My Little Scientist

Pictures taken January 25, 2011

Ammon came home from school and asked for an orange and a pencil.

Before I knew what was happening, he was giving us a little science lesson.

Church History Museum

Pictures taken January 17, 2011

My parents are both volunteer as docents at the Church History Museum downtown.

Some of the displays were recently changed.

A new children's area was added.

The display about the Tabernacle was being taken out.

My mom decided it was time to bring in the grandchildren for a tour.

The cousins all ended up there at different times.

But when we went, we had some neighbors there as well.

It was a busy day for the museum, but it was still lots of fun!

Christmas Cookies - in January

Pictures taken January 16, 2011

This year, our church schedule is from 9:00 - 12:00 on Sunday mornings.  I love morning church, because it makes for a really relaxing day afterwards.  A couple of weeks into it, the boys saw our Christmas cookie cutters and asked if we could make some cookies.  I forgot to take pictures of the final product, and we didn't decorate or even frost them, but we had gingerbread men and stockings and they sure tasted yummy!

My sister Rebecca came and visited that evening.  We watched Star Trek and ate our treats.  Just as she was getting ready to leave, Peter threw up.  The night got even more fun after that...  We hoped that maybe it was just too many cookies that upset Peter's stomach, but a week later when Ammon went through the same thing, we decided it must have been a bug.  Fortunately neither Andrew or I ever got it.

Fancy Nancy Party

My mother-in-law decided to have a Fancy Nancy party.

If you are like me and don't have young daughters, you many not know who Fancy Nancy is.

Apparently she is a character who loves to do all things fancy.

She wears fancy clothes, talks fancy (especially likes french words), and even tried to eat fancy.

To have a party like this, she needed girls.

Having only two grand-daughters at the time (one has been born since), 

Peggy generously invited nieces in the other sides of family as well.

Two of my nieces were in Idaho at the time, so they weren't able to come.

But the other two Nunes-side nieces were there along with my sister Katy (their mom).

My sister-in-law Jennifer brought her daughter Sophia, along with her niece.

And Kara was there with Kate (and Hannah waiting to be born).

We played dress up, listened to a story, decorated crowns, and ate cupcakes.

I fell in LOVE with Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy.

I am not used to craving sweet things that don't involve chocolate.

But for weeks after this party, all I could think about were the Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes.

The girls had a lovely time and the party was considered a raging success.

2011

I spent the first day of 2010 crying.  All day.  There were certain things in my life that I really wanted, and I just knew that none of them would come to fruition in the coming year.  People all around me were looking forward to the new year with excitement and anticipation.  I just couldn't join them.  I knew there would be no new baby for me to care for and love - probably not even one on the way.  I knew there would be no new job to provide self-sufficiency in our meager life style.  I knew there would be no end to my schooling, which, although I am grateful to be involved in, sometimes feels more of a burden than blessing.  My list seemed endless, in my moment of self-pity: all those heartaches in my life that the passage of a year wouldn't cure -all those troubles that seemed to follow me through time, relentless and unending left me empty.  I faced the new year with dread and bitterness, not sure I had the strength I needed to endure it.  

2010 turned out to be a marvelous year despite the accurate prediction I made that none of those things I really wanted would come to be.  Somehow a loving Heavenly Father blessed me, not with what I wanted, but with the things He knew would bring me peace.  The most joyous gift of all was the connection I felt to Him as I went through my days learning and growing and drawing nearer to Him.

With an experience like that, I began 2011 with enthusiasm.  There were still many things on my list (if not all) that I knew not to expect.  But maybe, just maybe I felt a little hope?  If nothing else, I felt confident that there was joy to be had if I just trusted in the Lord and forged ahead.

December had left me feeling burned out.  Between stress of finals, and sickness, as well as several busy months trying to balance 14 credit hour, two different degrees, and my opportunities to serve as a wife, mother, Relief Society teacher, Visiting Teaching Coordinator, and (since I am one district leader short) Visiting Teaching District Leader not to mention sister, daughter etc etc. I finished my semester feeling the need to reassess my values and goals.  I decided to cut down my schedule to a mere 9.5 credit hours and try to make my family and my health the big priorities of the coming year.  So with a few adjustments to my schedule and a confidence in my future, 2011 began.

I was blindsided.  My first three weeks of school felt like finals week every week.  Instead of having more time for my family, I had less.  I had less time for the things I valued, and I felt even less healthy than before.  Here we are, almost finished with the second month of the year, and I am just starting to breathe again after drowning in this unexpectedly hectic and overwhelming schedule.  I have to admit that at this point, my outlook for 2011 matches my initial thoughts on 2010 much more then I would like it to.  At this point, I feel discouraged and worn.  My hope for better things seems to be quickly fading.  I remember the joys I experienced last year, and feel disconnected from them.  But I know that God is over all, and He has not forgotten me.  He has always healed my sorrows in the past, and will do so again.  And even though 2011 seems very bleak to me right now, I have faith that it will bring good things.

In the mean time, here are some pictures from the first week in January:

Ammon sleeping - seems to be a rare moment so far this year.

Peter helped me make a red velvet cake.

Peter turned into a bumblebee.

The boys have played together.

Peter had fun being silly for the camera.