Life's Big and Small Moments

Believe in children--there

is faith in their eyes, love

in their touch, kindness in

their gestures. Thrill with

them at life's big and small

moments...hold them close.

I have that saying on my wall where I see it every day. Unfortunately I don't always take it to heart. When I took this picture of Kamden, I could see in his eyes that faith, kindness, and love, and I was reminded of that saying. I have found myself so busy with four children, that I often am just going through the motions. I'm not "thrilling with them at life's big and small moments". Kamden especially, is changing and learning new things every single day. They are growing up on me, and I'm missing it. I mean, I am here to help with homework, to make dinner, to wash their clothes etc., but it is a rare thing to have me genuinely laugh with them and have a smile on my face instead of a scowl. I remember hearing one time (can't remember who said it), but when talking about being with your family for eternity, the question was posed "Are you being the person your kids and husband will WANT to be with for eternity?" I have thought a lot about this question, and I know my family are the people I want to be with for eternity, and I hope that I am being the person that they will want to be with for eternity. However, we have each other here and now, and I'm not sure I'm taking advantage of every single moment. Yes, life is busy. It's easy to remember to thrill with my kids with the BIG things, but it's hard to remember to "thrill with them with the SMALL things". When I took that picture of Kam, it was one of those moments that I was thrilling with the small things - and I'm so grateful that I did. That small moment turned into a big moment for me and a big awakening that I need to make every moment count here and now, and "hold my children and family close".

Pictures...Pictures...and more Pictures

If you know me very well, you know that I am a picture FREAK!!! I always have my nose behind the camera. I feel safe there - that way I am seldom IN FRONT of the camera (I like it that way). I love the laughter, smiles, and memories that the pictures bring in years to come. So don't say I didn't warn you when you have to scroll for an hour just to get through all these pictures.

We started our trip with high hopes of sunshine and warmth. We were quickly set straight when we drove through a snow storm in the middle of the desert!




We had one day of total down pour. We used that day to just hang out with my brother Todd's (and Lisa) family in San Diego. We had so much fun spending time with them.

This is Emilie with her cousin Karlie.

We had half a day at Disneyland that had lots of rain - but that didn't stop us from going on the rides. We came prepared with ponchos. When it was all done, we went back to our hotel, changed into dry clothes, and then back to the park.



This is with my brother Tyson's (and Mandi) family. They happened to go to Disneyland the same time as us. We overlapped by one day. It was so fun to get to spend the day with them.



What Utah Dorks we are...wearing shorts and sweaters!

We were determined to get some sun.

Splash Mountain...Brer Fox & Brer Bear - our favorite!!


And to think that Brayden will have a drivers license in less than 4 years - SCARY!

I let Kam play with this ball in the store, and he screamed when I tried to put it back.

So of course it was a no-brainer - I bought the ball!

Jarin has named our family after Disney characters. He's had us named for about a year now, and whenever he sees a character, he will say, "look ??? it's you." He named Ira "Goofy" (fitting, I think). I am Minnie Mouse (I must always look sweet like Minnie...HA - THAT'S FUNNY!). Brayden is Mickey. Emilie is Daisie Duck. Chewie is Pluto. Then when Kamden joined the family, he was stumped who Kam should be. Finally he concluded that Kam is Peter Pan.

Jarin was such a punk! (a CUTE punk...but still a punk). He closed his eyes on the Winney the Pooh ride cuz "It's scary."

Hu??...Winnie the Pooh is scary? Since when?

Then as soon as we weren't paying any attention to him, he uncovered his eyes and was all smiles through the ride (notice the before and after pictures above and below).

He would say that all the rides were scary. We made him go on them anyways, sometimes kicking and screaming. The ride operators would ask us if he was OK. We either helped him face his fears or we traumatized him for life. Time will tell...

However, ever since we got back, he has talked non-stop about those "scary" rides. He wants to go back so he can go on Splash Mountain and Space Mountain again.

The below picture is with my brothers family again. Jarin had already seen Mickey Mouse, so he was not about to cooperate for another picture with him. And he's ONLY 3!


Ira bought these jammies for the boys - they are so cute. Again, Jarin was having a melt down and didn't want any more pictures. Maybe I DO take too many pictures. Hmmm......??....NAH, one can never have too many pictures!

Below is definently a "daddy ride". Good thing he's such a good sport!

