Friday, June 13, 2014
Scout Day Camp
Justice is now in the Boy Scouts, however, he was able to attend the Scout Day Camp with his old Cub Scout Den. In spite of the fact he says it was a bit boring, there were some fun things he got to do.
Treasure Your Summer
To celebrate the end of the School year, I made up the kids a Treasure Box to keep them busy this Summer. They are way excited about it!
P.S. I got on a painting kick lately and did a redo job on the Treasure box. Awesome!
P.S. I got on a painting kick lately and did a redo job on the Treasure box. Awesome!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Goodbye to EHPS
Today was the kids' last day in the East Helena Public Schools (EHPS). We took around some gifts and said goodbye to their favorite people. All the teachers are sad we are leaving but wish the kids the best in their future school adventures!
Monday, June 9, 2014
Ms.Ophelia in "The Taming of LaRue"
A week and a half ago, Liberty was hanging out with one of her friends when the Drama teacher came up and told them that one of the main characters in the school play wasn't going to make it the night of the performance. Liberty couldn't make the Drama class fit in her schedule so Mrs. Hale was more expressing her concern to the other girl. However, Mikayla said, "Liberty could do it." And Liberty agreed. So, within a week and only attending after school practices, Liberty played Mrs. Ophelia in the School Play. And she did an AWESOME job!!! She constantly amazes me! {She had her parts memorized better than some of the kids that had been in it all semester}
Here's pictures of the play:
Take a bow for a job well done:
The whole cast:
Here's pictures of the play:
Take a bow for a job well done:
The whole cast:
D.A.R.E Graduation
Victoria @ JFK Park
Victoria's class took a little field-trip over to JFK Park to play during school today. She took us there this evening as well to show us where she played.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Park Lake Lunch
Some friends of ours invited us to go camping this weekend. Unfortunately, all our camping gear is still in storage and with our Church meetings, we couldn't make it. BUT we did ask if we could come up and hang out with them for lunch.
We headed up to Park Lake to join the Coils, the Stovalls, and the Guymons for some outdoor fun.
The kids played tag with Andy. The big rock was "base". They also ate lunch, made s'mores and played in the dirt. And Glory played with the dog. That's her favorite part!
We also took a little hike down to the lake. Kids waded in the water, played in the sand, threw rocks and did a bit of fishing.
What a fun group of people! Thanks for inviting us!
We headed up to Park Lake to join the Coils, the Stovalls, and the Guymons for some outdoor fun.
The kids played tag with Andy. The big rock was "base". They also ate lunch, made s'mores and played in the dirt. And Glory played with the dog. That's her favorite part!
Surreal Church Moment
This weekend, our Stake had the special opportunity to have the Presidents from the General Church Leadership (of the females) come visit Helena.
On Friday night, I (Shay) got to attend a training session where Sister Burton spoke. I thoroughly embarrassed myself when I made a comment that made the audience audibly growl at me. I used the phrase "stuck in Primary" which didn't make several people very happy at me. In my defense, I love Primary and was simply stating in past tense how they "stick young sisters in Primary" but the damage was done. Sister Burton just smiled and said she knew what I meant but thought she'd better address it before the situation escalated. LOL Oh man! Leave it to me to cause problems in front a Church authority. ;) Oh well! What do you do? The rest of my comment was very appropriate even if everyone had already written me off.
On Saturday morning, Liberty and I got to participate in a small focus group with Sister Oscarson from the General Young Women's Presidency. She is so down to earth and super kind. It only ended up being 17 of us in a room. How special is that? She had great advice which she related to a High5. Fun! Then, we all got hugs from her and took pictures, of course. So neat!
Chance would have it that Sister Burton was outside the room when we came out. It gave me the opportunity to get a picture with her. And also apologize for my comment the night before. Luck would have it that she DID remember me for my disruption. Shoot! LOL Well at least I got to express my regret for how my comment was received. We had a good laugh and she gave me a hug.
The whole weekend was a bit surreal but so special!
On Friday night, I (Shay) got to attend a training session where Sister Burton spoke. I thoroughly embarrassed myself when I made a comment that made the audience audibly growl at me. I used the phrase "stuck in Primary" which didn't make several people very happy at me. In my defense, I love Primary and was simply stating in past tense how they "stick young sisters in Primary" but the damage was done. Sister Burton just smiled and said she knew what I meant but thought she'd better address it before the situation escalated. LOL Oh man! Leave it to me to cause problems in front a Church authority. ;) Oh well! What do you do? The rest of my comment was very appropriate even if everyone had already written me off.
