Daddy's Girl

My very favorite time of the day is when we put the couches together after dinner and have "snuggle scriptures" as a family. It's just a little bit of time we have together at the end of the day to be close and to learn about the gospel. But I swear something tries to keep us from making it happen, because inevitably the phone will ring, or someone comes to the door, or we'll get in a little tiff right before this special, sacred time. I love this little tradition, but sometimes, when the kids are being... well... kids, I wonder if it's making any difference. But I know that it is. I really appreciated what Elder Bednar shared in conference last week...


"Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. And with active, rambunctious boys, family home evening lessons did not always produce high levels of edification. At times Sister Bednar and I were exasperated because the righteous habits we worked so hard to foster did not seem to yield immediately the spiritual results we wanted and expected. Today if you could ask our adult sons what they remember about family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening, I believe I know how they would answer. They likely would not identify a particular prayer or a specific instance of scripture study or an especially meaningful family home evening lesson as the defining moment in their spiritual development. What they would say they remember is that as a family we were consistent."


Consistency, (not perfection) is what we are striving for! And all of this matters because "No success in life can compensate for failure in the home." (David O. McKay) I remember when Elder Rasband of the Seventy came to visit our church in Ohio, and he said something about this statement that gave me great hope. He shared that quote and then added, "and the definition of failure... is when you stop trying."

So every night after we finish reading, we give a big group hug we call, "Hudson Hugs" (I know it's so cheesy ha ha!), and we all say, "I yuv yew famiyee!" (This is how Benny and Charity say it since they can't pronounce their "L"s- the funniest is when they ask for "yucky charms") But anyway, just this simple embrace seems to dispel any contentious feelings, or lingering negativity that might have built up among us during the day. It reminds us how much we love each other. And I think it's important to end the day on a good note.


So tonight, during snuggle scriptures, Charity climbed on Daddy's lap, and they both fell asleep. She had been a little lethargic for most of the day. I think she might be getting sick. :( It was too sweet, so I had to stop and capture the moment. She is such a Daddy's girl!

I am grateful to have a husband who is such a wonderful man and a kind and loving father. And I'm grateful for my little sweeties. They are each such a tremendous blessing in my life. I just yuv my famiyee. ;)

Simple Thought

Recently I have begun listening to K-LOVE (a Christian radio station) because it seems to be one of the only uplifting stations I can find these days. Tonight I was touched by a spiritual thought, and I wanted to share it. It was from Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life". I have read this book, and although I am not in complete agreement with everything in it, I feel that it is truly an inspired book that has blessed millions of lives including mine. So the spiritual thought was that we have a tendency to make the excuse in our lives that God won't use us for His purposes because we aren't "good enough". We feel inadequate and become discouraged, and our capacity to do good is lessened. But Warren argues that, "All God's giants were weak people." He goes on to specify the weaknesses of some of the greatest prophets and spiritual leaders of all time:
-"Moses' weakness was his temper but God transformed him into "the humblest man on earth."
-Gideon's weakness was low self-esteem and deep insecurities but God transformed him into a "mighty man of valor."
-Abraham's weakness was fear but he became "the father of those who have faith."
-Impulsive, weak-willed Peter became "a rock."
-The adulterer David became "a man after my own heart."
-Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samual are other examples of men whose weaknesses were turned into strengths.

We can also liken this to the prophets in the Book of Mormon. Here are just a few examples I could think of:

-Enoch described himself as “but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech.” (Moses 6:31)
-Ether was unpopular- people “esteemed him as naught.” (Ether 13:13)
-Alma the younger and Enos both had a rebellious past.
-Moroni did not have the gift of good judgment in writing "for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing" (Ether 12:24)

But in spite of these weaknesses, look at the great work that Heavenly Father performed through each one of them! Their words and the examples of their lives continue to bless the world.

These examples of "weak" men, give me hope that the Lord can do a mighty work through all those who are willing to put their trust in Him. I believe that each of us have an entirely unique mission to perform on this earth, and that the Lord can use His weak instruments, to bless other people's lives. I believe that this is only possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. We are made perfect in Christ through his grace, and through our faith, repentance, and obedience to His commandments.

Ether 12:27- And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

The "gospel" truly is the good news! It is a message of hope for all of us weak ones.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

I thought I'd share my favorite recording of all time. My parents had a VHS that we used to watch on Thanksgiving called "A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns" by the BYU combined choruses. I just found it on youtube and I'm so excited! This arrangement is truly a masterpiece, and the performance is so heartfelt. It's just unbelievably beautiful and the ending makes me cry every time I see it. Enjoy!

