Car Rides, The RM, Playing in Boise, and Potty Talk

Sorry I never got around to posting last night, so I'll try to bring you up to speed a little, and then I need to clean my house like a mad woman because tonight I have ward book club at my house (nothing to instill a cleaning frenzy like a little company).

We left Thursday morning around 11:00 and made it to Boise around 4:30- 5 1/2 hours with 2 kids and one stop in between was pretty dang good time, so I was happy about that. The kids slept a little which was a definite bonus, and we arrived at Amy's house just in time for dinner. She made pulled pork sandwiches, always a hit, and we enjoyed eating together, getting the kids to bed, and of course watching The Office.

Friday we went to lunch with Amy's family- we usually stay with him, so we wanted to make sure we still saw them this trip. We indulged at the Cheesecake Factory. They have the most rich and delicious macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted in my life. Seriously sinful, and so good. Of course, we also enjoyed some cheesecake. We tried the vanilla bean kind-so good! That afternoon the kids took naps and Amy and I went to Old Navy. I actually bought myself a shirt and I've tried to get over the guilt ever since- sometimes I have a very hard time buying for myself, even if it's a need (which a shirt may not sound like a need, but due to my sparse closet right now, it kind of is...kind of). At 4:24 in the afternoon, the eagle landed, and we were at the Boise Airport for the joyous occasion. It was so good to see Ben again. He's quite a character, but I'll talk about that more another time. We went to gather his luggage, and he couldn't find one of his bags. When he got to the place to file the complaint, he found his bag wrapped in a plastic bag because it fell apart on the journey home. I guess it's a good thing his mission is done! We went back to Amy's and put Sam to bed, and then she stayed with him because we were meeting for dinner with everyone that night pretty late. Addie held up surprisingly well since we didn't eat until about 8:30. Dinner was good, but always a little awkward when both of my parents are in the same place.

Saturday we went to lunch with my mom and her husband and my brothers. It was nice to not have the stress of my dad there at the same time. Addie had her first major accident of the trip after lunch, so we had to wash the carseat cover at Amy's house while the kids napped. That night was the open house at my dad's new house. It was kind of awkward to say the least. Pat and I spent a lot of time staying close to our kids so they didn't wander and get into mischief or into the wrong hands. I felt bad that more people didn't come, but I think my dad didn't do a very good job letting people know about it. We stayed for a bit and then went back to Amy's to get the kids to bed. Amy and I went out to one of my favorite Boise places- Goody's- so I could get a chocolate milkshake. It's kind of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor/candy shop, and it's really in a fun part of Boise.

Sunday morning Addie had a big fit because she informed me she wanted to live at Amy's house and was not happy about the prospect of going home. Addie had tons of fun with Amy- they made sugar cookies our first night there, colored, watched fun movies, and Amy took Addie on a run one morning. They had a great time together! We packed up our stuff, went to Ben's homecoming, and then hit the road. Ben spoke with an elder who had also just returned- they actually spoke together when they left, also. Ben's talk was really good and it was great to see his growth. He can be a cocky kid, so it was nice to see a little humility during his talk.

Well, that's our trip in a nutshell. I have more details to share, but they probably deserve their own posts which will come later. For now, it's cleaning and grocery shopping for me. I'm out!

I'm Back!

I'm currently trying to dig out from mounds of laundry, but when I regain control of this pit I call home, I'll give a more proper update. Just wanted you to know we made it back after some long haulin' in the car, staying with Amy- the perfect hostess, surviving family drama, and welcoming home my fun but punky brother Ben. Currently my only goal is to catch up on everything, so I'll think about some better ones and post them to give myself a chance of getting something accomplished this week. Hope all is well with all of you- I'm trying to catch up on everyone's blogs, etc. 4 days doesn't seem that long, but it's long enough to definitely be behind on blogs, email, etc. Ok, off to change laundry loads, hopefully later I'll have energy for a real post!

We're Outtie...

We're headed to the good ol' Boise, ID today, so wish us luck with the 5 to 6 hour drive with the kiddos. I'll be excited to share many a story when we return. Hope you have a great weekend!

P.S.

