Funnies from the mouth of Jessica

Recently, anytime Jessica got angry she'd tell me, with all of her 3 year old furry, "I'm angry, look at mine eyebrows."   I had to laugh when she told me that while shopping in Target, and a lady near me had to go down another isle trying to stifle her laughing outburst.  Jessica angrily told me to look at her eyebrows many times.  Eventually she noticed that I busted out laughing each time she told me.  Now it's become a family joke.  I don't know how she figured out that she furrows her eyebrows when she gets angry.  I do love walking in on kids when they're practicing their expressions in front of the bathroom mirror. 

Tonight Jessica kept repeating, "Oceanology, Oceanography."  Then it morphed into "go-potty-ology" finished off with a stretched out Faaaaact!  These are all words she's learned from the kid history clips.  We think they're hilarious.  They're even more delightful when your 3-year old starts learning new vocabulary from them.  Enjoy the clip. 

New kid photos

new family photos

Rich's brother & his wife took family photos for us.  We're so grateful!  Take a peek.

 This is how the sibling shot really went.

 Rich's mom captured this candid side shot.  It catches the moment within the moment.

 Here's the keeper.

 Another fine candid keeper.  It may be my favorite of the entire shoot.

 During a quiet lull I handed Richard my camera & started posing with each child.  I'm so glad I did.  You can only get away with that when the photographer is related to you.

 Ah, finally, a nice picture of me &  Rich.  

Most of the photos I have of us together are taken when we're out recreating (i.e. no makeup & hair undone). 

I can't wait to get the prints and start hanging new photos all over my house. 

Book Review: The Promise of Enough

I just finished reading Emily Freeman's book, The Promise of Enough.  I liked it enough, I've decided to share some of my favorite quotes from it.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, "God does notice us, and he watches over us.  But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.  Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other. . . .The abundant life, of course, has little to do with the acquisition of material things. . . .The abundant life noted in the scriptures is the spiritual sum that is arrived at by the multiplying of our service to others." 
"The Abundant Life", Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Oct. 1985

"Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives. . . It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend." 
Sarah Ban Breathnach, in John Cook comp. The Book of Positive Quotations, 2d ed. (Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 2007), 342.

"With gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days- as much as we can-  with those things which matter most."
Thomas S. Monson, "Finding Joy in the Journey", November 2008 Ensign, 87

"Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him. "
Henry B. Eyring, "O Remember, Remember", November 2008 Ensign


"Sometimes becoming content rquires us to take what we have and make it more.  This doesn't mean we have to settle, it means we find happiness in making the most of what we already have.  Brigham Young counseled "It is our uty to improve upon every blessing the Lord gives to us." This advice can be true of every aspect of our lives- our relationships, the home in which we live, even our occupation.  Our perspective can be enlargeed so that we can realisitcally look at where we are, and then set goals to improve upon that situation."
Emily Freeman, The Promise of Enough, 86

I'm not verbose tonight.  I just wanted to share some thoughts that inspired me & jot them down in a place I can find them when I want to think about them again.  Thanks to my friend Harley for recommending this book.

Look whose 3!

I just can't quite wrap my head around the way time passes.  Jessica is 3!  I just asked her what her favorite things are.  She said "Pigs, because they're my favorite color, coloring, eating, and getting snacks out."  I think she's hungry. 

If I were to list her 3 favorite things at 3 I would say coloring, Dora, & playing outside, especially at play park.  That means any playground.  She also loves books and her ABC's.  That girl is a wipper-snapper.  She loves her ABC puzzle, her ABC books, and her ABC flashcards.  She's just a little sponge.  I've enjoyed watching her play lately.  She's developing a great imagination.  Her pretend friends usually include Dora and her cousin Ashlyn.  It's fun to watch her big sisters finally include her in their playing. 

She's finally taking an interest in potty training.  She's trying hard, most of the time.  I considering posting some funny potty training photos but thought better of it. 

Dandelions

Every spring I heft a big old bag of lawn fertilizer/week killer into my shopping cart at the local Walmart.  Then I dutifully walk every inch of my large yard spreading the stuff around.  Within days my dandelions looks healthier than ever.  This year I gave up and the professionals were called in.  But before they came we got all the mileage we could out of all those pretty flowers.  I'm sure my neighbors are relieved to see them finally gone. 

I love living near enough to cousins to have them over for special events and such.  There photos were actually taken the weekend before Jessi's 3rd birthday, when we celebrated with family.

Oh, that I could be as photogenic and as beautiful as my little sister there at the bottom.  She is my sister in every meaning of the word.  I just love her. 

Stone Soup Play

I simply adore Kate's first grade teacher, Mrs. Ricks.  She genuinely loves each student; not as an academic brain to fill, but as a special person to teach and train.  She loves each child in their entirety and has made my girls feel so capable and loved. 

She puts her whole soul into a performance of Stone Soup to end each school year.  Kate was so fun to watch.  My favorite part of the play was watching her take the hand of a special needs girl in her class and lead her off stage.  I told Kate I thought that was really special and it showed that Mrs. Ricks could trust her to be kind to others. 

I sometimes forget how young Kate is.  She is mature beyond her years.  So bright, responsible, & capable.  She can do anything she sets her mind too.  The perfect word to describe my Kate would be "driven".

Nature Park

We gathered up four children, a sick Richard, one stroller, two bikes, two bike helmets, one loaf of bread, and one kite & headed to the Nature Park today.  We had been there just long enough to determine that the ducks weren't hungry & it was too windy to fly a kite when my 1st councilor called and told me she was at my front door to pick me up to go meet a new family in our ward.  I think I'm going crazy!  I completely lost an hour.  We loaded everyone back in the car & dropped me off at my appointment.  Everyone else headed home.  My children only complained mildly.  This calling of mine is sure teaching them to be flexible and not take scheduling issues personally. 

