I'm Thankful For. . .

1. The innocent mischief of a clever one-year-old

2. A healthy body--I can't run fast but I CAN run (when I decide I want to anyway)

3. Children who are thriving despite all of my shortcomings

4. True friends, old and new

5. Living within our means

6. Webcams, email and all the other modern conveniences that keep me connected to what matters most

7. Eternal perspective

8. My own goodly parents

9. A warm home to protect us from the literal and figurative storms that rage

10. Faith, Hope and Charity

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Mourning With Those that Mourn

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Alma's counsel to "mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. . ."

In the past few days I have attended two funerals and met a man who lost his son in combat in Afghanistan just a few weeks ago.

One funeral was for the father of a close friend who had been in poor health for many years and unexpectedly passed away. This is the fourth immediate family member that my sweet friend has lost in less than ten years. I don't know her family very well and debated whether or not I should even attend the service, but Alma's words continued to come to my mind and I remembered that funerals are about bringing comfort and peace to the living. So I went and I'm very glad I did. In learning about this humble faithful man I was able to understand and love my friend even more.

The second funeral was for a remarkable young man from an amazing family that I have known for many years. This sweet brother had been severely disabled since birth and had never learned to walk or talk, yet he leaves an incredible legacy of love and faith with everyone who has ever known him. I felt very blessed to be able give a smile and a hug to his family members and feel of their love for him and their faith in his eternal purpose.

Talking to the father of a fallen hero was probably the most difficult of all. I was at a complete loss for words. All I could do was look him in the eyes and say, "Thank you." I was filled with so much gratitude for the sacrifice his family has made and for their faithful example as they carry on without their beloved soldier.

As I have pondered these experiences I have come to understand something about Alma's words that I didn't know before: Mourning with those who mourn is not an obligation it is a privilege.

A Few Thoughts I Have Had Recently That I Could Never Actually Say Out Loud. . .

1. By the looks of that grocery cart you're having simple carbs with a side of trans fat for dinner.

2. If your daily status updates on Facebook are always about what's happening on your favorite reality TV shows, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

3. I told you so.

4. Did you sue your tattoo artist for that mess on your back?--because you should.

5. Please don't complain to me about how much your husband has to travel for work.

6. You do know that Robert Pattinson isn't really Edward Cullen, right?

7. I completely disagree with you but I'm not going to tell you that.

8. I am such a freaking dork!!

9. Dude, those soccer players that you are maniacally yelling at are eight-year-old girls. Calm the heck down!

10. Are you serious with that outfit?

The 5K

Let me just start by saying that I live in pretty much the greatest ward there is.

Our bishop firmly believes in the need to "do hard things." At the beginning of the year we were challenged to read the Book of Mormon before April General Conference. He called it the "Ironman" challenge because reading the entire Book of Mormon in that short amount of time is not an easy undertaking. After that spiritual challenge was complete he challenged us to something physical--a 5K race.

So for the past several months our ward has been working together to prepare ourselves to be up to the challenge. There have been classes on training and nutrition, groups of walkers and runners meeting to workout together, and a fireside focusing on the spiritual nature of running this race of life. It has been inspiring and motivating and unifying for our ward.

This morning was the race.

Now I admit I wasn't as prepared as I could have been, but I knew at the very least I could walk it without too much trouble, having already done a 5K earlier in the summer. And I actually ended up running more than I thought I would.

But in the end the value of the experience wasn't even about the running. It was great to be part of something bigger than me--a goal we have all had together and now we were seeing come to pass. It was sweet to see people of all ages pushing themselves to do something difficult. I heard cheers of encouragement and laughter. I felt an immense measure of joy to be out with friends on a crisp fall morning enjoying this beautiful world the Lord has given us.

I don't even know who finished first and it doesn't even matter. We all won today.

Pancake Epiphany

I made pancakes for dinner today. (Yes, I make pancakes for Sunday dinner. I do it all the time. It's supposed to be a day of rest, you know. Having pancakes is actually a good day. Some Sundays we all just kind of forage around in the refrigerator.) We were almost out of Bisquick so I made them from scratch, which honestly only takes about three minutes longer than making them from a mix.

