My buddy

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" My buddy, my buddy, where ever I go she goes.... my buddy, my buddy, my buddy and me!"

My little Kate loves to be with... As I was making dinner tonight, she just came and sat down right at my feet, she didn't say anything but was practically sitting on my toes. And later (after our Sunday afternoon naps) she came in and curled up right around my legs and if I moved at all she would scoot right in to be with again. (she looks really tired in the picture but she was actually very happy). And I think we've got another little buddy in Tommy, he loves to be with and it is so cute how when you walk into the room, he opens his arms real wide like he's trying to get us and give us a hug.

2 months ago - I hate to admit it- but this sort of thing was more annoying than cute, I was in a real selfish mode and everything needy was just one more thing required of me and I was on edge most of the time. I was pretty quick to snap and raise my voice and my family was acting out because of it.

What changed? Truthfully I forgot how to be positive. A great reminder for me was one day I posted something that I thought was funny on facebook, but it was a negative comment. The response I got back from others got me thinking. One of those responses was from Ryan's aunt Joan and she said basically "you have to look for the positive in all things" (she might have been joking or serious but regardless it woke me up a little). Sounds simple, just look for the positive in everything right? At first I was kind of embarrassed and felt like I had to explain myself, but then after a while I thought well maybe I do need to have a change of attitude. So little by little I made a concious effort to only say positive things (especially about my kids and my life) and in my prayers offer only thanks instead of always asking for things and complaining. I can say that each day I feel like my cup runneth ore. I'm very blessed and I have some funny funny kids who are unique and really just want to Be With. So it's been refreshing to see that simple change in me but especially in the attitude and feeling of our home.

It's true what they say " If mom's not happy no one is". Mothers really do set the tone of the home.

So for today things are positive even amidst the trials we face.

Today's embarrassing moment

Ryan and I had our 6 month dentist appointments today, (cleaning, checkup) and I've had this annoying cough that never goes away and a yucky sore throat. One thing I hate about having a cough is that every now and then, something will trigger it and I have a full out cough attack, I know about 2 seconds before it starts that I have to excuse myself and disappear. I seriously will cough for about 5 min. and I also have a really sensitive gag reflex, so while I'm hacking, I'm gagging and it's constant so I can't talk till I'm done (Hence the reason I have to disappear cuz it's not a pretty sight).

So I was apprehensive about going to the dentist today afraid that right at the wrong time I would have a cough attack. So they took me back, I got one set of x-rays done fine, but then they did the x-rays where they stick those cubes in your mouth, with the plastic edge, and sure enough the corner of that edge got me right in the wrong spot and I had to take the cube out and get out of the chair and run out while holding my finger up to the assistant telling her "one minute". So she's totally waiting there with both my kids, and I'm wandering around their dentist area trying to find a place to hack it out. There is NO where for me to go and be alone, I'm coughing walking past all the different patients booths, and everyone can hear me cuz it's a small tight space...I'm thinking to myself " this really isn't happening right now". So I think I get it together and we try the x-ray again and I lost it again, and had to take the cube out again, I'm so so embarrassed while the girl is watching me work it out.

Luckily after that I was totally fine but yeah I felt like a total idiot.

Do share your embarrassing moments so I know I'm not alone Please.

Time to run

"To everything there is a season and a time"

The season is calling and it's about time to dust off those tennis shoes, and get-a-runnin.

I'm excited to have a hobby again.

Zeal

I had a neat conversation with my friend Krissy while I did her hair.

She shared with me a scripture that is her "motto" for this year because she wants not only to have a zeal towards God but also man. I liked it a lot, the main thing that spoke out to me was our need to love and accept each other as we would our Heavenly Father, to be sincerely excited to be in each others presence.

And the second thing that is really pounding me this year is Faith. I went to an awesome workshop today and one of the speakers (Justin Su'a) spoke on the scripture "be still and know that I am God" That class was totally meant for me. Heavenly Father is trying my faith and wants to see if I will trust him. He has it all laid out for us but it may not be in our time table or in the way we think things should happen, but he won't give us trials that we can't handle with His help.

So here's the scripture:

Alma 27:27 (talking about the anti-Nephi-Lehi's and their awesomeness, and how they do it.)

"And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.

Great examples... Hope I can remember some of this each day and live it.

little ballerina

Not a great quality picture cuz she kept moving around but this is a day in the life of Kate, Dancing, and shoes and some sort of a dress or tutu

Cute little Tom Tom

Names

Lately Kate has been calling me Rachel or Rach especially when she is another character, (snow white, cinderella etc.)

So tonight she named Ryan, she put her hand up and started laughing when she called him Teacher.

Mom=Rachel
Dad=Teacher

I love her little creative mind.

We usually hear what we WANT to hear

mom: "Kate after veggie tales is over you are going to have a nap and/or quiet time ok"
Kate: "ok"
Mom: "Kate what happens after veggie tales is over?"
Kate: "party time!"

Valentines Day 2010

Happy Valentines day! This year Ryan got me some spa visits and flowers... which I thought was so neat cuz I never get to be pampered, I'm always the one doing the pampering so that was awesome. I got him an itunes gift card and some bubbly.

We sort of joke about how February is a rough month for us. The weather is awful, we've all been sick on and off every week about this time of year, there's not a big break to look forward to until spring break that Ryan gets off, and we all around feel stressed, tired, grumpy, on edge, and basically not very romantic. So when there's tension we sometimes laugh and say "oh yeah it's February" but Valentines day comes and and we both try a little harder and make that extra effort when it comes to our relationship and things start looking up.