Thank you to all of you sweet blogging friends who make me feel so darn good. I'm so blessed to have your support! Your comments mean so much to me. I think when Pat gets a job, I should throw a big party. I honestly couldn't make it through this without you. All of you locals can come, and for the far away friends, I'll take pictures of all the things you could enjoy with us if you were here. I seriously count you as some of my greatest blessings- thank you for the love you've shown me. I am truly grateful.

Breaking Even...

Today it seemed like I was trying to prove the theories about things in the universe being brought into balance. For every good thing that happened, there was a bad one right behind it. Let me share a couple of examples.

Good Thing: Addie finally went #2 in the potty! A few tears were shed, but she hasn't done this since her first time using the potty a couple months ago! Hooray!
Bad Thing: I went to get Addie a treat for using the potty. I threw some trash in the garbage can in my pantry, and somehow slammed the pantry door on my nose. I've always been self-conscious about the size, and today's maneuver which has produced quite the swelling hasn't done anything for my self-esteem.

Good Thing: We went to IKEA to pick up some jars to take to my friend Amy who visited a few weeks ago, and who we're staying with when we go to Idaho. We sat down to enjoy a delicious lunch of meatballs and lingonberry juice.
Bad Thing: Addie spills her lingonberry juice all over the table, my pant leg, my shoe, my foot. And yet one more way IKEA keeps the cost down is to provide totally worthless napkins, requiring no less than 50 to clean up the afore-mentioned spill.

Good Thing: Sam learned to crawl yesterday! He finally figured out crawling in the more "traditional" way, that is, on hands and knees.
Bad Thing: Sam screams the whole time he is crawling. He hates it. It's like he's being punished the whole time he's doing it. What a bad mom I must be, expecting my child to move in such a way :)

I suppose I broke even today. There were some good things, balanced by some bad ones. But in a way, all I can see is the sticky jeans/shoes. I can't see past the end of my swollen nose, so to speak, to acknowledge the blessings. I should work on that tonight. Right now, the glass is feeling half empty (but I guess that's an improvement on all the way empty as Addie successfully showed earlier today). No, I'm really ok, friends, just feeling a little cheeky.

Good News Minute and Weekly Goals

So, for the first time in weeks (is it 10 or 11 now?), I had something worthwhile to share in the good news minute. In a few short days, namely 5, on Friday, my youngest brother Ben comes home from his mission. He's been serving in the Iowa Des Moines mission for the past 2 years. We supported him for over a year of his mission and would've continued had my dad not decided he wanted to step up to the plate. (Expect a few ranting posts regarding my sanity during this trip at having to deal with my parents and their spouses all being in the same location as myself.) At any rate, I am so excited to see him. He's coming to Utah next weekend, and I kind of wish we weren't traveling to Idaho this weekend to see him, but as the good sister, we're planning on it. More trip details will be forthcoming. I haven't left the state since June, I have to milk this event for a few posts :)

Switching gears, let's talk about weekly goals. I did pretty well with the prayers, not 100%, but almost. We made it to the temple (after a failed attempt and a long wait) and had a great visit together in the celestial room. I worked on thinking before reacting. Exercising outside sure didn't happen, so I'll rework this goal. I'll post this weeks and you can judge the rest.

Preparedness: Finish gathering all the family documents. This is still on my list. I don't think I need to say more.
Family History/Temple Work: Work on my PAF for one hour this week- going to be tough since we won't be in town for half the week, but I can do it.
Family (Parenting and/or Marriage): Help Addie jump the potty training hurdle we seem to be stuck behind. This will take her cooperation, and may or may not be accomplished, but I'm going to pay a lot more attention this week!
Personal Spiritual: Be 100% consistent with morning prayers (continued, it takes 21 days to be a habit, right?). Also, take more time to listen/ponder after praying.
Self-Improvement(Exercising, learning new domestic skills, etc.): Do indoor stretching/toning exercises at least 3 days this week- with no weather to deal with, I'll have no excuses next week!

Snowy Saturday....

That's what today has been. I always cringe a little when I see the big white flakes at the beginning of the season. I don't love snow or winter. I never have. I'm a person who is frequently cold, and any sort of weather that can make me colder is not a welcome sight. So, on to other matters.

