My Lovely 'New' Living Room!

A couple weeks ago my friend texted me at 7am telling me she had awesome news and to call her as soon as I woke up. I was already awake so I gave her a call. She told me she needed to come over to tell me and I said please come! She came over and told me that she had been thinking of something nice to do for me and she wanted to help me remodel our living room. Mike and I had been helping them out a little with their new phones and a couple new laptops and this is how she wanted to thank us. She knew I had been wanting to remodel since...well...we moved in. Hahaa! I knew she wouldn't take no for an answer so I said okay!

Here is what the room mostly looked like before. It had changed a bit since I took these pictures but not too much.

And here is the After picture: (drum roll please!)

My goodness amazing what a little paint, crown molding, a new fan, new curtains, and moving furniture around can do! I LOVE it so much! It is so warm and inviting! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

It turned out great! I love to just sit in the room and enjoy it! I'm so grateful to Rachel and Brandon for all the hardwork they put in; especially Rachel. Also thank you to Mike for hanging curtains, putting up a new fan, and moving furniture all the while listening to Rachel and following every direction quite perfectly!!! Hahaa! Now I need good ideas of how to thank them. They put so much time and effort into this room! I love my new room!

The 'Great Flood' of 2011

Last Sunday, July 10 at about 5pm there was a huge downpour of rain. It was kinda cool for about 15 minutes but then it just kept coming. After about 30 minutes of a huge downpour our road and neighborhood started looking like this:

I looked out the front window and saw my neighbor in his window well using a bucket to get water out. I ran back to Mike, who had just gotten back from counting tithing, and told him that our neighbor was flooding and might need help. Mike changed and ran out the door to go help. That got me worried that we might be flooding and well yes we were too:

This is after I had cleaned up some of it already. I called for Mike to come and start getting water out of our window well because it was starting to not drain anymore and it was starting to fill up which was making more water come in.

Here is Mike cleaning out the window well. I ran to go get the trash can and saw people running all over with buckets helping people clean out their window wells. Mike got ours taken care of and headed off to help others. It truly was an amazing sight to see. People everywhere helping everyone. Men driving by getting home from meetings and jumping out to help, suit and all. Many of our young men running around the neighborhood finding those that needed help. Everyone was helping everyone it was amazing to see our neighborhood pull together and help each other out. Many people had quite a bit of damage 2 families in our ward each had a window shatter from the weight of the water and the water gushed into their home. Mike was out until 7:30 helping people. He came home to eat dinner and then headed out again at 8:30 to go help more people. He was out until midnight cleaning carpets, moving furniture, and helping anyone who needed help.

This is a picture of our park...where all that water is, it's normally just grass. It was full of water.

Many people decided to take advantage and have a little fun in the water.

It was crazy! I am so grateful for the amazing people I live by. We have a wonderful neighborhood and an amazing ward! Everyone cares so much about each other and even those who were out of town were taken care of. It was an amazing site to see people running around with buckets ready and willing to help. We truly live in a Zion and I am so grateful for that! Minus all the damage that happened it was an amazing day.

Madilyn is Potty Trained!

I didn't think that I would be posting this for a while but Madilyn decided finally that she was ready to be potty trained. I've found that pushing a child when they are not ready to potty train is not worth it at all! So we've been waiting (mostly patiently) and finally on Thursday, July 7 Madi came in from swimming and when I was getting her dressed she said she wanted to wear big girl panties. From then on she was pretty good. While we were gone for the weekend she had a hard time but on Monday she woke up and has only had 1 accident since. She has done awesome! I don't even have to remind her to go. Half the time I hear her yelling, "I did it!" and she has gone all by herself! I think she just had to figure everything out first. She is just like her daddy in that way: Assess the situation, figure out how to make it work, perfect it in your head, and then pretty much perfectly preform it! She was the same way with crawling and walking.

Madilyn got to choose her potty toy and she chose this Strawberry Shortcake house. She loves it! We are so proud of you Madi! WAY TO GO!!!

Katelyn Turns 7!

