The Parable of the Lost Bracelet

So last Saturday morning I was out on a walk with my kids when Millie found one of those plastic bracelets all the girls are making these days on the ground. She thought it was the coolest thing and picked it up and kept it. For some reason she really attached herself to this bracelet for a couple of days until we lost it. No big deal right? Wrong. One night this week Carson was reading her a story from "The Friend" about a boy who looses a book with a yellow cover and prays to Heavenly Father and finds the book unexpectedly. The kids were very interested in this story and I told them that Heavenly Father would always help them find things if they pray to Him. 

That night Camilla said the prayer with our family and it was a very sweet, humble prayer. She asked Heavenly Father to please help her find her bracelet. I started to cry, like not tear up, but cry. The whole prayer was so sweet. Her faith is so pure. Aaron and I both just started giving her kisses over and over and she said, "okay,  okay, okay." 

After she went to bed Aaron and I started to tear the house apart looking for this bracelet. We could not find it...anywhere. The next day Camilla remained unfazed. She continued to ask for her missing bracelet in her prayers and Carson started asking for it as well. This was beginning to be a test of Aaron and I's faith as well because this bracelet was not turning up. One day after she prayed for it at her prayer for lunch I started pulling all the bins out of the play area. Camilla asked me what I was doing and I told her I was looking for her bracelet. She said, "don't worry Mommy, Heavenly Father will find my bracelet and bring it to me." 

I felt lost because I wasn't sure how to handle the situation. I felt certain the bracelet was in fact lost and didn't know what to do. I mentioned my dilemma to my friends at Carson's soccer game yesterday and my friend, Jeana, instantly went to work on it. Later that night I got a text message from her that her sweet girls had both made Camilla 2 new bracelets each. She said that the message can be that Heavenly Father always answers our prayers just not always in the way we expect. 

The Baldwins are such good people. We immediately went over there and Camilla was beyond thrilled to have new bracelets. She just keeps talking about them, holding them, sleeping with them, and best of all she knows that Heavenly Father listens to her. I hope this is a lesson she never forgets!

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. " -Spencer W. Kimball

We're just a little bit excited around here

I did a post about running and training hard so that I could qualify for the Boston Marathon when I ran in June. Well registration started a couple weeks ago and it was my turn to register last week. (Those of you not aware, you register for Boston by how much you qualified by. So the fastest people get to register first. Since I only qualified by just over a minute I was in the very last group.) After my registration window closed they announced that the marathon was full and not everyone who registered in my section would get in. I had to wait over a week to hear back what the cut off was for getting in this year. It. Was. Agony. Pure agony I tell you. Everyday I would check their website, facebook page, my email nonstop. I was going crazy over it. They finally announced that they would tell us on Wednesday. I was all over my email on Wednesday, checking every five minutes and getting nothing. Finally the email came at the exact same time as Jeana texted me saying that the time was up. 

I'm in....by one second. 

I was on cloud 9, just floating around the rest of the day. I can not believe how lucky I am and also how close it became. All those people who worked so hard and qualified by less then 1 minute 2 seconds just have to try again next year. My heart breaks for them, just an extra second at an aid station or someone getting in my way at the finish line or Aaron meeting me an extra time, anything, and I would've been one of them. 

My happiness was contagious! 

T-Ball Season Bust

So we decided to sign Carson up for T-ball this year. I was a little reluctant as I didn't want to add something else onto our week night schedule but it was just 4 or 5 games and its a small league so we decided to do it. Well its kind of been a bust. 

Game 1 was rained out.

Game 2 Carson had a fever.

Game 3 we will be out of town. 

So not sure if he will ever actually get to play any ball but he sure looks adorable in a baseball cap. 

Blankies

Some mornings even your blankie needs as blankie. 

Sometimes its hard to wait

It can be so hard to wait for cookies to cool. 

But it sure is yummy to stuff them in your mouth. 

Everything I Hoped For

I apologize in advance, but I have to get it out in the open. Camilla's dance class is the cutest things I've ever seen. I know what you're thinking, "Oh I've seen lots of cute things." But I'm telling you this is cuter. It was just how I imagined it would be. Adorable girls in tutus fluttering about happily to music. Camilla LOVES her dance class. She runs in as soon as her teacher opens the door and talks about it all day after. 

She get to do ballet, tap, and creative movement. Its just perfect for her. 

If you don't want to see pictures of my daughter dancing, stop reading my blog right now. Right now I tell you because I will be putting up lots of pictures of twirling, tapping and pointing. 

I love her. 

The return of the swings

It is finally starting to cool off enough to go to the park. My girls love the whole park but most of all they love to swing.

and swing...

and swing. 

Especially together. 

Oh how I love my girls. 

The Mirror

Brooke has discovered the baby in the mirror.

And she loves her, loves to wave to her, smile to her and clap at her. 

It is a pretty adorable baby she's found. :) 

Pink Boots

So on a whim I bought Millie these pink boots when we were at Costco. She. will. not. take. them. off. She loves them with all her heart and soul. I admit they are adorable, not necessarily practical or functional but very adorable. 

Weather in the 90s, doesn't phase this little diva. 

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is back in full swing for little Camilla. She sure loves it. Each week she waits until Wednesday when she has gymnastics. I'm always a little amazed at how obedient she is to her little coach. 

Brooke and I love watching her and playing all over the gym. Brooke loves to crawl all over the gymnastics stuff and with soft matting everywhere it makes it more fun for her. 

Happy Birthday Ms. Erhart

It was Carson's teacher's birthday this week and so the other room mom and I threw her a little surprise party. It was darling and she was very happy. The kids loved it and loved celebrating with her. She has been such a great teacher for Carson and we are so happy with his little class. 

I'll Give You One Guess

what I signed Millie up for this week.... we're both so excited!

And this was the goody bag from her frozen party this week, um... adorable.