Time slipped away from me last night, so I'm afraid this will have to be short and sweet.
This week was spring break, and I am luckier than most because my husband gets to have all the school holidays off. We were all home together and it was wonderful. We started off with two sick girls, but they got better quickly and we were able to do fun things such as playing at McDonald's going to the library together, organizing an Easter egg hunt with our park group, and just being together.
Hannah went to the dentist for the first time as well and did a fantastic job. She was very brave (although she did trip and get a rug burn, it was the only time it looked like she would cry, and she's been obsessed with her rug burn ever since.) The dentist was so sweet with her and said her teeth look well cared for and healthy so that was good news.
I just bought a year long pass to the new Discovery Children's Museum and it was so amazing. I can't wait to go back several times a month, if not weekly. Hannah and Paige especially loved the art section, and the grocery section.
Saturday was a blast, we did a treasure hunt for our Easter baskets, I sent the kids all over the house looking for clues (my mom did that for some family night lessons) until they found their baskets in the back yard which was covered in eggs to "hunt." Everything was extremely simple but my kids loved it so that was all that mattered. We also went to our old ward Easter party. It was nice to be among our friends, although it won't ever be the same. I miss our old ward, but I'm starting to really enjoy the new one as well. We looked at some spectacular model homes and talked about moving...which probably won't happen for two to three years but it's always fun to look to the future.
Sunday made for a very special Easter. Adam's brother has been struggling for some time with his testimony. He says he wants to believe the church is the true church on earth but he claims that all facts point otherwise. His wife asked us to fast for him as a family, as he has decided he no longer wants to be a part of the church. I've never prayed so hard in my life. It's been a trying and difficult time for us to watch them struggle like this. It has been extremely painful for us, and I can't imagine what they are going through, especially my dear dear sister in law. Anyway, fasting combined with such a huge focus on the Savior, his Atonement, and resurrection made for an extremely tender Easter.
A friend of mine posted a blog article defending marriage between a man and woman and I wanted to share it. I think she echos my feelings perfectly and did so in such an eloquent way I had to share.
Pictures of the month will be posted later when I have them all available.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
A Week in the Life {3/18-3/24}
What a busy week home from Utah!
Monday we drove home from Utah and it was not as smooth as our drive there. In part, I think I can blame the fact that we were on the wrong side of vacation. Paige was a big grump (she probably missed her Grandma) and cried whenever she was awake. I listened to two CDs that my mom let me borrow. One was an encouraging message to mothers by John Bytheway (I had to laugh because my mom's been giving me John Bytheway talks since I was 11 and it felt very full circle) and the other was Raising your Children unto the Lord by Gene R. Cook which was fabulous. They both were.
We got home and had to grocery shop, clean a little, and of course hug daddy to death. It was good to be home.
Tuesday Hannah was excited to go to preschool, then we went to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather. I also had book club (we read These is My Words) at my house.
Wednesday was another day at the park, even though the weather was a tad gloomy. I took off a night at boot camp because I wanted at least ONE night home with Adam. I've been way too busy.
Thursday was preschool again and I met for lunch with my old professor Elyshia to discuss a couple of projects we are working on and to catch up. That night we had a great Relief Society birthday dinner. I also went to a maxi skirt party and bought a couple of skirts.
Friday Les Mis came out on Blu Ray so I had some friends over to watch. We went to the library together and got some new books. Hannah and Paige have now read over 100 books toward the 1,000 books before kindergarten program. We are a little behind (by about 50 books) if we are going to read 100 before Hannah starts. I think we'll get caught up during Spring Break next week.
Saturday Adam took the girls to a park for a little while but it was very cold and they came home a lot sooner than they had planned. Adam and I went bowling while the Perry's watched the girls. Then we watched Landon while the Perry's went out to dinner so it was a fun swap. Landon is a doll and Paige kept kissing him. He tackled her several times all in good fun and she laughed and laughed. We all watched Wreck it Ralph together (Hannah was concerned every time he did something that wasn't safe...which was a lot).
Today I am teaching the Relief Society lesson on Dallin H Oaks talk "Protect the Children." It's an intense talk with lots of intense themes such as abuse, abortion, and divorce. I pray the spirit will be with me and that I can do justice to the words Elder Oaks gave last October. He offended a lot of people in that talk, and I'm afraid that I will too, especially where as he is an apostle and I'm not. I hope I can deliver it in the same spirit of love that Elder Oaks did. We watched the video "17 Miracles" today and it was fantastic. Of course it made me cry. It was about the Willie handcart company.
Adam got some great news but I can't yet talk about it. It's pretty exciting though. (Probably only for us, so don't get too curious, it's just really cool for him).
