I Love 8 o'clock Church

I wrote this post almost 2 weeks ago (Mar 6), and was too tired to post it plus I had some issues with posting from my phone. But it was a good one and who knows when it will be that I post again so here it is!...
Yes you read right. I love 8 am church. I used to hate it. That must have been when I was up all night with babies or something. Now I love all the extra time I have after church! That used to be a curse, I guess because I felt like I had sooo many hours to have to fill up with activities for the kids... now I'm grateful that I get a nap and we still get to have a family activity so I don't feel guilty!
Today was a perfect Sunday. Well, except for Chris being in Connecticuit. After a great 3 hr block of learning, we came home, had lunch and then our newly instituted "quiet time," which I have tried previously bu never worked before... again because of the babies. Now all my kids are old enough and smart enough to know they'd better leave me alone for at least an hour while I get my nap in. Plus having the older kids to keep the younger ones entertined.... nice. After quiet time we made some blueberry muffins and wrote in our journals. We've been trying to do this every Sunday too, but don't always get to it. I love looking at the kids' entries and remembering how cute they are. I had a visiting teching interview to go to at 4:00.. I love that my RS Pres only lives 2 doors down so I was only gone like 20 minutes. After that we were able to go on a family walk and I tell ya, it was the perfect day for it! Right away, isaac found a bunch of lady bugs in the clover patches in the retention basin... I think he found 5 of them before any of us caught our own... but pretty soon we were all getting lucky. There's just something magical about finding lady bugs on a beautiful Sunday afternoon... I was in heaven watching Ava and Mias excitement, especially since they hadn't remembered ever seeing real live lady bugs before. So fun. A few Sundays ago we were at the same place we we found several 4 leaf clovers! I think mine was the only one that survived :/ so after the lady bugs, we travelled on to the park, where we ran around in the grass for a little while, then on the way home, we got to watch the most gorgeous sunset! I always try to get the kids to point out all the colors they see... Maddy is always so vigilant about keeping up with my amazement as the colors change so quickly yet so unnoticeably. We came home and had a great dinner of French toast, the best way I like it, with lots of butter, powdered sugar and a tiny bit of maple syrup. So healthy right? We watched Sleeping Beauty together and then went off to bed. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Sunday :o)

Daily Thanksgiving

I love this video. I really love the talk it was based on, and in fact we had a FHE on it last week... "Live in Thanksgiving Daily," by Elder Joseph B Wirthlin. The thing I loved the most about this talk is the idea that truly happy people are truly grateful people. They take the time to notice the blue sky, the red leaves and the white clouds. They rejoice in the many things Heavenly Father has provided for them to experience. Even trials. I can say I have had moments of rejoicing in trials, but more often than not I tend to feel sorry for myself. For me, this always results in unhappiness. Always. But focusing on lessons learned and blessings gained always results in happiness. Satan would have us believe that "looking out for ourselves" would bring us happiness. It doesn't. Rejoicing in blessings causes us to want to share the love we feel and the blessings we have with others. And this brings more gratitude and happiness... into our lives and into the lives of others. What a wonderful plan right?

I am grateful at this time of year for so many things. Before I quit facebook last week, I was trying to post something each day that I was grateful for. It was fun to see the little beauties and joys I experienced every day. Even going and getting ice cream at McDonalds with my mom at 10 at night. :) I believe we can make any experience a memorable experience.... and many moments learning moments for ourselves and our children. I love life. It has so much to offer. So many people to love, so many lives to touch, so much good to do and experiences to help us help others and bond us through trials. Heavenly Father has blessed me with many such people, so many loving hearts and hands that have added gold threads to my tapestry of life. I know, I'm cheesy. But I truly feel an overflow of love and gratitude in my heart for personal lessons of love from the Lord as I go through my life. I only hope I can show this love to others in need and listen closely to that quiet, sometimes almost muted voice urging me on to be there for others.

Thank you to most of you who have been those such people. I love you. Happy Turkey Day.

The Alphabet Game

Did any of you ever play the alphabet game while on trips when you were a kid? Not the one where you find letters on the side of the road, but the one where you start with I'm going on a trip and I'm bringing.....
Chris taught the kids this game while we were on vacation in Utah this summer. Madison decided she wanted to play when we were on the way to the pumpkin patch yesterday. It kinda fizzled out but Cameron and I played on the way home and we made it all the way to Z right as we were pulling in the driveway. :) I thought it would be fun to remember our silliness...

(Cam started with A and we did every other letter...)

I'm going on a trip and I'm bringing...

