We are headed to the State Fair

This Past weekend, Kate and Dylan competed in a Talent Competition put on by the Farm Bureau. The winners get to move on and compete in the State Fair. I was super proud of these two. They have now been in lessons for six months and are really taking to the violin. {Just like their Dad!} The violin is a difficult  instrument and they are really pushing themselves. They love their teacher Kera Butts, and she loves them. 

Kate took first place in her age group and took home $25.00.

Dylan took 2nd place in his age group and took home $20.00.

I never would have guessed it, but the judges also picked them for 1st place in the Group Competition!!! They got to split $25.00 for the group win, so they were pretty excited to make a large deposit at the bank.

The Family Peterson Duo will be competing their duet at the State Fair! I am really proud of them for their hard work. And I get to toot my horn too, because getting them to practice and driving them to lessons is NOT EASY! How do mom's do it? Am I the only one that thinks this music business is a HUGE CHALLENGE????

When we got home from the competition they gave the neighborhood kids a recital and I snapped these photos. 

Happy Father's Day To You!

Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there. There are a few super special dad's that we like to celebrate at our house. I took turns asking the kids questions about their dad and their grandpa's and we have a few video's to share with you.

(Please note that my voice is super, I mean super annoying and I apologize. Hey, I'm the one stuck with it. Turn your speakers down PRONTO!*warning... screeching tones and patronizing voice may leave you slightly nauseous.)

 Happy Father's Day Scott!!!  

Happy Father's Day Papa Robert!!!  

Happy Father's Day Grandpa Blake!!!

We sure love you awesome Men
and we are so blessed
to have you for our own.

Happy, Happy Father's Day.

6 Year-Old Tears

Kate came home from School today in tears.

She threw open the door, walked into the house and chucked her backpack across the room.

The first words out of her mouth were,

"It's all your fault!"

I couldn't get any more information out of her for about 5 minutes. Kate gets really quiet when she is angry. She boils for what seems like hours until the tears seem to pop out of her face.

The tears break my heart.

And then I get frustrated and mad.

"Kate, I can't help you if you don't tell me what is wrong."

I finally decide to give her space and I leave the room.
5 minutes later I check on her.
I can't find her.
I look everywhere.
When I go to her room I find her under her covers crying.

Words don't really work with Kate. You have to give her space and time. She is stubborn but also sensitive. She has a hard time communicating her emotions.

I slip into her bed behind her and wrap my arms around her. It is all I can do to just keep my mouth shut. A few minutes pass and she turns into my hug. The tears are still coming.

"Kate, what happened?"

"They all made fun of me." She continued to tell me that some of the kids teased her about her leg-warmers. The kids were suppose to dress silly today, for Dr. Seuss. When I dropped her off at school there were plenty of other boys and girls dressed in mix-matching, funny clothes too. I didn't think that we had gone too extreme and I sort of thought that she was adorable.

I probably messed up the next part by telling her that the other kids were probably jealous of her, or hadn't seen leg-warmers before. I told her that the boys that teased her probably thought that she was cute, and the girls probably thought that she was pretty. I told her that there are lots of ways that kids tease other kids and the reason is never what you would think.

I then told her that there will  be people that come into her life that won't like her.

They won't like who she is, what she looks like, what she does, or what she stands for.

I told her that there will be nothing that she can do to change the way that these people may view her and that she shouldn't waste her sweet tears caring what they think about her. I told her to figure out who she wants to be and to be it.

And then I gave her an extra tight hug, looked into her eyes and told her that her family will always love her. I told her that we will always love who she is, what she looks like, what she does and what she stands for. We will be right here. I told her that her Heavenly Father also loves her more than she could possibly imagine. I told her that she is safe here at home, and that she can tell me anything that troubles her and I will try my best to help her. I told her that her true friends will always have her back, they will always love her and they will always be kind.

Kate, the world won't always love you. 

But I will. 

J. Crew: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

Have You seen J. Crew's Chartreuse? 

It is bright, bold, and beautiful.

When my sister Jenna sent me this dress to wear to her wedding I started panicking. The dress came in a size 14 people and that is a lot of chartreuse!

I had to take the sides in and let out the hem and it was barely long enough for me to wear. (Sorry, modesty is the best policy.) But I wore it, and I liked it.  

