Clean Socks

Today I fell asleep at work while typing. I have been exhausted lately and it's due to the fact that I'm burning the candle at both ends.

Don't most Mom's do this though? No matter what our lot in life, whether we stay at home or work, don't we all fill every moment with things we feel are important to us and our families?

I have to admit that initially my top priority for the night was to be in bed by 9:30. Why? 1) Because Wes is at a concert and I find it's always easier to go to bed early when he's not around tempting me to stay up with him, and 2) As stated earlier, I fell asleep while typing...not a good thing to do on company time. But alas, it's 9:45 and I sit here at the computer waiting for a load of whites to finish in the washer so that I can switch them to the dryer. Again, you may ask why? Well, let me explain.

In October 2012, Elder L. Tom Perry gave a talk that has become life altering to me, called  Becoming Goodly Parents. In his talk he reads a letter that he had written many years earlier to his mother. It is a beautiful letter, but the part that has always been so significant to me is a line that most would probably skim over and never pay much attention, it is when Elder Perry says to his Mother, "Whenever I got out of bed in the morning, I never had to worry about whether I'd find a clean shirt and clean socks."

I want to be "that" mom. My Mom was "that" mom. I'm pretty sure my Grandmothers were "that" mom. I imagine there are many women out there are "that" mom. You know what I mean, the mom who reads a bedtime story to her children, who makes a fun lunch for them to take to school, who crafts with them in their free time, who always makes sure they have clean socks in the morning. However, it's not easy being "that" mom. Frequently I'm tired at night and would rather skip the bedtime story, lunches are often thrown together last minute ruining any chance of being "fun", crafting, well that's a whole other world to me, but clean socks...I can do clean socks. It's one simple thing that I hope will stand out to my children years down the road when they think back about their Mom.

Nations may never praise my name, in the tapestry of the world, my life is but a miniscule little thread. Yet even one thread contributes to the beauty, even if it's small, and I want my thread to shine because of the little things I do for my family...like clean socks.

One of my favorite quotes is by Neal A. Maxwell, he states, "When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens (or laundry rooms) prove to be more controlling than what happend in congresses?"

So here I sit, it's now 10:15pm and I have a little smile on my face as I know the washer is almost done and soon I will have clean socks for my sweet children when they wake tomorrow. They may never know that I sacrificed my sleep or how important it was for me to give them clean socks, but I hope they will be able to look back one day and know just how much their Mom loved them.

Mom

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so I wanted to dedicate a post my Mom. She is my best friend. She is my sounding board. She is my babysitter on short notice. She is my psychiatrist. She has cooked for me, cleaned up after me, done my hair in braids. She has made clothes for me, she taught me how to cross stitch. She was a suburban bus driver to school, a nurse for my wounds, a comforter when things are hard. She has taught me, loved me and helped me draw closer to God. I love her and am grateful to call her Mom.

Christlike Attributes

This week continues to be a tough week. I don't even know what to write about because most of it would be negative, but since I have 1 week left of my health challenge and I'm still required to write in my journal, I figured I would share an uplifting video (I know I need it). When everything seems to be going wrong and life is dismal, I know I can always turn to Christ.

Christlike Attributes

Reading

A fact about me- I love to read. Currently I'm engrossed in a novel set in the 1800s of love, ghosts, murder and high society. It's excellent! I would much rather read a book than watch a movie. So if you ever have suggestions in a good book, please share? :)

Rough

One word can some up my day. Rough. Period. End of story. That's all I care to write tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Gideon

Gideon bore his testimony in Sacrament meeting today. It was amazing. His sweetness emanates from him when he bears testimony. I love him and I'm so grateful for his innocent example.

Women

In this day there are many women pushing for "equality" for women among men, the LDS church is no exemption where "feminists" are concerned. Recently I have spent a lot of time contemplating on why some feel they need to have the same things men have and or do, perhaps this desire comes from feeling less honored or respected. Men are frequently seen as the "leaders" in the church and we pray frequently for our "leaders", but the honor we hold for some of the great men in the LDS church is no different than the honor and respect they have for women.



As I read last night in Daughters in My Kingdom, I found an execellent quote by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , he said: “We believe in and are counting on your goodness and your strength, your propensity for virtue and valor, your kindness and courage, your strength and resilience. We believe in your mission as women of God. … We believe that the Church simply will not accomplish what it must without your faith and faithfulness, your innate tendency to put the well-being of others ahead of your own, and your spiritual strength and tenacity. And we believe that God’s plan is for you to become queens and to receive the highest blessings any woman can receive in time or eternity.”
To me, as I read this, it became very clear that we are equal to men. We are sacred and beautiful in their eyes. We are just as important in carrying forth the gospel as the men, although our roles may be different. How grateful I am for the role I play and the reminder I have been given that I am important in the Church and in God's eyes.

Quote of the Day

Quote of the day-
"A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment ." -Luke 12:15

Children

 “Children are an heritage of the Lord: and … happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”

 

"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood. Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children."

 

We have been taught both in the scriptures of old and by the later day prophets that children are important. As a mother of 4 young children, I am reminded every day how important my children are in my life. They help me grow spiritually and emotionally, they show me Christ-like attributes of forgiveness, simple joy and unconditional love. Christ taught...

 

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

“Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

 

These small ones that run through my home creating noise and chaos, are also the ones who have provided me the greatest example of what it means to be like Christ. Makenzie is no exception. As she folded her arms tonight during family prayer my heart melted and I wondered at her sweet innocence. I couldn't help but catch a picture to always remind myself. May we all do as Christ has commanded and "become as little children".

 

 

 

 

Create

There are 2 weeks left in my health challenge. My desire to win is waning, but I'm in second place (behind by 6 points) and I'm hoping for a small miracle. It's only $60, but I would love the extra cash to put towards some new shoes. :)

I don't have much to blog about tonight. It was another busy day, I cleaned and went for a walk, took mom to her doctors appointment, made dinner, had FHE, etc. So since I don't have a lot to share about my day, I thought I'd share my favorite church video. I have never thought of myself as a creative person, but after watching this for the first time a few years ago I realized that I am creative, but it is a different type of creativity. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and feel as reassured as I did that we are all creative beings.

