This weekend I was able to go to Dallas with some ladies from my ward and we went to Time Out for Women. It was so much fun! As much as I love my family, it is always fun to do a getaway! There were so many moms/daughters there and it made me miss my mom and sisters and made me excited for the future when I can go to events like this with my own girls! All I have to say is my girls better be my best friends! I need to start brainwashing them...ha ha.
It is neat to get spiritually feed and having a great time with other ladies!
(more pictures to come when I get them from my friend)
I sent this while I was there to Derek and the girls telling them I miss them.
This was my view leaving for Dallas. I am lucky to have a great hubby that will take on a whole weekend watching the girls. Not only that, he made plans with them having a sleepover/camp out in the living room, games, movies, and swimming. Derek is truly the best dad!
(Look at Derek's face...ha ha...was is he thinking?)
On Sunday we went for a walk about the neighborhood and we picked up a friend along the way. The girls had a hayday with this guy. He stayed in our yard for a long while after our walk with these three just petting and adoring him. We had to pray for him that he would find his home again.
As much as they loved this dog, there is no future dog welcomed into our family. Derek says to the girls, would you rather have a dog or a swimming pool because we can't have both. So far it has worked in our favor to have a swimming pool ;)
On September 11, we made cookies for the local firemen in Lufkin. We surprised them with cookies and they surprised us with a tour of the whole fire station. It was really neat! We are thankful for all they do for our community.
Riding in the fire truck
The last part of the tour was our favorite to watch the lights and hear the sirens!
This girl just amazes me. She learned on Sunday in her primary class about tithing and she taught the family at FHE. Her testimony and knowledge of the gospel is mature for her age. She is going to be a great teacher someday.
HEB, which is a local grocery store is worth the emergency store run when you have no food with these kiddos. The car makes it all worth it! I rarely go to the store with the girls anymore because three or more is a like a time-bomb and you never know when someone will explode. Timing is everything! They did awesome and it was a win-win!
Mommy School
C is for caterpillars.
We built our own colorful caterpillars using the blocks.
Look at this adorable face.
Ha ha. This girl has so much hair. I really do need to give her a haircut.
Des likes to join in the fun with her sisters!
We put caterpillars in the letter of a C.
Best part....yummy!
Claire likes to help out with Des. We need to practice how far is too far with the spoon!
We colored our own caterpillars made out of egg cartons.
Brinley still takes a nap. Naptime is sacred when you are a mom. After story and songs, she like me to lay down with her (where many times I fall asleep). She wanted to take a picture and the light was so bright. Cccccchhhhheeeeeeeeeeesssssssseeeeeeee.
Found another turtle in our yard. I was having a moment of frustration in the kitchen and then I looked out the window and found this guy walking around. It was a reminder that slow and steady wins the race. Sometimes with mothering and even chores around the house, it can be very overwhelming. God is funny, he answered my prayers in that moment of seeing that turtle!
So I joined this group in Lufkin called MOPS (moms of preschoolers). It is an answer to my prayers. There were about 50-70 women gathered together to make friends, learn together, and be edified. It reminds me of relief society, but these are Christian women from different churches gathered together. MOPS has a meeting once a month where we learn about different topics (parenting, organization, etc.), they have a playdate once a month and there is a moms' night out (crafts, party, hangout), Next month we are going ziplining which should be awesome!
So while I was in a two hour meeting, the kiddos are in their own class according to their age where they are given a bible story, craft, snack, and playtime. The girls had so much fun!
This is the craft that Brinley did.
I found the Texas Pledge in Ashlyn's social study magazine.
For Mommy School we watched The Very Hungry Caterpillar and did a worksheet to color the fruit that he ate.
I used my Miss Jenny magic and turned them into caterpillars. We ate the food that was in the story.
After we ate all that food, we turned into butterflies. We made our own butterflies.
Being a mom is a lot of work, but it is the most rewarding adventure in my life. We experience highs and lows throughout the day and parenting is a game of trial and error. One of the things that I found works for my girls (as of right now...we will see how long it will last), is when they are having a hard time, I ask if they want me to hold them on my lap. It lets them know that I love them and magically it calms them down. It is these moments that I soak up with these cuties!
