A couple things I've been wanting to say...

There have been so many blog posts running through my head lately that I thought I'd just put a few things down while I have a minute.

First of all, Ellie has finally ditched the training wheels! Hooray! And once she decided to do it, she learned in no time at all (apparently she did it first try). We actually got her a new bike (since 2 bikes for 3 girls was causing some serious complaining), but I took these the first day she rode without the training wheels.

Tommy likes to be sitting upright or playing in his exersaucer now. He doesn't like to be left on his back for long; although he still isn't rolling from back to front.

Okay, so this is a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. These outfits were mine when I was little. Can you tell what decade I danced in? Ha!

But there's an interesting lesson that I've learned from remembering that pink one in particular. Elder Bednar was here this weekend for Stake conference and he and Elder Ward from the Seventy talked a bit about what we're teaching our kids. Let me explain where I'm trying to go with this. When it was time to buy a leotard Mom took me shopping and I found this one. I just had to have it- it had the cute little belt just like Miss Janet, my dance teacher! I tried it on and convinced my mom that yes, it was perfect and I had to have it. I would guess that it was not cheap and we didn't have money to just buy "things" when I was growing up. Well, we got it home and the first day of class I noticed that those cute straps were digging into my shoulders. Apparently it didn't fit as well as I originally thought. But you know what? I never once mentioned this to my mom. I knew the sacrifice she had made to get me the one thing I really, really wanted. There was no way I was going to hurt her feelings by telling her that it didn't fit. So I wore a too-small dance outfit the whole year. I felt beautiful, but more importantly, I took responsibility for my actions. Now on to my lesson. I love to buy kid clothes. It is just fun for me to dress my kids up cute. But I've noticed that they are becoming less and less appreciative of the nice things I buy them. "It's itchy," "I can't find anything that matches," "the sleeves aren't long enough," etc... I hear these comments and while it sometimes bugs me and sometimes hurts my feelings, in the end it really is my own fault. Just because I can afford to buy my kids nice things doesn't mean I need to go overboard. It is time for me to assess what is important in life, and material things aren't it! And I want my kids to know that as well.

**quite a lesson just from 2 dance outfits, huh?**

And that leads me to another lesson I've been learning (or re-learning) lately. Priorities. I have gotten into the whole coupon craze that has hit around the country. It is just so much fun! But it takes a ton of time and that is time that really should be spent elsewhere. And so I have decided to step back and just worry about the necessary groceries and play the coupon game when life is a tad bit less hectic. So sad! Just because it's a good deal doesn't mean I need it!