Create

Wrong Roads

Found this awesome video on lds.org tonight that kind of goes along with my post about faith from a few days ago. It explains that sometimes we have to make a choice, and although it may not be the "right" choice, there is a reason behind it and eventually Heavenly Father will lead us to where we need to be.

I have made a decision and although I'm not positive it's the right decision, I know without a doubt that it will help guide me to the place I need to eventually be. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will not leave me helpless, they will always guide and direct my path.

Check out the video, it's worth the time. :)

Wrong Roads

Jail Breaker

Tonight as I was putting Makenzie to bed she was acting super cheesy. (Which I sorely needed because I had a rough day.) I wanted to capture some pictures, but she continued to laugh and squirm while I did so. Then she decided to try something new......

 

 

Looks like my little Jail Breaker will be moving to a big girl bed sooner than I thought. 

Faith

I read Elder Nelson's talk last night for my scripture study, it's called Let Your Faith Show. I remember hearing parts of it in the midst of crying kids, but there was so much I missed and it is such an amazing talk. I think it especially hit home last night because it talked about "faith being the antidote to fear". My Dad used to tell me that faith and fear cannot abide together. I thought this applied to moments of life-threatening type fear, but not until recently did I think about how this applies to me right now.

One thing you must know about me is that I am an indecisive person. I become anxious over even small choices, it has gotten better over the years as I have grown into my own skin and have gained some confidence. But, when it comes to big decisions I stress and become worried and fearful I will make the wrong choice.

Last month I was offered a promotion at my job. It came right after Wes and I held a fast that he could get a new job that would better support our family. I have turned down 2 other promotions because I wanted to put family first, and thought I'd turn this one down too, but I decided to pray about it first. After many many weeks of praying, studying, pondering and praying some more, I received no answer, or at least that is what I thought. Lately most of the time when I pray for things I'm devoid of any feeling. It's felt kind of aweful, kind of lonely, and somewhat depressing. I have had plenty of spiritual experiences especially when it comes to studying about Christ and His atonement, but when I try to seek for answers, I feel...well I feel nothing really.

So today, as I pondered this talk and spoke with my wise sister Sarah about these feelings. I realized that perhaps Heavenly Father isn't answering my prayers with a "yes" or "no" because he is expecting me to utilize my faith, stomp out my fear, and make a choice on my own. Perhaps that is my answer. Maybe He is making me dig a little deeper. I know I have definitely studied more than ever lately in hopes to receive answers. Here is what I also know- I know that as I do what is right, as I try hard to make a good decision, He won't let me fail. Perhaps I will make a choice that will be hard and bring a little sorrow, but I know that even in my trials I can grow and He will be there for me, always guiding me.

At the end of Elder Nelson's talk he quotes President Monson who states, "Of course we will face fear... Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with [faith] have courage as well.” What is courage? It is "the ability to do something that frightens one".

It's time for me to put my fears aside and make a decision. I need to have faith in Christ and with that faith will come courage. I can do this. I can grow. I can become the person my Heavenly Father sees in me. I know He is there, even when it's quiet and there seems to be no answers, for He is always there and always will be. For this knowledge I will be eternally grateful.

Truth

"Truth is truth! It is not divisible, and any part of it cannot be set aside."
-Elder Nelson

This quote reminds me of something my Dad said to me while walking together one night. He said to the effect, there is no such thing as half truths and there is no need to say the "whole truth", because either it is true or it is not, and either you are being honest or not. There is no in between when it comes to truth and honesty. He was so wise and how I miss his counsel and wisdom. I can only pray to live up to the kind of person he was and I'm sure is on the other side.

Selfies

We live in an age of selfies. What is a selfie? Wikipedia explains, "A selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Instagram, Twitter, Vine,Snapchat, and Tumblr. They are often casual, and are typically taken either with a camera held at arm's length or in a mirror."

There is a quote that I've seen roaming around Facebook that goes something like, "I can't cook, I can't sew, and I can't knit, but I can take an excellent selfie." I know that's a little extreme, but I often wonder where people find the time to take so many of them much less get ready for them. Or maybe I'm just jealous because everyone else knows how to take cute selfies and mine always turn out less than desirable. So in my case I can't cook, I can't sew, I can't knit and I can't even take a selfie. Looks like I need a different hobby. :)

With that being said, I found a few selfies tonight. The best part, I took 3 at slightly different angles with my hair moved in the faintest or ways. Who knew I was so vain, or maybe it's not vanity, maybe I just adore the sweet girl next to me and all of her cute faces. Love her. Enjoy!

Cooking

I would not consider myself a cook, in fact I would probably rather clean a bathroom than cook. I believe it's a Wasburn trait since not one of my sisters enjoys cooking. However, with that said, I do like it when I try my hand at something new and my family loves it. Tonight was one of those nights. I decided to try a new recipe for roasted sausage and potatoes. In an attempt to make it healthier I added a lot if extra vegetables. I was worried it wouldn't turn out, but it did and it was fabulous! It was nice to have so many compliments from my family, including picky little Gideon.
The best part of the night was when I was prepping and Lily said, "I like this Mom, we should do it more often." So new goal- cook more with Lily. :)

Because of Him

April19th-
Today Mom and I took the kids to the park across the street for a ward pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt. Then Mom so kindly watched them for a few hours so that I could get some chores completed. Wes got home thuds afternoon and we went to out family dinner at Peter Piper Pizza. Afterwards we did a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt. The kids had a blast all day long and although it was busy it was worth every fun-filled minute.

April 20th-
Today is Easter. I have had a lot of thoughts go through my mind and the Spirit has been close to the surface for a week or so now. At the Easter pageant this week I watched the parable of the 10 virgins scene and thought to myself how hard it must have been for the 5 who had enough oil to leave behind the 5 who didn't. They were probably leaving friends and family, but they had to press forward, they could not wait and possibly lose their salvation. We have to do the same, we cannot let those who are not prepared keep us behind.
Then today as I watched the #BecauseofHum video on Mormon.org I was filled with so much awe and wonder and saw the atonement as I never have before. I would share those feelings, but they Are tender and everyone should see it themselves. The following is the link, happy Easter.