Katelyn turned 7 on July 3, 2011! I can't believe that just 7 short years ago (which flew by in a blink) this is what my little Katelyn looked like:

Then growing to this:

to this:

And now look at my beautiful girl! She has grown up so big

Since Kate's birthday landed on a Sunday we decided to do some celebrating on Saturday. We took the kids to Trafalga. We had a lot of fun bowling, bumper boats, rides, and games. Afterwards Katelyn chose to eat at Dennys. We then headed home and enjoyed the afternoon.

Here are some pictures from Trafalga.

On Sunday Katelyn got to open her presents. She was so excited and this was the first time she actually made me a list of what she would like. Boy that makes it super easy!!!

Katelyn wanted this doll so much! She was super excited to get it.

This was a fun art kit she was happy to get too.

After presents we had dinner and Kate chose to have ham sandwiches, fruit salad, and chips for her birthday dinner. She isn't a big fan of cake so we were going to make cupcakes which she still doesn't like a ton. I asked her if she'd rather have brownies and she was so excited and said yes! So we made brownies and put the candles on there.

Katelyn is a wonderful person. She is so helpful and kind to everyone. She loves to learn and absolutely loved school this past year. She has become quiet the great reader in the past couple of months and we are so proud of her. She is so excited to be baptized next year and reminds me all the time that she will soon be 8! Her favorite color is blue, she loves ham sandwiches and my homemade chicken noodle soup, and she loves to write and color and make her own books. She loves to ride her bike, swim, play with friends, and loves to play with toys. Her sisters are her best friends and they have a lot of fun together. She is a wonderful helper with all her sisters and is always the one who is the first to get up and help clean. She cares for everyone she meets and wants everyone to be happy. We love you Katie-bug! You make us smile!

Independence Day!

I have a ton of posts to post and it's been so crazy lately that I haven't had time. Today Juliet has decided that she should be extremely cranky and wants to be held all the time so I will type some posts while she drools all over my arm.

We had a fun 4th of July. Grandma Sherie was honored as the Grand Marshall of the parade in Morgan so we headed up early to surprise her. Here are the 4 girls ready for the parade to start.

She is in this jeep but my camera clicked to slow. She was surprised to see us and we were so glad we were able to make it there for this special event.

The girls loved the parade and we got lots of candy.

Papa Kelly was in a float too and the girls got lots of candy from him!

Madilyn waved the whole time. She had so much fun. She even kept waving when she'd pick up candy. We headed home after the parade and did fireworks in the cul-de-sac just down the street. We had lots of fun chatting with everyone and enjoyed the fireworks. As it got dark and we started the fireworks it was such a beautiful sight to see the kids laughing and running around with their sparklers. I am so grateful we live in a free country where my children can run and play and enjoy their childhood. It was a joyful day.

God Bless America!

Singing in the Car

These past couple months we've been doing quite a bit of driving. One day we were on our way back to Papa and Grandma Wright's after a missionary farewell and the radio wasn't getting good reception and I had left my MP3 player at home so everyone just decided to sing themselves. Katelyn asked me to record her so I did but you can hear in the background Mike, Mayli, and Madi too.

This next video is so funny. I was recording Madi singing and Katelyn was singing really loud. I love Madilyn's face when she realizes Katelyn is singing really loud. And then when she tries to tell her to be quiet. It's always a fun time in the car! :)

Uncle Lowell

Mike's Uncle Lowell passed away on June 27, 2011. He had been fighting cancer for over a year and had been in an immense amount of pain. He was a wonderful example to all who knew him. He loved the gospel, served with a smile, and lived his life as a true disciple of Christ. His funeral in one word was amazing. There were so many people there to honor and remember this wonderful man; filled with people all the way back through the chapel, gym, and onto the stage. The spirit was so strong throughout the entire service. The closing song was "Called to Serve". It was amazing as the first verse was sung in Russian and hundreds of Uncle Lowell's missionaries (he was a mission president in Russia) and family members sang. It was as if it was a choir of angles singing welcoming Lowell as he was called to serve his mission on the other side.

