to get to go have a quick little special time with them. There were SOOOO many moms there it was crazy, there was NO WHERE to park and we had to drive a ways up the street from the school to find a spot. We ended up running all the way to the school. PHEW... running is not easy when you are 18 weeks pregnant and out of shape!

On Monday night we grabbed pizza for FHE and helped clean our Church building. The Bishop and his family were there and another family from the ward. I guess it was a "light" cleaning day so we got off pretty easy. The girls emptied all the trashes and we cleaned all of the windows in the church. The kids were excited to help which made me happy!

This Wednesday my oldest daughter had a fun mother daughter party for Activity Days at our Church. It was so much fun to get to go alone with her. The girls and their moms got to make dresses for the girls out of garbage bags, crate paper, stickers, fabric flowers, etc... After everyone was done the girls put on a little fashion show for us. It was so cute! I loved how creative some of the dresses were. We finished off the night with a mom and daughter "Tea Party" (aka- water and goodies). It was really fun and I loved spending time with my beautiful, sweet girl!

TODAY is the BIG day we find out if our baby is a girl or a boy! Man I am excited to know. I like to prepare for the baby ahead of time and have the nursery all ready for them when they come home! If the baby is a boy we are pretty much set since our little man is just 3 and I still have ALL of his baby stuff. If it's a girl we are pretty much going to need to start over since I gave away most of their baby stuff awhile ago. Either way we will be excited!!!

Last night I told the girls that we were going to take them for a special surprise after the ultrasound. They were begging me to tell them what it is. I told them that it was a surprise and they would just have to wait! So the girls decided to try and guess what we are doing. Well my 8 year old guessed that we are going to Lagoon (our local amusement park) and my 5 year old guessed that we are going to Disney Land. WOW!!! Do they dream big or what??? We are REALLY going to the Hoogle Zoo, sure hope they aren't way disappointed!

I Want Spring...Now!

2011-03-28T11:56:00.001-07:00

Oh man I am craving spring sooooo bad. I can't wait for sunny days, warm weather, and flowers! I sure wish Winters in Utah weren't so DANG long. I was at home depot today with my 2 little one's and we browsed the flower section. I hate to buy anything yet with this cold weather. Actually as we were going out to our car it started SNOWING, so I am really glad I didn't give in and buy anything! Come on mother nature it's almost April!!!

Last week for FHE we did some major spring cleaning in the basement. We organized the playroom/rec-room, the kids rooms, and the kids closets. The girls were not overly thrilled with my plan for family night, but it HAD to be done. It has been so nice the past week to have it so organized down there. I feel like it makes it SOOOO much easier to stay on top of the daily clean up when everything is organized.

Today I am painting our kitchen chairs, WAHOO! I hope that I can finally get this project completed. I painted our table as well but I've decided to sell it in our next garage sale. It only seats 6, so with 5 of us it's hard to have anyone over. I found a great table at Ikea that seats up to 10 and is an affordable price, so HOPEFULLY I will be able to get it in the next few weeks (come on tax return, where are you:). Since chairs are SO expensive I am going to keep the 6 we have and then get 2 upholstered chairs to go on each end of the table. I found some red leather one's that I really like at Pier 1, now I just have to get Court to like them too! If I can't get him to agree on those then I might go with a rattan chairs? We'll see, any suggestions?

Daddy Daughter Date

2011-03-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last night Court took our 8 year old daughter to the Jazz game for a special daddy daughter date! She sure had a blast and loved getting to go with her dad all by herself!!! I guess she didn't stop taking or asking questions the entire game. The guy sitting next to them was getting quite a kick out of her (at least he wasn't bugged). I love that my hubby does special things with each one of our children. I know that they will cherish these memories in the future as will he.

I stayed home with the little one's, watched movies, and painted my 5 years old's toes and finger nails. We were waiting for little man to fall asleep so that we could have some one on one girl time but since he got a nap yesterday he was NOT tired AT ALL. Dang those naps, he still needs them so bad, but then he WON'T go to sleep at night. Her and I will have to go on a special date of our own!

I am just about 18 weeks pregnant now. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. It helps that I am so busy with school that it keeps my mind off of it. I am still pretty nauseous and still have to take my medication every night to control the nausea. It is so weird that I have been so sick this time, I was NEVER sick with the girls and only got a little sick for about 6 weeks with my little man. My heart burn as kicked into full swing, man that stuff is not fun! I pretty much get it every night right before bed. Thank goodness for MAALOX. This coming Friday we go in for my ultra sound, we are very excited to see if baby #4 is a boy or a girl!!!

Gonzaga... "You got Jimmered"

2011-03-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

WaHOOO, BYU is on a winning streak and my hubby could not be happier! I usually dislike March Madness time, but I have to admit it is much more fun when your team is winning!!! I hope the streak continues so that I can keep my happy husband and because it would be AWESOME to see the Cougs go far this year! I am a little scared for if/when they loose, it will be a SAD day around our house. My hubby has done a very good job in turning all three of our kids into die hard BYU fans and they would be almost as disappointed as their daddy to see their team out of the tournament.

Keep up the good work BYU, the Jones family sure is routin' for ya!

Saw a great Jimmer Fredette sign on a car today, it said... "Fredette About It", I thought that was a funny one!

With this being my 1st BYU post I couldn't resist busting out a few great old pictures of my hubby! I sure like to give him a hard time about his BYU "cheering" days! Hehehe, he is so manly that sometimes I just giggle thinking about him being a cheerleader. To his defense though and he proudly admits it, he did it for the scholarship money and to hang out with all the CUTE GIRLS! What college age kid wouldn't want to spend time with all the cheerleaders and get to see all the games from the field or court?

(He's on the top row, 4th in from the right side)

(Bottom row, 3rd in from the right side)

I LOVE YOU BABE, you were one HOT Yell Leader!!!

1st Photo Shoot...

2011-03-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I stayed EXTRA late at school to do hair for a photoshoot. Being there from 8:30am to 9:30pm made for a loooong day, but it sure was fun! I loved seeing how the entire shoot came together from the photographers set up, to the make-up artists, to the hairstylists (me:). I would love to get into editorial work someday. I am not 100% happy with how the hair turned out for my model (I didn't really have the option to do whatever I wanted, it was the Make-up artists shoot so I had to go with what she wanted), but it was a great learning experience. Looking forward hopefully doing MANY more in the future!

*Hopefully I will get a few copies of the pictures so that I can post one or two :)

Food for Thought

2011-03-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

I love this one from Dr. Suess...

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
— Dr. Seuss

I am dying to do a Dr. Suess themed playroom for my kids! Wouldn't that be so much fun!!! I want it to be colorful, fun, and FILLED with books. Hopefully I will get around to it someday. But first I need to re-paint/decorate the kitchen and family room, paint the kids rooms and hang up all of their decorations, and get the nursery ready. Not to mention graduate from school, finish unpacking the house, AND get the house organized. Well I guess the play room will just have to wait ;).

