Day Eight - Passions

Life has been a little busy lately. Sorry for dropping the ball on this "daily post" run. We're getting ready to move at the end of this month to a new place, and along with all of my other responsibilities, I feel guilty every time I sit down at my computer.  I've gotten to a point though where I just need a little down time.  So here's a little post about 5 of my passions.

1.  The gospel of Jesus Christ.  It's difficult for me to express in words how I feel about the Savior.  All I can really say is that the decisions in my life are all based upon striving to be like Him and returning to his presence.  The more in line I am with keeping my life in line with His teachings, the more joy I feel.  I am so grateful for all that the Savior has taught and sacrificed for my sake.

2. Families.  Not just my family, but all families.  I agree with Elder M. Russell Ballard's recent remarks at General Conference:

"And, of course, societies at large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause. Nearly everything else is effect. When couples marry and make commitments to each other, they greatly increase their chances of economic well-being. When children are born in wedlock and have both a mom and a dad, their opportunities and their likelihood of occupational success skyrocket. And when families work and play together, neighborhoods and communities flourish, economies improve, and less government and fewer costly safety nets are required.

So the bad news is that family breakdown is causing a host of societal and economic ills. But the good news is that, like any cause and effect, those ills can be reversed if what is causing them is changed. Inequities are resolved by living correct principles and values. Brothers and sisters, the most important cause of our lifetime is our families. If we will devote ourselves to this cause, we will improve every other aspect of our lives and will become, as a people and as a church, an example and a beacon for all peoples of the earth."

(You can read the full article here.)

I am passionate about strengthening families.

3.  Order.  So we're in the middle of a move.  Boxes are everywhere.  Many of my things don't have a "home" right now.  I am trying to decide what can be packed and what we're still using.  It is driving me NUTS!  I tell the love of my life every night before we go to bed, "I could never live like this all the time."  And every morning, I make all the beds because that is the one thing in my home that can still be organized! :)

4.  Learning.  I loved school.  I want to go back at some point, but I want to go back forever.   I don't really even care if I ever get a degree.  I would really like to just take all sorts of different classes (excluding math).  I'm one of those people that sometimes reads textbooks just for fun (not as frequently now that two people call me "mom").  I know I don't have to be in school to learn, and I do enjoy learning new things everyday.  I really enjoy a classroom setting though (maybe it has to do with my passion for order).

5.  Rules.  I guess this probably just translates to my need for order in non-materialistic means.  I ALWAYS read the directions.  I don't ever enter the "EXIT" door.  I like to know what is expected of me and of everyone else.  I have learned to not freak out when others break rules though.  I had a tough time with that when I was kid (sorry to my brothers).  And now I just feel like I sound crazy...I promise I am not a power-hungry-rule-enforcing type of person.  I like rules mostly for me.  They make me feel safe.

Easter

I am super glad Daddy didn't get called into work on Saturday while we were coloring Easter eggs.  J was so fun to watch color the eggs, but I'm pretty sure it would have been a disastrous event had there not been two adults to watch/help/control him.  Even with the both of us helping he managed to crack two of our eggs.  Oh well...that's why we hard boil them, right?

So why two of almost the exact same picture?  Because they make me laugh.  Little Miss is still going through that awkward smile stage.  At least we hope it's a stage.  If not, we're not even bothering with hiring a photographer for her wedding!  I kid.  I told her a week ago to pull her cheeks up when she smiles to avoid the wide mouth grimace she's been making.  Well, doing that made her eyes disappear so I suggested she tries to make her eyes wide too.  And we get the crazed look. Haha!  I keep waiting for her to snarl.

I didn't get too many good pictures of Easter morning.  Those kids were quick with finding eggs.

C thought it was hilarious that the bunny hid an egg in my plant.  Do you like how she is wearing pajama pants over her jammies?  It's not that cold.  She's really into layering her clothing these days.  She has to have at least one thing layered in each of her outfits.  She thinks it's really cool.

