Labor Day Pig Out in the Park

We had a nice Labor Day holiday, the last day of summer!  To celebrate, we slept in and hung out in the morning, cashed in on some of the Labor Day sales, then went to Pig Out in the Park. 

 

On the drive downtown, Cal said he needed chapstick.  So I gave him some chapstick.  When I checked back a few moments later, this is what I saw!  He had it all over his face.  I got a wipe and started wiping the glop off of him when he said "but Mom!  My lips hurt real bad!"  Ha ha!

 

We got to Riverfront Park where Pig Out in the Park is held.  They had all kinds of food vendors there as well as concerts.  We went with the Bennetts, Bouviers, Bowmans, and Colliers.  We also ran into a few other families from our ward.  It was a perfect, beautiful day! 

We had a hard time choosing what to eat, there were so many choices!  Dave got Longhorn BBQ, I chose the PHAT Truck chicken bacon ham slaw sandwich and fries, Emma just wanted lemonade as she wasn't feeling well and Cal and Lucy picked pizza.  The best part, though, were these mini cinnamon sugar donuts we got after we ate lunch, they were so good!  I think I ate most of them myself and I'm not usually huge on donuts unless it's a cake donut, or a maple bar.

Lucy loved baby Olive and kept going to check her out!

Emma was so lethargic and really not having a fun time.  ):  Poor thing!  But she said she was okay to go, so we took her but kept her away from the little peeps. 

Cal's Pals...Spencer and the Lucys. 

We had a great time talking under the shade with our friends and playing on the playground.  We finally left because Em and I had haircut appointments.  We did that and went home early to get ready for Emma's first day of school the next morning!

Emma's 6th Mermaiderrific Birthday!

Emma is now 6, and we made a splash with her other mermaid and mermen pals to celebrate!  We had so much fun planning and putting this party together!  :)  We made her a cute mermaid cover-up to go over her swimsuit and made her a birthday crown.  She picked out the material, I think she looks sweet in blue!

Welcome, mermaids & mermen!  Many of her friends were out of town because it was the last weekend before school and a holiday weekend.  But we had so much fun with those who could make it!

Lucy by the "wreath" we made out of paper plate, yarn, sea shells and cut-outs from a mermaid coloring book.  

Mia, Emma, Lily, Ana, Ayanna, Cal & Klara

First, we had food...lots of food of course, because that's how we roll...or should I say swim...

We had "Seaweed dip" (spinach dip) with veggies and chips

"School of fish"

"Peanut butter and jellyfish"

Assorted fish

"Watermelon starfish and fruit sushi"

We also had chicken of the "Sea"sar salad sandwiches for the adults, and "ocean water" to drink. 

After we ate, we made mermaid wands or tritons.  The kids glued cut out sand paper that was star or triton-shaped to the back of cardboard.  Then, they decorated them with small shells, starfish, glitter glue, and stuck a bamboo skewer into the corrugated carboard.  Then they put ribbons on.  I forgot to take any pics of the finished products, but it was fun to see what they came up with!

Then we had a treasure hunt!  Emma found the first clue, but then the kids were off and all wanted to be the first to find the next clue! 

Cruz found it!

Mermaid photo booth!  Emma stayed up later than she (and I) should to paint this.  We had a great time doing it together!  She was impressed by our work together as she exclaimed "We should take this to a museum!" 

One of Emma's favorite carnival things is the fishing pond.  So that's just what we did!  We had the kids cast their line, and pull out a prize!  We had cute pony-tail holders and growing sea animals as prizes. 

 Cal said "I knew I'd get the turtle!"

We gave each of the kids a mini sand pail and shovel set to keep the rest of their goods in. 

We played a game called "Pearl, pearl, who's got the pearl?"  kind of like the classic "Button, button, who's got the button?"  I think my kids were the only who had played that game before.  They got a kick out of it!

 

Then we did a dance contest.  We put on some songs "Under the Sea" and "Dancing Queen".  We chose someone to be the mermaid queen or king and then the rest got to dance.  If the queen/king  didn't think they were measuring up and dancing well enough for them, they could throw a water balloon at that person, and then they'd become the mermaid queen.  It was a riot to watch them dance and I loved all of the laughter!

 

Present time...Emma got a bunch of sweet swag!  She got a Cinderella Barbie, a couple of yarn art kits, some painting kits and sand art kit, some Littlest Pet Shops, a Barbie that swims and with dogs that swim adn do tricks, a gift card, and then we got her the Butterfly Garden, some Hello Kitty bling ballet flats, and an Usborne Big Book of Things to Find In the Sea.  She did great remembering to tell everyone thank you, I didn't have to remind her once!  Little things like that are payoffs for me, seeing that a child is becoming grateful and using good manners makes me happy!

 

Then it was cake and ice-cream time!  While I was making her sandcastle mermaid cake, Emma said "I'm glad you make fun cakes like Grandma!"  I'm not nearly as good as she is, and never will be, but I'm having fun and learning a little bit with every cake I make.  The kids came saying "Cool cake!" and "Woa!"  and "How did you do that?"  It was actually one of the easiest cakes I've made.  I did a square cake on bottom, then a round, then one from a tin can, then frosted it with a cream cheese frosting I whipped up, and then covered it entirely in vanilla wafer crumbs.  Yum!  I did a quick border, and then cut the ice-cream cones so they'd look more castle-y, did a few details on some of the cones and stuck a few of Emma's Polly Pocket toys on there to finish it off. 