On Saturday morning, Liberty and I got to participate in a small focus group with Sister Oscarson from the General Young Women's Presidency. She is so down to earth and super kind. It only ended up being 17 of us in a room. How special is that? She had great advice which she related to a High5. Fun! Then, we all got hugs from her and took pictures, of course. So neat!
Chance would have it that Sister Burton was outside the room when we came out. It gave me the opportunity to get a picture with her. And also apologize for my comment the night before. Luck would have it that she DID remember me for my disruption. Shoot! LOL Well at least I got to express my regret for how my comment was received. We had a good laugh and she gave me a hug.
The whole weekend was a bit surreal but so special!
Friday, June 6, 2014
Kindergarten is Over!
Glory finished up Kindergarten today. She has LOVED it! We made sure to give gifts and get a picture with her favorite people. She learned so much! We are very proud of her.
We celebrated with Ice cream.
And breakfast with Dad the next Monday (everyone else was still in school)
We celebrated with Ice cream.
And breakfast with Dad the next Monday (everyone else was still in school)
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
FYI: NOT in our House
June 4th- Today is the day that we should have closed on our new house.
[Insert either a frustrated or sad face here. Either would be appropriate]
But unfortunately, this is the current state of the home we should be living in:
We are looking at another month or so before it will be done. Mostly it's due to weather. We had a rough January through March with snow and cold temps. Bummer! April is a different story. We felt like they could have been a little more on top of it that month. But they are on a "crunch time" roll now so we will see how it goes.
This extended situation has given me some time to contemplate my current living situation.
Things I will NOT miss about being in the Apartment:
* Apartment living in general- Two of the last tenants above us have made for an Adventure. Plus you can hear each other all the time.
* The crowdedness- The walls feel as if there are closing in on us. [We have been buying some stuff for the house and there are piles in the corners of almost all the rooms.]
* The back sliding door. I have a pet peeve for glass sliding doors. The vertical blinds get dirty so easily. People "finger print paint" the glass with dirt all the time. And usually- no fail- it has problems sliding at some point. Good riddance forever, sliding monster! {My new house was designed to NOT have one of those babies.}
* The dishwasher- it stopped drying a couple months ago. Even on heated dry, the entire load needs to be wiped down before it gets put away. Annoying!
* The above the stove microwave. It is possessed. It turns on all by itself sometimes. The fan and light will run but the heating doesn't happen. Sometimes we have to open and shut it 10 times before it will turn off. Buggy!
* One bathroom for 6 people. You can imagine the mornings at our house. LOL
*The electric water heater. It could just be old but we seriously can't take more than one shower before it goes cold. It has been interesting to get us all ready for Church.
* My extra fridge is outside, around the corner and in a garage that I have to unlock and lift the door. Seriously inconvenient.
* The heating bill. Between bad insulation, base board heaters and the sucky electric water heater, we had months this winter that our electric bill was over $250. Ouch! Even the floors were cold to walk on for a couple months. Brrrr!
* The paint job. We have to laugh because we rented it without ever seeing it. We didn't think it hugely mattered. They apparently fixed the holes in the walls and then just left it. We have huge blotches all over the walls. It's beauty-mus!
* Only having TV in the master bedroom. It was too complicated for the cable guy to get a cable to the tv in the front room. We have a Blu-Ray out there but no cartoons for the kid unless they sit on my bed. ;)
* I miss my stuff! It's like having one hand tied behind your back. I will think it'd be fun to do some kind of project and then remember, "Oh yes, I have that..... in STORAGE!" Grrr! Brett can't do any handy stuff for me because all his tools are in the back of the garage somewhere.
Things I will miss about being in the Apartment:
* Our next door neighbors, Keith and Stephanie. They are so nice. We have really enjoyed them. Quiet, friendly, and helpful if we ever need them.
* Our new Landlords, Larry & Missey LaVigne. Super duper neat people. Always helpful. Complimentary of my family. They are understanding of our situation. Just good people!
* Being able to flip on the hall light, open all the kids doors to wake them up for school without moving more than 5 steps from my bed. So convenient.
* There are several kids that come over and play with the kids. I seriously love that they can all get together in the backyard and play to their hearts content- No driving anyone anywhere. I can see them and call them in for dinner without even leaving my kitchen.
* Being just down the street from the little local grocery store. So easy to hop down there if we need one simple thing to complete dinner.
* No stairs. It made the move-in (and hopefully the move-out) so simple. Not to mention bringing in the groceries.
* Cleaning- even though it's crowded, cleaning is simple. There is only one of each kind of room. Everyone cleans the one bathroom. Quick and easy. We wash, dry, sort and fold laundry without even leaving the living room. LOL We all share bedrooms so the load is light. Enjoy it while we can, right?