And ever since the wedding, this poor J. Crew dress has been hanging in my closet. I tried it on recently and it was huge. I knew that I wouldn't be wearing it again so I decided to alter it into a skirt for Kate.

Kate was so excited to be able to help me make a skirt for her. I took out the zipper so that I would be able to use it on another project. Then I simply cut the length off the dress, including the amazing lining, and sewed an elastic in the waist.  

Kate put this outfit together all by herself. She is so independent.

It was such an easy project. And it was fun doing it with Kate.

Now the only problem I have is Jealousy.

I wish I had a skirt in that color!

(If you read this post on Tuesday I am sorry for the re-post. The entire content of the post disappeared. Now that is weird. So I tried to rewrite it.)

Wednesday: Did You Know?

1. Christmas is amazing. I can't believe how much I love ribbon, wrapping paper, and family.  The kids love it too and Kate and Sawyer had so much fun decorating Papa. My dad is a kid at heart and is so patient with the kids. Isn't he cute!

 2. How cute is Sawyer rolling out the cookie dough that came in {this amazing Christmas Cookie Basket from the Folkman's}. You have to check out the link. It is the cutest Christmas Gift idea I've ever seen. Rachel is a genius, just like her mother and always puts together amazing theme ideas. It blew my mind, and my kids were the ones that benefited from the great gift. They had so much fun making and decorating cookies with Nana.

3. Before we left Utah on Tuesday, we hit up the Quicksilver store in Provo. Everything was 75% off and we scored. My favorite purchase was this flannel shirt for Sawyer. Oh my heavens I am in love with it. It cost me a Whopping 2 bucks. So cute.

4. I'm going to stop talking as much about my medical issues. There will be a few more posts, but I'm sure you are all sick of hearing about 'poor' me. So here it is. It is two weeks post surgery and I am FABULOUS!!! I can't believe how good I am. Miracle after Miracle have gotten me here and I feel so blessed to be doing so well. The worst part of the entire surgery was my rash, and the first time they filled up my bladder with fluid.

My catheter got a hole in the bag the night before I had it removed and so I had to double bag it with grocery bags. SO GROSS!!! But pretty funny.

I am TUBE free, PAIN free and I have no holes in my bladder or uterus that aren't supposed to be there! AMAZING! I feel so blessed.

5. Scott and I laid in bed last night while Sawyer was sleeping on the floor. (This happens a lot. Don't ask.) He started telling  us jokes and we were laughing so hard. I can't believe that he is almost 3. I have enjoyed him so much. Everything that he says or does is just magic. I sure have a soft spot for him in my heart. I love all my kids so much, but every mom should have a Sawyer.

6. Today, when I put Kate's hair up in pig tails I made her promise me that she would wash her hair tomorrow. It has seriously been a week since she washed her hair. Gross. She sure clean's up cute though.

7. Wyatt is getting really mobile and really brave. This is him yelling at me for trapping him in the living room with stools. I'm not sure what to do with him. He is everywhere. He is hilarious. And really smiley, as long as he is roaming free.

8. Scott left the house today and exclaimed "we are going to a family movie tonight if the house is clean when I get home." I know that this incentive was for the kids...but good grief, that is still a lot of pressure on me. I better get busy!

9. On Monday, Kimm, Nana and the clan took me and my Catheter to see A Dolphin's Tale (my first public outing with my pee). I cried about 10 times.  I dreamed of being a dolphin trainer as a child and still have a love for the Sea and it's creatures. Great movie. Scott ended up driving the two babies (yes I still call Sawyer my baby) around in the car for most of the movie. Thanks Scott.

10. My first night without my catheter and my first night with a working bladder I had to use the bathroom about every 45 minutes. This is worse than pregnancy. I literally felt like I was going to the bathroom all night long. (TMI I know!) Anyway, tell your bladder that you love it!

How was your Christmas?

What is the longest your daughter has gone without washing her hair?

Do you have a extra soft spot for any of your children?

Saturday In November

Saturday at our house is always a little bit slow getting started. Scott usually goes to the gyms for a few hours to make sure that they are clean and that fresh towels are out, and I try to start the laundry, get the house put together and feed the kids.