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Emma...always a fun part!  I can't believe she is 6!

Lucy enjoyed her cone!

Make a wish, Emma girl!  Hope the sixth year of your life rocks your world!

We love you so much - you're so sweet, so good, so kind and we are so glad you are ours!

Hello, my name is Guardian of the Hearth

So today I taught the lesson in Relief Society at church.  The topic was "Guardians of the Hearth", and it was based on a lesson in the wonderful book put out by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Daughters in My Kingdom". 

When I told my husband the topic for the lesson, he was like "huh!?  Did you make that title up?"  Nope, it's Chapter 8, buddy!  :)  I benefitted so much from being able to prepare the lesson and ponder and study over this topic. 

As the sisters came in, I had them get a name tag like this:

To help us better understand what a guardian of the hearth is, I filled in titles and names from the book that describes what that is including but not limited to: mother, wife, sister, cousin, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, grandmother, friend, neighbor, woman, rescuer, heart and soul, family member, visiting teacher, Relief Society sister, Saint, minister, etc.  These people are all guardians of the hearth!  I like what a sister said when I opened my lesson.  She said a hearth is the fireplace.  It provides warmth and light, and used to be the center of the home and the gathering place. I love that!  We are the warmth, light, and should make Christ the center of our home where we all gather. 

I just thought I'd share a few favorite quotes ighlights and thoughts.  There were so many great ones it was hard to cut things out.  These are great ones to put on your mirror or in the car, in your planner or in your quote book.  I have quotes floating all over the place here, and it helps to keep me going when times get tough, which they do.  All too often!  These are assuring and encouraging. 

“You are the guardians of the hearth.  You are the bearers of the children.  You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives.  No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.” –President Gordon B. Hinckley

“To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age.  To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling.  The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times.  She has been placed here to help to enrich, to protect, and to guard the home – which is society’s basic and most noble institution.  Other institutions in society may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help to save the home, which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals will know in the midst of storm and strife.”  -President Spencer W. Kimball

       “Through selfless service and personal faith, women have rescued many children     from emotional, spiritual, and physical danger.”

“Whenever a woman strengthens the faith of a child, she contributes to the strength of a family, now and in the future.” 

“There is an art to being a homemaker.  For ourselves and for our families, it is important that we have a sanctuary – a place of refuge away from the world where we feel comfortable and where, if others come, they, too, can feel comfortable.”  -Barbara W. Winder

“There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman…ALL women have within their divine nature both the inherent talent and the stewardship to mother.”  -Elder M. Russell Ballard

“To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow.  Therefore, mothers [should[ create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes.  Another word for nurturing is homemaking.  Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home.  Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world.  Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunity to teach and model qualities children should emulate.  Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth…Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work.  Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential roll bestowed on women.”  -Julie B. Beck

“Motherhood is near to divinity.  It is the highest, holiest, service to be assumed by mankind.  It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.  To you mothers in Israel we say God bless and protect you, and give you the strength and courage, the faith and knowledge, the holy love and consecration to duty, that shall enable you to fill the fullest measure the sacred calling which is yours.  To you mothers and mothers-to-be we say: Be chaste, keep pure, live righteously, that you posterity to the last generation may call you blessed.”  - David O. McKay

“Many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing.  The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us…We know the family to be eternal.  We know that when things go wrong in the family, things go wrong in every other institution in society.”  -Spencer W. Kimball

Barbara B. Smith was quoted as saying "Hold your heads high, you wives, mothers, homemakers.  You engender life and enrich it.  Don’t trade that pervasive force for fleeting, surface trinkets.  Cherish it, enlarge it, magnify it.  You hold a mighty office."

I am so grateful I get to be a mother in Zion and hope in some small way I can help those around me, particularly my family and then out from there!  We have such great obligations and duties, but we have so many blessings, gifts and tools to help us and others along our way!  I pray I can be a better guardian of the hearth and to "do my duty and do it well"!



Couer d'Alene must be French for "amazing & beautiful beach"!

On one of the last hot days this summer, we decided to capitalize on that and head out to Lake Couer d'Alene.  We have been to the beach and the adjacent park many times, but every time we've gone it's been too cold to swim!  So we had a blast swimming, watching the boats, planes, and paragliders, and playing on the beach!  Lake C'DA is so amazing and beautiful, one of those places everyone should visit!

 



Lucy loved eating the sand - she would pick up huge globs of sand and just shove them in her mouth!  We "loved" trying to get her not to eat the sand the whole time!  Let me tell you, her diaper was so much fun to change the next time.  Little stinker!  But how can you get upset at this?

Cal worked hard digging most of the time.  He loves digging and shoveling and playing in the dirt.  True boy!  :)

Emma didn't want to get out of the water, she enjoys swimming so much!!  Here she is making a splash!

The gang.

Daddy and Emma kept getting into water fights.  And believe me, I was on Emma's side...I even dunked Daddy!  We laughed so much, I love those days you laugh until your tummy hurts!

You can't really see it well in this picture, but Emma made a "sand pillow" and had a nice little rest on the beach.  Cute.

Our kids' hair all looks so red in the sun!  Check that out!

Emma wanted to bury me and turn me into a mermaid.  With a little help from Daddy, of course!

What a beautiful, amazing day at the beach with my little fam!!