These are all pictures of Dr. Suess themed bedrooms, but I think it would be such a fun theme for a pLaY rOoM!

Soooooo Excited!

2011-03-15T17:41:00.000-07:00
This might sound really silly, but ever since we moved from Kansas City I have been searching for a store in Utah that carries a line of children's furniture called Young America by Stanley. When we moved we sold my oldest daughters bedroom furniture so that we could buy her a set that matched her little sisters (so they could share a room). WELL, much to my disappointment all of the stores that carry this line in Utah are CrAzY expensive. They were all charging at least $300 more then what I paid for the EXACT SAME BED. Yesterday I called a store called Oopsie Daisy in South Jordan to see what they charged, it is a boutique type store, so I really didn't have my hopes up. MUCH to my surprise they carry the exact bed I am looking for AND they are the same price as what I originally paid.

I am so excited for them to FINALLY have matching beds!!! I was literally trying to scheme up a way to make a trip out to Kansas City to visit friends and buy a second bed. Now I would REALLY love to go visit all of my KC friends, but at least when I do I won't have to find a way to bring a whole bed back with me.

Can't WAIT to order the 2nd bed!!! This furniture line is extremely durable (but a little on the pricey side) and I have loved my younger daughters set. I plan on keeping this set for A VERY LONG TIME, I am hoping they can become heirloom pieces that even my grandchildren can sleep on someday!

Now if only their room could be this HUGE too ;)

We LOVE family home evenings!

2011-03-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for FHE we took the kids to the dollar movie to see Tangled. We had actually seen it already over Christmas but we thought it was so good we saw it again! Monday nights are .75 cent night at the discount theater across town, so for all 5 of us it was only $3.75, SCORE!!!

After the movie we headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was YUMMY!!! Their rolls and honey butter are sooooo good! Lucky for us our kids aren't big eaters so we get away with ordering 2 adult meals and all of us splitting it (I wonder how long we can make that last).

The kids were really good and it was a very fun family night. The kids did get to bed later than usual but OH WELL!!! The girls were great sports about getting their homework done in the car which made me happy.

Yesterday morning I had a doctors appointment. Because I have been so sick I still haven't gained any weight, at least there is one perk to being sick! Little man came with me to the appointment. I still can't believe he isn't going to be my baby anymore!!! It took the Doctor much longer than usual to find the heart beat which was starting to freak me out, so so so glad she eventually found it! Even my little man was so excited when we finally heard it, not that he really had any idea WHAT he was hearing. I am about 16 weeks now and I will have my ultrasound on April 1st to find out what we are having, I CAN'T WAIT. Court thinks it is a girl, the kids think it is a boy, and I'm really not sure. It will be exciting either way.

Quotes of the week...

2011-03-14T12:34:00.001-07:00
I am not really doing so great at changing my header quotes every week, or even every month. But I do want to record the one's I have had up there because they remind me of the attitude I am striving to have and the kind of person I want to be!

So here is the one I just took down...

"Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow." ~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

Phew...

2011-03-14T11:41:00.000-07:00
Holy smokes the weeks just seem to be FLYING by lately!!! I feel like I blink and another week has come and gone.

We had another eventful week in the life of the Jones family...

* The girls had parent teacher conferences this week. I was a little nervous about how these would go since they are still pretty new and we are all adjusting to the new school. I was so happy to hear that BOTH my girls are doing great in school, behaving wonderfully, and transitioning well to the new school. MUSIC to a mothers ears!!! I really love the girls new school and I have been very happy with their teachers.
*I started my State Board review class on Wednesday night. I have to go every Wednesday night for the next 6 weeks, which TOTALLY stinks. BUT this means I am that much closer to graduating!!! I will take my written and practical state boards mid-April, wahooooo! I have never been so excited to take tests in my entire life :).

*Between me having to go to class Wednesday night and my hubby having all of the kiddos and needing to get our 8 year old to Activity Days (fun program our church has for girls 8-12 years old) I was so incredibly grateful to the Relief Society in my ward for arranging dinner for us that night. They had no idea how crazy that day was going to be for us, but they did know how busy our family is right now and how I have been VERY sick with this pregnancy and just wanted to help out. I am so grateful to belong to a Church that has people who will look out for you and will do sweet acts of kindness like this for you when your life is just NUTS!

*Thursday this kids were out of school early and our babysitter happened to be out of town. So Court stayed home the first half of the day and I did a half day at school so that I could be home with the kids the rest of the day. It was really warm outside so we got the bikes and scooters out and the kids had a blast!!! I sure love living in a cul-de-sac and having our side street be a dead end. The kids have so much room to ride around without me having to worry about any cars! While the kids played I worked on painting our kitchen chairs. Our table is SO UGLY, so I have been painting the table and chairs, but it has become a bit of a drawn out process considering I don't have much time to work on it. Court had to work late so the kids and I grabbed KFC and headed to the park for dinner. KFC isn't exactly the healthiest meal, not to mention pricey for fast food, so I don't think we will be doing that again. The wind REALLY picked up once we got to the park which made for a chilly picnic, but the kids still had fun and loved playing after we ate. I sure loved being home most of the day with the kiddos, I LOVE being a mom, and REALLY miss being home full time!!!

*Yesterday I woke up to my hubby bringing me breakfast in bed! WOW I am a lucky girl!!! He is QUITE the guy! Not to mention he had feed all of the kids and we were babysitting my neice Madison over night, so he had 4 kids to take care of. He made yummy waffels:). After church we went to Courts parents house for dinner. It is always great to eat a nice meal without having to go to all the work :). Courts parents will be moving to Logan in a few months, so we are trying to squeeze in as much grandma and grandpa time as we can before they move.
{Courts cute parents with ALL of the Jones grandchildren}

~Brittany

Just another ***Manic*** Monday...

2011-03-07T08:15:00.001-08:00
WOW, it's Monday again already! Seems like the weeks are just flying by lately. Which in someways is good because that means the end of May should be here in no time and I will be DONE with school!!!

I wanted to take a few minutes to jot down a few highlights of last week before I forget...

The girls started a group piano class and LOVED it! I am really hoping that taking a fun class like this will make it so that piano lessons are enjoyable for them and that it will be something they WANT to do. After piano Court took our 5 year old to the Jazz game. It was a pretty late game, but since the girls didn't have school on Friday we figured it was ok. She LOVED going on a one on one date with her daddy. She especially loved watching the Jazz Dancers! She asked my husband why so many of the basketball players had stamps(tattoos) on them, hahaha, I thought that "stamps" was a great way to put it.