Because of Him

More Reminders

Things that I was reminded of today....
1) Never judge, we never know what others are going through. Sometimes even those we are closest to have trials we will never know of or understand.
2) Sometimes it requires every waking moment in order to focus on not yelling at your kids, and even then it's difficult.
3) Michael's and 4 children do not mix well. (Hence the previous comment.)
4) One on one time with a child is amazing and needs to occur more frequently in our home.
5) I miss my husband and do not sleep well when he's not home.
6) Love is something we need to consistently work at, it is not always something we say, it is something we do.
7) Perfectionism hurts and should not be forced on others.
8) Cleaning and organizing a closet while the kids play, means the other 95% of the house is trashed.
9) 5 Guys has delicious hamburgers and fries (and are better when eaten with friends) and Mi Amigos fajitas are fabulous (and are better when eaten with family).
10) The atonement is real and applies to all of us!!!!

Christ- His Last Days

This video explains the last days of Christ so well.

The Last Days

Christ- Was a Little Child

In the craziness of my evening I forgot complete todays Easter week activity with the kids, which was to read Luke 2:40 and 52 and sing "Jesus Once was a Little Child". It looks like tomorrow we'll be doing 2 of the 7 day activities.

However, I did read a few scriptures to the kids about being kind to our brothers that I found in 3 Nephi 12. Steele was shocked when I read him the part about those being angry with their brothers or calling others a "fool" will be in danger of "hell fire". We talked about the need to be kind to our siblings because that is what we are commanded to do by Christ and our Heavenly Father. I think the "hell fire" part might have scared him a little bit, hopefully he will think about it next time he calls Gideon a name or starts to pick on him. :)

I sure love these sweet, but crazy kids. I learn from them daily. I hope every day that I can help them to "increase in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Just as Christ did as a child and also to "[grow] and [wax] strong in spirit". This is my main focus in life in hopes that they will choose the right path and we can eventually be together for eternity with our Father and Jesus Christ.

Christ- Was Born

Tonight for FHE I utilized a link on lds.org that uses scriptures, pictures and songs teaches about Christ and the different stages of His life. Day 1 was "Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born on earth." It also shares the scripture Luke 2:4-7 and recommends singing "He Sent His Son" from the Children's Song Book.

This was such a fun activity, even though it was short, to do with the kids. They love to sing and because the verses were short, we were able to go through and talk about each verse and what the mean. At the end I quizzed the kids a little on what we had learned. I am always amazed at what Steele is able to recall and how well he knows the gospel. I often wonder if he is listening to me, but then he surprises me by answering so many questions correctly. Hopefully as we continue to have FHE and as we continue to teach them each day, they will all obtain knowledge and develop their own testimonies. More than anything else in the life, I want my children to grow and be able to have their own individual testimony of the gospel and of Christ.

Here is the link to Seven Days of Easter. May it be as useful to your home as it was in mine tonight.

Christ- He Lives

In preparation for Easter Sunday, I thought I would dedicate all my blog entries this week to the true meaning of Easter which is Christ. My feelings concerning my Savior have been very close to the surface over the last few weeks. I have always known that He is the Redeemer of the world and has atoned for my sins, but recently my love for Him has grown.

This last week on 3 seperate occasions I have had a spiritual witness that He loves me! He knows me! He has accomplished all that needs to be accomplished for me to have eternal life! Something that I alone could never be worthy of obtaining. I have attended the Easter Pageant many times over the years, but this week as I watched them portray Christ's suffering both before and on the cross, my heart ached like never before. I felt a grief in my soul that I cannot describe. He is truly my Brother and I cried knowing that this man I love suffered for me, has overcome for me and wants me to return to Him again.

I may not know a lot, but this I do know, I...we...everyone has a Savior. He loves each of us. He knows us and He has atoned and overcome the bands of death so that we might live again, just as He lives now. May I do as our Sunday school teacher challenged us today, and that is to make the atonement a part of our lives each and every day. I know as I do this I will draw ever closer to this perfect Man of whom I love and respect with all my heart.

The following link is an excellent video. It is called He is Risen. May it speak to your spirit as it has to mine. Happy Sabbath.

He is Risen

Perfectionism

More than once lately people have pointed out to me that I am too much of a "perfectionist". I know I'm not perfect, but why do I always feel like I should be. I suppose we are taught to follow the Savior's example and He was a perfect man, so perhaps this is were that desire stems from, but I also know that I will never reach perfection in this life.

As I thought more about this, I searched the topic of perfectionism tonight on lds.org. One of the first articles that popped up was the following, Confessions of a Perfectionist. The first  few paragraphs sound identical to my life and state the following...

"I started life as a perfectionist. My mother tells stories of my color-coded closet and sock drawer. If I had order, I felt I had control. Even as a child I was passionate about life and the successes I would make for myself.

I married at a young age in the temple, and we had four children in six years. With the birth of each new baby, I obsessed about losing weight and exercised myself down to my pre-pregnancy size and sometimes even smaller.

I worked from sunup until sundown trying to keep my house a place of order. When people visited, I felt sure they thought I was lazy because my home was not perfect. Though my mother often told me, “You wouldn’t worry so much about what people thought of you if you understood how infrequently they do think about you,” I believed that people were judging me as harshly as I judged myself. I would make excuses. It was a source of embarrassment and heartache, so I tried harder to keep things clean and orderly."

 

She goes on to talk about going back to school with children and wanting to keep a 4.0 and then working afterwards to help with finances. She states that there was so much to do and that she would "wake each morning and pray that I could accomplish everything on my “to do” list, only to be discouraged as I dropped into bed after midnight." I was shocked to see how hard this sister was on herself, but realized that she is so similar to myself it's almost unreal.

 

Many days I wake up and one of the first lines in my morning prayer is, "please help me accomplish all I need to do today". I then go about my day in a fast and somewhat obsessive state. I know there is much to be done and everytime I sit down to relax by reading or looking on the internet I berate myself for not working. The thing I realized tonight and probably the worst part, is the fact that I don't want anyone else in my family to relax either. I get irritated when others are enjoying themselves while I'm still working. I want my house to be perfect and I want them to help me make it perfect. But is it necessary? Of course not. Mopping the floor once a week is sufficient, and the other 2 times could be spent playing a game with my kids or spending some extra time snuggling with Makenzie. Wes mentioned the other night that I should spend more time being silly with the kids, he is right and perhaps as I do this there will be less arguing between them and me because I won't be so frustrated when they aren't working.

