LIFE WITH 3 DAUGHTERS IS FABULOUS!

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS!

It has been a really busy week here!  Mostly because we are getting back into our routines after being at BYU for a week, but also because it was my birthday and we welcomed Lollipop to our home!  Life has been fun and eventful.

Jelly Bean and I got matching balloons

for OUR birthday!  I love this Birthday Buddy!

Monday was my 43 birthday!  (It was also Lollipop's dad's birthday too!  What a cool coincidence!)   We celebrated all week with lots of friends and loved ones!
We spent Monday night with the Larsens.  We BBQed, visited and even went zip-lining!

Lemon Drop, Key Lime Pie, Lollipop, and Kotten Kandy

Zip Lining - Kotten Kandy and Lollipop couldn't stop laughing!

Tuesday night we celebrated with the Bettenhausens.  I have a fabulous friend who made me my traditional cocoa, apple cake.  (It is truly a gift of love!)

Best Friends are the BEST!  

Thanks for the cake!

The rest of the week was equally busy, but fun to experience with someone who has never done some of the things we take for granted.  She had never had an Icee - and she loved it!  She couldn't believe how big Walmart was and how they sold "everything!"  She also got to meet our amazing friends, the Schmids!  We played Bunco and had delicious food and female bonding time.

Icees + Girls = Cold Fun

Today we met other foreign exchange students at a fun get-together.  The girls especially liked the other German girl.  (I'll call her Reeses.)  They are all planning lots more get-togethers.

These are all of the German Exchange Students!

Lollipop said Germans were usually tall...

We thought it was cute that she's short like Key Lime Pie

while the rest of the group were tall as Church Steeples!

Elmo made an appearance - 

So the girls got in on the fun!

Kotten Kandy, Reeses, Elmo, Lollipop and Key Lime Pie

I like these girls!

It's really been a great week....

Lollipop, Key Lime Pie and Kotten Kandy

Lollipop is sporting Kotten Kandy's aviator shades!

BYU EDUCATION NOTES #7

Here is the last of my BYU Education Week Notes.  S. Michael Wilcox is AMAZING!  And this class really was a spiritual high for both Scott and me!

The Temple, Crown Jewel of the Restoration
S. Michael Wilcox

We need to learn the Lord’s way.

Happiness and joy need to be expressed – thus the Hosanna Shout!

The Temple is MANY different houses in one (ie. House of Learning, House of Thanksgiving, House of Glory, House of Order, etc.)

HOUSE OF LEARNING (God’s University)

                We need to learn how to learn from symbols.  Symbols can mean different things to 

                 different people at different times.  (ie. “Awake and arise.” Can mean “Be aware.”)  

                 Symbols can be understood by: scriptures, ordinances, physical appearances, explanations, 

                etc.  There are many layers to symbols, so don’t stop thinking about those symbols!

                Watch for themes.  (ie. Unity/One”ness” and Building)

                3 Nephi 17 – don’t feel guilty or tired; don’t feel apathetic
                1.  Go home.
                2.  Ponder upon the things the Lord has said.
                3.  Ask/Pray to understand.  – Don’t stop asking questions.
                4.  Prepare your mind for the morrow.  – Be attentive, alert, reverent, and hungry.
                5.  Keep going to the temple.  – Return and return.

                The accumulation of simple things and acts bring about great blessings! 

A HOUSE OF REFUGE, PROTECTION, HEALING AND PEACE

                “Holiness to the Lord” means consecrated to the Lord or clean.

                Isaiah 4:5-6 “Stand in holy places and be not moved.” – Stand is not a passive verb, it 

                means fight!  Holy places = 1. Our homes 2. Churches/Stakes of Zion and 3. Temple

                We don’t go to Church for ourselves.  What can we give?  We go to Church to serve 

                others!

HOUSE OF ORDER AND GLORY

                Ritual is Sacred Play.  This is the Game of Exaltation – The object of the game is to get to 

                the Celestial Kingdom.  There are rules to the game.  We progress from pre-mortal 

                existence (Start) through life (the game board) to the  Celestial Kingdom (Finish).

