Where does the time go?

Tonight was fun with our little family. After family council we pulled out the home movies and watched those for a few hours. Oh my, where does the time go!? (Every time I watch those things they put me in a reflective mood.) Just five years ago Cole was two and Carson was brand new! To say five years sounds like a long time but when you pull out the home movies it takes you right back, and then it feels like yesterday.

We truly do not have a lot of time here, and we truly do not have very long with our kids! The stages they go through in just a few years is crazy. Listening to Cole's baby talk and cute, little, Carson's monster walk is so far removed from where they are now. And to think that in a few years I will be longing for the present time I have with them.

What to do about the time problem? I guess its not a problem all the time, especially when they are crying and fighting....but in sweet moments like today when you see their childhood flash before your eyes, it makes me ponder on how do I want to behave in the time I have left with them? What can I do different to maximize the time I have remaining? How can I lessen the blow of them growing up eventually? The only thought that comes is spend the time on them now, love them, cuddle them, teach them, hold them, play with them, and just be the best I can for them.

It was a good day!

Sacrifices

So tonight was my once a month girls night out. Sadly, I have sick kids and an absent husband, and I had to forgo my night out. Isn’t it funny the things we willingly and unwillingly give up for these little creatures in our lives?

Motherhood is truly a great teacher of who you really are as a person. I would never see some of the hidden feelings in my heart if it wasn’t for kids. I am thankful for the blessings of being a mom. I am thankful for my little demanding munchkins that will refine me like gold, I hope!

So I missed out on a girls night, o-well, there will be one next month and the month after but the little snippets of time I have with my kids at this stage right now will not last long. I think it best to sacrifice a little “me time” in order to be there for them because I get the feeling when they are grown I will long for these moments.

Hello Chore Packs!

I love a new year! Its fresh and you can start new things. So one of the new programs around the house for the kids is there chore packs!

This is a system I found a year ago. I bought the book and haven't implemented it until now. To be honest this is our 2nd day of doing it and so far so good!

The kids love it and I think it makes them feel grown up. We have been doing morning chores for awhile before they go to school but now I don't have to ride them like I have done in the past.

So the system is this: you make chores for them in the morning and in the evening and label them in a way that the kids can understand. This is some of Carson's and we used pictures because he is not reading just yet. You laminate the cards and stick it into a little plastic pocket deal that you attach on to them.

You then train them in the proper way to accomplish a job and when that job is complete they take there card from the front and place it in the back.

When they have accomplished all of their chores they return the pack to me and we go back and look at how well they did. They have the satisfaction of feeling like they are contributing and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am actually teaching my kids how to take care of themselves and contribute. Plus, I am a sucker for these kinds of little things that make the daily grim of living a little more like a game or a challenge.

So hopefully this little device will help me help the kids to be responsible. Carson, was so cute yesterday when we were going through some of his chores he said, "Mom, I'm like your slave hu?" I laughed and tried to explain that no he was not my slave but he was my big boy and was helping the family live in a nice clean house. I am sure I will get some kick back from this but I am going to stick with this... it feels right for us.

Final Thoughts on 2010

This past year for me at times has been filled with wonderful blessings and at other times I have found myself knee deep in trials. I am glad 2010 is over and I am more glad of the things I hopefully learned about myself and others around me.

This past year I have spent more time with my family than I have since I left home in 1998. What a blessing to be close to them. The only thing missing here is more time with Grandma and Grandpa Pressley. Truly this life is about family and sadly so many times I think I get distracted from that truth. Wouldn't it be nice to live what you know 24/7?

Most of the goals I set for 2010 I failed but there were a few that were great successes. One being our family councils. I think we missed only a few for the whole year. We hold these on Sundays and the kids and us look forward to them. I like knowing that in something as important as family time and communication we stuck to our guns on that one.

I have to agree with whoever said the hardest part about setting a goal is starting it. Truly, I can plan down to the slightest detail but to actually start something new sometimes is like climbing Mt. Everest. The hard part for me is finding the drive and motivation to just DO IT.

Well, 2010 is over and 2011 is here! I am glad for new beginnings and look forward to all the new blessings and trials that are coming to teach me how to be better.

Carpenter Cylee

Food storage shelves that I built with my own two hands....AMAZING, isn't it? I didn't know I had it in me. Well, once I did this I couldn't stop there. (I had a little help from Mike with this, but this was my baby.)

Onto CLOSETS! Yes, I need them so desperately here I was finally driven to just go for it. And.. success! This is not the before picture. (Imagine just a shelf and one rod.) I can not describe how good it feels to tackle projects that get me ORGANIZED!

SUCCESS

This is our closet when we pulled everything out of it.

This is the end result, minus a few things to finish up with, but I am so pleased! We did it! Thank you Michael, if you didn't help me with this it would have never happened. We make a great team!

2010 Holiday Highlights!

To kick off the holiday celebrating we wanted to start the month off with going to the temple. What I thought would be this Spirit filled evening quickly turned into an irritating night and we couldn't get home quick enough. The place was packed...so much so that you could hardly walk!
It seems to me when I really want to have a great evening and it heads in the opposite direction I get just as mad as I was excited...strange!

We were able to get a few shots in.

Family movie night and Carson and Morgan all cuddled up together. I love to see peace and love shown!

The kids all dressed up and ready to go to our ward Christmas party.

This little thing is getting to be a handful. She is quickly following in her brother's footsteps with getting into cupboards, climbing, spilling and all other rowdy types of behavior typically reserved for boys. So far all manageable and adorable. We took her out of her crib a few months back and ever since sleeping time has become a bit of an issue.

This was Carson's big night! His preschool class put on a cute little program that consisted of singing and some talking parts. Super cute to watch this little boy, so handsome, behave himself so well at the program.

He is such a great little guy. Doesn't need to be center of attention 24/7 and that is very refreshing!

Cole on Santa's lap at the preschool party. Cole almost did not have Christmas this year. We have threatened it before but he came very close to getting a lump of coal!

This kid is amazing and smart and cute and such a HANDFUL. He still is very interested in the body and how it works. He has a life size skeleton on his wall. (Will have to post that later.) He will make a fine man one day if Mike and I can survive him.

Here is my lovely cousin Shana posing as Mary. She was a willing participant in this years nativity play. Her and her wonderful husband Jon, along with kids and other adults, performed at our family Christmas party. We have not done something like this since I was little so it was Really fun to do it again. I am so mad I don't have a picture to post of them in performance. Next year I will get one!

We stayed the weekend with my parents. This is my mom and Mo exercising together. It was too cute to not post this. My mom is such an example of health. She has exercised since I can remember and is very disciplined in keeping with a routine. MOM, Please Rub Off On Me!!!

My parents got the X-box Kinect and we all had so much fun playing that we had to get one too. (Now I don't have to join the gym I can have a personal trainer here in my living room.)

Now finally to Christmas eve. Here are the kids eagerly ready to open the traditional Christmas eve P.J's.!


Its amazing to me the obedience you get from your children when they know they get to open a present.


Michael did such a great job this year with my pajamas! I am well pleased with his selection. Morgan was too so she gave him a big squeeze.


I really struggle with blending the majic of Santa yet keeping to the reason for the season, Jesus Christ's birth. So after the presents and sprinkling of reindeer food we came in and talked about that special night long ago when the earth was changed forever. Mike told the story again and then we sang some Christmas songs. This holiday season was good. I am so blessed to be close to my family in Idaho and so blessed to have my own little family to teach and celebrate with.