 

This sister finishes out the article by sharing 7 ways to find peace in this journey to perfection.

1. Pray for guidance. Many of our choices as Latter-day Saints are between good things. Prayer can help us discern our best possible options.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others. Chances are you compare your weaknesses to other people’s strengths.
3. Be gentle with yourself. Christ is a gentle teacher. He is gentle with us, and we also need to be gentle with ourselves. Acknowledge you are doing the best you can. Be accepting of your efforts and those of others.
4. Forgive yourself. If you fall backward—brush yourself off and start where you left off. All is not lost.
5. Don’t worry what others are thinking of you. It is really only important that you know how the Lord feels about you.
6. Acknowledge the fruits of your labors. Write them down in a journal. Even during the Creation of the earth, the Lord acknowledged the beauty and effectiveness of his tasks each day: “God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:12).
7. Be thankful. We know that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. “Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Ne. 2:25). Rejoicing in Christ and in our many blessings is the best way to show gratitude. A daily closing prayer is a great opportunity to thank the Lord for all your abundance.

I particularly like number 2 and 6. I know that I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others. This only makes me work harder to be perfect and the problem is none of us can be strong/perfect in everything. There  is not enough time in the day. We all have weaknesses, we will always have things to work on, we have to, if we didn't we wouldn't be here on the earth. I also know that as I have taken the time to write things down the last few weeks, I have felt a little better about myself. Some of my best journal entries have been the ones where I go through my day to see all I accomplished. I may not have accomplished everything, but most of the time I'm able to see what was completed and that most of the time it was a lot! When I do this I'm usually not so hard on myself and am able to have a more grateful attitude.

 

Perfectionism is not a bad thing, in many ways it is exactly what we should be striving for, but we can't let it overtake us and drive a wedge between ourselves and the ones we love. My goal this week is to focus less on perfection and more on just doing my best. I'll finish with Elder Wirthlin's quote for this is my new motto, "We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else. All we have to do is to be the very best we can.” May we all find peace within knowing that none of us has to be perfect today.  

 

 

 

National Sibling Day

Facebook was full of pictures of people's siblings today. I laughed at first, but then realized who fun it was to see everyone's family. I shared my pictures there, but figured I would do it here as well. Here's my FB post today....

I guess I'll join in on National Sibling Day and post some pictures of my crazy siblings, both by blood and marriage. Sometimes I wonder how I can possibly be related to them...other times I don't know what I would do without them! Glad to call each of them family!

Utah

I want to live in Utah. I love Utah. I wish Wes would appease me and let us move our little family there. This picture explains a little bit why I love Utah....

I took this picture on a trip to Utah with my friend Kaylee, these flowers are located on Temple Square. But more than flowers and Temple Square, I love these....

 

What I wouldn't give to live at the base of the beautiful Utah mountains. I remember flying into Utah last year and just having a sense of being "home". Utah is definitely not home as I have lived in AZ all my life, but there is something that draws you to the explicit grandeur of the mountains and for me it really feels like a peace of Heaven.

 

I know that it seems silly for me to want to move somewhere just for the scenery, but considering we are a family who loves to be outdoors and exercise, it would be a definite perk to live somewhere with such an amazing backdrop. Who knows, maybe one day I'll convince my sweet, but hard-headed husband that the saying "a happy wife = a happy life" is in fact a true quote...just saying. :)

General Conference

What a great weekend this has been. I love General Conference, so much so, that today I actually cried during the final closing prayer. Part of why I love it so much is the fact that I feel so close to my Dad when I watch it. My Dad loved Conference, he always made it a priority, I loved sitting next to him as he wrote his notes and pointed certain parts of the talks out to me. I know he would have loved Elder Utchdorfs talk today. It enlighten me and gave me new insights and knowledge that I've never before thought of. I will post more on his talk in a future post. I look forward to going to conference in 6 months with Steele, I'm excited to start a new tradition that will hopefully be one that my kids won't forget and will help them grow to love Conference as much as I do.

For more information on GeneralConference go to lds.org.

Missionary Work

Today was the start of General Conference weekend. General Conference is when Mormons across the world gather together to watch and listen to the Prophet and Apostles speak. It is something I look forward to every 6 months because I always feel spiritually rejuvinated. Today's sessions were just as good as ever.

Most of the talks today were on missionary work, both in this life and the next. I couldn't help and think about my Dad, especially when they talked about missionary work on the other side of the veil. I can only imagine how hard my Dad is working over there, he never stopped while on earth, so I'm sure he is going just as strong there. Because of this, I need to do my part here and make sure that I'm teaching the gospel and helping to spread the word to my neighbors and friends. I figure I will start small and invite one of my close friends to the Easter Pagaent. I have invited neighbors and aquaitances in the past, but never a close friend, so this year I will remedy that and see if I can't help someone that I love feel the sweet spirit I always feel when I go.

I'm so grateful to have the Gospel in my life. It has given me knowledge and direction that has kept me on a straight and narrow path. Frequently I think about the blessings I have been given and no matter how I look at it, I realize that all of my blessings come from my Heavenly Father. I will be forever indebted to Him and will continue to try my best to be the person He would have me be.

Makenzie Rose

This little girl brings so much joy to our family. She is loved by all of us and can bring a smile to anyone who is frowning or sad. In her baby blessing she was told that she will bring much joy and happiness to many lives, well she is already doing just that in her own home. Love her!!!

Multitasking and Hello Dolly

Tuesdays entry-
I have learned that my life requires multiple-tasking. For example, I talk on the phone while doing dishes or other cleaning, I do my make-up while listening to the scriptures or conference talks, I exercise and write in my journal (like I'm doing right now) all of these things help me to accomplish more each day. Multi-tasking is good as long as I remember to slow down, allow time for meditation and remember that when it comes to the Lord and prayer, I should not multi-task. :)

Thursday-
Today I went to Mesa High's Hello Dolly with Steele and Lily. I was a bit worried prior to going that they wouldn't like it because it's a musical and frequently the vocabulary is difficult to understand, but to my surprise they both liked it, especially Steele. He was so cute sitting next to me laughing and pointing at the things he thought were interesting. At the intermission I let them each buy a candy to eat during Act II, he kept turning to me and saying, "thanks Mom" and sweet Lily, "this is SO fun!" It was just what the doctor ordered considering Steele and I have been arguing a lot with eachother and he has started into a very "independent" phase that I'm having trouble understanding and dealing with. It also made me think about the kind of entertainment that is bombarding my kids. I want to take them to more wholesome things like plays, musicals, etc. Steele even said he would like to be in a play when he gets older, perhaps he is not too young to look into doing theater, he definitely has the personality and the confidence. As I left tonight I was just so grateful that we still have good things in the world and that I had the chance to spend some time with 2 of my kids doing something that hopefully they will remember for a long time.

