Hope is the Thing

Dinosaur Museum

A couple of weeks ago, our little preschool group + siblings all went to a little museum to specifically see their dinosaur exhibit. We had been studying dinosaurs in preschool for a couple of months and after a couple of them caught wind that we were thinking of taking a field trip to "The Dinosaur Museum" we were expected to deliver.

The boys checking out the teeth.

The dinosaur museum in this particular museum was a bit on the smaller side, but the company was great and there was a lot of other cool things for them to look at.

The girls in the dinosaur nest

Penny was SO excited she got to tag along. She pretty much participates (as much as she can) any time we have preschool at our house, so she thought she was quite the big girl to be hanging with her preschool friends.

R & P doing their best to make dinosaur faces for the camera

R & P playing with the train at the train exhibit

Me with my besties in front of some raptors!

Photography Notes: I have yet to master any sort of photography skills in regard to shooting indoors and "on-the-fly". I find the group or model dispersing by the time I figure out what settings will work best. As you will notice there is no sort of consistency with the lighting. That's why I never take my camera on outings--because I'm so slow at capturing real life and I get easily frustrated:) need to start working on that...

Trying

Ryder and Penny trying to learn to ride their scooters :)

One of the hardest things I find about being a mom is never really feeling like a live up to the mom I hope or want to be. In my head I create a list of things I hope to get accomplished that day. Everything from chores and working out to one-on-one time and family prayer. And here's the truth: I honestly don't think I've ever had a day in my life as a mother where I've checked everything off that list. If we went and played at the park, that probably means the laundry is still sitting in the dryer. If I got my house clean and appointments made, then my kids have most likely been couped up in the house all day watching too much TV.

My brain is constantly trying to work through ways to make the cleaning more efficient, to find interesting ways to do the things I find boring all the while trying to teach my kids the things they need to know to be the people I hope they become one day. It's exhausting. And the sad thing is if you were to look at my house or my daily actions, you'd have no idea that I was trying so hard! {said with a whine}.

I know I'm pregnant, which tends to slow me down quite a bit these days, plus today is one of those more frustrating days (I can't be sure, but there's a small possibility crazy hormones may or may not be involved) but that doesn't take away my want to be the mom I hope to be, which is perhaps why I'm finding this whole thing a bit more frustrating than usual.

Luckily, I'm a huge believer in "I'll try again tomorrow". I don't ever get too bothered in getting caught up in the guilt of it all because tomorrow is a new day. A clean slate. A fresh start. Etch-a-Sketch. I'm pretty sure it's my belief in this philosophy of mine that keeps me sane. And even though I don't really see much progress day to day or even week to week, I do think I've seen enough improvement in the last four and a half years that makes me feel like I'm at least headed in the right direction. And that's all that matters, right? That we're trying.

Which sometimes makes me think how very important "just trying" is. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who can see our desires. Even though he sees my messy house and my bad moods, He can also see what I reeally, truly want. I strongly believe even when our actions can't always measure up to the desires of our hearts, those desires certainly count for something. Actually, I think they count for a lot. And well, on a day like today...or rather, throughout the next few months, I find that rather comforting.

For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.

Doctrine & Covenants 137:9

Essential

I posted these photos on Facebook, so sorry if you've already seen some of them, but I found my mom's comments to be all too perfect that I had to make sure I had it recorded on my blog for safekeeping. (Just in case anyone is interested, I've started recording the old blog in a book on Blurb. So far, so good. Right now I'm just doing from 2006-2007...I've got a ways to go :)

The following photos were taken while Penelope was talking to her Nana on the phone. The comments were provided to you by Nana herself:

It was a wonderful conversation, we exchanged pleasantries...

We both did a little venting...

We had some good laughs...

Shared some intriguing secrets...

We both talked until we were both worn out. I am a very lucky Nana...

Thanks mom, for your insights. I feel very lucky my kids have you.

If you're wondering about the state of my couch, I was in the middle of cleaning one of the cushions...I'll ignore any stains underneath your couch cushions, if you ignore mine :)

Sick, No More!

The two items that I must have near me at all times.

Tissues, you say? We're hard core around here. TP all the way.

Currently, Ryder and I are awake at 6:30 this quiet morning, snuggling under a blanket watching cartoons while we take turns coughing up a lung. I gave up trying to sleep around 6 a.m. and figured it would be better to get my early bird (Ryder) and I out of dodge so our other partial sickies could finish up on their much needed sleep.

