Mistakes

"Remember: the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth."--Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "A Matter of a Few Degrees", Ensign, May 2008, 57–60

I really like this one, because I've sure made some mistakes in my lifetime!

Quotes

"The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. The goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as self-development. Paradoxically, the more we serve one another, the greater is our spiritual and emotional growth."--Ezra Taft Benson, "Fundamentals of Enduring Family Relationships," Ensign, Nov. 1982, 59

"The voice of the Spirit speaks gently, prompting you what to do or what to say, or it may caution or warn you. Ignore or disobey these promptings, and the Spirit will leave you. It is your choice--your agency." --President Boyd K. Packer; Ensign, November 1994, page 60.

Kindness Goes A Long Way

“Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” - Marjorie Hinckley

Primary Quote of the Week

In the middle of a Senior Primary Sharing Time lesson on the priesthood (I'd just had some kids read quotes from a story, and there were some difficult words in there. I then proceeded to thank them and let them know that I knew there were some hard words, and that I appreciated them helping me out):

10 year old boy #1 (T): What does 'emaciated' mean? (Keep in mind that nowhere in the story was the word 'emaciated' mentioned, nor had it been mentioned in the lesson at all)
Me (surprised): Um, well, it means really, really...
10 year old boy #2 (J): Oh, oh! I know! It means really, really thin. Like in World War II, during Hitler's Third Reich, and when the people came out of the concentration camps, they were emaciated.
Me: Yes, you're right! Okay, now back to the story we just read about the missionaries....

Primary...never a dull moment. :)

Free Agency

"I know that God loves us. He allows us to exercise our moral agency even when we misuse it. He permits us to make our own decisions. Christ cannot help us if we do not trust Him; He cannot teach us if we do not serve Him. He will not force us to do what’s right, but He will show us the way only when we decide to serve Him. Certainly, for us to serve in His kingdom, Christ requires that we experience a change of thought and attitude."--Thomas S. Monson, "Looking Back and Moving Forward", Ensign, May 2008, 87–90

My Girls

I've had a request for pictures and realized that yeah, it's been awhile since I posted any, due solely to my computer sucking it up. That and I didn't take any for awhile, either. But I've started taking some in the past few days once again. So ya'll are in for a treat, because Katie has grown a LOT since the last time I posted a pic of her.

Looking serious last night...and looking like a boy due to the color scheme. But hey, they're all hand-me-downs, and I like the color blue.


Expounding on the meaning of life


Excuse the big ol' mess behind her. I love her hat!


I love Katie's hat!!

Katie is in the 95th percentile for length, and it shows.

Daddy brought home some St. Patrick's Day hats, and Jenna loves them!

The Thinker pose

Whatchu lookin' at, Willis??

Pooh Bear usurping Katie's bassinet. Jenna puts Pooh Bear in just about all of Katie's stuff.

I looked over a couple of days ago when Jenna was feeding herself and saw this. I managed not to laugh and grabbed the camera. That's milk, smoothie and applesauce.

A different view. Jenna looks pretty proud of herself.

My smiley girl

Jenna likes to be nakey a lot these days. She's learned how to take her clothes off and puts them on the wrong way, and then takes them off again...rinse repeat. This is typical potty time. Notice Katie having tummy time in the background.

...and Katie's head is too big to hold up anymore. :) Jenna looks beautiful in this picture.

Family and Adversity

"We cannot control what others choose to do, and so we cannot force our children to heaven, but we can determine what we will do. And we can decide that we will do all we can to bring down the powers of heaven into that family we want so much to have forever." --Elder Henry B. Eyring; Ensign, February 1998, Page16

"There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless."--James E. Faust, "The Refiner's Fire," Ensign, May 1979, 53

I love my family...all of my family.

Katie and Jenna

Katie rolled from her stomach to her back twice on Saturday! I looked over, and she was on her back, and I said, "I know I put you on your stomach!" So I rolled her back over, called to Braden, and then we saw her do it. Then we broke out the camera, and she of course wouldn't do it anymore!

We think she may have an ear infection, since she has a decreased appetite, cries even when the bottle's in her mouth sometimes and seems to be sleeping more than usual.

Katie has started to grab rings and rattles and even switch them to her other hand. She can bring them right up to her mouth and is getting more controlled. We actually have to put them in her hands, though.

Jenna was saying prayer on Saturday night and after saying "Thank you for Daddy" with my help, she spontaneously said, "And for Mommy". We were amazed. She's never said that before, and we didn't even know she knew what it meant. In the past few days, she's been saying more sentences, like "Take ya coat off", "Get up, Mommy", "Wake up, Daddy", etc. She continues to surprise us with what she says.

Apparently Jenna ran around nursery with one shoe on most of the time. Various nursery workers were chasing her around trying to put the other shoe on to no avail. Shoes that are easy for us to put on her are also easy for her to take off! :)

Exercise

So I have been an exercise fiend since the new year. Not everybody knows that, since I keep a private log elsewhere. So far, I've lost 8 pounds since keeping track on January 5th. I exercise at home using mostly workout dvds and dumbbells and alternate between cardio (M, W, F) and strength training/toning (T, Th, S). I have goals to exercise at least 4 times a week, drink 2 bottles of water daily, and get at least 1 serving of vegetables and 2 of fruit each day. So far, there's only been one day when I only drank 1 bottle of water, and I've met all my other goals daily.

There's a real sense of accomplishment when you start exercising and making an effort to eat healthier. I've noticed real changes since starting, like more energy, feeling stronger, and some junk foods tasting funny. For example, root beer tastes awful to me now...I can taste all of the sugar in it, and it tastes weird. I asked Braden if he put something in it!

I'm thinking about following the basic workout schedule for the Body For Life challenge. You do 30 minutes of cardio on M, W, F and alternate upper body and lower body/abs strength training on T, Th, S. So this week I would do upper body on T and S and lower body/abs on Th, and then the opposite next week. You're supposed to choose two exercises for each muscle in that section and do 3 progressively harder sets (less repetitions with more weight). I figure I can find different exercises to change things up, and I'll have to keep track of each exercise I do. I can also add some 30 Day Shred and Jackie's Workout (two killer workouts that I LOVE) as I get stronger, too.

Anyway, this is not to brag or anything; I just wanted to share with everyone what I've been up to lately. I plan on making this a lifestyle change, not just an "until I lose the baby weight" fad.

Uh Oh

I'm becoming my mother. I never thought I would say those words.

Here's how I know:

I spilled something down the front of two different shirts within a couple of hours of putting them on.

Braden just asked me where the cheese was and that no way was it in the fridge like I insisted. He even said that he looked in the drawers. I found it within 10 seconds....in a drawer.

(love you, Mom!)