Daddy Daughter Date 50's Theme

For Activity days, Taylor had a Daddy Daughter 50's date. They were supposed to dress up in the 50's, but who has 50's clothes laying around? I couldn't find anyone with a poodle skirt! Oh well, Tay and Shane rolled up their pants, put on some black shoes and away they went. Janice, Taylor's friend went with them. Her dad was taking a class and couldn't make it back in time. (They found a poodle skirt!) Shane teaches sixth grade with Janice's mom. They all had a blast! I'm so glad they were able to go!

Playdoh Queen

After teaching seven years of preschool, I am the self named Playdoh Queen! Shane needed me to make his class a ton of playdoh for a buoyancy/sinking lesson. I made a ton too much so when the neighbor boy came over to play with Parker, I sent them outside with the playdoh and the playdoh toy box. They had a lot of fun playing in it. Here’s my recipe for anyone who needs some!
2 ½ Cups of flour
½ Cup Salt
3 TBS Wesson Oil (any brand will work!)
1 TBS Alum Powder
2 Cups Boiling Water
Food Coloring (I like to use the color paste instead for more vibrant colors!)
Mix it all together adding enough flour until not sticky anymore. I always triple the recipe for big crowds.

Valley Voices Spring Concert

Taylor has been in a fun singing group called Valley Voices. Tami Nielsen is her director and does an awesome job with all of the kids. Taylor really enjoys singing and dancing. With Valley Voices, she gets the "best of both worlds"! This year's theme was about Disney. Taylor had a speaking part as well as a couple of group numbers. The lighting in the old school gym is not great so I did not get very many pictures. Here's a few of them.

Family Home Evening-ARMOR UP!

Brennen was in charge of family home evening and we decided his lesson would be on the "armor". We found the idea on Sugardoodle.net in the file box under A. There is an Armor of God title that had a couple of fhe ideas on it. Here is a list of the armor from the sight. First importance is the "loins girt about with truth". The loins are the area between the ribs and the hips. The most vulnerable area, and the area of "reproduction" given importance by God (be fruitful and multiply). Being girt with truth means to know right from wrong. To love truth. Knowing the truth will help us make righteous decisions. The breastplate of righteousness protects the heart. Many of the decisions we make are guided by the feeling and emotions of our heart. The Holy Ghost also speaks to our heart. If we protect our heart with the breastplate of righteousness, then our actions will be pleasing to Heavenly Father. Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Learning and understanding all parts of the gospel, (faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, prayer, fasting, etc.) and putting them into action in our lives. This will help us to walk the strait and narrow path of the gospel and keep us on the "right foot". The helmet of salvation. The way we choose to live our earthly life will determine what our eternal life will be like. "A helmet of salvation will guide our thinking all through our days..." (Paul said). The helmet which protects our head, represents salvation and within our head is the knowledge of the gospel plan which we must follow to inherit the Celestial Kingdom. We must always keep this knowledge safe in our minds if we with to return to our Heavenly Father. He didn't just give us things to protect us, he also gave us things to fight back against our enemies. He gave us: 1) the shield of faith- having faith in Jesus Christ and believing that he loves us and watches over us gives us peace and protection. 2) the sword of my spirit -- a sword cannot only defend us but can be used as a weapon against tout enemies. The Holy Ghost acts the same way. He is there in our time of need to help us make correct decisions. He also warns us against dangers. We then had a huge sword fight and had several extra "swords"! It was a fun night to remember to be armored up in the things we need to survive spiritually!

We had to be very creative in making quick armor from scraps at home! To get the feet shields on, I used elastic bands

No fair!!! Let me out of here!

Literacy Night with Brennen

This week, Brennen's school scheduled a literacy week. Tonight was a night where parents could come into the school library and read with their kids and then take the AR tests on them. We loved our little outing with the B man! He reads so well! At home, he is reading the Harry Potter series (very advanced for an eight year old if I may brag!!!) After we were done at the school, we went out for ice cream, just the three of us. Taylor had her first "real paying" babysitting job at home while we went. Both she and Parker survived!!!

Brennen and Shane picking out a good book to readHow about a volcano book?
listening to Brennen read

Finally, it's test time! B did great!

ThRoUgH pArKeR's EyEs!

I caught Parker playing with the camera. He said he wanted to take a picture so I decided to show him how. Here's a few shots through PaRkEr'S eYeS!

This is my dirty kitchen floor-do you want a green m&m??? I tried to duck out of his picture, but he caught me!
Ok, ENOUGH!!!! LET'S TURN IT OFF!!

Happy Easter!

Easter morning-the Easter bunny came! Taylor
Parker
Brennen

We invited my brother, Rob and his family over for another egg hunt after church and I cooked a ham and party potato dinner for us all to enjoy afterwards. We had so much fun! I love having my brother and his family here in the valley with us.

ON YOUR MARK,

GET SET-GO!!!!!!

Finding a ton of eggs-these eggs are the good ones with candy in them!!!

We had a wonderful Easter especially for the opportunity to once again be reminded of our Savior's love for us.