Simply Craig

We officially have another teenager in the house! Wesley turned  THIRTEEN . After a birthday dinner out with Mom and Dad, there was really only one thing on his mind... An airsoft rifle. He had birthday money burning a hole in his pocket, and apparently there was no question about where it was going. One airsoft rifle later... I'm pretty sure our neighborhood has never seen so many airsoft wars. At thirteen, Wesley is... Smart. Athletic. Self-motivated. And genuinely  kindhearted. Sounds like the perfect kid, doesn't it? Well... He really is a pretty great one. Wesley, we love the young man you're becoming. You have a way of knowing what needs to be done and getting after it, but it's your good heart that makes us especially proud to call you ours. Thirteen looks pretty good on you, kiddo. Happy Birthday, Wesley! Make it a good year!

Turning eight is a  big deal  around here. Eight is the age when Bree is old enough to choose to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And today, she made that choice. Watching her walk into the water with her daddy was one of those moments I wanted to tuck away and remember forever. At baptism, we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father. We promise that we are willing to come into His kingdom, keep His commandments, and take upon ourselves the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Bree, we are so proud of you for choosing to follow the example of the Savior. My hope is that you will always remember how you felt today. There will be so many choices ahead of you as you grow. When temptations come or you're unsure which way to go, listen for the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost. Let Him remind you of the promises you made today—to remember the Savior, to follow Him, and to keep the commandments of God. Choose th...

Today we celebrate our Bree turning  EIGHT! Around our house, birthdays come with a few traditions. First things first... If it's  YOUR  birthday, you get whatever you want for breakfast. Birthday girl's choice. Then Bree was sweet enough to give me a few minutes before school to snap some birthday pictures. Because apparently even on your birthday, when your mom loves photography, you're not getting out the door without a picture or two. While Bree was at school, Mr. B.T.C. showed up during lunch with balloons and pizza. And because delivering lunch apparently wasn't enough, Daddy even headed out to recess afterward. We finished the day with another favorite tradition—a dinner date with Mom and Dad at the restaurant of the birthday girl's choice. Bree chose  The Cheesecake Factory . And because her sister also happens to be her best bud, Britley came along too. Of course. Then it was time for her birthday present. Anyone who knows Bree probably won't be surpris...

Motherhood has been one of the  greatest privileges of my life. Today I was spoiled with cards from the people who made me a mother in the first place—and from the wonderful man I get to share this life with. I read every word. Some made me laugh. Some made my heart swell. And some I know I'll want to read again years from now. There are plenty of days as a mother when I wonder if I'm getting any of this right. And then there are days like today when I look around at these five children I've been blessed to call mine and think... How did I ever get so lucky? Today was perfect. Not because anything extraordinary happened. Simply because I was surrounded by the people I love most and reminded of how much I love being their mom. Thank you for making my day so special. I love being your mother.

Nathan's 2010 science project came with a fairly simple assignment: Create a simple machine that completes a task. Easy enough. Until Nathan brought me a piece of paper with his idea sketched out on it. I looked it over and thought... Yeah, right?!? But being the supportive mother that I am, I smiled and said, "Great idea!" Then he showed the exact same drawing to his dad. B.T.C. took one look at it and said, "No problem... let's do it!" And this is one of those moments when I thank my lucky stars I'm not a single parent. Because where I saw something that looked WAY beyond my abilities, Dad apparently saw a perfectly reasonable Saturday project. So the two of them went to work. Measuring. Cutting. Building. And turning that little sketch on a piece of paper into an actual working machine. The completed product? A CAN CRUSHER. Before... One perfectly normal can After... One very flattened can. And apparently, Nathan and Dad knew exactly what they were do...

Why in the world would I take a picture of my washer and dryer and post it?!?                                               Because I have a whole new appreciation for them. I've always been lucky enough to have a washer and dryer right in my own home. That is, until about a month ago. When we sold our house, the buyers purchased quite a bit of our furniture...and our washer and dryer went right along with it. Since our new house wasn't quite ready, we rented a home for a few weeks while we waited to close. Yes, we moved  TWICE . And wouldn't you know it... the rental had NO washer and dryer. With seven people in the family, laundry doesn't exactly take a vacation just because you're between houses. So off I went in search of a local laundromat...which, by the way, wasn't nearly as easy to find as I thought it would be. Who knew? I'll admit, it wasn't so bad at fir...