It's Wii Time!

Ben surprised everyone yesterday by finding a Wii. He told me to plan a FHE that had to do with kindness/sharing
(This FHE came from Deseret). So we had FHE and really emphasized sharing with your brother...hopefully it will work:) Then Ben brought out the wii and they were just so excited, it was like Christmas all over again! They played for a bit and then we ate some banana pudding...YUM-O!
Caden is boxing right here...I think he was enjoying that way to much!
Can you guess what he is doing now??? Baseball
Noah is boxing as well...


This is the Banana Pudding. It is my favorite...I hope you will enjoy it as well! (If anyone has any tips on lighting for when I take food pictures...I would love some tips because I am completely clueless!) Thanks!

Banana Pudding

1 box Vanilla wafers
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 c. milk
1 (8 oz.) tub cool whip
6 bananas

Line a large bowl with wafers, also up the side. Take a handful and crush for the top. MIx all ingredients listed above, except for the wafers and bananas.
Layer: pudding, banana slices, wafers. End with crushed wafers.

Celebrating Earth Day

Today we celebrated Earth Day (a day late) during FHE. Ben taught the lesson and shared the story of the Creation. Part 2 will be tomorrow night where we will take the boys to the park and will pick up trash and take a little nature walk and show them all the things we need to be grateful for.For dessert we had an Earth Day cake. So good...cream cheese frosting, raspberry filling, YUM-O!
Ben had each of us draw pictures of what we are thankful for, this one happens to be Ben's picture...what an artist!
This is Caden's picture. Ben was teaching him how to draw...not bad for a little 5 year old!
Yes, this is Noah's picture. I'm not quite sure the angle he was going for. Ben seems to think it is California during the summertime...lots of fires.
This one is mine...I know, it is truly amazing. It is for sale to the highest bidder.

Ben and I watched Oprah last year on Earth Day and we had an epiphany about how we need to change and make several simple changes to our lifestyle. Here are some of the things we have done this last year:

* Decreased our garbage by about 50% and increased our recycling amount by 50%
* Switched out 95% of our incandescent lightbulbs and replaced them with compact florescent lightbulbs.
* Switched electric companies from Reliant to Green Mountain (we now purchase 100% of our energy from renewable sources).
* We quit bagging our lawn clippings.
* Ben installed a low flow shower head (he put it in our bathroom, but it felt like pin needles gouging my back, so it is in the guest bathroom and Ben showers there every day! Sorry to all our guests, we will change it when you come!)
* Purchased a programmable thermostat.
* Started using all organic/natural cleaning products (let me tell you how much it has helped with my allergies and hives...major difference!)
* Use environmentally friendly laundry detergent (Winfree from Costco).
* Use organic fertilizer in the yard.
* Requested the blocking of large percentage of our junk mail.
* Got a smart power strip for the computer.
* More conscientious about unplugging electronics not in use.

We continue to look for more opportunities to be good stewards of what Heavenly Father has given us. However, I put my foot down on starting our own compost. No thank you!

I'd be interested to know what things your family does to be green. Please leave a comment with your ideas. Thanks.