Dear Christian...

I can't believe it!! Today you are six years old!! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that we were getting a phone call that changed our lives forever. You were an answer to my prayers and a light in my life.



You are turning into such a wonderful little boy. I won't be able to call you a little boy much longer; it seems time is going much too quickly. I still remember you having your "bup" and smearing poop all over your crib. (you naughty little boy.)



You are so talented it's almost unbelievable. The way you can pick up any instrument and figure out how to play it is beyond me. You have more rhythm in your little finger than I do in my whole body. I love watching you play sports; another natural talent you have. (Which is a very good thing, cuz we all know how well Daddy throws a ball.)



Your sisters love you very much; you are an awesome brother. Emma adores you and I love watching you two play together.



I love how you make friends wherever you go. You are always playing with your friends. It was hard for me at first to let you play with friends all the time; it made me realize that you are growing up and Mommy isn't as cool as she use to be.

You keep me on track: you don't let me say bad words, if we forget prayers you are always the one to remind me and you always want to read your scriptures. I love it.



I know I grumble a lot because you still come into my bed EvErY night. One night I asked you why you felt like you had to come in my bed every night. You were half asleep but your answer was, "Because I love you." How could I make you go back to bed that night? I love that when you are scared or lonely at night, cuddling with me makes everything okay. (but once in awhile, can you cuddle with Daddy? I do like some sleep once in a while. Or convince Daddy to buy a bigger bed? that would work too..)



I hope you have a great sixth birthday. I'm sorry I was gone most of the day, but we will have lots of fun at your party tomorrow. I love you bug!!

Love,
Mommy

I Have A Dream...

With yesterday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I wanted to do a special Family Home Evening Activity. I got the idea from The R House; I just had to tweak it a bit since Emma can't have ice cream. I got some different kind of candy from the store, (gotta love the bulk section at Winco, baby!) and separated it into different bowls.










While we ate the candy, we talked about even though all the candy was different, it was all still yummy and we liked it all the same. Some were gummy, others were hard. The lips were cinnamon and the licorice tasted like cherry.

Then we got out the toys.

We talked about playing with all the toys even though they were different. The kids love all their toys and don't care about their differences.

We talked about being friends to everyone and anyone regardless of what they look like. I love that we have a trans racial family. I love that my children don't even think about skin color or the differences among people.

While I was giving the lesson, I thought things were going well. Towards the end, Christian said, "I thought this was suppose to be fun." Candy + Toys = Fun...or so he thought. I laughed; it was rather funny.

I wanted to talk with Christian and Emma about Martin Luther King Jr and what a great man he was. I'm not ready to talk about slavery with Christian yet. He will learn soon enough what things used to be like. I will protect him from the hatred and stupidity people had (and unfortunately, some still have) for as long as I can.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

Being Productive...

Last week I got things done!!
My sister and I threw a baby shower for my sister in law and I was in charge of the thank you's. I dipped forty pretzel sticks and they actually turned out...I think. They look cute, but I can't eat them. The smell of the melting chocolate makes my stomach turn; I have used it far too much. My printer is being stubborn and won't print in color so I had to make the tags myself. I think they turned out well.

I made two patch work quilts last week and forgot to take pictures of either one. Duh!! This frog material was the block I worked around. It also had purple, pink and yellow. The one I made for my sister in law turned out way cute. The one I made for church...well, yeah, not so much but I finally got it done.



I tried my first attempt at the latest craze: cake pops. The outcome wasn't so good. I think the cake part turned out kinda mushy. And again, I don't like the melting chocolate. I wasn't a big fan. Maybe we will try again when I have nothing to do. They looked much better then they tasted. The kids ate them up though...they must have not been that bad.




I was in charge of the weekly activity for the Mia Maid class for Young Women's last week. We made journal jars. I made one for an example and I think this could be a good thing to help me blog. There are a lot of times I want to blog but have nothing to say. You just print out a bunch of questions, put them in a jar and pull out a question a day or a week or whenever you want. I haven't used it yet, but my intentions are good. :)

I finally figured out why I had kids:

I kid. I kid. They were dying to use their new snow shovels their grandma bought for them. Cute kids!!

Friday Confessional #2

I confess:

I hate mommy guilty. I hate feeling like whatever I do or don't do, I am damaging my children. Some shrink is gonna make a lot of money one day when my kids are older. They are going to have lots of "mommy issues".