As I was cooking I was reminded of that Pepto Bismal commercial that came out a few years ago where the kids surprise their parents with breakfast in bed. The mom says, "What's this?" to which the kids joyfully reply, "Pancakes!" The dad digs in as the mom whispers, "We don't have the stuff to make pancakes." (I guess the implication is that dad will now need a dose of Pepto after his mystery breakfast.)

So today as I mixed flour and baking powder with a bit of milk and egg and such, I was struck with the thought--Who in the world does NOT have the stuff to make pancakes?! They are made from the most basic of pantry essentials. Even if I don't have milk or eggs in the fridge I always have those things in powdered form in my basement. I also have two cases of maple syrup that I got at the Lindon cannery. I always have the stuff to make pancakes.

I guess that's the beauty of provident living. That come what may--whether it be spontaneous breakfast in bed or a major natural disaster--at the very least, we can have pancakes.

And that is a very reassuring thought.

A Perfect Day

My sweet baby daughter is already EIGHT years old. I can hardly believe it!

Saturday she was baptized and we couldn't have hoped for a more perfect day.

We were lucky enough to be able to baptize her in my brother's ward so that she could share her special day with her cousin who is just a few weeks younger than she is. In their ward the families of the children being baptized are able to plan the service, and since my nephew was the only child from their ward being baptized that day, we could plan the meeting ourselves and make it very personal. The speakers were all the grandparents and the young family members--including the two being baptized--provided the musical number.

Imagine seeing your only daughter dressed all in white standing up in front of every one singing:

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.

Yes, I bawled like a baby.

I am so proud of my little girl--who she is and who she is becoming.

To Live Like a Baby

I have watched this sweet boy grow and change before my very eyes over the past ten months. The first year of life is absolutely magical--so much amazing development, so much to discover and it comes and goes way, way, WAY too fast!

I know the scriptures tell us that we should be as a little child but I've wondered over the past year or so what would life be like if we could live as a little baby.

Of course there are some aspects of the baby gig I am happy I don't have to deal with, the use of diapers and general lack of control of bodily functions being at the top of the list. Also, I don't think I'd really enjoy the prospect of having half of my dinner scraped off my face and served to me a second time before I actually eat it.

But there are some parts of babyhood that would be nice to be able to hold onto.

I wouldn't mind getting two naps a day and snoozing in the car while someone else did the driving. I would also like the latitude to break down into tears when I'm exhausted and have just had enough.

I think it would be great if I could throw my arms in the air and giggle every time someone I adored entered the room. Sometimes as grown-ups we don't get to express glee as openly as we might feel it.

Imagine a world where you could use all five senses all the time to discover EVERYTHING about the world around you. ("My what a lovely wristwatch you have. I think I'll have a taste.")

And I think we could all use a few more snacks at church.

And Viewers Like YOU!

(This blog post turned into more of a tirade than I had initially planned. You don't have to agree with me. I'll still love you!)

The other day my kids were watching an episode of Arthur on PBS. Buster the slobby rabbit suddenly became a germaphobe. It was cute and funny and rather educational.

It reminded me how much I have grown to LOVE PBS programming for kids.

In the nearly ten years I've been a mother I have come to depend on it. My kids have grown up with Elmo, Arthur, and (I hate to admit it) Barney. Now they're into the new Electric Company and Word Girl. I've even picked up a few favorites of my own that weren't around when I was little, like Between the Lions and Arthur. I even kind of miss Zoboomafoo.

Of course, that doesn't mean that I haven't had a few criticisms of PBS Kids shows through the years.

Like, what the heck was up with that show Boo-Bah? It was like Teletubbies on shrooms. And that kid Caillou was about as obnoxious as they come. I don't like some of the changes they've made to Sesame Street and I really could do without Sid the Science kid, I find the animation somewhat creepy. And Wishbone was well intended but really rather weird.

But I have very little to complain about when it comes to actual content and plot lines. Which I can rarely say for some of the "kids" programming I've seen elsewhere.

The other day my kids were watching Saturday Morning cartoons--well, it wasn't really cartoons it was Hannah Montana. (We don't have cable but a few Disney Channel shows are shown on ABC on Saturday.) It was AWFUL!!! Someone has lead that poor Miley Cyrus seriously astray when they told her she could act. And don't get me started on her singing. Uck! After that was this horrible show about some bratty kids living in a hotel. It was over-acted, over-indulgent and totally over-rated. I realized my kids aren't missing out on much by not having multiple "kid channels" to watch. Of course, that means we have to get our Dora and Spongebob from DVD's but we are spared the constant barrage of commercials for kid-centric stuff we don't need.

