SHE'S DRIVING

This is a big moment at the Jolley home. Faith is (gulp) driving. That is, she started driver's training. It's going to be a wild ride, but I know that she can do this. I'm also excited that Idaho now has them drive with a licensed driver for 6 months (a certain amount of hours as well) before they can get their actual driver's license. She's already had her first class and first drive! Yippee!

Driving a couple months ago in a parking lot

Me making her take a picture at the time of getting her permit! We were trying to hurry because another couple was coming in the building. She said "I hate you!" and I said it back as the couple was laughing at us. It was great!

Driving to Morgan's house. She needs a lot of practice, so we are trying to make time for it!

I actually can't wait for another driver in the house. I know that this is a process, but hoping that by next fall, Brandon and I will have a little bit of help taking the kids everywhere they need to be! Yeah!!!

SCHOOL PICTURES 2015-2016

Weird to think that yet another year has slipped right on by. It doesn't seem real!

Faith - Freshman year

Dawson - 6th grade (Middle school)

Kate - 3rd grade

Someone help me freeze time for just a minute please!

DAWSON'S FRIEND PARTY!!! NERF WAR/SECRET SPY

Dawson was very excited for his birthday! Unfortunately, Mom and Dawson had some miscommunication during the planning stage of his party. I thought that we had agreed to do a secret spy birthday party and Dawson thought it was just a nerf gun war party.

So, he was patient and we ended up doing a great combination. Here's how!

First, here is the invitation. (I was still thinking secret spy party!)

When everyone arrived, we had them pick out code names! One was a color and the other was an item or person figure.

Next we played a game where they had to use their interrogation skills to ask yes or no questions to find out who they were. Here was the first - Dawson and Mickey Mouse.

Teagan

Evan

The group - they decided after round 1, that they would shoot each other during the interrogations! It was quite funny and worked out well.

The pictures we used were Mickey Mouse, Nemo, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Pikachu, Olaf, Marshmallow, and Christoff. Super fun!

The 2nd game was to check and see if they were able to pick up on clues! Faith put together a tray of "random" items. I had them number their papers 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5. They had 1 minute to review and go over the tray. After the minute was up, Faith removed 3 items and they had to write down there answers. Round 2 was the same. Round 3 I played with them a bit and had them turn over their paper and write 1-12. They then had 2 minutes to write down all items on the tray! Another fun and easy game for us!

Evan (AKA - Orange Lizard), Daniel (AKA - Blue Ninja), Teagan (AKA - Red Snake), and the birthday boy (AKA - Green Tiger)

The final game that I put together was running through the trip wires without showing up on the sensors. I timed each of them and we did 2 rounds.

They also used black balloons to do a little bit of skeet shooting for target practice.

I had a friend from high school make these wonderful chocolate cake "bombs" for the cake.

We actually had 2 dozen, but it was awesome to light the whole platter for a big KABOOM!

Presents! Thank you boys!

Dawson is always pulling faces! And although he does not like chocolate, he LOVES rolos! Silly boy!!!

The boys had the remaining hour to play with their nerf guns and go absolutely CRAZY!!! They had the whole house and had free play which they so loved! We didn't even plan to have 2 of the boys wear orange and 2 of the boys wear blue! Couldn't have planned that more perfectly!

I also put together a little gift bag that had pop rocks (AKA - explosives), glow bracelets/sticks (AKA - laser wires), a couple extra black balloons (AKA - skeets for target practice), and silly string (AKA - more laser wires.) The boys loved it and it was super easy to put together.

In the end, we had a bunch of fun and both mom and Dawson were happy. And that's all that matters. Unfortunately, we get to spend the next 4 months listening to Kate plan her party (yes, she has already started.)

GETTING LASH CERTIFIED - LASHES IN POCATELLO, ID

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MORMON SUPERBOWL OCTOBER 2015 - EPIC

We were so excited for General Conference this year! In case you don't know what it is, our leaders speak to us in 6 different session to instruct us on this we should do and not do. It is very uplifting and enlightening! It's also something that we look forward to every 6 months (the first weekend in October and the first weekend in April.)