Never a dull moment...

Could someone tell me what compels children to stick stuff up their noses? We had our first little mini-emergency here tonight. Charity came to me crying and she was pointing to her nose. I couldn't see anything up there, but she was in pain so I could tell it was serious. So after a few failed attempts to get the mystery object out, I called Daddy for help. And naturally, Daddy was able to dislodge it in one try... and it landed in her mouth. Ew. But she was so relieved! And so were we. I wonder what adventures lie ahead tomorrow...

Sundays

I LOVE Sundays. It's my favorite day of the week. I feel strongly that rituals and traditions keep families united and strong. So we have established a few rituals every Sunday that help to make it a special day for our family. First, and most importantly, we go to church as a family. Then, after church we have what we call "snack and snooze". We're usually starving because our meetings last 3 hours, so we have a big smorgasbord of leftovers from the week, and then we all crash and take naps.

In the afternoon, sometimes I'll get out a "Sunday jar" full of random ideas for service and other activities for the kids that are appropriate for Sundays. (I usually get that out if the kids say they're bored.) Then later in the evening, we make popcorn together, and watch a Sunday movie about Jesus, the Bible, or the Book of Mormon. It's a wonderful time to be close and to enjoy some time together. Lastly, we call Nana and Papa and each of the kids get to talk to their grandparents. We weren't very consistent in doing this for a while, but now that we have set aside a time every week, it has really helped to make it happen. Since we don't have any family here, it's a great way to nurture those important relationships.

Tonight was especially fun because Daddy set up the big pumpkin for us. Here are a few pictures from today...

The kids love making popcorn! They go crazy whenever it starts popping! I don't think we'll ever get microwave popcorn again, because this alternative is just too much fun!

It's showtime!Our ever amusing Daddy trying to make us laugh. I love to laugh, and he loves to make people laugh, so I think we're a good match. ;)

And naturally, there had to be at least one melt down! ha ha

Here's the silly glowing pumpkin we've put up every year since Celeste was born.

Poor Jakey wasn't too sure about this enormous foreign object taking over the front yard. He was pretty apprehensive about it and he kept clinging to my leg.

Who needs to rake when we have our very own little leaf collectors?!

Hope you enjoyed your day too! Do you have any Sunday rituals or traditions?

Date Night

Thanks for your kind comments when I was feeling down yesterday. Somehow it really helps me feel understood to know that my friends can empathize and relate to those kind of days too. So thank you. You all really helped lift my spirits. :)

Today was amazing. I had the opportunity to take some wonderful young women rock climbing, and thankfully there were no fatalities. The girls did great! It was a wonderful bonding experience for all of us. I love taking long trips with these girls. They just really open up and I can get a better understanding of their needs, and the complexities of their lives. I just love them all and I'm amazed at how strong they are despite the tempations and pressures they face on a daily basis.

I was able to do some rock climbing too... for the first time! I was terrified, which is weird, because I went skydiving last year. The reason I went skydiving was to help conquer my fear of heights, but apparently that didn't work! So anyway, we got to the park very early, and it was freezing, but I kept thinking it would warm up... but it just kept getting colder and colder until it started SNOWING!!! It's only October 10th! I think it's going to be a looong winter here in Wisconsin. Anyway, so my fingers were completely numb, which made getting a good grip on the rocks a challenge... as if it wasn't already hard enough. I wasn't very good, but it was sure fun! And I loved cheering the girls on.

Then I got home and spent a little time with my sweet chillins, and then Jon and I drove to the Chicago temple for a wonderful date night. Our date nights had been becoming pretty sporatic, especially during the move. But we found a great babysitter here, and we decided just to commit to make it happen every week. I believe that quality time AWAY together is SO healthy for a marriage... and for the kids too. It can get a little spendy, but we try to cut back on other expenditures in order to invest in our marriage.

So we have one night a week that is designated as our date night. What we're doing differently now is to have it prescheduled every week. So our babysitter just comes on the same evening at the same time every week. That way, it's always planned, so if we want to cancel it, we need to make the effort to call and cancel as opposed to making the effort every week to try to find a time that works, and a schedule a time with a babysitter who happens to be available. It's the best. We have some exciting things planned including Latin dance classes coming up soon. Yay! And we have a date night jar with random ideas in it to keep things spontaneous and fun.

So after a day away, life is good again. I missed the kids sooo much, and thanks to the trip to the temple, I feel completely renewed, recharged and ready to take on a new day tomorrow.