Last night was our turn to go out, so we went to the temple and then to JCW's for a little cheeseburger love. What a nice visit it was, and so needed! I've been to the temple doing initiatory or sealing work recently, but it's been a while since I've done an endowment session. We tried to go on Thursday, but while we were in the chapel Pat wasn't feeling well, so we left and went back last night. He was feeling better, so that was good. (By the way, did you know the temple has pink and blue white out to use on the cards in case you have started a session but it isn't completed? Just an interesting thing I learned on Thursday.) We spent a long time in the chapel waiting because it was a busy night, and then we spent a long time in the celestial room doing some serious pondering/praying. We both felt like we need to continue to wait for this job. I was kind of hoping we'd get an answer to move on just so we could start trying to plan something, but since we didn't, our patience is continuing to grow. Today I felt such an inner quiet, though, like I was suddenly at peace with things instead of being filled with all of the turmoil about what we're supposed to be doing. I have grown so much, and I really am grateful for this experience. I will openly admit that I hope it comes to an end soon, but I know that the Lord knows the perfect time table for us, and I will continue to trust in that. One of the blessings that I reflected on last night is how great this has been to refocus our family. I told Pat it's almost like we needed him to not work so we could recognize more of what we should be doing and establish those patterns in hopes that we can keep them when he returns to work. Instead of trying to squeeze things in around work, they will come first and we'll find a work situation that works with the things that are important- you know, kind of like the object lesson with the big rocks and the pebbles. I'm really hoping to start establishing time to work with Addie on teaching her some things she needs to know- kind of in a very casual pre-school setting. I think with Pat at home it will be easier for me to start those patterns that we can then continue when he returns to work. We've made great strides in our daily prayers and scripture study, something we were somewhat hit and miss with before has become a lot more habitual. I've really recognized what a better mom/wife/person I am when I do those simple things- if I miss a day I feel it, and so do those around me, all day long. I've been able to recognize some of those blessings of obedience. So, we're busy enduring right now, and all is well.

I'm a Crier....

Or at least I was last night when I finally finished The Book Thief. This book had been recommended by multiple friends, and I started it weeks ago, but I have to say I had a hard time getting into it. It required a lot of concentration in the beginning until the plot started to weave together more, and I kept thinking I needed to stick with it because I was sure it wouldn't have received such rave reviews for nothing. I am so glad that I finished it! Around half way through, it really picked up for me, and last night I stayed up late reading the last 150 pages. And bawling. Completely. For those of you who have not yet read it, I highly recommend it, and also would say stick with it because all of the strands of plot are woven together in a beautiful way.

I think aside from books, I'm a crier in general. I often try to be tough, more when I was a teenager, but even sometimes now, and I'll walk around with a big burning lump in my throat because I'm trying not to let the emotions flow. But especially since I've become a mother, I've realized more and more that it's ok to show those emotions, and things that I never would've thought to cry about suddenly hit me with such force. I think parenthood brings such a heightened sensitivity to the world around us. I've teared up at the beauty of the earth. I've teared up cuddling with my kids and feeling like my heart will pop out of my chest with the depth of love I feel for them. I've always been one to kind of wear my emotions on my sleeve, even when I've tried to stifle tears, but I think as a Mom, I'm allowing myself more to show emotion without regret. I think I want my kids to feel like they can share what they're feeling, to be authentic, to work through things together and be there for each other, and I guess in some ways I feel like if I don't do the same, then I'm not setting a great example.

Although one day, this didn't turn out as I'd hoped. I was reading a book to Addie when I was pretty pregnant with Sam. It's called Tell Me My Story, Mama by Deb Lund. It's about a mom telling her daughter about when she was pregnant with her and how she got here, and then at the end it talks about how the new baby will have it's own story too. During the course of the story, they get to the best part.

"The best part was when I saw you for the first time. When you heard my voice, you stopped crying. You took two of my fingers in your fist, and you looked me in the eyes. And when Daddy talked, you looked up at him, too. We all looked at each other, and then we knew what we had all been waiting for."

I was sobbing trying to read this to Addie for the first time, and then she started sobbing and asked me to put the book away. I guess my authenticity of emotion backfired that day- it was a little scary to hear mom's squeaky crying voice when you're not even 2 yet. Maybe I should try to read it to her again soon. Maybe I'll make it through without crying. Or maybe with just a tear instead of the squeaky voice scary cry. But if not, that's ok too.

