Happiness

At the Hogle Zoo yesterday. The other day I got a chance to head down to BYU and hear Al Fox Carraway, blogger, public speaker, author, Mormon, speak to a group of over 800 people on her conversion story. She has recently published her first book- More Than the Tattooed Mormon. I originally began following her story when she moved to Arizona and was highlighted there. I loved, loved, loved her talk! She is such a positive, upbeat person with a super strong testimony that it's hard to walk away from hearing speak without being uplifted yourself. As I walked towards my parked car- in the freezing cold- I enjoyed listening to others talk about how much they enjoyed listening to her story. Basically, she met the Elders, really loved talking to them but didn't want to hear about the Gospel. She started praying and reading the Book of Mormon and  then going to Church and she got hooked! She was baptized two weeks later. Despite opposition from her family and friends and coworkers, sh...

Yes, that's sharpie. A big kid left it out. Nail pilish remover got it out! Yay for Pinterest! -loves playing outside, at the park, going for walks, jumping on the trampoline with his siblings and riding in his car. -loves eggs, oatmeal, veggie straws, lollipops, chocolate and pasta -ate 4 tiny lollipops during Halloween and not much of anything else. -got his first flu this week. Poor guy! -says "mommy" "daddy" "fire" "cold" "Elmo" "blankey" "binky" "more" "snack" "Sadie" "milk". He really knows a lot of words- too many to put down. "Shoe" "jacket" - can sing all the words to Elmo's world, Sesame Street, Follow the Prophet 1 st verse and Teach me to walk in the Light. -loves wearing anyone's shoes and walking around in them. -loves play dough. -is weaned off his binky during the day but not during naps and bedtime yet. - still gets lightly swadd...

We went to Ross a few weeks ago. And Burlington Coat Factory where I got a new winter coat (winter is coming you guys!) and the Sketchers outlet where Josh got new thick winter boots at 70% off- because winter is coming!  Josh said "Now I want it to snow!" And I said "me too!"  You guys, this unemployment thing is often rough but when you can go on a mid Thursday date with your husband who watches the toddler while you try on coat after coat and your hair gets all frizzy and who takes you to In n Out afterwards to get a burger even if it's only 11 am, it makes it things a little bit better. ❤️

I have a goal to read the Book of Mormon in 30 days- starting today. It ends on my 38th birthday and although I didn't plan it that way, it must be a sign that this is a good thing! Now that I've written it down, it's gonna happen. I'm accountable now. I love the scriptures. I love to read them and I am grateful to all of the North American Prophets- Nephi, Mosiah, Jarom, Alma, Mosiah, Ether, Alma, Mormon, Moroni and many others- who followed God's commandments and wrote down their stories and the stories of their people. I grateful to Joseph Smith who was prepared and took the golden plates that the Book of Mormon was written on and translated them into a language we can all understand. It is now 82 full and 25 partial-languages. Joseph Smith had a 3rd grade education and I'm grateful for his faith, his tenacity, and his influence. What a great man! I know that as we read the scriptures, the Soirit can testify of their truthfulness and our faith will increase. ...

Right now, I'm grateful for my family. For my husband who works so hard to support our family. For my children, who came to this family one by one- or two by two- and make my home so happy. I always wanted a large family like the one I grew up in and now I have it! I am just so very, very grateful. #familiesareforever

I want to do a series of blog posts on what I am grateful for. I recently learned that gratitude often comes before an answer to a prayer and I am excited about becoming more grateful. 

On our Friday night date night, Josh and I were waiting for our food and my phone binged. The Deseret News app notified me that there had been a terrorist attack in Paris, France and that 100 people (now 129) were dead with around 350 injured. I turned to Josh and asked him if he had heard. Of course he had. He knows the news almost always. If I ever beat him to knowing something in the news he doesn't know it will be a red letter day! I am so saddened to hear that ISIS has attacked and hurt and killed hundreds of people. My heart aches for them and for their families and friends. I haven't known a lot of heart ache and pain in my life so I can't imagine what they are going through. To all those who are suffering, I say May God Bless You. He loves you and is watching over you.

Mr. Ewell, my High School Band Director, takes the cake of all my High School Mentors. He was AMAZING. He still is. He required a lot of hard work and dedication in learning our marching drills and in learning our parts in Concert band. At first I was intimidated by his demands of perfection from us young 15-18 year olds, but as we began to rise to that level I realized how important it is to strive to do the best possible in all you do. I am friends with him on facebook and have followed the schools that he has gone to since his left my school. He has done some amazing, wonderful things with his schools. Also on the list is my Senior AP English teacher Mr Kniss. We talked a lot about world religions and he would make fun of me for saying that I believed in one true religion. Despite his opposition, my testimony was strengthened as I bore my testimony to him and my classmates regularly. At the end of the year, in my yearbook Mr Kniss wrote "I don't believe there is one specif...

I wonder if I could blog every. single. morning. Declan now likes to watch a few episodes of Elmo's World in his pajamas right after we drop the boys off at school. Elizabeth walks to the Middle School (7,8,9th) bus stop (her bus has crazy kids on it she tells me) about 10 minutes before. We say family prayers right before she goes. She usually has no shoes on during the prayer nd is trying to get out the door, but we don't like to start the day without it. Declan will sometimes told his arms and say "amen!" This morning the boy's coats were still wet and muddy from going sledding yesterday. They came home from school, got bundled up and went right outside for a snowball fight. It didn't end in tears- which is rare- and when that got old, they grabbed their 2 sleds (maybe I need another one since there are 3 actually 4 big kids) and went sledding at the nearby park that has awesome hills! No one got hurt and it was a fun afternoon for all! Asher said "thi...

I've been blogging from my phone, so it's pretty easy to get a blog post written these days. Daylight Savings Time has thrown me for a loop and has gotten Declan waking up at 6 am the past two mornings. I haven't been able to do my yoga/meditation as usual and I'm missing it badly!  Making sugar cookies Carving Pumpkins- Ethan and his giant pumpkin. Declan smiling! All the carved pumpkins! Perfect weather for Halloween!  Halloween Night. 2015. Ethan had changed costumes 3 times- a snake wrangler for the school parade, a zombie for Trunk or Treat and then a Hershey bar for Halloween Night. He barely finished when we were walking out the door. He was hoping on getting more Hershey bars than the other kids- and he succeeded! Asher and his cool mustache. Elizabeth wanted to be Mrs. Frankenstein and after time spent on a skirt, she decided to go without. I had bought a cute lion costume for Declan but he thought it was too fuzzy and would not put it on, so Ethan and Jonah...

Sometimes I read a blog post and just tear up, the writing is so beautiful. Thank you, Elise, thank you. Today is cold and snowy- the first of many here in Utah. I have crashed on the couch in my very well loved eggplant snuggie and am coasting out the afternoon while Declan naps. He's been sick lately- fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat. Poor little guy. Maybe he got it from nursery. Maybe the kids brought it home. I'm not sure. He sure hates the Tylenol I give hem. He lets it pool in his mouth and then spits it right out. Oh, sweet little one. Here's a picture of him in the first snow fall this Fall. I was trying to get him to look at me instead of the snow and he was not having it!  In other news, I am on a new medicine instead of lithium. It's called Latuda. What kind of name is that? It's just a weird funky name. It's a new drug and it's safer to use during any possible future baby in utero events. My afternoon blues have completely disappeared but I...