Friday I had school like usual. I decided to go pick up my Grandma (my moms mom) from her care center and bring her back the salon for some pampering. When I got there she was eating lunch. I told her my idea for her to come back to school with me and asked her what she thought about it. She was sooooo funny. She was in the middle of eating lunch, set her fork down on the table, hit the green light on her Jazzy wheel chair and said... "well what are you waiting for, let's get outta here". HAHAHAHA!!! She is so darn funny. She had me laughing the whole afternoon! First we couldn't find her portable wheel chair so she wanted to just "borrow" some one's from the hall. Then we are looking for her glasses and she was missing one lens. I asked her what her friends name's were that she was eating lunch with and she told me, "I don't bother with names, I just say, hey YOU". Oh man she is a crack up, I guess at her age what does it really matter anymore anyway :). She really enjoyed getting her hair washed and styled and loved her manicure. She bopped her head to the music the whole time she was at the salon and told me many times what a great beat it was. This is something I will definitely will be doing again, SHE made my whole day with her upbeat, cute attitude! It definitely was a challenge with her being in a wheel chair, but well worth it!!! She told me that when someone comes to get her and they say GO, she goes! I am so grateful to have my grandmother in my life and to have had a close relationship with her. My grandmother converted to the GOSPEL (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) after she married my grandfather. I am so grateful to her for this and forever changing our family. It is because of her choice that I have the knowledge I have today and the incredible blessing of being a member of the Church!

Friday night Court and I got to go out on a date, WAHOOOO!!! That doesn't happen very often lately. We went to Temppanyaki Japanese Steak House for dinner, it was SOOOOO yummy! One of my favorite restaurants for sure. After dinner we hit up Walmart for a few treats to sneak in my purse for our movie :). We saw the movie "Unknown", I thought it was really good and had some unexpected twists to it! I love getting to go out with my hubby, after 9 years of marriage, "he's STILL the ONE".

By the time I made it home from school on Saturday night neither Court or I felt like cooking so he ran and got us some pizza. We got the kids bathed for Sunday and to bed early!!! Then we sat down to watch a show together and I PASSED out! Poor Court, I do this to him all the time lately. Between school, the kids, and the anti-nausea medication I am on, I just can't really stay up late anymore.

Yesterday (Sunday) we had Courts parents over after Church for dinner. The KIDS adore their grandparents!!! After dinner we played spoons and basketball on our new arcade basketball hoops that Court bought (don't send men to Costco alone, they come back with some BIG items sometimes:).

So there it is, life is busy, crazy, but VERY FUN at our house!

~Brittany

This kid cracks me up!

2011-03-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

My little man who recently turned 3 is quite the hoot. He has the best personality and is so much fun! He makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

Yesterday was Monday, so I didn't have school (my new favorite day of the week). It was time to pick up my 5 year old from Kindergarten and I had just gotten the little man ready (hair done, shoes on, etc...). I told him, "ok hurry up it's time to pick up your sister". As he walked down the hall he stopped to notice the big mirror I had on the floor resting against the wall. He walked past the mirror, stopped, backed up and then checked himself out in the mirror. I was laughing pretty hard at this point, THEN I hear him say to himself, "well hi there, aren't you handsome". HAHAHAHA... he is such a crack up!

Tonight for dinner we had Cafe' Rio Pork Salad. I put half lettuce and half spinach greens in the salad. Even with the pork and all of the toppings mixed on the salad my little man still figured out real quick that it wasn't just lettuce. Every time he would find a piece of spinach he would pull out, set it on the table, and say, "ewww, yuck, we don't eat leaf's"! It was pretty funny. I decided it wasn't worth it to force him to eat it, he is 3 after all and WILL eat salad :).

***On a side note, for my journaling...
Yesterday for FHE we a nice family dinner. It was great to have us all home to eat together since that doesn't happen too often lately. Court has been working LOTS of nights to make up for the days he stays home with the kids while I am at school. After dinner Court read to us from the Book of Mormon and told the kids the story of Lehi and his family having to flee Jerusalem and leave behind all of their things. The girls couldn't believe that they had to leave behind almost ALL of their belongings. We finished up the night by taking the kids to the Library, we sure love living 2 minutes away!! The girls each picked out ten books so they can read them for their nightly reading homework. My 5 year old picked out every Fancy Nancy book she could find. My 8 year old LOVES to read the Junie B. Jones series. And as for the little man, he picked out all superhero books, he is 100% BOY!!!

I sure do love my family! And I love having Family Home Evening (FHE) even if my kids are bouncing off the walls!!! Can't wait to see what life is like once Jones baby #4 gets here. People keep telling me, "oh once you have 3, 4 is nothing". Now I obviously have never had 4 kids so I don't actually KNOW, but honestly I don't buy it! I think every child adds new challenges to a family. But even though I'm sure it's just going to get more crazy around here, I sure am EXCITED!

LOVE Sunday's

2011-02-28T14:26:00.000-08:00
I LOVE Sunday's. I love being together as a family, going to Church together, and having a big Sunday dinner! Yesterday after Church we headed down to Provo to have dinner with Court's parents, his brother & his wife, and Grandma Great Jones. The kids were SOOOO excited to see their Grandpa. He had been in Africa for two months on business. He definitely spoiled them with all kinds of neat gifts from Africa and Turkey (he spent a few days there as well).

We had flank steak, yummy cheesy potatoes, salad, and green beans. My girls and I made Apple Cobbler, so we had that with ice cream for desert. The kids were very sad when we had to leave! We can't stay as late on Sunday's now that we live 40 minutes away instead of 10.

The past month or so has been absolutely CRAZY! I am bummed that I haven't stayed on top of my goal to blog more. Between the move to Salt lake, me switching to 40 hours a week at school, being pregnant, and everything else that comes along with raising a family, I have felt pretty overwhelmed! BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel and the count down is on, 14 weeks until I graduate. Can I get a hallelujah!

The Hardest Thing I Have Ever Done...

2011-01-19T08:55:00.001-08:00

When my grandmother passed away I was asked to do her hair and make-up for the funeral. I really had to give this some thought. I in no way want to sound disrespectful of my grandmother, but I have always been extremely afraid of dead bodies. I knew that this was something that I was going to be very uncomfortable with and took about 4 days to decided if I could do it or not. In those 4 days I prayed and prayed that the Lord would give me the courage and strength to do this for my sweet grandma. The night before the viewing I told my parents that I had decided that I would do it, but at this point honestly I really didn't want to and wasn't sure if I could actually follow through on my commitment.

The morning of the viewing came, I got in my car and just began to sob, I cried harder then I think I have in a very long time. I cried the entire hour drive to the mortuary in Salt Lake. I was overcome with fear and with heartache over the extremely sudden, unexpected loss of my grandmother (she was so young at heart she always felt more like my friend then my grandma). As I was driving I could feel the spirit so strong, I knew everything was going to be ok, I knew that somehow I would get through it.

