Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tagged!

Tagged by Tiana

Tag! How To Play This Game of Tag. Post these rules on you blog. Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Here it is...

Joys
1- My husband
2- My son (s)
3- Naps, for me and Luke

Fears
1- Call me a worry wart, but I am so afraid of Caleb getting in a wreck driving home from work after working nights. I wake up about the time his relief should be at work and I fall back to sleep when I hear him drive in the drive way....weird, I know.
2- This probably goes with #1, but loosing Caleb or Luke. Ok again, I am weird, but I hate it when both of them leave together. I mean I love that they are spending time together, but like father and sons outing stressed me out to no end!
3- Heights.....hate them. My dad says its because I am so short, whatever.


Goals (In no particular order)
1-Have no debt (except house)
2-Build my dream home
3- Raise my boys to be strong, righteous, honorable men

Obsessions/Collections
1- I love to buy Luke clothes. Shirts mostly, who said boys aren't fun to shop for?
2- Taking pictures of my family
3- My family, I love them and I really just can't get enough of them!

Random Facts
1- If Caleb is home at night, I have to be on the right side of the bed, if he falls asleep before I get in there, I will wake him up and tell him to move. Rude I know.
2-I can not sleep with my head covered, one night when luke was a baby I was sooooo tired and the sun was in my eyes, and I actually pulled the blanket over my face and Caleb woke up and ripped it off and shook me to ask if I was ok....lol.
3 - You are gonna get a kick out of this one.......But I sell Mary Kay products! I have only been doing it for a couple of months but I really do! So if anyone wants a free facial....I'm your gal, give me a call! lol


Ok now I am supposed to tag someone....but I don't know who to tag, so if you are reading this and you want to be tagged.....TAG!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Slowly but surely, the clock is still ticking!

Yeah! I am 34 weeks now! Some days it seems like I have been and will be pregnant forever, but then there are days that I look and see that it has gone by so fast, and that my sweet baby Luke isn't going to be the baby anymore! But I meet with my surgeon on Friday to schedule my c-section! I can't believe it! I am so excited to see our family change. I am sure it will be an adjustment for Luke but I'm sure he will love his little brother (or sister, my dr. still thinks its a girl...) and keep us all on our toes.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Piano Man......er...um...Boy

Luke loves my piano and he loves to sing. He will sit next to me on the piano bench when I sit down to play and he will just hum or sing little jibberish. Last night this is what I walked into..........



Sure it isn't 'great balls of fire' but hey, he has to start somewhere, and what better than to sing fox in socks! I hope he keeps his love of music because I love to hear him sing and someday I am sure he will be a master on the piano!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

A Daily Pick Me Up

Some days, this is an hourly need for me! I just loved Elder M. Russel Ballards talk from the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference. I was almost in tears that day as I listened to it. I had just had one of those mornings, it was awful! I know these men are inspired in their callings. I know there were probably thousands of other women who needed to hear this but I think it was for me!


Daughters of God

Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.

Elder M. Russell BallardBrothers and sisters, recently my wife, Barbara, had back surgery and could not lift, twist, or bend. Consequently, I have done more lifting, twisting, and bending than ever before—and it has made me more appreciative of what women, and especially you mothers, do every day in our homes.

While women live in homes under many different circumstances—married, single, widowed, or divorced, some with children and some without—all are beloved of God, and He has a plan for His righteous daughters to receive the highest blessings of eternity.

This afternoon I want to focus my remarks primarily on mothers, particularly on young mothers.

As a young father, I learned the demanding role of motherhood. I served as a counselor and then as bishop for a period of 10 years. During that time we were blessed with six of our seven children. Barbara was often worn-out by the time I got home Sunday evening. She tried to explain what it was like to sit on the back row in sacrament meeting with our young family. Then the day came that I was released. After sitting on the stand for 10 years, I was now sitting with my family on the back row.

The ward’s singing mothers’ chorus was providing the music, and I found myself sitting alone with our six children. I have never been so busy in my whole life. I had the hand puppets going on both hands, and that wasn’t working too well. The Cheerios got away from me, and that was embarrassing. The coloring books didn’t seem to entertain as well as they should.

As I struggled with the children through the meeting, I looked up at Barbara, and she was watching me and smiling. I learned for myself to more fully appreciate what all of you dear mothers do so well and so faithfully!

A generation later, as a grandfather, I have watched the sacrifices my daughters have made in rearing their children. And now, still another generation later, I am watching with awe the pressures on my granddaughters as they guide their children in this busy and demanding world.

After observing and empathizing with three generations of mothers and thinking of my own dear mother, I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.