* Lastly and most importantly- our Ward Family!!! We seriously are in love with these people. They are known as the "party" ward and we luv it! We hope to have them over, keep in touch and all that but-- it will definitely change things. We have been told more than once in a very loving way that we "suck" for moving. LOL As far as our ward friends are concerned, we have to concur.
Soon enough (yeah, right? LOL) we will say goodbye to our little apartment:
[Insert either a frustrated or sad face here. Either would be appropriate]
But unfortunately, this is the current state of the home we should be living in:
We are looking at another month or so before it will be done. Mostly it's due to weather. We had a rough January through March with snow and cold temps. Bummer! April is a different story. We felt like they could have been a little more on top of it that month. But they are on a "crunch time" roll now so we will see how it goes.
This extended situation has given me some time to contemplate my current living situation.
Things I will NOT miss about being in the Apartment:
* Apartment living in general- Two of the last tenants above us have made for an Adventure. Plus you can hear each other all the time.
* The crowdedness- The walls feel as if there are closing in on us. [We have been buying some stuff for the house and there are piles in the corners of almost all the rooms.]
* The back sliding door. I have a pet peeve for glass sliding doors. The vertical blinds get dirty so easily. People "finger print paint" the glass with dirt all the time. And usually- no fail- it has problems sliding at some point. Good riddance forever, sliding monster! {My new house was designed to NOT have one of those babies.}
* The dishwasher- it stopped drying a couple months ago. Even on heated dry, the entire load needs to be wiped down before it gets put away. Annoying!
* The above the stove microwave. It is possessed. It turns on all by itself sometimes. The fan and light will run but the heating doesn't happen. Sometimes we have to open and shut it 10 times before it will turn off. Buggy!
* One bathroom for 6 people. You can imagine the mornings at our house. LOL
*The electric water heater. It could just be old but we seriously can't take more than one shower before it goes cold. It has been interesting to get us all ready for Church.
* My extra fridge is outside, around the corner and in a garage that I have to unlock and lift the door. Seriously inconvenient.
* The heating bill. Between bad insulation, base board heaters and the sucky electric water heater, we had months this winter that our electric bill was over $250. Ouch! Even the floors were cold to walk on for a couple months. Brrrr!
* The paint job. We have to laugh because we rented it without ever seeing it. We didn't think it hugely mattered. They apparently fixed the holes in the walls and then just left it. We have huge blotches all over the walls. It's beauty-mus!
* Only having TV in the master bedroom. It was too complicated for the cable guy to get a cable to the tv in the front room. We have a Blu-Ray out there but no cartoons for the kid unless they sit on my bed. ;)
* I miss my stuff! It's like having one hand tied behind your back. I will think it'd be fun to do some kind of project and then remember, "Oh yes, I have that..... in STORAGE!" Grrr! Brett can't do any handy stuff for me because all his tools are in the back of the garage somewhere.
Things I will miss about being in the Apartment:
* Our next door neighbors, Keith and Stephanie. They are so nice. We have really enjoyed them. Quiet, friendly, and helpful if we ever need them.
* Our new Landlords, Larry & Missey LaVigne. Super duper neat people. Always helpful. Complimentary of my family. They are understanding of our situation. Just good people!
* Being able to flip on the hall light, open all the kids doors to wake them up for school without moving more than 5 steps from my bed. So convenient.
* There are several kids that come over and play with the kids. I seriously love that they can all get together in the backyard and play to their hearts content- No driving anyone anywhere. I can see them and call them in for dinner without even leaving my kitchen.
* Being just down the street from the little local grocery store. So easy to hop down there if we need one simple thing to complete dinner.
* No stairs. It made the move-in (and hopefully the move-out) so simple. Not to mention bringing in the groceries.
* Cleaning- even though it's crowded, cleaning is simple. There is only one of each kind of room. Everyone cleans the one bathroom. Quick and easy. We wash, dry, sort and fold laundry without even leaving the living room. LOL We all share bedrooms so the load is light. Enjoy it while we can, right?
* Lastly and most importantly- our Ward Family!!! We seriously are in love with these people. They are known as the "party" ward and we luv it! We hope to have them over, keep in touch and all that but-- it will definitely change things. We have been told more than once in a very loving way that we "suck" for moving. LOL As far as our ward friends are concerned, we have to concur.
Soon enough (yeah, right? LOL) we will say goodbye to our little apartment:
Monday, June 2, 2014
Scripture Power
For FHE, we took the family over to Faith Lane to write our favorite scriptures on the walls of our new home. That way we will always be a part of it even if we sell it. So fun!
