Thursday, June 24, 2010

On my mind

I was reading my scriptures this afternoon and came across this section of a verse. I have been thinking about it ever since I read it.

"...I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made." Mosiah 7:18

This is where King Limhi is addressing his people, telling them about their struggles they have had before and what lies ahead with the help of the newly found brotheren (who incidentally  found them---Ammon and his men).

I liked the phrase "effectual struggle". I thought about it. Read it again. Thought about it. Looked up effectual. Pondered some more. Then it hit me.


"...I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made." = LIFE

Life is an effectual struggle. Simple, right? Now you can read it, ponder it, and have your own a-ha moment.

I am so thankful to have moments like these where what I need to hear from the Lord resonates in my mind until I stop what I am doing and focus on it. Sometimes the meaning (for me) comes quickly. Sometimes it takes more time. But it is always worth it and always what I need.

Coming across passages like these give me a greater ability to put my best foot forward in my effectual struggle that is life because I know the Lord loves me and has provided me with all I need to get back home. I just have to put in the work to understand it and learn all I can.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

"That's Junk"

Yesterday, Shaun had the day off work. We decided to go the zoo. Ember decided that she wanted to buy everyone their own bag of cotton candy with her own money. Not because she is super generous, but because she didn't want to share.All morning, before going to the zoo, and the whole time we were there, she kept asking for it. After seeing that it cost $6 we talked her into waiting and going to the mall for cotton candy there.

We had a lot of errands to run, so we asked the kids if they wanted to go home for a quick PB&J or if they wanted to go to Burger King and get something off the $1 Menu.

Ember instantly replies, "Burger King? (disgusted voice) That food is junk!"

Nothing like a lecture of healthy food from a little one who wants to eat cotton candy before breakfast...and can hardly wait to get her hands on a bag!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Turning SIX

Today is the big day. My one and only beautiful, head strong, opinionated, sassy, and spirited girl turns six. She never thought this day would come. I never thought this day would come this fast. It seems like just yesterday she needed my help with everything. Now, she can and wants to do it all on her own. It makes me proud. It makes me sad. Mostly proud.
Yes, my girl is loud. Yes, my girl is can be bossy. Yes, she pushes hard for what she wants. Yes, she can turn your words around and use them against you, and make sense doing it. All things that I might consider annoying, infuriating, and frustrating now. But as I sit back and ponder on what this really says about her, what her attributes really are underneath, I come away with: Determined, Opinionated, Thinks outside of the box, good user of words, a person not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. These are all qualities I think any employer would want from an employee, and any husband would desire in a wife. (At least any husband worth keeping.) If I could only get her past wanting to be a dog when she grows up!
Sometimes she is all the girl I need. Sometimes, she makes me want another girl.

She can be loving. She can be a bully. She can be soft. She can be hard. She can be shy. She can be loud. She is everything. She means everything to me.
 I like to watch her live. To see her choices play out. To see how she thinks. It takes patience. I don't always understand her choice until she explains it to me. Then, it makes sense. I like to see her excited. I like to see her concentrating. I like to see her showing her brothers how to do something. I like to see her clean up their scraped knees. I like to watch her sleep. To think about how big she has gotten. How big she will get.

I need to stop. I need to listen more. Take time to just be with her. Save the dishes, the email, the hold-on-a-minutes and take time to live with her right now. To remember her just as she is now. To soak it all in. To relish her likes and dislikes, her good times and bad times.

I really look at her. She isn't as big as I thought she was. I really look at her. She isn't as small as I thought she was. She is somewhere in between.
Her chocolate eyes tell me so much. Her smile makes me smile. She has her catch phrases, the words I love to hear roll off her tongue. I still remember the catch phrases from old and replay them in my mind. Trying to remember her small again. To remember her face when she said them so seriously. "Mom....I'm seriously."

She is serious. Serious about life. Serious about living it. Serious about trying to make choices for herself. Seriously not a fan of criticism. Seriously beautiful. Seriously wonderful.
She is my one and only. I wouldn't change her for the world. (Just don't ask me this when she is having one of those days...)

Happy Birthday Princess Gril...I love you!!!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

We're getting a...

PIANO!

 Now, where are we going to put it?!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The weekend and other tidbits

This weekend we went and sheared sheep. It is an annual tradition for Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, 4 of us sheared 23 sheep. On Sunday, many more of us sheared 26 sheep. It took a lot less longer the second day to shear. My hand was killing me the first night, but for some strange reason, my hand was fine the second night. Maybe it got used to the hard manual labor. The drive up was nice and cool. The drive back was congested, brush fire filled, slow and H.O.T. Welcome home!

We left Jaxen up there for 9 days. I haven't cried yet, but then again, it is his second year going and I am not 8 months pregnant. I think he will be fine and we might actually have him go back out after Independence Day until the end of the month when I will go back up for a week with the kids and stay there, then just load up all the monkeys and bring them home, just it time to start school. Don't hold me to it though...it is only officially day one!

Kaysen, who is 10 months old, can now wave (he curls his fingers into a fist and releases), give kisses, head butt (thanks Dad!), give raspberries on other people, beg for a drink or bite (eh, eh, eh), and has officially taken 5 independent (although "falling") steps. He is also proficient in splashing in  any lidless and unguarded toilet, digging in the trash for a quick treat, speed crawling to any cracked or open door and booking it, throwing just about anything he can pick up, tasting anything (yes, anything!) and everything he comes across while crawling, and falling off the bed. Must say he is a very active, curious and happy baby. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Maybe it's time to think about..... ;) LOL