Sundae FHE

Sunday we all got together to do our monthly FHE lesson. I was in charge this time. I found a really cool object lesson on keeping the Sabbath day holy. Since not everyone goes to church all of the time, Chance read a cute little thing about excuses for not going to church on Sunday
No Excuse Sunday

In order to make it possible for everyone to attend church next week, we are planning a special no-excuse Sunday.

1. Cots will be placed in the Chapel for those who say, "Sunday is my only day for sleeping in."

2. Eye drops will be available for those whose eyes are tired from watching TV too late on Saturday night.

3. We will have steel helmets for those who believe the roof will cave in if they show up at church.

4. Blankets will be furnished for those who complain that the church is too cold. Fans will be on hand for those who say the church is too hot.

5. We will have hearing aids for those members who say, "the speakers don't talk loud enough." There will be cotton for those who say, "the speakers talk too loud."

6. Score cards will be available for those who wish to count the hypocrites.

7. We guarantee that some relatives will be present for those who like to go visiting on Sunday.

8. There will be TV dinners available for those who claim they can't go to church and cook dinner, too.

9. One section of the church will have some trees and grass for those who see God in nature, especially on the golf course.

10. The chapel will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies to create a familiar environment for those who have never seen the church without them.

Next, I read the following:
The Movie Test
Two ministers were mulling over some timeworn excuses given for not attending church. They decided to use these same excuses, applying them to something that most people like to do, such as going to the moves. They came up with this list:

1. I don’t attend the movies because the manager of the theater has never visited me.
2. I did go a few times, but no one spoke to me. Those who go there aren’t very friendly.
3. Every time I go they ask me for money.
4. Not all the people who go to the movies live up to the high standards of the film.
5. I went to the movies so much as a child that I’ve decided I have had all the entertainment I need.
6. The performance lasts too long. I can’t sit still for an hour and a half.
7. I don’t always agree with what I hear and see there.
8. I don’t think they have very good music.
9. The shows are held in the evening, and that’s the only time I have to be home with my family.

You can easily see how ridiculous these excuses sound to us when they are used in this manner. The next time you feel like missing a meeting, give your excuse the “movie” test. See if it still sounds important enough to justify your staying away.

I thought that that was cute. Anyway, we talked more about going to church and what activities we could do after church to keep the Sabbath holy. I brought out a lot of condiments such as pickles, ketchup, cocktail sauce, etc. I asked Brent if he would want any of these on ice cream. He said ended up saying no. I asked why and told him I thought he liked ketchup. He said yes, but not on ice cream. So I clarified by telling him, "So it's good, but not on a sundae?" Then we taped activities that were good, but not on a Sunday. Then I got out the sprinkles, cherries, whipped topping, etc. and asked if anyone would like these on their ice cream. Of course they did. Then we talked about things we could do on Sunday to keep the Sabbath holy. It went over pretty well because afterwards we made sundaes. MMM...anyway, I just wanted to share this really cool Family Home Evening lesson.

The Simple Things

My great grandmother has been in the hospital since last Wednesday. She has pneumonia. She keeps getting good enough to go home and then has a breathing attack where she cannot get enough oxygen (not even with a mask). So needless to say, it's been an interesting week full of surprises and waiting.
Last night we had FHE (Family Home Evening). I told Jordan when he came in from work that I wasn't doing anything for the rest of the night! I wanted to spend time with him and the baby. Lately I have been spending so much time trying to finish and redo things for school. This week is the last week of the semester. We've already taken our finals so must everything is done. Finally!!! Speaking of school (sorry, my thoughts are always all over the place...that's just me), I unofficially found out my school that I will student teaching at. It was interesting how I found out. A friend e-mailed me and said she heard that I was at Southport. I hadn't heard a thing yet! Since we are student teaching in the fall, the schools aren't really sure which teachers will be there and if they are moving to a different grade. Plus we have a HUGE graduating class so it's been hard to find placements. Anyway, apparently Amanda found out she was at Southport because her supervising teacher called her and told her. She said there would be four interns there total. Amanda was told she, Nicole, Brandi, and I were at Southport. She also said that all of the teachers wanted to meet with the interns and go out to eat. How nice is that!!? I asked a couple of people about it on Monday at school. They have connections there and said I am there! Although it is a ways away, I am just so excited because it sounds like I will have a teacher who really cares (rather than one who just wants you to teach the entire semester for them). Plus, I love the other interns there so YAY!
Okay, back to my FHE story. I made brownies for dessert. Ghirardelli makes the best mix in the world!! The box had been staring at me for a week, so I decided they would make a great dessert for FHE. Anyway, we were all sitting in the living room watching television and eating our brownies. Carson had his little fork and brownie. I wasn't sure if he would even eat the brownie, but I gave him one anyway. He took his first bite and said, "mmm MMM!". (Chance taught him this retarded way to emphasize the mmm MMM and it cracks me up every time.) I asked Carson if the brownie was good. He said, "Uh huh, Momma." After every bite he said, "mmm MMM!". It was so much fun to sit there and watch him enjoy something as simple as a brownie. I love to watch him grow. He gets a kick out of the simple things in life (a Popsicle, bubbles, the dog, etc.). Everyone always told me when I was pregnant that kids grow up too fast. I always just thought yeah okay whatever, but now I totally know what they meant!!! He'll be two in July and his vocabulary is growing daily. As he gets older he also wants to understand how everything works. I LOVE this stage!!!

