Physically Burnt but Spiritually Brighter!

So I just got back from Girl's Camp on Saturday and I had an awesome time. I love the girls in my Branch and I had a blast spending the week with them. I am absolutely exhausted and have still not recovered but I am also still on the spiritual high from all the wonderful workshops and devotionals. It was amazing coming home to a VERY CLEAN house and two boys who noticeably missed their mom (Isn't it nice to be missed?) 

Backtracking just a little bit, Brady had a birthday on June 7th! I can't believe how big this kid is getting. On a sad note, I actually forgot it was his birthday (Don't judge. We seriously just back from our vacation and I was about to turn around and go to Girl's Camp.) and we had to celebrate it a day late. Also, the only present I got him was a spray bottle. (Again...don't judge. He seriously loves spray bottles.) Thankfully. Brady is only 2 so no permanent emotional damage was done and in the end he had a great belated birthday.

 Look at this chunky monkey.

 Brady wanted a football cake.

Ok so despite what Brady's face may be saying...I promise he really did love it. I know you are all thinking that I am a horrible parent...

My Grandma Judy made these adorable bath towels for the boys for their birthdays!

Coming Home!

I love road trips. Like I LOVE road trips. I love preparing for them, seeing family (which is 99.99% of the reason why we go on them) and I even love driving in the car for 15 hours. OK maybe I don't love the last one, but to be honest, I don't really mind it. It is time Ike and I are able to talk or I can read non-stop for as long as I want. Anyway, what I am trying to get at is that as much as I love a good road trip, I think I love that feeling of coming home at the end of it just as much. There is just something so nice about pulling into your own driveway at the end of a crazy long day and seeing that your house was not destroyed by a tornado. Love it.

Before we went on our vacation I finished a project that I am really proud of. I sewed my sister Katherine's prom dress. This was the first prom dress I have sewn from start to finish and I have to say that even I was impressed with how well it came out.

   She gave me a bunch of pictures of dresses she liked and  her measurements and after a few long weeks of sewing, altering, sewing and more altering. This was the finished product.


The big reason we went on this little (14 day) road trip was to go to Ike's sister Mary's wedding. It was beautiful!!!! Too bad the groom was out shown by the two most handsome men under 4 feet tall. I am not going to lie. My kids were ADORABLE in those little tuxes.

 Can you say 'stud-muffin'?

Little Hands and a Big Belly!

Today Brady and I made homemade Wheat Thins. I can honestly say that of all the snack food I have tried to make from scratch, these tasted the most like the actual snack cracker. Brady was a super good helper. He turned my pasta roller and ate any excess dough that was left around.

If you want to make them yourself, I used the recipe found here: http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/diy-wheat-thins.html#.U3WNKuucD-Y

Fear the Beard

Today was Fullerton's High School graduation and Ike and the boys got all dressed up for it. I couldn't help myself so I had to take a picture of them. Ike has been growing out his beard for the last few weeks and, if I do say so myself, it is looking pretty good!

On a side note, tomorrow is Mother's day and I just want to say how grateful I am for my own BEAUTIFUL AMAZING WONDERFUL MOTHER and how grateful I am to BE a mother.

Three cheers for moms!

The Dream House

So I have been MIA for an embarrassingly long amount of time and I apologize.  In the meantime since my last post, Ike and I looked at a bunch of houses. Decided none of them were right and figured we would wait to buy. Then found a house. Not just a house, but THE house. Like....the house of my day dreams and beyond. So we bought it.

Ok it really wasn't like we just went up and bought it. It was weeks of working with our bank and getting grants and having inspections. It was weeks of me freaking out because we were about to take out a loan that we would be paying off for the next 30 years. It was stress with a capital S.

But now we have been in the house two weeks and I cannot believe I ever had second thoughts or dread when it came to buying this house. I love it so much I almost can't even put it into words (referring to the house as "my third child" comes close though).

So here she is.


So what I actually wanted to write about in this post but couldn't get to until I explained how we came to be at this house was the yard work I did today. In the Fullerton house, I never really did anything but occasionally mow the lawn. I just didn't feel like spending time and money on a house that wasn't mine. I know not every renter takes that attitude, and if you are one of those people who landscapes and buys mulch for a house you rent, more power to you. I, on the other hand and what you would call a cheapskate and couldn't bring myself to do it. This house on the other hand, we actually DO own so I don't mind getting a little sweaty to make it look nice.



So this chunk of the side yard had a nasty dead and leafy area between the walkway and the house and today I decided to clean it out! There were three dead bushes and a TON of leaves. These pictures were after about two hours of work.

So then...thanks to a monstrous pile of free mulch at the Green Dump ( a place where people dump leaves, grass clippings, etc.) I was able to put mulch down the entire side! I have always liked the look of mulch but I figured it would be too expensive to put it all the way around the house. I was so happy to see a giant pile of it at the dump!!!

SOOOOOO much nicer right??? And the best part? FREE!!! All it took was four and a half hours of mildly neglecting my kids while they ran around outside and I worked.

Recent Happenings!

Just a few things that have been going on lately:

Jackson's life was made when a family at Church gave us a set of Spider Man sheets. He played on them for hours after I put them on his bed.

 

On a side note, I think this picture of Jackson strongly resembles my brother Jared when he was young and excited.

We had an early out snow day last week and had an impromptu pizza party picnic! The kids loved and I loved not cooking!

Can you tell who is ready to say the prayer???



In the midst of all the freakishly cold days we have been having there has been the occasional day in the 50s when we have been able to play outside.

 

We like to go to the local skate park to run around.

Christmas at the Harveys

Just some fun pics from Christmas at my parents house. Jackson and Brady had tons o' fun with Grandma Jenny and Grandpa Joel.

Grandma's house has cool toys.

My mom and I got to make rolls together!

Have you ever seen such beautiful Peppermint Bark???

My mom made chocolates with the boys!

Brady approves.

Carr Family at the Harvey House

All the Ladies!!!

The Carrs with Grandma Jenny and Grandpa Joel