Blue and Gold

This is Corban's cake for the Blue and Gold Banquet. This will be our last for Blue and Gold for 4 years until Daven is in cub scouts. They had to choose their favorite Dr. Seuss book and decorate a cake to match. Corban choose "The Cat in The Hat." This is the cat's hat if you can't tell. I am no cake boss but think that Corban and I did okay. They were 2 other kids who picked the same book and had similar cakes. They served green eggs and ham, and had a fish (One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish) for each boy to take home. Corban is not a pet lover and declined the gift of a fish. Brynna was sure if we did take it, it would die because don't don't have a good history with fish. It was a nice event. Here are some Dr. Seuss quotes:
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." — Dr. Seuss
"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." — Dr. Seuss
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not." — Dr. Seuss
"If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too."
"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."
"They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!"

Beauty

I went to the temple yesterday. We seemed to have a million things happen trying to keep us from going to the temple. We were later than we thought we would be and decided to do initiatories instead of an endowment session. Some concerns I had were answered in doing initiatory. I think it is that way with our kids, too. We can help them out with their problems by just spending time with them. As we spend more time with the Lord, He somehow answers our concerns in verses of scripture we have read before. We don't see beforehand that these verses have a direct correlation to our situation. Somehow in spending time with the Lord, he is able to help us.

I was also thinking about beauty. I was listening to all the things Heavenly Father blesses us with and none of them are beauty. I know he could bless us with beauty. Is it that he doesn't care? I don't think so. I think it is that we are all beautiful. It is like that with flowers. Take a pussy willow and a rose. Some are maybe less attractive to some than others. But to others they are just as beautiful. I have heard that we are all beautiful but had bought into the philosophy that if all are beautiful then no one is. I think we get too focused in this world with making ourselves more beautiful. We try different haircuts or haircolors. We try different clothes or different ways of doing our makeup. We buy into all these schemes of Satan telling us we are not beautiful. It is not that it is bad. But anything taken to the extreme can be detrimental. I was reading an article in LDS Living. It said that Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are under their BMI. I thought that was interesting. It gives a new definition of what you think healthy is.



I was also listening and all the blessings we get are so we can serve others. Kind of like the priesthood. You can't bless yourself but you in turn are a blessing to others. We need to remember why we are given this body and what the Lord has asked of us in return.

A Symbiotic Relationship

I have to call some local businesses for PTA this week. I am co-chair of the spring fundraiser and we are going to ask some local businesses if they are willing to match a portion of what we earn to help boost our earnings towards a new playground. I am not excited about doing it. I don’t like asking for things. I don’t have a problems giving things. I guess it is just harder for me to receive. It is humbling. This has tied into something else I have been thinking about. My kids don’t need me as much as I need them. I always thought the story went that you brought children into the world and they need you to feed, clothe, and care for them in order to survive. I am the giver and they are the receiver. When I was pregnant I felt like the children were parasites feeding off of me to grow and develop healthy bodies while I dwindled in health. I think in the eternal scheme of things, it is the other way around. I need my kids in order to achieve exaltation. I need them to help me perfect myself. It is a little like being told that the world is round and not flat. When they talk in relief society about what kinds of service we can give others, I am thinking to myself, “That is all I do all day every day!” I do give my children service by maintaining their physical needs. I never thought of it in the reverse scheme of theme. It is a symbiotic relationship where I help them with little things while they help me with big things in return. We both benefit. I know it is part of Heavenly Father’s grand plan for us to come to earth to gain bodies and have families so other spirits can gain bodies, but I think it is a two-fer. They get a body and we as parents get Christlike attributes. I had been thinking about this for awhile and it was reiterated as the spiritual thought at our presidency meeting last week. One sister quoted a professor from BYU who teaches marriage and family relation classes. He said, we don’t come to earth to get bodies, but to have families so we can develop the 199 Christlike attributes he has found in the scriptures. I saw a reality TV show a few years ago where parents donated their kids to people who thought they were ready to have a family. As I watched it, I as a parent would never let my children be taken care of the way some of these people took care of them. I think that is the way Heavenly Father must feel as he lets us borrow his children so we can raise them and learn to be more Christlike. It is a humbling thought that we are the receivers and not the givers. What are they going to teach me today? Maybe something that will make it easier for me to make those PTA phone calls, please?