J got his first set of Hot wheels.  They were long overdue.  I wish I had gotten them months ago.  Now whenever he gets into something he shouldn't I just say, "Where are your cars?" and he abandons all mischief.  I'm really hoping they don't lose their magical powers!

 Here's a picture of C all ready for church.  I didn't get one of brother.  We get him dressed 2 seconds before we leave so that his clothes are clean for church.  Daddy was also at work that morning so between me scrambling to gather props for Primary singing time, printing off papers, cleaning up lunch and getting the kids out the door, taking pictures wasn't very high on my list.  We can't do everything, right?

C sang "Jesus Has Risen" in Sacrament meeting for Easter (along with the other Primary children), and she was beaming about it all day.  Oh how I hope I can keep that enthusiasm and confidence a part of her as she grows up. 

Hope you had a happy Easter as well!

Day Seven - Pet Peeves

I honestly don't know if I even have 10 pet peeves to share.  Here goes...

1.  When people are rude to someone who is trying to serve them.  For example, if someone gets annoyed with their waiter or mad at a customer service rep.  I just feel like most of the time the person they are getting upset with really has no say in the situation or truly feels bad if they did make a mistake.  I also always worry that perhaps the waiter or whoever is trying to help is having a really bad day.  What if something terrible happened at home and they are doing their best that day to just make it through work?
2.  When I ask someone what they are thinking about and they say "nothing."  That's not true.  If you don't want to share what's on your mind with me that if fine, but just tell me that.
3.  Road rage.  I don't understand it at all.  I think people that get upset on the road just look ridiculous.  Plus, it solves NOTHING.  Getting angry doesn't make you feel better, and it doesn't make the other person magically want to be helpful towards you.

4.  Constant negativity (like this post maybe?).  Sometimes things in life are a bummer, and we all need to vent, mourn, whatever.  It bugs me though when people find something to complain about  in the good things that happen to them as well.

5.  Belching.  It's ALWAYS gross and rude.  It never happens in our house.  The family knows all wrath will come upon them if they do.
6.  Getting splashed in the face.  I hated swimming with my brothers for this very reason.  I warned Adam about it when we were dating.  I don't know why, but if I get splashed in the face anger boils up inside of me.  Anger is not an emotion I frequently feel so it kind of frustrates me that I have difficulty controlling it over some water in my face.  If we ever swim together please, please, please don't splash any water in my direction!

alright, this is probably my lamest post yet.  I have thought all night (the kiddos woke me up a few times and somehow this is what I thought of as I drifted back to sleep) and these are the only pet peeves I can come up with.  All the readers should be happy though knowing that most likely you haven't annoyed me!  It takes a lot to get me bugged...

Day Six - Your Dream Job

Ta-Dah!  I'm doing it!

I think she was the smiliest baby ever!

Please get that flash out of my face!

Where has the last year gone?

My little cheeseballs!

For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to do was be a stay at home mom. In 10th grade my English teacher had everyone in the room take turns sharing what their dream job was. When she came to me, I replied, "I want to be a stay at home mom." She responded, "I don't think you understand. There are no limitations. If there was going to be nothing standing in your way and you could do whatever you wanted to do, what would it be?" Unfortunately for her, I don't think she understood. I told her that my answer was still the same, and she moved on to a girl who wanted to be a novelist.

Now that I'm here, I still don't think my answer would change. There are days when I get lonely for adult interaction, days I wonder what it would be like to use a vocabulary beyond "potty, boo-boo, and tummy," days I feel like I can't pretend to be Steve from Blue's Clues for one more second, days I lose my patience, days I sound like a broken record "Put your shoes on, put your shoes on, put your shoes on..."

But there are also days where C tells me, "Oooh, you look beautiful Mommy," days when J kisses me on the cheek just because, days when I hear them giggling in the other room, days when they remind me how blessed we are to live in this world Heavenly Father created for us, days when I can eat peanut butter and jelly for lunch, days when I feel the spirit tell me that I'm doing okay, days like today...when I look at their old pictures and realize it's going way too fast, and it hurts to breathe just thinking about the time when they won't be at home.

