Pictures Galore

Gymnastics Update...
So while week one was not so great, weeks 2 & 3 have been much better. I could not flip the picture (sorry about that) but Brad had a really good time once he finally got the nerve to participate. What was even better was he totally did everything the instructor asked him to do and he was really trying hard to do everything she said. Gabi on the other hand was so upset that Brad was doing something that she threw a huge fit...so being the great mom I am, I let her play in make-up! She has not really ever done this, but she thought it was great. She even had a little mirror and kept examining how well she was doing putting on her make up! What a cutie! After week 2, I enrolled Gabi in the Tuesday class as well that runs at the same time and was nervous about it, but in week 3 both did pretty good. They wanted to be together, but they each managed a whole 50 minutes without each other!


Youth Conference...


I got to go to the last part of Youth Conference this past weekend and it was amazing. I drove up Friday after Brad got home from work and got to go to the dance and hang out with the youth, who had all worked so hard cleaning up one of the parks in Philly, and they were not complaining or moaning, but so excited to show me their posters and tell me what all they had done that day and the day before! They were so excited and the dance was SO much fun! I loved seeing them talking to the youth from other wards and making friends. It was so awesome!

They were all dancing and with youth from all different wards and hugging and smiling and laughing, which was just absolutely amazing. I stayed the night at the Cross's (thank you so much)! It was my very first time staying away from both my kids overnight. I went to girls camp with Gabi last year and left Brad but had never left both of them. I was gone 23 hours but hey...who is counting. Anyway, the next day, Saturday morning they had a service activity which was making blankets for children who were either sick and in hospitals or had been removed from their homes. This was my favorite part of YC by far. I watched our youth start cutting and working on those blankets and then when they finished...they went around and started helping other tables who had not completed theirs. The idea of service was imbedded in their hearts and I don't even think most of them realized what they were doing. They were just helping because they knew it was the right thing to do! After the activity and a lunch, we had the testimony meeting. I think each time I am surrounded by youth my testimony grows! I watched these amazing youth stand up and bear their testimonies of service and of how it helped them focus on others and help them realize all their blessing. Each youth was so aware of the Savior and the service he gave to each of us and how when they were serving they were following the example of the Savior and being his hands! It was just an absolutely amazing time and I love hearing the youth bear their testimonies, so innocent and sweet! I am so very thankful I got to go to YC this year!

Also, it was Quany's 17th birthday, and everyone sang Happy Birthday! Yeah!!!














After Youth Conference
When I got home, Brad was taking the kids to lunch at Wendy's...they had slept in until like 10:30 and so lunch was much later, here were my two cuties after a day without mom. Totally fine and enjoying their time with daddy! Brad did rat out his dad when he told me that daddy bought him and Gabi ALOT of candy and that they had so much fun eating candy and playing with daddy! Glad to know they are okay without me, but I sure did miss them! After they ate we headed home and shortly after decided we would try a family bowling trip! It was interesting...it wasn't bad by any stretch just interesting. Gabi is still a little young I think and Brad was totally into it...in fact, he fell because he went past the line and the lanes were good and greased up! I kicked butt of course because I did used to bowl in a league you know...(if you played with me at the retirement party...that was just a bad night) :-) !! We played one game as a family and then decided to just let Brad play since he was having so much fun. We kept telling him how good he was and he kept saying, "how come you guys haven't taken me to bowl before, I am so good" we were just like, I don't know but you are GREAT! He was so proud each time he got the ball down the lane at an amazing 3 mph! Thank goodness for bumpers right!






Like Birds of a Feather???

Just a cute picture of the kids at the zoo. They have this love/dislike relationship and so one minute they are hanging out and playing and the next they are trying to take the other down! It is fun and cute when they play and challenging when they fight! I normally yell...which doesn't really help, but it's my normal reaction! I love the moments when they are thick as thieves though...Brad gets Gabi into so much and she thinks he hung the moon. He will get her to run around the kitchen table (which is a no, no) and she just laughs and laughs the whole time and when I tell them to get out of the kitchen, he will say, "come on Gabi" and she just runs right after him. While I don't always feel lucky in that moment, I do love and am so thankful for our two little monkeys. Their personalities are so much fun and while half the time I don't think I have the parenting down even half right...we do love them so very much and are so thankful they are in our home!

DISCLAIMER: Big Brad told me my grammer is horrible in my posts...so let me apologize now. I normally just type and post...but maybe I will try harder in the future of course to work on this to make my posts an easier read! :-)