Mommy training

Every summer, Allen's CES training weeks have days where the spouses are invited and they have enrichment workshops for us!  What an awesome experience....I always get out of them exactly what I need at the time.  I went to one workshop taught by the artist, Liz Lemon Swindle.  She told us about the Son of Man project she is working on and how we need to constantly have the Spirit with us to be able to accomplish what we need to.  I also went to a workshop where a mom of 12 children, Sally Olsen,  was talking about being a mother of young children and how to improve.  I really enjoyed it.  The kids have been driving me a little crazy...with school being out and our routine is different and less structured.  I really just want to share one quote that is perfect for me right now:

N. Eldon Tanner said

 "A mother has far greater influence on her children than anyone else, and she must realize that every word she speaks, every act, every response, her attitude, even her appearance and manner of dress affect the lives of her children and the whole family.  It is while the child is in the home that he gains from his mother the attitudes, hopes, and beliefs that will determine the kind of life he will live and the contributions he will make to society."

The couple of hours I spent learning and growing during these workshops have helped me make new goals and a determination to be better.  Thanks to Marnie for watching the kiddos.  Our ward girls were at girls camp and our favorite sitter just moved out of state!  :(

Swimming lessons 2009

Poor kids.....swim lessons were in June this year...and boy has it been a rainy and stormy June.  The kids were freezing but enjoyed their lessons anyway!  Miles worked on Level 2 and excelled.  He is getting to be quite the fishy....considering that in Level 1 we were super thrilled that he learned how to put his face in the water.  He is learning strokes and even worked on his back float (the hardest thing this year for him).  His teacher Ariel was awesome!  

Quincy used to have this lack of fear of the water that was a blessing in some ways but then frustrating in others.  He used to just jump in the water and swim under the water at 18 months old.  But this year for Level 1, he just had to get used to the water, now that he has learned fear!  Matt was super patient with him and he really enjoyed going and being a big kid.  Hopefully next year the boys will have some sun!!

Moments...

RARE MOMENTS at our house...

Allen's sister Tiffany came for a visit.  So fun to have her stay with us and the boys loved it!

My cousin Paige also came for a visit!  The boys love having visitors!  Paige has never come to visit by herself and we had a lot of fun. 

Look at this rare moment....this pic helps me remember that the boys really do like each other.  How cute and tender is this!  Tender and I hate to say it, but rare at our house.

NOT SO RARE MOMENTS...

Porter getting the hose and loving every minute of it.

This face from Q occurs daily.

Oh yeah....and Porter loves to play with underwear...don't ask.  I don't know where that came from but I had to get a picture of it.  Usually he likes mom's underwear on his head, but had to get a picture of him with the boys underwear for the blog!

THANKS FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL MOMENTS BOYS!!

Paige's visit

My cousin Paige just graduated HS and came for a week long visit to see us!  We've had so much fun and I'll post pictures of the boys and all of our visitors we've had the last couple of weeks soon.  But Paige and I went to get a picture taken of just us to give to family.  How nice to be in the portrait studio and not have all of the boys with me.  Thanks Allen for taking over the house while we had some girl time.

I love you Paige!

Roses anyone?

I need help!!!  I counted my rose bushes in my yard and I have 20!  Ahhhh!  I know how to prune roses when they are in season and to dead head them and such, but I really need help on how to prune them back when fall comes.  I don't want to kill the bushes but I need to mold them and shape them the way I want them.  They are wild and out of control this year!  But they sure are pretty!  Any suggestions?  Any good books about taking care of them?  I was thinking of picking up a roses for dummies book...

The boys first fishing trip!

My dad has been dreaming of this day since Miles was born.  Okay, maybe not, but he has been asking me about when he could take the boys fishing, so memorial weekend was their first adventure. They loved it.  They went to one of those places where you definitely catch fish!  Miles caught one before they could even bait Quincy's pole. 

We love having Grandpa and Grandma Hansen come and visit us.  Thanks for coming for a wonderful visit guys!  We can't wait for the next one!   

Miles and Grandpa came out of their rooms ready for church and we all laughed.  They matched perfectly.  Miles and Grandpa Hansen have always been really close.  I love this picture because it shows how much Miles adores his grandpa.