Easter

I have been pretty sick for the last week or so. Thank goodness it is finally passing. First Carson had it. Then, of course, the mommy gets it. Since I was sick, we did not color Easter eggs. I asked Jordan if I was a bad mom for not coloring eggs. I LOVE holidays. I get that from my mom. I was so excited about coloring eggs this year, but I couldn't make it off of the couch. Anyway, I am glad we were all feeling better on Easter. I was so sad about the yucky weather though. It turned cold and drizzled some. I had bought Carson's perfect Easter outfit at Doodlebugs and was so excited! Of course I chose something with shorts so it had to get cold. Luckily I picked up some great pants from the Gap for $6.97 a couple of months ago. Perks of the job! They were a little big, but thank goodness for the Gap's adjustable waists in everything on the baby and kid side. Carson is totally a little Jordan!!! You can tell in that picture of us at church. I woke Carson up early before church so he could get his Easter basket. I love this picture because he was yawning since I woke him up early. I should have given him his basket after he ate. He wanted to eat candy and wouldn't eat breakfast. I remember those days. I was the same way! There were a ton of people at church (it's always this way on Easter and Christmas in every church). It was nice thought because my grandparents, aunt, uncle, mom, brothers, and dad were all there. I love being with family! After church our extended family got together to hunt eggs and eat. Oh my goodness there was A LOT of food there. After a full belly I was asked to help hide the eggs. I grabbed Carson's basket and headed outside. We brought twelve eggs and left them in Carson's basket. However when I reached in the basket there were only six eggs and multiple candy wrappers. We had a little candy thief during our lunch. How funny! After hiding over a hundred eggs, it was time for the egg hunt. The little kids got a head start. It was so much fun to watch Carson. I had to open an egg to show him that there was candy inside. Once he saw the candy, he started finding the eggs. He is getting SO big!! It's crazy!!!
Carson had his little Cars Easter basket that my dad and Cheryl gave him. All of the boys tried to take his basket. At first we thought that they were after the eggs inside. So we gave them eggs. They threw them down and reached for the basket again. It was funny!
Needless to say it was a great Easter spent with family and remembering our Savior Jesus Christ.

I Won! I Won!

Let me start off my saying I NEVER win ANYTHING. In middle school I won a lobster dinner for two at Hamiltons and tickets to the rodeo, but that is the only time I have ever won anything...until today! So my favorite blog is Heather's. She is just so creative!! A lot of times she will give away things on her blog. All you have to do is leave a comment about the product and then she draws a name from the comments. The winner gets the product. Usually it's been crafting books, which would be nice to have. I've tried to win, but haven't...until TODAY! I was reading her blog and this is what I saw

-K…now to our lucky KIT WINNER! Hmmm….let’s see......the lucky winner of a new product kit by Scrap All Night (not necessarily the April kit) is…….

…………MEAGAN GOLD!!!!!!!

YAY!!! So what did I win?? Only the most awesome scrapbooking kit. Look at how much stuff you get!! I can't wait to play with it!

An Exhausting Day

This is exactly how I feel today! I've been trying to keep up with school, keep the house clean, keep dinner on the table, do my calling, get Carson well, and try to keep myself well. It has been exhausting! I will be so happy when this semester is over!
I love that picture of Carson. I took it today. Carson would NOT take a nap today. I tried to rock him for about an hour. He still wouldn't give it up. I really needed him to sleep for a long time so I could catch up. I finally gave up on him by 4 o'clock. I admitted defeat and put in Finding Nemo for Carson to watch so I could get a few things done. I went to wash dishes. I kept checking on him. Then I started cooking. I continued to check on him. At this point I saw him laying on the ground in front of the tv. After I threw dinner in the oven, I went back to the living room to sit with him. He was in the same place I saw him the last time I checked on him (right in front of the tv). He was totally out. He looked so comfortable though. It was definitely a Kodak moment!

My Best Friend

Tonight we went up to my Dad's to watch the basketball game on his nice tv. Of course my boys won! YAY! When we came home, there were flowers on the front porch. They were daises, my favorite! They were from my Mommy. Tonight I had found out that I passed the last of my 3 teacher certification exams. She got me flowers because of that. (These were some really long and hard tests!) After reading the enclosure, I became misty eyed. I love my Mommy so much! I am so grateful for the relationship that we have. She is seriously my best friend and my hero. I hope that whenever I do have a girl, I can have the same type of relationship with her as I do with my Mom. Friends have come and gone, but my Mommy has always been there for me. She is my support, the person I turn to vent to, the one I call up just to tell some cute little thing that Carson did, the person I turn to for advice...she is my absolute best friend in the entire world. I am so glad that she is my Mommy.