If You Give a Girl a Camera

 Daisy has two main duties for the house building project:
1. Tend Titus, and any other brothers who are not working on the house.
2. Take pictures.

 Most often she (and I) prefers to tend Titus at home.  He is easier to take care of there, and gets sick of being trapped in the stroller really fast.

There are times, however, that we need her help at the new house, or times when she is sick of being home alone with the baby (I don't blame her.)

 Since she recognizes that construction is not her forte, I give her the camera and ask her to document our project.  And she does a great job.  Most of the photos I post of the house are credited to her.

 And most of all, she has mastered the art of the "selfie."

 I was laughing out loud when I downloaded the latest batch of photos.

 I seriously don't know what I would do without this girl.  I would be stuck with all these boys! 

 She is my best helper, and one of my best friends.

 She is a total goofball...

 ...and totally tenderhearted.

 She is just like her daddy in all the good ways.

 Her brothers adore her and depend on her.

 Photo credits: Daisy Elyce

The House We Built: Part IV

 We work on the house nearly every day.  There is always something to be done, people to be called, paperwork to be filled out, messes to clean up, supplies to be ordered, and more planning to be done.  One of the unanticipated joys of this journey has been the absolute requirement that every family member do his or her part.  We have all had to unify and work together out of necessity.

 Like on this Saturday morning, for example, we had extra concrete on the truck when we had finished the pour.  Jeff hollered, "Tash!  Go form up a pad in the back!  We gotta use this mud!"  Have I ever formed up concrete by myself?  No.  Did I know what I was doing? No.  Did I get 'er done?  Heck yeah!

 I was solo on the pad in the back while the guys were finishing the driveway in front.

 The joys of a driveway!  Now when we work on the house I pull up in the driveway and park like I live there.  No more tracking mud in the house :)

 Isaac is quite the little workin' man.  Give this kid a task and he is on it.  It is also nice to have a resident comedian on the job.

 Levi will do anything we ask him to as long as it requires him to be with his dad.

 I've made pretty good friends with this saw during this phase of house-building.

 Levi has big plans for his "BYU bedroom."  Since my building skills trump my decorating skills, I am a little hesitant for that phase of the house.

We got the back porch on.  Getting it covered is proving to be an entirely different challenge all together...more on that when we actually get it done.

 I am excited to have a wood-burning stove in this house.  It will sit in front of that cool rock in this pic.  Even if we use it only in emergencies, it will be so nice to have as an option.

 And I love my front door.  Even without the *very chic* handleset that is anxiously waiting to be installed, this door is exactly what I had in mind.  When you come see me, you can knock on this door (are you excited?)

 Still some work to do on the basement entrance (along with everything else) but it will be great when it is done (like everything else.)

 One thing is certain: if you come to work on the house, you leave very, very dirty.  This means that the laundry pile at the house I do not spend much time at is reaching horrific depths and heights.

 Oh, here I am with the saw again...or still...or whatever.

 These two make a pretty good team.

 The sheetrock and texture is all done.  We have been hanging doors and installing casing and baseboard.

 It is all very time consuming work.  My big ideas for the shelving in the closets is taking FOREVER to bring to life.

 The exterior guys, however, did not take forever.  They were GREAT (highly recommend Rocky Mountain Siding.) We all loved seeing the progress each day and watching our project really start to look like a place we could live.

 Even though it is long hours and not a lot of fun, running a nail gun alongside his dad is this 7-year-old's dream come true. 

 And really, though, who would not want to work alongside this Big Sexy?

 I have always admired the way Jeff exemplifies the virtue of patience, but it has been tested and proven while doing this finish work.  He is simply the most patient guy I know.

 When Daisy gets left home on day care duty, this guy gets to be a workin' man, which makes him feel very important.

Love this man.

Love this house.

Click!

 The first time I heard about "clicking" was at a Time Out for Women event several years ago.  Hilary Weeks told her fabulous story about her experiment with negative, and then positive, thoughts.  I have always been a big believer in the impact our thoughts have on our actions, so this whole clicking thing made a lot of sense to me. 
 Several months later, Hilary did a house concert for us (one of the top ten best days of my life, by the way) she shared her experience with clicking and I recognized that this could be an effective tool in my life.


