The Very Hungry Caterpillar

mmm . . . fresh picked corn

Mmm . . . mole removal on a six year old's head . . .

Booty Buns!

My sister-in-law Shannon is starting a new company. If you are into cloth diapers or charity, check her out here!

Can Someone Turn Down the Heat, Please?

How sick am I of the heat? Very. I am so tired of 100 degree weather! Me and the kids ride our bikes to school in the morning and I come home dripping. Not very lady like, I know. Complain, complain, complain . . .blah, blah, blah . . . I know you don't want to hear it:)
What I really wanted to post about was Bubba's friend Party. It was Spiderman themed and we had a great time:)

I had the party during school hours but Kiera was there because she had a mole removed from her head and got 5 stitches. I didn't want o send her to school just yet. I wanted to give the stitches at least a day to heal.

We played a game of "Find Mary Jane" Which means we hid a Polly Pocket and played hot and cold to find it.

We played "pin the spider on the web" and around of "Don't Eat Pete!"

Bubba got some cool stuff and had a Spiderman cupcakes. He thinks it is so cool that he is 4 now and not three. He reminds me everyday. He also thinks it is cool that he can take a whole vitamin now that doesn't have to be cut in half.

I also have a new tutorial on my craft blog for "corker" hair clips.

Hope you are enjoying nice weather:)

A Light Within

I believe in miracles. Both the everyday kind and the extraordinary.

God can part the seas, create an abundance of loaves and fishes, raise people from the dead, teach Noah and Nephi how to build vessels to cross the sea, make the blind to see, cast out devils, heal the lepers and cause the deaf to hear. He can do this and more. Once upon a time I used to think there was a quota to be filled. Having been the recipient of many, many miracles, I thought surely the Lord has done enough for me. Surely I can't ask Him for another miracle. He has given me more than I deserve already. Surely the miracles are done working in my life. How wrong could I be?

Becoming a parent has taught me something about the love that God must have for his children. What good parent would refuse a child who is aching and in need just because they were tired of helping? None.

I am thinking of a beloved aunt who is sick. Cancer for the third time. What devastating news to receive. And for a moment I felt the absence of hope

but then the thought occurred to me:

If God can part the seas, create an abundance of loaves and fishes, raise people from the dead, teach Noah and Nephi how to build and ark and a boat, make the blond to see, cast out devils, heal the lepers and cause the deaf to hear, then there is nothing that he cannot do. I believe in miracles and I don't believe that we have a quota.

And suddenly there was a light within.

Suddenly there was a peace.

Do I realize that God's will may be different form my own? Absolutely. I also know that I will be able to accept God's will no matter the outcome. I'm not asking God to change his will. I'm just letting Him know that I have enough faith to ask for a miracle.

Father, let thy will be done, but let it be known that I have enough faith to move mountains.

I know that all power and glory be thine. I know that you can move mountains and part seas. I know that you can heal the sick and raise the dead.

And I know that you can surely cure cancer for the third time.

Thy will be done Lord, but if I can have a say, then I am asking, please, for another miracle.

Web Slinger

I don't know if there are words to describe how much I love this boy or how fun this photo shoot was. Malachi was in total superhero mode. I could barely get him ot smile because he was ready to fight the bad guys:)

He thought himself very clever:)

There are also a few more great ones on my photo blog I hope you take the time to browse them. Bubba is just so cute!

One, Two, Three, FOUR!

My Sweet little boy turned four yesterday. We had a very small party that Maama and Papa attended. He received some wonderful gifts in the mail from my mom and dad and my grandma and my aunt:)

Malachi loves superheros and swords and shields.

He shoots webs out of his hand at every opportunity. Should you try to shoot him back and you are holding you hand incorrectly, he will let you know. Webs only come out if you hold your hand the right way.

He can occasionally be found wearing nail polish and his toes. Sometimes he fights his sister for the "pink" cup.

