Little Things...

Some Random Things I Enjoy...

Getting good parking spaces (and clean cars, but I will just take them one at a time...):

Watching Jaymeson follow in Jarett's steps.

 

 

Seeing how much a boy is a BOY!  Lightning McQueen is already a favorite!

I LOVE Waterfalls:

Kaia's obsession with Cowgirls!

My girls mothering instincts... a baby goes in a playpen!

Jaymeson getting into and playing with his car (he pulls himself over the door):

Watching Sea Lions with my kids:

Going in a Whales Mouth:

Making a single stroller INTO a double...

Kids parties in Puppet Bin:

WATCHING ring around the rosey:

Watching my little drunken sailor:

Hearing my little operator say "H'wo?"

Daddy dog piles:

Snuggle time with Daddy:

Having a Flames fan!!

How a ball can create an hour of entertainment:

My little Lion:

Little prodigy's:

Awesome Teachers:  Rod Olstad and Maren Burnham

We love Maren!  After Kaia got her guitar for her birthday she asked me if I knew where Taylor Swift lived.  "Umm.... no, honey."  "Oh, I was just thinking that I'd like her to teach me guitar."  "Oh, sorry.  But I DO know Maren...."  She's AWESOME and Kaia LOVED her guitar lessons!!

When kids get caught NOT going to bed...

"Boat Rides"

Sisters who make GORGEOUS cupcake trees for your daughters birthday "Thank you Alanna!"

Grandpa Shoulder snuggles:

Precious Moments:

That should about catch me up for Random Enjoyments so far this year!  Oh, I also thoroughly enjoy taking pictures.  Can you tell?

A New Loaf...

Yes, I know the expression is "Turning over a new leaf", but this seemed more applicable.

I have decided that I have my strengths and my weaknesses, but one of my BIGGEST weaknesses as a mother/wife is that I really don't do enough "home-making" type things.  Some distinct reasons I feel this way:
I haven't made rolls in years
I've NEVER made a loaf of bread without assistance from my Granny
I am good at making meals healthy, but...
I'm not very valiant at having dinner ready every night (or ever, really)
I don't ever sew - period.
Mending is generally sent out to Grandparents

One thing I feel that I am good at is keeping a clean house, although that has its better and worse days too.

Either way, I looked at the situation and decided that I am simply going to make a change!  So I have!

We had an enrichment on meal planning.... and I've applied it!  Wow does it make things a lot more simple.  Shopping becomes easier, money is saved, we have better food, and we're all happier because dinner is on time and not something like , peppers, lettuce, leftover rice and either ham or roast leftover from Sundays dinner...

I have also decided to really pick my Mom and my Granny's brains (as they are both amazing cooks AND their houses are always impeccably clean) and see what I can do to get these things going.  Their advice has been SO helpful.  Gran talked to me about chores to do daily, weekly and monthly.  She talked to me about the philosophy, "Just do it now!"  If you see something that needs to be done - seize the moment....just get it done!  Now is almost ALWAYS the best time.  It is SO much easier to maintain a clean house than to get it clean in the first place.  Mom has always said those thing to me too, but I suppose I may not have been listening as much as a teenager.  I also have been told multiple things to remember for getting a really clean look - fast!  Things like "If your floors are clean and your dishes are done, everything still looks pulled together." OR "If your bed is made, your room looks clean".  This really works!  No matter how much laundry you have piled on your bed to fold, it looks like a temporary thing because you have your bed made.  Also, making your bed gets you in the right mood for cleaning all day long.... you just get more things done when your bed is made.  I don't know why, but it's true!

This past summer, Gran also walked me through making bread at my moms house and I got a little bit of a feel for it.  She taught me how to utilize a Bosch to make this really work and how to knead and shape the dough into loaves.  My mom has an awesome Bosch Bowl that is bigger and better for bread dough, so (with some help - as they've been discontinued) we hunted one down and I bought it so I can make bread more easily, more frequently.  I made my first loaves by myself just yesterday (had to borrow a couple loaf pans) and they turned out fairly well.  I suppose it'll get easier and better with each attempt!

I also recently started making rolls again.  I started with white rolls and then I just got creative and made some whole wheat.  I was so excited at how easy it is and how yummy they are.  There's no going back, really.

My kids REALLY enjoy helping me shape the rolls!

Talking to my Sister-in-law, Manya, has given me MANY ideas on how to make a recipe more healthy (as she is a health nut) and I have used her banana muffin recipe multiple times.  I've also learned that you can throw things like Zucchini in almost anything and not taste any difference (except maybe better), but change the health level in it ASTRONOMICALLY!

