The best medicine...

is laughter. That's one thing I haven't been doing enough of lately. I've been pretty stressed out about this move. Although the adventurous side of me is absolutely thrilled about this exciting time in our lives, the side of me that needs order and structure is trying not to completely lose it.

So the condo I was gushing about? It's probably going to be sold to someone else. :( We were all set to go, but then an offer from a buyer came in and it looks like they're probably going to take it. I don't blame them. I guess that's what I get for lusting after it anyway. :( But there goes 2 weeks when we could have been looking for another place to rent. And the homes we're currently looking at, just aren't working out for one reason or another. I'm trying to exercise patience, but I'm getting a little nervous now. Jon starts his job in less than 4 weeks, and we have no where to go! And our house is filled with boxes, we have endless projects to undertake, and just as quickly as I get stuff boxed up, the kids get into them. Then since I'm all stressed out, I end up scolding them more than usual, and at the end of the day, I feel like a complete failure. :(
Sorry for the rant, I know I have so much to be grateful for, but it's just been one of those days and I'm really worried about getting it all done. I know that "faith and worry cannot exist in the same mind at the same time" so I guess I just need to have more faith.

So anyway, in an attempt do something fun with the kids this afternoon, we made some goofy aliens, fish, and ducks for lunch. It was really silly and simple, but it seemed to help keep things more light-hearted around here...




Thankfully, my husband has an amazing outlook on life, and he helps me try to see the positive in every situation. He makes me laugh every day. I read recently that the average adult laughs an average of 15 times a day? That's pretty sad considering that the average child laughs up to 400 times a day!

But seriously, how could I not laugh when I asked the kids to get dressed this morning, and they came in wearing these ensembles...

So my goal for today... be a little more childlike and laugh a little more than I did yesterday.

A little bit of news...

No, we're not prego again... we're moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin! (But not until this summer). Jon will be finished with his Masters Degree in May, so we'll probably move toward the end of June. He has accepted a wonderful job offer as an Actuary, and we're really thrilled about this career opportunity. We've prayed about this decision, and although it's bittersweet, we've received a definite confirmation that it's right for us. Isn't it wonderful when the answer comes so strongly, that there is no hesitation?

We have LOVED living in Ohio. We've made so many wonderful friends here, and we will miss everyone terribly, but all I can say is, thank goodness for blogs!! So now begins the ordeal of moving. We have a lot more stuff (and 3 more kids) than we had last time we moved, so I'm a little worried. And it's probably the worst time in the history of real estate to sell, but although it seems extremely overwhelming now, I just need to have faith that everything will work out. I guess that's the comfort of knowing you're making the right choice. Since I know we're supposed to go, I know Heavenly Father will provide a way for it all to happen. Here's a wonderful article that has helped remind me to trust in the Lord.

So to celebrate our decision, we had to take turns parading around in our Cheese hat. (Don't ask me where we got that!?) When we decided to move to Texas, we donned cowboy hats and ran around the house "yee-hawing" everywhere... so we had to carry on the tradition. :)

Milwaukee is a really beautiful area. It's very safe, and it's located right off of Lake Michigan! So I'm looking forward to a trip to the beach this summer! Woohoo!

Seed of Faith

This is my all time favorite piece of artwork. It's by Jay Bryant Ward and I saw it in an Ensign once and was deeply moved by it. Jon bought it for me the next Christmas, and I've had it hanging up in our room ever since. It's called "Seed of Faith", and it depicts a mother and her son who is a future strippling warrior from the Book of Mormon. This little boy grew to be one of the young men of tremendous faith who said, "We do not doubt... our mothers knew it." In this print, she's using a seed to teach him about faith.

The artist sums up his work, "To me, Seed of Faith" represents a tender, teaching moment when a mother's loving patience has paid off, and the child's young heart is ready for learning. It is then that a precious seed may be planted." - Jay Bryant Ward

This painting was inspired by the following poem written by the artist's mother:

Your Life Will Be My Gain
Given me on loan my son, for a brief earthly span,
To bear, to love, and nourish. Baby, then boy to man.
Remembered tender moments, after I gave you birth,
In God's miracle we shared. I pondered this child's worth.
What would life store for him, this babe so pure and sweet?
Can I but help prepare him life's challenges to meet?
God trusted me, noble one, Oh what a humbling task,
To teach, to train, and temper the first day to the last.
To grow in hearts of babes, a faith for ever more,
To plant in the souls of boys, true character, the core.
Grant in me a fertile soil from which you draw your might,
Strength to face time's drying winds, and earth's temptations blight.
From God your life I borrowed, to claim you as my seed.
Will you help me pay my debt through your good life and deed?
If you can return to Him as pure as once you came,
Glory be upon your head. Glory to our Father's name.
This life for me holds no goal, I seek no worldly fame,
If only hailed as Mother. Your life will be my gain!
-Joanne Ward
(Mother of artist Jay Bryant Ward)