Anyway, it was a great week, very busy, and I'm glad it is now spring break and we can enjoy each other as a family.
Monday we drove home from Utah and it was not as smooth as our drive there. In part, I think I can blame the fact that we were on the wrong side of vacation. Paige was a big grump (she probably missed her Grandma) and cried whenever she was awake. I listened to two CDs that my mom let me borrow. One was an encouraging message to mothers by John Bytheway (I had to laugh because my mom's been giving me John Bytheway talks since I was 11 and it felt very full circle) and the other was Raising your Children unto the Lord by Gene R. Cook which was fabulous. They both were.
We got home and had to grocery shop, clean a little, and of course hug daddy to death. It was good to be home.
Tuesday Hannah was excited to go to preschool, then we went to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather. I also had book club (we read These is My Words) at my house.
Wednesday was another day at the park, even though the weather was a tad gloomy. I took off a night at boot camp because I wanted at least ONE night home with Adam. I've been way too busy.
Thursday was preschool again and I met for lunch with my old professor Elyshia to discuss a couple of projects we are working on and to catch up. That night we had a great Relief Society birthday dinner. I also went to a maxi skirt party and bought a couple of skirts.
Friday Les Mis came out on Blu Ray so I had some friends over to watch. We went to the library together and got some new books. Hannah and Paige have now read over 100 books toward the 1,000 books before kindergarten program. We are a little behind (by about 50 books) if we are going to read 100 before Hannah starts. I think we'll get caught up during Spring Break next week.
Saturday Adam took the girls to a park for a little while but it was very cold and they came home a lot sooner than they had planned. Adam and I went bowling while the Perry's watched the girls. Then we watched Landon while the Perry's went out to dinner so it was a fun swap. Landon is a doll and Paige kept kissing him. He tackled her several times all in good fun and she laughed and laughed. We all watched Wreck it Ralph together (Hannah was concerned every time he did something that wasn't safe...which was a lot).
Today I am teaching the Relief Society lesson on Dallin H Oaks talk "Protect the Children." It's an intense talk with lots of intense themes such as abuse, abortion, and divorce. I pray the spirit will be with me and that I can do justice to the words Elder Oaks gave last October. He offended a lot of people in that talk, and I'm afraid that I will too, especially where as he is an apostle and I'm not. I hope I can deliver it in the same spirit of love that Elder Oaks did. We watched the video "17 Miracles" today and it was fantastic. Of course it made me cry. It was about the Willie handcart company.
Adam got some great news but I can't yet talk about it. It's pretty exciting though. (Probably only for us, so don't get too curious, it's just really cool for him).
Anyway, it was a great week, very busy, and I'm glad it is now spring break and we can enjoy each other as a family.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Personal Progress
A long time ago when I was still young (hee hee) I participated in the Young Women program Personal Progress. I completed all the activities and "graduated" from the program. I even participated in it before they changed it (I think they've changed it a few times now) from the big giant book with lots of projects that had to do with sewing and cooking and creating things for our "future homes." Now it is a smaller book, with a lot more focus on the spiritual aspect, along with some projects.
I decided to once again, complete the Personal Progress program. I've been seeking the spirit in my life more and more now as a mom trying to raise kids in this difficult world. I'm grateful for this program and I'm hoping that I can increase my knowledge, testimony, and the spirit in our home. I've heard it said many times in the last six months that the home is now a missionary training center. I want to train my girls to be good missionaries. I want our home to be a place where we can foster testimonies and the spirit can be felt. I want to be better at doing those things. My greatest desire is that each of my children will stay faithful to the gospel of Christ and we believe the principles of the fullness of his gospel is found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If they are not faithful, I want them at least to know that their parents have a testimony in the gospel, and that there are no questions about that.
So here I am, doing personal progress. I'll periodically record things in this blog, since it is my journal.
I decided to once again, complete the Personal Progress program. I've been seeking the spirit in my life more and more now as a mom trying to raise kids in this difficult world. I'm grateful for this program and I'm hoping that I can increase my knowledge, testimony, and the spirit in our home. I've heard it said many times in the last six months that the home is now a missionary training center. I want to train my girls to be good missionaries. I want our home to be a place where we can foster testimonies and the spirit can be felt. I want to be better at doing those things. My greatest desire is that each of my children will stay faithful to the gospel of Christ and we believe the principles of the fullness of his gospel is found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If they are not faithful, I want them at least to know that their parents have a testimony in the gospel, and that there are no questions about that.
So here I am, doing personal progress. I'll periodically record things in this blog, since it is my journal.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
A Week in the Life {3/11-3/17}
We spent this week in Utah visiting Grandma and Grandpa and boy, was it an awesome week!