I'm sure there are wonderful shows out there for kids that we've never heard of on networks we don't have, but my kids probably spend more time than they should in front of the tube as it is. I don't feel like we're missing out on anything.

So for now anyway, PBS is all we need.
(Makes me think I should probably give them some money one of these days!)

Sew Not My Thing!

I enjoy cooking and I think I'm pretty good at it. But I don't think it's really all that hard. My philosophy has always been "I read, therefore I cook." I figure any literate person with at least an average measure of common sense can read a recipe and put dinner on the table.

Recently I've learned that this philosophy does NOT apply to sewing. And it was extremely disappointing to me to come to this realization.

I admit I haven't done much sewing in my life. The last project I attempted was at a Relief Society Super Saturday a few years ago when I tried to make an "easy" tote bag out of two fabric placemats--the results of which are unfinished and stuffed in a plastic bin somewhere in my basement. Before that, I made a table cloth for my kids' craft table. And by "made" I mean, I bought some fabric and hemmed the two rough edges so that they wouldn't fray.

But deep inside of me I believed that I don't sew because I've never really tried and well, because I don't own a sewing machine. I though that if I ever really attempted it I could figure it out.

Ah, the lies we tell ourselves.

This week I endeavored to make doll clothes for my daughter's American Girl doll that she got for Christmas. You know, the doll she had to have. The doll that she's been obsessed with getting for two years. The doll she "just needed" (her actual words). I could justify getting her the exact doll she wanted, pricey as it was, but I am not about to buy all of the accessories and clothes and furniture and sports equipment and pets (yes, pets) that go along with it. But we all know that half the fun of playing with dolls is dressing them up. And my sweet girl has been a really good sport about trying to make do with the clothes she has for her other dolls even though none of them actually fit her new doll. I promised her we could get some other outfits. I knew that my mom has yards and yards of fabric remnants so I thought we could just find a pattern and whip up a set of pajamas, maybe a dress or two and have a little fun doing it. More lies.

Consequently we now have the fabric and the pattern but I'm finding I ain't got no skills!

I wasn't aware that sewing had it's own language. I read and re-read the pattern and kept thinking to myself "those words look like English, how come I have absolutely no comprehension of that entire paragraph."

I swear I used to be smarter.

So I guess I've discovered yet ANOTHER thing I need to actually make a conscious effort to learn--just like playing the guitar or tennis or applying eyeliner. I'm not sure why I thought sewing would come naturally to me, few things ever do.

Or I guess I could just forget the whole thing. The doll outfits made by the knock-off brands only cost about $12.

I think my sanity is worth more than twelve bucks!

Looking On the Bright Side

I think Dave Barry described 2009 the best when he wrote: It was a year of Hope -- at first in the sense of ``I feel hopeful!'' and later in the sense of ``I hope this year ends soon!''

This past year kicked my little hiney--hard. It will probably go down in my own personal history as one of my more difficult years(and I've had some doozies!). But intertwined with the pregnancy woes and stressful trips on the emotional roller coaster of small business ownership, I found an abundant measure of joy.

I was reminded that seasons of adversity can either make or break a marriage and mine was strengthened by the trials we endured together in 2009. I feel so blessed to be able to travel through the ups and downs of this life with my very best friend.

Our family received such an outpouring of support and love from so many wonderful people who knew of our struggles and reached out to us in countless ways. We could never repay all of the kindness shown to us but I am determined to pay it forward.

The year wrapped up with a major career change for my husband and we are so grateful for this new opportunity. Although it comes with its own unique challenges we're no longer dealing with the stress of self-employment and I no longer play a role in our livelihood and that's a beautiful thing!

Of course the greatest blessing we received this past year was the birth of our sweet little Henry. I had no idea how much our family needed him until he was here. In the early days of his life he was a bright light that got me through some rather dark days. I feel so blessed to be his mother. It puts my whole life into perspective.

So as I approach another year, I am again hopeful. I am aware from the outset that 2010 is also really going to kick my butt. But there are ALWAYS joyful things to look forward to.