Then one day while I was scrapbooking, I was flipping through our photos and came across this picture that reminded me of that print. It immediately brought me to tears. Just the way Benny is looking up at me, with such trust in his eyes, completely dependent on me and his Daddy not only for survival but for knowledge of the restored gospel. What an ENROMOUS responsibility, to not only teach the truths of the gospel, but to model them, and to set up and maintain a home where the Holy Spirit can witness these truths to them.

I worry a LOT about measuring up to this monumental task. It's actually pretty ironic because this picture is of a mother teaching her child about faith and as the Prophet Joseph Smith once said, "Faith and worry cannot exist in the same mind at the same time." I guess I don't have enough faith yet because like I said, I worry a lot. I often fear that I'm inadeqate for motherhood which has been called "the highest and holiest service to be assumed by mankind". With all my weaknesses and shortcomings, I just don't feel good enough. But I guess the faith part comes in when I remember that I'm not alone in this! If I were to be relying on my own knowlege, strength and abilities, I'd be terrified of this calling. In fact, I don't even think I'd want to get out of bed in the morning. But it's such a comfort to know that these are really His children, and that they are on loan to me and my husband. That He is more invested in their eternal welfare than I am because His love for them is perfect.

So now both of these pictures hang in my room as a constant reminder of the sacred and holy responsibility of motherhood. They inspire me to get up every morning and try to do my part in raising these children to be faithful and grow up unto the Lord. I know that my husband and I don't have to parent these kids alone. I know that we have a wise and all-knowing Father to call on anytime day or night and that I can draw on his perfect strength. And I know that he is willing and eager to help me... all I have to do is ask in FAITH. And with this faith, I can go on... trusting that His perfection will make up for my weaknesses as a mother. I am so grateful for the joy these children have brought into my life. They are so precious to me... each of them. Each of them is God's own child, with a unique and distinct mission to perform on this earth. I can only hope to raise them in a way that would please Him.

Green Thumb Wanna-be

I started our very first garden this week!!! I thought you wouldn't belive me mom, so I took a picture to prove it. ;) I knew absolutely nothing (zero, zilch, nada,) about gardening, so I had to solicit a little help. I'm the young womens president in our ward at church, so I recruited one of the girls (Tasha) who is very skilled at gardening, and thankfully, she was willing to come teach me the basics. We planted zucchinis, tomatoes, cantaloupe, honey-dew melon, parsley, green peppers, cucumbers, and lavender.

I also bought a rose bush for the front yard because my Grandma Moore always had big beautiful roses in her yard, and I remember how much I loved them. My hubby and I often quote from a Ziggy cartoon that said "You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses." So I think it will be a nice reminder for our family every day as we leave the house. Anyway, it was a huge ordeal because there with TONS and TONS of little rocks to be hauled away, but we did it, and I'm so excited! I NEVER thought I'd be passionate about gardening... I guess I just thought it wasn't my thing, but I really love it! There's something so satisfying about working in a garden. And there are so many spiritual lessons I thought about while gardening. I found myself pondering deeply about some powerful parables about faith. Here's one from the Book of Mormon:

21And now as I said concerning faith—afaith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye bhope for things which are not seen, which are true.

22And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is amerciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.

23And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, anot only men but women also. Now this is not all; little bchildren do have words given unto them many times, which cconfound the wise and the learned.

24And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out—now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true—

25For I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves; for I verily believe that there are some among you who awould humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might.

26Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

27But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

28Now, we will compare the word unto a aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a bseed may be planted in your cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to eenlighten my funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own alikeness.

32Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34And now, behold, is your aknowledge bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your dmind doth begin to expand.

35O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is alight; and whatsoever is light, is bgood, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

37And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38But if ye aneglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your aground is bbarren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the atree of life.

41But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree bspringing up unto everlasting life.

42And because of your adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

43Then, my brethren, ye shall areap the brewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth cfruit unto you.

I'm so excited about my new hobby... now I just have to find a way to keep the kids out of it!