Today: Isaac got the xylophone this morning - said it was his guitar. Then he said, "Actually, Mommy, I think it's a musical instrument. Yeah - it's a musical instrument, not a guitar." Then he serenaded us with original versions of Christmas and Halloween songs. He's got talent, that kid! I need to get him in some sort of lessons -- Mom at the piano just isn't the same. :-)
Even though the kids have all been sick this week - I am SOOOO looking forward to starting Thanksgiving dinner with them tonight. We're doing a pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, trying some cranberry/apple/turkey sausage quinoa (instead of stuffing), and I just might splurge and make some of my family's favorite orange rolls! I think that would be really fun for them to roll the dough and tie it in "bow knots" and then drizzle with orange icing! :-) This is a great time of year - great for passing on fun traditions.
Just when I think I am SO NOT READY to have a BABY in this Zoo - my friend Leslie Beth Twining has her precious little man and posts the most adorable pictures. Is there anything sweeter than cuddling a newborn? I mean, once you get over the fact that you just aren't going to sleep for the next 18 years . . . the rest is EASY! :-)
Tonight I get to sleep with my sick little Abby - got to hold her hand while her fever broke, melt when she told me that she loves spending time with me, cry when she said that she needed to ask Heavenly Father to make her feel better and then said such a sweet prayer for just that, and laugh after her fever broke and I heard her make up funny songs about how Mommy likes Eagles but shouldn't because they'll tear her apart - elephants are much better! Does it get any better than this? My cup runneth over!
11/20: One of my favorite quotes - perfect for days when you just aren't "seeing" straight:
"To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing; and one does not see anything until one FIRST sees it's beauty."
Don't let another year end without accomplishing your goals for better health! My friend Kelli will NEVER have a weight loss resolution again! 2 1/2 years ago, she went from an 8/10 to a 4; today she is a svelt 2! This is not a "fad diet"; it's solid nutrition. Expect MORE than weight loss results! Better health, more energy, improved mental clarity and focus. Results ARE typical! And they last!
11/19: Went out driving and dreaming with the kids tonight - Dave had a meeting to go to. We found a gorgeous area with open fields, the mountains behind it, beautiful sunsets, horses, cows, the WORKS!!! Sometimes it's fun to just dream. :-)
"We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become." ~ Thomas Monson
11/18: ♥ Story time at our house is one of my favorite things to listen to. Dave will make up a story, usually including the kids in it as the main characters. Then it is each child's turn to tell a story as well. Even Brianna - whose story is usually, "Once upon a time, there was a horsey." Abby's usually tells some wish of her heart or vision she has for the future - always happy and light, always involving animals and happy endings. Isaac's usually involve monsters and scary houses, but they rarely have any sort of ending at all. Each of their personalities come through, though. Their imaginations never cease to amaze me! David is definitely great at nurturing that! ♥
11/17: Brianna's having a hard time sleeping! She's lying in bed with Dave, patting his back and poking his eyes, and yelling, "Wake U-UP! Wake U-UP!" Dave's laughing, which is only encouraging her! This is going to be a LO-O-ONG night . . . for him! ;-)
Dave made roasted red potatoes and baked ham for dinner tonight. Our house smells HEAVENLY! Too bad my kids won't touch potatoes -- that makes them an occasional treat at our house! :-)
Brianna is so different from the twins. She HATES being naked, HAS to have underwear on, but refuses to wear a diaper. And so far, she is 2/2 this morning! SO thankful it's going SO smoothly! Countdown to ONE in diapers!!!
11/16: Going for a walk with Abby down to Target to get some "treats" to potty train Brianna. I'm thinking fruit snacks, freeze-dried fruits, raisins - and marshmallows! :-) Yay for potty training weekend!!!!