                There are 5 Great One”nesses” – 5 Great Relationships to Build Unity
                1.  Husband to Wife
                2.  Parent to Child
                3.  Mankind to Each Other (All of Us)
                4.  Living to Dead
                5.  Man to God

                Covenants bring Unity/One”ness”  - see D&C 88:133

BYU EDUCATION NOTES #6

These two men, Hilton and Sweat, have written a few books that I love.  And I was excited to find out if they are as good in person as they are in their books....  They are!  Scott and I especially liked Sweat.  Then directly after the class, we had another teaching class with Kevin Miller.  Both classes were of "great worth!"  Of course, the Master Teacher is our Savior.  He's the teacher I want to emulate most.  Here are my notes.

Teaching With Spiritual Impact
John L. Hilton III and Anthony R. Sweat

The aim of spiritual teaching is to inspire students to THINK, FEEL and DO something.

Richard G. Scott:  “As students verbalize truths, they are confirmed in their souls and strengthen their personal testimonies.”

Things that invite the Spirit:
                Intellectually Enlightening
                Applied Religion to Life
                Explicit Mention of Feeling the Spirit
                Teacher has a Positive Demeanor
                Engaging Pedagogy

Things that don’t invite the Spirit:
                Ineffective Class Time
                Poor Assessments

Teach Ye Creatively: Facilitating Gospel Learning
Kevin Miller

Teachers are Thermostats – If they are hot, the class it hot.  If they are cold, the class is cold.  Etc.

Andragog:  the art and skill of teaching adults

True learning changes:  F.A.T.
                F=Feelings
                A=Actions
                T=Thoughts

Three things are needed to invite the Spirit to a class:  Content, Method and Learner

1.        5 Key Principles for Teaching the Gospel
Ask, seek and knock spiritually
Teach from the Scriptures
Teach by and With the Spirit
Help the learner assume responsibility for learning
Testify

2.       Transformational Teaching – 10 Concepts for Gospel Andragogy
Begin with a Vision: Use a compass, not a clock!
Invite all to come unto Christ
Teach by the Spirit
Teach as Christ taught
Teach to the unique nature of adults
Teach to all learning domains and styles
Establish the environment
Connect to the heart
Care Enough to be CREATIVE
End with a powerful application and your testimony!

3.       What and How We Learn:
Adult Learners Retain (72 hours later)
     10% of what they hear
     20-30% of what they see
     60% of what they see and hear
     75-85% of what they see, hear and do
Our Learners:
     70% are visual learners
     20% are auditory learners
     10% are kinesthetic learners
     Danger:  We tend to teach how we like to learn and may lose many of our participants!

4.       Some TIPS for Teaching Adults
Change your teaching method or what you are doing ever 10 minutes.
Don’t just lecture!
Use colorful, large type visuals.
Ask yourself, “How can I help them learn this for themselves?”
Have plenty of application challenges and questions.
Ask open-ended questions.  Don’t insult with simplistic questions.
Be vigorous and excited about the subject.
Resist apologizing for yourself or your efforts.
Validate responses.
Expect them to be prepared… assume preparation.
Bring objects and use symbolism.
Ask for personal stories, examples and applications.
Consider having them keep a year-long learning journal which you retain in class for them to pick up each week.
Use humor and ice-breakers.
Start with a challenging question on the board.

5.       Some TOOLS for Adult Learning
Small group discussions or pair shares.
Three-minute papers
Post-it Note Brainstorms
Learning journals
Brainstorming
Socratic discussions
Application challenges
Comparing/Contrasting
Mind-mapping
Object Lessons
“Guest” Visitors

BYU EDUCATION NOTES #5

Kevin Miller was amazing!  Scott and I really enjoyed his classes.  He wasn't just a lecturer, but he was a master teacher.  He also passed out Dove chocolate to all of us on day 2.  That automatically makes him a favorite!

Stress Out!  Joy In!  Managing Stress in a Busy Life
Kevin Miller

STRESS OUT!

What is stress?  It is the body’s physiological reaction to change.

