The Joy of Being Known

There is a joy- a particular contentment- that is felt when one is known.  It is always nice to get to know others, but when you feel someone really knows you- gets you- there is a peace that enters the soul.

by Kristy 

I was skimming through my sis-in-law's previous posts on her blog and I came across this.  It really struck me.  I love it when a connection with another person is so strong that you can give someone a particular look and they know exactly when you are thinking or when they can tell what you are feeling by the tone of your voice.  True friendships and the love of family is what makes life sweet and burdens easier to bear.  There is a joy and comfort that comes from knowing you are not alone in the journey.   

Count Your Many Blessings

I feel very thankful today for all of the many blessings in my life.  I wanted to share the things that mean the most to me, and not just because it is Thanksgiving.  Of course this wonderful holiday season strengthens my feelings of gratitude, but I guess watching the news and seeing the state the world is in makes my gratitude all the stronger.  So, here are the things that I am grateful for...

The Gospel.  It gives my life meaning and I know who I am, where I am going and why I am here.  

My Savior.  Who died for me so that I can return again to live with my Heavenly Father and that I can repent of my sins.

Family.  Without them this journey would be far less meaningful and far less enjoyable.  I love you all and and I am missing you terribly right now.  

Healthy, happy children.  Everyday I am reminded of all the terrible disease and sickness in this world and I thank my Heavenly Father for my beautiful, healthy, happy children.  

Friends.  You help me make it through everyday life with smiles and laughter.  Thank you!

Our Ward Family.  We have the best ward full of thoughtful, caring people who would do anything for anyone and who have opened their arms to our family.  Thank you for making Missouri feel like home.

My Home.  I know it is just a mobile home, but it is my mobile home.  We are safe and happy here and I am so thankful that it is ours.

Education.  I am thankful for the opportunity I had of being able to go to school and get a degree and that my husband is able to pursue his goals of being a chiropractor.  We are so blessed to be here at this time.

Blogs, E-Mail, and Phones.  I am so grateful for this technology that allows me to stay in touch with family and friends that are far away!

The list goes on and on, but those are the ones that are standing out to me right now.  It just reminds me that everyday I need to stop and take time to be grateful for the many blessing in my life.

A Big Boy

Porter is now 5 1/2 months and he is wearing 12 month clothing.  His pants vary, some are 9 month and some are 12 month.  All his shirts are 12 month.  And last night we put him in a pair of PJs we thought wouldn't fit for months and months.  Guess what?  They fit like a glove!  I cannot believe how big he is! 

Sibling love

Just wanted to share these pics because I thought they were too cute!

Porter's Big Weekend

Porter had an eventful weekend.  He has been having a lot of problems eating lately.  He arches his back and frantically moves his head from side to side when he eats.  He goes a really long time in between feedings sometimes and then when he does it is seems it is more like he is starving so he has too and not like he is enjoying it.  Friday night I was talking to my friend Megan about it.  She said she thinks her son was allergic to Enfamil formula, which is what we use.  She switched to Similac and he has been much better.  Chant and I thought we would try that.  Porter's first bottle of Similac was Friday night.  Even since then he seems to enjoy eating and he does squirm or arch his back.  Yeah!  I do think I am going to talk to the doctor about Reflux.  But anyway, that was exciting for us.

And yesterday we put him in his highchair for the first time.  Before I put him in his bouncy chair to feed him.  But lately when we put him in his bouncy chair or his swing he tries desperately to sit up.  He looked so cute in his highchair!  We fed him and then cleaned him off and put some toys on the tray.  He was so happy and smiley!  I think he really enjoyed it. 

Worthwhile

I finished reading The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck last night.  It was actually kind of a funny sight.  Chant had fallen asleep on the couch and I was holding Porter on my lap in the rocking chair.  I was trying to keep him awake so that he would not wake up at 3:00 a.m. and want to play.  (That occasionally happens when I let him sleep too long in the evening.)  I stopped reading and was singing to Porter and playing with him to keep him awake.  I desperately wanted to finish my book so the thought occurred to me that I could just read it out loud.  I would keep Porter awake and finish my book.  So that is what I did.  Soon I was sobbing.  Porter was looking up at me and Chant woke up, looked at me and laid back down.  It is a beautiful book with a powerful message.  Definitely worth the time, although it is such a good book that it is easy to zip right through it.  I will not ruin it for you in case you decide to read it, but let me just say that when I finished reading it I felt a little better about life.  I felt an amazing love for my Savior and courage to press forward and make each day the best it can be.  