Airplane
Beaver
Cameron
Dumplings
Elephant
Fish net stockings
Giraffe
Ho hos
Isaac and the whole gang
Jar of Jelly
Kick boxer
Liger
Ostrich that lays 100 ft eggs
Porcupine
Queen of France
Red Rooster
Space Suits
Toulouse-Lautrec
Up and Down Escalator
Volumizing Conditioner
Wet Willy
Xanthan gum
Yak with yoyo
Zelda

That was a fun time with Cam. We got more and more creative as we went along as you can see. :)

Today I started thinking about things I would really want to take with me if I were going away for a while. I wanted to make my own list... things that I am thankful for and are the most important to me. :)

Ava
Books
Chris and Cameron and creativity
Discipline
Excitement
Friendship, forgiveness, and faith
Gospel
Heavenly Father
Isaac
Jesus Christ
Kara (who I really am and want to be)
Love
Madison and Mia and memories
Optimism
Parents that love me
Quirkiness
Readiness (being prepared)
Scriptures and spontaneity
Testimony
Understanding
Vault of cash :)
Wisdom
Xtra patience
Yummy food
Zooming car :)

and so much more I am sure but that was kinda fun. :)

Music and the Spoken Word

My ideal Sunday morning is spent listening to Music and the Spoken Word while eating breakfast and studying related scriptures. This program has a way of inspiring me and touching my soul the way spoken words alone cannot do. Today the program touched on the beauty of God's creation coupled with the trials we face and our ability to overcome. Lloyd Newell told about the poet William Ernest Henley and his battle with tuberculosis during his lifetime and quoted this famous poem about courage and determination. It is beautiful...


Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance

A book I read not too long ago. I don't know if I would reccomend it necessarily, but it sure was entertaining.

I've been thinking lately about one of her thoughts in particular. She was remembering when she first moved to NYC and imagining what her life would be like, what her apartment would look like, what kind of person her roommate would be. She remembered how much she loved that moment, between unlimited possibility and actual reality. She loved that feeling because in that moment she could imagine that her life and circumstances could be anything in the whole wide world. The possiblities were endless. But once she saw her apartment and met her roommate, they would be what they were. No fun imaginings anymore.

I feel like that in my life lately. There is so much possibility for us right now, I could be scared, but I'd rather just imagine that things are gonna be wonderful beyond my wildest dreams....

Life is Beautiful

Today I decided to copy a friends blog and post what I am grateful for in my rich beautiful life....

1. My Heavenly Father's love and wisdom.

2. A husband who is my best friend in the whole wide world

3. Cameron- his zany sense of humor and all the hugs he gives me proceeded by, Mom, I looove you.

4. Madison- her spunky spirit, creativity, and compassion for her sisters and those in need

5. Isaac- his willingness to help, his innocence and general happiness about life

6. Ava- her questions, her big blue inquisitive eyes, and her cuddliness

7. Mia- her babyness, even though she's not really a baby, her constant happiness and her excitement with simple fun things

8. Parents that love me and have taught me the gospel all of my life

9. Brothers, sisters in law, brothers in law, parents in law, nieces and nephews that enrich my life and extend my network of love <3

10. Friends that love me and help me be a better person

11. A home I love that sometimes loves me back ;)

12. Lucky, our happy crazy loving dog

13. Have I mentioned love enough times yet???

14. slobbery baby kisses

15. cuddling and watching a movie with Chris after the kids are in bed

16. music that helps me move when i need to get things done, or chill when I want to

17. piano lessons

18. Chris's guitar playing and songs he's written for me :)

19. Stories Cameron writes

20. pictures my girls draw, especially when its me with hearts all around

21. when Isaac sings "we will we will rock you"

22. sunsets on a cloudy day

23. flash floods when I'm safely inside

24. snow on the mountains

25. winters in AZ

26. summers in Park City, UT

27. riding bikes as a family

28. running while the sun rises

29. a body that works properly without any major problems

30. stairs to climb

31. running water in my kitchen

32. my dishwasher

33. "Life" the series on Discovery HD

34. texting

35. air conditioning

36. erasers

37. stain removers

28. the word "sorry"

29. the sweet whisperings of the Spirit

30. my Saviour Jesus Christ and His Atonement (this list in no way reflects order of importance!!)

31. soft blond, red and brown hair <3

32. funny stories

33. compassionate service

34. testimony meeting

35. peoples willingness to serve and enrich others lives, even when they dont know them very well

36. Journals

37. Scriptures <3

38. the ocean, mesmerizing and mysterious

39. poetry

40. paintings that express profound truth

41. photography, especially of cute kids ;-)

42. cards and letters in the mail, love it

43. Dora (yes, she makes Mia happy!)

44. flowers, all colors and fragrances

45. swimming pools

46. preschool (it makes Ava happy!)

47. yogurt

48. soft warm blankets

49. hot chocolate

50. going on dates with my best friend xoxoxo

lots more but I thought 50 would be a good number for today! If you made it this far, I am impressed!!

Morrie's Wisdom

I just finished the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie" today. It touched on so many subjects that are dear to my heart, such as family, love and what is most important in Life. For those who haven't read it, it is about a man, Mitch, in his mid 30's who discovers his old college professor, Morrie Schwartz, is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease, when he sees him on TV. He decides to visit this old professor, and makes it a weekly trek, and in the process learns a lot about life. When Mitch asks Morrie (who is 78 years old at the time) about aging, and our culture's fear of it, Morrie has a fantastic reply.

