Need help remembering what the really important things are?

The other day when it was so nice outside I called my dear cousin and asked her if she would come and help me tansplant some of my plants. I don't have a very green thumb and I'm am trying to learn. Any how, she graciously came and we had a great time. Pretty soon my Jacee, my little girl who loves any form of art, found us and had to join in the planting fun. She has recently discovered the joy of planting and now I have 5 or 6 paper cups full of soil sitting around my house because she insists that her plants have to come in each night! Some of them are starting to bloom and she is so excited. I'm glad to know she has an intrest in learning this skill. It has to be a legacy passed on to her from two of her great-grandmothers. It is fun for me to see her so excited about something so beautifully simple.

Speaking of simple. During our planting time we had the hose running very slowly. We weren't using it all the time so when we weren't using it, it was just laying on the lawn running. It was at one of these times that Luke discovered it. He was so intrigued. It was so heart warming to watch him discover this new and interesting thing. I took some pictures and you can just see the wonder in his eyes. He had us all captivated. We watched him, and videoed him, and took pictures of him for 45 minutes. Later that night I thought of this experience and realized that this quote by M. Russell Ballard is so true:

The purposes of the Lord

in our personal lives

generally are fullfilled

through the small and simple things,

and not the momentous and spectacular.

I got on my knees and humbly thanked my Heavenly Father for this special moment in my life. For the sweet reminder that life is to be "enjoyed, not just endured" and thanked Him for an even bigger reminder that generally the small and simple things are the momentous and spectacular!

I found this fun sight that allows you to make scrap blogs. Take a moment and visit this scrapblog of Luke's discovery of the water: http://www.scrapblog.com/496a266041/0BE0D60F-7047

Here are some pictures of Jacee and her friend planting with my cousin, who my kids call "Aunt Jill"

Here is a video we took of Luke playing in the water. It is so fun. I don't know how to take the sound off so you will have to ignore those of us enjoying him in the background.

Before I close this post, I have to add pictures of one more HUGE event in our life........

LUKE'S FIRST HAIR CUT!!!!

I know, I know, laugh if you want, but it was a very, very sad day for me. I couldn't bear the thoughts of cutting off his cute, but willy curls! Thanks to my good friend Kristine for being so understanding! LOL

Here are the before pictures:

And here are the during pictures:

Being pretty good, looks like it's going smoothly you say.........

Well: (looks can be decieving, you know!)

Yes, he is laying down and throwing a fit, and yes Kristine is cutting his hair side ways! LOL

And Kenzi comes in for the save!

Luke was as mad about getting his curls cut off, as I was sad!

Now what you have all been waiting for:

The after picture.......

He still has the curls, and yes he still has those gorgeous baby blues!

Thanks for keeping in touch with our family. I love to hear your comments. Keep them coming!

Love you all,

Amy

What have we been up to?......

Okay, okay, it has been a while since I posted anything on my blog. Well that is mostly because we have been busy, busy with our house and figuring out who to vote for at our Republican State Convention where Karl and I had the awesome opportunity to go and represent our county as State Delegates. It was an awesome experience and I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for the rich opportunities he has given us to learn more about our government. He truly does love and care for this Nation. Karl and I have felt a huge responsibility to do our part. We are so passionate about Freedom and have committed to do our part to insure that we keep it. It has not all been fun. It has required A LOT of reading and learning and A LOT of prayer to sort out what we learn. But we have gained a passion and love for our country and a desire to learn and do more to insure that it regains and retains it's greatness. Did you ever think that I would become a politician (well okay I don't feel like a politician, I just feel like Freedom!)? Did I? The Lord does work in mysterious ways! LOL

Just sharing a couple of pictures of the state convention.

I received this email message from a good friend of mine (thanks Jeff) and I had to post it here. It sends chills up my spine and really touched base with me. I hope you get chills too!
Here is the message:

Dear God:

Why didn't you save the school children at ?

Northern Illinois University

Virginia Tech

Amish Country, PA

Columbine High School

Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96

Bethel , Alaska 2/19/97!

Pearl , Mississippi 10/1/97

West Paducah , Kentucky 12/1/97

Stam P, Arkansas 12/15/97

Jonesboro , Arkansas 3/24/98

Edinboro , Pennsylvania 4/24/98

Fayetteville , Tennessee 5/19/98

Springfield , Oregon 5/21/98

Richmond , Virginia 6/15/98

Littleton , Colorado 4/20/99

Taber , Alberta, Canada 5/28/99

Conyers , Georgia 5/20/99

Deming , New Mexico 11/19/99

Fort Gibson , Oklahoma 12/6/99

Santee , California 3/ 5/01 and

El Cajon , California 3/22/01?



Sincerely,

Concerned Student





Reply:

Dear Concerned Student:



I am not allowed in schools.



Sincerely,

God



How did this get started?...

Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said, OK...



Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible that says: 'Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, And love your neighbors as yourself.' And we said, OK...



Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehaved because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said, "An expert should know what he's talking about." So we won't spank them anymore...



Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said "No faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. And we accepted their Reasoning...



And the entertainment industry said, "Let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence and illicit sex, and let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said, it's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.



Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves. Undoubtedly, if we thought about it long and hard enough we could figure it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...



'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW,'



---------------------------------------------------



There are soft and subtle things going on all around us that threaten our precious liberty. I love this quote by Benjamin Franklin: "Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship." Can we afford to keep giving in to these seemingly "small" encroachments on our freedoms?


We must remember something that Martin Luther King, Jr. taught:
"Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."


Here are some good things that I strive to remember. They are quotes from a man whom I very much admire:


The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within. -Ghandi


Let us fear God and we shall cease to fear man. -Ghandi


We live in the greatest nation on earth. I know you all feel the same. I'm so thankful for all of you in my life. I'm thankful that I live in a country that allows me to have these relationships with you. I'm thankful that I live in a nation where I'm allowed to share part of my testimony and beliefs with you. I'm so grateful to belong to the true gospel. A gospel that gives us hope, that teaches us that even with all the scary things that are going on in our nation, our Constitution, that Divinely Inspired document of Freedom, WILL be preserved! I'm thankful for that hope and I am honored to do my part to help fulfill that prophecy!

Okay thanks for letting me share some of my passion with you. Now for the fun stuff:

PICTURES!

Karl and I have been blessed with some of the greatest grandparents on this earth! We have been experiencing some difficulty with all of them this year. Grandpa Chick just go out of the hospital with internal bleeding and heart issues. Grandma and Grandpa Noyes have been very sick, down in bed with the flu. Grandma Lila is doing good, but slowing down. I never thought I would see that! It is hard to watch them age. We are so aware though, of the heritage we have inherited! We are so thankful to belong to families of such high character!

Derby's, Daughters, and Friends

On May 30th, Jax was able to participate in his first ever Pine Wood Derby. He and Karl worked together to build what was the first Pine Wood Derby for both of them. They had a great time and even Grandpa Boyd got into the spirit by helping to sand the axle's. Finally the time came to race and Jax was so excited. His anticipation continued to grow as he waited for his turn to race. Finally his name was announced and it was his turn. You can imagine his disappointment when he lost the very first race! LOL He handled it very well with an "Oh Shoot" and a big smile. He continued to race and didn't loose once after that! When they announced the winners for the Bear group he was told that he needed to stay after for the overall race! That was pretty exciting news. He was going to be racing against the two best derby's in the Wolf and Webelo's group. When all was said and done he was very excited to have taken 2nd in the overall race division! Every one complimented him and his dad. Someone even joked around about what an engineer his dad must be! The mom of the boy who won first place said: "Well we've been doing this for fifteen years so you have that long to work on first place!" It was fun and Jax had a great time.

Kenzi recently entered a contest called "7 Reasons Why I Love My Mom" To enter it you had to write a list of 7 reasons why you love your mom (of course) and send in a picture of yourself with your mom. These pictures turned out so cute (Thanks Aunt Jeneil) I wanted to post them here for everyone to see. I'm going to post her list also because it was so tender. It touched my heart. These are the moments that make it all worth it! I love being a mom and I love being Kenzi's mom. I often marvel at the amazing girl she is and wonder what I did to deserve her. She is such an incredible girl. So thoughtful of others, so helpful to me. Out of this world smart, and so responsible. She has such a cute personality and is developing into a sweet young lady. I thank Heavenly Father every day for her. And pray that I can be the mom she deserves!

7 Reasons Why I Love My Mom

By: Kenzi Kraync

1. I love my mom because she cooks good dinners

2. I love my mom because she does not get mad when we accidentally do something wrong.

3. I love my mom because she loves us better when we get hurt.

4. I love my mom because she is afraid of moths and that makes me laugh

5. I love my mom because she teaches us a lot.

6. I love my mom because she always wants hugs.

7. I love my mom because she laughs with us.

Lately I have been thinking so much about why I have been blessed to have such amazing friends. Heavenly Father has truly given me the best friends a person could ever hope to have! I'm so thankful that he has sent these people into my life, and my families life. They have truly made us better people. You know who you are and I love you all!

You know you have true friends when........

*You are feeling your worst, the phone rings, and when you pick it up you hear: "Are you alright? I just felt like I needed to call you. Whats up?"

*Your girlfriend lends you $40.00 bucks to run to the store because you forgot your money!

*They haul their whole family two hours down to your house just to help you work all day in the home you are building and turn around and go home!

You know you have true friends when:

*You don't agree on everything and it's okay because you agree on the important things.

*You feel as comfortable at their home as you do your own and vice versa.

*You know you are always welcome.

You know you have true friends when:

*Even though you haven't seen them in months you can pick up right were you left off. It's as if you were never apart.