I got to the mortuary and they took my mom and I in to see my grandma. We started out by dressing my grandmother in her Temple clothing (inside our Temples we wear special white clothing...to learn more please go to www.mormon.org also you can scroll to the bottom of my blog to learn more about our Temples). As soon as we had her dressed in her temple clothes all the fear I originally had was gone and I could feel my grandmothers spirit right there with us. I literally KNOW she was there, it felt as if she was standing right next to me. As I was doing her hair I could hear her voice clear as day in my mind saying, "Brittany dear, I am so tickled that you would do this for your grandma." And I know it was her putting those thoughts in my mind because that is exactly how she spoke. Throughout the time of us being there I continued to hear her words of encouragement in my mind.

This was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had. It was an incredible experience to know that even though my grandmothers earthly body has left this earth she is still very much alive. Her spirit lives on, she is not gone, and I will see her again. I felt Heaven and Earth meet that day. What I once thought was going to be one of the scariest experiences of my life ended up being one of the greatest (and hardest) things I have ever done. It felt so good to serve my grandmother, she was always serving everyone around her and I am grateful to have had the privilege of doing this for her. Instead of being consumed with fear like I expected to be, all I could feel was love and gratitude for my darling grandmother.

I knew that loosing my grandma was going to be extremely difficult for me. I love and adore all of my grandparents. I was very sad when my moms dad passed away, but it is a little easier for those left behind when they have been ill and there passing can be a blessing. I never expected to loose this grandma so quickly, she was my youngest and healthiest grandparent. I was especially close to her and feel like I have lost one of my dearest friends. My little 3 year old keeps saying to me... "Mommy papa Ron (my dad), his mommy died, I'm so sad, are you going to cry mommy"? He is such a sweet little boy! My kids have noticed how hard this has been for me. As time goes on it has gotten a little easier, but there are still days that I just can't believe she is really gone and I can't hold back the tears!

I am grateful for the experiences that I have had with my sweet grandpa after my grandmothers passing. My grandpa has never been much of an emotional man, but I have seen sides of him in the past 2 months that I didn't know existed and I am very grateful that I have had the chance to grow closer to him.

Parental Unsolved Mysteries...

2011-01-15T21:18:00.000-08:00
Life is NEVER boring at our house, here is what my hubby posted on Facebook tonight!

Unsolved Mysteries... remember the show? I have one...Went to clean the sink after the kids brushed their teeth and found a yellow looking rock substance.Yes it was a little piece of poo in the sink!. I Asked my 8 year old and got " i thought it was a smashed tootsie roll or something but don't know how it got there." My 3 year old is still in diapers(he had clearly had his on for a while) plus he had an alibi. My 5 year old when asked said " I don't remember!!" and was wearing one of my 3 year old's pull-ups? When asked again and again she boldly stuck with her temporary amnesia story. I guess we will never know how the mystery poo got there!?

***HAHAHAHA, this little incident had me laughing for quite awhile!

A Day I Won't Forget...

2011-01-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

-Downtown Kansas City, Missouri where we lived for 5 years-

Today I was thinking back on a day I will never forget. Unfortunately this was not a happy day in the history of the Jones family...

February 2009, it was just a normal day, my oldest was at school and I was home with the two little ones. I heard the garage door open and thought, that's weird! Then my husband walked through the door. I can remember vividly coming part way down the stairs and seeing his face. I don't know how I knew what had happened but I guess his face just said it all, he had lost his job. This came as quite the shock since he had only been with the company about 5 months. This was far from a dream job, but none the less it was a job we were grateful to have. Previous to him getting this job he had sold Alarms for APX for 7 summers, so when this job came along we were thrilled to be moving on to a new phase of life. Not having an income and having 3 kids to care for was one of the scariest things I have been faced with. With this news we had lots of BIG, hard decisions to make. We immediately put our home up for sale. Luckily we were able to get an offer on our home quickly, but at quite a loss to us. We decided that we would go sell Alarms for another summer and then move back to Utah to be near family and look for a new job.

It has almost been 2 years since this trail hit our family. We have been faced with several VERY difficult trials in our marriage but we always seem to make it through them stronger and better because of them. I know that the Lord sends us trails so that we have the opportunity to grow and learn. I truly am grateful for my trials because I really believe that they make up who I am. I think that the good in life is so much more meaningful when you have had a taste of some of the not so good things too. I still miss Kansas City, our friends, ward (church), and at times our home. Although I feel like I have learned so much in the last two years and now have a better understanding of how the Lord works. His plan is not always the same as our plan (in our case his plan in usually much different) but I have really developed more Faith in knowing that no matter what I can follow his plan for me and I WILL be happy!

I NEVER in a million years imagined that I would live in Kansas City, Missouri of all places. I know that the Lord lead us there because of the experiences we would have and the friends we would meet. It was there that I gave birth to 2 of our 3 children, and it will always be a special place to me. The years we spent there my testimony of the Gospel grew immensely through the wonderful missionary opportunities. It was through living there as well that my testimony of the importance of Temple attendance really developed. I can't believe I am saying it now, but I miss those 3 hour car rides one way to attend the temple. Going to the temple took on a new more significant meaning to me when I had to go to so much effort to get there.

After all of our wonderful experiences living in Kansas City I also never in a million years imagined that we would ever end up back in Utah. But like I said the Lords plan and what I think should happen don't always seem to coincide (and I'm ok with that). After coming back to Utah my husband was able to find a great job in just a few days, I know that this was an amazing blessing from the Lord and showed me just how much he loves us and is mindful of us. The Lord has placed some amazing people in our lives to help us through our difficult times and I am always in awe of how things just always seem to work out even when it doesn't feel like they will!

Bad blogger!

2011-01-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

We had family pictures taken with Courts fam over Christmas, if you are looking for a photographer my friend Jodi is VERY talented www.memoriesbyjodi.blogspot.com

It has definitely been AWHILE! Life for our little family has been extremely chaotic lately and I just can't seem to find time to blog (among many other things I don't have time for right now). I have a cute friend that blogs just about everyday, sometimes it is just a line or two or something funny one of her kids said. Her blog has really got me thinking about my own life and how I am not "Stopping to smell the roses". I don't want to forget the "little things" that make up my families life and I don't want to forget the funny things my kids say and do. So my new years resolution is to blog at least twice each week, even if it is just a few sentences about what happened that day. I know that I will cherish these memories forever.(My other goal is to catch up on my blog books, I have only finished one year so far and had it printed BUT I love it)

On Sunday I was sitting in Relief Society (which I have not been to in FOREVER since I have been in Primary for years). The lesson was about keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, the teacher had given us a piece of paper that we could jot down any thoughts or impressions we had during the lesson. We were discussing how hard it is to come to church with young children and how many times you are in the hall with them, etc... Some of the young(er) moms were mentioning how with a baby or toddler there are times that you begin to wonder, "why am I doing this". Since it has been quite awhile since we have had a baby, church has definitely gotten easier in the since that all of our kids are in Primary now (J. my 3 year old just started Sunbeams). But there are still so many Sundays that my kids are being naughty and I think to myself that it is too hard. As I was listening to the other comments in the class I was completely cover come with the spirit and I had suddenly remembered an event that had happened earlier in the week...