March Monday

It's Monday, it's the last day of March, those 2 things alone provided a very full day.

It began by volunteering in Gideon's classroom. We had to do a "lockdown drill". It was sad to me to see all those small kindergarten children sitting on the floor in the dark room having to be quiet while we pretended someone with a gun had gotten into the building. What has this world come to? :( Thankfully most of the kids didn't realize what we were really practicing for, it was more fun for them.

Following volunteering I went to work, visited 4 patients, and was grateful for the sweet spirit these patients have, it gives me strength every day I am with them.

From work I was off to Costco to buy cake, pizza, and flowers for a fellow ward member's birthday party, then off to the dollar store to get vases and cards so that I could drop off flowers and a card to the ladies I visit teach. Once I got home it was arranging and preparing for the party while I was on the phone calling in medications and supplies for the patients I visited today. Friends began to arrive, the birthday girl and her family arrived, we ate, we sang happy birthday, we laughed and we called it a night.

Following the party I dropped flowers and cards off to the 3 sisters I visit, plus one more bunch of flowers and a card to a sister that is struggling and who I love dearly. Then over to give cake to a favorite family in our ward and home to read scriptures and pray with the kids (who Wes so kindly prepared for bed). After the bedtime routine it was cleaning up, documenting, exercising and now writing in my journal.

The last thing I plan to do tonight is take a quick shower and pray that tomorrow can only be so good, even if it means being just as busy.

Good night blogger world!

Eagle Project for a Cell Phone

Steele asked for a cell phone today. WHAT?!? I am not ready to start fending off the cell phone requests. I know a lot of children have them, but I feel it's not necssary in our case. Steele is either with family, close friends or at school. In any of those situations he can call me without the need of a cell phone. As Steele was going on about how he wanted a cell phone and felt he was responsible enough to have one and how all of his friends have one, I decided to make a deal with him. I told him that before he gets a cell phone he has to get his Eagle from Boy Scouts. I remember all of my brothers having to complete their Eagles before getting their drivers license and since cell phones are now more popular than driving for teens this may just be a great goal for him. I guess now whenever he asks me for a cell phone I don't have to dread it so much because it will be a great opportunity to remind him about what he needs to accomplish first.

Random Thoughts

A few things from today....

I cleaned the house like crazy and am laying on clean sheets as I write this, feels so good!

Wes, Steele and Gideon went fishing. They spent the majority of the day preparing for it, then spent a few hours getting there, fished for 3 hours, then traveled home. Number of fish caught? 0

Sarah and I spent 2 and a half hours in Hobby Lobby. I have never done that before. It was awesome!!! I bought a bunch of paper to modge podge a cabinet, I'm excited to see the final product.

Watched the General Women's Conference with my Mom and Sarah, the Spirit was strong, how grateful I am for wonderful leaders.

Lily and I watched Frozen together, it was my first time watching it, very cute, but I'm not convinced it was worth all the fuss. I do like the music though.

Tonight my Mom told me she caught Lily teaching her cousin Wyndell about "choosing the right" and "keeping the commandments", at least one child is paying attention to my lectures.

Spent time with my family, I love them and I'm glad I have the opportunity live with them for eternity.

Desires and Appetites

Recently I've heard someone say, "Why should I control my desires? It's a natural urge and nothing to feel guilty about". This question was not directed towards me, but it made be think about how I might answer it. Tonight I found that answer in the talk Decisions for Eternity. In regards to controlling our desires/appetites Elder Nelson states, "A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery—the strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines your moral responses in difficult, tempting, and trying situations...When we master our appetites within the bounds of God’s laws, we can enjoy longer life, greater love, and consummate joy."

I will be the first to admit that I am a work in progress and that I am still trying to "master my appetites", but I will also admit that at a young age I was able to control certain desires and I truly believe that because I learned this early on it led me to the point where I am now...and I kind of like this point.

For example, most of my early life I grew up overweight with a great appetite for food, especially junk food (I REALLY liked it!). A lot of the time food was a way to fill time, a comfort and at times the only thing I thought could bring me happiness. By the age of 14 I realized that I was not happy and far from comfortable with the person I had become, so I decided to change things. One of the first steps in this process was to control my appetite for food. It started small (eating a few bites less each meal) and over the years has become part of who I am. I continue to enjoy the things most people enjoy, but for the most part I know when to stop, I can control myself. Because of this control I have been able to find other things that make me happy. I have lost weight, and yes that is beneficial, but more than anything, I have gained a little more confidence in myself and am more comfortable with who I am.

Although this may seem simple to some, and may not be exactly what Elder Nelson is talking about, it is important to me. I believe that because I have chosen to control my appetite with food I will live a longer healthier life and will have much more joy while I live it. Who knows, perhaps this one area of self-mastery in my life has led to many others and I didn't even realize it. I know I have a long ways to go when it comes to "self-mastery", but I will continue to work on keeping my "desires, appetites and passions....within the bounds the Lord has set."

Just for fun, I thought I would share a "before" and an "after" picture. The first was taken when I was 13, right before my brother left on his mission, the second was the end of last year, 2014. Although I may be more confident and comforable, I am grateful for the 13-year-old girl then who has helped me become my 30-year-old self now. :)

Death

People frequently ask me, "how do you do hospice nursing?" or say "that takes a special person to do hospice." I have to admit that I don't really feel like I'm that special, I think I love this job because I know death is not the end for any of us. This quote by Elder Nelson about death sums up my thoughts...