If you want to read about his story you can read on his daughters blog here. Also if you go there you will see what an amazing legacy this man has left. The faith and attitude of this family amazes me and I hope one day I can be as wonderful as they each are.

The day Lowell passed away I sat thinking about everything. My heart hurting for his dear wife, children, and other family members. My heart hurt as I read the pains he experienced the last few months stating to the doctor on his last visit before he was put on hospice explaining his immense pain saying that he would never wish this pain on anyone. The day he passed away those pains and afflictions were taken away as he ascended to our Father in Heaven. I sat thinking of the scriptures. My mind turned to Doctrine and Covenants sections 121 and 122 "Thine adversity and afflictions shall be but a small moment." As Lowell suffered for months in grueling pain I sat pondering that now as he had met the Savior and reunited with loved ones on the other side it probably, did seem but a small moment to him. As trials, pain, afflictions, and tribulations come our way we must remember that they are "for our good and experience." And when we look at this life with an eternal perspective we can endure well knowing that our Savior has "descended below" all things and knows how to succor us. I am so grateful for the knowledge and peace the gospel of Jesus Christ brings to my soul. And I am so grateful for family and the love that we can share. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that through him we can be families forever. And I am so grateful for that knowledge and the joy that it brings. I am grateful for G. Lowell Wright and his amazing example, life, and testimony. God be with you til we meet again.

Elder Tim Wright heads to Spain!

Tim, Mike's youngest brother, left for his mission on Wednesday, June 29. We were able to attend when he was set apart and then the day he left we got to eat lunch with him and say goodbye. We love you Tim and we will miss you so much! Spain truly is so lucky to have you serve them for the next 2 years!

Moments That Matter Most

I love this video every time I watch it, it makes me cry. We get so busy in life that we forget sometimes what matters most. We would all do well to slow down a little and remember those things that matter most in our life. Life can be so full of distractions and many times we experience heartache, disappointment, sorrow, and pain. We need to remember to stop and look around and enjoy the many blessings that our Father in Heaven has given us to bring us great joy and happiness. Slow down and enjoy the moments that matter most.

Last week Mayli came running in the house saying, "Mom, Mom, Mom, you have to come see this! It is so neat." I responded, "Just a minute, I'm busy." Mayli said, "But Mom it is so cool please come see." So I decided I better go see this exciting thing. She took me over to our pine tree in the front yard and showed me this birds nest in the tree.

It was a beautiful sight and fun to watch the birds then everyday as they grew bigger and soon left the nest. It was a reminder of the beauty that Father in Heaven has given us so we can smile and have joy. I'm so glad Mayli took a moment to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the earth and looked up and saw this little miracle. I hope we can all slow down a little and enjoy the moments that matter most.

Juliet is 5 Months Old!

Wow! I can't believe it has already been five months since sweet Juliet joined our family! She is a joy to have in our family and we all love her so much! This past month she has grown so much. I can't believe the milestones she has mastered in just 1 short month.

Stats for this month:

Weight: 14.5 pounds

Height: 25 inches

Isn't she so cute!? She really has learned so much this month and boy it was a crazy, busy one! We were all over the place this month. She got to go to Aunt Kenzie's and Uncle Jonny's wedding, attend 2 missionary farwells, see baby Lucy Belle get blessed, and many other things. She learned to roll over from both her tummy to her back and her back to her tummy. She learned how to give kisses. She loves to give kisses but if she doesn't feel like it she won't. She loves to grab her clothes and chew on them. Her clothes usually get drenched in slobber. She squeaks all the time especially when she is upset. She ate rice cereal for the first time and also had her first taste of apple juice. She loves both of them! Lastly she watched her first movie. She loves the colors on the tv and the music and I put her swing in front of the tv and she sat there and just smiled and watched the whole thing.

This was her reaction after a few bites of cereal. She was not happy!

She did calm down once I held her and then realized it actually was yummy. Now she loves it and starts getting upset because I can't feed her quick enough. She sits up so cute in her little high chair.

Juliet loves toys now and loves to be on the floor and rolls all over the place once she is there. She loves to put everything in her mouth and is starting now to recognize her name I think.

She is so much fun! We love having her in our family.