The Truth about temptation

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.” C.S. Lewis

Cowboys and Aliens

This is probably going to be a dumb post for everyone to read except me. But I want to remember it because it makes me happy.

Glenn and I were talking about the movie Cowboys and Aliens and what a dumb name it is for a movie! The funny thing about the movie is that it has big characters in it. The point of our discussion was that if it had had almost any other name it would have done better in the theaters. But Glenn decided to prove that there were still dumber names than that....his top choice was "Saddles and Saucers" and mine was "Buckaroos and Bad Guys".

I really love that Glenn and I joke and laugh about little things, goofy things. He really is my best friend and I love the simple fun that we have every day.

Savvy Stories

Savvy just started being so funny and I was finally able to get it on video. She is so fun to have around!!

First Real Snow

She was saying WOW in a whisper over and over again when she saw the snow.
Our little trekker
Her first taste of snow....

Fun Videos

Judah is blowing bubbles with his mouth lately and we got a couple of them on video : )

I just love Judah's giggle!

Look at how big her smile is! She was loving this little Doggie all night. Trevor and Wes you guys spoiled us! We love you guys!

First Tries and Strawberries

This is our little strawberry girl! She really loves eating strawberries. And that is our beautiful tree in the background that we love.
I was debating on whether I should post this cake or not but I decided eventually I will get better and it will be fun to see progress. But this is my first cake with my Cricut. I know it looks terrible....the thing is when I put the top on it crumbled on its way there. Really. the whole top was basically crumbs smushed together so in all fairness I recovered it considerally better than I should have been able to.
Still, it is not the most appealing cake. On the upside I know how to work my machine now and I think I will have a more creative and better quality cake to show in about 2 weeks for my brother Brandon's birthday. Here's hoping...: )

Surprise of my Life!

Today has been quite a shock, in an amazing way!! I heard a knock at the door and saw the FedEx guy leaving, which I thought was crazy because I knew we weren't expecting anything. Savannah and I went over to the door and there was a big package addressed to me in a Cricut Cake box. I opened the box, because obviously this was too much for me to wait : ) and there it was a beautiful red Cricut Cake machine.
I was absolutely stunned! When I told Glenn I promised him it wasn't me : ) haha
I can't express how grateful and excited I am.
This machine is seriously so exciting! It makes it really fun to decorate cakes in incredible ways!

The crazy part is that I have no idea who sent it to me. I am really stumped and have no idea how I could possibly thank whoever it was enough! I really am so thankful and feel really loved that someone would do something like that for me because they knew it would make me so happy and that I would love having!

What an amazing Christmas Surprise! Thank you from all my heart whoever sent this fun and thoughtful gift to me!

Snow Globes and Christmas Books

On my kitchen table I set out our little nativity and Christmas books. It makes it easier for me to remember to read Christmas books to Savvy and Judah.
Savvy LOVES our little snow globe! When she saw it after I tipped it upside down, she whispered "Wow!" It was really sweet!

Grandpa Clawson

Last week my Grandpa Clawson passed away. I want to share a few things about my Grandpa to make sure that Savannah and Judah know just what their Great Grandpa Clawson was like.

First of all, my grandpa was the most considerate, kind and charitable person! He would help anyone with anything!!! While I was on my mission my Dad and Mom got called to be the Mission President and Wife (I don't know how else to title that) and my grandpa offered to let me live with him when I got back! He was really excited and I really loved having the opportunity to live with him!

Secondly, he wasn't an overly talkative person, he was pretty mellow but every once in a while he would say something that would definitely take you by surprise. My family would have "Friday Night Dinners" with him where we would eat dinner and play games each week, it would get a little awkward sometimes when he would tell us dirty jokes. Or when I was getting married he had a "sex" talk with me with extremely unwanted advice : ) I think he thought because my parents were gone, he needed to step in there.....oh boy. Also after I had Judah and Savannah I lost an extensive amount of weight (thank goodness) and my Grandpa told me he could tell that I was losing weight because my "behind looked smaller". He was really funny.

My Grandpa is a convert to the church...he was baptized when I was 12. Despite that, he was able to serve a mission at the prison for a few years. He LOVED I mean REALLY LOVED telling people he was going to prison on Wednesday...or whatever day he had his assignment. He thought it was such a great joke, and it was.

My favorite moment with my Grandpa Clawson was when I was being set apart as a missionary, my stake president asked for the people in my family who have served missions to raise their hands. I know I have never seen my Grandpa look so proud and happy than when I saw him raise his hand. I know that he loved serving and knowing that he fulfilled his responsibilities to the Lord.

I want to share one of my mom's favorite memories of her parents. When she was a teenager they were all at Disneyland(they lived in California) and there was an area for dancing. My grandma and grandpa were great dancers but my mom was still a little in awe when everyone cleared the floor to watch her parents dance together! What a great moment!

My whole family will really miss my Grandpa but mostly the feeling of missing him is overwhelmed by our happiness that he is with my Grandma. Anyone who knew my Grandpa knew that 10 years of waiting to be with my Grandma was too long for him. My Grandpa is the best example of seeing someone truly CHERISH their spouse. Hearing the way my Grandpa would call her "Sweetheart" and tell her he loved her was so touching.