By then, I had been invited to be the "EFC Instructor" at our Stake Girls Camp.  It was nothing important (I think they made it up) but it stood for Especially for Camp, and I conducted a "Strength of Youth Boot Camp" each day for each of the years centered around the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet, which had recently gotten a face-lift.  It was an awesome opportunity...so I couldn't help but work 'clicking' into the whole thing.  I distributed the clickers on the first day of camp.  Our challenge that day was centered around the standard of Gratitude.  We clicked for everything we were thankful for.  I used a blurb by John Hilton III out of the December New Era to help us click 100 things in about 5 minutes.  It was fab!  Because it was the 100th anniversary of Girls Camp, our goal was to reach at least 100 clicks per person each day.  The first day we had several reach 1000.  Woot!  Woot!  The second day we clicked for the standard of service.  We clicked for every act of service we performed AND acts of service that were performed for us.  It was a great way for the girls to recognize how much service and sacrifice was being rendered by others to contribute to their experience there.  On day 3 we clicked for the standard of language, but specifically kind words.  The pamphlet says, "Use language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others."  We were only allowed to click for kind words that were said TO us, not kind words we said.  It was phenomenal to witness how easily we dismiss the compliments others pay us and instead focus on the negative things we hear from others.  It was a beneficial exercise for all of us involved to actually listen and pay attention to the kind things that others say to us all the time.  The last day of camp our clicker challenge centered around scriptures.  We emphasized that the "Strength of Youth" pamphlet can be considered scripture.  We clicked for each scripture we read, recited, or heard read to us.  We found the girls in their cabins during free time reading the scriptures to one another.  All 200 of us recited the 13 Articles of Faith in unison.  We were clicking all over the place.  It was AWESOME!

In our group Girls Camp testimony meeting, and the following Sunday as some of the girls were invited to speak in Sacrament Meeting, several of them mentioned the effect that clicking had had on them.  One girl said, "Clicking for the positive things others said to me was so much harder than I thought it would be.  Normally we focus on the negative.  I noticed as I clicked I started to be more positive.  I felt happier."  Another girl said, "Giving other people clicks made me feel so good.  It felt better knowing I made them feel good than clicking myself."

After Girls Camp, I knew for myself that "clicking" was the real deal...which brings me to today.

 The "clicker" is now available as a "Clicker Kit" at billionclicks.org which is the website Hilary started to track all of this clicking and share the power of positive thinking.  Try not to be jealous, but I got my very own in the mail.  When my Clicker Kit arrived, I decided to involve Daisy (age 9) in our very own week-long Click-a-Thon.

 

 Daisy opened our Clicker Kit right up and got started that night.  She clicked for all the things she was thankful for.  I couldn't help but smile as I could hear her walking around the house listing aloud the things she was clicking for.  She had racked up over 100 clicks by the time we started family scripture study that night.

 Daisy is somewhat pessimistic by nature.  Jeff and I are constantly looking for ways to help her recognize all of the positive things in her life.  I was exciting to incorporate clicking into our efforts.  Our Click-A-Thon went like this:
Day 1: Smiles - click for every time you smile at someone or someone smiles at you
Day 2: Gratitude - click for every time you think of something you're thankful for
Day 3: Helping - click for every time someone serves you or you serve someone else
Day 4: The world - click every time you recognize something wonderful about your surroundings
Day 5: Happiness - click for every reason you have to be happy.

On Day 1 after I had tucked her into bed, I noticed what Daisy had written on the calender: "Happy Clicks: 80" And seeing that couldn't have made me happier.

 

 Since it is just us two girls outnumbered by all the boys around this house, we are always looking for fun things to do together.  Clicking together is something we will continue.  Simply clicking together gives the answer to "how was your day?" so much more substance.  Clicking gave us the chance to talk about important things (in addition to who you played with at recess and what you ate for lunch.)

The question, then, is...

...because it is sure to.  I have experienced it on large scale and small.  From now until the end of the month when you order a Clicker Kit ($11.99 + shipping) at billionclicks.org with Coupon Code NATASHA221, you will receive a FREE clicker, wristband, and sticker (regularly $4.99).  Think of people you might share the power of clicking with - a clicker can be such a meaningful gift.  And let me know how it goes...I want in on all of your POSITIVE thoughts!