I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes. This eternally important work falls to mothers and fathers as equal partners. I am grateful that today many fathers are more involved in the lives of their children. But I believe that the instincts and the intense nurturing involvement of mothers with their children will always be a major key to their well-being. In the words of the proclamation on the family, “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

We need to remember that the full commitment of motherhood and of putting children first can be difficult. Through my own four-generation experience in our family, and through discussions with mothers of young children throughout the Church, I know something of a mother’s emotions that accompany her commitment to be at home with young children. There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made. Sometimes even husbands seem to have no idea of the demands upon their wives.

As a Church, we have enormous respect and gratitude to you mothers of young children. We want you to be happy and successful in your families and to have the validation and support you need and deserve. So today, let me ask and briefly answer four questions. While my answers may seem extremely simple, if the simple things are being tended to, a mother’s life can be most rewarding.

The first question: What can you do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?

First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

Second, don’t overschedule yourselves or your children. We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows. One mother told me of a time that her children had 29 scheduled commitments every week: music lessons, Scouts, dance, Little League, day camps, soccer, art, and so forth. She felt like a taxi driver. Finally, she called a family meeting and announced, “Something has to go; we have no time to ourselves and no time for each other.” Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together.

Third, even as you try to cut out the extra commitments, sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children. Avoid any kind of substance abuse, mistakenly thinking that it will help you accomplish more. And don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how to do it.

Fourth, pray, study, and teach the gospel. Pray deeply about your children and about your role as a mother. Parents can offer a unique and wonderful kind of prayer because they are praying to the Eternal Parent of us all. There is great power in a prayer that essentially says, “We are steward-parents over Thy children, Father; please help us to raise them as Thou wouldst want them raised.”

The second question: What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children?

First, show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does every day. Notice things and say thank you—often. Schedule some evenings together, just the two of you.

Second, have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child’s needs and what you can do to help.

Third, give your wife a “day away” now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does. You may do a lot of lifting, twisting, and bending!

Fourth, come home from work and take an active role with your family. Don’t put work, friends, or sports ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children.

The third question: What can children, even young children, do? Now, you children, please listen to me because there are some simple things you can do to help your mother.

You can pick up your toys when you are finished playing with them, and when you get a little older, you can make your bed, help with the dishes, and do other chores—without being asked.

You can say thank you more often when you finish a nice meal, when a story is read to you at bedtime, or when clean clothes are put in your drawers.

Most of all, you can put your arms around your mother often and tell her you love her.

The last question: What can the Church do?

There are many things the Church offers to mothers and families, but for my purpose today may I suggest that the bishopric and the ward council members be especially watchful and considerate of the time and resource demands on young mothers and their families. Know them and be wise in what you ask them to do at this time in their lives. Alma’s counsel to his son Helaman applies to us today: “Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

I hope all of you dear sisters, married or single, never wonder if you have worth in the sight of the Lord and to the leaders of the Church. We love you. We respect you and appreciate your influence in preserving the family and assisting with the growth and the spiritual vitality of the Church. Let us remember that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). The scriptures and the teachings of the prophets and apostles help all family members to prepare together now to be together through all eternity. I pray that God will continually bless the women of the Church to find joy and happiness in their sacred roles as daughters of God.

Now, in closing, I want to add my witness of President Monson’s prophetic call. I have known him since he was 22 and I was 21. That’s 58 years. I have watched the hand of the Lord prepare him for this day to preside over the Church as the prophet and President. And I add my testimony, along with all of the other testimonies that have been borne through this conference, of his special calling as President of the Church, and add my testimony, along with all of the others, that Jesus is the Christ and this is His Church. We are doing His work, to which I testify in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Monday, April 7, 2008

He Got The Buzz


This was far from being Lukes first hair cut, but I wanted to cry the whole time I was buzzing him. I think he was born with more hair than this! I think he looks like a cancer patient! Oh well! Little Stinker!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

I Better Watch What I Say!


My sweet Luke! I got him out of the bath today and told him as I was combing his hair that we needed to call Lindy, (my neighbor who does an awesome job cutting our hair) to get his hair cut. Well not 10 minutes later Luke came into me and started jabbering at me and before I could break it down and translate what was being said, I turned to look at him and instantly knew what had happened. He had gotten the scissors off of the quilt I was making and cut his hair! I didn't know what to do, I wanted to laugh so I sent him in to see Caleb and tell him what happened,
and then I hear Caleb break out laughing!
So much for support! It was pretty funny. I guess my little boy is
getting his first buzz! I was just saying last night,
that the things that make me want to beat him, are the things
that make me love him so much!
I guess you just have to be a Mom!
Here are before and after pictures.

A Day With No Wind!

I can't believe it! Caleb had a day off and the wind was not blowing 100 mph! So we took full advantage of it and headed to the park. Luke loves it when daddy goes with us because I just can't chase him and do all the things Caleb can do with him. But these were some cute pictures of them playing.