I told Morrie I was already feeling over the hill, as much as I was trying to stay on top of it. I worked out constantly. Watched what I ate. Checked my hairline in the mirror. I had gone from being proud to say my age- because of all I had done so young- to not bringing it up, for fear that I was getting too close to forty and, therefore, professional oblivion.

Morrie had aging in better perspective.

"All this emphasis on youth- I don't buy it," he said. "Listen, I know what a misery being young can be, so don't tell me its so great. All these kids who came to me with their struggles, their strife, their feelings of inadequacy, their sense that life was so miserable, so bad they wanted to kill themselves...

"And in addition to all the miseries, the young are not wise. They have very little understanding about life. Who wants to live everyday when you don't know what's going on? When people are manipulating you, telling you to buy this perfume and you'll be beautiful, or that pair of jeans and you'll be sexy- and you believe them! It's such nonsense."

"Weren't you ever afraid of growing old?" I asked.

"Mitch, I embrace aging."

"Embrace it?"

"Its very simple. As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed twenty-two, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it."

"Yes, I said, but if aging were so valuable, why do people always say, 'Oh if I were young again.' You never hear people say, 'I wish I were sixty-five.'"

He smiled. "You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven't found meaning. Because if you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can't wait until sixty-five.

"Listen. You should know something. All younger people should know something. If you're always battling against getting older, you're always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow."

"Okay," I said, "I'm wondering how you don't envy younger, healthy people."

"Mitch, it is impossible for the old not to envy the young. But the issue is to accept who you are and revel in that. This is your time to be in your thirties. I had my time to be in my thirties, and now is my time to be seventy-eight.

"You have to find what 's good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now. Looking back makes you competitive. And, age is not a competitive issue."

"The truth is, part of me is every age. I'm a three-year-old, I'm a five-year-old, I'm a thirty-seven-year-old, I'm a fifty-year-old. I've been through all of them, and I know what it's like. I delight in being a child when it's appropriate to be a child. I delight in being a wise old man when it's appropriate to be a wise old man. Think of all I can be! I am every age, up to my own. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"How can I be envious of where you are when I've been there myself?"

What a great way to treasure life. Thanks Mr. Schwartz. I only hope I can have that perspective some day. :o)

Isaac-isms

Isaac makes me laugh everyday. I was surprised to read my friend Staci's blog the other day and come upon something I hadn't previously heard about. Here it is...

Jack has been playing a lot with Isaac Sly. His mom Kara is one of my best friends so its super convenient that Isaac and Jack get along so well. Isaac is a really nice kid and I don't ever have to worry that he will teach Jack bad things or get into trouble when they are together. Those two can play for days and days on end and never get bored or irritated. They also had a funny conversation yesterday.

Isaac: What does your dad do for a living?

Jack: He's a police officer

Isaac: Cool! He gets to shoot people!

Jack: Well, not really. Mostly he makes phone calls and writes reports and stuff.

Isaac: So he's like, "Stop, badguy! or I'll..... call you? Stop, or I'll use my ....pen?"

Thats pretty quick sarcastic wit for a first grader. I like him.

ha, ha, I'm glad you like him, Staci, I sure do too. :o) I was tickled by his cute Father's Day gift that also took me by surprise. He walked into our bedroom (while Chris was enjoying breakfast in bed), with his hair all slicked down, ready to sing Chris his "Father's Day song." He told Chris he had been preparing for a while. I wondered what song he had possibly prepared to sing??... he isn't in school any more so he didn't learn any songs there... I hadn't heard him singing any Father's Day primary songs around the house... hmmm. Isaac proceeded to start patting his legs and clapping his hands and chanting "we will, we will rock you!" with all the subsequent words... where he learned them and if they were right I have no clue! But they sure sounded good. :o) I just pictued Isaac practicing in the mirror trying to get all the words right and it cracked me up! I will have to video that one soon for sure!

Ugggh.

I am so tired of being behind on my blog.

So I am just going to start fresh. Who really cares about the end of school, Fathers day, and my bday anyway? I'll get around to those sometime.

Here I am, in the middle of summer, wondering how we got 3 weeks into it already?? Anyone else feeling that way? I always have so many plans for the summer, so many fun things I wanna do with the kids. But the days just come and go. The house still needs to be cleaned every day, gosh dang it.

Anyone else wishing they had a pool to swim in? I have fought Chris on getting one all these years and now, finally, I think I am on board. Especially when I think about how good my kids could be at swimming if we only had a pool! All these years I obsessed about something happening to them, in reality I think it is more likely that if we had a pool I should worry less. So bring it on... oh wait, we actually don't have the money to get a pool anymore... oops. But hey at least we have our boat that we use twice a year, right? ;) Anyone want to donate to my pool fund?

I promise, the next one will be a real post, with pictures and all. ;o)