Miss you already sis...

Yesterday Brooks, Ava, and I (Adam had to be at work) picked up Corrie up from the airport. It had been just two days since we said goodbye in Washington, but oh it was so good to see her!! We grabbed a couple vanilla bean crème frappuccinos and, in-between the heavenly sips, we talked and laughed on our drive down to Provo. I loved every minute. We then put more delicious sugar into our bellies, in the form of Kneaders' french toast. Brooks even did some dancing for us while we ate. :)  

Then we headed to the Missionary Training Center...the place where Corrie will be spending the next couple months learning Spanish and growing closer to the Lord before she heads to Chile to represent our church and serve the people there. As soon as we pulled in, the tears came.  Some were sad, knowing that Adam, the children, nor I will see her for a year and a half, but most were happy and excited and proud tears knowing what she was embarking on! I haven't served a full-time mission, but from what Adam tells me, she is about to experience the most spiritually, physically, and emotionally exhausting time of her life. Yet, the personal growth and the chance she has to help people feel the love of their Heavenly Father will outweigh it all. 

We said our goodbyes, and gave plenty tight hugs and sweet kisses. That girl is going to move mountains in Chile. :) Miss you already sis.

"Your journey is unfolding exactly as it should be"

{ via }

My sister Corrie may be younger than me, but I look up to her.  She wants so badly to lead the life that Heavenly Father wants for her...the life that will help her become the best person she can be.  And all along the way she impacts people because of her genuine, giving heart. Adam and I think she's a rockstar, and the kids absolutely adore their Aunt "Co-wee". So knowing that she's going to be in another country for the next 18 months is hard to swallow. BUT, like the lovely print above says, I know her journey is unfolding exactly as it should be.  And knowing that she'll be serving people and sharing a message of hope and love and happiness through the Gospel of Jesus Christ puts the biggest smile on my face!

She was in Arizona when she got her mission call (she's been working at Anasazi, an experience she absolutely loved!) and it was so fun joining in through facetime. Our parents and all of our siblings were linked in through phones or computers, thank goodness for technology!  It was awesome when she read that she has been called to serve in the

CHILE SANTIAGO NORTH MISSION!

Corrie waving "Hi!" with sweet Emri on her lap, before opening her call...

I love Indi's reaction :)

Her mission call!

I'm so happy that tomorrow Brooks, Ava, and I are heading to Washington for a couple weeks so that we can soak up some good Corrie-time before she leaves. And Adam will join us next week. :)

There are some good times ahead!

Kissing cousins & Painted spoons

You see that cute boy in the top-right photo of this post?

That's our adorable nephew Samson, giving his cousin "baby Viva" kisses. :)

And you see all those awesome, brightly-colored painted wooden spoons?

Well, my sister in-law Becca made those happen. :) 

Today we went to spend the afternoon with Bec and Samson in their new home...and by new, I mean a charming, 112 year-old home that they totally renovated on the inside...every bit of it is DREAMY! Exposed brick, original wood floors, newly vaulted ceilings, lots of clean, white walls and fresh pops of color throughout...I'm in love. But back to our wonderful afternoon ;) ...the boys played for a bit, and then Becca and I had fun with an awesome idea we found on pinterest. She has a fantastic collection of paint and we picked the brightest, most cheery ones to add a little life to our wooden spoons. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out! And they were oh-so easy. Just tape, paint, dry, shellac...get the full tutorial here.  Becca and I definitely agreed we're going to get together and make a lot more ideas/DIY projects that we find on pinterest happen. :)

While the spoons were drying, we packed up the kiddos and headed to the park to enjoy the sun and eat our lunch...peanut butter and banana sandwiches for Brooks & Samson, salads for us mamas, and "the usual" for Ava. ;)  The boys had a blast swinging, running around, and exploring (Brooks of course picked plenty of dandelions).  I'm so glad Brooks has his sweet, fun cousin Samson to grow up with! 

Thanks Becca and Samson for such a FUN afternoon! We love you guys :)

PS - We put our cheery utensils right to use at dinner tonight! :) 

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Spiritual Health:

Listened to Paul E. Koelliker's talk from this past General Conference..."He Truly Loves Us"

Family life really does bring to light our Heavenly Father's love for me.  I know my relationships with Adam and our children have strengthened my faith in God and his love for me, and each of them.

Corrie + Lots of good food =

just the weekend I needed :)

My sister Corrie came down for the weekend...it was full of sleeping in, LOTS of laughs, fun at the park, watching Friends & painting nails, eating way too much food, playing new games (speed Scrabble rocks)...and saying goodbye wasn't too bad because we'll be seeing her and my other sister Celeste again next week for my birthday and our cousin's wedding!

And I don't know how I didn't get one picture of Adam while Corrie was here...he's a sneaky one ;) So instead I'll share this picture I snapped after one of my many trips to the loo the other night (thank you baby for jumping on my bladder;) Brooks was having a hard night so he joined Adam and I in bed cause we were one tired mama and papa...and as you can tell, Little B is a bit of a mover at night time. haha!

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Spiritual Health:

Thanks to Brit, I felt I really wanted to read Dieter F. Uchtdorf's last General Conference talk, "You Matter to Him"...oh how I needed his message today :)

"...while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, 'What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?' God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind.

"God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

Physical Health:

A reeeeeeeaally long and beautiful walk with Brooks :)

Dropping my sisters off at college...

The current weather up in the college-town of Rexburg, ID is unheard of...chilly, but not frigid...and there's almost no snow. In January?? Here we stood on one of the 5 patches of snow in the city...

Jimmy John's for lunch...SO good...

Kisses in front of Celeste's freshman dorm...

Helped move Celeste in...yay for Freshman year!

Moved Corrie in to her new apartment...Brooks loved shooting some hoops...

Went out for dinner at Craigo's...er, I mean Pizza Pie Cafe...different from my days up there :)

Bath time while Celeste unpacked and set up her room...

Enjoyed the gorgeous, yet chilly, weather while walking around campus...

Purchased text books...

Said goodbye's and wished good luck to our girls this semester!

To say I'm excited for my sisters Corrie and Celeste to be up in Rexburg, going to college at the same time, is a huge understatement. I'm actually trying really hard not to be jealous down here :) Corrie is on the homestretch and only has a few more semesters 'til she graduates from BYU-Idaho, so she'll be able to show Celeste the ropes of school and how to get the most out of college life. It makes me giddy just thinking about all of it! I love them so much and I'm excited to hear about how their semesters go :)

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Spiritual Health:

Read "Living the Abundant Life" - January's First Presidency Message, by Thomas S. Monson

"Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently."

Physical Health:

Going to the gym for a little date with the elliptical...it's a love/hate relationship ;)