"The aging process is a gift from God, as is death. The eventual death of your mortal body is essential to God’s great plan of happiness. Why? Because death will allow your spirit to return home to Him. From an eternal perspective, death is only premature for those who are not prepared to meet God."

How grateful I am for the knowledge of eternal life, for this knowledge not only makes my job easier, but brings great joy and peace to my life.

Good, Better, Best

Another busy day. Between work, kids homework, dentist appointments, tending kids, cleaning the house, being on-call, trying to exercise (emphasis on trying), scripture study and journal entries, I feel like I'm stretched so thin. The crazy part is, even if I didn't have all of this to do, I would still probably fill my days/hours with other things. I think a lot of women (and men) are the same way and I don't think that it is necessarily a bad thing as long as we are keeping our focus on what is most important.

Elder Oaks gave an excellent talk on this subject in October 2007 called Good, Better, Best. He starts out by saying "Most of us have more things expected of us than we can possibly do. As breadwinners, as parents, as Church workers and members, we face many choices on what we will do with our time and other resources." In the next paragraph he states, "We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives."

Every time I read this talk I am reminded that although I may fill my life with "good" things, am I really filling it with the "best" things? Probably not. This will most likely be a life long lesson for me as I learn to prioritize the "good, better and best" things, but I'm grateful that each day I can continue to try.

One thing I do know, now that we are nearly half way through this health challenge, I realize it has helped me tremendously in putting scripture study and journaling as a priority. I truly feel that these 2 things have been the "best" things I could have done in my life as I have faced great trials the last few weeks. How grateful I am to my friend for challenging me to do this, who knew it would be such a blessing in my life. May I continue to do good things, with a focus on the "best" things.

Here is the link to the article for those who are interested in reading the entire talk. Good Better Best

And just because I couldn't help it, here are some of the other "best" things in my life. :)

General Women's Conference

I am looking forward to this Saturday when millions of women around the world will have the opportunity to gather together in churches or homes around the world and listen to the teachings of our leaders.

We are blessed to be called women and the following video is a great reminder that we are wonderful just the way we are, Celebrate Sisterhood. For more information on Saturday's broadcast, visit lds.org. :)

Time

I was recently offered a big promotion at work, one that may pay nearly what Wes and I make combined and could eventually lead to bigger things. It is tempting, very tempting, but I constantly have this thought in the back of my mind, "how often do you hear someone at the end of their life say 'I wish I would have worked more'. Not often, in fact I've never heard someone say that, it's usually, 'I wish I would have spent more time with my kids '.

Tonight I found this quote by President Monson, and it puts my thoughts into more detailed words, he states, "Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, ‘I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.’ Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. ‘Where did the years go?’ they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present.”

I know each person has different circumstances, but the more I think about my own, I can think of 4 beautiful reasons that for the time being I probably shouldn't take the job offer. How grateful I am for the sweet reminders and the great counsel I receive as I study the scriptures and the words of our modern Prophets. Happy Sunday!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Work

I currently work for Homestead Hospice. Prior to doing hospice I worked at Chandler Regional hospital. When I went into nursing I thought I would be in L&D, a dream job, but I started on telemetry and it was difficult. I dreaded most days going into work. Then a fellow co-worker of mine introduced me to the hospice company she was working for and once I started there I thought I found the perfect job for me.

Now almost a year later I realize, that although I love it at hospice, every job has pros and cons. I miss the business of the hospital and the ongoing learning environment, I don't miss the back-breaking days or the constant worry I might lose my license if I made a mistake because there wasn't time to slow down. With hospice I love the flexible hours, the time I can spend with my patients and the pay is nice too. However, the various phone calls that come in almost daily and the on-call weekends are difficult.

Today my work paid for pedicures for the nurses, it reminded me I'm lucky to have a job that recognizes it's employees. I realized afterwards that I need to focus on the good parts of work because if I focus on the bad it will start to make my life miserable. So, until the day I can quit and take on my ultimate "dream" job of being a mom, then I will try to have a more positive attitude.

I'd like to close out my post tonight with this excellent quote by Elder Todd D. Christofferson of the 12 apostles, he states, "By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires.”

Hard Days

I had a hard day today and my feelings are too fresh to write about it in detail. Perhaps I will sit down in the future and write about it, but not tonight. I know hard days will come, this life is not without its trials, but there are lessons to be learned from the trials we face. Today I was faced with one of the scariest moments of my life and as difficult as that moment was, I am so grateful it was not worse and even more grateful for the lessons I learned without having to face tragedy.

The one thing about this day that stands out above everything, was the moment I was laying on the couch staring at the wall and thought to myself, "it would be so easy to fall into a deep depression". This life is tough. I really felt that it would be so much easier just to lay there and wallow in my sorrow. Yet, after a long period of crying and not feeling much of anything I realized that if I didn't get up right then and do something, anything, that darkness I felt was going to overcome me. So I got up. What I did next was so minor, but it was what I needed, I paid some bills. This may not have been a relief to anyone else, but it was for me. I needed some reason to take a step forward and having to pay our housing/medical bills helped me remember that I am needed and what I do is small, but important.

With that being said, my heart still aches and I feel kind of empty tonight, but I felt the love and strength of my Savior as I got up and moved forward. I have had hard days and I know I will have more hard days, but as I have faith and follow the commandments, I will be as Elder Anderson says, "strengthened and spiritually refined."

Elder Anderson's talk "Trial of Your Faith" is excellent and worth the time to read, particularly if you are going through any sort of trial.

Dinner Service

Tonight Wes and I fed 5 households.

It all started when I signed us up to feed the missionaries a few weeks ago. On Sunday Wes came home and told me he offered to help a family in the ward with dinner on Wednesdays because the mom is single and doesn't get home till late. Then on Monday I saw a neighbor of ours whose daughter has been in the hospital for 4 months and asked if we could drop dinner by sometime this week, turns out Wednesday worked out best. And of course, since we had so much food, I couldn't help but to call my mom and ask if we could bring her dinner as well.It was a busy afternoon, food was everywhere and the kitchen was a bit of a mess, but it was fun and Wes enjoyed acting like he was on the Iron Chef.

I know that dinner is a small thing, but I also know that everytime we provide a meal for another family my day is brighter. Even after a day like today where the kids were crazy and Wes and I argued, by the end everything was a little better. Service does wonders to the soul.