Ugh...

Sorry to be a downer, but I'm just exhausted tonight and have nothing really substantial to write. Normally this is a day I wouldn't write anything, but since I committed to writing a post every day this month, I thought I'd better follow through. Plus, I was thinking about the blogs that resonate with me the most, and they're usually the ones that share the ups... and the downs too. I appreciate optimism, and those kind of posts inspire me, but I feel most connected with women who write about the challenges and low points of motherhood also. I think there's a tendency out there in the blogging world (especially among us mormon moms) to hide behind this facade that life is just perfect for us ALL the time. And yes, we have much to be happy about. But sometimes, life is really hard. I'm just feeling overwhelmed and stressed out tonight. I'm leaving at 5:15 tomorrow morning to pick up the young women and take them rock climbing. And I still have tons to do to get ready... but I have zero energy left to GIVE ANY MORE tonight.

My biggest goal today was to get the house under control again. This is a daily battle. So I've been working most of the day trying to keep this home clean. I swept, mopped, organized, cleaned, vacuumed, etc... and I just looked downstairs, and it all looks exactly like it did this morning. It looks like it wasn't even touched!! Frankly, homemaking can be downright exhausting and feel so unfulfilling sometimes.

I'm also stressed out over a paticular child who I don't know what to do with. He is the sweetest and most tenderhearted kid. But when he misbehaves, the time-out is a completely ineffective discipline technique for him. And positive reinforcement doesn't work either. For my degree in Social Sciences, I studied child development, and took a few family studies classes, and this was definitely not in the text book, haha! I'm completely clueless as to how to handle him. The textbooks and the "Super Nanny" make parenting look so easy. It's just tough because it seems that what works with one kid, doesn't work with the next! Ugh.

It was just one of those days. Oh well. I just read over this post, and I realized that if this is all I have to complain about, my life is pretty darn good. But seriously, life and motherhood is just really hard sometimes.

Rain Rain Come Again!

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about dancing in the rain."

-Unknown

I LOVE the rain. Maybe it's because I grew up in the Seattle, Washington area and it reminds me of home. Or maybe it's because it makes me feel like getting cozy and cuddling up by the fireplace with a good book. Or maybe it's because I like to get out there and play in it.

That's right... there's my confession... I have been known to jump and dance and play in puddles when no one is looking. No, I'm not talking about during my childhood, I'm talking about... like yesterday. I try to do it when no one is around because I think if people were to see a grown woman splashing in mud puddles, they would probably think I was a complete nutjob. But why?! Seriously, who determines at what age it's immature to play in puddles anyway? I hope I'm still skipping, and playing hopscotch, and splashing in puddles when I'm 80. :)

And don't even get me started on umbrellas. We don't even own one. So what if your hair gets wet?! That old myth about getting sick if you go out with wet hair, or if you go outside without a jacket, is just that... a myth. You get sick from bacteria and viruses, NOT from the weather.



So if I may offer a suggestion for those who get depressed when it rains... next time it's raining and "gloomy" outside, consider it a fun opportunity to get out and get some exercise and breathe in the fresh air. Instead of cancelling plans or staying cooped up all day, get out there and enjoy it! And let kids be kids. It won't be much longer till they're expected to act like grown-ups, and they won't be able to splash in puddles anymore. Well, unless nobody's looking anyway.

Faith of a Child

I was in a rush this morning trying to get the kids up and Celeste ready for school. Then I found this in her backpack, and it really touched me. So I just took an extra moment to hug her a little longer before she went out the door.

It says, "Pretend you can fly above the clouds. Draw what you see. Then write a story about it."

She wrote, "If I was in space, I could see heaven and Jesus and I would bring my brothers and sister and my mom and dad."

How grateful I am to have children who are so full of faith. I am richly blessed.

A Halloween Surprise

The kids got a halloween package in the mail yesterday from Nana and Papa. They were ecstatic! My parents miss the kids so much, and they're always going out of their way to show them how much they love them. Here are a few pictures of their halloween surprise... The package was filled with books, halloween bags, a movie, a candle, and some yummy (and creepy) treats! What fun!

Look at all those goodies! Poor Jakey was sick... so he wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the others.

:(

Eww... there were gummy snakes, centepedes, and spiders for the kids. It grossed me out, but the kids thought it was the coolest thing.

The funniest thing of all were the pictures of my parents in their halloween costumes. Now you have to understand, my parents are CrAzy!!! They are so much fun, and they will do just about anything to get a laugh out of their grandkids... and I mean anything... ha ha!!!