Seeing my sister, Alanna, become a quilter has made me feel really behind in this field as well, but I learned this last summer, while staying with my Mother-in-law, how much fun quilting is.  She had made a quilt top for Jarett while on his mission and left the backing, tying and binding for his wife so she could pick the proper material.  We really had a lot of fun bonding while she taught me how to quilt.

Who would have thought that sewing could be fun?  Okay, I know a lot of you do.... but I sure didn't.  I really enjoyed it!  It made me even venture out and I sewed my own table cloth.  Extremely simple, but I still did it - and that is the first step!

I have also learned how easy mending something can be.  It has seemed so often like a tedious task, but if you just sit down and do it.... seriously, just a couple minutes!  My Mother-in-Law fixed a shirt for me that I was wanting to wear to church last time I was there and I was amazed at the ease in which it was done.  Surely I can do something that takes such a short amount of time...  and I DID!  I finally sat down last week and fixed the little hole in the cushions on my couch.  Those holes have been there for about 3 years and have been driving me crazy.  It took me maybe 5 minutes to finish both cushions.  Then I moved onto a couple holes in a shirt that I bought for Jaymeson and I've really enjoyed the sitting down time!

Gran also, while teaching Kaia, taught me how to knit over Christmas.  I have enjoyed doing a quick row when I have a minute and then putting it down for later.  I have almost a quarter of a square done for what's going to be a scarf.  I perhaps need to focus on that a little more....but at least I know how to!

Well, I still have a LONG way to go, but one day I'll be a cross-stitching, croqueting (watch out Aunty Beryl - you're my next teacher), knitting, sewing, baking, cleaning, healthy little Housewife.  I really would long to be there and I'm just taking it one step at a time... but I'm excited at the change that one year can bring!  Thank heaven for friends and family who can teach me patiently one step at a time...

Do you Believe?

Perhaps it is because she just turned seven...

 

and seven really does seem to have a lot of questions associated with it.  I think it has to do with getting close to the magical EIGHT where everything starts having consequences....

but I'm pretty sure that it all started when Kaia passed me this note in Sacrament Meeting about a month ago...

 

"Mom, is it the tooth fairy or you that takes my tooth and gives me money.  Love, Kaia"

Thinking that honesty is the best policy, I talked to Kaia about the tooth fairy and how it's just a way that parents get to celebrate their child losing a tooth.  Of course, within the week she lost another tooth:

 

She began making requests for bigger and better gifts from the 'tooth fairy' and soon the tooth fairy decided that when someone doesn't believe, she doesn't come.  Regardless of my decision, this question has lead to other questions with similar answers.

It's all been discussed and I actually have been surprised at how little it has distressed me.  Kaia's always been really old for her age and this just seemed kind of a natural step.  I always thought it would be sad when I had a child who no longer believed, but I think she really understands the feelings behind it all and why we do it.  Plus, I've always felt that if a child asks you something directly, they're old enough to know the truth.  I want my kids to feel like they can ask me any question and get an honest answer.

The only thing that I have had a hard time with is that this train of thought has continued beyond fictional characters.  Just the other day in her prayers she said,  

"Please help me to believe in you more."

This phrase nearly broke my heart.  I know that it is good that she's at least asking, but it still makes me sad that there's even a question in her mind.  I talked to her and explained that the only way to be sure is to search it out.  Read the scriptures, listen in church and try to figure out if the spirit is letting her know that it's true.  Wait for happy feelings and see what makes sense.  I don't know what else to do, but I'm praying for a confirmation to come to Kaia.

Has anybody dealt with anything like this?  Does anyone have any ideas of how to help her understand what is reality and what is fiction?  I sure would love some input!

Exciting News!!

We went to the Waterpark today and I totally had the cutest guy in the pool give me a kiss.  Check him out!!

 

(He actually leans over and says, "Mmmmm" until you kiss him.  

After you give him a kiss he says, "Tan Koo" (Thank you) and then does it again.)

of course, he was snuggling with some other girls too..... but who can blame him, those girls are pretty cute!

 

  

Of course, he has some serious competition....

We sure love the Waterpark!

Some of my thoughts...

I've been reflecting a lot on my life recently.  I feel so blessed in so many different ways. 
I come from an incredible family where I have felt loved and accepted and encouraged from day one.
I have incredible parents to whom I am indebted forever for their time, effort and love that they have given me.
I was born into a family where the gospel was taught and that has made my life what it is.
I have had good friends who have helped me through frustrating times (although many of my friends are in my family).
I married an incredible guy who treats me so well and is an incredible father. 

