Our trip to St. George

Peekaboo!

Grandma and Grandpa

Today my parents are starting their drive to Virginia. My Dad flew in on Saturday so they could pack up and drive out to Virginia together. We went down to St. George this past weekend so we could see them before they left and help pack. I hadn't seen my Dad since last summer, so it was good to see him. It was good to spend time with my parents and my brothers and their families. We will see my brothers again soon since they live in Utah, but I really don't know when the next time I'll see me parents will be. I guess it'll be when they come out here again, or when we go out there, which probably won't be until Christina gets married... No pressure though Christina, ok? :) Anyway, while we were in St. George I took this video of Grandma and Grandpa with the kids so my kids can see it and remember them. It's also a last video of the beautiful pond in the backyard where I had many fond memories helping to create it, enjoying friends and family's company, and it's also where I had my wedding reception. I will miss that backyard, and will probably never see it again. I will really miss my parents, and I'll see them again, but I don't know when.... hopefully soon.

The Things Kids Do

Well, I don't have any pictures from Mother's Day, but I do have a funny story. Travis let me sleep in and he fed the kids breakfast and made a breakfast in bed for me. Before he brought it up to me, he asked Elora what she wanted to give to me for Mother's Day. She thought about it, and said, "A rock!" Of course! So they went outside, and Elora picked out a special rock. So when Travis brought up my breakfast, Elora came also and brought up her rock. Who could ask for anything more on Mother's Day!

Here I am sitting on the Elmo couch with Max

And also my sweet little girl, Elora
Elora very much enjoying her Frosty at Wendy's
This is Travis with our new niece, Jaci. Jan and Dan finally had a girl after 4 boys!
Another thing that Elora has been doing lately is that after naps or in the morning, she gets in Max's crib after they both wake-up. They have fun with it, but it's quite annoying how they like to throw all his bedding out of the crib, so I have to make his bed everyday.
This is something that Elora enjoys doing with her dollhouse dolls and her pony's. She sets them up in a little scene and pretends that they're eating dinner or whatever. I'll catch her saying little things that the people say. So, time for Barbies this next birthday??? :)Elora loves all her friends. For this nap, she made sure that all her friends were tucked in under the baby's blanket. She's so motherly!

We got Max's hair cut again last week, and spiked the top. He's looking more like a little boy everyday!

Here's all of Elora's friends ready to watch a movie on the couch. She's so funny!

Financial Peace is Possible

Last weekend we got the chance to see Dave Ramsey live, thanks to a great deal for tickets from Catherine and Wade Reed. It was so much fun! We were first introduced to Dave Ramsey about two years ago when we attended one of the classes of Financial Peace University. My parents were attending the class so that my Dad could see if he wanted to bring the class into his workplace. Well they invited us, and it has changed our life ever since! We didn't have very much debt, but we learned to pay it off and really stay debt free, we learned how to live on a WORKING budget, and to save, and we also learned many other useful things about UNDERSTANDING insurance, investing, real estate etc... It's definitely not a get rich quick thing. You really have to live on a plan and sacrifice to win with money. As soon as we saw that first lesson of Financial Peace University, I got on fire. I got his book, "The Total Money Makeover" right away, and read it within a week, I couldn't put it down! There were nights that I couldn't sleep because I was so excited about this stuff, thinking how we're making a great start when we're young, and living on a plan, and thinking about the fact that we could be rich someday! Or at least retire comfortably! The prophets have said to get out of debt, stay out of debt, and to save, but those things are hard to do when you have no plan. An important part of the plan is a written working budget. I love that Dave says that the first time you do a budget, it won't work, the second time, a little better but still not working, but he says it takes around 3 months to get a budget to work. So don't give up the first time! He also says not to forget about those annual expenses-Christmas, Car registration, Vacation, etc... So you figure out how much you want to spend of those items, divide by 12 and then put that amount in the monthly budget. Another thing that I love that Dave Ramsey teaches, is the baby steps. At the live event, Dave Ramsey showed clips of the movie, "What About Bob" with the main character baby steping. It was quite comical. But it really works, you take baby steps to your financial goals. It causes you to focus on the current baby step. So while you're working on a baby step, you focus on that one and pause on everything else. So for example, while you're working on paying on debt, you shouldn't be contributing to retirement. Because you'll get out of debt faster, and then when it comes time to save for retirement, you'll be able to contribute more each month. So the baby steps are:

1. Save $1000 in a starter emergency fund

2. Pay off all debt using the debt snowball (except the house)

3. Save 3-6 months expenses in liquid savings

3.b) Save for a down payment of a house-doesn't apply if you already have a house

4.Save 15% of household income into Roth IRA's and pre-tax retirement

(Steps 4,5,6,7 can be done at the same time)

5. College funding for the kids

6. Pay off home early

7. Build wealth and give!

So we went to a few more classes with my parents, then I decided to coordinate a class for other people to go to that fall of 2006. January of 2007 we became DEBT FREE! and even called into Dave Ramsey's radio show to say we're debt free. He has debt free fridays where people call in to say they're debt free, it's very emotional and inspiring. I've found tears on my cheeks when listening to other callers scream that they're debt free. I think it was last Fall that we had our fully funded Emergency Fund, and now we're working on saving for a house. It's awesome how far we've come, and how far we can get to. We can do this! At the live event, Dave Ramsey talked about how the little guy CAN get ahead. We just need to focus on our goals and work toward them. The Dave Ramsey live event was very inspiring and motivating. I even found myself emotional with teary eyes a few times. I'm just so passionate about this! Because it's our life!! We don't need to be living paycheck to paycheck, we can come out on top! And yes, Financial Peace is possible.

Mothers As Artists

I found this little article on the internet, and just thought it was so good! I get bored and frustrated with the routines and other things we do as a mother... After I read this, I could totally understand since I'm an artist. Even though I'm not doing much painting and drawing these days, right now I'm an artist in a different way... I dedicate this to all those Mothers that I know... Keep on "painting!"

Mothers as Artists
By Jane DeLaney, founder of maketimeforfamily.org and E-Mealz

As I reflect on Mother's Day, I know that one of the greatest ways I can live out my gratitude for God's sacrifice is to simply love those around me. There is verse in the Bible that says, "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for each other." This is what it means to love my family: to lay down my life for their good – on a daily basis. It is not easy.
It often reminds me of when I took portrait painting in college. It was not like any other class. It took a lot of time, thought, and spending hours and days working stroke by stroke. I couldn't "cram" the night before an assignment was due. If I put it off, it would be too late. There was simply no feasible way to speed-paint a painting worth turning in. I remember the long, quiet hours alone in the run-down art building, sitting on the old wooden stool – painting, painting, and more painting. But that's what it took.
Raising a family feels like I am still sitting on that old wooden stool. Alone in the reality that I have to keep painting no matter how tired, no matter how insignificant each brush stroke may seem. It’s in the here and now, seizing every moment possible, knowing that a thousand days, one by one, will be the substance of who they become. It began the day they each were born, that first stroke on the canvas, and then thousands of strokes to follow.
Remember that all the things we do for our children, for the thousandth time, to us may be tiring and routine. Yet to a child, it's their very security. It is the repetition and routine that makes their world predictable, safe and secure. It's the being there day in and day out… waking them up, tucking them in and praying, helping with homework, and eating dinner together.
It all adds up. It adds up to what we are painting their portrait with – the very paint we are using – the oils of God's unconditional, sacrificial, unwavering love. Remember that every loving brush stroke you make will strengthen the canvas of your family – giving them a lifelong picture of God's great love.