A Few Introductions...

Addie has made a few new friends recently, and they definitely call for a blog post. I've been waiting for this day since she was born. I'd been hoping it would happen, and on Friday, it did. She has imaginary friends, now. Lemonade, or Enernade as she says, came to play on Friday. She looks like Addie except she's really tall and has piggy tails with bows and pink hair. We went shopping for a new tree for our front yard, and when we left the nursery, Addie shouts "oh no, Enernade is still at the tree place!" There was no way I was going back for an imaginary friend, so luckily I convinced her that Lemonade had snuck in before Addie. Suddenly I heard "oh there you are, Enernade. You're so silly." Addie cracks me up. Today we had another friend named Cleaner. Who knows where she came up with that one, maybe she's hoping our house will be cleaner if her friend Cleaner is around? Cleaner is a boy who likes to eat spaghetti. She spent a lot of time today helping Cleaner sleep, tucking him in, spreading blankets out for him. His little imaginary self must've been pretty cozy in the awesome bed she made.

I too had an active imagination as a child (I know, big surprise, eh?). Instead of "friends" per se, I had a pink mom and a white mom. My mom (the real one) started to keep track of what my pink mom and whit emom were like in hopes that she could crack the code. My pink mom read me stories, baked cookies, and did nice mom things. My white mom gave me time-outs and said no and did not-nice mom things. If this isn't a sign that I need serious counseling, I don't know what is. Luckily, I've ditched the pink mom white mom thing. But I am hoping Lemonade,
Cleaner, and whoever else may be floating around in Addie's mind stick around for a while. I love this peek into her mind through her imaginaries. It's great entertainment, and a whole new way to get to know her. So, did you have an imaginary friend phase? Do your kids? Tell me all about it...

Weekly Goals

I said I was thinking about doing this, so here they are for week 1. I'm being brutally honest here, folks, but I hope you don't think I'm a total heathen. Maybe I'll start keeping my goals private if they get too revealing!

Preparedness: Finish gathering all the family documents. I got Sam's birth certificate last week, but that was as far as I got- oops!
Family History/Temple Work: Attend the temple with Pat this week, and take time to enjoy the celestial room instead of rushing home to our kids.
Family (Parenting and/or Marriage): Take more time to think before I react.
Personal Spiritual: Be 100% consistent with morning prayers- these ones are hard for me some days.
Self-Improvement(Exercising, learning new domestic skills, etc.): Go walking/jogging at least 3 days this week.

Recharged

Sunday was so good today. It was fast Sunday, and it was just what the doctor ordered. I was admittedly in a bad way last week. I think the Adversary saw all of my weak spots and was working over time on each of them. I was functioning, but just going through the motions. I felt so helpless/hopeless/frustrated/defeated, and just an over all malaise about life. I felt so stagnant, like I knew what should be happening, but didn't have the energy to make it happen. But, enough about that. On to today!

Testimony meeting was nice. While I was nursing Sam and listening to the testimonies, he fell asleep and I actually got to hold him sleeping for the rest of the meeting and part of Sunday School. This is my baby that only sleeps in his bed or his carrier, so I was in heaven to get a sleepy snuggle from my boy. Pat got called yesterday to sub in gospel principles. He's a ward missionary, so we attend that Sunday school class weekly, and he subs regularly. The lesson for today was on family. He realized that when the lesson was written, the Proclamation had not yet been issued. He found the talk where it was given, and read it to me yesterday while I was making rolls. Both of the kids were asleep. We were both in the kitchen with tears streaming down our faces as we felt the impact of that sacred document and the strength and inspiration it contains. If you've never read the whole talk President Hinckley gave when he issued the Proclamation, I highly recommend it! So, he decided to compare the original lesson to the fullness contained in the Proclamation. I think it went pretty well. Then, we had lesson 19 in Relief Society, also about families. I was reminded of so many things that I need to be working on, so many things that I've been blessed with. It was a great day of reassessing for me, reminding me of who I am, what my purpose is, and what is truly most important. The closing song in Relief Society was "I Am A Child of God." I was a wreck through the whole thing. I kept thinking about how much I sing that song with my kids and what an important lesson I hope they're learning from it. I kept thinking about my own relationship with my Father in Heaven, how personally He knows me, and how He uses trials to succor me and draw me closer to Him and to my Savior. I kept reflecting on the goodly parents that I felt like I kind of missed out on, and how much I want to be a parent kind and dear to my children. I'm so grateful to refocus on Sunday. I wish that I didn't need to refocus all the time, that I could just stay focused and keep my priorities in line, but I think Heavenly Father knew how hard it would be to do that all the time with the outside pressures, and that's part of the reason he gave us Sunday and a way to worship and a chance to rest. I have a renewed energy to bring about good things for myself and my family through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know the sweetest joys I have experienced and will experience are a result of choices my family and I make to live the gospel, to follow the Savior, to trust the Father, to try. This week, I am determined to try.

