One year older and wiser too. . .

I'm 40. I meant to write about all the things I have learned in the first half of my life. It seems to have flown by. Just yesterday I turned 16 and was excited and anxious about my first real date. If I could go back and give myself advise I think I would say:

Make friends with your brother while he still lives with you. He may never change, but you will.
Your sisters will end up being your best friends, so enjoy them now.
Your dad turns out to be pretty great at being a dad.
Savor every moment with the good people around you and worry less about what everyone thinks.
Quit drill team sooner and get your cosmetology license like you planned. That last year just about did you in anyway and wasn't worth all the trouble.
Prepare for a mission, because it will be a reality and one of the best experiences of your life.
It's okay to miss your mission, but real life is good too. Love it too and let it go.
Enjoy your time at BYU and don't get hung up on boys that don't call! There really are more fish in the sea and you'll find him. No use dwelling on the past.
Enjoy your classes and be open to meeting new people. Be HAPPY! Life only happens once.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Vote.
Keep on dancing. Life is what you make of it.
Don't be afraid to travel! It's kind of cool!
Tell the people you care about that you do. You never know how the conversation will turn out, but you will never regret being honest about your feelings. Sometimes, it's okay to make the first move.
Just being friends with boys doesn't really get you very far and there is no such thing as a forever friend who is a boy, unless you marry him.
Cry when it hurts. Tears are healing, not a sign of weakness.
Take risks. You never know!
You are a catch, so don't worry about the boys that don't like you. If they don't well, their loss.
Know that it will all turn out okay. The right boy will find you.
God's promises are sure so trust Him and his time tables.
When life hands you lemons, trust that lemonade is in the works.
Grad school is not as big of a deal as you thought. In fact, you will love it, so just go for it!
When you quit teaching that year, don't toss your TRS! You will want it back later.
SAVE your money!! It's better than getting into debt.
Listen to the spirit. Trust it and follow the promptings you've been given.
Learn how to have a natural birth so it doesn't about kill you when you haven't got enough time for drugs.
Find your own happiness, because marriage can be tough! Boys and husbands don't make you happy. They're just along for the ride.
Just when you think you know it all, you don't know a thing.
Even when you grow up, you will never really feel like a grown up.
Life is really too short to live with regrets. Figure out what you want and make it happen!
Now on for the next forty years.

I hope my kids will be able to benefit from my mistakes. I hope and pray they will be happy, confident, and fulfill the missions they have been sent to do here on earth. I love them so much and I'm so lucky to have them in my life. There really is nothing quite so good as being a mom and watching these spirits grow and mature. I'm amazed at their unconditional love for me no matter what kind of a day I'm having. Jessica is the best friend and confident I could ever have. She listens to me like no other. Lily is the most optimistic soul who entertains me constantly. Gavin is chivalrous and the kind of little man I've always dreamed they should all be like. Some little girl is going to be very lucky to be his princess some day. Ammon is a mystery in the making and getting cuter by the day.
Our children truly are our greatest joy in life. *sigh* Can't believe it's about half over.

Happy Holidays

So it's been a while since I've posted. The semester is almost coming to an end and I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off work. Ammon is growing, but he doesn't like to eat much more than mommy's milk which makes for a very tired full time working mom. I'm hoping he learns to eat real food soon. It's exhausting.
So last week, Jhonny and I went to a recruiting fair for South American schools. So far, we came up empty. No one wanted to accept us with four kids in tow. It was a bit disappointing for us and sad that the investment of money spent on the conference came up a bust. On the happy side for those around here, it looks like we're sticking around for a while longer. It's kind of a relief to think I won't have to get rid of all of our earthly possessions down to two suitcases per child. I can't get Jhonny to get rid of furniture I was ready to let go of a year ago, let alone an entire house full of stuff. Yikes. Who knows if we will try again. For now, I'm enjoying the bliss of staying put and throwing around the idea of buying a house here in the next year or so. That makes me nervous. Just when we sign the papers, I'm sure there will come some kind of transfer. That's just the way my life goes.
My life seems pretty routine as of late. Work, dinner, chauffering kids to dance, voice lessons, activity days, girls scouts, church, stopping every three hours to feed a baby and start again. Nothing extremely exciting around here. I'm just trying to keep up with 4 kids. Who knew it could be so hard. Perhaps if I wasn't working oh 40-60 hours a week, it wouldn't be such a challenge.
To send cards or to not send cards. I'm not much in the mood to send anything, especially after spending way too much money to go to Atlanta last week. There isn't much to report anyway that hasn't already been posted here or on facebook. Yep, I'm cheap. I can admit it.
Lily asked me what I want for Christmas. I stared at her for a minute, because what I want probably is out of her price range. So I had to think hard. Hmm. . . a day or even better - a week of no WHINING, fighting or need for me to referee, laundary that gets done, folded and put away on it's own, dinner made and cleaned up without my help, tickets to a movie (preferably Les Miserable on Christmas day) without the need to take the baby or pay for a babysitter, a full night (8 hour minimum) of uninterrupted sleep. These are all things I've sacrificed for my children. Most days they are worth it.
Last night we had our ward Christmas party. It was a pioneer theme. We had a live strings band that played while there was dancing, stick pulling, old fashioned crafts, a gingerbread house display, and treats set up in a seperate room. At the end, Sister Millett pulled out a bell choir set and the kids played a song or two. Then we sang silent night and there was a visit from Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. Santa did not come to the gathering. It was nice. Jessica's friend's family and our neighbors down the street came for the fun. It was a very nice evening. Kudos to the planning commitee.
This week I'm looking forward to a very busy week at work, kids' activities, a choir concert, a dance party, hopefully Christmas pictures of Ammon now the he is close to 7 months old and sometime we've got to get in for tithing settlement. I'm tired already. Yikes! Happy Holidays!

Three of my kids were featured in my friend's website photo shoot advertising her bow business. "Buggie's Bowtique" for specific reference. It was a stressful day for her, but fun for my kids. They were especially happy to take home free bows from the experience.