We love Saturdays.

Today Kate was obsessed with doing hair, and since I wasn't in the mood {it seriously hurts...just saying} Sawyer ended up being the guinea pig.

This is so funny to me.

Really funny.

We headed over to Dylan's Basketball game. He played pretty good. I haven't seen him play since last year and he has come a long way. He scored 14 points. He is still a head taller than all the other boys.

Kate and Sawyer went to the game with me. Sauce ate Cheetos and played with his cars. Every time the buzzer rang he got so mad.

Dylan is getting so old. He will be 8 in February. I'm kind of getting sad about it. He seems to be growing on fast forward.

The rest of the day was spent taking a Costco trip {they stole my money again, but I got a fabulous fresh wreath, and a beautiful fresh garland...oh my blessed smells}, hanging up Christmas lights, and just relaxing together.

Oh Lovely Saturday...Don't go.

How was your Saturday?

What did you do?

Happy Birthday: Kate Bug Turn's 6

Happy Birthday my little Mamma.

I can hardly believe that it is possible

 for you to be Six years old.

Kate Buggy...You are my princess. You are so smart. You are such a great helper. You are funny. You are beautiful. You are so musical. You are such a dreamer. You have such an eye for style. You are so methodical. You are shy. You are a flirt. You are quiet. You are patient. You are stubborn. You are so perceptive. You are so silly. You are so naughty. You are so faithful. 

You are so loved.

You are really good at sharing my attention. You are such a great BIG SISTER.

We love and adore you. We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family.

You are my sweetest friend. I love being your Mother.

And this little guy just loves you so much.

Thanks for letting me take a million pictures of you.

I know you didn't like it.

And I know you were cold.

But look how sweet you are and now I will have your innocent, lovely little image captured for all time.

 The Happiest of Birthdays and may all your Wishes Come True.

Sunday Thoughts: Out Of The Mouth Of Babe's

Sauce fell asleep in the Big chair. He is so sweet.

Today at church there were several moments that had me rolling with laughter.

The first was this cute little girl whose mom was bearing her testimony. The little girl was about 3 years old and she kept shouting from her seat, "Mom, you are doing a really great job. Mom, you are doing really good. Mom, you are doing so good." It was so cute and so funny.

The second was when Kate stood up and shared her testimony. She was pretty nervous being up in front of the entire congregation so she was whispering, but I was standing right next to her when She said, "I know Jesus loves us if we are in heaven. I know he loves us if we are on the earth. And I know he loves us if we are dead." It sounded so funny and it totally cracked me up.

The third thing was during the closing prayer in primary. Cute Kayden gives the closing prayer about every other week and he is so little and so thoughtful. I am always laughing at the things that he says. Today he said, "Bless us to Repent! Bless us to be good and to sin A LITTLE less." He totally stressed the part 'a little' and I was dying. It was so funny.

Attending Church is just good for the Soul. I love the kiddo's. 

Did you hear anything funny at church today?

17 Miracles Giveaway: You heard me right!

Have You Seen 17 Miracles?

It is a movie about one of the handcart companies as it traveled towards the Salt Lake Valley. I don't know if I can say enough good things about this movie. I first watched it with Scott and the next day I watched it with Kimm, Dylan and Kate. 

I can't believe what amazing dialog it opened up between a 5 & 7 year-old and their mom.

The kids didn't understand why these people were going through so many struggles and why Heavenly Father wasn't helping them.

I was able to really dissect the movie with them and answer a lot of their questions and then they wanted to watch it again.

It is a powerful movie because the experiences are true. The Early Saints of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints overcame amazing obstacles in following their faith. I am humbled by their many sacrifices, even death, in the name of their Savior whom they loved so much.

Do you have your own copy? You can purchase one at Deseret Book. Christmas is coming shortly and I think that this would be an awesome Christmas present for any family. My family loved it.

And here is the good news:

I am giving away a FREE copy!!!

To Enter: 

1. Become a Follower of this Blog 

2. Leave me a comment

***If you would like an extra entry, you could post this giveaway on facebook or on your own blog and leave me an extra comment for each. 

*A Winner Will Be Chosen Thursday, October 20th.

I also want to recommend this book.

