Conference Weekend

We had a wonderful conference weekend!  As I mentioned in the post before about Dave's birthday, Amy, Kolby & Boji were able to come and spend it with us.  We loved each minute being together and soaking up LDS General Conference.  We couldn't get enough Boji!  He is too too cute!  He just got his first little teeth and his little grin kills you every time!

Saturday morning, we woke up and made {extra brown} hash browns, orange julius (Kolby had to make it, of course, since his orange julius is famous!) and prophet pancakes (no credit for that, found it on Pinterest, ha ha!).  I put out all kinds of toppings and sauces and stuff to decorate and let each person make their own.  It was really fun and they turned out cute!

Then Kolby, Amy, Dave & Emma went to 1-80 Powersports to check out some side-by-sides, since Amy & Kolby are in the market.  They loved test driving them and seeing all of the toys!  Someday it would be fun to have one of those!

To engage the kids, I tried something where I put pictures of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on separate zip lock bags, and put a little activity or snack in each one.  So when each of those people spoke, we went to find their picture and said their name and got the prize.  The kids liked it, but I don't think we'll do it again.  I think it was more of a distraction than a help.  Ha ha!  By Sunday morning, our front room was scattered with bags and puzzle pieces and wrappers, it was outta control!  Next time, we'll come up with something else.  :)

In between the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions, we went out to Buck's for lunch.  It was tasty and fun and Amy & Kolb loved the hunting atmosphere and theme.  We've been there a couple of other times, and it's always fun.  They also brought a giant brownie sundae on a pizza plate to Dave for his birthday, which was enough to feed our army.  Coverton tried a lemon, which he loved, and Boji wasn't so sure at first, but ended up seeming to enjoy it.  Cov also tried a pickle and he couldn't get enough of that.  After that, we just went to the shop next door and Boji got some cute Air Jordans.  And we drove through the town a little bit.

During the Saturday afternoon session, we drove up to Saratoga to soak in the hot springs.  We met the Mayor of Saratoga and it was Boji and Covey's first time ever swimming.  They loved it and were all smiles and splashes!  The rest of us enjoyed it, too.  It is so good for Cal's skin and always feels so good!

We rushed back after swimming so the guys could get ready for the Priesthood session.  They left, and we had BBQ chicken salad for dinner and played and talked.  Then, Amy cut Emma's hair ("I want my hair up to here!" she always says pointing to the top of her ear).  It looks so cute and Em looks adorable!    Then she cut my hair!  I wasn't really planning on really cutting it a lot, but figured since she threatened she almost brought color (*gasp - I've never done that and am not planning on it, ha ha!) I better get it cut.  I told her I trust her with my life and I trusted her to do whatever she wanted with my hair, and she went for a longer pixie cut.  It's the shortest my hair has ever been (minus my infancy) and I love, love it!  Amy is seriously so amazing at cutting hair, she really has a gift!  Thank you, Amy Lou for my new 'do!  :)

Sunday morning, we woke up and ate breakfast and then Amy, Kolby & Boji headed back home.  We loved having them come and had such good times with them!  Please come back soon!

Sunday morning, we got so much out of conference (unlike Saturday, the noise level was through the roof!).  It was quiet and peaceful.  Afternoon was a little louder, but still, it was a great session.  I love Conference and knowing that God reveals His word to us through His modern day prophets.  I know His Church is true and these are His prophets and they are called of God!  How blessed we are to be able to hear from them twice a year, and more with church publications and periodicals.  They bring peace and direction to a world filled with turmoil and confusion, for which I am so thankful!

The speakers and music were all so touching and moved me to tears and gave me goosebumps!  I thought I'd share some of my favorite thoughts from the sessions, but my little notebook is missing in action.  The emphasis on discipleship, obedience, kindness, really standing up for what we believe, being careful in use of digital media, and putting the family first were things that stood out to me and things I need to work on.  Here are a few little quotes that I enjoyed.