The Lord does not want us to be stressed.  John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I 

give unto you: not as the word giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither 

let it be afraid.”

Stress Erasers:
                                1.  Humor
                                2.  Mediation
                                3.  Spiritual Nourishment
                                4.  Deep Breathing
                                5.  Yoga/Stretching
                                6.  Relaxation Exercises
                                7.  Physical Exercise/Rest

Other:
                Citrus Fruits and other sources of vitamin C help short term stress.
                Carbohydrates can calm your nerves, but avoid candy and cookies.
                Drink plenty of water.
                Baroque music has proven good effects for relieving stress.
                De-stressing Colors = forest green and earth tones
                De-stressing smells = chamomile and lavender oils
                Exercise 30 minutes a day 3 times a week.

JOY IN!

                Joy is the purpose of life.  “… Men are, that they might have joy.” 2 Nephi 2:25  Satan is 

                anti-joy.   “… for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like himself.” 2 Nephi 2:27

                Make a joy list and do 5 things on that list every single day!  (Joy is not in THINGS, it is in                 US!  So: everything on the list should not cost money or cost VERY little.)

MANAGING TIME!

                Time is unique among life’s resources because we cannot create it, and all people have                          exactly the same amount of time: 10,080 minutes a week, 24/7, 365 days a year.

                Four Steps to Life (Time) Management:
                                1.  Know Thyself.  Define your Mission.  Clarify your Values.
                                2.  Manage Self.  Based on your understanding of your values and what time is, 

                                     plan, organize and act in ways that allow you to move toward your goals, 

                                     manage your activities and develop important relationships.  Establish 

                                     priorities and set goals.
                                3.   Use Tools and Methods.  (ie. Planners, Calendars, etc.)  Choose tools that

                                      will help you achieve your goals and make your life more pleasant.  Identify 

                                      time wasters.  Learn to say “no.”  Delegate.  Prioritize.   

                                4.  Check results.  Ask “How am I doing?”  “What am I doing well?”  “What do

                                      I need to do differently to use my time well?”  Do what works.

BYU EDUCATION NOTES #4

These guys weren't as "famous" as some of the other presenters, but I learned a LOT about how to better study my scriptures from them.  I can't wait to put into practice all I learned!  I know scripture study is essential in these latter days!!!!!

Arm Your Family with Righteousness: Understanding
the Scriptures and Teaching Them Effectively in the Home
Mark E. Eastmond and Paul B. Murphy

To withstand evil we MUST STRENGTHEN our children’s spirituality.

Read:  Pres. Eyring’s CES Conference talk “We Must Raise Our Sights” and Elder Scott’s talk “Making the Exercise of Your Faith a Priority”

Personal Revelation will FLOW! With regular and consistent scripture study.

Teach principles from the scriptures.  “Principles are concentrated truths packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances.” – Elder Scott 1993  “A principle is an enduring truth… to guide you in making decisions….” – Elder Packer 1986

Understand the Scripture Account → Identify a Principle → Apply to Life

Principles usually have an action and a consequence or blessing.

Success of FAMILY scripture study depends on the success of PERSONAL scripture study.

Ideas:  Use seminary student manuals for personal study of scriptures.  Study for 30 minutes instead of 1 chapter.

Use footnotes, bible dictionary, topical guide, JST, maps, definitions, visualizing and summarization to study scriptures.  Also use questions, white space, experiences and cause/effect.

Use “look for” and “thus we see what?” with our family scripture study.

After identifying a principle have your children receive their own spiritual witness and understanding in their hearts by asking these questions:
            What are some circumstances that you could be in that would be like….?
            In what situations could you use this principle?
            How is your situation similar to…?
            Why is this story/principle included in the scriptures?
            What can we learn?
            How can you use this?
            When have you seen…?
            

BYU EDUCATION NOTES #3

Merilee Boyack was my absolute favorite presenter.  She's energetic.  She's deep.  And I learned a lot!  I've already quoted her "Casual is no longer good enough!" many times to my daughters.  I'm glad we attended this class.

