Lots of snow!

Monday: Martin Luther King Day. Eli didn't have school so we all enjoyed extra cuddles in bed. I love snuggling with my little ones. Alex and her kiddos came down for the day and we went swimming at the Y and then played basketball. Cousin time is one of our favorite times.

Tuesday: Snow day!! School was canceled. We stayed home all day and watched movies and I cleaned out the closets. The boys played out the snow for a quick second and enjoyed themselves!

We found the dog costume and Eleanor didn't want to take it off.

Wednesday: School was on a 2 hour delay. With afternoon kindergarten, Eli didn't have school until 1:15. Austin, Eleanor and I decided to run a few errands and found some great sales - I found Eli some school uniform pants for 1 dollar and Eleanor some cute bows for a 1 dollar. The kids played for a quick second before it was time to get Eli.

My thoughtful friend appeared at our door with 2 loaves of bread, lotion, a book, popcorn and M&Ms, and this awesome water mat for the kids. Before Aaron left he gave me a blessing and said there are friends here that want to help us. We've been so blessed by the kindness of friends.

On Friday, we went to the Nature and Science Museum in Denver for the last time. Our pass expires at the end of the month. The Bensons came with us and we loved our time together. 

Saturday: We dog sat Deb's dog! Everyone was thrilled. I was, too, until I found dog poop in Eleanor's room. 

Eli was excited for his basketball game. Our friends, the Green's, came and watched Eli play. We had dinner at their home that evening! 

Sunday: Brother Chambers came and visited us after church. The boys were excited and these pictures show how much they miss wrestling with their dad and grandpa.

I've wanted to write about the importance of "saving money for a rainy day." Papa Thomas lived through the depression and as a result of that, I grew up in a home where my mother was very frugal and taught us wisely to always save money. Now I'm 35 and this week more than ever before in my life, I'm so grateful for my mother's example when dealing with finances  Years ago as we prepared for Aaron to transition to a new job, we knew we needed to save even more money than than we had been saving because we didn't know how long he would be between jobs. It ended up being a miracle because we didn't use nearly any of the money we had saved for that particular transition. Well, this month, the longest government shut-down in history happened and as a result of that, we didn't get paid. I was shocked at how many people were struggling because of the shut-down. Aaron and I both talked about how grateful we were for the money we had in savings. This past week was such a life lesson reminder to me to be better about saving as much money as possible for a rainy day. I'm grateful for my grandpa's influence all these years later!

Eleanor's Birthday!!

It was Eli's turn to share the scripture during FHE. He impressed us with his reading! And Eleanor was so cute and wanted to be by her big brother as he sounded out words. 

Tuesday was a fun day for all of us. Eleanor turned ONE! She's so big! 

I used gift bags for her presents from her baby shower last year. :) She woke up and loved the balloons and streamers. So did the boys! I was excited to find cute decorations at the dollar store.

She opened a few presents (with assistance from her brothers) after breakfast.

This toy is a hit. Eli was proud to match all the shapes to the right colors. A friend gave us this toy and it was a perfect gift for our baby!

Eleanor took a nap and then we play at Monkey Buziness before taking Eli to school!

Another friend brought over these birthday diapers. I never knew birthday diaper existed! I'm grateful for thoughtful friends. 

I made a simple cake and when I saw this balloon sitting on the floor, I decided it would make a cute cake topper! 

Pizza and peas for dinner. She really does love her brothers! I love watching her get so excited to see them.

We FaceTimed with Aaron and he was able to sing Happy Birthday with us and watch Eleanor devour her cake. I have more pictures to share on my nice camera!! It was a happy day for us all. I cried that Aaron was gone, but how grateful we are he is working hard for us. We love our tiny baby and she really has been a JOY this year. She loves to wave at everyone and has the friendliest personality. We fight over who gets to hold her and who loves her the most!

On Wednesday morning, we ran to Music and Movement at the library. It's been awhile since we've been there and we all enjoyed it.

This made me laugh - when we popped the birthday balloons, confetti went everywhere. 

Wednesday afternoon, Austin had a playdate with this friend Kate so Eleanor and I ran some errands. I found these flowers on the sale rack at the grocery store and picked them up. I love fresh flowers. This made me laugh - after Austin's play date, I asked him what they did. He said, "We played mom and dad and I was the dad." I asked him what he did as the dad and he replied, "Oh, I just did whatever Kate told me to do." Austin will be the best husband someday, I just know it!! ;)

Eli had this paper in his school folder - 100% on a math worksheet!!

On Friday we got tons of snow. The boys decided to shovel the driveway and I was so grateful for their hard work. I also had a friend bring lunch over earlier that day and then another friend showed up with pizza and salad for dinner. My friends are so kind - making our lives easier as Aaron is away.

On Saturday mooning, Eli had his FIRST basketball game. He loved it so much and learned lots. He keeps asking me when his next game is. 

Saturday afternoon we went sledding!! 

There were hard times this week with my boys' behavior. Eli's teacher sent an e-mail at the end of the week that the kids worked hard at school this week. I've tried to keep mornings before school a bit more relaxed, but this week we crammed in a lot and there were meltdowns because of it. I have to remind myself to slow down and focus on what really matters.

We had ward conference today and I felt inspired to be a better missionary. I know there are people waiting for the peace and blessings the gospel can bring into their lives.