Overwhelmed...

I'm feeling overwhelmed in many aspects, but first of all, by the amazing amount of love and support I've felt from you through your prayers. I feel so blessed to have started blogging and gained such great friends in the process. You are really a bright spot right now, so thank you.

Pat and I are yet to sit down and have a good discussion about what we should be doing. I feel kind of numb, but overwhelmed by emotions at the same time. I don't know why I'm feeling so blah. Well, I guess really I do. But enough venting for now.

This weekend will hopefully be a good chance to relax. We don't have a lot on the agenda, we're not trading tonight with Matt and Chrissy, so everything is on our timetable. Maybe we'll go buy a new tree for the front yard and finally get around to planting it. Maybe I'll get some closets organized and some things dropped off to DI. Today we have an appointment to get the oil changed. There's definitely enough to keep us busy. I'm hoping we'll call Pat's parents and leave the kids with them for a while so we can have some time together. It just occurred to me that 6 years ago this weekend is when Pat and I had our first date. Maybe we should do something in honor of that. I'll have to think about it today. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Hitting our Knees...

That's the current plan. Yesterday, Pat heard from the HR lady that with budget projections and head counts now that the purchase is complete, things aren't looking good for a hire date in 2007. I feel like I've been sucker punched. We've really thought we've been trusting in confirmations we've received. We're kind of starting over in determining what the Father's will really is for us right now and if Pat should find more contracting work and we'll keep waiting, or look for another job, or what the best plan is. Ugh.

It's Official...

I now have proof that Sam is our boy. After almost 9 months, I finally went and got his birth certificate. I hate that you have to go to the health department or mail your application with copies of all sorts of proofs of ID, and then you have to pay for it. I think it should be first one free, and if you need more copies, then you can pay. I've been thinking about preparedness lately, and this is one thing that I've known I've needed to do, so I'm glad to get it checked off the list. I need to organize all of our important documents like this so we can prove who we are and that our kids belong to us were we ever to get separated from them in an emergency. I've really over the past several months felt more drive to be putting things in order to become more prepared, but sometimes it can really snowball out of control for me when I think about the list of possible tragedies that could occur. I have to try to focus on the task and not the unknown. I'm not usually a big worrier, but it doesn't take too far of a leap for me to become one. So on my agenda this week is to continue to find and organize important family documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, our title to our home, insurance information, bank and investment information, you get the idea. I've been thinking about Elder Oaks' talk and all of the good things that we really have to choose from as members of the church. I want to make a list of some of those things and then try to prioritize what I should be working on. So, this is my preparedness goal for the week. I thought maybe I should try to set one a week, and maybe a family history/temple work goal each week, a family goal each week (encompassing parenting and/or marriage), a personal spiritual goal, and a self-improvement goal (like exercise, learning new domestic skills, etc.). I should start posting them at the start of the week to remind myself. Maybe next week I'll take inventory of food storage. I really don't have a very good idea of what I have and in what quantities. I know I have a full pantry and some shelves in my cold storage room with various goods, but knowing what's on them may be a good step. Hope your week is going strong- half way done!