Rising Up in a Falling World
Merilee Boyack

CHOOSE TO BE VALIANT

                2 Nephi 28 = description of latter days – now.

                “The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.”

                We need to fortify ourselves. 
                CASUAL IS NO LONGER GOOD ENOUGH!             
                (D&C 27:15-18)  Make a choice.  Gather families around.  Protect our hearts.  Be solid in 

                     the gospel.  Protect our vulnerabilities.  Protect our thoughts.  Continually sharpen the 

                     “Word.” And Be faithful.  Elder Nelson:  “The day is gone when you can be a quiet, 

                       comfortable Christian.”

                We need to fortify our families.
                Prayer and Fasting
                Scripture Study
                Stand in Holy Places
                Family Habits
                Repent Daily
                Anchor in Christ
                Follow the Prophets and Apostles

THE SPIRIT OF CONSECRATION

                The law of tithing prepares us for the law of consecration.

                Some of us have made covenants to live the law of consecration NOW!

                Consecration means to declare to be sacred; devoted to God.

                Purpose of Consecration:
                1.  Provide for the poor.
                2.  Purchase lands and buildings for the Church.
                3.  Become ONE people.
                4.  Salvation of His people.
                5.  Meet needs and wants of people.
                6.  Stewardship experience leads to eternal life.
                7.  Live the Celestial law.

                What does a consecrated life look like?
                                1.  Callings – Be willing!  Do the Best we can!
                                2.  Marriage – Time!
                                3.  Private Moments – Opportunities for Learning
                                                a.  Missionary Moments – Will you testify?
                                                b.  Charity Moments
                                                c.  Obedience Moments – Are you 100% honest?

                Commit to life as a 100%er!
                                Ponder the commitment
                                Pay attention to the little things
                                Practice!  You have an eternity to get it right!
                                Ask the Lord what is lacking
                                Attend the temple frequently

                Look at our property as our opportunities!

                Consecrate your thoughts also!  Think about it!

LESSONS ON AGENCY

                2 Nephi 2:27 defines agency

                “If it’s grey, stay away.”  “Grey is not white.”  “There is not grey area.”

                Recommended reading:  “Satan’s War on Free Agency” by Wright and “The War in

                     Heaven Continues” by Lawrence

                Agency requires opposites

                Agency = Stewardship

                Heavenly Father honors our agency.  Honor = allowing consequences to happen

                Moral Agency = Accountability

                What we can do:
                                1.  Be on Full Alert!
                                2.  Own our behavior and its consequences.
                                                – No more excuses, rationalizing or explaining.
                                3.  Teach our children that they are ACCOUNTABLE.
                                                consequences = love
                                4.  Hold others accountable.
                                5.  Be stewards – account for our own time, talents, and blessings.
                                6.  We are agents unto ourselves and the Lord expects us to do good

                                       things!

BYU EDUCATION WEEK NOTES #2

Scott and I wanted to attend a class to help our already wonderful marriage be better.   Carrie Wrigley was an amazing teacher.    My favorite quote from her was "Think Connection, Not Communication."  Although we learned that communication is critical, it's just that men and women communicate differently.

Creating Love: Building and Maintaining a Heartfelt
Connection with Your Spouse and Loved Ones
Carrie M. Wrigley

Building is Creation!

We need to focus our time and attention on important relationships!

Maintaining is harder… but equally important!

“Get the Proclamation off the wall and into our Hearts!”

President Kimball said, “Soulmates are a fiction and an illusion.” – All relationships will at some point disappoint.

Watch out for DISTRACTION!

To Do with Spouse:
                1.  Weekly Planning Meeting
                2.  Weekly Date
                3.  Prayer and Scripture Study

A.R.E. – “Are you there for me?”
                A = Accessibility
                R = Responsiveness
                E = Empathy

We need to ENGAGE with our spouses.
We need to have RITUALS of CONNECTION.  (ie. Weekly dates, worship time together, etc.)
We need to COMMUNICATE.

