So last night I was in a meeting with my Bishop and he was giving our YW Presidency a little advise on training the Young Women to be future leaders. He said a lot of great things and helped us understand the whys, whats, and hows of being a Leader. He told that when he was a young father, him and his wife had just bought a new home and decided to put in a new sidewalk. While he was trying to put in this sidewalk his young son wanted to help and was being more of a hindrance than a help. My Bishop expressed how frustrated he was because it was taking so much time and effort to have his son help. But then he said after awhile he remembered that "He wasn't putting in a sidewalk, he was raising a family"!
This really stuck out to me!! I thought of how many times I try to clean, cook, or work in general and I have little "helpers". It was a good reminder that I am raising a family and the time I spend with them now will influence the kind of person they are when they grow up.
Caleb LOVES to cook and I usually let him, it does take more time but I know it is something he enjoys. He also loves to vacuum, it is so much easier and faster to do it myself though!!
Emily LOVES to clean to toilet (funny huh) and I usually do it myself because I know how to keep my hands away from it and clean it properly. I really should let her do it!!! Emily also loves to help with Nathan, it is her "Mommy instincts" kicking in. Sometimes I let her, sometimes I don't.
So it looks as if I have some thing to work on!! There is a quote that says "A lazy mother picks up after her children." I guess it is easier to do it myself than to have them learn. I think I need to stop thinking about myself and remember I AM raising a family and I want them to grow up and be productive, happy, effective adults!
Speaking of family, here are some of our family pictures we got taken on Oct. 22:
Yes I said YUMMY! Aren't these 3 so dang cute you could almost eat them right up? I think so! We had a fun Halloween filled with lots of Grandmas, candy and wind blowing through our hair.
Emily decided she wanted to be a Southern Belle. She has the attitude of one and knows how to pose well as one. She had me curl her hair in ringlets and before school she got to put on make-up, even mascara! I think she was the cutest one in the spook parade at school. but I am also biased! She loved getting to twirl in her hoop dress.
Caleb, with no persuasion wanted to be Darth Vader. He loves "Stah Wo's" so much and can make a mean Darth Vader noise. He was so excited about his mask that actually made the Darth noise, but didn't wear it most of the time because it hurt his face and smooshed in his eyes...poor little Darth! He made a very "mean" looking Darth and was so proud when he was told how scary he was. He is a funny little thing!!
Nathan was my little Hot Dog! I was excited about his outfit because I had bought it on clearance last year. I really wanted Ben to dress up with me and be Ketchup and Mustard bottles, he didn't fancy the idea...It was a good thing because Nathan's Hot Dog was VERY snug!! He only was in it for 30 minutes or less.
We had a fun Halloween and visited 4 different Grandmas. They spoil my kids a lot and my kids LOVE IT!!! I am so glad we have our family around!
Here is also our cute pumpkins this year, they made me laugh!
I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and decided to try it out. I am SO glad I did because it was delish!! I will be making this again and again!! I found it in the World Wide Cookbook "Secret Recipes". I changed it a bit to be less calories and it was still so yummy!
Halushki(not my picture, but the best one I could find):
1 16-oz box of bow tie pasta
1 head of cabbage, chopped
1 large onion, finely diced
1/4-1/2 cup of butter (Original recipes calls for 1 c.)
2 kielbasa sausages, diced (I used turkey kielbasa sausage. It calls for one but I didn't think there was enough to go around)
salt
pepper
lemon pepper
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Cook cabbage and onion in butter over medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes. Dice sausage and cook in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the pasta and the sausage to the cabbage/onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little lemon pepper on top!
Ever since we went camping in September Ben and I have both been itching to get back to the mountains. I love the fresh air, the smell of the trees, the beautiful morning sunsets, and the dirt...yes the dirt. I love the simplicity of being together with my little family spending time making memories! Ben and I both love the song Take a Back Road by Rodney Atkins. It is to the "T" of how we feel sometimes. Today Ben called from work and said he wanted to go camping or something when I asked him "how come??" he said "I dunno just feel like taking a back road..." How cute!
So tomorrow we may be somewhere along here....
So we are off to find our little BACK ROAD........
I just have to say . . .I LOVE FALL!! It is my Mom's favorite season and she always had a way of making our home smell good and feel so cozy! I stopped "Home" the other day (in an attempt to avoid the massive amount of snow falling, when if I would have just headed to Blackfoot I could have avoided it all together...) When I walked in her house it smelled like fall, it looked like Fall and it was warm and cozy just like fall! LOVED IT! I am excited for the Holidays that come with Fall. I am more than half way done shopping for Christmas, so I am going to sit back and relax and enjoy my family.
In September my whole family went camping. It was a lot of fun despite allergies, rain, bee stings and crazy RV sleeping situations! My kids loved camping. Thanks to a good friend we had a warm place to sleep and a very fun bunk bed for my kids to play in. The kids literally spent HOURS playing in the RV. We also built a teepee for the kids and they played HOURS in that too. It is fun to have some down time and late night fire talks. My Dad rocks the skillet over the fire, he really made some wonderful meals.