Pre-School: The Musical

This could be the title of my days were they made into a movie. Addie has taken to singing everything she does/is doing/thinks/feels/wants/you get the picture. She's hilarious. Daily I'm audience to songs like "I'm your sister (sung to Sam), I'm your friend (sung to me)" repeated 50 times, "I'll show you how to dance like a ballerina so pretty, spinning, tippy toes with my dancing skirt and my tippy toe shoes," a total stream of consciousness number, and "I want to go to school and be friends, friends are special, I love my friends," a real crowd pleaser. It's fun to really see what she's thinking as it comes out in song. She's always been a singer- she truly was one of those kids who was singing before she was talking. From around 16 months, she could sing a tune so I could recognize it and then sing her the song, even though she didn't have the words to tell me what song she wanted. My MIL was in the MoTab and just retired a couple of years ago. Addie refers to them as "Nonna's friends" when we see them on tv. While watching conference, she informed me that one day she wants to sing with Nonna's friends, and Pat and Sam and I can come watch her. Sounds like a plan, Addie. Little does she know, I've had secret MoTab dreams of my own. I was very involved in choir while in school. In high school I was in a competitive vocal jazz choir. We traveled all over the pacific northwest to compete, and we won almost every competition. It was a lot of fun, and something I miss sometimes. You just don't get that singing experience when you're a mom. I try to gather the kids around the piano and sing primary songs regularly, but it really isn't the same. Maybe someday my MoTab dreams will come true, although when I think about the amount of time my MIL gave, I don't know when my life would be conducive to that kind of sacrifice, and I'm really not sure I have enough of the crazy theory that I'd need. More likely, Addie's dreams will come true. For now, I'm having fun listening to my own little singer/song writer craft her latest smash hits by the hour.

Conference Day 2

I thought I'd share a few thoughts about the Sunday sessions. The kids were fairly rambunctious during the morning session, so half way through we got in the car to go for a drive and listen. I figured that way Sam would fall asleep, Addie would be distracted, and maybe I could actually hear what was being said :)

Sunday AM: This session left me with a lot of thoughts on what to do to be a better mom. I loved President Eyring's talk and the part when he shared "I am not giving you these experiences for yourself." I really hope to start writing down daily occurrences that allow me to see the hand of God at work in my life. I'm yet to decide if I'm going to blog it or journal it. I'm excited for the increased measure of gratitude and sensitivity to the Spirit that I hope will come through taking this challenge. Sister Beck's talk was great. I did feel a little overwhelmed when she talked about how we should do less- I often think about my desires in this area, but also the feelings I have that I'm not totally there yet. I'm excited to reread this one.

Sunday PM: I've always loved Elder Oaks, and his words were great once again. He was the first apostle I met when I was 12. He was at a multi-regional conference in Pennsylvania. He did a morning session just for youth before the larger conference. After the conference, I went up to shake his hand and told him how much I enjoyed his talk earlier that morning. He said "that means a lot to me, especially coming from a beautiful young lady like you." His words came at a time in my life when I certainly didn't feel beautiful, and I was having the worst school year in my brief history of time. Needless to say, he's been one of my favorites ever since. But back to his talk. I often find myself in the Mary/Martha struggle. I know that I'm very guilty of not choosing what's best, only what's good or better a lot of the time. There are so many best things we can engage in, and I'm hoping to devote more time to those things.

Conference is such a blessing because it always invokes a spirit of change in me. I'm always reminded of things I can improve upon. I'm always content with the sweet truths of the gospel taught once again. I'm always blessed when I listen, but more blessed when I change and really implement what's been taught. President Harold B. Lee said: “As the Latter-day Saints go home from this conference, it would be well if they consider seriously the importance of taking with them the report of this conference and let it be the guide to their walk and talk during the next six months." Ever since I heard that quote while in college, I've thought a lot more about making the principles of conference my walk and my talk. I'll be working on that again after this conference. I hope you will too!

General Conkerance, Part One....

No, not a typo, Addie kept telling me all day we were watching Conkerance. And half the time, she referred to it as Stake Conkerance, because we had that a few weeks ago, and it's hard for a little mind to differentiate. It's all Conkerance to her! At any rate, I thought I'd share my personal highlights today.

Saturday AM: Can it get any more exciting to have a new apostle and a new member of the first presidency? I am so excited about President Eyring! He's always been one of my favorites- his messages just always seem to strike a chord with me, I love how he shows emotion so readily when speaking, and he's so well-spoken. I think he's going to do an amazing job.