I was in the car going somewhere with the kids and from the seat behind me I could hear my little man singing a primary song. At first I couldn't quite figure out what he was singing but as I payed closer attention I realized he was singing "I Know That My Savior Loves Me". My girls LOVE this song and sing it all the time so I have no doubt that he's learned it from them. As he was singing in his darling little voice the only 2 lines he could really remember were, "I know he lives" and "I know my Savior loves me". Thinking back on this moment was a great testimony builder to me of how important it is to teach our children the gospel and to teach them about the Savior. I am so grateful to my parents for taking me to church each week, even when I am sure at times with 5 young kids it wasn't easy, but it was definitely worth it! I know that if I will have the faith to teach my children and take them to church each week even when it seems really hard to do so that our family will be blessed!

Quote of the week...

2010-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00
"Negative people will rain on your parade because they have no parade of their own." -Charles Marcus (motivational speaker)

Stress is not good!

2010-11-22T09:20:00.001-08:00
I have been extremely stressed lately and it is seriously NOT good! We have a lot on our plate right now and I am really struggling to keep balance with everything. I CANNOT wait to be done with school. I absolutely love that I have the opportunity to be back in school and especially that I can be doing something I love, BUT I miss my family soooooo much!! Cosmetology school is all based on a hour system and you need 2000 hours to graduate (in Utah), that is A TON of hours to be away from my family! I have 1,250 hours... and 750 to go. Right now 750 hours seems like a crazy amount, but I just have to keep reminding myself that I have made it this far and I HAVE to keep going. I know that Heavenly Father supports me in my decision to go back to school, I know my husband supports me, and I know that once I am done I will be so grateful that I did this for myself and my family!!

I find myself day dreaming lately about how wonderful it will be once I graduate and get to go back to regular life. I can hardly wait to go back to being home full-time with my children. Through going back to school I have really come to realize what a blessing it is to stay home with my children and what a privilege it is to be a mother.

Last night Court and I made Sunday dinner together, read scriptures with kids, and played a "Word of Wisdom" game for FHE (we have to do it on Sunday's with my schedule). The kids were being difficult and a little naughty and I was becoming very frustrated. It dawned on me however that I need to be grateful for my time with my family even if the kids are being bad. Kids are kids and they are going to be naughty from time to time.

I am so grateful for my husband and my children. They are my whole world and mean everything to me. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who entrusted me with my precious family and who believes in me. I know that if I put my trust in him that I can make it through the next several months until I finish school!

This quote goes along nicely with how I am feeling...

Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow. ~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

Until We Meet Again...

2010-11-09T07:58:00.001-08:00

(My Aunt from my other side of my family took this picture and put this page together one week before my grandmothers passing)

This past weekend my darling grandmother passed away. It came as quiet the shock since she was my youngest and healthiest grandparent. My grandfather is 12 years older then her, currently the ripe old age of 95 1/2, so naturally we expected he would be the first to go.

My grandma was an amazing lady, with the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. She absolutely loved everyone! She was a people lover, she loved to travel and meet people all over the world. She worked in the University of Utah's Foriegn Exchange program for many many years and got to work with students of every nationality. She loved what she did and they loved her.

For the first ten years of my life I was her only granddaughter. This came with many perks. Grandma loved to spoil me with beautiful dresses and lots of attention. Over the years Grandma and I formed a very special bond. I always loved that she seemed so young and hip! I loved to go into her closet and try on all of her cute shoes. Grandma was an amazing listener, you could talk to her for hours. As I grew into an adult grandma and I's bond grew stronger and she became one of my most precious friends. She would call me regularly and tell me, "Brittany dear, I love you and I just needed to hear your voice." Oh how I am going to miss those phone calls. Grandma hugged and kissed everyone! Before you even had a chance to know what was going on Grandma would grab your face and kiss you smack on the lips!

I look up to my grandmother in so many ways. I loved that she had SPUNK, she was one of the sassiest, funniest ladies you could have ever met! I am grateful for her joyful spirit, her passion for life, her love of her family, her testimony of the gospel, her willingness to serve others and the Legacy of a righteous daughter of our Heavenly Father that she leaves here with us. She will be missed so very much!

(This photo was taken without my knowledge as my brother and I were hugging our grandmother goodbye infront of my home one week prior to her death, little did we know this would be the last time we were able to hug our grandma in this life. What a beautiful gift to have this photo, as I look at it, it's almost as if her soul knew that would be our last embrace for a very long time)

I am ever so grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel, the Plan of Salvation, and to know that this life is not the end. I know that I will be with my grandmother again and this knowledge brings me so much peace at this extremely difficult time.

To learn more about life after death and how families can be united Eternanlly, both on Earth and in Heaven, please visit www.mormon.org

*Grandma attending Brigham Young University, late 1940's, this is my FAVORITE picture of her*

Love this boy!

2010-10-21T09:31:00.001-07:00

I am absolutely CRAZY about this sweet little boy of mine! After two girls in a row (I LOVE having 2 girly girls) I didn't have any idea how much fun a boy would be. Honestly when I was pregnant with little man I was so excited that we were having a boy but I was nervous that I wouldn't feel the same connection with him that I did with the girls. BOY was I wrong, he has had me wrapped around ALL of his little fingers from day one! As a baby he was very mellow, always happy, and fun to be around. Now that he has hit the toddler years he does have some 2 year old drama from time to time, but most of the time he is just so darn cute and fun. I absolutely LOVE that he is all boy!!! He loves trucks, cars, dinosaurs, super hero's, swards, etc... I feel very blessed to have this sweet, darling boy as my son, he makes me smile and laugh all day long, what a JOY it is to be his mommy!

(my husband snaped these pictures one day while little man and I were playing, I have no make-up on but OH WELL!!!)

The Temple Is My Quiet Place...

2010-10-19T13:04:00.001-07:00

{Denver, Colorado Temple}

This morning I dropped the girls off at school and Court took little man with him to the gym. I had some extra time before I had to head back to the school to help in my Kindergartners class. I decided to drive to the Temple. When I was in high school (and in college before getting married:) I would drive to the (Denver) Temple often to pray, read my scriptures, and feel closer to our Heavenly Father. The Temple has always been a place of peace for me even before I first took place in the sacred ordinances inside the Temple.

