Baseball Saturday

And so it has begun, hours and hours each Saturday will be spent at the baseball fields for the foreseeable future. This week were still just practices but man alive do these guys get offended if we aren't there to watch every last second. Today we HAD to run a few errands so we dropped Olivia and Kai off and ran to Target. After Target I was feeling SO guilty that I had Brian drop me off at Olivia's field to watch her. The only problem was IT WAS FREEZING!

Olivia and Kai's practices were at different places and both ended at the same time. Since I had Brian drop me off he headed to watch Kai, and was just going to swing by and get us right after Kai was done. After practice Olivia and I beelined it to the bathroom to try and stay warm with the dryer until he got there! HA

I'm sure hoping the weather warms up before the games start next week!

After all that running around we finished off the evening with sweatpants and snuggling. Elle fell asleep about 2 minutes after we took this picture!

Then Brian and I watched the Nuggets win game 1 in the first round of the playoffs!

GO NUGGETS!

Spring Formal

Tonight Brian and I attended the Spring Formal for all the youth in our stake 14 and up. I was asked to take some pictures and I would never turn down an invitation to a dance! It was a beautiful venue downtown, the Twentieth Century Club, and a great time was had by everyone who was there. I am so grateful that I have Brian to come and do these fun things with me. I love getting to do these fun things, and go fun places, and make fun memories, and the best part is sharing it with him!

Sick Baby

Sick babies are so sad, but I secretly love how cuddly they are. Today we are putting all the chores and errands on hold in exchange for lots of snuggling. 

Manic Monday

When Ethan and Olivia were babies it was all I could do to get out of the house. A day at home would have been considered a terrible day. I was always itching to get out and do something, go anywhere. I remember those feelings perfectly, but can no longer relate. These days I long to look at my calendar and see a blank day. A day that I can do with as I please. A day that doesn't require me to run here, or pick up this, or drop off that. A day that I don't have to leave my house.

Of course those day are few and far between, but I live for them when they do come a long. Monday's are about the furthest thing from my ideal day. It starts out with having to take Luke to school, after which I do my weekly grocery shopping, pick the children up from school to take them to piano, and then off to whatever sport we have that evening.

Elle getting a few minutes of snuggle time after the grocery store and before piano.

Dave texted me this adorable picture of Luke and Josh at preschool pick up. CUTE ALERT!

After piano we went straight to Kai's baseball practice. Brian met us there with his clothes and bag. It was a nice day so we decided to watch him. After about 45 minutes the sun went down and it started to get cool. Elle was refusing to keep her blanket on so Brian put her in his sweater. She didn't like that too much, but we couldn't stop laughing. It was hilarious!

Thank goodness today was buy-food-from-chick-fil-a-today-and-then-get-the-same-food-free-in-may day. 

Happy Sunday

More Than Just a Challenge

In August of 2012 I had my 5^th child. To say my body had changed since my first would be the understatement of the century! I was nearly 10 years older, far busier, and had nearly ZERO free time; non of these were helping my figure. At the beginning of the year, along with millions of others, I made the goal to get in shape! Of course I wanted the scale to be kinder to me, but really I wanted to look and feel different. The only time I had to work with was the very early morning while the rest of my family was still asleep. Arrrgggghhhh! Still I was determined, this was my priority and I was ready to make sacrifices to achieve my objective. No matter how many times Elle got up through the night or how tired I was, I stuck to my guns and went to the gym to work out before the sun came up. After a month I felt like I wasn’t making any real progress; I looked the same, I still felt tired, I was so discouraged!

A friend on mine told me about her results doing a 24 day challenge, so I decided to reluctantly, but hopefully give it a try. To my pleasant surprise I lost 9 lbs and 9 inches during the challenge and felt great! I had more energy, my cloths were getting loser, and I liked what I was seeing in the mirror. Part of feeling better was certainly because I was eating healthy, but more than that I felt more confident, strong, and in control of my life. As women that's what we really want, to feel comfortable and pretty in our own skin. I was grateful for this opportunity to renew that sense of empowerment!

Since I had such a great experience with my own challenge, I have enjoyed watching friends, family, neighbors, and my husband’s co-workers have HUGE success with their own Challenges. Just this week a friend of mine sent this text to my husband who has been helping her have the most success she can:

When Brian told me about that text I was almost in tears! I loved having the opportunity to help this dear friend of mine feel just the way I did. If anyone feels they are in a similar spot, working out and not seeing the results they are looking for, or maybe you haven’t started working out but are ready for a change. This is for you! It’s not a diet or a fad. It goes beyond the 24 days and is a healthy way of life. It’s an opportunity to feel alive again! 

If you want more information or have any questions you can leave a comment with your email, or you can email me directly at briananddanaewest@gmail.com.

