Beloved

One of my very favorite words is "beloved." Every time I read or hear that word I get a warm feeling inside. This is the word I would use to describe our prophet.

He was an amazing man, who possessed a combination of strong leadership coupled with a loving, gentle manner. I've only see him personally three times (the Spokane Temple dedication, the Spokane Arena, and general conference), but each time I recognized an undeniable light about him that strengthened my testimony that he was a prophet of God. Somehow, knowing he was upon the earth always brought me peace and comfort. I know in a few days another prophet will be called who will bring me that same peace and comfort. But, for now, I just want to reflect on President Hinckley and the words that touched my life. Here, for example, is the quote that is taped to my computer monitor, "Be happy in that which you do. Cultivate a spirit of gladness in your homes. Subdue and overcome all elements of anger, impatience, and unbecoming talk one to another." And here are the words on my whiteboard in my kitchen, "Be Your Best."

Thank you President Hinckley.

A Fun Day on the Mountain

It's a blizzard!

Adam trying his new Spiderman snow shoes

Natalie on the chair lift

Natalie ready to go

Ally ready to go

Nicholas taking a jump

Saturday Mornings

I was organizing our storage room today and came upon a trunk of college mementos. I pulled out the old photo albums and took a trip down memory lane. It appeared I was out doing something fun every Friday night, which got me thinking - What did I do on Saturday mornings? Oh yes, I remember SLEEP IN. Now, fast forward to 2008 and here's a typical Saturday morning:


3:00 a.m. - Why am I so cold? Oh, it's Natalie, sleeping in between Andrew and I and she took all the covers. I steal back a corner of the quilt (I'm too tired to carry her back to her room) and try to go back to sleep


5:30 a.m. - It's Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader having the most intense lightsaber battle right outside my bedroom door. Somehow my husband sleeps right through it. I get up and try to encourage the warriors to play Play Doh quietly in the basement.


6:00 a.m. - I hear voices, LOUD voices. Someone is looking for the charger to their Ninetendo DS (on Saturdays my kids can use their electronics - so my 2 oldest like to get an early start!) The words, "I know you took it" and "No, I didn't" go back and forth; back and forth. I put my pillow over my head and tell myself I'm a good parent for staying in bed and letting them learn to solve their own dispute.


6:30 a.m. - I swear I hear little mice in my kitchen. There's the sound of the pantry door opening and closing, the rustling of a cereal bag, and then the sound of liquid pouring. Wait a minute - there's a LOT of liquid pouring. Next I hear, "get a towel quick, she'll never know."


At this point, I can't stay in bed anymore. I tiptoe downstairs to find my 4 lil' angels making their own breakfast. The kitchen's a bit of a mess, but I'm so overcome with love at their new independence. Maybe I can't spend a relaxing Saturday morning sleeping in anymore, but I have 4 beautiful children who make every sleepless morning worth it.


Count your many blessings, name them one by one . . . .

Those Healthy Mormons

When we got home from church today Natalie spotted some nuts I left sitting on the counter. She picked up the container and said, "Mom, did you know Mormons are very healthy for you?" "Ummm, I guess Mormons are healthy for you, Natalie." I said. Then Ally walked in the room and said, "Mom, she means Almonds not Mormons." Oh!!!!

Fading Fast Too

I read my friend's blog a couple weeks ago about fading fast with blogging and I could really relate - but it makes me so sad. I truly love reading what everyone is up to and their thoughts on various topics. I've shed many tears while reading posts and, on MANY occasions, felt that confirmation that I'm not as weird as I thought because someone else is going through the exact same thing as me. I've also had moments of feeling motivated to do better, be better, act better, THINK better. So, the reading part of blogging is easy for me; it's the posting that doesn't come natural. I'm reserved by nature and have to fight to come out of my shell. I'm so much more content to be the listener in a friendship. It's comfortable for me. But, I recognize listeners are boring. So, to force me out of my shell, I've made a goal to not only blog more but actually blog about feelings and thoughts more.

Blog #1 - I'm terrified for when Andrew goes back to work. I've grown to rely on him SO much over the last 9 months (Yes - it's been 9 months!) I've been the beneficiary of more "me time" than at any other time in my life since Ally was born. I hope it'll be an easy transition when I lose my "mother's helper."

I'm sure my next post will be - "I can't wait for Andrew to go back to work!" :-)