A Month of Moments

So, last year I did Thankful Thursdays where I told of things I was thankful for. It really helped me get into the spirit of Thanksgiving and made it much more meaningful. This year I wanted to do something again. So, I am going to do a memory a day that makes me laugh, cry or just remember the good things that I have been a part of.

Day one of course has to be about Spencer. Because, lets face it, he has given us some funny moments. This is when he was about a year old. It seemed everytime I turned around he would make his way to the bathroom at work and start pulling off toliet paper or scrubbing the toilet.
Notice he is wearing different clothes so these are two seperate occassions. It was not so fun dealing with his fascination at the time but now I look back and do enjoy.

A Tribute

My life is a tribute to families. I am a living testiment that families are what make us. This week I have reflected so much on what makes me so thankful for my family and why I have such a great family. Last weekend I went on a Girls Weekend with my mom and three sisters. We had such a blast and get along so well. Thanks girls! But, that would not have been possible without the guys taking care of the children. Thanks guys!
But this guy is the reason we all turned out so well. This is my brother Matt. He left this world 21 years ago this week. It is hard to believe it has been that long because I remember that day. We all do. And we all remember different things about Matt. We all grieve his death in different ways too. But, through it all, we all know that because of his death we pulled together as a family.

We know that families can be together forever.

We knew that we had to work to make our family great. So, we looked out for each other a little more. We did things for each other because we knew it was the little moments that make the difference. We were kinder to one another. All of the love and support I had growing up and continue to have are so generously given because that is what Matt taught us.
But my family is more than just watching out for each other. New traditions have started. This picture shows one of my favorites. Every year the Saturday after Thanksgiving we get together and decorate the tree by Matt's grave. When we started 21 years ago my Dad was taller than the tree. But, as you can see from this picture in 2008, the tree has grown. We all have grown. As has our family. 3 brother in laws, 1 sister in law, 5 boys, 2 girls and a girl on the way (Congartulations Tim and Shannon). How thankful I am that I have a family. That they love me.
More importantly, that I get to love them.

My Kids Are My Life

I never thought I would be such a cliche mom. Okay, maybe I did a little but my children are my life. I would stay in bed all day if I didn't have them depending on me. They are the biggest reasons why I laugh, cry, get frustrated and thank my Heavenly Father for my blessings.
Spencer is starting to be independent on just about everything, except bedtime. He loves to help dad work on the new house. He also loves to say "I won't do it ANY more." He loves to eat yogurt lately. I can't keep it in stock at our house it seems. He always wants his "friends" (his cousins, Mason or Merica) to come over or to go to their homes to play. He also has this thing for knowing what day it is and knowing where everyone is or what they are doing on that day. Some of the fun things he has said lately include:
"Mom, you can just drop me and Kafferine off at Grandma's. Okay?" He likes to say her name that way and half the time I find myself quoting him.

"My shoes are getting too big because I am growing up." He really meant small.

"I don't need a bath. Daddy took a shower this morning."

Two mornings ago Spencer woke up before Mark or I. He went straight out to the new house looking for us. I woke up to the sound of him crying on the back patio. We brought him in our room. He said "You are supposed to be in the shed house mom and dad. I went there to find you and you weren't there." I asked him "Did you look in my room first?" "No cuz you are always in the shed when I go to sleep so you should still be there." I think Mark and I are working too much.

Another funny story about Spencer. I went and picked the kids up from Grandma's. Spencer was telling me that he watched movies about Mater. I asked Mater the truck? He said "Mom, Mater isn't a truck he is a car." I said but he tows other cars so he is a tow truck. Spencer "No. Mom. Mater is a car. He is a tow car. Actually he is a tow Mater." I just about drove off the road laughing so hard.

Spencer has been so good with Katherine lately. He even asks if she can play with him in his room. He likes to help push her in her swing on the swingset. Whenever they are in the house and she starts crying he runs to come and tell me "Mom, Kafferine needs you."

Katherine seems to have blossomed from baby to toddler. This picture was on her birthday in her cute jean skirt. We finally got her to take a bottle just on Saturday. I decided 13 months was old enough to quit treating her like a baby and just make her figure out a bottle. She loves it because she doesn't have to wait for 20 minutes to eat all the milk she wants. She downs an 8 oz bottle in about 4 minutes or less. Mark is loving being able to hold her while she drinks her milk. He even admitted to missing helping feed the baby. "She is all yours babe. I did full time feeding for 13 months. You turn."

Another reason she seems so big to me: she is wearing the same size diaper that Spencer was wearing one year ago when he potty trained. I can't believe it. Either he is a squirt or she is a chunk. I tried having her sit on the potty and she just screamed. She will not be easy to potty train like Spencer was. Katherine's vocabulary is growing too. She can say or sign: Dad, mom, Spencer, milk, socks, dog, sleep, food, more, all done, Grandma, hi, and thank you. She also loves to wav bye bye and blow kisses.

