Preschool at the pumpkin patch

today was olive's first field trip with her preschool class, and she was so so excited!! she kept telling me she wanted to walk by her teachers and that she did! i kinda felt like she was embarassed of me! :/ (i know that was not the case)

we went to Black Island Farms pumpkin patch in syracuse, this was our first time and we were really impressed! it's huge!!! i loooovvved that everyone got to pick out their own pumpkins on the tractor ride + olive thought it was cool that they came around and cut the pumpkin off the vines! she ran around like crazy and still didn't take a nap this afternoon! come on girlfriend! Black Island Farms was definitely a favorite- we will have to bring scotti girl next year!

 (not even wanting to sit by her momma ;()

Pumpkin Patch Part 1

i think i am having a hard time deciding what my favorite season is, i love summer for so many reasons but i think fall is definitely my number one!! the temperature is perfect, the changing leaves are breath taking and we make so many memories with all the fall activities!

we have a pumpkin patch right down the street from our house called Packs Farm, it is super cute + has slides and activities for the kids.  there is a gift shop and their pumpkin patch is beautiful as all the pumpkins are laid out on the green grass! my mom and i took my two girls and my niece a week ago and they were all in heaven. in fact, they were crying when it was time to go!

another one we love that we went to last year a couple times is Cross E Ranch, in North Salt Lake.  Dave actually does all their banners for them, so we get in free! i love this one!!! they have all their farm animals that the kids love to see, a fun hay ride where you learn about the history of their farm,  food + they had slides this year and of course the famous corn pit! last year, they had a hay maze- which they also had a mini hay maze for the kids, but his year they had a huge corn maze that we need to try next time we go!! They are so friendly at Cross E Ranch and we love it there.  we will be going back for years to come!!

being a mother

i just need to take a minute and express how thankful i am for the life i have, specifically the chance i have to be a mother.  becoming a mom has been the best thing to ever happen to me!! it has been my dream ever since i can remember. and i am so so lucky that i am a mom.

i never imagined that the mom life would be as difficult as it can be, never. why that thought never crossed my mind.... i'm not sure! sometimes i go a little crazy! it is definitely 24/7. i don't get to lay in bed for 30 minutes trying to process actually getting up (unless of course i am actually sticking to my fitness goals, and freaking waking up when my alarm goes off!) nope. when the girls are up- i am up. even if that means i am sleep walking + sleep cooking for a little while. i do dishes every day, i sweep, i clean, i do laundry, i cook, i pick up 578 million times a day, i wipe butts, i clean snotty noses, i wipe tears, i break apart fights. i do it alllllllll. but you know what? it's my jam.

at times i feel empty, because i do this mom thing full time. i do get time to work out when i make time for it, or i get to hang out with my husband without kids once or twice a month. but sometimes i just want something for me.  like a hobby. that i actually love. that i get to do + be a mom! and i beat myself up over it because i have yet to find that missing piece. and wonder why.

and it hit me. you were meant to be a mom sarah!! being a mom is. my. jam. people!!!! and they are young, and they need me. right now. in this moment. every moment. and i need them. and what i should be focusing on is raising my kids. and i am so grateful that i get the chance to stay home with them and watch them learn and grow every single day. i need to stop taking that for granted!

i have learned sooooooo much over the past three and a half years. i've cried a lot, laughed a lot and smiled a lot.  because these little humans make me so dang happy!! i look at them every single day and think they are so perfect and that i made them!!!! gosh i love them, dave and i are so lucky.

so while i see everyone else "doing things with their lives", i need to think well i am doing something with my life too, and it's amazing!!! 

so live in the moment with your little people. watch them learn, watch their excitement over little things, watch them be the amazing little people that they are!! because it's not going to last forever, and one day you will want it all back and wish you could experience each stage one more time!

it amazes me how fast time flies when you have children you are raising! in a blink of an eye they are going to be grown up! and to be honest, that makes me really sad! but i also can't wait to see the amazing people they will grow up to be!

"motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. it is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in, it is what God gave you time for." -neil l. anderson

Sealing Day

In the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, we believe that families can be together forever. a temple marriage has been one of my dreams ever since i was a little girl!! when i met dave things went a little different then we originally planned- but it was always, always on my mind. each time we had a kid my desire to get sealed for time and all eternity grew stronger and stronger!

i have been working towards going through the temple myself for three years, and although i tried not to make excuses i always did.  it was hard doing it on my own, going to church with two really young kids is hard and exhausting. all i could do was pray that one day dave would come back around to the idea of a temple sealing.

we have gone through A LOT the past four years. but even more than i had EVER thought possible the last 5 months. not only together as a couple, but especially individually. i have felt heart ache like i never imagined, anger, betrayal.  the trials we have faced have brought us closer together, we are stronger and we act more as a team than we ever have before. i am getting all teary eyed writing this. i can not even express to you how much i believe the lord plays a huge part of every little decision you make in your lives. the timing is all up to him. moving to farmington at the beginning of this year, into the farmington ranches 2nd ward has been the biggest blessing for us. all of the pieces to our puzzle seemed to be coming together.

when dave mentioned to our bishop he was ready to go back to the temple, and to be sealed to the girls and i, i was in shock but secretly jumping for joy!! i hadn't heard him say those words since before we got married, and right away we began our process to be sealed! it happened so quick, but felt like it would never come! things went so smoothly and i have never felt so confident as a couple as i do today. having the spirit in our home daily makes the biggest difference, knowing that my two little girls will grow up with the knowledge of the gospel makes my heart so happy!

i have been waiting for this day for a very long time, and it was so so special. dave and i were grinning from ear to ear. the spirit was so strong, and i was trying not to ball like a little baby.  seeing our girls dressed in all white was so special, they looked so perfect!!

i will cherish these pictures forever, and i will remember that day for eternity!

Families Are Forever!!

This happened last week, July 28th to be exact!! It was such a special day, and it makes my heart happy to know I will be with my little family for eternity!! I am waiting on our photos from our photographer- and I can't wait to see how they turned out!

Youtube: Lagoon Nights Vlog

why hello again!! today's post i am bringing you our Lagoon Nights Vlog that i published on my youtube channel, here. getting lagoon season passes has definitely been one of the highlights of our summer! the girls absolute love going, the joy in their faces makes my heart happy! i hope that they remember these nights.

we have figured out that nights are best.  wednesday nights to be specific. if i was still a teenager or wasn't a mom- i would definitely be spending my DAYS at lagoon. but kids are miserable in the heat and the older i get the less i enjoy being in the sun if it doesn't involve being near water!

i would love it if you would subscribe to my youtube channel, to make it easier just click on the link here to take you right there!! thank you so so much! xo!!

Happy Fourth!!

hi friends!! i hope you all had an enjoyable fourth of july celebrating this wonderful country we live in and all those who fight for this country every single day. i put together a little video of our fourth, hope you enjoy it. be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel while you are over there!! xo!

our fourth of july two thousand sixteen