The Time of Our Life: themes

This is our family theme/motto for 2013.
We are a little late starting it this year, but we decided to make a tradition of picking a family theme and focusing on it throughout the year. I think in the future we will introduce the new theme at our back to school feast. But for this year, better late than never right? I am so excited about this theme:
I Can Do Hard Things.
The goal is to talk about it often and relate as many teaching moments back to it all year long.

I love my kids and I feel an overwhelming need to arm them the best I can before I send them out into the world. Most especially I want them to learn how to be capable people and to develop "self control". I want them to know that more often than not, the things they want will take hard work and determination to get. I also think this is a wonderful thing for Tyson and I to work on as well. In the chaos and business of life, we look for the quick, easy and low maintenance.

It is good to remind ourselves sometimes that we need to stretch ourselves and make goals that require hard work to achieve.

To kick off this theme, Tyson prepared a family home evening lesson to introduce it to the kids. It was super cute. He had the girls stand up and asked them first to put a hand on their heads. Then he had them put their other hand on their stomachs. Then he told them to jump up and down. This they could do pretty effortlessly.

He then had them start to pat their head and rub their tummies while jumping on one foot. This was not so easy. He then asked the girls if what they were trying to do was easy and they gasped and said "no". He said that they could learn how to do it if they kept practicing and that just because something is hard doesn't mean we can't do it.

He read to the girls from the illustrated Book of Mormon Stories and told them the story of Nephi building the ship. Throughout the story he kept questioning the girls about if they thought certain things would have been easy for Nephi.
I really think they understood what he was explaining to them.

We told the girls our theme and had them each say it a few times.

We made a list and each of us picked 3 things that we thought was hard that we wanted to focus on or accomplish this year. One of mine was keeping a family journal (i.e. this blog). So far so good!

Ava's List

1- Learning to read

2- Learning to ride a bike

3- Stop Whining

Claire's List

1-Stop sucking her thumb

2- Learning to swim

3- Stop Teasing

Tyson and I's are kind of personal so I won't list them here but we are excited to have something to work on as a family. I have the theme displayed where we can all see it and be reminded.

Also the girls were so good and stayed focused.

It was our best FHE yet!

As in Flamingo Party!

Claire Bear turned 3 today. My baby girl isn't a baby anymore (tear).

On Sunday we had a flamingo style birthday for Claire.

Awhile back, Claire came to like flamingos a lot. The beginnings of that infatuation is a little gray, but I think it really started with this:

Her "mingo purse" or flamingo purse.

Let me back the story up just a little.

My father-in-law loves palm trees and plants some in his yard each summer. Mysteriously one morning there were 2 plastic pink flamingo yard decorations positioned by one of the palm trees in their yard. Claire recognized them as flamingos from a book about colors that had a picture of a flamingo on the page of "pink" things. Then one day while on a trip to the craft store she found and begged for a insulated lunch bag that had flamingos on it. She kept saying "I want my own purse." Ava had one and Claire desperately wanted one. Her beautiful blue eyes talked me into getting it for her and from that moment on the "mingo purse" went everywhere with us...and I mean everywhere!

My mother-in-law purchased a cute Gymboree jumper with flamingos on it to have at her house in case Claire needed a change of clothes. Claire soon began insisting on wearing it the minute she got there. I think she loves them because they are pink and she REALLY loves pink. When I presented her with a few options for a birthday theme she excitedly asked for a "mingo party". I even offed a "pink princess party" which is what Claire calls Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), but she was insistent on Flamingos. So Flamingos it was!!

Here is her little invitations which I made.
One of my goals this year is to get some software and learn to make cute invitations.

Sorry my camera takes terrible pictures. I need a new one real bad!!

We borrowed my in-law's flamingo yard decor to welcome our guests who braved one of the worst snowstorms this winter to attend our festivities.

I struggled finding flamingo things in the middle of winter but here is the set up compliments of Oriental Trading Company.

I used Flamingo straws that I cut off the excess straw part and made them into cupcake toppers. I also was excited to find these flamingo suckers to use as part of our party favors! (Thanks again to OTC!)

Here is the Birthday Girl some of the family sporting her "mingo glasses" which were available for all to enjoy!

My Girlies

Claire is wearing her "Mingo Dress" that Grandma Julie had given her around Halloween.

She asks to wear it

E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y!

Uncle Kim Flamingo Style!

Saving this picture for black mail in the future ;)

Talmage even joined in on the fun.
Claire loves her cousin Kaisin! He is so cute with her and even taught her to catch a ball.

She loved opening presents and loved everything she got. A few favorites included her pink Princess and the Popstar Barbie dress, her pink ladybug dream light her new "mingo dress".

Ava made these cute flamingo from Bendaroos almost a month before Claire's Party when we decided on a Flamingo theme. She was so excited to give it to Claire. She even wrapped by herself in in a paper she drew a flamingo on (wish I had a picture).

Claire insisted on putting on her new flamingo p.j.'s that she got...

...which only lasted about 20 minutes until she completely wet her pants (which hasn't happened since she potty trained last spring) because she refused to go to the bathroom for almost the whole party. She was devastated when she peed her pants which made it impossible to scold her.

Happy Birthday My Beautiful 3 Year Old!

Oh and here are a few cute pics from a little Shin Dig my mother-in-law did on Claire's actual birthday which is today. My mother-in-law was nice enough to invite her cousin (second cousin or 1st cousin once removed or something like that) to the party. Claire adores Ellie Jo and wanted to have a friends party and invite Ellie Jo. Tyson was out of town and I had a work conference so I kind of dropped the ball on the friend's party.

Thanks to my in-laws Claire got her friend party.