First of all, I need to say there are few grandchildren that are as drenched in love as my children. My mom is the best grandma and mom of all time. Each day she loved and cared for my children, giving me a little rest from the day in and day out hectic pace of having two young children. Not only that, but she has a full plate herself with all of the demands in the singles ward, plus being a mom and a wife with a part time job. She is constantly on the go. My children adore her, trust her, love her. Paige even started calling her Mommy after less than 24 hours after our arrival.
Not only is my mom fantastic, my dad is as well. With all of HIS demands as a full time employee, Bishop, and father, he spent every free minute playing with my daughters. He even took off a day of work to spend at the zoo, and ditched out a few hours early to babysit them while we had a girls night out. The girls adore him and think that he is the best and funniest grandpa ever. Today during the sacrament, Paige wanted to get his attention and shouted "Gampa, Gampa!"
Megan and Sean also adore the girls, and Sean and Linds came down for the weekend just to see us. Megan told Hannah that she would miss her and Hannah said "That's okay, maybe your mom and dad can take them to the park." I'm so grateful for Lindsey and I'm happy to have a sister in law who married into the family who loves my children and takes such good care of them.
On Monday I set out on my own for Utah. I was a little nervous, but thanks to lots of prayers and perfect children (No joke, they didn't cry, complain, fuss, or whine once during the entire 7.5 hour drive and we only stopped once for food). We had a little family night, played a ton with Grandma, Grandpa, and Meggie, then went to bed.
Tuesday was Tree house Museum day! It was awesome! The girls loved it, and Hannah especially loved the Doctor section and the Princess Castle. Hannah says she wants to be a nurse now. Hannah even got to participate in a play as a black bird. It was the sweetest thing!
Wednesday we went to the park and played soccer with a little guy named Lucas. The weather was beautiful and the girls were happy to play outside. My mom took me shopping and I got some skinny jeans and a couple of shirts. My dad watched the girls and Megan, my mom and I went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Hale Center Theater. My uncle David was in it, and it was really fun to see him preform again.
Thursday was a little slower paced with was great for me. My mom had to shop at Walmart (she took Hannah with her) and Costco (we all went together) then we kind of hung around. Grandma and the girls dyed Easter Eggs and then we went to the park to roll them. It was so funny, because we got to the park and the girls just wanted to play, and then a boy named Jude asked if he could have one of our eggs and Hannah, Jude, another little girl, and Paige went to roll the eggs. Pretty soon, the whole park was coming to roll the eggs with us. It was so funny! We were pretty popular. Thursday night Mom and I went to a relief society activity with Kristen Olsen as a guest speaker. It was amazing and it made me inspired to develop and recognize my talents and gifts.
Friday I finally met Megan's boyfriend Caleb. I really really like him, what a great guy. We had pizza at the park with him and the Crouch family. They are some of my favorite people.
Saturday Megan and Caleb took Hannah and Paige to Kangaroo Zoo (Kangaroo Pump it Up). My car was having troubles and we had to jump start it. As it turns out, the battery is pretty old and so I had to get a new battery from Walmart. We headed to Salt Lake with Sean and Lindsey who came down to see us for the weekend and shopped at City Creek. We also went to Hires Big H. A family favorite. Hannah has been really funny about "potty language" because she knows that Grandma doesn't like it. When grandma wasn't around I was joking around and playing with her and one of my dolls was calling her doll Mr. Poopy pants. Hannah was laughing hysterically, then my mom walked into the room and Hannah got all red and ashamed. I leaned in to whisper it in her ear and she quickly shut me up by putting her hands over my mouth and imploring me to stop. I got a text from my mom later saying that Hannah ratted me out. It was pretty funny to tease her.
Sunday we all went to church together, then to Linger Longer. Mom put together and AMAZING spread for the young single adults (honey glazed ham, corned beef and cabbage, salad, Irish cheese, potatoes...etc). It was really great! We hung out a little with Sean and Lindsey before they had to leave, and now I am typing and the girls are getting ready for bed.
My sad news of the week was that I got a call on Monday saying that I was going to be an aunt. My dear sister in law Allie got a call from her doctors office informing her that she was pregnant, expecting November 15th. On Friday, she called again, saying that she got ANOTHER call from the doctor office saying that they were sorry but they'd read the results of her blood test wrong and she was NOT pregnant. Allie was devastated, but very kind to the nurse who made the mistake. She is a great example to me and I'm grateful for her. I know she will be a wonderful mom when she does have a baby.
Well, I'm sad to go but I'm excited to see my husband tomorrow. That man is sure a wonderful guy to let us go off. I got a text from Stacey saying that my husband was super sweet. She informed me he wrote a blog while I was away and it made me cry. I'm glad he loves his family, we sure love him too and we miss him.
