Food for Thought

OH MY! What a night! We had a "Young Women's Leader Night Out" tonight at the Movie Mill. We decided to go see the new Emma Smith movie before it left town. I knew that it wasn't going to be a comedy, but my goodness, I wasn't expecting the absolute sadness I felt as I watched it. It was such an incredible story about such an amazing, faithful woman. It was awesome to see the story through her eyes and feel the sadness and despair and hope that she experienced in her lifetime. I found it very hard to watch, but so inspiring. It gave me such perspective on my own life and the trials that I face. It made me want to endure to the end and it reiterated what I have always believed...that I belong to the only true church upon this earth. It was great to see the theatre filled with others who I assume feel the same way that I do. It was so hard to see her bury her little babies, one after the other. I thought about how my faith was tested during my miscarriages and how I wondered how much I would have to endure. It certainly made me think about what I am asked to face and if I face it well. All in all, it was a faith-promoting evening with great friends.

I Think I Love My Husband!

As I was playing on the trampoline with Josh this afternoon, I laid in the warm sun and looked over at the beautiful fence that my dear husband put up for us this month. He weathered wind and rain and mud and fatigue to construct a 400 foot fence so that we can let our busy little three year old run until he collapses. It means the world to me that he would put that effort into something that means so much to me. I know that many days he went to work absolutely exhausted because of the time that it took to work on our yard. I also know that Jason doesn't feel appreciated some of the time, and I just want him to know that he is so loved.

My Favorite Season

I LOVE AUTUMN! I am so in love with this time of year. The coolness in the air, the ability to wear sweaters again, not sweating profusely all day long, and the look of my yard when the leaves begin to fall. I don't even mind raking, and we have A LOT of trees to clean up around. It just gives me a chance to be outside in the most beautiful season there is. My house is even decorated in Autumn colours. Red, Green, deep yellow...I can't get enough of it. I am drawn to this palette whenever I go shopping for home accessories. My heart skipped a beat yesterday when I found the cutest napkins with green leaves and red berries that go perfectly with my new dinner plates. I understand that this isn't earth shattering stuff and that I probably should be focused more on the weightier things of life, but I must admit that my love of Autumn and all that it brings makes my world a little brighter.

All You Need Is Love

I really have nothing to say in today's blog, except that I LOVE my family. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and four incredible children. I am often overwhelmed with the responsibilities that come with this family, but I am also blessed to feel GRATEFUL on a daily basis for what I have been given. My children are smart, funny, caring, and forgiving of my many flaws. My husband is SOOO funny, loving, an incredible father, non-judgmental and a wonderful friend. My boss commented to me recently that I always seem happy. That isn't an entirely correct representation of my life, but I have to say that I am happy. I have been unhappy before. I know how it feels to go for long periods of time without laughing. But, as I go through my busy life, I remember that time of sadness, and it makes all of my problems seem a little smaller. So yes, I AM HAPPY! Shoot me!

SHUTUPSTUPIDOHMYHELL!

This little boy of mine has a temper! I don't know where he would have inherited that from, but he has a tendency to get very angry whenever I have the nerve to say "No". I try not to say it very often, but sometimes there are safety issues involved, and I just must utter the two-letter word that he loathes. When I do, he scans his memory for the three words/phrases that he has been forbidden to use in our home..."Shut-up", "Stupid", and "Oh my hell". (the latter may be thanks to me...I'm not quite sure). He then proceeds to say all three "profanities" quickly and repeatedly. I'm pretty close to getting him checked for Tourettes Syndrome. In the meantime, he is just spending ALOT of time in his room!

Summer Recap

Where has the summer gone? I cannot believe that we are sending the kids back to school in less than 2 weeks. I have to admit that I really like the structure of the school year. I am not a summer person, and so I look forward to fall with great anticipation. It also doesn't help that I work during the summer. It makes the time fly by and I hate that my kids are home alone without me. We had Bee Hive camp for Katie. Scott went to Utah, Oklahoma, and Virginia with his dad and Inger, and I had "Moroni's Quest" with the Young Women. So, it was busy, busy, busy!! I think summer would be much more fun if I was a stay-at-home-mom with an unlimited budget. Yep! Then I would LOVE summer. But, as it is, we have tried to do some fun things with the kids. We went to "Willy's Cabin" in the community pasture with the Broadhead side of the family for about 5 days. It is beautiful there and the kids look forward to it every year. I'm including some pictures that we took while we were there.

Perspective

I found this wonderful quote on Luella's blog that has really hit home to me;

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” (Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)" --Quoted by Elder M. Russell Ballard

How perfect is that?? I sometimes do feel like I am "living in the moment", but most times I am not. These past few months have been a challenge. I have had to deal with some things that have taken my thoughts elsewhere, and I think that my children have been somewhat neglected. This quote has made me think about "living in the moment" and trying to eliminate somethings that I don't really need to do or spend time on. I really don't want to look back and feel that I missed anything or that I have regrets. My husband and children are such a huge blessing to me, and I need to have that reflected in what I spend my life doing.