President Packer's talk about the worth of souls was a great one. I think it's important for the church membership to be reminded that it takes all of us serving in the church to make it work, and no one's contributions are worth more than another's. I think this reminder was especially good because especially at conference time, I think it's easy to be in awe of the general authorities and feel so inadequate. This talk was perfect to help combat those feelings of inadequacy. Loved it.

Elder Condie's talk was fantastic! There were a few of my blogging friends I couldn't stop thinking about during this talk. I think we all have our "Rachel" moments when we're going through trials, whether they be the same trials Rachel experienced or not, and I loved how he pointed out "And God remembered Rachel." Even when it seems like our prayers aren't being answered, they are. Such a great reminder!

Those were my two morning faves.

Saturday PM: I thought it was so interesting/awesome that Elders Holland, Ballard, and Nelson all talked about clarifying principles of the gospel while sharing them with others. I think many agree it's nice to see the repetition sometimes in conferences so I realize that a message is really important if it's being discussed so many times (not that they all aren't important, you know what I mean). I think it's great that so much has been addressed about this because of the increasing attention towards the church, as Elder Ballard pointed out, over the past 10 years!

So, what was your favorite talk of the day? If you don't have one yet, don't worry, we can play again tomorrow :)

Thank You...

to Michael Scott, for solving my Christmas gift giving dilemma I posted about recently. Last night, in his infinite wisdom, he reminded me of the gift basket. "The perfect mix of class and fanciness," in his words. How could I have forgotten about such a gem? Perfect personal Christmas gift ideas? Check! Next item on the agenda? Re-watching episodes of The Office.

8 Weeks Today...

since Pat lost his job. I haven't updated for a while, so thought I would. Pat only contracted one day this week, and it looks like his time contracting with that company is coming to a close. It has truly been a blessing because it's allowed us to rebuild some of our stores to make it a while longer, and I think it's helped to break up some of the monotony of the day to day. I loved the quote Natalie shared by Elder Maxwell- it really has been my focus throughout this process, so it was nice to read something that truly represented how I've felt more eloquently than I ever could!

The best news is, the sale of the company that we have been waiting for finalized today! Hooray! Supposedly, the hold up has been that they've been in a hiring freeze until the sale went through, which definitely makes sense. So hopefully soon, things there will calm down and they can make the offer! Hooray! Keep your fingers crossed that this will happen soon.

We've also become more aware all the time at what a good choice we've made to turn down the multiple offers from the company he's contracted with. It's almost like Heavenly Father keeps letting us know about things to give us reminders why we said no and confirm that we're doing the right thing. We are truly growing through this process, and I'm learning a lot more about faith, patience, and the love of our Heavenly Father. I feel so grateful and so blessed.

Reasons I'm Happy I'm Not Single

There are many reasons I'm happy to no longer be a part of the dating pool. The greatest reason is that I love my husband, but aside from that, I've had a few hilarious chats with some of my single friends, giving me a renewed contentment with my married status. One of my friends dated a boy all summer. Things seemed to be semi-serious, they'd met each other's families, taken trips, and spent every spare moment together. The problem was, he would be returning to school at Utah State, and she graduated from BYU a few years ago and works in Salt Lake at LDSBC. Things started to get weird due to the upcoming separation, but she thought maybe they'd try to see each other on weekends, or maybe they'd have a clean break up and move on. Instead, he brought her a fish. A salmon. That he caught. And told her maybe he'd see her around. How weird is that? No solid we are together or we aren't, although after the fish, I think she was happy to move on to the other...ahem...fish in the sea. Friend #2 had an even more ridiculous story. She'd been dating this boy who was definitely bad karma, but I always support and listen, voice my opinion when it's asked for, but keep quiet if it's not. So, she called out of the blue (we haven't talked since Sam was born) and we were chatting about how we've been, and I asked if she was still dating the loser-boy, and she said they broke up, so I responded with a cheer. The reason for breaking up is where it gets out of control. The loser-boy, I mean boyfriend, had always been a little controlling, but things got bad when he sent her a list of demands. Some things on the list included writing a 5,000 word essay on graph paper about why she liked him. He also required her to draw a picture of a bird to fit his list of specifications. I honestly didn't know people were out there who were like this. And how that would prove she's good eternal companion material is beyond me. I'm not sure what Pat's bird illustrations look like, nor do I require graph paper when he writes to me (I'm just happy if he's writing anything to me!), but I do know he's a great match for me.