Katherine loves the swing set. LOVES IT. She will sit in there for a couple of hours while we work in the house. As long as I give her a push every ten minutes or so. She has even fallen asleep in the swing for a quick nap a few times. She likes anyone who will give her a push or a twist in her swing.

Yesterday she woke up with a fever and cuddled literally all day. I was up to the task because it was freezing here and she kept me warm. She slept through most of the night, woke up early and cried for Mark and I to hold her. So we obliged her sobs for about an hour this morning. She still isn't feeling well but I think she just needs to sleep/cuddle this bug off.

Well, that is enough bragging, for now. I hope everyone has a good weekend. We are putting finishing touches on the shed. Literally finish trim, touch up paint, grout in our tile. I will take some good pictures and post them on Monday or Tuesday. Until then.

We Are Moving... Again

Well, Mark finally convinced me that we should move into the shed. Okay. So we decided a few weeks ago that we would actually move. My sister teased me that we can't build a home or apartment without testing to make sure it is liveable. Seriously. This will be our fifth (that is 5 people!) in less than two years. Do the math! Spencer has not had one Christmas in the same house once.

But, as bad as I make that sound, I am excited. Smaller quarters means less cleaning and more time being a mommy and wife. It means cozy nights snuggled by the fire, more home cooked meals (they are sparse these days), more reading (with kids and for myself) and it means I get to decorate my new house. So, let me brag a little about my new house.

This barn style 3 bedroom 2 bath is totally custom. I mean, it literally was built to look like a barn on the outside. But inside, it is a beautiful home. We designed the plan ourselves, with a little help and insight from Ben, my brother in law (Thanks Ben!). The main floor is the living room and kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and 2 bedrooms for the kids. Upstairs is a loft which will be my craft haven, a book nook for Spencer (but I think all of us will use it), and the master bedroom and bathroom. It isn't quite 1300 square feet.

Mark has helped or done every bit of work. From preparing the plans, moving dirt, pouring concrete, building walls, hand stacking the roof, rough plumbing and electrical, drywall (we hired out the drywall but we were short 2 sheets so Mark hung those), baseboard, casing, doors, painting (we have lots of colors because we used leftovers from all of our various projects), flooring (I think this is my favorite part), cabinets, finish plumbing and electrical, running power, water and sewer to and from the shed, and putting in a fireplace. I have been helping a lot as well. Holding down the lighting store has been my biggest contribution. But after work I help clean hand tools to Mark, put in door handles or cabinet hardware, figure out what furniture is going where, help wire, etc. We are about 2 weeks from being totally finished with the house. We have been putting in long hours and a lot of late nights.

The biggest blessing is that we found a family to rent our house. We found them in less than two days! Two Days!! Makes me wonder if I should have listed it for more? No, they are just an answer to many prayers. They have 3 children and are such nice people. They will be moving in November 1. I have a ton of moving and cleaning to do by then. But, I know that we are being blessed because we are moving forward with faith.

Speaking of faith, I loved General Conference! I was so inspired and uplifted by the messages of our leaders. I truly am thankful to God for a living prophet to guide me through these days. So, here is my shout out to all of the time and preperation that went into the beautiful messages and music. THANK YOU!!!

And, with the coming change comes a change in weather. What is it about fall that we all seem to love and hate at the same time? I love the beautiful colors and cooler temperatures. I love the smell of rain and how it seems to give the whole earth a bath. But, I hate that it means freezing temperatures are coming and darkness gets more daytime than it should. At least my kids are enjoying their swing set. Katherine will sit in her airplane seat for at least 2 hours as long as you give her a push once in a while.

Okay. Enough of me blabbing. What changes are you excited for that are coming up in your lives? Let me know. Love to all my friends and family who read this.

So Emotional

This is a post that I have wanted to write but I am not sure how. Every time I have thought about writing it I start getting emotional. So, please be patient. And if you don't want to read my babblings that is okay too.
When Mark and I moved into our house 4 years ago he immediately got called to serve in young mens in our ward. My calling came 3 months later to serve in the young womens. I was so excited and scared. I wasn't much older than the girls I would be teaching, the laurels (16-18 year olds). I was 22 at the time. My young women leaders had shaped me into the woman I am and I knew I could do the same. How quickly I realized that they would be teaching me. I have been to 4 girls camps, temple trips, 5 youth conference trips, firesides, everything.
Well, almost 4 years later, 5 presidencies later, and 2 of my own children later I have been released from serving in Young Womens.

I cry every time I say that.