Also we wrote other appropriate scriptures in matching rooms. Such as...
Den: "Seek Learning by Study and by Faith" (D&C 88:118)
Bathrooms: "Be Ye Therefor Clean" (
Kitchen: "They had eaten and were filled" (3 Nephi 18:4)
Stairs/ Entryway: "Wake up and Be Awesome" (Moroni 10:31-32)
Brett
Shay
Liberty
Justice
Victoria
Glory
Also we wrote other appropriate scriptures in matching rooms. Such as...
Den: "Seek Learning by Study and by Faith" (D&C 88:118)
Bathrooms: "Be Ye Therefor Clean" (
Kitchen: "They had eaten and were filled" (3 Nephi 18:4)
Stairs/ Entryway: "Wake up and Be Awesome" (Moroni 10:31-32)
Our Baby is SIX
We woke up the birthday girl with a present. (a new outfit to wear to school). She's been counting down the days to her birthday for months. She was so excited!
A special breakfast for a special girlie!
She LOVES school and was so excited to celebrate her birthday with Mrs. Johnson and all her firends.
After school and when Dad got home, we opened presents.
For our FHE/birthday activity, Glory took us over to Faith Lane and we wrote our favorite scriptures onto the walls of our new home. Glory loves Scriptures of Jesus' birth so we picked part of one she could write. I love it! It's so cute!
Back at the apartment, her dinner choice was hot dogs, Funyuns and strawberries, of course.
We sang her happy birthday while she danced and made silly faces. Then she blew out her candle on her purple "Donut Cake". One happy, birthday girl!!! Luv ya, Sissy!
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Memories of a 5 year old
I can't believe my baby is now 6. Holy Cow! Here's some the memories we have of her being FIVE.
* Loves playing with friends!
* Favorite Fargo friends- Sophie Larsen, Emily Ray, Taelyn Alm, Kenzie Stephens, Adelaide & Rachel Gill
* Loves to Dance and sing!
* Favorite colors are purple and pink and everything!
* Favorite food is without a doubt- strawberries!!!
* Learned to pump on the swing
* Moved to Montana
* Started Kindergarten- Loves Mrs. Johnson!
* Best Friends- Aliana & Ashley (at school), your brother & sisters, Lillian (neighbor), Kassie Payne and Kylie Shults
* Won Student of the Month
* Learned to Tie shoes
* Loves dressing up in Mom's boobs
* Loves to get ROAR tickets at school by having Mom come to lunch!
* Loves to be silly! Always taking funny videos and pictures of herself
* Loves to snuggle and sleep with stuffed animals
* Lost her first teeth
* Loves her aunts! Her favorite is the one that is visiting at the moment.
* Loves to make her hair crinkly
* Loves swimming
* Learned to read
* Loves to do art
* Great at Spelling
* Learned to fingerknit
* Visited Hungry Horse Dam in Glacier National Park and saw the "Glory hole"
Dear Glory Baby-
You have grown up so much this year! I am constantly amazed at everything you are learning. My favorite Kindergarten memory is when you came home one day. You asked me if you could have some candy. I told you that you might be able to later. You then said, "OK, N.B.D." I was confused. You explain that it meant- "No Big Deal". LOL Mrs. Johnson had taught it to you. So cute! You are great at making friends. You are very sweet but also silly. You love being the baby of our family but are also so grown up. You try and do everything that we all do. And you can usually do it. You have the most beautiful smile and bright blue eyes. You have a very sweet spirit and make others happy! Sure luv you, baby!
Luv, Mom
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Family History Day
Helena College hosted a Family History Day. Our Stake President is the Dean there. The College and the Church worked together and had a whole day of classes and broadcasts to learn about Family History and Family Search. I had the opportunity to make them buttons for the Specialists, the Hosts and the IT Techs. I think they turned out pretty snazzy.
It was a cool day! Liberty joined me in the morning. Then Brett came with me in the afternoon. I'm a Vintage Family Historian (back in the PAF days) so it was so helpful. I'm excited to get back into it!
It was a cool day! Liberty joined me in the morning. Then Brett came with me in the afternoon. I'm a Vintage Family Historian (back in the PAF days) so it was so helpful. I'm excited to get back into it!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
7th Grade Spring Concert
Liberty had her last Band Concert with Mr. Pipinich tonight. Bitter sweet! He has made this year for Liberty. She has really blossomed under his teaching. {especially considering that this is her first time in Band ever!} The did a great job in their concert. Awesome!
Fun Day at Radley
P.S. Justice had his fun day time this morning but I didn't go see it.
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