This morning I had a lot on my mind and my emotions were running high. As soon as I drove up to the Temple I instantly felt more peaceful. I parked my car and just sat in front of the Temple for a little while. Then I grabbed my jacket and decided to walk around the Temple grounds. The air was crisp but the Autumn chill felt good. As I walked around the Temple I stared up at the beautiful Mountains covered in fall colors. Tears began to fall down my face as I could feel the amazing Spirit that fills the Temple grounds, as I was circling the Temple words of encouragement and peace filled my mind. It felt as if my Father in Heaven was right there with me. I found a private spot, sat down on bench and prayed. It was a very spiritual experience for me and reminded me of how blessed I am to have the knowledge of the Gospel and of our Father in Heavens plan for his children.

I am so grateful that I took time out of my day to spend just a little time at the Temple. Even though I didn't have time to go inside, I still feel so much more peaceful from my experience today. I know that our Father in Heaven loves each of us and I am so grateful that I can have a personal relationship with him. I know he loves me, he is mindful of me, and he is there to comfort me. I am so glad I did this today, it took me back in time and reminded me of the wonderful experiences I had growing up simply just walking around the Temple and feeling the Spirit that is there.

I am also grateful for the challenges and trials of life. I know that Heavenly Father does not give us any trial that we can not handle. I am grateful that trials remind me of who I am and what I stand for. I know that Heavenly Father knows each of us, he loves us, and he wants to have a personal relationship with us.

To learn more about my faith please visit www.mormon.org

Trash Bag Super Hero's!

2010-10-17T17:07:00.000-07:00
I love when my kiddos play together, especially when they play nicely! These pictures were taken over the summer. The kids decided that they wanted to play superheros so they got plastic shopping bags for their costumes and then put their cooking aprons around their necks as capes. They named themselves the "Trash bag Super Hero's". I thought it was pretty creative and cute!

Halloween Costumes (On a budget!)

2010-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00
Last year around this time money was much tighter then normal for our family! When it came time for the kiddos to decide what they wanted to be for Halloween I knew I was going to need to be very creative. Between all 3 kids I think I spent less than $35.

My oldest daughter was Rapunzel. She wore a princess dress up that she already had, and then we made her princess hat/crown and the 'Rapunzel' braid together. We made the braid out of brown yarn. It was a little time consuming and took about 150 peices to get the thickness we wanted, but in the end it turned out great AND only cost a few dollars! The hat/crown is just a big birthday hat from the dollar store. I painted it pink with paint from the craft store, hot glued on some flowers, jewels, and ribbon AND VOLA a very cute costume if you ask me!!!
(we attached the braid to her real hair by putting her hair in a big messy bun and then putting the braid underneath the bun and wrapping 2 big rubber bands around it)

My younger daughter was a witch. She wore a Halloween shirt that was passed down to her from her big sis, a witch hat, black and orange tights, and a tutu. I bought her hat and tights at walmart for a few dollars each. I added a flower and a feather to the hat with hot glue to give it a little pizazz! Then I made her a tutu out of ribbon and toole, it was a no-sew tutu and maybe took me 30 minutes to make, SUPER EASY, learn how to make one here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTXo6uv9HxA

Then last but not least my little man was buzz lightyear! I found his costume on ebay for $15 used. It was an actual disney store costume, so it is great quality, looked brand new, and he still dresses up in it at least once a week!
Any guesses on what my husbands costume was??? It was silly and a little cheesy, but I sure love it that he knows how to have FuN!

Our family is getting super excited for Halloween in a few weeks! Check back to see what we are being... the whole family is dressing up :)

Taylor Andrews Hair Academy 2010 Hair Show...

2010-10-10T22:02:00.000-07:00
This past May I had the privilege of being apart of the Taylor Andrews Annual Hair & Fashion Show. This was such a fun experience. I never realized before doing this how much work goes into a show like this. My group was responsible for putting together one of many segments for the show. Our theme for our segment was Jungle Book. This was such a fun theme to have and gave us so many options to get our creative juices flowing! Putting together a hair piece was quiet tricky since this was something most of us had never done before. After ENDLESS hours of work and LOTS of trial and error things really came together! I was able to work one on one with the amazing dancers from Center Stage Dance Studio in Orem, Utah. These girls were so enthusiastic and FUN to work with. The dance number that they put together for our segment was AMAZING! The very best part of this whole show was that all proceeds from the ticket sales went to the local Battered Women's Shelter, I love doing things for an amazing cause!

{My models for the show, they represented the elephant from Jungle Book}

101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up

2010-10-06T07:48:00.000-07:00
Yesterday my girls were out of school, random to just be out on a Tuesday, but I didn't mind a bit, I LOVED having them home for the day! My husband was able to take most of the day off of work and it was so fun to have a family day. We took the kids to Cracker Barrel for breakfast (a family breakfast favorite), the kids LOVE playing with all of the fun toys in the Cracker Barrel store. After breakfast we had some time to kill before heading to the dollar movie to see Nanny McPhee Returns (such a cute show). We went to the dollar store for some treats for the movie and then walked around Seagull bookstore for a little while. While we were at Seagull Book I spotted this book, 101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up on sale for $1.99, as I was flipping through it I realized what a cute book it was, filled with so many fun ideas for things to do with children, I just had to buy it, especially for the price!!

I really wish my kids would STOP growing up so fast. Honestly it is making me so sad! I love being a mom and I love having my kids be little! There are days that things are so hectic and crazy that having little children can seem more like a burden but at the end of the day when they are tucked cozy in their beds and I look at their sweet sleeping faces I KNOW THAT IT IS ALL WORTH IT! I am really trying to slow down and enjoy this precious time with my children. Slowing down and enjoying life isn't easy in our fast paced world, but I really don't want to look back 20 years from now and be full of regret for the time I didn't spend enjoying and loving my children. 20 years from now I want to look back on a life full of beautiful memories of raising my children, I want to play and have fun with my children, and I want to build a relationship with them that will allow us to be close and friends throughout all of their lives!

This might sound silly, but I think this little book I found really is going to help me grow closer and have more fun with my children. I get distracted by all that I have to do, housework, bills, school, etc... and sadly there are many days that I leave little time for playing with my kids. I want to change this, right now! I love that this book is filled with so many fun ideas to make childhood more memorable. Being a child is a priceless gift, one that you only get to experience ONCE! I want my children to have the best childhood possible and I want to be right there next to them enjoying it with them each step of the way! I have realized that giving your children the best you can is not necessarily about material possessions, it is more about giving them the best of YOU and giving them your time and attention.

Stay tuned to see what fun things we do from this book! Each week I will post one of our adventures!!

{Great Quotes}
"Your children need your presence more than your presents."
-Jesse Jackson

"Don't worry that your children never listen to you; worry that they are ALWAYS watching you."
-Robert Fulghum

Wow!