We headed back to the Nature Park in the evening.  I loved watching Amber see how fast she could make her bike zoom and smiled as I witnessed Jessi's uncontainable glee as she played at the playground.  I felt guilty for a moment for letting Spencer go barefoot in the bark at the playground, until Kate & Jessi both took their shoes & socks off too.  Spencer tested his courage at the playground; climbing stairs and slides, and almost crossing a wiggly bridge, but then thinking better of it.  Kate spread her wings, riding her bike ahead of us, but stopping at all the right places to wait for us to catch up.  My dad joined us.  Maybe I enjoyed his company most of all.  I loved seeing Amber & my dad walking together hand in hand; glad she hasn't outgrown that yet.  The girls enjoyed a ride in grandpa's "fast car."  We tried flying the kite, but by then there was not enough wind.  I watched my dad, with his worn out knees, running the length of a soccer field with a kite, just to please his grand kids. 

On the way home we stopped by the almost-finished new aquatic park for a guided tour.  My childrens' eyes sparkled with anticipation.  They're worried that they might not be tall enough to ride the water slides.  They're fascinated that they'll get to take swimming lessons there.  It's slated to open in 2 weeks.  Ah, they might be just a little more motivated to do some money-earning chores.   

Easter

Home Decor

 I fell in love with this picture even before I was married, so my mother gave it to me for Christmas.  It symbolized what mattered most to me even then; motherhood.  Now that I’m in the midst of mothering, I feel like I’m clumsily trying to figure out how to do it and simultaneously enjoy it.

 I started playing the piano when I was 6 years old.  I played in piano festivals twice every year and earned these statues as awards.  They mean a lot to me because they symbolize hundreds of hours of work.  I’m so grateful to my parents and previous teachers for my musical training.  

 This was our engagement photo.  I loved this photo best, because I dreamed of a life full of wholesome recreational activities, balanced by healthy doses of good hard work, selfless service, & the company of good friends.    

 

  I was at one of my friend’s houses a few weeks back & commented on this plaque.  She reached down & handed it to me.  Her generosity & the quote have been very meaningful to me.  She must have sensed it was a lesson I needed to learn.  It’s based on a talk by Elder James E. Faust of the Quorum of the 12 apostles.  The talk bears the same title.  

 My mother in law gave us this sketch of our 3 girls the day we announced that we were expecting baby #4.  I love it!  I’ve always wanted a sketch like this of my own children.  I guess it’s because I love my picture of the little Bolivian girl (pictured below) so much.  I told Sondra, I can’t freeze my children, but she did.  This is one of my treasures.

Richard has amazing artistic abilities.  He did this piece when he was in high school.  He has such amazing talents.  

Home décor wouldn’t be complete without family photos.  My family means more than the world to me. 

 My mother in law painted this picture.  I feel a special peacefulness when I look at it.  For weeks I couldn’t figure out why.  Then, one day I realized that it reminds me of the mural inside the Rexburg temple.  My Amber & Kate especially liked the painting of the swan, so it became special to me.  I feel the peacefulness of the temple when I look at this painting.  

This sketch is from Bolivia, where I served my mission.  Oh how I struggled the first few months of my mission.  They seemed to do everything so backward there!  But, by the time I was to return home my heart had changed in so many ways.  I think it had become Bolivian.  Those 16 months have changed me forever. 

Happy newlyweds.  Is it cheesy that I still have a wedding picture on the wall? 

The Manti temple where Rich and I were married 12 years ago!   12 years!!!  I wonder where the future will lead us.   The temple is a place of peace, inspiration, & strength to me.

For years I’ve planned to hang each of my babies' 3 month photos up side by side, but the cost of matching frames has never made it into the budget.  So, baby Amber hangs alone.  I just love this photo.  It captures the happy baby that Amber was.  Someday I’ll replace this photo with a current photo of Richard & me.    

Just before our wedding, and just in time for these bridal photos to be taken I broke out with cold sores for the first time.  It was horrible!  My lips were swollen beyond recognition.  The photographer had Richard go stand outside so I could see him from where I was posed.  It was brilliant!  The photographer was able to capture that engaged twinkle in my eye and a genuine smile.  The photographer did a great job touching up my lips so I was identifiable.  Richard wondered why a bridal photo mattered so much to me and said that it would probably just end up in an attic.  Because he said that, I’ve refused to put it in storage.  It hangs in my walk in closet.  Silly, huh?  

This is the photo that hangs in my childrens’ bedroom.  This is the scriptural account from the Book of Mormon, “And it came to pass that he commanded that their  little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.. . . and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. (3 Nephi 17:11, 12, & 21).  The artist and the child models were in my ward growing up, so I’ve always felt a special fondness for this painting.

My dad gifted this painting to us when we built our first home.  He gave one of them to each of my siblings when they purchased a home.  It ironic that we were the first ones to receive one, but now we're the only ones who don't own a home.  The painting always reminds me of my dad. It’s a precious gift that I treasure. 

 

When I read this I see, “Take time for the little people.”  I’m a task oriented doer & I tend to run too fast—always!  So, when I remember to look at it, this plaque reminds me to slow down and enjoy my little people.  

 My American décor, because I’m proud to be an American.  I’ll forever remember walking to the Provo temple from the MTC in the early dawn, seeing the American flag against the pristine mountainside, and feeling the tears stream down my face as I knew I was soon leaving my home country and everything I knew.  (I'm not very brave).

And here's the display of the family photos.