We LOVE conference. It is a holiday at our house. Our kids are always saddened and shocked to learn that their friends don't do what we do. And this year, Faith almost started crying when the last session came on because it ends so quickly.

I also like to pump up those with whom I visit teach. It's fun to share a message and give a treat to those sisters. I hope that they enjoyed conference as much as we did! This year, I did a post it note idea found at The Mormon Home! She did an incredible job and I'm excited to see if my sister used their post it notes! Thank you Mormon Home!!!

For starters, we sleep in tents like the people of King Benjamin when they came to hear the prophet speak. Here is Miss Kate in a single tent this time! 

Then, we make and buy treats and special foods that we don't normally have. This time, I made Twix marshmallow treats, twix bars, and homemade rolls.

Then we bought a couple of treats. Spray cheese and the fruit tray always happen at our house. This year was also highlighted by peeps and the Kirkland macadamia caramel nut clusters. Yep! We were spoiled!

For awhile now, we've been calling it the Mormon Superbowl. And while I was preparing for General Conference, I had this wild and crazy thought. Like, let's actually make this like a superbowl party. Friday night on Conference Eve, we ordered pizza (I highly recommend this as I was able to prep all the other treats without having to cook dinner!)

Then, I wanted everyone to wear sports shirts! Texas Longhorns

Dawson is wearing a Highland rams shirt but likes to be snuggled during conference!

And Kate wanted to set up the half tent to watch conference, which was fun! Another Highland rams!

  

This was Sunday's picture! Aren't we twinners?

Part of the Superbowl idea was to recap all of the sessions of conference. Here they are:

RS Session

Saturday AM Session

Saturday PM Session

Priesthood Session

Sunday AM Session

Sunday PM Session

I can honestly say that I usually have a couple favorites for all of the sessions of conference. But this session. Holy Smokes!!! Each and every talk spoke to me. So many great and wonderful messages from the Lord. I also am doing a General Conference group through email where we will study out each talk between now and the next session of General Conference.

Kate also wanted to fill out our other conference poster that we have framed. This will be exciting to use when it is updated. Just hope I can find it on the world wide web again! This was about 1/2 way through. She wrote names of who got to write what they were talking about. It's tricky though because Faith means faith, not our sister/daughter Faith. Hence the Faith Jolley!

My love of conference has spilled over to friends and I hope that you find motivation here too! I asked for pictures from Texas and New York. I was able to receive some from NY and hope to get TX ones next time!

Byleigh thinks I'm weird, so she wouldn't look at the camera!

 The littles!

Homecooking!!!

Thank you for sharing Beauchat family! We love and miss you!

My last idea was to do the MVP of conference for each of my family members. Most Valuable Player or Most Valuable Prophet ... however you decide to look at it!

Kate loved both of President Uchtdorf's talks. 

A summer with Great Aunt Rose

It works wonderfully!

Dawson too loved Uchtdorf! He has such a great way of speaking!!!

Faith loved Elder Durrant's talk "My heart pondereth them continually."

I really couldn't choose, but in the end decided that Elder Foster's talk would be my MVP as it answered a lot of questions that I had been pondering this time.

It's never too early and it's never too late

Brandon picked the same one as Faith did and boy, I will be ponderizing conference for quite awhile.

Why can't we see his face? Well, on Saturday, Brandon went to the doctor to find out he had pneumonia. He says it phonetically if you can imagine that. Try saying it a couple times. So not feeling good = no pictures!

So this weekend worked out to be a great one ... full of family, the spirit, and great food and snacks. So blessed to be able to listen to the Prophet. His talk was a powerful one that I hope to re listen to soon! If you haven't made conference a priority in your life, I promise you that it will bless your life! Make it a priority and make your own traditions around this special holiday!!!