Shillig 4 Family

Jake took a trip to Washington DC and while there went kayaking with his friend, Kenny.  While there he found all these shark teeth he brought home and tonight he helped the kids make shark tooth necklaces.  We went to Hobby Lobby for supplies and Jake was impressed.  It's quite the store with all kinds of things you might want to do.  Malachi got the biggest one.  He gets to prep for his baptism in May and this tooth necklace will hopefully help him remember.   Daddy is very creative.

 The alarm goes off at 6am each day and we are up and running.  Daddy does scriptures during breakfast while I make lunches and do hair.  Zelda is always underfoot & loves to bark at the school bus.  I got a new camera for classes I start full time on Monday through BYU-Idaho online.  I am studying web design/development and while I'm nervous I find myself excited.  I love that our kids are able to rise and shine with a smile on their faces.  I wake them by singing, "good morning, good morning, good morning to you.  It's time to wake up" again and again.  Then when we wait for the bus they walk back and forth in a hope to keep the mosquito bites to a minimum.  I have no such luck, they bite me and leave huge whelps on my skin.  Malachi is in 2nd grade and I love that he got so excited to see me at school yesterday when I was volunteering.  He is such a sweet boy.   Solomon is in Kindergarten...

We are well into the summer of 2016 and staying busy each day with no big events, but lots of various activities. The kids are reading, taking gymnastics, playing barbies/legos, in the backyard, riding bikes, swimming when invited, and we even went to a water park nearby. Mom & Dad are trying to do all they can to teach the kids life outside of their beloved Kindles (tablets with games/movies on them). I have one more class left and I finish up a year long school program called, "Pathway."  This program was a path for those who wanted to finish or start a degree through BYU (Brigham Young University-Idaho).  I attended BYU (Provo) when I was fresh out of High School and I have always wanted to finish my degree and keep my existing credits from expiring.  I did the Pathway route to guarantee myself the cheapest tuition possible.  I am excited to say that this Thursday will be my last class and I will start BYU-Idaho full-time exclusively online in the Fall. ...

There are some days I find myself feeling as if I am doing it all wrong. I wonder if I am being the mother I want them to remember. I wonder if I am there for my husband in the ways I want to be. I wonder if I am giving myself enough attention so that I can be my best self. I find myself in a new stage of life. We are no longer charting a path like we did the first 10 years of marriage. We are in the thick of it. I am learning to live in this new here and now. I am happy with where I am. I am happy as a wife and mother. I start full time classes in the fall. I know that I have the abilities it takes to succeed, but I fear the field I have chosen. I hope that I have what it takes to succeed and contribute to our family. I find myself more on the verge of tears than ever as I live as a "single married mom." I know it could be worse. I know I am blessed. I know I have it easier than most in this world. I know that I am also happy. But...

2012 Orlando, FL 2016 Vidor, TX I find myself increasingly grateful, day by day, year by year that my babies have what I never had. A father. A father that will always be there for them and has always been there. A mother and a father that love each other and love them. What a gift! Happy Father's Day! From the USA all the way to China

We have moved from CA to TX. We are settled in our home we own here. We are on a half acre with a fenced in backyard that the kids love. The kids do NOT love the mosquitoes one bit. Uncle Brody built them a tree house and they stay in it long enough to eat popsicles and come inside. Jake is still traveling to and from Asia on a monthly basis. I am wrapping up my Pathway course work and will start full time at BYU-Idaho online in the fall. I have decided to study Web Design & I am scared. I know this degree will be good for us as a family and is useful, it's just new for me. I have worked hard to make this house a home.  I have stayed busy having lawn care, house cleanings, roofers, termite control, a driveway, trash picked up, utilities setup, and much more. I still have so much to do, but things are slowing coming together. The boys have a room they share and the girls have a room they share.  I love them to share. We have started staying up later...