Thanks again Nana and Papa! You've already made this a halloween the kids will never forget!

Nice Try...

Celeste brought this card home from school the other day and it gave me a chuckle. The kids have been begging to have a family dog for a while now, and Celeste is obviously becoming more manipulative creative in her approach. But this momma will not budge on this one. I have enough messes to clean up around here as it is! And there is no way we're adding more to this craziness... at least not until all the kids are out of diapers! Sorry Sweetie, love me or not, we are NOT getting a dog anytime soon.

Little Performers

While Celeste was rocking out at the birthday party on Friday, we had a couple other little performers here...

Ha ha... "jibberty and justice" He cracks me up!

And I'm convinced Baby Jakey is a future conductor. He really feels music, and whenever he hears it, he tries to conduct. But it's no surprise because I come from a family of musicians. His uncles would be especially proud. Anyway, so here's a video of us watching conference. The internet connection wasn't great... but it's cute anyway.

Love these kids. :)

Chocoholic

I love to bake and I love treats. It's a dangerous combination. I especially love baking in the fall. When it starts getting cooler out, I just have this urge to bake breads, cookies, and cakes and fill our home with all those yummy homey scents. I've been trying to work on the "moderation in all things" thing, so I try to limit baking to Family Home Evening nights... but sometimes I'll get a craving, and it all goes out the window. But I figure I work hard so I can play hard, right? ;) Sometimes I'll intentionally get an extra workout in when I'm anticipating a baking night, so I can really enjoy the fruits of my labors. Anyway, so here are my favorite chocolatey recipes for you to enjoy as well...

Chocolate Eclairs

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 1/2 cups cold milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons hot water

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low, and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate completely after each addition. Spoon dough onto cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake 20 minutes more, until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Filling Directions: combine pudding mix and milk in medium bowl according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding. Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.

Icing Directions: melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and drizzle over filled eclairs. Refrigerate until serving. YUM!

Hershey's Amazing Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or a 9x13 pan.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with Aunt Linda's Chocolate Frosting...

Aunt Linda's Chocolate Frosting:

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup margarine

4 Tbs. cocoa

4Tbs. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Melt margarine in a saucepan. Add cocoa and mix thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and mix to perfection.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. I don't have one, so I just shape the balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool on a wire rack.

Happy Baking!

Rock On!

Celeste was invited to her friend E's "rock star" birthday party today and she had a blast! The birthday girl is from an amazing family... they sure know how to throw a party! Here are a few pics of Celeste aka "Jem"...

Here is the cutie birthday girl "Glitter" and our little"Jem"

These girls have too much fun together.

All rocked out!

Simplify

I love this picture for what it represents... those sweet and simple moments with those we love the most.

I recently read a very disturbing article from the Associated Press about President Obama's new ideas on educating our children. He is proposing that we extend the school day from 1-3 hours, and that we curtail summer vacation to stay competitive in the world. What?! I am so concerned about what this means for families if this passes. So where is the time for the family to be together? Where is the time for family values to be taught and exemplified? My friend had a good suggestion that to stay competitive in the world, we use the current school hours more wisely, and cut out ineffective programs and activities. I think that would be a much better solution. I fear that this proposal could pass since many leaders in the country might see this initiative as "free childcare". You better believe if this plan is implemented... that will be the day I homeschool my children.

Anyway, I am really passionate about this topic, and how the adversary would have us fill our lives with so many distractions, and so much STUFF... that we miss out on those simple moments... the most important things in life, that really aren't things. I firmly believe that children need time at home with the family, unstructured time to just be together. Here are some inspiring quotes on this subject:

"Our lives have become intensely fast paced filled with business and a frantic flitting about that was uncharacteristic of earlier ages. We pack our lives with so many activities and pursuits that many of us have lost sight of something that is of critical importance to families… time together." -Gordon B. Hinckley

"Women today are encouraged by some to have it all: money, travel, marriage, motherhood, and separate careers in the world. . . However, you cannot do all these things well at the same time. You cannot be a 100-percent wife, a 100-percent mother, a 100-percent Church worker, a 100-percent career person, and a 100-percent public-service person at the same time. How can all of these roles be coordinated? I suggest that you can have it sequentially. Sequentially is a big word meaning to do things one at a time at different times. The book of Ecclesiastes says: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under … heaven.”~ James Faust

"Mothers who know... do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power." -Julie B. Beck

So go hug your little ones today and enjoy a few sweet and simple moments together. :)