This Week @ the Ricks' Home

If you've been reading my blog, you know Monday and I don't get along very well. I try to work things out with Monday, but just when I think Monday and I are starting to make progress, Monday turns around and stabs me in the back. This Monday was like any other. Well, honestly, it was worse.
My wonderful husband rescued me and took the family out to dinner at Five Guys! After dinner we had FHE, then played Family Game Night on the Wii. We played games like Operation, Bop It, and Connect Four on the Wii. It was lots of fun.
So, Monday and I ended on a happy note.

I did something this week that I haven't done in a long time...play.

I played with Jordan. We played house and dress-up. It felt great to take time to just play with her, even with all the things that needed to get done. I need to do that more often!

Stamp Club was Tuesday night. We had a wonderful time. I seriously think I have the best group of ladies in our club! We made a candy bouquet and everyone's turned out super cute.

The best part is the talking and laughing with these ladies. We share the best conversations during Stamp Club! I didn't leave until midnight.

Natalee turned 12 this week!

Finally 12. Natalee has always been right with Aryn in everything. She even walked at 9 months, just to keep up with Aryn. So, for me she already feels like a teenager.
Natalee is our most helpful and dependable. She loves organization, schedules, and crafting, just like I do. We enjoy watching her grow her testimony, all on her own. She actually looks forward to scripture reading and study. I love that! She earned the Faith in God award. I was a little disappointed to find out they don't announce it in Sacrament Meeting. They announced that she turned 12 and moved up to Primary. Why not announce that she earned the Faith in God? Oh, well, it's really not a big deal. Now she is excited to get started on earning her Personal Progress Award. My quote to Aryn lately has been "by their fruits ye shall know them." Natalee is creating good fruit. We are so proud of her.


We celebrated Natalee's birthday lots of different ways.

Grandma and Grandpa took her out to lunch. Then, she went clothes shopping with Grandma. Natalee came home with lots of cute clothes!

Jordan was very sad that she couldn't go with Natalee and Grandma, so as a distraction, she helped me make strawberry lemonade cupcakes. They turned out super tastey! John enjoyed one even though he doesn't like cake.






She had a church activity on her birthday so we were pretty busy, but John surprised her with the cheesecake she had been asking for the day before.
My camera settings were set for outside and I didn't have time to change so these pictures aren't the best, but I captured the moment!


She not only blew the candles out, she blew them over! You can't really stick candles down into a cheesecake.


We celebrated Natalee's birthday as a family at the bowling alley.
The girls and I are not very consistant with our game. One time it would be a strike, the next, a gutter ball. Dispite our skills or lack thereof, we had a great time.

Then, Saturday I took Natalee and a few of her friends to the mall for a clothes scavenger hunt. Lots of stores and lots of trying on, but also, lots of fun!

Lovin' the hat.


This was the "dress like Lady Gaga" outfit.


Something we've started this week is a new "tucking-in routine" with our youngest two. I tuck-in Jordan and John tucks-in Gavin. We read a scripture story (you know the ones with the pictures) even though we just read from the scriptures as a family and had family prayer, then we kneel with them as they say their own prayer. I have been thinking about how important personal revelation is and how much I want our children to know how to receive their own guidance from our Heavenly Father. Personal revelation begins with personal communication with our Father in heaven. I learned personal prayer without my parents being right there every night and we didn't do this with our older children, but it was an idea that had been on my mind, so we are doing it. I have to admit, when the idea first came to me I thought, "I really like bed time, the sooner they are in bed the better." Awful, right? But I'm glad we decided to do this, it gives us a special personal moment at the end of our day with our little ones. I've always enjoyed listening to our children pray. Once in between the "thankful for the fun we had today" and "bless us to have fun tomorrow" Jordan said, "bless us to know the truth of all things." Awww! Melt my heart.

I was excited to receive a new calling on Sunday. I'm now the second counselor in the Young Women Presidency. Yay! From the time I was released as Primary President I've been a part of the Young Women in some way or another and I love it. And I still get to go to camp! Just a month away. Woo hoo!