The First Fire Pit Night of the Season

 My dad had to cut down a dead limb from a tree in his backyard, so he decided to dispose of the wood by holding a big bonfire, and making some log seating for around the new fire pit spot.  The picture above is of a renegade hotdog that jumped off a skewer and ended up catching fire like the logs.  We are simple minds who are entertained by simple things....

Dana liked the way this marshmallow melted.

 The neighbors across the street came over to join the fun.  We like them lots!

 My dad had some rabbit pelts for the kids to sit on to cushion the logs, but they preferred to hold them and stroke them.

 This chair is awesome.  It has been around forever, and everyone fights over it- especially the kids.  If I can find some more like it, I will buy 12!  (I have seen smaller versions, but this one is as big as an adult chair in the seat, with shorter legs making it ideal for fire roasting.)

 My dad's hands-free approach to weinie roasting.

 Emma refusing to give me a pretty smile.  Punk!

Good times!  I love nights like this, and can't wait for the weather to dry up so we can pull out our own fire pit.

Someone Got Into My Camera....

 We knew it wasn't this one.

 or this one...

 The one on the right denied all involvement...

 But this little bit of evidence shot a hole through that alibi.

I love that she has mastered the self-portrait at such a young age.  Makes a Momma proud!

Conference Weekend

 Conference weekend was lovely.  Saturday Morning started early as I had to do a glucose test before the morning session started.  When I was done with that, my mom had a nice bacon and eggs breakfast ready for me knowing that I would want some good protein in my system after having nothing but that blasted orange sugar goo drink in my tummy.  It was wonderful, and I was so grateful!  My mom rocks!

  My girls stayed entertained with some coloring sheets I printed off, and Emma even had her own little Conference Journal where she colored in the tie pattern of all the Apostles and wrote a sentence about what they spoke about.

 Their aunts also kept them entertained with nail polish, toys, tickles, candy, and other such fun things.

We ran some errands in between sessions on Saturday and watched the afternoon session at home.  Sunday morning we spent at home, and then headed down to my mom's to visit with my grandparents in between sessions.  We watched the afternoon session at my mom's house, and then chatted for a while afterwards.

I always love conference.  This time was no different.  I had some very specific and personal questions on my mind when I went, and they were all addressed very clearly.  Basically, I need to stop expecting so much of myself on the secular front.  I am getting too caught up in guilt about not having a clean enough house, healthy enough meals, and big enough contributions to our bank account.  However, I need to start expecting much more of myself on the spiritual front.  I need to visit the temple more frequently, hold FHEs on a more regular basis (we always have a family night, but it isn't always structured- I need to PLAN them), and pour my efforts into my callings and service.  This shift should make me much happier and closer to the Lord.

I also want to integrate the Conference messages more fully into my life.  I hope to read or listen to at least one talk every day.  These words are current revelation meant for us right now, so I really should take better advantage of that, especially since so many of the addresses were so pertinent to my current struggles and needs.

The Baby Bunny Sleepover

 My friend in Logan had some neighbors move who decided to let their pet bunnies roam free when they left.  Not the best idea for tame rabbits, ya'll.  Anyway, they took shelter under my friend's shed and proceeded to do what rabbits do best- which is ransack her garden and make babies.  After the papa bunny met his end by getting run over, Michelle decided to do the humane thing, and she rounded up all 9 of the baby bunnies and began looking for good DOMESTIC homes for the herd of DOMESTIC bunnies she had inherited.

She found homes for 3 of them in her area, but was unsure about what to do with the rest.  On a whim, knowing she was coming down this way for a weekend, I asked the people in my area if anyone wanted a new Easterish pet.  One lady who has a nice little farm out here wanted as many as she could get, and another of my friends wanted one for the mascot for her new pre-school.  The new pre-school mascot needed a place to crash before going to her new home, so we got to have a bunny sleepover! :) 

It was fun to hang out with the sweet thing for a little bit.  I am so glad we were able to help find all the little guys good and loving homes.

 She liked hanging out on my shoulder while I read.  So cute!