I found a quote tonight that I wanted to share that goes along with this post. It puts into one brief paragraph what service means. Derek Cuthbert said, "Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, and brings out the best in each one of us. It gets us looking outward instead of inward. It prompts us to consider others’ needs ahead of our own. Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such as the Savior showed."

May we all be changed by service.

Visitor's Center

Yesterday for family home evening Wes and I took the kids to the Visitors Center at the Temple. It's always one of my favorite things to do for family nights because it's so beautiful and peaceful there (except for the occasional screaming child). My kids love it because there are so many different buttons to press and plenty of movies to watch. We spent time looking at the Jerusalem display, the art exhibit and of course the Christus statue.

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things from our visit last night...

1) I found a plaque with the part of the scripture from 1 Nephi 17:40, it stated, "And he loveth those who will have him to be their God." I've never noticed this verse before and I don't know why, but reading it this time struck me as significant.

2) Wes caught a couple if great pictures. This one in particular warms my heart....


Through the eyes of a child.
 

Here are a few more that I loved. I am so thankful that we can spend time together as a family each Monday night. It is a time for us to grow together, learn together and love together.

I love this family of mine!

 

 

Jerusalem

Feeling the nail prints in His feet.

The Longest Hour

Disclaimer: I love church, I know the gospel is true, and I learn something new nearly each week I attend meetings. It is a blessing that I have the opportunity to and am capable of attending church every week.

Now, with that being said, I have to admit that sometimes the Sacrement hour with 4 small children and husband in the bishopric can be a bit overwhelming, sometimes even torturous, today was one of those days. (Sacrament is our main church meeting where everyone congregates to listen to fellow members teach/talk about Christ, scriptures, prophets, etc.)

I'll back up and explain how my day started. I woke up this morning to my room spinning, I have been getting dizzy off and on for over a month and today it hit hard. Normal people would probably say "I'm going back to bed for the day", but for some reason I always think if I just keep going eventually it will get better...not my best idea today. Trying to battle the dizziness and nagging headache while keeping 4 kids quiet in Sacrament meeting was almost unbearable. I felt like I was losing my mind at times. I'll try to portray the scene...

There we were, Gideon, me, Makenzie, Lily and Steele. Gideon is asking me what page the next hymn is on by saying "is it this one?" over and over and over. Makenzie is screaming everytime a finger even comes with in one foot of her cheerios, and not just the "shh" it's okay scream, it's the I will break windows with my high-pitched voice scream. Lily is whining that she wants a blanket, a doll, or whatever other thing Makenzie pulls out of my diaper bag and Steele is tearing up multiple pieces of paper to make airplanes and who knows what else. Eventually, Makenzie's screaming gets out of control and I have to meet another sister in the foyer so I can watch her baby while she plays a special musical number. (Mind you the 5 minutes in the foyer where quite possibly the most well behaved 5 minutes Makenzie was the entire 3 hours.) Once the musical number is over I attempt to go back and sit with my other 3 children because heaven only knows what they will do without any parent supervision. By the time I sit back down it is now Lily, Makenzie, me, Gideon and Steele and the entertainment has turned to Lily make loud car noises with a neighbor's toy cars, Makenzie climbing up and down off of the bench, me reminding myself "to stay calm, they are only children", and Gideon and Steele playing a loud game of thumb wars. To make it worse, everytime I turn to one child and ask them to be quiet or to sit still the others realize I'm not watching and return to their antics.

It probably seemed a lot worse to me than it really was simply because of the fact that I didn't feel well, but either way, that hour and 10 minutes was pretty rough today. In fact lately that first hour of church is just plain hard. The amazing part is, even with all the craziness around me I somehow always leave feeling uplifted and thankful that I was there. Today was no exception, the talks and testimonies were wonderful and I felt close to the Spirit.

Someday I will look back on these years and smile and reminesce about the "craziness" of it all, but until then forgive me if I complain or if I look overwhelmed. For now, I am trying my hardest to simply make it through each day, or in this case each hour of the day. I know I am blessed, I know I am loved and I know my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ understand me and will provide comfort when needed. How grateful I am for this knowledge, because it makes the hard times (or the long hour) more bearable.

Happy Sunday!

Camping

We went camping this weekend with the ward. Of course the boys always look forward to camping, but it was a little surprising how excited Lily was, she talked about it non-stop for a week. We went to a little spot in Queen Valley on the east side of the Superstition mountains, it was a beautiful spot in the desert.

We arrived just after the sun was setting. We set up our tent and then Wes, and me, but mostly Wes, made this AMAZING dinner complete with lean steak, yellow squash, red potatoes, onion, carrots and celery. Wes loved it, I loved it and the kids loved it! After dinner we had a small devotional. Wes and I stayed up much too late talking with friends, but I have to admit learning about other ward members is always a favorite part of the ward activity for me.

The night was long and very cold, but the kids were champs and slept all through the night, however, Wes and I are getting old and didn't sleep all that well. Breakfast was fabulous and we spent the rest of the trip simply enjoying narture and life.

On the way home we asked the kids what their favorite part of the trip was and these were their responses....

Steele- "hiking around the rocks and playing with the other kids"
Gideon- "putting sticks in the fire and shooting guns"
Lily- "looking for crystal diamond rocks"
Wes- "making and eating dinner"
Me- "snuggling with Wes and Makenzie to stay warm"

It's fun hearing their answers. I love that each one was different because each one gives a little example of that specific person's personality. How grateful I am for my children, husband and ward and I'm looking forward to more fun campouts.

My favorite picture, Steel and Gideon watching the fire together. It's probably the first time this week they were within 10 feet of eachother and not fighting....wish there were more moments like this!

 

Trials and Change

Yesterday I got my feelings hurt. I won't go into details because what happened is not important. What is important is what I learned as I walked with my mom later that night. I was reminded that we can never fully understand why certain people treat us the way they do, perhaps they had a particularly bad day, or maybe something tragic happened. Either way we all have bad days and shouldn't judge others who may be struggling.

The trials we face, even the small ones like hurt feelings, help us to grow and become better. I know that when people treat me badly, after the inital "pity me" feeling, I move on to "I will never treat someone like that" feeling. We have been counseled through scripture that on earth we will endure trials which will help us to learn and become stronger. I know this to be true and will continue to endure to the end...hurt feelings or not. :)

So the above was my post from yesterday that I never pulished because I fell asleep. Now on to todays post....