*They make it a point to keep in touch even if miles and miles separate them.

*Your whole family is able to go on a two week vacation with their whole family and you still love each other just as much when it's over!

Here is a quote I love:

Life is a garden.

Good friends are the flowers and time spent together....

life's happiest hours.

And friendship like flowers blooms ever more fair....

when carefully tended by dear friends who care.

Update on the home:

We now have windows and doors (except for the front door)! Yeah! We are so excited about that. Here are a couple of pictures to keep you updated on the progress:

Something exciting happened for Jacelin!

Well we were so excited for Jacelin that we had to share the news with all of you. About two weeks ago Jacelin found out about an earth day poster contest and decided she wanted to enter a watercolor painting into the contest. She painted her poster and off we mailed it to California. In the mail today she recieved a certificate stating that she had won the contest! Yeah for her! You can see her amazing picture on Amazing kids. Here is the link: http://www.amazing-kids.org/edcontest08.html#winners

Bees, Bees, Bees,

Well here are the latest pictures of our newest adventure!.......

Jax the BeeKeeper!!!!! (so cute!)




This is the cage that the queen bee comes in. You can't see her very well, but she is darker and bigger than the others.

Jax has had an intrest in being a beekeeper for a little more than a year now. He has read several books that he found and begged his dad to take him to class that our county offered on Beekeeping. He absolutely loved the class. He comes to talk to me often with information he learns from his bee books. He truly amazes me. Karl and I decided that for Jax's birthday we would get him the stuff he would need to start his dream of beekeeping. I was so funny to see his face when recognition dawned! He opened the present and seen the funny white hat. He looked confused but as he pulled it out and seen the yellow net he realized what it was and he just lit up! It was so fun. I will never forget the joy that registered on his face. He is hoping that he can make a go of his hobby and make some money for himself. Karl and I decided he would need some help for the first little while and so Karl also got himself a hive and starter kit. It should be a great adventure for them..... and me! I'm excited to learn about candle making and soap making. (That makes me sound like a pioneer, huh?) Oh well, I'm still excited. If any of you have a good recourse on beekeeping we would love to know it. We have ALOT to learn! Love you all and enjoy the rest of the pictures!

A little bit of the joy in our life

I know that you are all anxious to see progress on our house but I just wanted to take a second and share with you some of the things that make our life a little brighter.


The kids just finished up a production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat with our community theatre. It was the first time we have been envolved with our community theatre, and it was GREAT! The kids loved it! They got to see what is envolved behind the scenes. They learned how much time and practice it takes to put together a show. They made new freinds, and performed very well. I've found that there are very few things in this life that actually make my children better people. After all the hours that I have spent taking my children to basketball practice and sitting on the bleachers watching gymnastic meets and wrestling tournaments, I am finally learning that lesson. There have been a few amazing oppurtunities that have made a difference in our families life. Oppurtunities that I know were worth all the effort. I know without a doubt my children will always remember the comradary they gained by working together with a group of people as a team. They will never forget the satisfaction that comes from working hard at something and seeing that something bless other peoples lives. I know they will always carry with them the lessons of forgivness and personal mission that Joseph taught them during that short period of time. I'm so thankful my kids were able to have such a good experience at such a young age. I pray that I can be more selective in our activities and make the choice to only participate in the ones that are truly going to help my children become who they are meant to be. Anything else is only keeping them from accomplishing this goal!


You've all read the story I'll Love You Forever. Do these pictures strike a cord?




I couldn't help but be reminded about how much I love my children when I witnessed this little incident. Luke got out of sight for two minutes and this is where I found him. I had to take a minute and snap some pictures! It's moments like these that make my memories! I had to share them with those I love!

The weekend before conference weekend we had the special oppurtunity to travel to Garland, Utah and see my new little nephew be blessed. Chad pronounced such a special blessing upon him and I had witnessed to me, as I have had with my own children, that Tanner was sent here for an amazing purpose. Heavenly Father has a special plan for these children. I am so thankful for the power of the priesthood and men who are worthy to hold it, and use it to pronounce spectacular blessings on their children.

It was a also a special time because it was the first time that our whole family was all together at once since Trent returned home.

Now for the house:

It has been super cold and I have felt very bad for our great framers! They have worked tirelessly in getting the house standing even as the wind literally knocked them down several times! Thankfully no one has been hurt and we are making progress. Karl has been busy, busy, busy, working! And we haven't seen him much. When he is not working he is up at the property and because it has been so cold we haven't been able to be up there with him. Thanks to my dad we are keeping caught up. He has made him self sick and tired, wearing himself out up there. Our house is coming together and I am so excited. I feel such a spirit of peace when I am near my home. I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for allowing us this oppurtunity. I know He is overseeing it all. He is taking care of us and we are so blessed.
Our house is completely covered now and shingles start going on tomorrow if the weather holds. I will have to post more pictures after the shingles are on.

We love each of you and hope all is well with your families!