Ways for women to communicate better:
                Limit self to one idea at a time.
                Give him time to think it through.
                Don’t expect female emotion from your husband.
                Find an end to expressing feelings and move on to problem solving.
                Don’t jump to “problem solving” mode too quickly. 
                Don’t point out his faults and weaknesses.
                Be compassionate.
                For a connection!  THINK CONNECTION, NOT COMMUNICATION!

BYU EDUCATION WEEK NOTES #1

I want to post my notes from BYU Education Week.  So I'll be posting a few every day.  They might not be of any value to anyone but myself.  But then again, maybe they will be helpful.  I won't be posting them in any particular order.  And I'll do it by class.  Hope somebody enjoys them.  This was one of Scott's and my favorite presenters.  Randal Wright is from Texas and has a fun sense of humor.  We really loved his class.  I'm excited to start my 3 Word Journal....

Twenty Ways to Build Your Self-Confidence
and Increase Your Happiness
Randal A. Wright

1.        Cultivate friendships with those who support and encourage you.

2.       Constantly work to develop your skills and talents.

3.       Choose to have a positive attitude and look on the bright side of life.

4.       Have fun in life.

5.       Be obedient to the Lord’s commandments.

6.       Make a detailed written list of all your gifts and talents.

7.       Diligently work and improve those talents.  Brigham Young said, “Every man and woman who has a talent and hides it will be called a slothful servant.”

8.       Look for opportunities that fit your gifts and talents.

9.       Act on opportunities that fit your gifts and talents.

10.   Don’t let fear keep you from using your gifts and talents for good.

11.   Become aware of experiences that teach important lessons.

12.   Summarize your valuable experiences or observations into 3 meaningful words.  (3-Word Journal)

13.   File your word journal entries by topic or year.

14.   Put 3 Word Journal Entries in the Margins of your scriptures.

15.   Write in your journal!!!!

16.   Act on spiritual promptings.

17.   Listen to uplifting music.

18.   Look for opportunities to serve.

19.   Look for the positive in others and avoid judging them.

20.   Love others and show compassion.

I REALLY LOVE BOOKS!

I've read three more books to tell ya'll about.

First I read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  I read this book in order to understand my youngest daughter better.  In the prologue, Susan writes "Without introverts, the world would be devoid of the theory of gravity, the theory of relativity, Chopin's nocturnes, Peter Pan, Orwell's novels, The Cat in the Hat, Charlie Brown, Google and Harry Potter."  It's important to realize that introversion is not a handicap.  I learned some good things.  BUT the author is very liberal and a lot of her examples bothered me because of the political leanings.  More often than not instead of trying to understand the point about introversion vs. extroversion, I was frustrated with her beliefs in things like global warming, etc.  I guess this book was interesting, but frustrating.  I'm not sure what kind of a recommendation that is.

Trina lent me her copy of The Seamstress: A Memoir of Survival by Sara Tuval Bernstein.  It was so good that I ordered my own copy.  But it was also horrible.  Good and horrible?  Yes!  Because Seren Tuvel is a Jewish Holocaust survivor.  There was a lack of bitterness throughout this book.  Seren simply tells about the beatings, questionings, and other forms of torture she and her family endured at the hands of the Nazis.  She always has hope.  Even after the war, Seren simply tries to recover, find her family members and work.  She never complains, although she would have been completely justified to do so.  I also loved how Seren was intense loyal to her sister and friends.  She uplifted, and helped those around her.  This biography showed high ideals and strong character that were developed during the Holocaust.  It's inspirational - as good as The Hiding Place.

I LOVED Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.  This is a book that if you haven't read already, should be high up on your list of books to read next.  Especially if you like fantasy and Brandon Sanderson.  The characters are compelling and the mysteries throughout the book are intriguing making this book extremely hard to stop reading.  By placing a bunch of great characters and placing them in a wondrous and strange world, Sanderson has managed to create an original and powerful story that shows how being human can mean so many things to different people.
Kotten Kandy and Scott read this book before me.  They talked about it all the time.  Now I understand the hype.  It's fabulous.  I highly recommend this book.
So that's my book reviews.  Time to start another one!