Wanted: Good Health

When I was little, I remember missing quite a few parties at school because I was sick. It seems I haven't changed much and have passed it on my children. Valentines Day was spent "pouring" our guts out! You could also substitute "puking" for "pouring." Over 50% of the people in my house were sick. I think I can still smell throw up, but I don't know where the smell is coming from. There were only two that were left untouched. That is okay because they have have their share of puking in the last month. I had strep two weeks ago when Bridger was in Montana. I have wiped every surface I can think of with disinfecting wipes. This isn't really what I wanted when my alarm is going off at 5am and wished I could just lay in bed for a day and not have anything I HAD to do. I hope good health is on the way and will stay for awhile. In the month of January there was only 1 of the 5 Sundays that everyone was healthy and at church. It can be so hard with large families to stay healthy! I keep telling myself we are just extra healthy from all the antibodies our bodies are developing. Also I am spared gaining a pound of two from Valentines treats. I will probably lose a pound or two instead. That's a good thing, right? It sure doesn't feel that way or is it very romantic or fun to lay in bed on Valentines Day. All the fun ideas I had will have to wait for next year. Maybe my children will recognize that it is a true sign of a mother's love that she cleans up after they throw up. It reminds me of our first Thanksgiving when we were married. We both had an awful case of the stomach flu. The good part is it does make it easy to remember. I can say, there is no one I would rather lay in bed by! Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines

I watched two DVD's this week. We got the DVD Valentines Day in the mail from Netflix. I was never a Valentines Day lover and I thought this would be a funny movie to watch. It had a couple good points. When we love someone, we love the good and bad in them. It wasn't my favorite or one I would recommend. I also watched a DVD this week that I have had for awhile and just got around to watching. It was much better for Valentines Day. It is called The Seven Commitments for Perfect Communication by Emil Harker. The Seven Commitments are as Follows:
1. Assume Good Intent
2. Accepting Reality
3. Communicating with the Desired Outcome in Mind
4. Clear Direct Communication
5. Fogging
6. After Fogging
7. Disarming Landmines
I read the commitments and thought that they sounded pretty basic. Did I really need to listen to someone tell me how to do something so basic? I was surprised. For example, when you get mad at someone, you are not assuming good intent. Did my child really want to cause me more work by leaving their coat on the floor? No. So don't get mad. And when I talk to them. I communicate with the desired outcome in mind. If I yell, it won't have the desired outcome. Everyone has a natural desire to be happy and to make others happy. When this doesn't happen, you have to assume the person has a good reason/intent. Fogging may not be so basic to understand. It is letting criticism go through you like you are made of fog and not hurling criticism back or getting hurt feelings, then getting to the source of the criticism. Listening to this made me more aware of my communication with my children and everyone that I communicate with. I can't believe how much I can work on things that I thought I already knew! This is the same case with the gospel sometimes. We think we know it but there are always ways we can apply it more if we will just look. Happy Valentines Day! My favorite part of Valentines Day the movie was the mom coming to see her son. Hopefully if we apply better communication we can be with all our family forever! Happy Valentines Day!

Gideon's 1st Birthday

Well, Gideon's birthday this year was just as busy for other family activities as last year's. We had to celebrate a day early. I can't believe he is already one. I was at Brynna's Valentine party on Friday and Brynna's teacher (who has a child of similar age) couldn't believe how much he is walking. Neither can I. He is a joy to our lives. His nickname is Mr. Giggles because he is such a happy baby. I look at him and I want to see him as a baby still. I remember when Corban was one, I saw how much he had grown and changed and how big he was! (I wanted him to grow up more so I could sleep through the night again.) Now, I wish (like the song) that I could save time in a bottle. He wasn't too interested in birthday cake. He made a mess of it but didn't really care for the taste. He does love oranges though! He is my first that has liked oranges at such a young age. I thought I would post a few pics.

The Last Few weeks

My Sundays have changed in this new year. With a new meeting schedule and new callings come more meetings. I seem to have little time or energy to write when I have time. Once Sunday is gone, my writing time seems gone, too. I have to figure something out! I have had several thoughts over the last weeks, things I have read that have resonated as truth and events I have attended that have enriched me. I will paste two of those articles: http://segullah.org/daily-special/tiger-mothers-mormon-mommy-bloggers-and-happiness/

http://ldsmag.com/index.php?option=com_zine&view=article&ac=1&id=7386

I also attended a stake relief society meeting yesterday. I really felt like some of the things said were answers to questions I have had for months. Our stake president was talking about in 3 Nephi where the people come and touch the Savior's feet and hands. He said it was such a profound experience that it blessed not only them but their children and grandchildren through the change it wrought in them. He asked if it was the physical act of touching His hands and feet that changed them. He said it was not, but the Holy Ghost bearing testimony to them. He told us that we have the same opportunity everyday to have spiritual experiences that can change our natural man little by little to make us into what God wants us to be. I liked that. It is amazing how many times reading the scriptures you can continually be taught from verses you have previously read.

Other than these uplifting things, life has been the normal busy. My Gideon is now quite proficient at walking and not yet one year old! Here is a photo of the kids in their recent activites.