Nope, I don't think my old English teacher understood at all.

Here are some other jobs I think would be fun:

Professional Organizer

English and literature teacher (ironic, huh?)
Editor
Librarian
Gardener
Dietician
Pilates Instructor
Party Planner
Chorus Teacher

Letterboxing

I'm interrupting my topical "Post of the Day" series with a post about yesterday's family outing.  Daddy took some vacation days this week.  We were so excited to play with him outside.  March has been SO nice this year.  Temperatures have been up in the 80s some days, but of course the week Daddy is home with us they drop down to the 40s.  Really? Boo!!!!!  Wednesday was supposed to be in the 70s, but rainy.  So we planned on hanging out at home most of the week with a possible trip to the library for story time.  Wednesday came and the sky was blue as can be.  So, that afternoon we decided to go Letterboxing.  Has anyone heard of this?  My friend Krista told me about it, and it is awesome!  Here is a link with more information about it. Letterboxing All you need is a stamp, ink, notebook and pen.  We thought it would be fun to make a "family" stamp to use for this so Daddy and his special girl went to the store to buy an eraser and brainstormed ideas for a stamp.  C decided that a lion would be best.  After Daddy made the stamp we set out with our clues to find a letterbox.

We followed the trail up to the Nature Center and took a little break to look at a turtle and some other stuffed animals that are native to our area.

We then got back to the trail to find our "treasure."  C is a big Blue's Clues fan.  So she was so excited to carry around her own "notebook" and follow clues.

There were a lot of stairs on the trail.  Little man needed to hold Daddy's hand going down them since he still crawls/slides down the stairs at home.

One of the clues was to follow a certain path that was noted by a symbol.  We told C to keep an eye out for it.  She was so excited when we found our first one.

We finally made it to the hiding place!

The trail name of the people who left the Letterbox hidden here is The Pirates.  C was SO confused.  She still thinks that it was real pirates who left "the treasure" there in the woods.  They actually left a little bracelet in there for the first people who found the letterbox.

Here's a picture of the sweet stamp Daddy made.  I'm impressed even if you're not because I have not artistic ability for that kind of stuff.

And then we let C stamp our notebook with the stamp left in the letterbox.

We sat down and shared a little trail mix snack before we headed back to our car.  J man was pretty worn out from the hike in so he got to ride Dad's shoulders on the way back.  I think it's the happiest he was for the entire outing.

Have you been letterboxing?  If not, go do it!  It's so fun and we will definitely be doing it again.

Day Five - Happy

Name five things that make you happy right now.

1.  My kids.  How did I get so lucky?  C makes me happy because she is SO girly.  We have fun painting our toenails, and she watches me do my make up every morning.  I love watching her "mother" J.  And it cracks me up when she bosses Daddy around.



J makes me happy because he gives the best hugs - when he wants to.  His dimpled grins make me smile.  He is so curious and ever interested in how the world works around him.  He makes me smile when I see him get so excited every time we're around a baby.

2.  Shaving cream.  My legs are silky smooth without any razor burn.  Growing up my mom wouldn't buy shaving cream and made me use conditioner.  She said it worked just as well.  It may have worked just as well for her fine blond hair, but my dark Colombian hair didn't believe her. The eternal razor burn of my youth proved it.  Shaving cream also entertained my children for an hour tonight. Win-win!

3.  Pinterest.  Thanks to that site I finished up some bows for the little girl and found instructions on how to cut the little boy's hair.  My kids are better groomed now.

4.  Change.  It makes me happy that I can change myself, that I can change some of my circumstances, and that people around me are trying to change and do better.

5.  Bedtime.  Because as much as I love those kiddos of mine, I love tackling some of those projects waiting for me on Pinterest after they're in bed!

