Happiness

When we blame our feelings on other people, we are being in a state of Emotional Childhood. I have realized that I do this a lot. I state that I am feeling a certain way because someone else treated me a certain way. We are letting someone else take control of our own emotions and giving them the power. That's not how it is. We are in control of our own thoughts. They make us feel how we feel. If we change our thoughts, we change our feelings. Some things that help with this are: 1. Taking deep breaths in. When we are anxious or nervous, we tend to hold our breath which doesn't help the situation. Take 10 deep breaths and see how you feel afterwards. 2. Recognizing your emotion. Name it. Sit with it and feel it. 3. Take claim of your own power. You own your thoughts. You are the one who decides whether you will be happy or sad. You got this!

We babysat a dog for a week and I cried when she left. I decided that I would not handle foster care very well. And so, if we are to grow our family- or I can have a baby once again- we are to adopt or maybe IVF? We are waiting until it backyard could pass home inspection (our above ground pool broke) and to save up money. And I am waiting. Not really being impatient. Just living life moment by moment. Until a baby is placed in our arms. And then I will live moment to moment Because that’s how life should be led.

This post was written around 6 months before I became pregnant with Declan. I wish that Infertility wasn't such a taboo topic. That people could talk about it easily, and carelessly, free of judgement or pain. But, since the decision to have children/more children is such a personal thing and it is so connected with such an important part of life and such sensitive feelings it's not talked abou:t discussed/enough. I wish that there were lessons in Relief Society on Infertility. What to say when you don't know what to say. What to never say (So, when are you going to have kids? or When are you going to have more kids?). I wish there was some innate, intuitive feeling that people would have so they would be able to reach out in love and support, instead of judgement or worry. I wish Drs. would never, ever say: "You have (blank) amount of kids. You don't need any more." **Note- don't expect that patient to come back! I wish that I could state on fac...

My Sister-in-Law and her current family of five have been staying with us for three weeks. It’s been very fun to have them over! Her four year old girl plays really well with my four year old boy- most of the time! Their 9 year old boy is energetic and fun and their 15 yr old keeps my teenagers occupied. It’s been great! She is a life coach (certified through The Life Coach School) and I’ve loved how she has made me reevaluate my thoughts and thinking patterns. I didn’t know I was dealing with certain issues. They have been ingrained in my thinking patterns for so long (thoughts that we don’t make enough money even though my husband is making more than we ever have before), thoughts about myself, etc. I’m excited to change those thought patterns- this thought train that seems to keep running around the same track in my head- entrenching it more and more into my subconscious. It will take some work and some humility but I am willing to do it. What are some thought that you di...

Declan & his cousin Kate We have family in town and are taking them to all the hot spots around here- Joe's BBQ and grill, Winco. the Temple and Bahama Bucks!  These icy sensations single handedly saved me when I had migraines. I would never get a brain freeze- no matter how fast I ate (isn't that weird? I knew I was returning to normalcy when I started getting them. A brain freeze never felt so good). They cut my pain level down from 8 to 5 and I loved them for it! Mango and Peach all the way! The kids loved it and the birthday cake flavor was a hit as usual! There are locations in Draper, Utah and Texas besides Arizona if you want to hit one! -The Bahama Mama Rama is a large shave ice with ice cream on the bottom.

My Grandpa and the medals he was awarded Yesterday, for Verteran's Day, we took our niece and nephews and family on a nearby hike up the mountain. It was a lot of fun! And a little bit of hard work. No one got hurt and the cousins loved the sight of so many cacti. I had Josh give the kids a talk about not touching the cactus (since Asher did once and got quite hurt). He told them all about that and about the chance of seeing rattlesnakes. This made my 4 yr old quite nervous and he burst into tears! He did not want to go! We decided to wait until the next morning to talk it over. In the morning he remembered and did not want to go still. I wanted to take family pictures right before, so I really wanted him to go. I didn't show him my feelings. We tried offering him many things- snacks, water, treats, a hat. Nothing worked. Finally, I offered him my fanny pack and he remembered Dad's camelback (a backpack you can drink from with a straw). He was sudde...

www.lds.org I've been trying to follow our Prophet's counsel and read the Book of Mormon (a 500 page plus book). I've read it more than several times before but this time has been amazing! I read about 7 pages of thin scripture a day and it takes me about 45- 60 minutes depending on how often I get interrupted by the kids (I read it in the morning after breakfast- crazy, I know- but my kids can ready by themselves- mostly!).  Reading it this fast has opened my eyes to 3 important things. 1. Who the characters really are . I am amazed at the things that I've learned about the real prophets who are in the Book of Mormon. Did you know Lehi was Enos's (the Prophet who prayed all night) Grandpa? Jacob (of Nephi, Sam, Laman, Lemuel, Joseph and Jacob) was his Dad.  Amulek was a convert and a great help to Alma. They were asked to preach repentance to the people and the people tried to kill them. The people even burned the righteous believers in a fire and Alma a...

Halloween Night- Ethan as Darth Vador, Jonah and Asher as peanut butter and jelly and Declan as a ninja. Elizabeth went with friends. Having teenagers is hard! I currently have 3- one 16 yr old and two 14 year old boys. I will have another 13 yr old this next summer. Let me tell you, it is harder than having toddlers.  Yes, toddlers will throw tantrums, you can't understand what they are saying or what they want and they need you night and day. Their cuteness often makes up for it! With teenagers, it is more emotionally difficult. They speak in grunts and spurts. Most of the time. They get upset over small things (hormones) and they worry about being liked and accpeted. I will try to focus on the positives of having teenagers. They are high energy, they like to have fun and they keep this home hopping!  I am so grateful for the teenagers that I have and for the chance I have to help raise them to be wonderful young adults. In fact, they already...