Today is March 13, 2014. March 13th has a lot of meaning in our family. March 13, 2005- Wes proposed to me. March 13, 2008- my sweet nephew Waylon returned home to his Heavenly Father. March 13, 2012- we received the shocking news that my Dad had cancer.

Although Wes and I recognize this day as special day, many may feel like it also represents a day of sadness and bad memories. However, in my mind this day is not a day of "good" or "bad" it is a day of "change".

Life is all about change. Sometimes change is good, such as a marrirage proposal. Sometimes that change is difficult for us to understand, such as a death of a child. Somtimes we wonder how we can deal with change, especially when it comes in the form of a life-threatening illness. Yet, looking back on each of these situations I feel like I can get a glimpse of what God has planned for us.

From the very beginning humans have dealt with changes, throughout the scriptures we read about change. I.e. Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden, the cleansing of the earth in Noah's time, Moses leading the children of Israel to the promised land, etc. In each of these stories God had a plan for His children. He saw what He needed to do to help them grow and become a stronger more faithful people and frequently it involved a significant amount of change.

We are not exempt from change. Change is good. Even when it is hard, change is often necessary. Just like the examples in the scriptures, change will help us to become stronger, it will help to increase our faith, it will often bring us to our knees and in so doing will draw us closer to our Heavenly Father.

I am so grateful to my family, particularly my sister Sarah and my Mom, who have set a wonderful example to me about how to endure change and become better because of it. I may not always welcome change, but change blesses lives, I know it has blessed mine. May I continue to look for the good in change and use it to become a more positive and faithful child of God.

Quote of the Day

This is a quote one of the brethren shared in fast and testimony meeting last Sunday. It is on repentance and it spoke volumes to my Spirit. I know I am far from perfect and I frequently falter, but I also know that The Lord has atoned for my sins and weaknesses and through him I can be redeemed. 

"The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy."

Baptism

Steele is getting baptized in a little more than 2 months. I found this link on lds.org that will help me prepare him for baptism.
Baptism
There are some excellent talks and videos that will help me teach him about the importance of baptism. How grateful I am that he has made his own choice to be baptized. He is maturing and growing into such a wonderful little boy. I love him dearly and always will.

Technology

I'm attempting to post my entry from my phone tonight since it's late and I don't feel like getting out of my bed. It's amazing to me that this generation has so many accessible tools. Some, like the phone I use to write this, as small as my hand. It seems technology is advancing faster than ever. What's even more amazing is the fact that my small children know how to work it all! It will be a blessing and a curse to them in years to come, just like it is for the rest of us. And although technology can be a source of temptation, I am so grateful for it. It is a source for education, it provides entertainment, it makes work easier, but more than anything it has made missionary work practical and far-reaching. There is no doubt in my mind, God foresees and guides all things, including technology.

Good night my technological, blogging world!

My Children

My days off revolve around my children. I wouldn't have it any other way. From the time I wake up to the moment  I lay down at night, almost everything I do or think about in some way has to do with each of them.

Today was no different. I woke up to get the boys off to school, then I helped Lily and Makenzie with breakfast. After a morning of cleaning up after child-made messes, I headed off to pick up Gideon and then over to cheer on Steele during his fun-run. Now that was a proud mommy moment. Steele didn't know I was coming, so often I can't, but today I made the effort to go and the look on his face was priceless when he saw me, it almost made me cry cause he was so happy we had all come. Perhaps our presence helped push him, because he ran 3 miles today. After his fun run I had an hour to kill with the little ones so we grabbed a sandwhich before driving back to get Steele.

Once home, we rode bikes, washed dirty clothes, took naps, played a few games and then waited for Daddy (their favorite time of day). Sweet Wes made dinner today, I was so tired, and making dinner is better than bringing home flowers. After dinner we loaded up and went to the Phoenix Children's Museum. This was the best part of my day. I know I am not a perfect mom, but I feel pretty special when each of my kids ask me to play with them. When Steele looked up at me tonight and said,
"Mom can you play with me?" or when Makenzie grabbed my finger to have me follow her, or when Gideon and Lily wanted me to join their fun, that's when I know I have done something right because they still want me around. :)

Tonight as I tucked each of them in their beds I silently prayed that I can be the kind of mom they will always want to be around, the friend they can confide in, the person who will keep them safe. They are my joy, I think about them, speak about them, worry about them, write about them, love them. How grateful I am for each one of them.

Thursday Highlights

I thought I would share a few highlights from my day today.

• When I dropped the kids off at Wes's moms, I was informed that I needed to get Makenzie's baby. Why? Because Makenzie spent the afternoon yesterday trying to find it by continually dumping out the diaper bag. Her strong personality continues to surprise me!
• I was told by an nurse practitioner that she was impressed about the decisions I had made regarding a pt and that she was pleasantly surprised about how well the pt was doing.
• My director of nursing complimented me by saying I was an exceptional case manager.
• Went to Steele's "Cottage Fair" at Eduprize all about dinasours, he was so proud of his board and told me he thought his was the "best". He has so much confidence, it makes me smile.
• Gideon had a fun run and ran 35 (short) laps. He id an amazing little athlete.
• Lily wore her monkey beanie to bed tonight. She always makes me laugh with her sense of style and her sassy attitude.
• Makenzie somehow snuck outside while I was taking the trash barrell out. I never saw her and closed the door after coming inside. Two kind ladies rang to doorbell soon after to tell us she was outside. My heart sank at the thought that it could have been so much worse and I have been saying silent prayers of gratitude all night long.
• Following Makenzie's scare, I snuggled with her and Lily and pondered my blessings and wondered about all the times to Lord has blessed and answered my prayers. I know that He watches over me and my family continually.
• I ran on the treadmill to relieve some of the days stress.

Today was particularly hard for some reason. Stressful and hard moments were common in my day. However, as I sat down to think about what happened today, I realized that although there were many moments I could complain about, there were just as many that were positive. How grateful I am for all my blessing great or small, and how grateful I am for trials that help me to see my blessings. May tomorrow be another day full of both (but preferrably more blessings). :)