Joy in June

 I have been pondering ALOT on Joy. What is Joy? How does it feel? What does it look like to me? How do I teach my kids about this thing I seem to lack in my life? How do I focus on JOY in my life and not what someone else thinks and feels about me.  These past couple months of Therapy and the new book I found has helped me open my eyes to seeing Joy!

These moments I am choosing to share say something about the joy in my life. It is moments.... sweet moments when I don't allow anyone to cloud my judgement and I am free to feel the light, peace and happiness.  I know I am not the only one who finds themselves lost in all the CRAP that goes on but I feel it's not something we talk about...we tend to suffer in silence and have ourselves a pity party. I'm don'e with the pity, and wo is me...

I HAVE SO MUCH JOY in my life and I deserve these moments, I deserve happiness and success. I am so grateful for a Savior who continues to remind me of THIS truth amidst the storms I find myself in.

 Homeless looking kids....remind me a my childhood @ Renfroe Cousins Camp

 1,3,5 SISTERS, We can just say the ones with muscles!

Oh Nothing just a Death Defying tubing trip. :O)

 SISTERS (KK's baby ended up weighing 10.5 WOWZA)

 Lily @ T-Ball

 This picture needs to be blown up. She is a Spicy girl this one!

 I am so glad I saw this moment and caught it. I love seeing Bri and Jo smile together, moments of connecting bring me Joy!

4-Wheeling with the Leatherows

 I  <3 NATURE! I love learning and playing with my camera. I find SO much joy capturing moments and this was a gorgeous morning that will never be forgotten!

 Me and MY Man! He's so HOT!

 Shar & Tommy! So much joy. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much!

Lundell CABIN Trip

 love this little guy crawling around on the ground, eyeing me! :O)

 My Baby is Joy!

 Being part of this family is JOY. I love laughing and hearing stories and being part of such a wonderful, full, crazy loving family!

Lucky! Blessed! Joyful!

City of Rocks my World

I am having you skip on over to my sisters blog to check out my trip with just mine...IT WAS A BLAST, and one that will be made an annual trip for us!!!! Loves!

7th & last day of Spring Break

 Happy Easter!  I was so lucky to have my mother-in-law Susan help me with the girls clothes. She sewed the dresses and I made the skirts. We were a matchy/matchy family this Easter and it made me think of my childhood and all the time and energy my mom put into 6 girls dresses and then a couple ties for my brothers. I decided it's a tradition I want to keep going. Especially because I only get them all every other year. No excuses Ali! :O)

We were lucky enough to have the Bunnells Spend Easter with us.

The kids group picture isn't my favorite but I put them in their sibling group also to get a picture for their other parent. I love my kids and their gorgeous blue eyes!

Syd and Hay and their Grandma Joy dark brown eyes! :O) So cute!!!

 

Bonnies cute kids! I LOVE this picture! :O)

And our sweet stinker Beth! Oh how I love this girl!

After church we went to G-ma Susan and Papa's house for Easter Lunch and a special Eater Egg Hunt! Susan never had kids of her own, and I am sure when she was dating Gailens dad all his kids and their kids were a little intimidating...but she has JUMPED HEAD FIRST into this grandma thing and is making all the kids feel so special. She does so much and we are so lucky to have her! She planned a special Family Home Evening and shared her sweet testimony with the kids. As Beth sang and led the song "I am a Child of God" I could see the joy she has in having a family. 

She is SO special to me!!!

Day 6 Spring Break

Cousins, playing, laughing Hiking, and getting wet!

I love the beautiful mountains in my back yard. And I was SO excited to share them with someone in my family.  We forgot water bottles which didn't help the kids...but all in all they were really good and had fun running and climbing all around the mountain with the dogs.

The kids ALWAYS want to get in this canal, but it usually has water so they were excited it was water free and they could run around in it.

We love to take shadow picture!

Ya. I actually made it in one picture this week! :O)

Cute Bonnie walkin with her boys. I love when my family comes to visit. It was a perfect trip. Layed back and just hangin out. Taking pictures and laughing! :O) Thank you Bonnie for coming to stay for a couple days!

Day 5 Spring Break

The kids REALLY wanted to go to a movie. THAT is EXPENSIVE! We could go to a hotel for the price of going to a movie, the reason we only go to the cheap seats very seldom. But they worked hard all week and earned money to pay their way to the Movie. I am so lucky they are all hard workers and like to save their money! It was a cute show. Wish Bri could have come.

Our neighbor had her annual Easter Egg Hunt and it's the first year we have had all the kids to go. And of course I took a lot of pictures of my Bethy cuz' she's still at that fun age when it's SO cute how they pick up eggs and their faces are so cute with excitement.

So much fun! Thanks Jess!

Day 5 done and over...starting to get to count down mode! :O)

Excited for the Bunnells to get here!!!!

Day 4 Spring Break

 Day 4 started with playing in the pool at the hotel till 11. :O)  

We came home and Brian took all the kids to the park and played while I did some massages, in a quiet house.

Then I was in need of some "MEDZ" so we drove out to North Ogden and went to Penny Candy (the MOST divine yummy scrumptious chocolate) The kids each brought a dollar and said it was worth every penny! :O)

 We watched a movie while Beth napped and then be and the oldest went for an hour hike up the mountain and watched the sunset. It was beautiful! I love getting them all outside and being with them. I hope they learn to love the outdoors and being together. Some of my most cherished family times were hiking, fishing, camping and being outside. Kids don't get enough of that these days.

Me and my Gang! Super fun and special time with my kiddos!

                                                                                      

~Still Alive...3 more days to go!~

Day 3 of Srping Break

 Cartoons for an hour and then Cleaning Time.  We like to turn the music up load and go go go till it's done. It helped that the reward was going to a hotel! I wrote all the to do's on sticky notes and then they knew what needed to be done. It didn't even take an hour. 

(maybe because I keep my house fairly clean...Lucky Kids :O)

Joey made every one Chinese number paper things?  Ha ha ha! I don't know what they are called but they all wrote funny things on the inside like

"You will be eaten by a squirrel this week"

"Your hair will turn green in 2 days."

Beth cracked me up counted and opning and closing her fingers to make it work and then gibber babbing some phrase when she opened up the last number.

Lily FINALLY lost her very first tooth. She will be 7 years old in 2 months and it finally happened (Thanks to the help from Syd and I). I flicked it REALLY good and then all Syd had to do was pin her down and pop it out. :O)

Hotel fun! Ridge, Austin, & Ty came swimming and had pizza with us. It was fun to have 5 kids that could swim and help out with Beth. I love these boys! My little Ty (the red head) is getting so talkative and just so big. I forget he's older than Beth because she's so big! I am so grateful we have some cousins and family close to play and have fun with! And it helps that I LOVE G & AMY! The most AWESOME in laws you could ask for. :O)

I am feeling sleep deprived and tired...but hanging in there...does anyone have a Zanex or Valium? :O) hee hee
I feel very grateful for all the photography/massage I have been able to do lately to make it so we could do ALOT of fun things this week. I am glad we decided to stay home and spend the money we would have spent on gas to Idaho on doing fun stuff with our kids!