My friends Mary and Cam are blessed with the opportunity to see the stage show of The Christmas Sweater and I am so excited for them.  It will be an amazing night I am sure.

Anyway, worth the read.

Lots to Say

So I have a lot on my mind today.  Sorry if I am long-winded.  Feel free to stop reading at any time if you become bored.

Issue 1:  Preschool

Chant and I heard about a program through the school district for pre-school a while ago.  It is 3 times a week for an hour and a half each time.  The class has a teacher to oversee things and then high school students are the ones who plan the activities and carry them out.  It is only $35 for the whole program.  I thought that was amazing!  So we talked about it for a while and finally decided to call the teacher in charge to get more info and find out when it starts.  We have called several times over the past few weeks and have heard nothing back (we were only able to leave messages).  Finally yesterday we actually got to talk to her!  After a few questions she said they had an opening and Brinn could start this Friday!  WOW, that was fast!  So here's the deal, I am suddenly feeling really up and down about it.  I have been so excited about it ever since I first heard about the program.  Brinn is a very social kid.  She loves to play with other kids and is very good at making new friends.  But she also likes her alone time.  Her and Ainsley play so well together, but sometimes Brinn just wants to play by herself.  That is why I thought this would be so great for Brinn.  It would give her a chance to make new friends and socialize, but it would also give her some alone time (from the fam) to do something that is just for her.  And I think it would be good for Ains and I to have some time to do things with just the two of us.  Sometimes I feel like she gets lost in the shuffle.  But then I get nervous.  I guess it is mostly because I cannot believe Brinn is old enough to be going to pre-school!  She is almost 4!  I am not at all worried about Brinn getting lost in the shuffle at the pre-school.  It is 3 kids to each high school student.  And they are not going to be overly structured.  There will be activities and games, but it will not be intense or anything.  I think it will be good for all of us, I just have to get used to it.  And Brinnley cannot wait for Friday!  Now I just have to practice getting up and going because she has to be there at 9:15.  But I can do it, with all 3 kids in tow!

Issue 2:  Haircuts

So we have lived here almost 2 years and I have yet to find a stylist that I love.  That is until now.  I got my hair cut last Saturday.  I had been needing one for a while, but I kept putting it off because I always get nervous for what my hair will look like when it is finished.  I have had some bad experience here that have resulted in lots of tears and hysteria.  I was finally at the over-the-edge point when I wanted to grab the scissors and whack it myself.  Since that is obviously not a good idea, I got an appointment with a professional.  The very fist thing the girl said to me was "Wow, you have really thick hair.  I have my work cut out for me."  She then told me she was going to thin it a little.  I got a little squirmy.  I am not a fan of the words "thin" and "hair" being in the same sentence.  But I let her do it anyway.  And to my amazement, I love it!  It is day 3 of doing my hair and I actually don't hate it.  Thanks Becca for the suggestion of where to go!

Issue 3:  Let it go or try harder?

I got this forward a few days ago and I have been thinking about it a lot.  This was the message, "There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore, and who always will.  So don't worry about people from your past, there is a reason why they didn't make it to your future."  Interesting.  But it made me thing.  This is something I have always struggled with.  I hope I am not the only one that feels this way, but there have been friendships throughout the course of my life that at the time are not being as fulfilling as I wish they would be.  And then there are friendships that were important but due to moving or other events in life they have dwindled.  When faced with the opportunity to get reacquainted, the question arises in the back of my mind, "Will this amount to anything or has to much time passed to rekindle that friendship?"  So my question is, let it go or try harder?  Let go of current friendships that are not healthy relationships or try harder to make them healthy?  Work harder at getting in touch with those from the past that were once important or hold onto the memories and lessons learned from those friendships and let it go?  Just something I think about every once in a while.  Am I weird?  Probably.  What are your thoughts on the subject?

