And...

Lots of Bananagrams
Trails to the beach
Yoga with Tiff
Jump roping with bull kelp
Relays by waves
Red Rover Red Rover
Sandcastles
Sunsets
S'mores

Hypothermia?

The Oregon coast is FREEZING! That isn't stopping us from enjoying every second of it.

Running from waves. Hiking across bridges. Golfing with the teems. Ice cream for everyone. Sleeping for the Idiart men. Gaming for the boys.

Together.

Perfection!

Damian wore his jacket like this for the entire weekend.

We arrived!

Despite a screw in our tire and a trip to Les Schwab in Grants Pass (this seems to be our road trip curse) we made it to the beach safely. The house is gorgeous and really close to the beach. The weather is a little wet, but it is glorious.

The cheesiest pizza for dinner, games with the cousins, and time together.

It's just where we want to be.

When she hits a wall...

When Nicole gets really worn out it's pretty obvious. The best thing I've learned to do for her is to just take her upstairs to her room a little before bedtime and enjoy some time together snuggling and talking. Sure love her and our special little time together. I'm glad she is getting some good rest before we take off tomorrow for the coast. I'm sure she'l have plenty of late nights with the cousins.

Egg-cellent

Family night service activity...finding eggs Nicole hid around the house and doing the secret service written inside (she prepared these in her church class yesterday). Mary made some Easter egg cookies for our treat. It was a good day. I'm loving spring break.

The Sabbath is a Delight

We have had some recent family discussion about the Sabbath day. I think we all need to constantly examine our observance of His holy day. I've learned that keeping the Sabbath day holy is not just a matter of what we shouldn't be doing, but what we can be doing. In our family, I'm always asking myself--How can we improve our devotion? Is the Sabbath a delight to our souls? Is it a rest from the world?

President Eyring's stated, "For Latter-day Saints the Sabbath day is a day of gratitude and love." This helps me focus more on the purpose of the day.

I pulled out the Sunday CANs can so the children could review some good Sabbath options.

Later this evening I read Elder Russell M. Nelson's 2015 conference talk, The Sabbath is a Delight:

"How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear. "

He goes on to share some scriptures describing great blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy. I have always loved the promise that keeping the Sabbath holy will keep us unspotted from the world. Another one I hadn't thought much before was "the fulness of the earth is promised to those who keep the Sabbath day holy".

Elder Nelson continued, "How can you ensure that your behavior on the Sabbath will lead to joy and rejoicing? In addition to your going to church, partaking of the sacrament, and being diligent in your specific call to serve, what other activities would help to make the Sabbath a delight for you? What sign will you give to the Lord to show your love for Him?"

Teaching the gospel to our children and strengthening family ties were some ways he suggested would make the Sabbath become a delight in our home. This morning we decided to watch the animated story of Nephi retrieving the brass plates. Just a few hours later in sharing time the kids acted out the same story we had reviewed. Cameron was beyond thrilled that we had just watched it earlier that morning. 

As a parent, his happy heart and sweet connection made His day feel so delightful. Because the most essential work of any parent is to turn their children's hearts to our Father in Heaven. 

And in so doing, turn our hearts to Him as well, with love and gratitude.

Spoiled

I left this morning for breakfast at Morning Glory to celebrate Callie's birthday with a bunch of friends while Aaron held down the fort at home. Then Mary had a few friends over to celebrate Spring Break--laser tag at the mall, Orange Julius smoothies at the food court, crafts, a treasure hunt, playing on the trampoline, golf cart, and sardines. Then the Idiart ladies went out to celebrate womanhood before we watched women's conference together. I'm feeling very spoiled with all this celebration.

Spring Break 2017

Hip Hip Hooray! We started it out right with the annual Idiart movie theater.

And so it begins...

Mary's soccer season started this week. She is beyond thrilled. I can see that having confidence in a sport really impacts how well you play. This is one sport where she feels confident and it shows.

My Little Helper

"I want to help peel topatoes..tomatoes...I mean, potatoes."

This girl loves to help in the kitchen and she loves to be right by my side. Is there anything better than this adorable little side kick? Nope. She also wrote a note for Josh; he's having a tonsillectomy tomorrow. She included a joke she learned from Noah, who learned it from a friend at school, I guess (caution: content is highly inappropriate). Nicole also volunteered to test the cookie dough and make sure it wasn't poisonous.

Love her.

Note to self: Must get her a few new jokes.