I took Carson to the...

We had such a good time. This theatrical experience included a palentologist who explained how the dinosaurs dominated the world for over 200 million years. We saw some of the greats...the Stegosaurus, the gigantic Brachiosaurus, Raptors, and the Tyrannosaurus. Even though our seats were way up high we had a great view and the binoculars made it even better. We were able to see every detail on these amazing robotic dinosaurs. I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs and it is fun to share that with Carson. I checked him out of school early and took him to work with me and then we went out to eat at Applebees and then onto the Energy Solutions Center. What a fun date~oh wait...he doesn't like me calling it a date~anything else is fine but not a date!! The one thing for sure is that I love spending some one on one time with my son!

Our pictures don't really give justice to the magnitude of the dinosaurs. I found videos of the show already on Youtube so if you are interested in a sneak peak of what we saw feel free to check it out there.

So I took the little one "word" challenge. The idea behind the one little word concept is to give yourself something to focus on throughout the year. Over the years I have had little catch phrases that I have repeated to myself each day..."one day at a time"...."it's all good"... just to name a few~ so I really wanted this to be a word that I could gain greater understanding with and a word that would describe or sum up what I wanted for myself and for my family in 2009~

Then yesterday the image of a little pillow my mother had made me several years ago came to my mind. That was the word!!

I remember hearing our beloved prophet President Monson speak about finding joy in our journey. Having heard that many times, I have thought of that often...but obviously not often enough to really bring that change into my life. I have been thinking a lot about creating more of a happy home for my children and in President Monsons talk I found his wisdom which rang true to me and I recognized what I need to do and where my focus needs to be.

"...there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today."

I want to find joy with my children and create memories with them. Not waiting for the big events but finding joy today~each day in the small and simple things.

"...Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. "Pres. Thomas S. Monson

Heres' to a Joyful 2009!!

New Years Day Tradition...

We head up to the cabin for some sledding and overall good times. Though this year our family had a little mishap with our tires..#!? that screw that wanted flatten our fun! Seriously...I was having another one of those weeks! I am grateful to Charissa that when she noticed the leaking tire she took the liberty of bending the screw with pliers which stopped the leak and saved the tire til we could get it fixed the next day. Way to be proactive Charissa! Thanks Uncle Matt for letting us borrow your car so we could party with the rest of the fam! Anyway the kids had a lot of fun playing in the snow with their cousins.

Madalyn and Carson even attempted snowboarding..which helped her prepare for when she went Snowboarding with her school today!! I think she has natural talent :) I'm impressed! Looks like we might have to make a trip up to the mountains to do more skiing/snowboarding! We love having the cabin so we can enjoy little get-aways whether it be short outings or weekenders~