Malachi has had more black eyes and head injuries than my other children combined.

Malachi told me I looked pretty yesterday:) He melted my heart.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to be four because it was harder to hold up four fingers than it was three. He practiced a few times now and has decided it is okay to be four.

For some reason Bubba wanted to close his eyes in all the pictures:)

When Malachi play fights with his dad he says things like "Not this time!" and "You''l never take me!"

He wants to say EVERY prayer. And ever prayer begins like this, "Heavenly Father, Please bless Aunt Libbie" most prayers also include a blessing for his superheroes.

One night he asked heavenly Father to bless:

Spiderman, Venom, The Green Goblin, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Juggernaut, Hulk, Mr. Fantastic, and The Thing. It was a long prayer.

He wore my sunglasses while shopping with me at Roberts. He kept lifting them off of his eyes making laser sound effects like he was Cyclops from X Men.

THOR!!

Kai called Bubba Thor and Bubba corrected him saying "The Mighty". So Kai said sorry, "I meant THE MIGHTY THOR.

I love this little guy with all my heart and I am so thankful that he is part of our family.

Now for a Yummy Recipe . . . Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins . . . so EASY and so tasty! Take the three ingredients picture below, mix together, cook on 350 for 20-25 minutes! That is pretty much it but if you need more details, there are step by step instructions and pictures on my craft blog. (thank you for those of you who joined! If you haven't there is still time to win the headband!)

So Good!

I Remember 9.11.01

I remember a Hawaiian kid's image on the news. As hundreds of cars passed below he stood tall on an over pass vigorously waving the American Flag back and forth. Back and Forth. It was an emotional scene. It was the first time I saw Hawaiians claim pride openly for their membership in the USA. For a state that claimed loudly and often "Hawaiian Pride" I was touched to see Kam Hwy littered with American Flags. Almost every House displayed "Old Glory" with pride and for a moment we were all just Americans. United. I remember the fear, but I also remember the unity.

Today I remember that for every act of brutality, there is and act of kindness. Today I remember that for every act that is senseless, there is an act full of purpose and meaning. For every act of cruelty there is an act of love. My America can't be broken. There is goodness here. There is selflessness. There are heroes who rise to action without being asked. There are those who would sacrifice there lives to save the lives of others. Today I remember the heroes of nine eleven. I remember that united we stand.

Hurry Fall!

I miss the beach! There is just no denying that fact! Every time I start to think, okay, maybe I am used to this small town thing, maybe I could live here . . . the summer hits. So I have come to the conclusion that I like Mesquite, except for the Summer. We have a lot of people who come from snowy parts of the US to winter here in out little city. They are called "snowbirds" Well, I have officially decided that I want to be a summer bird. I want to summer near the ocean.

Fall has never been more of a welcome guest as it is now. I don't think I ever had a fondness for Fall because it always meant the beginning of a new school year. Now I love it because of the relief it brings from the heat.

What I don't love: having to be on a schedule again. Keeping track of homework and PE schedules has become a beast. Cambria had to redo her math homework last night because she forgot to put her name on it. I support those kinds of lessons, but man, it took the both of us more than a half hour to finish her math homework the first time! Third grade has gotten very strict very fast and it reminds me of why kids start to hate school at the third grade level. All of a sudden school gets demanding and the fun of learning gets lost. What's a mom to do?

You can see how thrilled Kiera is to start another school year.

Bubba is in love with Captain America at the present . . .

We had a dress up party for Kiana's b-day and I am just realizing that white sheets are not at all flattering.

Raia loves bath time . . .

We love her buck teeth!

And I spent three and a half hours straightening Cambria's hair . . . it shan't happen again!

You can see that some of the curls were quite resistant. But, Cambria loved it! All her friends were shocked!

Last day of the straight!

And . . . i just made these cute little place mats for the Fall season . . . I gave a tutorial on my blog, "the Craft Bucket" I wish I had thought of a better name!