2010-09-29T20:44:00.000-07:00
Tonight I had the privilege of going to a class taught by Charles Marcus, a motivational speaker who has overcome all odds. The class was absolutely phenomenal, I don't even know how to put into words how amazing this man is! I am so happy with my decision to transfer to Taylor Andrews Hair Academy to finish my schooling and I am so grateful that our owner Larry Curtis cares so much about his students that he will bring amazing guest speakers like this to come speak to us! If you or anyone you know has ever considered a career in the Beauty Industry, I HIGHLY suggest attending Taylor Andrews. Before moving back to Utah I attended what I thought was a good school in Kansas City, but it doesn't hold a candle to the education and opportunities I have been given at Taylor Andrews. I feel like I am getting so much more than just the stereotypical 'beauty school education' and I am loving it!!

Tonight while listening to Charles Marcus I took 5 pages of notes, seriously he was amazing! Charles suffers from a very serious stuttering speech impediment that for a good portion of his life caused him to have very low self esteem. Through lots of hard work and dedication he now speaks very well and is a motivational speaker all over the world! Here are a few of the things he said that REALLY spoke to me personally...

"Negative people will rain on your parade because they have no parade of their own."

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!" *Be a sponge *Be a life long learner

"Successful people never forget where they came from."

"Great intentions mean absolutely nothing until they are put into action."

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give."

"Fear can be paralyzing, learn to overcome fear. Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision."

"If you don't respect yourself first, how do you expect others to?"

"The more you give, the more you get."

"You are only as successful as the dreams you dare to live."

"Life isn't about deserve, it is about desire."

"Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines." -Brian Tracy

"When life gets tough, dig down deep."

"If you want to soar with the eagles you can't hang out with the turkeys."

I could seriously just keep going and going! I absolutely LOVE going to classes like this. I love the way I feel when I leave, I love the feeling of being motivated to be a better me!! More importantly I don't want to just feel this motivated after hearing a great speaker like Charles, I want to really learn from the things these people have to say and apply them to my life daily. I think that all of these quotes above could be applied in multiple aspects of our lives. There are so many different areas of my life that I want to improve on, being a better mother and wife, being more faithful in my religion and relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, being a better friend, being healthier, being more organized, etc, etc..... One of the things that Charles talked about that I also loved was that he said, "Set large goals, but take small steps getting there." I LOVE that because I often set these HUGE goals for myself, then I get really overwhelmed and completely give up. Taking things one step at a time, slowing down but keeping your eye on the big picture is so important if you want to be successful in life! It isn't about coming in first, it is about finishing the race :). I can't wait to read his book, Success Is Not A Spectator Sport!

Favorite Quotes...

2010-09-29T20:43:00.001-07:00
"Without hard work nothing grows but weeds."
- Gordon B. Hinkely (LDS Prophet)

I Love Sunday's...

2010-09-27T09:03:00.000-07:00
(journal entry)

Yesterday was a great day! My visiting teachers came by in the morning and we had a great chit chat. Court was a good sport and took the kids to the kitchen to make french toast so that I could talk with them in peace and quiet. I am so grateful for the Relief Society and for the Visiting Teaching program!! I love that I have cute sisters in my ward(church congregation) that faithfully come to check on me and visit with me once a month.

After my visiting teachers left both Court and I had interviews to get our temple recommends renewed. I can't wait to go to the temple with him this coming weekend! It sure comes in handy living RIGHT across the street from the Church, he ran over first while I watched the kids, then as soon as he got back we switched and I was able to run over. Being so close to our Church and the Temple is such a great blessing. When we lived in Kansas City we were lucky enough to be about 7 minutes from our Chapel, but the closest temple was in Omaha, Nebraska, over 3 hours ONE WAY! Those hours in the car going to and from the Temple were long, but I learned so much from that sacrifice. I truly believe that my testimony was strengthened during those drives, my love for the Temple and the sacred ordinances that take place there took on a new meaning.

Yesterday at Church little man was in kind of in a 'little pill' of a mood, one o'clock church can do that to a two year old! Luckily I was able to take the Sacrament before he and I had to walk the halls all throughout the meeting. Usually he will sit still for at least half of Sacrament meeting, but not yesterday! Court and I teach the CTR 9 Sunday school class, it can be very fun and very challenging at times. We have a young man in our class who suffers from sever ADHD, he is constantly leaving the class room and not coming back , interrupting, being rude, and being just all around difficult. I know that Heavenly Father gave us this calling to test us! There are some Sunday's that it is hard to get excited about teaching because we know how difficult this boy is going to make things. Although serving in this calling is a challenge, I am grateful for the opportunity. We are learning LOTS of patience! Also I am loving that this year we are teaching on the Old Testament, I feel like I am learning more than the kids. We are lucky that the other children in the class are very sweet and well behaved, and this particular boy who at times makes things difficult is showing signs of improvement in his behavior! During primary sharing time we ran through our primary program with all of the kids. My daughters are singing a duet, I can't wait! AND I can't believe they are going to do it!! My oldest daughter volunteered them for the part, she is much more out going then my five year old, so we will be doing lots of practicing the next few weeks! The kids in our class are all going to bear their testimonies and I think that will be a real treat.

After church we came home and made Sunday dinner. Court barbecued some delicious steak and I made edimame (one of the kids favorite vegetables) and orange rolls (out of a can, come on people;), we also had pears with our dinner. The kids ate more than I have seen them eat in a LONG time. I sure love being home for dinner, with me being in school at night during the week it is a real treat to have all of us around the dinner table at one time! After dinner we let the kids ride their scooters to the elementary school right by our house, we kicked around a ball together and swung on the swings, WHAT A GREAT SUNDAY!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE spending time with my family! I feel so blessed to have a wonderful husband and 3 darling children!!

Stopping To Smell The Roses...

2010-09-24T12:08:00.001-07:00

Photos taken by Jodi Gallagher

Life has been super crazy lately for our family and it is going to continue to be that way for SEVERAL more months:( ! When I get busy, I get stressed, and STRESSED and me do not go together well. I am trying to remind myself to slow down, not stress about the little things, and focus on what really matters. I wish this wasn't so hard for me to do! Being a stay-at-home mom by day and a student 20 hours a week at night can make life pretty stressful at times. I don't regret going back to school, I KNOW that this is something that I needed to do for myself and for my family, but WOW it is seriously hard to juggle everything. Sometimes I will look around the house and think to myself, 'why can't I get everything done that I use to'. THEN I have to remind myself that I basically have the equivalent of a part-time job right now and it would be hard for most people to keep up with everything.

