Family Frisbee Golf

My husband is an ultimate freak...Ultimate Frisbee that is. When his birthday rolled around I wanted to do something together as a family that involved his favorite things...family and frisbees. I found this great idea of making your own Frisbee Golf game over at the dating divas where you can find printables and instructions. They did it as a date night (which would be fun as well) but I adapted it for a family fun night.

What you need:

• a Frisbee for each person (having your own color is ideal...but I realize that most people don't have 20 different Frisbees like we do)
• 6 baskets or targets to throw the Frisbee in
• notes attached to each target
• score cards (you can print one from the link above)

 Here's How:

• The game is like miniature golf, only using a Frisbee. You each take turns throwing your Frisbee to the designated targets. Keep track of how many throws it takes to hit the target. Lowest score wins (which is always Eric in our family).
• For an extra twist, I added notes at each target. When we had all completed that round, we would read the note and do what it said. It was Eric's birthday so the notes said things like "Tell Dad why you love him", "What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?", "Give Dad a big hug", "Sing Happy Birthday really loud for everyone to hear."
• We have also played where we just went to the park and we all took turns choosing the next target. Some were going through a soccer goal-post, hitting a specific tree, landing the Frisbee on a park bench, getting it in the net of a basketball hoop, etc. We kept playing until we had made it around the park.

This has turned into one of our favorite things to do together. It can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. We have done it in our yard and at the park. It's a fun way to spend some time together without spending any money!

 (Eric had to hold Megan as his "handicap" but he still kicked our cans!)

Have Fun!

Thick and Thin

My life is a little unbalanced right now. The quality time that I get to spend with my kids is spread thin... I feel like I am being pulled in at least 6 different directions at one time. For example; when I thought that I was a pretty awesome mom by taking Nathan and Travis to the splash-pad I was quickly humbled when I asked Nathan if he was having fun and he replied, "Yes, but only you didn't play with us" - I couldn't because I was holding Megan while I watched them play. Or when Kaylee got home from an exciting day with her friend and she was trying to tell me about it while Travis interrupted us because he needed to go potty. I was so distracted that I had to ask her several times to repeat herself, then I wasn't paying attention to Travis' pooping so he wiped himself, got poop on his hands and then wiped them on my pants...lovely! Kaylee stopped her story and said "Wow, I don't think I want to be a mom."Or when Aaron barely made it to Scout Camp because I woke up 5 minutes before he was supposed to be there. Or when Eric had to cut his own hair because I was busy nursing Megan.
My time is thin while my waistline, butt, and thighs are fat and my eyelids are heavy.
Why can't I just swap the two? I could sure stand to lose a few pounds and inches around my waist and to get rid of the bags under my eyes. While I would love to gain some more time to play with my kids, have a coherent conversation with Eric before I go to sleep, uninterrupted time to listen to Kaylee's stories, and to just sit and hold Megan for as long as I want to before she grows.
Oh well. I guess that's life; to get through the thick and thin each day no matter how unbalanced and to look for the small fleeting moments when life does seem right and perfect.

(I don't even have time to take a picture before that gets interrupted :)

A Father's Example

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, shared a story about his father, the scientist Henry Eyring, who served on the Utah Bonneville Stake high council. He was responsible for the welfare farm, which included a field of onions that needed to be weeded. At that time, he was nearly 80 and suffering from painful bone cancer. He assigned himself to do weeding even though the pain he felt was too great to allow him to kneel, so he pulled himself along on his stomach with his elbows. Yet he smiled, laughed, and talked happily with the others who were there that day.
President Eyring said of the incident:
“After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone [said to my father], 'Henry, good heavens! You didn't pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway.'
”Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day in the wrong weeds. They had been sprayed and would have died anyway. …  I [asked] him, 'Dad, how could you make a joke out of that?' … He said something to me that I will never forget. … He said, 'Hal, I wasn't there for the weeds.'”

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers in my life. I am so grateful to your examples to me. For my Grandpa who is constantly looking for ways to serve others even though he is 80; for my Dad who always has a smile on his face despite his challenges. For my Father-in-Law and his dedication to his family and church. And for my sweet husband and father of my children and his example of patience and how to play and have fun with our kids. All of these fathers have been there "weeding" and setting examples for their children and families. And I am thankful for that.

 

Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. 

 Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings money cannot buy 

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

 Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-18: Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

When I count my blessings and name them one by one they are Kaylee, Aaron, Nathan, Travis, and Megan. I am truly blessed!

 

Bottled Moments

Bottled Moments

-Written by me 

These precious new-born moments need to be bottled, dried, or canned
To pull out and open on one of those unbearable days when I could use a hand.
On those days when I need a teaspoon, cup, or gallon of these moments to get me by.
I want to preserve and store up these times...hey, it's worth a try.

Like her soft baby cheeks that I always need to kiss
And all of these things that don't last and I will miss.
Like soft as silk hair that I nuzzle with my cheek,
Her hands that hold my finger and her cute little feet.

The way she cuddles up into a ball as she sleeps on my chest
And staying awake to stare at her beauty even though I should rest.
And how her brothers adore her and are so gentle and kind
Would come in handy when these loving feelings are hard to find.

Her fleeting smiles that come and go and her soft baby sounds
I could open and use when a quiet moment is hard to be found.
The huge spirit of love and peace that comes from such a little baby
I could use by the cup, gallon, and bucket-full when our home is so crazy.

I know that these things can't be bottled and kept
These precious times will soon be gone...except
I cannot use a measuring spoon to scoop them out and share
Instead I will treasure them in my heart and keep them safely there.

Believe in God and That He Created All Things

As I sit and stare at my beautiful baby girl I am in awe of my Heavenly Father's creative powers and that Eric and I were able to assist in that. Our bodies are miracles. How each muscle, bone, organ, and nerve are created and work together to form a little body is so amazing to me. The power of God is so evident as I hold my baby and touch her soft, downy hair and her teeny, tiny toes, and listen to her breathe and cute little sounds. I am so grateful for all of God's creations, and especially for the miraculous gift of our bodies.

Mosiah 4:9 - Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth...

"When you sing “I Am a Child of God,” think of His gift to you of your own physical body. The many amazing attributes of your body attest to your own “divine nature.”

Each organ of your body is a wondrous gift from God. Each eye has an autofocusing lens. Nerves and muscles control two eyes to make a single three-dimensional image. The eyes are connected to the brain, which records the sights seen.

Your heart is an incredible pump. It has four delicate valves that control the direction of blood flow. These valves open and close more than 100,000 times a day—36 million times a year. Yet, unless altered by disease, they are able to withstand such stress almost indefinitely.

Think of the body’s defense system. To protect it from harm, it perceives pain. In response to infection, it generates antibodies. The skin provides protection. It warns against injury that excessive heat or cold might cause.

The body renews its own outdated cells and regulates the levels of its own vital ingredients. The body heals its cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Its capacity for reproduction is another sacred gift from God.

Anyone who studies the workings of the human body has surely “seen God moving in his majesty and power.” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47) Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!" - Elder Russell M. Nelson, Thanks Be To God April 2012 General Conference

Introducing Megan

She is here...our little Megan arrived last week. She is a beautiful little 7 pound piece of heaven. I feel so blessed and honored to have this little girl in our family. She brings a special spirit into our home and hearts. The 9 months of being sick, moody, tired, and uncomfortable were worth it! So here she is...introducing Megan Eliza: