Lip Gloss Date

I had my date with Brooklynn two weeks ago, and we did our date at home, locked into my bedroom.  It was fun.  We made lip gloss!

 I bought a kit that had all of the scents and coloring so it was really easy to mix up...hooray!  We talked about what book she was currently reading, which is "Disney in Shadow," one of the Kingdom Keepers books.  She loves them, and told me all about what was going on in the book.  She is my little bookworm, and loves to read.

 

 We also talked about some of the things she wanted to do this summer...and at the top of her list was to go boating as a family again.  Its a good thing Andy already has the boat ready to go for the season...now if it will just warm up a little more...we'll be out on the water having a blast!

 

Brooklynn is finishing up her 4th grade year, and is doing so well in school.  She is my one that I never have to ask to do her homework, she stays on top of her homework and projects all on her own, and I love it.  Now if we can just get her to clean her room without being asked...

When we were all done, she had 5 different flavors of lip gloss in a cute little carrying case.  She had a lot of fun mixing the flavors and colors, and decorating the little containers with stickers.  I love how creative she is...I love my beautiful 9 year old Brooklynn Belle.

Beware the Evil Behind Smiling Eyes...

My church calling right now is to teach the 13 year olds' Sunday School class.  I love it.  I have a great group of kids...16 if they all come, so most of the time we have a full class, and takes a lot of planning to keep them all engaged and interested. 

 

A few weeks ago, the topic I chose to teach about was how the adversary uses deception to hurt us or make us stray...and how we can use the guidance of the Spirit to help us see through his tactics and stay close to Heavenly Father. 

 

Once in a while, I have a stroke of creative inspiration come to my mind and come up with a fun opening activity to introduce the lesson...this has got to be one of my favorites so far.  It was really...potent...and the point was made very clear.

 

I brought this lovely caramel "apple" to class, and had it sitting on my table as the class came in.  It was noticed immediately...and I could tell that several of the boys really wanted it.  It was hard to keep a straight face.  The kids were asking me which one of them got to have it...so I explained how much care I had taken to make this caramel apple just perfect, putting sprinkles on it, and milk chocolate...and then the bow to make the presentation beautiful.  The whole class wanted some, so I suggested that we cut it into pieces to share, and invited one of the kids to come up to make the first slice. 

 

I didn't get a picture of it...but as we sliced into this lovely concoction...it wasn't a big juicy apple that was inside...it was a big stinky, juicy RED ONION.  Crazy...but no one wanted it after that!?!  The looks on their faces was priceless!  They were wrinkling their noses because it immediately smelled horrible!  We then had a good discussion about how Satan will disguise things and use all manner of deception so we have to always be on our guard and rely on the Spirit to see the true nature of things. 

 

The onion kept stinking...even after I put it into a ziplock bag.  Ick.  Gross.  It truly was a great illustration of how Satan can make some things seem so appealing and good and beautiful, but really they're just a gross, stinky, foul tasting mess that is hard to wash away.  We had some great laughs about it all. 

 

But don't worry...I was nice...

 

 I also brought these yummy caramel apple suckers for them to enjoy. 

I may have traumatized some of them though...I brought brownies this past Sunday...and had several ask if I had put any ONIONS into them, and I've had one boy pray that we won't get food poisoning from the refreshments.  I LOVE it!  I have the best Sunday School class in the ward.

Night cap?

The other night I came into the bathroom to help Lainah and Addy brush their teeth...to find Addy like this.  She is hilarious!  She had taken a swim diaper out of her dresser and apparently thought it would make a great hat.

This little girl has such a fun personality, we all love her so much.  She is constantly doing funny little things like this that make me laugh!  

 

She didn't want to take it off, so she wore this "night cap" throughout the teeth brushing, and family prayer...and then wore it to bed.  I went in later and took it off...stifling giggles as I did.  She is too precious.  

Date with Matthew

Last week I got to take Matthew out for a date.  We decided to go use one of his Book It Pizza Hut certificates that he has earned but instead of just going through the drive-thru like I usually do...we ate in.  He thought that was awesome.   We had the whole place to ourselves.

While he ate, I asked him a bunch of questions...one of the things I learned about Matthew is that someday he'd like to drive a dogsled...and that he wants a Husky.  His favorite color is still blue...and his favorite thing to do at recess is play soccer with his friends.  

 

He also talked to me about when he turns 8 years old next year.  He's already telling me what he'd really like for his presents.   One thing that he really wants is a suit for church.  (He doesn't know this, but we were already planning on getting him one when he turned 8, so this is good news...that he actually WANTS one.)  He's excited to get baptized and to start cub scouts too.

 

 

A little "selfie" of the two of us...I love this boy, he is a sweetheart.



Never a Dull Moment

Shopping with my children is never boring.  Especially when I have the privilege of taking more than one with me.  There is something in their genetic makeup that compels them to find quirky ways to break my concentration and make me laugh and then find others staring at us.  Oh well.  The world needs to lighten up.

 

Over a month ago, I took Addyson, Lainah, and Taylor with me to shop for Matthew's birthday.  We were in one of the toy aisles, and I was trying to figure out which remote controlled 4x4 truck to buy him...and let me tell you, I was really, REALLY focused.  This isn't a decision you take lightly with Matthew the monster truck guru...when I hear giggling from behind me.  I turn around to see this:

 

Addyson with a beard and squinty eyes saying "hello Mama!"

How could I NOT bust up laughing?  I had a good laugh, Taylor was smirking at me...I knew he was behind it all.  So I turned back around to continue my decision on monster trucks...and I hear more giggling behind me.  I turn around...

 



And see this...

Well, at least I know what Taylor would look like with a full beard!

Seriously...there is never a dull moment with this crew.

What Was Once Lost is Now Found

There is an unwritten law in the universe, or at least in the Thuernagle Family universe, that if written would state:  "If an object of importance has been lost, it WILL NOT be found, it CANNOT be found until a replacement of equal or greater value has been purchased.  Then the said missing object will at once be recovered.  No amount of careful searching, no amount of time lapse will change this law."

 

About a month ago, I went to switch batteries in my digital camera for the one in the charger in my bedroom wall.  The problem?  The charger was no longer plugged into the wall.  We searched and searched...we looked everywhere.  I had that mother's sixth sense that it was little Addy who must have snatched it away and put it somewhere, so we were looking in all the toddler places:  drawers, under beds, in cabinets...we even searched through a few garbage bags (yuck!)...I was pretty sure it couldn't have gone down the toilet or I would have found out about that in a quick and unpleasant way...

 

The whole family searched.  It just could not be found.  So I was stuck without a charged battery with no replacement and no way to charge the battery I had.  With end of school events coming up...we just couldn't wait any longer.  Andy ordered a new charger and battery.  We received the battery the day before Easter.  

 

Well, Easter Sunday night, Andy and I were cleaning up Easter dinner...and he got out a small plastic container to put some leftover food in the fridge...and inside the container in the bottom drawer of the kitchen...was my camera battery and charger.  The lost had been found...exactly a day after receiving the new replacements.  Good grief.

 

We knew immediately that the culprit was indeed Addyson...who else would have thought to carefully tuck it away in a plastic container in the back of a bottom drawer that doesn't get used all that often?  Silly little girl...its a good thing she's so cute!

Easter Sunday

I love Easter Sunday.  It is a very meaningful day for me.  My grandpa Orme, who I was blessed to spend a lot of time with as a little girl, died in a car accident on Easter Sunday 17 years ago.  I know that is a weird way to start a post...but as tragic as his sudden death was to me at the time, it caused me to really look upward to God, to my Heavenly Father, and that is when I really remember knowing with absolute surety that families ARE forever...and that I would see my grandpa again.  I love that on Easter we celebrate our Savior's Atonement and sacrifice for mankind...and that we celebrate his resurrection and his life!  I know that He lives, and that He has made it possible for us to live again as well.  Easter is a wonderful reminder to me that this life is not the end, but that we can be together as families for all eternity.  I love Easter.

 

Our little Lainah, who is now 5 years old, was blessed on Easter Sunday.  That too, is one of the reasons that Easter is such a wonderful day for me.  I remember getting her dressed in her beautiful white blessing dress that morning before church, and crying up in my bedroom because of how alone I felt.  None of our family members were coming to her blessing, and we didn't receive any phone calls about her special day...and I just felt like my beautiful baby girl had been forgotten.  Well, as I was thinking these thoughts, an overwhelming feeling of warmth and peace came over me, and I KNEW that we were not forgotten.  My sweet babe Lainah and I, in the upstairs bedroom of my Cleveland home, were surrounded by loved ones who had passed on.  This I know.  I knew that her grandpa Thuernagle (Andy's dad) was there with us...I could feel his presence, along with several others...and I knew that my Heavenly Father who knows and loves each of us so perfectly, had known my thoughts and my feelings, and had sent us loved ones to be with us and to comfort us on Lainah's special day.  My beautiful baby girl had angels attend her blessing day.  I love Easter.

 

This Easter, Andy and I were asked to speak in church about the Savior, his Atonement and Resurrection.  I was so thankful for this invitation because for the week leading up to Easter as I was pondering what I would say, and reading the scriptures and reading conference talks about the Savior, our home and my heart was filled with a special spirit as my thoughts turned again upward.  I was reminded of the love that our Savior, Jesus Christ has for each of us, and that He is always there to lift us, to comfort us, to forgive us, and to strengthen us.  He set the example for us to follow...and is there with His hands outstretched, beckoning to us, reaching for us.  I love Easter! 

 

But with us speaking, and with all of the egg hunting and decorating and food prep the day before...by the time we got home from church and had finished with our Easter feast...I was worn out!

 

Addy kept coming back to her basket throughout the day to nibble on her "Canny."  She loves Easter too I think!  We especially got a kick out of her red cowboy hat that she likes to wear sideways and pulled way down low over her eyes.  She's like the little red candy bandit or something.

Rachey and Brooklynn did each other's hair...this is Rachel's creation, she is so talented!

 

And I had many "favorite" times during the day...but this had to be the best.  As everyone else was getting ready for bed, Addy and I snuggled up together on the couch to wait for them to come in for scriptures and family prayer.  Neither one of us made it...she and I fell asleep snuggling each other...I can't think of a better way to end another beautiful Easter Sunday!

The Making of a Feast

Here at the Thuernagle house, we like finding great reasons to hold a feast.  Luckily for us...we have 8 birthdays to celebrate each year...plus all the Holidays, so we feast quite a bit of the time.  I've never blogged about the prep...just shown pictures of the beautiful finished spread...but here goes.  The making of a feast:

 

On the menu for this Easter:  Ham, Party Potatoes, Jello Cups, Garden Salad, Green Bean Casserole, Challah Bread, Deviled Eggs, Holiday Punch, and for dessert...Strawberry Trifle.  Yummm.

 

The girls helped me most of Saturday...I had them slicing strawberries and making the puddings for the trifle that I would put together on Sunday.

Brooklynn made the jello cups...on Sunday we topped them with whipped cream and a jelly bean!

I made the Challah Bread, and had a hard time keeping everyone from eating it Saturday night!

Lainah gathered the tulips from our yard to use in the table centerpiece...and Andy made the deviled eggs.

Taylor made the Holiday Punch...which is grape juice mixed with 7up.  He had a hard time this year...it kept bubbling over...he had a big mess to clean up before we sat down to eat!

And after church, I cut up the Angel Food cake, and put together the trifle...chocolate pudding, strawberry Danish, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and drizzled Hershey's syrup...this is an Easter favorite around here!

And here's part of the final spread!  Yum...

Little Addy was ready to eat!

And here's everyone else!  We usually bring out the china and silver but...I just knew that I wouldn't feel like washing dishes by hand afterwards...so we cheated.  It's okay.  The food was still scrumptious!

It's An Art

Ahh....egg decorating.  Every year I look forward to it.  I've never outgrown that feeling of wonder as you put a plain white egg into dye and it comes out beautifully colored!  This year, I bought the regular dye kit, plus two different kinds, one a tie-dye egg kit, and another a glitter egg kit.  The kids had fun.

 

Rachey was working on her first tie-dye egg...

While Lainah was sponging on some color so she could glitter her egg...I love the concentration.

And Brooklynn getting into the action.

Matthew, instead of trying the new kits decided to  just go with the tried and true...he had a good time dipping his eggs into all the different colors...and so proud of his brown eggs.  Seriously...what a silly boy.

In the meantime, Tay had come home from his campout...to relax on the kitchen floor of course.

And Andy's CPR course must have worn him out as well...he zonked out in front of the stove.  Seeing him like this reminded me of my grandpa Orme, who would come in from doing chores and lay down in front of the fireplace near the kitchen and fall asleep on the rug.  In just that position.  Too funny.

It didn't take long for us to convince Tay to join in on the fun...he and I used the silly face stickers that came with one of the sets to make a few "minion" eggs from Despicable Me. 

Andy laughs...but each year I boil more and more eggs and say, "do you think that will be enough?" It's a good thing we like deviled eggs around here...that's all I have to say! 

Easter Egg Hunt

What is Easter without an easter egg hunt?  Andy was gone to a CPR recertification course and Tay was at a campout...but the rest of us followed through with the hunt and had a great time!  Rachel was my big helper...I had her set her alarm early on a Saturday morning and rather than sleeping in, she helped me fill eggs and hide them outside.   

 

Here they are before all the fun began...

Addy didn't get it at first.  She couldn't figure out why we were trying to get her to put these funny plastic eggs into her basket!  Until she opened the first one...and said in her cute little baby voice, "Canny!?!"

After that...it didn't take any encouragement from us...she was on the hunt!

We gave them a limit of 12 for the first round...Lainah lost count apparently...she ended up with over two dozen just on the first round, and more later.

Willow even got into it.  He was confused about what was so amazing about these weird plastic things lying on the ground.

He started following Addy around...I guess he figures where she is...good food will follow?  She was happy to have her buddy helping her.

 

Brooklynn got a double jellybean...which are lucky!

And here they are at the end, with full baskets!

After Addy ate all of her candy...she figured out that Brooklynn still had a ton in her basket, so she snatched Brooklynn's entire basket and went running!

 

And because Rachey and I were the ones to put the whole thing together, we thought we needed a picture too...so here we are!  What a fun morning!

Meanwhile, as we were outside egg hunting...I came in to find Mr. Bix (Bixby) snoozing away in Addy's crib.  What a stinker kitty...