Summer Nights

I love this picture because it shows just how wonderful our summer nights are. About 7:00 is when the sprinklers kick on and of course, it's just about the time we are cleaning up bikes to go inside for the night. Then the kids stop what they are doing and start running through the sprinklers. They get drenched. Completely soaked. But I love that I don't care! I love that they can just be kids and have a great time. There is no pressing issue for then to hurry in for, or to even hurry to bed for. I love that we don't have appointments the next morning to have to get up for, no school to rush to, just pure, wonderful, summer nights and sleeping in with not much to do the next day! I also loved this shot of Briggan! How stinking cute is he?

Making Bread

One of my favorite things to do is make bread!! And I love when I am in a good mood and let my kids help. They each love making their own loaf. This time I let them choose if they wanted to make a cinnamon loaf or a pizza loaf. Daiken chose pizza and the girls chose cinnamon. I always make a bread braid for dinner that night when I make bread, but this time I rolled it up like a cinnamon roll instead of braiding it. I think I like the braid better. It cooks better.
I love that I know how to make bread. I love that my kids know their mommy can make bread. It takes a lot of practice, and they still don't always turn out perfect every time, but for the most part, I think I do a pretty good job. I even have had three different friends ask me to show them how to make bread. I'm SO thankful for my Kitchenaid. I don't think I would make bread as often as I do without it. So thankful for the skill of making bread and for how much it saves our family money and for how YUMMY and heavenly it tastes!

After The Rain Storm

These pictures are of my little Briggan Boy who LOVES the sand box. I'm not sure that his mother loves him loving the sand box so much, but none-the-less it's his favorite. One night we had a HUGE rain storm and the kids had left the lid off the sand box, so it filled with water. This, of course, didn't keep Briggan away. He just found a new adventure! He was splashing and splashing dirty water everywhere and having a blast!

Father's Day!

Nana and Grandpa got Adam some new chairs to put on our back porch for Father's Day. After Brailee carried all four, heavy, chairs to the porch, she proceeded to have Daiken and Estee pose on the chairs for me to take pictures of them. They all LOVE getting their pictures taken, and they, Estee and Daiken, will also do just about anything Brailee tells them to do.

A Run To The Park

Shoot, can't figure out how to rotate my little Briggan's photo, and it's my favorite. But none-the-less, here's my post.
I needed to exercise this morning, so I got out the stroller and the kids got on their bikes and we trekked a mile up the road to the big park. The kids got to play and I got my exercise. It makes me so happy that we live close to SO many parks. It also makes me happy that we live in such a health contious state. I love that everyone tries to eat healthy and everyone exercises. When you drive down the road you see so many people out exercising all the time, it doesn't matter what time of day! It helps motivate me, and I love that.

Love

Today there was a pause in sacrament meeting as it was Fast Sunday, and it must have pricked my heart because before my mind really new what I was doing my legs stood up and walked me to the front of the chapel. Adam was out with Briggan and I had just left my kids. I didn't even warn them that I was leaving. I just up and left. When I realized that, I didn't think I could just walk back to my seat so I just hoped they would stay reverent. When it was my turn to speak, I said that I was bearing my testimony because I know when you share it it grows, and that was my hope. To help my testimony grow. We just had general conference the weekend before so I relayed how I had the opportunity to be in a very small, intimate meeting with Elder Holland once. I remember him becoming very emotional as he expressed his love for us. I know he didn't know me, I'd never met him before, and I'm sure it was that same way with all the other young women in the room, but the spirit was able to relay to my heart what he felt in his heart. I knew, without a doubt that when Elder Holland said he loved me, he meant ME. I knew he loved me, Britnee Walker. I know that when the general authorities say they pray for us and they think of us and they love us, they really meant that. That is true. It shows us a glimpse of how our Father in heaven loves all of his children. I also felt that as I had my little Daiken. Before he was born I didn't possibly know I'd be able to love another child as much as Brailee, but when he was born I realized that love is not divided, but rather, it is multiplied. I know our Father in heaven is very aware of us and that he loves us, each one of us individually.

Sweet Tenderness

Today was one of those go go go days. Right in the middle of the day, my friend called and cried to me on the phone about a bunch of things that have been adding up in her life. I really wished I could have bought flowers for her to brighten her day. But alas, there is no money for that. So instead, I decided I'd make her flowers. Chelsee was at my house, so I enlisted her help and we went downstairs to try and find my stash of paper and embellishments. We started cutting and threading and gluing. It wasn't more than about two seconds before the kids followed us down. I didn't have a lot of time to get this done, so when the kids started asking if they could help, I was quick to say "No, No, No." I didn't want to make a big mess to have to clean up when I didn't have time for that. They kept asking and I kept telling them no. Chelsee had cut a flower and then decided she didn't like it, so Brailee quickly grabbed it and started embellishing it. She had added a ton of buttons, so I told her she couldn't have so many. I made her take them off. I was in a hurry, so I really didn't have a lot of patience. I did tell her how nice it was, but only in quick passing. Later that night, when I got all of the kids in bed, it was finally time for a little "me time". So I opened the door to my bedroom to head to the shower, and as I took about four steps in, I found the flower that Brailee had made laying on my pillow. She had, without saying anything about it, or making it a big deal, quietly taken it up to my room when I didn't know. How sweet, and my heart melted. I stood there, softened. I had ran and rushed all day, and yet, Brailee still loved me. She had taught me that in everything that had happened that day, where my happiness truly lies. Not in running, not in trying to please others, not in having a clean house, not even in trying to serve others, but in my own sweet family. Happiness is in the simple quiet. Definitely not in the crazy rushing. I love my children more than anything in the entire world. I find my greatest joy in being a mother. Thank you Brailee for reminding me of that. Thank you for teaching me and for loving me despite all my imperfections.