My hopes of having Ira's "undivided attention" quickly went out the window as well. What was I thinking? I got to compete for his attention with 4 kids!!! Oh well... I should have known better than to dream such a dream. But our kids needed their dad as much as I needed him, so we learned to share. :)

SEA WORLD

Brayden caught this cool shot. I have taught him well to take lots of pictures!

We pet the dolphins.


Elmo and Zoey live at Sea World...who knew?

Sitting in the "Splash Zone". Not sure why, cuz during the show it started pouring on us.

California Here We Come...

We're off! I can't wait to spend time with my family at Disneyland. I am excited to get to have my husbands undivided attention for our 12 hour drive there, and 12 hours back (poor guy!!). I do like to get him "cornered" so I can get my YEARS worth of talking in.

I am excited to get to be the "fun" mom with my kids, and not always the "bad" guy who's always on their case to get their homework done...jobs done...be nice...etc. etc. I am excited for the warmth and the sunshine. I'm excited to see my brother's family in San Diego.

But more than anything, I am excited to get to hear my childrens laughter, see their eyes sparkle with joy and excitement, feel their hands in mine as we walk together. I am excited to create memories that will last forever!

Brayden & Emilie made countdown chains for our trip. Those are pretty long chain!

Our kids are watching a home video of a previous Disneyland trip.

They have watched these videos over and over again. This is one thing that I am excited to NOT have to watch anymore.

Goodbye

So our family pet, Chewie, just climbed on board another families vehicle and they drove away to his new home. I thought it would be sad for my kids to see him go, but I NEVER thought I would shed a tear over a DOG! Well, I stand corrected. I was very sad to see him leave. However, I couldn't be more excited about the family he is going to. They seemed to adore him, and they were SO excited to have him come home with them. I got Brayden out of school early so that he could have his last goodbye with Chewie. He took lots of pictures, gave lots of hugs, and now he's doing OK. When I remember the reasons we felt we needed to find a new home for Chewie (1. he can have a family who can give him the attention he deserves, and 2. we can simplify the demands on our family), then I feel good about our decision. But even when something is the right thing to do, it doesn't make it easy. I can't believe I'm sad over a dog!! If you could have seen me before we ever even had him, you would think I would be doing summersaults now - but he kinda grew on me. So I will have my moment of sadness today, and I'll have moved on by tomorrow! Thank goodness my kids are handling it OK, I don't think I could handle their sadness too.

OOPSY!

Sometimes some of the most stressful moments can become one of the most humerous ones. On Sunday we had one of those moments during church. Jarin was climbing through the chairs (between the seat and the back rest). I had Kamden in one arm, and was trying to get Jarin to sit down with the other hand. So I grabbed a piece of his clothing and started pulling him up to have him sit. After a little while (like 30 seconds or more), I looked at him, and the piece of clothing I had was his underwear! I was giving the poor kid a wedgie!! What makes it even funnier is that the underwear he was wearing were really too big for him, so the underwear were really pulled high. The people sitting behind us had a great laugh. My frustration was quickly rewarded with a great memory. It was so dang funny!

Lookey how big!

My baby is 6 months old. It is so fun to see him grow, yet it is so sad for me to think that I will probably never have this opportunity again to have a baby that we get the priviledge of being stewards over. However, Heavenly Father has surprised us before ( good examples of this would be: Kamden, Jarin, Emilie and Brayden - yes, we didn't know if we would get to have any children, so 4 surprises and miracles).