They truly have become such a big part of my life that I feel like part of me is missing. Part of my heart aches to be with them. Even though I was ready to be released and I had been inspired by the Holy Ghost that it was time it is still so hard for me. I have not had a day go by that I don't think about my girls. Some of them I consider to be such good friends. I know that they will be strong women in this world. They are capable of doing so much good. They have made me a better person.
Every once in a while I still shed a tear. Spencer has caught me on several occasions and keeps asking "Are you sure your ok mommy?" I keep telling him I will be. At least I get hugs without asking from my sweet boy. Maybe I should cry more often ;) I hope that as I move forward to my next calling, whenever and whatever comes, that I will be up to the challenge. For now, I will try to sit in Relief Society and soak in being spiritually fed from new people. Three weeks before I got released this quote was in the lesson I gave.

"I believe in revelation—and so do you—and I believe that the Lord is getting acquainted with you right now. You missionaries that are preparing to go on your mission, do not let one day go by on your mission when you do not demonstrate to the Lord that you are reliable, that you are trustworthy, that you are dedicated, that you are committed, that you are on his side, for he is getting acquainted with the young men and the young women of this Church today. … Every day of your life he gets acquainted. Then, after he has watched you and after you have demonstrated your faithfulness by your service and by your ability to keep your priorities straight in your life, along comes a need for a high councilor, a Primary president, a Relief Society president, a bishop, or a stake president; and the Lord makes it known to the responsible priesthood leader that you are ready because you have lived up to the commitments and promises that you made before you were ever born."
~M. Russell Ballard

That quote hit my heart strings. I knew things were going to change soon. I knew that I had some things to work on and that quote said exactly what I needed. I know that the Lord expects me to be preparing. To demonstrate my faith. To keep my priorities straight. So, this is me resolving to be better. To do better.

I'm Alive

The founder of the scrapbooking company I work for answered the following question:

"I love to scrapbook and preserve my family's memories, but it seems like I am always behind. Seriously, I take way too many pictures and still have 5+ years of events to scrap. I don't scrap every picture or every event, but still there are so many events and fun memories I want to capture. How do I do it? Are your scrapbooks up to date and current? If so, what is your secret?"

This is the last paragraph of her answer:

"Mostly, rather than feeling overwhelmed by lots of unscrapbooked photos, I feel happy knowing I have them: beautiful pictures, beautiful memories, all waiting for me to relive during the creative process. Having many photos to scrapbook doesn't mean I'm behind, it means I'm ALIVE."

Amen Jeanette! Thank you for having the right words that describe my life. And to prove I am alive...






How thankful I am to have such a beautiful family. I am truly blessed.

On a side note: we will be painting our shed this weekend. Pictures to come.

Mark is Not Allowed

This past weekend was a BLAST! We went up to my parents in Salt Lake for our annual Staycation Vacation. It was relaxed but full of fun. Of course I left all packing until Friday morning because last Thursday was all about Spencer turning THREE! More on that when I upload my pictures. Thursday night at 10:30 I started running 3 loads of laundry (I get up with Katherine anyways three times a night). Friday morning I woke up at 6:30 and started folding. (Side note: why is laundry such a necessary evil? I need to invent something that cleans your clothes while they hang in your closet) Mark got up 10 minutes before he had to leave for school (men.) and said his classes were getting out early so he would come home and put everything in the car and finish packing if I would get him a list. So I did just that and he was the hero.

When I got to work I emailed him a detailed list. Said list included things like: Katherine's diapers, swim diapers, swimsuit, socks, my glasses, Spencer's hat, so on and so forth. (I hadn't hardly packed for Katherine because she was still sleeping when I left for work). Details. I am so detailed when it comes to my lists of what I need for a weekend away from home (even though going to my parents is like a second home.). Mark got out of class, went home, packed and came to work to pick me up.

I thought to ask "did you remember Katherine's swimsuit?"
Mark "No. I don't know where you keep them."
Me "Couldn't you call to ask me?"
Mark "She doesn't need a swimsuit."
Me "what about her socks?"
Mark "she will be ok."

After several more rounds of did you get this and NO responses I rushed out the door extremely upset. If I put something on the list, I want it with us. Four days of play with cousins, one family picture session (the first since Spencer was 1), swim party, birthday party, etc all needed supplies from our house. We probably don't need everything I take but you never know. It is a really good thing I went home too because when I opened the door the first thing I saw (besides piles of laundry that got folded and not put away) was the bag I packed with his clothes and my clothes. He would have been in the dog house all weekend if I hadn't had my clothes, shower items, make-up, shoes, cell phone charger and everything else that was in that bag.

So, Mark is not allowed to pack for trips. Period. Never again. He has never packed well. For our wedding, he forgot church shoes. For our honeymoon he didn't pack any clothes (shopping spree for him). His first campout with Spencer, no clothes for himself; only clothes for Spencer because I packed Spencer's bag. Nope. Mark is Not Allowed to pack.

Side note: he also is not allowed for the girls weekend I am planning with my sisters and mom in October. Neither are my kids. Either one. I am super excited! First girls weekend ever!