We are blessed to have his example to influence our lives and blessed with the knowledge that John and Gwen are together forever. I know we will all think of them dancing...

(and I know I look really young in that picture, it was a while ago...)

Mighty Sword Fight

We had our really good friends The Mayers (Kyle, Shelise, Baby Mayer due in June, Hudson, and Cannon)over for dinner and a sword fight ensued....using foam-like bowling pins. It was so cute to watch Savannah going "Bababababa". Glenn is such a fun dad! What a fun night!

Trouble Maker

Savvy thinks she found herself a little hut..............(if you look close you can see the note cards that she has brought in there with her)

.................and she killed a hydrangea flower.

Fun Moments

I know the picture is fuzzy but I just wanted to remember how much Savannah loves this little magnadoodler. If you notice too she is using her left hand...we still don't know if that is her preferred hand but she uses it a lot! And do you love her little crown band? She puts that on all the time by herself,.
I saw them both here like this and had to get a picture! They are so funny.

Our Gratitude Turkey named BILL

For Family Home Evening tonight we made
Bill, Our Gratitude Turkey.
(we were watching Bill O'Reilly before FHE lol)
Savannah was really upset that we wouldn't let her take off with Bill but we didn't think he would survive. Happy Thanksgiving!! We really are so blessed! We are especially grateful for our little family!

Party Time

Our little friend Owen turned One Years Old!! : ) yay. The kids had fun at his cute little party, well Judah didn't have so much fun right here but the rest of the time he did.
Kensie(Owen's mom) had all the kids come and eat the cake together but only two of the kids were interested, which was a little sad but at least the birthday boy liked it!
Owen got a really cool rocking horse for his birthday so of course Savannah is riding it....(by the way, they both did have real clothes on earlier but we pulled them both down to a onesie so they could eat the cake they didn't want to eat.
The funny part is that she got on and stayed riding like this for like five minutes. She was making everyone laugh and make jokes about how serious of a rider she was and that she was trying to ride as fast as she could.
She finally felt comfortable enough to sit upright on the horse and you can see for yourself the results. Needless to say she is a fan of rocking horses!! : )
Thanks Owen and Kensie for a fun party!

The Holiday Season

First of all you should know that as soon as the first sign of fall hits I start thinking about Christmas Gifts! I don't start listening to Christmas music when it happens, I just start planning and being on the lookout.
But I am one of those people that LOVE the Christmas Season, I really love everything about it! (I know some people don't like the Holiday Season because they think it is too commercialized, maybe I will write about that later but it is enough for me to just say...You get what you put into it and you can't worry about others.)
I love the crispness in the air outside and the wonderful smells and warmth that hits you when you go inside. I love the Christmas Music. I love that it is focused on spending time and making and keeping traditions with family. I love that you get to think about everyone you love and care about and pick something or make something that you hope will bring a smile to their face or a little joy to their day.
This year is a little difficult because we have no money, really! Glenn had to take the summer off from school to study for the LSAT and so we have had a lot less to work with this year than we usually do. It makes it a little difficult to get presents for everyone when your budget is so very limited. But here is the best part, although there are some gifts I wish I was getting for people instead, I am finding ways to do what we can with what we have. I was able to get good enough gifts for everyone on my list, except my parents. There just wasn't any money left. I know that they understand and they never expect anything anyway. (Glenn's parents don't expect anything either, they really are wonderful and amazing but I already have their gifts) I was looking at my pinterest boards today and I finally figured out a fun gift for my mom and a somewhat useful gift for my dad without spending any money. (for those of you who know me really well, you know I have the craziest collection of "stuff" to make things with before I married Glenn) It won't be great, but it is creative and I hope it turns out. My gift for my dad is actually less exciting but I know the thought and effort count for something. I know this is early to be concerned with presents already but when you are making things you have to plan ahead so you have time to get it all done.
As I was thinking about my sort of "scotch tape" Christmas presents for everyone I started thinking that really this is what Christmas is all about...Doing your best to find/make something that, even if it isn't the best present they have received in the whole world, hopefully they know how much thought and care that is put into something for them...that they are loved by Glenn and me. So good luck with your Christmas Shopping out there! And enjoy the true Spirit of Giving.

You are Unique

"No one can have the influence you have been prepared to have on all who come within your sphere of influence......No one can do what you were sent here to do. No one."

Sheri Dew No One Can Take Your Place Pg 195

Sometimes we feel like there is nothing we can do that others couldn't do too, but sometimes God needs things done exactly the way we would do it, not our friend next door, or our amazing sister, or so and so's mom...US! We each have talents and certain skills that are very individual and sometimes God needs us specifically in certain places at certain times, doing and saying certain things. If we haven't always, at least we decide to start. I hope can do what I was sent here to do.

A Father's Joy

Glenn was drinking his glass of water that had been on the table and as he looked in it he found a chocolate chip which I had put in Savannah's mouth 20 minutes earlier! : ) So funny!

Relaxed...

This does not look relaxing to me...
But this does...: )

Sister's Conference

When I got off of my mission I decided I wanted to do a form of Sister's Conference from my mission, which is basically Zone Conference for Girls only...anyway I decided to do one with my family. I live a little far away and so it is not always easy to do them like I want to. So I decided to do one with my friends from my Wymount Ward. It was so fun!!!

I had folders for them with some quotes and papers in them and a place to put all of the handouts we got from the Conference.
We started with an opening song and prayer. Then Nicole started us off with a scripture Moroni 7:47 about Charity~And Shirley shared an awesome Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe that as she pointed out makes a great breakfast and/or dessert! Then a Fashion segment by Mandy! She even wore a super cute Maxi Skirt she had made for $5! She shared with us some good ideas and ways to "do it yourself".
We made Washer Necklaces for the craft. Marla did a great job showing everybody how to do it!!



Shelise taught us how to make a Pumpkin Tort and seriously it was the BEST pumpkin dessert I have ever had!! I even cheated on my diet to eat some. She makes a great Paula Dean! : )Then Candace shared with us some things she had recently learned and pondered about about the Grace of God that has helped her in her life. Olga shared an inspirational song. Dream Big by Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band. Her story was amazing because she is from Russia and she knows the miracle of dreaming big! coming from a place that has become sort of a trap for those living there and a place with limited opportunities. Being able to come to America and marry the man of her dreams when everyone around her said he didn't exist. She was definitely an inspiration to us all! Robin shared a wonderful book called Beloved Emma and told us of how it helped her in her life overcome a difficult trial and gave her the courage, strength and understanding she needed during a very heartbreaking time.
We then had a lesson by Sarah who helped us try to see ourselves as daughters of God instead of the way the world sees us. She shared some wonderful insights, she has a degree in Psychology or something like that and explained some things to help us keep things in perspective. She shared something specific that I have thought about over and over again since then that has been a huge help for me!

I ended the Conference by encouraging all of us to be great. And to increase our capacity to do good by relying on God and not waiting to be asked to do something to bless others.

It was an amazing Conference!! I am not surprised because of the incredible caliber of those beautiful sisters and friends. It is amazing what we can do! Some have already asked when we can do it again!! The best part is that Aimee couldn't make it but has volunteered to do the next one!! My hope is that these incredible women will continue to influence others in their spheres as they move on and that they will keep this tradition continuing and spreading to others!

Ward Halloween Party

Here's our little Fairy and our Football Player. They did have some fun, even though they don't look like it! : )

Judah Pants

These are Judah's pajama pants, sort of.....They are a little too big so he ends up stepping on them and pulling them off. This is Papa Robbins least favorite style : )
(You may be wondering where the matching shirt is, simple answer he got banana all over it...so we had to substitute. But this picture was too funny not to post.)
This is my cute little Savvy Girl. She is getting so big and she is getting big girl hair, which I love!!

Halloween Ward Party

Our friends Kyrstin and Dan made us take a picture because Glenn was eating his dinner and talking to the guy to the right while I was wrestling both of the kids. To be fair though he really did have at least one of them the whole night too(they were both monsters that night) it was just for a moment that I had both. He didn't even get to eat most of his dinner...
I will have better pictures of their costumes soon! : )

Card Swap

My friend Annelise recently asked if I wanted to join her and a little group in doing a Card Swap. In our group we have 6 people, so we each make one type of card but 6 copies...one for yourself and then 5 to swap with the others and you end up with 6 really cute cards a month to add to your collection. This is the card I put together for this month, I hope it will be good enough compared to the others in the group.....we will see. When I get all the cards I will post pictures of all the cute ones I received.

(the heart comes out...it says "sending you love")

Judah Food

Judah will nod his head up and down when I feed him something that he likes, it is so cute but sometimes he does it when I am trying to put more of it in his mouth and it ends up on his nose or forehead and he looks at me like..."Why did you put food on my face Mom...?"

Getting So Big

My sweet little Savvy is getting older! She looks so big with her hair just down(it is finally long enough to go behind her ear) She doesn't look like a baby anymore, I am not really sad. I am excited. I love that she is learning things and I think she looks more beautiful everyday! I just love her.

Savvy Girl
Loves oranges, strawberries, and bananas but not mango.
Loves playing outside and going ANYWHERE with Mommy.
Loves hugging, kissing, and tickling Judah but does tell him "Stop It" often when she doesn't like something he is doing.
Loves her squeaky shoes but likes going barefoot sometimes.
Loves playing with the keyboard on the computer even though she gets in trouble.
Loves Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Lion King.
Loves bath time but not getting her hair rinsed out.
Loves getting her hair blown dry as long as she gets to play with the bottles on the counter.
Loves jewelry...yes, already.
Loves playing in the corner of her room behind her crib where she feels like it is a secret place of hers.
Loves playing ball with her dad.
Loves trying new adventures, she really isn't afraid of anything yet.
Loves her Daddy and her Mommy.