First of all, I need to say there are few grandchildren that are as drenched in love as my children. My mom is the best grandma and mom of all time. Each day she loved and cared for my children, giving me a little rest from the day in and day out hectic pace of having two young children. Not only that, but she has a full plate herself with all of the demands in the singles ward, plus being a mom and a wife with a part time job. She is constantly on the go. My children adore her, trust her, love her. Paige even started calling her Mommy after less than 24 hours after our arrival.
Not only is my mom fantastic, my dad is as well. With all of HIS demands as a full time employee, Bishop, and father, he spent every free minute playing with my daughters. He even took off a day of work to spend at the zoo, and ditched out a few hours early to babysit them while we had a girls night out. The girls adore him and think that he is the best and funniest grandpa ever. Today during the sacrament, Paige wanted to get his attention and shouted "Gampa, Gampa!"
Megan and Sean also adore the girls, and Sean and Linds came down for the weekend just to see us. Megan told Hannah that she would miss her and Hannah said "That's okay, maybe your mom and dad can take them to the park." I'm so grateful for Lindsey and I'm happy to have a sister in law who married into the family who loves my children and takes such good care of them.
On Monday I set out on my own for Utah. I was a little nervous, but thanks to lots of prayers and perfect children (No joke, they didn't cry, complain, fuss, or whine once during the entire 7.5 hour drive and we only stopped once for food). We had a little family night, played a ton with Grandma, Grandpa, and Meggie, then went to bed.
Tuesday was Tree house Museum day! It was awesome! The girls loved it, and Hannah especially loved the Doctor section and the Princess Castle. Hannah says she wants to be a nurse now. Hannah even got to participate in a play as a black bird. It was the sweetest thing!
Wednesday we went to the park and played soccer with a little guy named Lucas. The weather was beautiful and the girls were happy to play outside. My mom took me shopping and I got some skinny jeans and a couple of shirts. My dad watched the girls and Megan, my mom and I went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Hale Center Theater. My uncle David was in it, and it was really fun to see him preform again.
Thursday was a little slower paced with was great for me. My mom had to shop at Walmart (she took Hannah with her) and Costco (we all went together) then we kind of hung around. Grandma and the girls dyed Easter Eggs and then we went to the park to roll them. It was so funny, because we got to the park and the girls just wanted to play, and then a boy named Jude asked if he could have one of our eggs and Hannah, Jude, another little girl, and Paige went to roll the eggs. Pretty soon, the whole park was coming to roll the eggs with us. It was so funny! We were pretty popular. Thursday night Mom and I went to a relief society activity with Kristen Olsen as a guest speaker. It was amazing and it made me inspired to develop and recognize my talents and gifts.
Friday I finally met Megan's boyfriend Caleb. I really really like him, what a great guy. We had pizza at the park with him and the Crouch family. They are some of my favorite people.
Saturday Megan and Caleb took Hannah and Paige to Kangaroo Zoo (Kangaroo Pump it Up). My car was having troubles and we had to jump start it. As it turns out, the battery is pretty old and so I had to get a new battery from Walmart. We headed to Salt Lake with Sean and Lindsey who came down to see us for the weekend and shopped at City Creek. We also went to Hires Big H. A family favorite. Hannah has been really funny about "potty language" because she knows that Grandma doesn't like it. When grandma wasn't around I was joking around and playing with her and one of my dolls was calling her doll Mr. Poopy pants. Hannah was laughing hysterically, then my mom walked into the room and Hannah got all red and ashamed. I leaned in to whisper it in her ear and she quickly shut me up by putting her hands over my mouth and imploring me to stop. I got a text from my mom later saying that Hannah ratted me out. It was pretty funny to tease her.
Sunday we all went to church together, then to Linger Longer. Mom put together and AMAZING spread for the young single adults (honey glazed ham, corned beef and cabbage, salad, Irish cheese, potatoes...etc). It was really great! We hung out a little with Sean and Lindsey before they had to leave, and now I am typing and the girls are getting ready for bed.
My sad news of the week was that I got a call on Monday saying that I was going to be an aunt. My dear sister in law Allie got a call from her doctors office informing her that she was pregnant, expecting November 15th. On Friday, she called again, saying that she got ANOTHER call from the doctor office saying that they were sorry but they'd read the results of her blood test wrong and she was NOT pregnant. Allie was devastated, but very kind to the nurse who made the mistake. She is a great example to me and I'm grateful for her. I know she will be a wonderful mom when she does have a baby.
Well, I'm sad to go but I'm excited to see my husband tomorrow. That man is sure a wonderful guy to let us go off. I got a text from Stacey saying that my husband was super sweet. She informed me he wrote a blog while I was away and it made me cry. I'm glad he loves his family, we sure love him too and we miss him.
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