Sweet Children

Whenever I feel like life is too hard to bear, I am grateful for my children. They are what is good in my life and they are absolutely amazing. I'm trying to do fun things with them while I can, so today I took them to a Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop. They both made their very own "waving flag" project. They are pretty good with a hammer and nail. I had to help Jade just a couple of times to "finish off" a couple of the nails. It was cute to see them both so focused on making their projects. Now we are about ready for the 4th of July. We've got our big flag to fly outside and these little waving flags to bring in the patriotism. Just look at these sweet children.

Cool Little Adventure

Today was the first day of summer and as such, all the national parks and monuments were offering a fee-free day. I would have loved to take the kids someplace really really cool, but I figured with the baby due in a couple weeks we should pick a close one. We decided Montezuma Castle would be neat to see and close enough. My mom came along too. We headed out and had a good trip with the help of many snacks and two great kids. We made it to Montezuma Castle before it was too unbearably hot. It was really neat to see the kids learning about a place that was built and populated so long ago. Braden liked seeing the artifacts, especially the tools. He also liked the replica of what the baskets may have looked like. Jadelynn really liked seeing the jewelry and other ornamentations.

 After finishing up in the visitor's center, we went and saw the ruins. On the way out the door, they had a list of animals that had been spotted from the trail. So throughout the walk, the kids were on the lookout for cool creatures. We ended up seeing a turkey vulture, a raven, and lot's of lizards. Braden wanted to see a rattlesnake, but no luck (phew). The ruins themselves are so amazing. We all wondered how the people got up and down from their "high-rise apartments".  It was a really cool little adventure.

Worth It

The title of my last post is "Be Strong". Of course, this was about staying away from sweets. Although I've done very well with this goal, I should have been thinking more about the other areas of my life where I'd need to be strong. Life has started throwing the curve balls and let's just say, I'm not the most athletic. I've started questioning whether I'm strong enough to withstand the heavy pressures and burdens that have been coming. I am trying to remain grateful for the challenges because I do believe they will make me better and stronger if I handle them with reliance on my Heavenly Father. But they are very heavy and it is hard. I'm very grateful for faith and family and I have hope that the future will be better even though it's hard to see the "how".  I am very blessed to have people placed in my life that are willing to offer support even when they don't even know that they are. And I'm even more blessed to have the power of prayer available 24/7. I've read these words over again and I know I can hang on and grow and it will be well worth it.