On October 1st Ben and I celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary! Holy Smokes....7 years! We have accomplished SO many things and have enjoyed almost every minute of it! We went to Red Lobster for SHRIMP FEST and then to Kiwi Loco. After, we went and hit a few stores and didn't hardly leave each other's side. Pure joy!I love Ben!!! He not only exemplifies the kind of man I have always wanted, he exemplifies the father I wanted for my children and the kind of person I am so lucky to wake up to and go to sleep with! He is such a good man and I know I could not have chosen a better eternal companion!!
Our Crazy little family.....
Had so much fun carving this.....
Just as an end note:
I also LOVE my kids and the constantly make me giggle. Here are some giggles to share. Man I adore these 3 little people!!!
P.S. I took some pictures on top of the Conference Center in September I love how they turned out...I think there is a lot of symbolism in the water fountains around the Temple. This fountain happens to be directly OVER the top of the pulpit and it's water flow directly toward the Temple. Living Waters are so essential for us to understand our Temple covenants. I loved being surrounded by Living Water!
I have asked myself this question for a few weeks now. Kids grow, time flies, daylight ends sooner, leaves start to change and a year has already passed.
Fortunately we were able to do some really fun things!! Here is our 2011 summer in pictures...
Caleb got a new bike....BUT this one got ran over and he had to get a new one. Just glad it was the bike and not the boy!
We went to Lava a couple of time (My camera ran out of batteries...of course) Nathan loved the water!!!! We had SOOO much fun!
This boy LOVES to eat!!! I love his smiles!
6 Months old ALREADY!!!
Emily is on the PDAC swim team. She has learned SO much and swims so good! We are so proud of her!
This is at the Clark Planetarium. They are on MARS
Clark Planetarium again, this time they are walking on the moon.....
The Conference Center! Beautiful and so inspiring!
Late Sunday night we climbed to the top of Ensign Peak. It was hard with 3 kids, but well worth the view!!!
Ensign Peak sunset!!!!
Daddy and Nathan with "Happy" Nathan's Build-A-Bear
So this summer has been adventurous. We have done lots as a family and grown closer together. I have learned alot about my kids and loved to see them grow. Every Sunday we write in journals made just for my kids. I can't wait to tell about our adventures we have had over the past week.
To most mothers the words "bedtime" and "naptime" are music to the soul, I know they are for me! BUT today for various reasons maybe like peeling cheese, duct tape and other unidentifiable objects off my carpet while vacuuming or scrubbing toilets with a screaming baby in my arms all while trying to not get plastered in the face with toilet water, I have thought a lot about what it means to be a "Mother". The familiar quote came to mind "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it". It truly is worth every second.
Nathan turned 5 months old today and I know we hear it ALL the time, but time really does fly. I can't believe how big is has got. Not only is he growing in leaps and bounds (or maybe I should say rolls and crevasses) but his sweet spirit is growing more mature everyday. He is such a delight to our family!! I love Hillary Weeks, she sings songs that I can relate to and apply to my life one of her songs says:
If I only had today
I'd hold you and listen
I'd memorize every detail of your face
I'd tell you I loved you over and over
I wouldn't let excuses get in the way
Then I'd remind you of forever
And how our love would never change
If I only had today
Sometimes I overwhelm myself with useless things and very rarely do I pick my battles wisely!! More often than not I find myself lying down and night rehearsing ALL of the MANY things I have done wrong and then end up pleading with my Father in Heaven for help and forgiveness hoping for a better tomorrow. But in the end I know I am human and am thankful for another busy, crazy, wonderful day with my children.
Speaking of which I love to hear my kids talk and believe me they do a lot of it. I love to hear them be excited over something silly or simple, but rather large to them. I love to learn from my kids. I know the is a reason why we are counseled to became as little children. In Alma 7:23 he gives a list of things we should do. All of them describe my children. M. Russell Ballard also gave some advise on motherhood. He says: "Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction...families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together."
I have learned and continue to learn that "extraordinary moments happen in the middle of ordinary days" like today. In a book called Bedtime and Naptime by Hillary Weeks she writes: "I will spend eternity knowing my children as adults. But today, right here, right now and for the next few precious years, I have the rare privilege of knowing them as children." How true and how heart stirring. I will MISS these days!
Another quote I have loved is by Julie B Beck. She said:
"When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children."
How reassuring it is to know that God is on our side and is our biggest fan. He is cheering us mothers on everyday whether we have babies, toddlers, teens or adults as children. He knows what a powerful works we have chosen to participate in and knows it will take every ounce of strength we have to make it through some really difficult days.
Here is a song that I love and listen to often: (the video is not my family obviously, but cute none the less)
So for today I will believe in what I have been called to do and believe that I am entitled to make mistakes. I will testify to my children of their infinite worth and hope that I can make a difference in their lives. I will believe that underneath the apple juice spills, the scattered toys and the never ending laundry there is a purpose more divine than I can comprehend and that in the end EVERY moment will be worth it.