Essentially this little family of mine has been involved in a nasty game of cold ping pong for the last week. I'd like to think I'm the MVP who has managed to not only remain the most consistant with my cold but somehow turned it into bronchitis. It's talent people, sheer talent.

I did make it to the doctor yesterday, so thankfully, I'm now armed with some of the good stuff (wink, wink) to help me get over this nonsense. I keep hoping every morning I'll wake up feeling monumentally better than I did the day before, but I just don't think it works that way when you're pregnant. However, I'm sick of all the sickness! And I'm really sick of not being able to taste my food. My lost sense of smell has left me dibilatated as a mother (dirty diapers???) and my lost sense of taste (which technically is still my sense of smell, right?) has made me realize what it's like to only eat when you're hungry. Shockingly, it's not that much and not to mention utterly boring. There is no joy in food {enter heavy shoulder sob here}.

So I'm done. We're all done. We're tired of playing this game and so I'm just going to will it to be over. Mind over matter, the power of positive thinking...whatever. We're done. Today I will make Penny walk around all day with a sippy cup of O.J. strapped to her hand. Today, Ryder will master the art of coughing into his elbow as I start sanitizing this house from top to bottom (or until I get too tired). Today, I'm sending Phil back to work, because after working two days from home to help me out, even Phil (our healthy phenom) is starting to get congested, and so getting him out of this contaminated environment is probably the best thing I can do for his survival. You will be missed, my love. And as for me, today, I'm going to do the laundry, even if it kills me. Because today we are getting back to normal, and normal people need clean underwear.

That's the plan. And it's gonna happen...well, until we all end up under blankets in front of the TV.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

The kiddos have been busy attending Easter Egg hunts and eating LOTS of sugar. There has been more than one instance this weekend where I've wondered where Penelope was and why she wasn't making a peep, only to find her stuck in some corner with her Easter loot going to town.

All of us ended up catching some sort of cold this weekend, which didn't slow down Ryder and Pen's fun, but of course managed to render me useless. So like a lamo, I ended up staying home from yesterday's Easter egg hunt and from church today:(

All the fun began on Thursday when we had Easter activities during preschool, which was held at our house this week. I ended up making these chocolate candy nests I found on Pinterest, which although look really cool...

...aren't the most practical treat in the world...

Friday we had an Easter egg hunt at the church and then on Saturday had the community Easter egg hunt that Phil took them to while I loafed around the house with a roll of toilet paper attached to my hand. Luckily, Phil took the camera to document their cuteness for me.

(Isn't this Easter bunny cute? So many I've seen lately are really quite scary looking)

And then the Easter bunny came to visit

(I apologize for the snotty nose...but they're just so easy to come by around here lately)

But like any good parent made them put down their goods so I could dress them up in their Sunday finest and put copious amounts of gel (elsh as Ryder calls it) and hairspray on their heads.

And then what would this Easter post be without my "kiss your sister, dang it!" photo.

All in all, a very pleasant morning. I'm SO very grateful for this Easter season and everything it means to me and my loved ones. This morning we were watching the You Tube clip about the resurrection that's been flying around on Facebook and when they were crucifying the Savior, Ryder said, but this is supposed to have a happy ending. How relieved and happy I was to tell him that it did! I don't know if that and the end of the video clip left him satisfied, but I hope one day he'll fully understand about the happy ending we all get to recieve because of what our Savior did for us.

A Really Boring Blog Post

I'm going to ask you to prepare yourself for possibly the most boring blog post of all time. I know this, because I can even envision my own mom glazing over the text, scrolling down the page, only hoping to get to a new picture of her grandchildren, which is exactly why I've placed random photos of my children here even though they have nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

This blog post is about what to blog about.

Don't say I didn't warn you about it being boring!

While I was doing the redesign, I came to a harsh realization: there's is only so much room one can take up, mostly in the form of pictures. I found out because I hit that limit. Luckily, there were some photos I had downloaded that weren't being used, so I deleted those and granted myself some more space before having to purchase more Gigs? Bytes? Space? What, for now, we'll just call gigglybytespace.

THEN, the other day in scripture group we were having a discussion about journaling. How pretty much the reason we have the scriptures is because people and prophets kept records of what was going on during their time. Obviously, there is no discounting the blessing that has been to nations. Not to mention records kept by ancestors and the impact they can have on their descendants. We further discussed the content of our journaling and I couldn't help thinking what is going to be the most valuable for my posterity to know about my life?

I've always told myself it's okay that I'm horrible at keeping a journal because I have a blog! But after some thoughtful consideration on the point of journaling or record keeping, I think in some ways my blog is the same thing as my journal and in other ways it's not. So I'm wondering how to make it so it is. Not only in regard to content, but in how I choose to save/print/store it.