Bitter Sweet

As the holidays are approaching I am finding myself filled with excitement but also sadness.  I am so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  This is my first time making Thanksgiving dinner.  I am so excited to try some new recipes and start new food traditions, but I am also terrified!  Hopefully everything will be edible.  And we are so lucky to have my sister-in-law Kristy coming.  She is amazing!  And Christmas will be wonderful!  The girls are so excited.  And I am thrilled with the array of wonderful gifts I have gathered for quarters and dimes at amazing garage sales.  And I am in the middle of making Christmas presents for my family.  I cannot say anything else because I don't want to give it away to those who are reading this, but lets just say that a lot of time, thought, and love went into these gifts.  I hope you all will love them as much as I do.  I am just really feeling the joy and excitement of the season.

But then I am sad because we will not be spending the holiday with family.  (Except Kristy, of course.)  We will be missing all of you in Idaho, Boston, and Denver this holiday season.  We love you all and hope you know we are missing you and are looking forward to when we will see you again.

Brinnley's Tongue

It is called Geographic Tongue.  She loses her taste buds in random areas then they grow back in and it does it again in a different place on her tongue. No worries it does not hurt, there is no treatment, and no one knows if she will grow out of it.  This series of photos was the last episode she had.  The sores started on a monday four days later half of her tongue had lost its taste buds.  Weird!

If you could change, would you?

So I started reading this new book and it has put me in a very reflective state of mind.  It is "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck.  It the front flap of the book it poses the following question, "If you could change your life by reversing your biggest regrets, sorrows and mistakes. . . would you?"  That is a really tough question.  When I think about mistakes that I have made my heart feels deep sorrow that I had disappointed my Heavenly Father or hurt someone else.  It reminds me of Alma the younger when he says his soul was wracked with sorrow for his sins.  It causes my soul such pain to think of my mistakes.  But then at the same time I am reminded that our purpose in life is to learn and grow from our experiences so that we can again come to know and return to a loving Father in Heaven.  We are here to experience both joy and sorrow.  Without the sorrow we could not truly know the joy.  

I pray that as I go through each day I might be able to gain a little more knowledge and learn from the mistakes I make so that each day I can progressively become more like the person I hope I can one day be.  I know I will stumble along the way, that is inevitable, but I know that I have a loving Savior that knows my pains and sorrows and He will carry me through after I have done all that I can do.  And I also know that if it were not for the mistakes I have made, I would not be who I am today.  I am a culmination of the experiences I have had.  My job is to learn from those experiences, to not repeat the mistakes and to keep the good and help it grow.

So to answer the question, as painful as it sometimes is, I would not change my life by reversing my sorrows and regrets.  I just hope I can life in a way that I will have less and less of them.

ABC Tag

A- Attached or single?  Attached

B- Best Friend?  Hmm, My husband 

C- Cake or Pie?  Cake

D-Day of Choice?  Saturday

E- Essential Item?  Chapstick

F- Favorite Color?  Teal  

G- Gummy Bears or Worms?  Worms, they are much more fun to eat.

H- Hometown?  Ashton, ID

I- Indulgence?  Chocolate (Sorry Stacy, I agree)

J- January or July?  Well, that depends.  If we are talking about Idaho, July.  Talking about        Missouri, January.  (I do not like the super hot and humid summers here!)

K- Kids?  3 beauties

L- Life is Incomplete without?  A family vacation that includes driving for several days  

M- Marriage Date?  Sept 13, 2003

N- Number of Siblings?  3 brothers

O- Oranges or Apples?  Oranges

P- Phobias or Fears?  Mice

Q- Quotes?  Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take        our breath away.

R- Reason to Smile?  Listening to my girls playing together

S- Season?  Fall

T- Tag 5 People?  Mary, Rachel, Becca, Sarah, Kristy

U- Unknown Fact?  I had the tip of my tongue surgically removed

V- Very Favorite Store?  General store, Target.  Clothing store, Maurices.

W- Worst Habit?  Biting my cuticles

X- X-Ray or Ultrasound?  Both  Broke my right wrist and I've had a few with my pregnancies 

Y- Your Favorite Food?  My mom's lasagna

Z- Zodiac?  Aquarius 

Election Day, it's finally over!