Fire Of The Covenant is one of my favorite books about the Handcart companies. Please do me a favor and read it. I love the stories and the research that Gerald N. Lund put into writing it. 

"The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company.'"

It is such a beautiful book.

Sunday Thoughts

This morning seemed really rushed and really hectic. I lost my temper with a two year old, I didn't know what to wear, and I felt like I had too much to do, with too little time. I found myself feeling really guilty on the way to church and I kept thinking to myself that I really needed to apologize for being such a crazy mom. But I didn't apologize; I was too busy putting on my mascara.

It is funny how many times I must have thought to myself, why am I doing this? Sheesh, I want to sleep. Please tell me that I'm not the only one that starts their Sunday's like this sometimes. I felt nervous that we had to sing in church and that my lesson wasn't really "that" prepared. I kept wondering if Wyatt was going to have a blow-out right before we were suppose to sing as a family.

I find that Sunday's are like this a lot for me. I try really hard to pray, sing, feel the spirit, and enjoy the Sacrament, but as a mom with four kids I fall short 99.9% of the time. So I feel bad and that I must be doing something wrong, because every other mom has it perfectly together. And you guys do, right? I think we think this about each other because we tend to be so hard on ourselves. And sometimes we do ask "why am I doing this?"  And I think it is okay to ask. Because every time I think this to myself, I am comforted by the sweet assurance that comes from the Holy Ghost, whispering special promises that it will be alright, that I'm doing a good job, and that there is purpose in all of it. 

And maybe our reward doesn't come instantly. And maybe each Sunday isn't earth shattering. But every once in a while I'll get a glimpse of the reward that is waiting.

It is conversations like this that prove to me that our labors do matter. That the fight is worth it. And that we are raising the 'Army of Helaman' for today.

Dylan: Hey mom. Did Jesus get his cool powers after he died?

Me: Actually he had God's special power while he was living on the earth?

Dylan: Well then why didn't he stop the evil men from killing him? He could have stopped them right?

Me: Ya, bud. He could have stopped them.

Dylan: Well then why didn't he stop them mom?

Me: Why do you think he didn't stop them?

Dylan: So that we can live with him again. Because he loves us.

It is moments like this that things seem crystal clear.

And it is moments like this that my Rewards are evident.

Life seems to be rushing by. The kids are growing so quickly, and before I know it, I will be sitting alone, next to Scott in Sacrament meeting, trying to borrow other people's children.

Leggo My Eggo...

Kate Buggy (BoBo) has been cooking all week.

And by cooking I mean taking care of toasting the Eggo's.

It is that kind of week.

I'm not sure why it isn't as fun to cook yummy food when I can't eat it myself.

I'm selfish like that.

I really can't resist how Stinking Cute she looks waiting for the Eggo's to Pop UP.

Credit Card Fraud = Horror...American Express Blue = Love.

Last month Dominic Cifarelli  and Morokath Redman used my credit card to rack up over $6000.00 dollars in Airline tickets. I'm sure you can imagine the anxiety and the panic that I felt when I opened up my credit card statement.

Oh.
My.
Word.

It amazes me that people are okay with being so dishonest.

It totally blows my mind.

Maybe they didn't have a good mom like I did who made them walk back into the grocery store at the age of six and return the stolen candy-bar. Or maybe they just need a Bishop that looks them in the eye's every year and asks them if they are honest in ALL their dealings.

I just don't get it.

Needless to say I felt violated.

So I called up American Express to try and resolve the issue and their customer service was EXCELLENT.

Not only did they treat me like I was the victim, they didn't blame me or try to ask me a million questions. They just thanked me for my ongoing membership and took care of it all for me.

Took.
Care.
Of.
It.

People, this really happened. Like, in real life.


They just took care of it for me.

What?

Amazing. And I promise that this is not an advertisement for American Express. But I will be a Member for Life.

AmEx = Love

Liars = Stoopid (with two o's)

PS. I found this crazy lady picture on the web, but I think it kind of looks like me if you don't look to close and if you blur your eyes a little and if the room is dim. ;)

My Decision To Homeschool

NOT!!!!!

Good Heavens...NEVER!!!

The school year couldn't come soon enough for me.

 Dylan goes to 2nd Grade!!!

Kate goes to Kindergarten!!!