As far as the content, I feel can easily be decided when I ask myself, who am I writing to? Who are my words going to really matter to? When put that way, I know the asnwer is my family and my children. And if it so happens I can affect others along the way, well then, it's a win/win.

So then, I ask myself, what do I want them to know? Number one, my testimony of Jesus Christ and my efforts to navigate this world while trying to be like Him. I want them to know my thoughts, happiness and hopes about being a mother. And last but not least, I want them to know what I love and why. From people to hobbies, everything I love. (I think it would be so fun to see what sort of decorating style and fashion thoughts my mom had at my age) Obviously, there are some things too personal to share, which I will end up having to type or write down elsewhere.

I'm a little more at a loss when it comes to the sav/print/store portion...how do you do it for your blogs? Do you have them made into books? And if so, what company do you use to print your blogs and how often do you do so? Should I just transfer it to a work document and save it with a backup? Or a combination? I just don't know. Am I the only weirdo who thinks about these things!?!

So there you have it. The most boring blog post about what to blog about.

True Self

Free download here

I remember being young and hearing a thought or quote that essentially said why are we our worst selves to the people we love the very most? I remember immediately thinking of my sister and I. How we'd both make sure to be pleasant and kind people to our friends, but when it came to borrowing a couple swipes of deodorant, especially without asking, whooeee you had entered uncharted territory.

Part of me thinks well, that's what families are for, and thank goodness for 'em! Because if we're being honest, there needs to be someone to see your bad side, and if its not going to be your family, then who is it going to be?

However, fast forward a few years and sadly, I think it's safe to say that cute Phil of mine has seen some not so great sides of me that no one in my family growing up ever had to deal with. Granted, the situations and trials you go through as an adult are a bit heavier than what one should face in their childhood, but still I know he's the person I should be treating the very best and certainly, not the very worst. Not to mention being my happiest and best self for my children. With that being so much easier said than done, I love this quote from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:

"Nothing exposes our true self more than how we treat each other in the home."

I know all of us have bad days and get into certain moods, but reading this quote reminds me that my bad moments (which I assure you are rare, hardly ever, few and far between;), aren't something that should be tossed aside as oh he'll understand I was just having a moment but rather something I keep in check and that who I really am in my home--the majority of the time-- is someone who is loving, happy, and willing to serve.

{sigh}...add it to the list of all the other things I need to work on :)

Baton Wands

So awhile back friend of mine asked if I would be willing to help teach the Activity Day Girls* how to lead music...{pausing to wait for the laughing to die down}. Apparently, being the primary chorister** I've fooled a couple people into thinking I might actually know something about music. Okay, maybe I do have a graceful little conducting style going on... but more importantly, they are a group of darling girls, so I really had no choice but to say yes.

And what does one do when they have to give a lesson about something they really don't know a whole lot about?

Make up for it with a fun handout! Candy always works, but it was going to have to be my saving grace, so it better be good.

Now I don't know if it was pure inspiration or my secret desire to always have one of my very own, but somehow I got the crazy idea to make everyone a baton (including myself, of course). So with a prayer in my heart, off to Michael's I went! (You think I'm kidding about the praying part). And after looking for a few minutes, I found sitting next to each other in that random wooden trinkets isle

this...

and this...

stick them together like this...

add a little wood glue, tape and paint, and what do you get?

Aqua Batons!

As it turns out, I'm not the only girl who thought it would be fun to use one. And my dream of being able to tap my music stand when they got chatty came true as well. All in all it was a success.

Now, all the while making these I couldn't shake the feeling (something proved later to me by my kids) what I had really made, in fact, was nothing but a Harry Potter wand.

Doesn't she make a cute litte Hermione?

So whether you find yourself wanting to throw a Harry Potter themed birthday party or feeling a desire to gracefully wave a stick around to some music, you are good to go.

*8-12 year old girls in our church
**music time leader for the children in our church each Sunday

The Tale of the Dragon & the Monkey

Once upon a time there was a Dragon. Dragon was sad. He didn't feel as strong, as brave or as fierce as all the other dragons around. His heart weeped of disappointment that echoed throughout the land.

Fortunately, the wise old monkey's radar, which resided in a banana attached to her wrist, picked up on the sad vibes of poor Dragon. Monkey left immediately to help Dragon.

Upon finding Dragon, Monkey spoke comforting words and offered Dragon some of her magic banana. Monkey told Dragon the banana would bring him confidence and courage.