So I have learned that Heavenly Father has a great sense of humor, and He really does know what is best for each of us. Each little spirit that has joined our family has brought new adventures, joys and love. We were for sure that when Jarin joined our family, that we had exceeded our limit of blessings, and we were so grateful to have 3 beautiful children. I gave away all our baby stuff, and was moving on. After all, what are the chances of US having another baby? Then...I had a gallbladder attack. What does a gall bladder have to do with a baby? Well, my Dr. had told me previously that if we wanted any more children, I would have to have surgery again and clear out my endometriosis, and then the fertility drugs would follow. The last time I had that surgery, it was so difficult on me and our family. We decided that we wouldn't go through all the treatments this time, and if there was another spirit to join our family, Heavenly Father would make sure he/she got here. We had been through so much already, and after all, we had 3 children already. Well, Heavenly Father had another plan. He MADE SURE I went through the surgery. So when my gall bladder had to be removed, I just asked the Dr. to clear it all out while they were in there anyways. Not long after, we were surprised to find out that Kamden was on his way. Words cannot express the joy we felt, and continue to feel as we look at these little (and not so little anymore), children that we get the priviledge of having in our home. Some days when I hear "mom...mom...mom...mom...mom....mom...mom...", and I just want to scream "WHAT??". I try to remember that there was a day that I prayed my heart out that I would get to have someone call me "Mom". I love being a mom - most days anyways, - I can't honestly say that I love every minute of it - but I'm working on that. Sometimes when they are gone with their dad or something, and the house is all quiet - I really enjoy the quiet, but only for a little while. The quiet would get old fast. I haven't forgotten the heartache associated with not being able to have children. I thank Heavenly Father every day for the four little miracles who call us mom and dad. So even though my baby is six months old, and my oldest "baby" is 12 years old. They will always be my "babies", my blessings, and my pride and joy.

I intended for this post to be just about Kamden's growing up. But I got a little sidetracked (I tend to do that a lot). So anyways, back to the subject at hand. Kamden being 6 months old!

These are Kamden's 6 months pictures - SO STINKIN' CUTE! (I know, I'm a bit biased).

He loves playing with his toys - it's so fun to see him get all excited when he

discoveres a new toy.

This was at Christmas time when he was first learning to sit up alone.

Oh...the discovery of his tongue!
Kam and his cousin Ryan. Kam is discovering how much fun friends are.

Our Pet

We have a dog named Chewie (Chewbacca), who needs a good home. He is a two year old pure-breed beagle, and he's a great dog. He's been neutered. In the summer he's mostly outside, and in the winter he's inside (too cold in Cache Valley for him to be outside all day). He loves to be played with, and held. He's very quiet (doesn't bark much). He is house trained. He needs more training on the leash and more training with commands. He is so sweet, and our kids love him. The reason we need to let him go is because we don't spend the time with him that he deserves. We are burning the candle at both ends, and we just need to try to simplify. Our kids are fine with it if he goes to a family that will love him and treat him nice. We paid $350 for him, we put him in the paper for $150, and got a few calls, but we just weren't very excited about anyone who had called. So we have decided that we will give him away for free if it is to a family that will love him. So if you, or anyone you know would love our family pet, please let us know.

COMPLAINING or BRAGGING?

Oh the events that 12 hours can hold! Here is a brief rundown of my first 12 waking hours on Sunday. I showered, got peed on (I better clarify that these things happened from the younger two, not the older children!), cleaned up poop all over the floor (can't do that without getting a little on yourself ... ewww gross!), got puked on (at least it was baby puke). Then showered ...again.

Doesn't that all sound so fun? But before you think I am complaining, I'm really not. I am bragging. A friend in Relief Society made the comment that when she complains, her husband asks, "Are you complaining or bragging?" (thanks Julie for sharing). That comment has made such an impact on me. Everytime I complain, I think, "Oh, I'm just bragging.", and it makes all the difference in the world. Essentially when I do that, I am looking at the cup half full instead of half empty. I am so grateful that I have this sweet 3 year old in my family to ask me to help him clean up poop on the floor. I am so grateful I have my 6 month old to hold and play with until he pukes on me. I am so grateful I have a great pre-teen to tell me how unfair I am (he really is a fantastic kid). I am so grateful for my 8 year old daughter who forces me to be on my toes every second of every day. There was a day that I didn't know if I would ever have the blessing of someone calling me "mommy", and now I have four of them!

So yes...I am bragging! I am bragging that even though I don't get to see my husband a whole lot, we are still best friends, and he loves his family and God and he is a good man, and still has a job to go to everyday. I am bragging that I have a house (protection from the elements) that always needs to be cleaned, I am bragging that I have good enough health to be able to clean it. I am bragging that we have food to cook, even if I could find a million other things I'd prefer to do than to cook. I am bragging that even though my religion requires a lot of time and "sacrifices", I know that I belong to the only church on the face of the earth that has ALL the truth restored. So many wonderful religions just have parts of the full picture. Parts of a picture are wonderful, but the full picture is breathtaking!

I have so many things to brag about, and really nothing to complain about.

I am going to try my hardest to be more positive and put those things that I really want to complain about into perspective.

I, for one, have a lot to brag about, what about you?