So what if my house is not the most organized and structured? I don't live on a rigid schedule where every breath is scheduled and every trip to the bathroom is written down. We do what we need to when we need to. We are on time to school every day. (too bad I can't say the same thing about church. don't judge me.) Sometimes we have plans and sometimes they don't always happen. Go with the flow, right? I'm sorry I don't plan six months in advance. I guess I'm too busy living in the moment.

My kids are loud..sometimes I am talking break the sound barrier loud. They have no idea what an inside voice is. But they have fun together. They play together. They laugh together. I think the rest of us just need to invest in decent ear plugs. I don't want to be a kill joy.

I have broken everyone of my New Year's Resolutions all ready. Seven days into the new year, and I suck!!

I have become a complete and total homebody. I use to hate being home all the time, now I hate leaving the house. Getting myself ready and out the door is almost too much for me. I have a Blogger's GNO later this month. Last time I went, I had a blast. I don't know if I want to go to this one this time. It requires me getting ready and leaving the house. Good thing I have no life or this new "condition" could be a lot worse.

I'm completely and totally addicted to Castle. I got season 1 and 2 on DVD for Christmas. Yeah, I am done with both seasons. I watched them over Christmas break while I got caught up on laundry and also while I walked on my treadmill. I have taken a bit of a break from watching season 3. But I bet I will be done by next week. Pathetic, I know.

I gained six pounds over Christmas Break. I think it's all in my cheeks. Whenever I talk on my phone, I seem to always hang up on whoever I am talking to...or at least that's what I tell them. I ate way too many goodies over the Holidays. My pants are a little tighter now. I'll do better...right after I have banana splits with my munchkins. :)

Resolutions...

I'm excited for the new year. I love feeling like I have a clean slate and can do anything.

What is in store for you in 2011?

I love setting New Year's Resolutions and have set a few for this year.

2011 Resolutions

-Be a Better Mommy

This is the most important goal I have set for myself this year. Less yelling. Less putting the kids second or even third sometimes. Less of "I'll play Barbies after I'm done with the laundry." Less of "I'll play Wii games after I do the dishes." And definitely less of "I'll feed you after this level of Angry Birds or this episode of Castle is over." (all right, it's not really that bad, but it's getting close.) The first day of 2011 was a good one. Emma and I played Babies and Christian had a special visit from the Kissy Monster.

-"Let it Go"

I am determined to StOp taking things so personally. I was ready to give Facebook (gasp!) up because a friend not only unfriended me, but then blocked me so I couldn't see them on Facebook. Seriously! At first I pretended I didn't care. Then I was mad. What did I ever do? Then my feelings got hurt. I went through everything on my account to see what I said or didn't say that could have been taken the wrong way. Why would this "friend" unfriend me? I still don't know. And yes, it still upsets me. I can't help it. Everything is so personal. My Christmas cards this year, that I designed and thought were really cute, were called "cheesy" by someone that I sent them to. It shouldn't have bothered me, but my feelings got hurt and I was upset. Why do I care what others think of me so much? I need to ReLaX!!!

I want to learn to let things go. To let them slide right off my back. But I don't know how. I hate thinking I upset someone or did something wrong. If I accidentally cut someone off in traffic, the next day I still feel bad. Ridiculous, I know. So I want to figure out how to not care so much. I don't want to become cold hearted, just not so tender hearted. I think the self help section of Barnes and Noble and I are going to become fast, good friends this year.

-Lose Weight

I like muffins, but I don't think I look good wearing one. My muffin top needs to go. Marcus has rigged up this snazzy set up on my treadmill with my cell phone. I can watch episodes of Castle and Grey's Anatomy while I run/walk. I am registered for the Ogden 1/2 marathon later this Spring and I so need to get my butt in shape. I enjoy my food a little too much. Sugar. Sugar. And more sugar. YuMmY!! I would love to be able to not have to do my "jean dance" to get my pants on. This is my year!!

-Live up to my reputation of Wonder Woman

I want to work on getting a grasp on my crazy life. Between family, work, church callings, volunteering, being taxi, trying to have a social life, and everything in between, I feel like my world is spinning out of control. To the outside world, I have complete control of my life. If only...


Marcus and I even set some goals together for the upcoming year. 2011 is going to be a great year for us!!

I would love to be able to say that we would be adding to our family in 2011, but I think one of my resolutions should be to come to terms that our family is complete. Not a resolution I want to actually accomplish, but come what may and love it, right?

My motto for the new year is "I can do hard things." I just need to keep reminding myself of this and I can accomplish anything.

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!