Day Four - 10 Things I Would Tell My 16-year-old Self

Oh jeez...I'm not really sure what to even write for this one.  First though I thought I'd share a funny picture.  One of my friends had an 80s party for her 16th birthday since we were born in the 80s.  Here I am all dressed up in an over sized sweater and leggings. Oh leggings...something I thought for sure would stay put in the 80s. So...
#1.  This hideous outfit you're wearing to the party is going to be in style again when you're a young mother (at least the leggings).  Oh, and you'll still think they look ridiculous and will therefore fail to remain in style.  Don't judge women who seem to get stuck dressing in a certain decade too harshly.  You will probably become one of them.

2.  You will eat macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches again. Becoming lactose intolerant is not the end of the world.  They make lactose free milk and cheese and in a few years they'll come out with lactose free yogurt and cottage cheese. Be patient.

3.  You are going to rely heavily on the examples of your mother and other righteous women when you are raising your children and serving in the church.  Watch them closely.

(One of my young women leaders who had a profound influence on me.  I am forever grateful for the MANY incredible women Heavenly Father surrounded me with as a youth.  I had such amazing role models that I never felt a need to look to the women in the world and media in my discovery of what it means to be a woman.)

4.  He's not worth all these tears.  Getting your heart broken is a good experience, but someone 10,000 times better for you is in Rexburg right now already working on his Bachelor's Degree.  Greener pastures up ahead!

5.  Heidi is worth it.  She's not just a high-school best friend.  She's a forever best friend.

6.  Have more fun with dating.  Keep your standards high, but stop freaking out about whether or not these guys want to marry you.  They're 16 and not even thinking about it.  Promise.

7.  Spend more time with your brothers.  You're going to miss them something terrible.

8.  Driving on the freeway isn't that bad.  Practice now so you're future husband won't make fun of you for driving like a grandma everytime you drive on the highway during your first year of marriage.

9.  Memorize your scripture mastery.

10.  Stop wasting so much time thinking up names for your future children.   Your future husband won't like any of them.

Day Three - Parents

Today I describe my relationship with my parents.

Let's start with my dad. 

 I am the only girl with four younger brothers so I always felt like I have a very different relationship with him than any of my brothers do.  He always made me feel like a princess.  Like I had something to offer that no other girl did.  He was always pushing me to be better.

  My dad is a great example to me of a hard worker and provider.  He taught me the importance of education and hard work and was a lot of the driving force in my studies growing up.  He set the standard for the kind of hard working man I wanted to marry.  I know he sacrificed so much to make it possible for my mom to stay home with us. 

I also have to say that my dad makes me feel safe.  I come from a very huggy family, but hugs from my dad are always different.  Whenever he hugs me, I feel protected and safe - as though he wouldn't let anything hurt or harm me.  Sometimes when life gets hard even now I just really want a hug from him.

I'm so grateful he's my dad.  We don't talk a lot - he's not really a phone talker, but I know he's there for me.

Now I already mentioned before that my mom is now my 2nd best friend (A boy named Adam took the lead about 6 years ago).

I talk to her everyday (except for in Spring because it's gardening season and she's too busy for her only daughter.  I'm just a little bitter.  Are you reading this mom? CALL ME).

I always wanted to be my mom when I grew up.  Then I did and realized how extremely difficult that task is going to be.  I've learned a lot about sacrifice by becoming a mom that has helped me appreciate my mom so much more.  I also feel like it's made us closer.  I know she can relate to what I'm going through and give me wise advice.

She's a great listener.

She is also SO selfless.  Everytime I turn around she is serving and helping someone else.  When I was in Georgia staying with my family during externships, I was able to see how she notices those in need and her approach in offering help.  I'm trying to learn as much as I can in this area because her selfless service is an attribute I want to obtain.

I feel really blessed to have my parents.  I am grateful that they took the time to teach me the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This, more than anything else they have taught me, is reason enough to rejoice in my relationship with my parents.  They have shared with me the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me.  They taught me what I need to do to have a relationship with him and the Savior.  It has provided me with a foundation to build my life on, and I pray I can do for my children, what my parents did for me.