So yesterday was the big day.  I am so glad it is over!  I was getting a CNNed out.  I do care deeply about politics and the state of our country, but it seems like lately all the news has been the same.  So yesterday morning Chant left the house at 5:00 to get to our voting place.  He was 10th in line at that early hour.  The voting booths opened at 6:00, so he had a wait.  But he said by 5:30 the line was to the end of the parking lot.  As soon as he got home I left.  I arrived at 6:45 and finished voting at 7:45.  Not too shabby, considering there was a record turnout in Missouri.  Missouri also had the closest vote of any state.  It felt good doing my civic duty and making my voice heard.  Chant proudly put his "I Voted" sticker on our calendar to save for posterity.  Whatever will we do with our time now their is no more campaigning news to watch? 

Ainsley's Haircut

So, as you can all see, I have not figured out how to put pictures up going the right direction.  I have a Mac and use iphoto to put my pictures up.  Anyone who can help me figure out what I am doing wrong, I would greatly appreciate the advice!

Short, but cute

So, it happened again.  Ainsley's hair was beautiful, so long and curly.  But with her fine hair we were finding snarls to be a real problem.  Chant normally cuts the girls' hair, but he wanted someone else to cut it this first time and then he would just trim it as it was needed.  The last time I was in charge of haircuts Brinnley came home with a very short A-line.  So this time I put Chant in charge of being there when they cut Ainsley's hair.  He told them we wanted it just below the shoulder (her hair was almost to the middle of her back when it was pulled straight).  I got the last cry as I explained that hairdressers don't always listen to what you are telling them.  It was so hard for me to see her hair gone, but it is cute and spunky, just like my little girl.  And I know it will grow back.  In the meantime we are enjoying the ease of doing short hair. 

Lovin' Those Leaves!

Fall is my favorite time of year.  I love the brilliant colors of the leaves and the gorgeous weather.  It has been especially nice this year.  Today we enjoyed the wonderful 75 degree temp and the light breeze.  The Perfect Day!  We took a sandwich and grape dinner to the park and then played until dark.   Yesterday was a little sad for me though.  We have the most beautiful tree in our front yard.  The leaves were a deep crimson red.  But yesterday I woke to find most of them on the ground.  So Sad!  But we enjoyed the benefits of fallen leaves.  I snapped some fun pics of the kids and Chant playing.  

Halloween!

We actually did the whole Halloween thing on the 30th.  Our ward party was that night.  Our kids have never gone door to door and we did not feel like starting this year.  It was a great party!  First, costumes.  Brinn was a dragon, Ainsley a Monkey (fitting, right), and Porter a duck.  All three of our kids have now been that duck.  Chant and I made our best attempt at dressing up.  He was a Rasta and I did my best at a pirate.   The Young Women ran games for the kids.  We had Brinnley and Ainsley's friend Ellie Tilton with us while we went to all the different games.  They did a cake walk (that was the favorite), a ring toss, a bean bag toss, and golf.  The kids did great.  Brinn kept at it until she made it with every game.  And the girls cheered for each other when they won.  It was very cute!

Then came trunk or treat time.  Let me just tell you, we have some amazing people in our ward.  So creative!  One couple dressed as a biker chick and a biker dude.  They brought bicycles and wrapped foil around them and had a CD with the bike revving sound on it.  It was awesome!  Most people do really well at decorating their trunks.  We even added some spice to ours.  

Brinn was busy running from trunk to trunk as fast as she could.  Ainsley was so funny.  Instead of saying "trick of treat" she would hold her bucket out and say "I want some!"  Then the drama kicked in when her bucket dumped.  I hurried to gather up her candy while she cried.  After that she wanted me to carry her so that she could hold her bucket with both hands to protect her candy from falling again.  After we had gone around the whole parking lot, the girls headed back to the car and plugged in a movie.  Ellie came over to join in the party.  Watching movies in the back seat after with Ellie after trunk or treat is becoming our little Halloween tradition.  It was a great night! 

Pumpkin Time!

October 28th we spent the afternoon carving pumpkins.  We had 3 pumpkins, one for each of our little pumpkins.  They had a blast!  We gave each girl an ice cream scoop to get the seeds out with.  Brinnley wasn't as excited about that part, but Ainsley loved it.  Once all the seeds were out she sat for a long time moving them from one bowl to another.  Brinnley was very much into carving them.  She sat intently watching every cut Chant made and she told him what she wanted the faces to look like.  They had a great time doing it!