Fall Family Fun

 Our lives have been nearly consumed with house building.  We are constantly working on the house in one way or another.  Amid the chaos, however, we have managed to maintain some level or normality.  We have had a lot of fun this fall.  Here is our Fun Family Fall in Photos:

 Jeff and a bunch of the guys from work planned a big "dear hunt" trip together...and Jeff took Levi.  None of these guys are big hunters.  In fact at least one of them had never been hunting before.  They all have office jobs and soft hands.  I couldn't be too vocal about my low expectations for their harvest, though, because it hurt their feelings.  When I called it deer "camp" instead of deer "hunt" (when the most appropriate term was "mancation") Jeff retorted, "We are going to hunt."  Regardless, they  had a great time, and Levi was in heaven.

 With the two older kids in school, these two brothers have become quite the pair.  They are always working on one kind of mischief or another.  Isaac has loved being the "big brother."

 We hit a fun Pumpkin Festival in Cedar City the weekend the boys were off deer hunting.  Isaac was thrilled to try the climbing wall like the big kids...

 ...and thrilled when Grandpa showed up on his hog.

 That same weekend we got to go to Grafton with Great-Grandma Holyoak.  She lived there as a child, and it is nothing more than a few old buildings now.  No matter where we happen to be, spending time with our Grandma's is always a treat.

 Titus landed his first shiner one night when he was trying to climb dad's desk.  He didn't mind at all even though I thought it looked awful.

 This big boy keeps us all busy.  He loves to play in the toilet, empty the dishwasher as I'm trying to load it, dig through the garbage, pull all of the folded laundry out of the drawers, and put everything in his mouth.  On this particular morning, he wanted some Cheerios.

 Levi participated in Fall League Wrestling this year for the first time.  He is really working on improving his technique and is looking forward to the beginning of the official wrestling season.

 The Payson Temple got an angel Moroni!  We have eagerly been watching this temple while it has been under construction.  Each time we are within view of it, the kids try to be the first one to spy the temple.  I so look forward to taking them there.

 Dad scored tickets to the BYU Homecoming Game!  We love cheering for the Cougars, and love fun nights out as a family.  My crazy girl...

 ...and my handsome boys...

 ...and my greatest joy.

 When the weather has required that we play indoors, the kids have loved getting their paint groove on.  And I think blue paint is now a permanent feature on our dining table.

 Little Man adores his Big Brother, and Levi keeps all of us entertained when he is charged with entertaining the baby so I can get something done.

 We used to call this the "Toy Room" but now I just call it the "Tornado Room" because between these three monkeys it is always a disaster.

 Levi and Isaac went to visit our cousins at their new house in California over Fall Break.  One day Daisy said, "Mom, can we go see the museum today?"  I asked if she meant the local DUP museum, which I had never been to.  I (of course) said, "Sure, we can go there sometime."  She specified, "Today.  Let's go today."  So we did!

 We didn't have a lot of time before they closed, but the exhibits we saw were really cool.  It's on our agenda for another GNO.  And just for the record, I am so lucky to have this girl!

 When daddy's diploma finally arrived in the mail we drove straight to the hospital so he could open it and we could take his picture.  This little document was a long long time coming...and so much work it exhausts me to think about it.  So proud of my Big Sexy.

 The kids looked forward to Grandma's annual Halloween Party all month long.  The cousins arrived and the festivities commenced.  Grandma is such a good sport!

 These are my most favorite people in the entire world...all in one picture.  This captures a typical evening for Titus.  We are all exhausted and can't keep our eyes open about the time he displays a boost of energy and is ready to play for a few more hours. 

 Our friends the Bosh's came over to carve pumpkins with us this year.  Pumpkin carving is one of the few things about Halloween that I actually enjoy.

 Isaac worked so hard on his little pumpkin and did the whole thing himself, then dropped it on the stairs on the way outside to light it.  It was traumatic.  Thankfully dad rescued him by quickly helping him carve another pumpkin.  Thank goodness for dad to the rescue!

 

This girl spent hours sorting the seeds from the guts so we could roast them.  Yum!

I'm not sad to bid October farewell; my disdain for Halloween grows each year.  I am, however, hesitant to welcome November because my baby will be celebrating his first birthday this month and the first year of his life will already be over.  Jeff reminded me that there is so much to look forward to, and so many memories to be thankful for, and he is right.  Amid all of the craziness of life, all of these little things bring so much joy.  There are good things in store.