WYOMING

On the way home from Utah we stopped in Green River, Wyoming - otherwise known as Scott's old stomping grounds.  The purpose for our short visit was to see Uncle Brian.  It was fun to visit with him.  We also saw the old Tomahawk Inn that Scott and his family renovated years ago.  And look at the street corner we found in order of my two homes: one in Colorado and one in Kentucky.

BYU EDUCATION WEEK

Scott and I celebrated our 20th year anniversary by going to BYU Education Week together.  It was a wonderful time!  We were inspired by all of the many fabulous classes we attended.  We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment.  And the best part was spending time together.  It's hard to put into words how amazing this week was.
Here is a quick review of the week:

Holding Kevin and Kelly's pet....

Saturday and Sunday:  We drove 26 hours to get to Kevin and Kelly's (Scott's brother and wife) house.  We were exhausted.  We took 2 naps (no hotel) in the car for a total of 3 hours.  Kevin and Kelly are the BEST hosts ever.  They are laid back, like we are and made us feel welcome and loved.

Monday:  We went to 6 hours worth of lectures.  They were all amazing!  Our favorite:  Michael S. Wilcox.  He spoke about temples.  We also saw Anthony Sweat and John Hinton.  They talked about inviting the Spirit to our lessons.  And our last class was about teaching creatively.  We REALLY liked the presenter, Kevin Miller.

Tuesday:  We started the "classes."  Here was our schedule:
     Mark Eastmond and Paul Murphy taught "Arm Your Family with Righteousness: Understanding the Scriptures and Teaching Them Effectively in the Home"
     Carrie Wrigley taught "Creating Love:  Building and Maintaining a Heartfelt Connection with Your Spouse and Loved Ones"
     Lunch and Shopping
     Randal Wright taught "20 Ways to Build Your Self Confidence and Increase Your Happiness"
     Merilee Boyack taught "Rising Up in a Falling World"
     Kevin Miller taught "Increasing Personal Effectiveness: Living Happier, More Productive Lives"
     and Ryan Eggert taught "Hymns!  Messages, Stories, and Life-Changing Doctrines of the LDS Hymnal"
After our classes we ate dinner and attended the musical comedy "Crazy For You."  It's a musical based on Gershwin's music.  It was silly, and fun.

Wednesday:  We went to classes again.  Then Wednesday night we saw Gentri in concert.  They are AWESOME!  We really enjoyed their show.  My favorite songs were the boy band medley and the Les Miserables medley.  Their harmonies were awesome.  And we loved their "look."  They are truly gentlemen.

Thursday:  Classes.  After classes my parents came to visit us.  They took us to dinner and a movie for my birthday.  It was great to see them!  And the movie, "The Cokeville Miracle" was incredible.  All of us cried - the Spirit was so strong.  I definitely recommend this movie.  And we will be purchasing it when it comes out on video!

Whitney, Stacey, Kelly, Kevin, Mark, Kerri, Scott and Me

Friday:  Our last day of classes.  :-(  We really learned sooooooooo much!  We spent the evening with Scott's family!  Kelly, Stacey, Kevin, their spouses and us met at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  YUM!  And great company too!!!!!  We are blessed to have such wonderful brothers and sisters.
Saturday and Sunday: We drove home - to meet our new "daughter."  We also stopped briefly in Wyoming.  (Another post)
So that's our week in a nut shell.....
PS.  I'll post my notes later this week so hopefully they can inspire ya'll (if anyone is reading this).

TENNIS

Key Lime Pie and Kotten Kandy are taking tennis lessons.  They LOVE it!  And they LOVE their coach!
Twice a week they get to spend an hour learning.  I got to watch them the other day.  It was fun to watch their personalities come out on the tennis court.  Key Lime Pie was very self conscience.  Kotten Kandy was attentive and aggressive.  And Marmalade was scatter-brained.  They all made me laugh.