The Rains Came Down

Today was such a beautiful day! I opened all the windows trying to get all the stale winter air out, and fill the house with wonderful spring air! We haven't been out much in this nice weather since I've been nursing sick kids back to health since spring break. So open windows and birds chirping were just what I needed as I've been spring cleaning.

Right as we were getting ready to leave for mutual tonight it started pouring rain. We quickly enlisted the children and started closing all the windows.

Then Brian said "trees are falling."

We all ran to the window he was at to see. Right then another huge gust of wind came and knocked over my new lamp. Breaking it in a million pieces. While I was heart broken over my lamp Brian said the basketball hoop is down. So we headed out to see the damage. And it landed on the side of our car! Uggggh

So in about 30 seconds our beautiful day with all the windows opened turned into a bummer of an evening with a few $$ in damages!

But did I mention I played all day with this little beauty! She wasn't interested in getting those baseboards cleaned, and who was I to argue!

Thoughts from General Conference

General Conference was amazing once again. I love gathering in my living room with the loves of my life, hearing how to improve as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, and a young women's leader. I love the impressions that come to me that are unique to me and my family, and are straight from a loving father in heaven. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my daily life.

I loved this talk on how we need to speak to our children.

I loved this talk on marriage.

I loved this talk on parenting.

I have so many notes from each talk. I really could link to them all! Ha I have notes that are direct quotes or ideas, but to the side of those notes I like to write the promptings or thoughts that I get as I listen. Often those thoughts don't have anything to do with the topic at hand, and I've learned that if I don't write them down immediately as them come to my head I will forget them. I look forward to the weeks and months ahead as I prayerfully follow through on these promptings, and as I do I KNOW more promptings will come. Such an incredible blessing!

Hair Date

While we were on Spring Break Brian and I had several talks about the children. Specifically what more we could be doing for each of them. We came up with a lot of ideas, both completely new and things we need to revamp, and I'm so excited about all of them! The one thing however we knew needed to get back in full force was my monthly one-on-one dates with the children. These were such a blessing but have become much more difficult since we had Elle. But difficult or not we know this is something we NEED to be doing!

With April just starting it was the perfect time to jump back into it. So I scheduled hair appointments for Olivia and myself and I'm so glad I did! The whole drive to the appointment Olivia hardly spoke to me. I turned off the radio and worked my hardest to create a conversation with her. My best efforts were failing and my heart was breaking.

We finally arrived at the salon got our hair done and headed home. She was still only giving one word responses, but I was feeling much better about my relationship with her. By the time we got home she was talking even more with me and tonight as I went to her room to say goodnight she had a few little stories to tell me.

Progress. I'll take it!

Easter

Today was wonderful! I loved spending this wonderful holiday with family. I enjoyed Pam's ward and the wonderful speakers and music they had.

I'm so excited for next Easter. I have so many ideas on how to better keep it focused on Christ and how to make it a week long experience.

Babies 1st Easter. Lets just say SHE LOVED IT! 

Favorite Children's Books

I love to read, and I want to instill the love of reading to my children. This summer is going to be a summer full of reading around here! We have already nearly eliminated electronics. The only time they are allowed to watch TV or video games are Friday and Saturday. My goal is to help them use the time they would be on their electronics to instead pick up and book and read. Here's hoping to can actually implement this plan! HA

Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse is my all time favorite children's book. We have read it so much I would now say it is a family favorite. 

The Giving Tree is a very close second! I may or may not cry every time I read this book! 

My children love the Junie B Jones series, and I love them too! She is a riot!

Right now Luke is obsessed with all things Berenstain Bears.

8 Months Old

Today this little bird is officially 8 months old. I have been doing my darnest to keep her a newborn forever but she has taken 8 months as a challenge. Just this past week she started sitting on her own, and spent all of spring break showing off and perfecting this new trick! Then the last 2 days she has been scooting herself all over the place. She isn't quite up on her hands and knees but I know that will come all to soon! She is such a sweet fun baby, full of smiles.

Elle is very particular and knows what she wants! If she has a wet or dirty diaper she lets you know right away. She really doesn't like it when she wants to nurse but I'm trying to give her bottle! Elle takes the pacifier but barely, so I think we will just get rid of it soon. Most of the time we try and give it to her she just purses her little lips shut! Then gets even madder that we tried to pacify her. My favorite thing is how she just wants her family all the time. When the children get home she gets so excited and kicks her legs and flaps we arms as has the biggest smile.

I need to weigh her but she still mostly wears 0-3 month clothes, newborn size shoes, and a size 2 diapers (which are big but she has been having some major blow outs so I'm trying to catch it all in the bigger diapers! 😉)

I am so in love with this sweet baby! She is the best and we are so grateful she is the caboose to our family! I just wish this first year would slow down a little!