Powerful: Derek + Laura

This weeks class was Music time. It was so much fun and the best part is the kids were all worn out by the end. Brooklyn is taking a great nap as I write.  Here is how I set it up and what I did: Pick out 15-20 songs that the kids will love. Make sure a lot of them have actions the children can learn to do. I will list all the songs I picked below. E-mail parents and ask them to bring an empty plastic water bottle and some scarves or ribbons. Purchase and blow up one balloon for each child. Set up "What's in My Basket" game. I filled up one easter egg for each child with something different. I used coins, pasta, marshmallows, cereal, rice, beans, etc. Anything I could find in my kitchen that would make noise when you shook the egg.  Each child gets to come pick one egg, shake it, and guess what's inside. Depending on your age group you can have them count how many of the objects are inside the egg. The kids each loved having their own turn. Then start off with...

That's right...I got a birthday weekend. That's what happens when you have a birthday on Friday and also so close to your mom's. My mom's birthday is the day before mine which always makes celebrating so much better since we can celebrate together. I was truly blessed to have such a great weekend. Friday it snowed like crazy. No joke. I hate the snow. I knew the snow just couldn't hold off another weekend. Since I have swollen feet I had to wear flip flops outside all day and my feet were freezing. It was nice to finally get home after work and not have to go outside for a while. Anyways during this awesome snow storm I was able to go out to lunch with Emily and Elizabeth. Emily's birthday was earlier in November so we had fun celebrating. Later that night Derek took me out to the Olive Garden so I could enjoy their salad and breadsticks. Always hits the spot. Love their breadsticks. He was so wonderful and got me some really thoughtful gifts. He bought me tum...

New York was both fun and exhausting. I am glad it was my last trip for the year. Ended this year of travels in a great place. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I am just grateful I got out before they didn't let anyone out anymore.  The city was just beautiful. Central park was the best. Honestly. I couldn't get enough of it. Sad to know that with the damage of Sandy a lot of the parks don't look the same anymore - so I had to share the beauty of NYC as I was able to enjoy it.  View from the reservoir in Central Park These girls are the best and totally made my trip awesome. Thanks Alina and Kate for being the best! One night we made reservations at Max Brenner. Best choice. They are famous for their chocolate everything.  This was my chocolate peanut butter ice cream sundae. So good. Honestly. I loved it. So Kate and I were exploring the city one afternoon and she introduced me to Juniors Cheesecake. Fantastic. We stopped here: Th...

Last weekend Derek and I had so much fun.  Friday night we went to my friend, Traci's, wedding reception.  It was wonderful to see her so happy and so beautiful.  Then we went over to our good friend Jackie and Par to celebrate Jackie's Birthday.  Par made dessert and we had fun playing some games.  We even learned a new game called donkey.  So glad we were able to celebrate Jackie's birthday with her.  I've known her for quite a while now and it's so fun to still be friends. Saturday was all about the boat.  It was Martha's family boating birthday celebration trip.  You saw pictures in last weeks post. Then we rushed back, sun burned and all, and quickly got ready to wait in line to see Harry Potter.  I was so excited to see it.  Maybe I am not the world's biggest fan because i haven't read all of the books but I still love Harry Potter.  Plus, I have read the second half of the 7th book and that counts for something ...

There were so many things I have wanted to blog about lately but it's been so long that I have just forgotten. Above you see my dear friend Robyn. I have known Robyn longer than any of my other friends. We have grown up together. I've had many sleepovers at her house. I know and love her siblings. I love her mom and dad. They were like second parents to me growing up in Wisconsin. She's such a great friend. She came up a couple weekends ago to run a half marathon in SLC. Impressive, huh? Not for me but good for her. Anyways, we just hung out all day afterwards. We didn't do anything spectacular but the day was just that. We had lunch. We walked around. Shopped. But the best thing was we talked and caught up and we laughed. It was priceless. Robyn and I really know how to have fun and laugh together. She's wonderful and I am blessed to be her friend. Above is our celebration of Cinco de Mayo. I love this day. I have no real reason I just do. I love mexican food. I lo...

There are times when we reflect on our lives and we can see just how much God has blessed us and provided for us. During those times of reflection you can come to see how God has blessed you through others. He has blessed me through my family and husband of course but usually He'll throw in a friend like no other. A friend that understands you. Someone who lifts you up and know when you are having a hard time staying afloat. That is my friend Emily. Emily is a gem. I love her dearly. We met on our missions and the moment we met we knew we were friends and had the same life but were somehow separated at birth. Since then there have been numerous experiences where I have felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the blessing of Emily in my life. Recently I've been having a hard time adjusting to a new place and a new job and a new lifestyle. It hasn't been an easy transition on me. This past weekend I spent time with Emily and it was as it always i...