Top Row:  Marmalade, Juice, Kotten Kandy, Key Lime Pie, Coach

Bottom Row:  Nuts, Apple Pie and Jelly Bean

KEY LIME PIE'S BUSY WEEK

Scott and I have been gone for a week....  Kotten Kandy did not send any pictures.  She kept busy working at home getting ready for Lollipop.  Key Lime Pie did send photos.  She had a lot of fun without mom and dad.  Here's Key Lime Pie's exciting time:

Twiz and Key Lime Pie went to a stake dance.

Key Lime Pie rode a motorcycle to see Twiz at the fair.

Congrats, Twiz!  He got first place at the Kentucky State Fair for his cow!

Twiz got her flowers!

Yes, this is her first time getting flowers....

SHE'S HERE!!!!

Kotten Kandy, Lollipop, and Key Lime Pie

I get to have another daughter for a year!  She's amazing!  We already love her lots!  Meet Lollipop from Germany!  You'll see her a lot here on the blog!
Don't worry, we have already introduced her to cultural things like: "The Princess Bride" and cinnamon bears candy!

Kotten Kandy, Trina, Trina's foreign exchange student, Lollipop, and Trina's daughters

Unfortunately, we weren't able to meet her at the airport, but our good friend, Trina, her daughters and Kotten Kandy (far left) met her.  Lollipop is in the middle!
Here's what I love about her already:  She's happy!  She's friendly!  And she's excited to share everything with us!  She's willing to experience Church with us!  And she's cute as can be!
Welcome, Lollipop!

GOODBYE

Goodbyes are never easy.  And they are worse when they are such great friends!  We will really miss the Melansons!  Jan has been a mentor, a teacher, a sister, a crafting buddy, a canning chum, a sewing guru and a true friend to myself and my daughters!  Kentucky won't be the same without her...

I love you, Jan and Dave!  We will visit you...

BEDROOM, BOOKS, TEMPLE AND FUN

After painting and decorating Key Lime Pie's room last month... it was time to do Kotten Kandy's room!  She chose to paint it brown.  Books and Young Women's values are her "theme!"  I think she's excited about the transformation!

The owl picture is from Mil.

The light switch cover is from Shaved Ice.

The flowers are the YW value colors.

I think the book shelves are Kotten Kandy's favorite part!

Owls and books are on every shelf!

I finished reading two books...

If I Stay by Gayle Forman was alright, but I can't recommend it.  For those who haven't read it, it's about a girl, Mia, who loses her family in a car accident and is now in a coma.  Mia is a cellist (which I loved).  And I love how music played a HUGE part throughout her recovery.  I didn't like that there was swearing and that Mia and her boyfriend did consummate their relationship.  I know that it wasn't described in detail, but the fact that they had pre-marital sex really did bother me.  If I had known before hand, I wouldn't have read the book at all.  I feel that it is NOT OK to normalize relationships in that way, even if it is just "barely mentioned."  I'm not judging others who loved the book.  It's just my opinion that I don't like to read books like that.

The second books I read was completely different. Conquering Your Own Goliaths by Steven A. Cramer is wonderful!  We all have a Goliath (or two, or three, or four) in our lives.  This book gives practical advice and provides you with the tools to slay the Goliath.  It doesn't make you feel terrible about yourself, but rather gives you hope that there is a way out.  I love it and will probably reread it over and over again.

We got to go to the Indiana temple open house on Friday!  We went with our favorite people:  The Bettenhausens, Chris, Twiz and our family!  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  I wish I could have taken pictures inside the temple.  It was gorgeous!  But what's even better about the temples is what we do once they are dedicated.  Temples are wonderful!

The rest of the pictures and stories in this post just make me smile....  Enjoy!

What do the DeGooyers do when nothing is planned?

We take selfies on the floor....

So excited for this!

Had to take a picture at Key Lime Pie's work!

It's the little things!

Twiz wears a 13....

Key Lime Pie wears a 7.

And they actually were able to wear each other's shoes!

For FHE a few weeks ago we made art work based on our favorite scriptures.

Mine:  D&C 121:7-8

Key Lime Pie's:  Alma 32:21

Scott and Kotten Kandy were to embarrassed to share their art work...  :-(

Key Lime Pie sent me this picture.  It made me laugh!