I was the first out of my college friends to get married, and I think they all thought I was a little crazy. Who's laughing now? I am...at *their* crazy dating stories. I hope by now you laughed a little too.

Today I heard...

the sweetest word. Sam said mama. He's been doing dada for a few weeks, but today was my turn. Nothing beats it.

In other news, can I just say I'm enjoying the fall weather? My FIL grows pumpkins every year for the grandkids, so we went and picked up our share over the weekend, but it was so rainy/snowy/gross, that they're still in the garage waiting to be arranged on the porch. Hopefully that will be on tomorrow's agenda.

I've been starting on the Christmas lists. My grandma and aunt, the earliest shoppers in my fam, have already been asking for ideas, so I've been forced to start contemplating the holidays, which is probably a good thing. We have quite a few birthdays between now and then, as well as right after, so I really need to start planning now. My dad's birthday is November 1, my nephew is November 19th, my BIL is December 9th, Addie is December 20th, and my mom is December 29th, just to name a few. So, any great gift ideas floating around out there? What are the must haves for your favorite people this year? Help me brainstorm! I'm pretty good on deciding what to get the kids- it's the adults in my life that make for hard shopping. I also like to start thinking about neighbor/friend gifts now so if it takes a lot of advanced planning, I can begin at a reasonable time and have a prayer of getting things done in time. So, spill your guts on gift ideas!

I can't believe I'm already Christmas posting and we still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to make it through. That's probably one of my most sad things about fall- it's hard to enjoy it because I'm doing so much planning ahead for the upcoming holidays. I have so many expectations for myself surrounding Christmas, and it really starts to get out of hand. And that, my friends, will deserve it's own post someday...

I must be no good...

at this game of tag, because Melisa tagged me again. I thought it was no tag-backs ;) Just kidding, I'll comply. It's kind of fun to think about, but also crazy to know that my plan and Heavenly Father's may (in fact probably) look very different. So here you have it....

In 10 yrs I would like to...
be settled into the house we'd like to grow old in. I would like to have Pat very happy in his career, and have his health holding up. Addie will be almost 13 and nothing but sass, I'm sure, but I would like her to still be talking to me, and willingly babysitting her siblings weekly so Pat and I can go have hot dates :) Sam will be almost 11, and I would like him to be learning to curb the armpit noises and other obnoxious boy habits. Hopefully there will be some other kiddos running around and keeping life interesting. I would like to be involved in my callings and have a good group of mom friends, but most importantly being at the crossroads for my kids. If they're all in school, I'd like to work in the temple one day a week.

In 5 yrs from now.......
I will possibly be done having kids (maybe 2 more)! Pat and I actually just talked about this a few months ago when we had our 5 year anniversary, and we talked about what we hope for in the next 5 years. I hope that our basement is finished. I want to have gotten more serious about our retirement savings so we have a good nest egg working for us. I want our kids to be healthy and happy, and I want to be a good, kind, loving mother who has found a healthy balance. I want to have healed some of my extended family relationships and gotten over some of the baggage that weighs me down.


In 1 yr from now...
I'd like to have our yard more fully landscaped. A fence, some trees and shrubs in the backyard, some flowers, the garden boxes we've been meaning to build, I'd love it all to be complete! I would like to have lost the last few lbs. I'm hanging on to and have built a good, functional wardrobe in a desirable size. I'd like to have a different calling from what I'm in right now- 2 years as the Visiting Teaching coordinator is starting to get old, so I can't imagine going for 3! I'd like to have found a good preschool situation for Addie and be happily helping her make that transition. I'd like to NOT be pregnant! I hope to have worked harder on my family history and completed a lot of the temple work for the names I've already found.


Tomorrow.....
I need to renew my library books. I still have a little bit to go in the highly recommended Book Thief. Hopefully Pat will be contracting, but if he's not, then maybe we can plan some good family fun. We need to go to the bank. I need to do some cleaning around the house, meal plan, and grocery shop. I suppose that will do for one day :)

5 things I would like to do in the future.
Get my masters degree
Work in the temple
Run a 10K (I've done a 5, now it's baby steps to the 10)
Visit every state in the US
Learn to sew