Yesterday I made sure that I had individual time with all of the kids. I took my little man to the library for story time while the girls were at school, made cookies and snuggled and read books with my 5 year old, and did homework and reading with my eight year old. It felt so good to give each of them the individual time and attention they need and deserve. I love my kids so much and it is SO hard to leave them at night to go to school! I love being at school, I love learning, I love all of the girls there, and I especially LOVE being a hair stylist and making people feel great about themselves... BUT I can't wait for the day when I can go back to being a full-time mommy, it is the hardest, most rewarding job in the world!

Is Your Childs Car Seat Safe???

2010-09-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

I read THIS article on car seat safety this morning and wanted to share! I will most definitely be checking my little mans car seat to make sure it is installed properly, you can never be to careful with your PRECIOUS CARGO!! It REALLY upsets me when I see parents driving down the road and their kids are not in their car seats. I think this is so irresponsible. I have called the police several times because of this.

My husband and I were out running errands a few months ago and pulled up at a stop light next to a man on a motorcycle holding an INFANT, I kid you not! The baby couldn't have been much older than one, I seriously about died, I could not believe someone would be that stupid!!! I called the police right then, I don't know if he got caught because he turned and went a different way then us, but I sure hope so!!!

Herriman Fire

2010-09-20T09:23:00.000-07:00
Just this last weekend we were out in Herriman, Utah looking at homes. Late last night Court and I were watching the news and we were shocked to hear about the horrible forest fire that started yesterday and spread into many Herriman neighborhoods, article on http://www.ksl.com/. I am so sad for all of these families that have either lost their homes or been evacuated from them. I can't imagine the devastation of not knowing if you will have a house to go home to. These families will most definitely be in our prayers. I personally have two friends that live in the area and have had to evacuate their homes.

When I was 12 years old we had a fire in my home in Denver, Colorado. It was the day after Halloween and my brother who was 4 at the time had pulled a left over candle out of one of our pumpkins. Somehow he got ahold of a lighter and lit the candle. He came into the family room to show my mom, she immediately made him blow it out, but what she didn't know was that he had lit 2 candles. Well he didn't want to get in trouble and was only 4 years old so he hid the second candle in our baby brothers bedroom under the crib, our baby brother was asleep in the crib at the time. I can remember hearing my baby brother screaming, but my mom said that he was trying to go to sleep and she was letting him cry it out for a little while, obviously she didn't know what was going on. Probably about ten minutes later my dad came in the house and had a strong impression to check on the baby, he opened the bedroom door to find the crib engulfed in flames, all of the bedding was on fire, and the fire was spreading up the walls of the room, EXCEPT for one small spot on the bed, the spot where my baby brother was laying didn't have any flames, he was protected and safe. You can't tell me that there weren't angels in that room that day protecting my sweet innocent baby brother!

I haven't thought about the fire we had in our home for quit awhile, until now. I am broken hearted for these families in Herriman! Having a fire in your home, big or small is a very scary experience for a child/family. I can remember having to stay in a hotel for a week before we could go back home and then once we were allowed back in our house we had all kind of crews working on our home for weeks! I vividly remember them cleaning our entire house with this strange orange cleaner and for MONTHS our food had a strange taste to it. It was a very horrible and scary experience. My heart goes out to these families and I pray that has many homes as possible can be saved!!!

Whenever there is a disaster like this it really gets me thinking about what I would do in an emergency situation. I know I would hope I was prepared for it! It's about time I finish up my family emergency binder!!!
Click here to see my post on how to make a FAMILY EMERGENCY BINDER

Scriptures 4 Kids!

2010-09-19T08:33:00.000-07:00
I LOVE this website!!! http://www.scriptures4kids.com/

This site is so awesome! They have online scriptures for kids to read according to their reading levels. They also have scripture reading challenges, games, music, etc... Also on their site you will find links to other fabulous resources for family home evening, scriptures for toddlers, etc...

Quotes of the week...

2010-09-17T21:16:00.001-07:00
I have started to change my header quotes more often, so I figured that I better jot them down so that I don't forget these powerful messages that inspire me!

"Happiness is something you ARE and it comes from the WAY you THINK."
*****************************
"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the MOST of everything that comes along their way."

I Love This Blog...

2010-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00
Recently found this VERY fun blog called Design Dazzle, such a cute blog with TONS of great ideas for birthday parties, kids rooms, etc... Make sure you check it out ;)http://www.designdazzle.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow I am having a carnival birthday party for my oldest daughter and I got so many fun ideas from this blog!
{CAN NOT BELIEVE my little princess is EIGHT!!! Pictures to come...}

Material Diaries

2010-09-14T12:38:00.000-07:00
My cute and sassy friend, Mimi (from hair school) started a fun new blog, http://www.materialdiaries.blogspot.com/, it is all about fashion, make-up, and hair, CHECK IT OUT!

I LOVE playrooms!

2010-09-14T12:19:00.001-07:00
I seriously LOVE playrooms!!! I am so happy that the house we are renting has room for a playroom (I'll have to post a picture later). I CAN'T wait to do an over the top playroom once we find a house!!! I love that our playroom doesn't have a TV, I love that the kids play 'pretend', I love that they spent hours coloring and drawing, and I LOVE that I constantly find them in there, all three of them playing together, giggling, and having fun!
Do you have a fun, creative playroom in your home? If so and you would like to share your ideas, please email me at courtbritt@gmail.com to be featured on this blog!

Here are a few playrooms that I LOVE...

3rd Annual...

2010-08-22T21:44:00.000-07:00
Tonight we had our 3rd annual Jones Family Back-to-school dinner and fashion show. The kids had a blast and loved every minute of it! We had 'sack lunch' food and ate out on our patio. (just a little random fyi... don't buy the costco milk boxes, they were gross, my 7 year old asked me if I would please NOT put them in her lunches :).

After dinner the girls strutted their stuff in some of their new back-to-school clothes, which turned into an all out dance party, even our little man got in on the action! My kids seriously know how to bust a move, all three LOVE to dance! We finished up the evening by my wonderful hubby giving our kids each a special back-to-school Fathers Blessing (I am so grateful to have a husband who holds the priesthood). It was a great night and a tradition that is so fun each school year! I gave each of the kids a flash light with a note to them from me to let them know just how much I LOVE & ADORE them and to help remind them to "Let their light shine". This is our family motto for this upcoming school year...
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
2010 Jones Family Back-to-School ABC's:
Always try your hardest
Be kind to everyone
Count your blessings
For dessert we had yummy homemade ice cream! It was SUPER easy to make...
4 cups cream
16oz sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
*I blended 2 cups of strawberries & 1 cup frozen berries into the condensed milk,
then added all the ingredients together,
poured it into the ice cream maker,
added the ice and rock salt, and about an hour later...we had ice cream!

Doctrine and Covenants Final Project

2010-08-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love this hymn and I LOVE the Doctrine and Coventants, just wanted to share!