Most of all, however, I have been reflecting on the honour that it has been to be a mother.  I feel SO fortunate to have been given this responsibility/role in life.  It is all that I have ever wanted for as long as I can remember and I have these 4 beautiful children that I get to take care of and love every day.

I can't quite express the feeling that comes with motherhood.  The power behind the feelings is beyond expression.  From the second that you find out that you are going to have a baby, you have this intense drive to take care of, nourish and protect this sweet little being.  Feeling the baby grow inside you, kicking and stretching; taking your strength and energy creates such a bond between the two of you that you are in love before you even see your baby.  Watching them develop and grow until they are smiling, laughing, walking, talking, singing, dancing, reading etc. is the most captivating process.

Seeing them interact with the world they are growing up in is such an eye opening experience, too.  As your child grunts and throws a tantrum when they are upset, reads a book to calm themselves, yells when frustrated, prays for relief when anxious, and shows their love of music/books/food, you can see that they watch you and are learning to deal with life as you do.  As you see yourself coming out through these children, it is VERY motivating to either change or strengthen some aspects of your life.

When you are a mother, you LIVE for those moments where a child will come and sit on your lap and snuggle with you for just a moment before they run off and do some other crazy thing.  You thrive by watching them be kind and generous with each other.  You wait anxiously for their sweet hugs and kisses and time they want to spend with you.  Something I remember my Mom telling me was that is it always very sweet to have your husband come home and kiss you, but the best thing is when they come in and see them play with your kids.  What a special thing to have a Dad to jump on, wrestle, snuggle and dance with.  Once Kaia and Kienna were dancing in their princess dress-ups when Jarett came home and they asked him to be their "Prince".  Those are the moments that melt your heart.  When my children are playing together nicely, it is such a sweet experience!  Probably because it's so rare, but mostly because I get to see how they are learning to interact and share and care for each other.  When they are kind, it makes me feel like some of my work has paid off.

One of the most rewarding things in motherhood is seeing your child care for another child or a baby or even a little doll.  The tenderness they show when someone else is hurt is so heart warming.  Just the other day, Jaymeson was cold after having a milkshake and Kaia ran upstairs to get her new blanket to wrap around him.  She knew that would help him feel better.  Yesterday Saryn stepped on a toy and it really hurt her foot, Jaymeson toddled up and gave her a kiss and a hug.  These are moments to live for!

Some of my dearest moments involve sitting down and having my children around me listening to the scriptures.  Let me say, it is a gong show... but there are moments when I realize that these things are sinking in.  When Kaia regurgitates the Abinadi story or talks about Moses and tells me details that I had forgotten is SO rewarding.  When I ask the kids if they know what we're talking about and they answer, "chocolate" it's not quite as rewarding.  When we are reading bed-time stories (currently Little House on the Prairie) I gain some of the dearest memories that I will keep forever.  The questions they ask, the nodding off during the book, the snuggling, the running around craziness... these are all things that I treasure.

There is something powerful in motherhood.  The power of creation is amazing.  I had always been excited to be a mom, but I had never thought about it in the same light before Pres. Uchtdorf's talk last year.  It really hit me when he said, "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.....If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them."  What an incredible honour it has been to help His work along in such a way.

I'm not saying that it has been easy or that it has always been sweet and happy.  It's HARD work, mothering.  Possibly the hardest work that I have ever had to do is all connected to motherhood.  Not only the delivery of each of these babies, but the time and effort put into every single night-time feeding, diaper change, meal made, lesson taught, clothes fixed, bed made, cleaning session....  Not to mention the heartache you feel when they are sad and the emotional roller coaster you go on to keep up with every moment.  The emotional energy you have connected with each of your children seems to only grow with each child as they grow.  Their highs become your highs and their lows are your lows.  Your life is their lives and it is amazing how much you can feel in one second.  Some of the strongest feelings of joy are counteracted by the saddest feelings we have.  When we feel the most relief is always after we have been the most frustrated or stressed.  I have found that children have a way of bringing out every emotion possible (sometimes in a very short amount of time) and to a depth we would not have thought possible.

The thing I suppose I love the most about motherhood is your own personal growth.  Who would've known that someone could love someone else so much?  Who would have thought it possible that you could completely lose yourself by serving these little people?  I suppose that's what the Saviour means when he says that to lose your life is to find it.  It's our way of getting a taste of the love that our Heavenly Father has for us.  What an incredible honour it is to have this experience.  What would my life be?  Where would I be without motherhood?  I have reflected so much on this these last few days and luckily I just don't have the answer.