Fancy Hair

Sometimes it's fun to do a fancy 'do. Yesterday Emily let me play with her hair and I think it turned out just beautifully. (Of course she has beautiful hair in the first place. Look at those golden highlights!)

Things I've been Thinking....

• The Superman roller-coaster at Six Flags is really, really fun. So is Goliath, Batman, and the Georgia Scorcher.
• The Chronicles of Narnia series is way better than I thought the first time I read them. I just finished reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. Now I'm so excited for the movie to come out in December.
• Online tutorials are very, very helpful. I used them to make my girls and I coordintating dresses and skirts for the 4th of July.
• The more sewing experience I gain, the more I like sewing. I still consider myself a beginner, but I'm excited to see my skills progressing.
• Thank you to Abbi for letting me borrow the book Feeling Good. I am learning so much and am excited to find practical ways to deal with my sometimes distorted thoughts and feelings.
• We're definitely in the summer groove and I'm loving it. I'm getting used to having my kids around all the time and they are getting better at working and finding ways to keep themselves busy.
• I really wish I loved to exercise. The last couple weeks I've been averaging 1-2 workouts per week, which is okay, but not quite up to the goal I set. In order to exercise I need to get up before the girls do, but I have really enjoyed sleeping in.
• David has got to be one of the best men EVER. He works so hard for our family and I am sometimes afraid I don't quite deserve him. He has been working in his free time to finish our basement and it is looking so, so good. I love you, David!!

Me and my Chloe

Yesterday afternoon Chloe and I did a little impromptu photo-shoot on our front porch using the self-timer on our camera. We were really just messing around, but I was so happy with how some of the pictures turned out.

We miss McKenna!

(McK on Tuesday at 5:45 am--all packed up and ready to go!)

McKenna is at Girls' Camp and we are all really missing her! I hope that she is sleeping well, that her bed is staying dry and that her tent is staying upright. (She called at 9:30 Tuesday night to tell us that there was a big thunderstorm and that their tent was collapsing and there was water everwhere!) I hope she is getting along with the other girls and that she is making new friends. I hope that she is having FUN. And most of all I hope that she is learning more about who she is and who the Lord wants her to be. She is such a wonderful, beautiful, kind, helpful girl. I can't wait to see her tomorrow and to get a full report on her whole experience.

Coordinating dresses

Summer and Emily are best friends. And unlike my two older girls, they like to dress alike. So I made them these little 'best friend' dresses. I used Simplicity 4927 again and like the addition of the contrasting bands. I'm not totally sold on the pockets on Emily's dress, but she really likes them so I guess they will stay. This pattern is so versatile I could get a little carried away. It's so fun to make things that my girls really apprecitate!

His promises are sure

Lately we've been kind of hit and miss in our family scripture study. (And honestly it's been more miss than hit.) But going into our summer vacation I knew that something needed to change. My girls were constantly bickering with each other, they were talking back to me and David, and I had no idea what to do with them. I could not fathom a summer vacation with that kind of contention in our home! But a couple weeks ago, as I was praying about this problem, the Lord reminded me of a statement President Marion G. Romney made with amazing promises given to those who read the Book of Mormon. President Romney said:

"I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity--the pure love of Christ-- will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." (Ensign, May 1980, p. 67)

Since school got out we have made scripture study a priority in our house because I want those blessings! David and I both have our personal study in the mornings as we eat breakfast, and I read with the girls as part of our morning routine. And I can absolutely attest to the fact that the Lord's promises are sure. We still have our moments of fussing and fighting. But the difference is amazing. It used to be that every time we got in the car we would spend the entire ride refereeing fights. Now the girls are far more cheerful and are more apt to compromise when they have differences. David and I feel the Spirit buoying us up during times of stress, and we are finding counsel in the scriptures that helps us focus on things that are most important. Reading the scriptures has been one of those "small things" by which great things are brought to pass-- a small miracle for which I am very grateful.

Something sweet

I don't usually buy candy, but one of my summer survival secrets is to always have something sweet up my sleeve when I need to snap my kids out of a funk. It's amazing what a little taffy, a popcycle, or some Oreos can do for a kid! When I pulled the taffy out the other day Emily said, "This is the nicest you have ever been, Mom!"

And when they are happy they are far more likely to listen when you ask them to do the dishes, clean their rooms, or vacuum the floor. :)

Long Lost Cousins

On Saturday night we had a little family reunion for all of the members of the P* family living in Georgia. The purpose was to get to know one of my 2nd cousins and his wife and son. We recently discovered the connection when my great-uncle Max came to visit them and made them promise to look us up. They were true to their promise and we were finally able to get together (thanks to Abbi's coordination!) on Saturday. It is always so interesting to me how family bonds are there even with people who have never met each other. We really enjoyed spending the evening with them and look forward to more P* family reunions in the future! (And it makes me wonder how many more long-lost cousins I have!!)

(And just as a side-note: If you ever want to get a large group to look at the camera, use a self-timer with a blinking light. We got this picture in ONE take!!)

Garden Fresh

One of the best things about having a garden is watching my kids go out there and pick fresh veggies to eat. This morning Emily and Summer decided that they wanted some carrots for breakfast. So they went out and picked some, fresh from our little garden. It made my heart happy.

Art Idea: Circle collage

One of my goals this summer is to provide fun, engaging, productive activities for my kids. Our first activitiy was putting together these collages using pictures from magazines. I first gave them a 15 second lesson in texture and then instructed them to go through the magazines to find pictures with interesting  textures. They enjoyed looking closely at the images in the magazines and did a good job identifying the different textures.

I think the finished projects are really cool. Here is one example.

If anyone has any other easy art projects that don't require many supplies let me know! I have a few more ideas waiting in the wings, but with my kids home all day every day I'm going to need a few more ideas!!!