11/15: Whenever the kids say, "I can't!" I say, "Uh-uh! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . . and DO!" Today I heard Abby in the hallway, apparently trying something new, saying, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . . and DO!" ♥
Though I'm thankful to have an entire day to do nothing but cuddle with my little boy, it makes my heart sad it's because he's so sick! Daddy needs to come home and rescue the girls - they are in serious need of some one-on-one time!!! ♥
11/14: SOOOOO thankful that Isaac woke up with a DRY DIAPER this morning! I cannot wait to have just ONE child in diapers - for the first time in more than 4 years! Abby's all but there - just has a few accidents at night every now and then. And we're starting to potty train Brianna this weekend. Fingers crossed she is as easy as -- or easier than -- the twins. I may just find out another twin perk, though! :-)
Best of luck to you, Elder Kameron White. Or, maybe I should say, best of luck to your Mom and Dad. You are going to have the BEST two years of your life!!!
11/13: I love how you become a little boy's hero for just doing simple things like putting parts back on his car when they fall off. What more can you hope for in life? :-)
11/12: I'm thankful that Heavenly Father loves me enough to help me keep my priorities straight. I see roads I could have traveled, experiences I could have had that would have distracted from/overshadowed/postponed the eternal ones. And I feel so blessed for the humbling moments, the very real sacrifices, the difficult obedience decisions that have created this crazy life we are living! Sometimes He's had quite a tug of war on His hands. So thankful He never stops pulling and never gives up on me!
Abby's prayer tonight: Thank you that my book is broken but I still have it. Amen.
Brianna's prayer right after: Thank you that my book isn't. Amen.
I am so thankful for a Queen-Size bed that is big enough for Dave, me, my pregnant belly, and any stragglers that might find their way here at night to ALL still get a good night's sleep! Good sleep is priceless!
11/9: I am so thankful today for SNOW from a distance! I forgot how magical it is to drive around at night, the snow falling on your car and catching the light from the lampposts. Or sit inside a warm house and watch the snow fall out your window. I may or may not have added some festive music to complete the picture. ;-) Winter really is such a wonderful time!
This really touched my heart today! We are our own worst enemies. NOTHING is impossible if you want it badly enough and are willing to CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN to have it! You might not get it today -- some mountains are higher to climb than others, with more obstacles than you may have realized. But as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you WILL reach the peak. That ability to dream and accomplish their goals is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things I want my children to carry forward from me.
11/8: I am so thankful today for a husband who knows electronics and how to learn WHATEVER he needs/wants to! (Like how to try and fix our poor broken t.v.) And for his mad cooking skills when he gets a craving for something. We're pretty blessed to have him around!
11/7:
"Woman, how divine your mission,
Here upon our natal sod;
Keep—oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world."
~ William Ross Wallace
I wrote a post last night that someone deleted, and I just want to put it out there today. Then I'll leave it all alone. I think the "politically-correct" reaction is to be positive about the election last night. You read things like, "Get over it - move on - we're all American - let go of your pessimism - where is your faith?" But I just want to put out there that . . . there is a time and a
season for everything. A time to
mourn . . . AND a time to let go and rejoice. For a lot of people who
supported Romney, myself included, there were some very real differences
that led to offering that support; values and ideals that we hold dear -
even sacred - that we feel were lost. If Romney had won, PEOPLE WOULD
HAVE FELT THE SAME WHO SUPPORTED OBAMA.
I made the analogy that, when Lazarus died - even though Christ KNEW it was NOT the end, even though He KNEW that Lazarus would be a way to begin to teach people about the beauty and hope of the Resurrection - Christ still WEPT! He still FELT the pain of the moment and what it meant for HIM to lose something that he loved and valued dearly. He didn't just say to Mary and Martha - "Put your big-girl pants on! Haven't you been listening to me? Death is not the end. I'm so disappointed in you for letting this affect you like this. Where is your faith?"