So yet again February has come and taken us for a ride, but I'm happy to say everything's coming up roses. Now if spring can just hurry and get here, and if we can manage somehow to keep Kate healthy we'd be on our way.

Success so far

The toys were cleaned up several times today by Kate and Kate alone, with no weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth (ok maybe a little gnashing of teeth). And She earned back 2 polly pockets.
GOOD JOB KATE!

Learning lessons the hard way

So last week Kate colored a nice picture on the couch with a pen so she had to pack them all back up and put them in a ziploc bag, and for a week she didn't get to color, but hooray, lesson learned, cuz every time she goes to color now, she makes sure to tell me that she won't color on the couch.

So I came home from work last night ready to be done for the day but the place was a disaster, covered in polly pockets, so I gave Kate a heads up that we were going to clean up in 5 min. So 5 min. came and I asked her to help me clean them up and she didn't so I asked again, and she whined and cried and didn't help, so the third time I counted to 3 and if she didn't help she was going to lose her polly's for the whole day the next day. Well today the polly's are on the gobble chair and aren't being played with. She's tried to show me with the barbies that she cleaned them up so that she can play with the polly's but not today I said... And she keeps telling me that she will clean them up, but not today, maybe tomorrow I say, and she cries and cries, and I hope she's learning a lesson that if you make the mess you have to clean it up. We'll see tomorrow what happens at clean up time.

Wonderful Face

Kate was cracking up tonight cuz Tommy had green bean baby food on his face, and in between laughs she would sigh and say "Oh Tommy you have a wonderful face".

Big hug

My garden

I was taking a nap last Sunday and I woke up to Ryan saying to Kate, "What IS that?" "oh Kate you don't color on the carpet" then I hear Kate say " but dad, it's my garden". So I go out to find her purple grape lotion that she got for Christmas ALL over the carpet in little patches, seriously ALL over the carpet. It was a little here and a little there etc... because Kate was painting herself a pretty garden on the floor. So I didn't freak out too much cuz we have our beloved carpet cleaner. So I finally got around to cleaning the carpet up and this is what is still left even after, shout, spot shot, and 4 runs with the actual carpet shampooer machine, I have purple carpet now. You know there just comes a time when you accept that you are a mother and that you have children and that your house, and clothes will always have stains on them. It adds character right?

Delirious

So you probably all have experienced times when your children wake up and are completely delirious and basically not awake, so it's 11:00 and Kate starts crying, so I go in her room and she is wandering around pointing at her toys but not able to tell me what she wants, so I keep trying to wake her up so I can put her back to bed (that sounds backwards) but if I don't she'll just keep crying. So I bring her in our room and I'm holding her and she just keeps pointing at the wall, then I feel a warm sensation running from my hip and down my leg, yep I just got peed on. Note to self...in the future when Kate wakes up and is crying, try the potty first, it might just save you unnecessary clean-up.

Tommy's first haircut

We cut all of about 5 hairs but now it's all even

Mommy daughter Pizza Party

Thanks to Camille Kenyon and Kim Sharps awesome ideas we got to have a mommy and daughter night with pizza, treats and Kate favorite lately.... watching Enchanted.

Lesson in Faith

All things happen for a reason I just wish I could see that clearly while I'm wallowing in self pity while somewhat enduring a trial.

As you have probably read time and time again on my blog, one of the most annoying and frustrating trials for me is being sick. So here I am again boo hooo-ing about this silly cold that I have used as an excuse to stop me from what I need or want to do each day. So finally yesterday I woke up, head pounding, body aching from coughing so much, and two pieces of tissue stuffed up my nose to stop the dripping, Kate wants this and Tommy's crying for that, and as dumb as it sounds I laid on the kitchen floor thinking that I'm dying ( ok maybe not that dramatic ) but I did say out loud "I'm done, I can't do this today" I had a hair appointment scheduled and couldn't reschedule due to a crazy busy week, and I truly wondered if I was going to survive. I'm here the next day to tell you that I did survive can you believe it?

Finally once I got the kids happy and occupied I escaped to my bedroom where I said a sincere prayer asking Heavenly Father for help and for peace and just a reassurance that I would get through this, and that somehow I could make it through the hair appointment that night without coughing and nose running etc. So I flipped open my scriptures to whatever opened up and I got my answer:

3 nephi chapeter 13

vs. 8 "......Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him..."

v. 25 "....Take no thought for your life, , what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body....is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

v.26 "Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

v.30 "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith."

v. 31 "Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (Or in my case what shall I do to get through this?)

v.32 "For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

v. 33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

v. 34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

After I read that a feeling came over me that I could do this and it was in the Lords hands. I really believed Him and knew that he would help me get through it.

Well the rest of the day I still felt sick but I believed I could do that appointment that night, so I showered, got ready and left. And from the moment I walked into the salon my nose cleared up and I didn't cough once through that whole 2 hour appointment. I expected to leave and be sick again but I felt a lot better and today I'm on the mend.

The point is...Yes I knew I would eventually get better and I knew I would survive, but I needed to learn a lesson in Faith and I needed a reminder that heavenly Father knows my needs, and even though my trials might be small compared to others, He still cares. I do feel that my faith has been strengthened and it feels awesome.