YES, we will move forward as a nation! Yes, we WILL be united in the things that make us strong and the values we share. Yes, we are so blessed to have the freedoms we do. Yes, we will have more growing pains and moments where we don't agree - without allowing them to divide us. YES, our hope and faith in Christ and God's plan are SO MUCH BIGGER than an election and WILL PULL US THROUGH EVERYTHING ahead of us. YES, we will recover and pull through TOGETHER. JUST AS WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION BEEN DIFFERENT and had we found ourselves on the other side of the coin.
BUT . . . there's still a time and a season for everything. AND THAT'S OKAY, TOO!
I made the analogy that, when Lazarus died - even though Christ KNEW it was NOT the end, even though He KNEW that Lazarus would be a way to begin to teach people about the beauty and hope of the Resurrection - Christ still WEPT! He still FELT the pain of the moment and what it meant for HIM to lose something that he loved and valued dearly. He didn't just say to Mary and Martha - "Put your big-girl pants on! Haven't you been listening to me? Death is not the end. I'm so disappointed in you for letting this affect you like this. Where is your faith?"
YES, we will move forward as a nation! Yes, we WILL be united in the things that make us strong and the values we share. Yes, we are so blessed to have the freedoms we do. Yes, we will have more growing pains and moments where we don't agree - without allowing them to divide us. YES, our hope and faith in Christ and God's plan are SO MUCH BIGGER than an election and WILL PULL US THROUGH EVERYTHING ahead of us. YES, we will recover and pull through TOGETHER. JUST AS WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION BEEN DIFFERENT and had we found ourselves on the other side of the coin.
BUT . . . there's still a time and a season for everything. AND THAT'S OKAY, TOO!
11/6: This morning, I am thankful for hot water and a
clean bath basin! After we had breakfast, scripture study, songs, and
morning prayers, it was still early enough that I was TEMPTED to turn on
the heat. But instead - welcome, welcome morning bath!
11/4: Dave told me that I have that pregnant waddle
going on. I reminded him that not only do I NOT waddle, but I just rode
8 miles on a bike, pulling a 4-year-old behind me (thank you very
much!). He said, "Yep! The only time I've ever seen someone manage to
waddle on a bike!" Ha . . . Ha . . . Ha David Chaffee! ;-)
So thankful this morning that growing up is a
process, full of wonder and excitement in the smallest of things - and I
don't have to miss a single moment of it! At the same time, I think I'd
like to have a pause button every now and then . . . Just sayin'! :-)
11/3: I am so thankful to be married to the best dad
any child could ask for! This morning, he let me sleep in. And I woke
up to hearing him reading through the Bob books with the kids before he
would let them watch a movie. He really IS the best. dad. ever.
11/2: Things I am thankful for - Days 1 and 2 (a little behind):
1) The internet. I don't know how I would have survived the last few years of motherhood without being able to connect with good friends and not feel so isolated.
2) BIKE RIDES!!! I used to take the twins out by myself all the time - then I got outnumbered, in CA of all places (LOL!), and it has been years since we went on family rides. Definitely one of my FAVORITE things. I'm SO THANKFUL that my children get to have this be a LOVE of their lives and a memory from their earliest memories of family time.
1) The internet. I don't know how I would have survived the last few years of motherhood without being able to connect with good friends and not feel so isolated.
2) BIKE RIDES!!! I used to take the twins out by myself all the time - then I got outnumbered, in CA of all places (LOL!), and it has been years since we went on family rides. Definitely one of my FAVORITE things. I'm SO THANKFUL that my children get to have this be a LOVE of their lives and a memory from their earliest memories of family time.
Heading out for a family bike ride and picnic! I love Friday's!!!
Abby found the worms from fishing a few weeks
ago in the back yard and kept trying to pick them up to save them. Dave
told her to leave them alone. She started crying, "But Daddy! If we
lose the worms, we can't go fishing any more!"
11/1: I love that Dave chose to watch "Move Over,
Darling" on Netflix tonight! It's so nice to have someone who can
appreciate a good old Doris Day flick with me! :-)
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