Lately....EK

 Disclaimer: I haven't blogged much. {Ya Think} No particular reason. One day turned in to the next and then {POOF} I'm really behind. But alas, I have that nudge everyday to just start somewhere. So here I am....

-Evyn Kate turned 2 last month. Really just 2 weeks ago. On the 22nd.
-She has now decided she doesn't want to sit in her high chair and she wants to use the big girl potty. We are in that weird beginning stages where all she wants to do is sit on the toilet for 2 seconds then proclaim that she is done, want to use some toilet paper, and hop off. Only to want to get back on the potty 5 minutes later. 20 times a day. In her defense, she is so close to mastering #2 on the potty. Actually, it's been a few days since she has gone in her diaper. It's how the whole potty training thing got started. She would start to scream when she needed to go and hated the feeling of it being on her bum. One day, Chris took her on the potty when she started screaming and she went. Now she tells us she needs to go and runs to the bathroom. We wanted to have her potty trained by the summer anyway but never thought she would lead the way! For now, we aren't pushing it and she is still wearing a diaper all day.
-Loves to get her nails painted.
-Enjoys the park so much and loves to go down the big slide by herself.
-She does roll call all the time: "Daddy, Mommy, Elodie, Addysen, Evyn"
-She calls Elodie "LD" and Addysen "Addys
-Says things like "COMING!" and "Thank You Mommy"

Mash Up.

I've had a bit of bloggers block lately.  I blame my camera for this. We are inching in to the holiday season and instead of taking endless amounts of pictures of my own kids, I'm taking pictures of other people. I love it. I feel so very blessed to have this creative outlet and so very overwhelmed that people actually want me to take their pictures. Especially considering I do zero advertisement.  I feel so strongly about documenting our lives through pictures and it makes me so happy that I get to be apart of that for someone else. I got a huge response when I emailed out about family photoshoots this year and while there might be a few days I feel like I am drowning, it's an exciting time of the year!
I have a birthday coming up too. I'm not sure how I feel about 32 but it's coming regardless and I'm happy to celebrate it! I've made a pretty lengthy list for Chris and told him to pick. We will see what he comes up with!

Christopher is working and running. He was super close to joining a group for a Ragnar in Las Vegas. The group had lost one of their runners and was looking to fill a spot. One of the guys in the group contacted Chris and before he could say yes, someone else in the group had already filled the spot. Bummer for him. He is starting to find his groove in the nursery at church and runs every night he can.

Elodie is amazing. I had a parent/teacher conference the other day and her teacher had nothing but great things to say about her. She is going through books like crazy and catches on to new concepts. We are slowly finding our footing in our new school and every day I feel a little happier about our decision to keep her at this school. We are planning a little Halloween party with another friend. It should be fun. She is going to be Hermione for Halloween. She and Christopher lost a bit of steam once school started. They haven't been reading Harry Potter as often as they were during the summer but they are getting through it and she seems to still show a ton of interest in it.
We started a new concept of allowence with her. We gave her a planner and told her she had to write down her daily chores everyday. At the end of the week she had to have me or her dad sign off on it and then she had to come to us for her allowance money. She has been hit and miss but we think it's important for her to want to do it on her own without us nagging her about it.
She is still keeping up with her piano and is playing with both hands now.
She loves going to activity days and reminds me when it is. Even though I don't need reminding since I teach the age above hers.
She is riding her bike back and forth to school. This was a gradual process and i still walk her down to the end of the next street over but she is loving the independence and it is so nice for me if Evyn Kate is still napping. There is a little friend on the street behind us that she rides to and from with and that has made the transition a little easier on me.

Addysen loves preschool and playing with her friend Grayce. The 2 are together atleast 3 days a week and since we live so close it makes it so easy to pick up and drop off.  She is cruising on her bike and we are hoping with the cooler weather she will make the leap and let us take her training wheels off. She goes back and forth about what she wants to be for Halloween. We probably won't have a straight answer until a few days before. She is doing really well keeping her room clean and she is always so helpful with Evyn. The funniest thing she says is when EK is running around without a diaper on. This is usually after baths. Addysen will say "Look Dad, Evyn is in her butt" It's the funniest thing! She loves coloring and finds a few hours every day to check that off her list. She is also excited about her first primary program this Sunday.  She still takes naps too and will usually sleep as long as EK does. It's amazing and I love the quietness in the middle of the day. She is also slowly getting to know all our neighbors and every day ask if she can "just go say hi"

Evyn Kate is such a joy. I can't imagine loving this stage more than we do right now. Everything she does is so cute and even the older girls comment on her cuteness. She can say Elmo and the minute you say "signing time" she is headed for the stairs to watch it. She gets in to everything and has about 5 or 6 different spots she likes to hit downstairs. Elodie loves to have her in her room and that is a nice treat for me while I'm making dinner. She is still super petite but can hold her own. We are thinking about getting her a little bike for Christmas as the one we have is pretty beat up. She is going to be a ladybug for Halloween. All 3 girls will have worn the same costume at the same age. I know she is going to make the cutest little ladybug since Addysen wore it last!

This is such a fun time of year with the girls!

I think that wraps it up for now! I really miss blogging and I hope I can get back in the groove soon!

5pm.

Well, Hello There....

I never intended to take a blogging break. The last time I was MIA from my blog was back when I was pregnant with EK.

And it's not for a lack of blogging material either. We have packed so much in to the last 2 weeks that I should have atleast 10 post up by now.....

We started the beginning of the month at the Big Dirty Family Reunion. We came home on Elodie's birthday and celebrated with swimming, pizza, ice cream cake and presents. 2 days later my mom flew in to town to stay with us for 2 weeks. 3 days after that Elodie was Baptized and we had some friends and family over for dessert afterwards. Chris and I squeezed in some date nights and an ASU football game. Last weekend we lived up to our promise and let Elodie get her ears pierced. She was fearless and only cried a few tears after it was all over. I think it was more the relief that it was done. I am in charge of Joy School this week for Addysen and 5 other 4 year olds. And the fun ended when we brought my mom back to the airport this morning. Lucky for her the fun is not over and she is off to play with one of her sisters in California for a week.


See? Lots of things to blog about.

The unintentional break was fun and a little refreshing...


And while I am uber behind and will spend the rest of September playing catch up,  I couldn't let today pass without jotting down a few thoughts from my mom's visit.

 We all loved having my mom here for 2 weeks. She is so helpful and fun. My girls adore her and Chris and I got our date nights for the month in too!

The extra hands are an added bonus. My mom jumps in and helps without asking, fixes lunches, and even asked for a chore she could do while she was here. And I will never turn down the opportunity to let someone else sweep and mop my floors!

Everything else aside, her company is great. I love talking motherhood with her. Chris and I use her to battle out relationship questions and she always has sound advice for us both.

She is simply the best and we would keep her if my dad didn't miss her so much!

1351 post later...

It was bound to happen. And last night it did. I was uploading pictures to a post on my blog and a pop up showed up saying I had reached my picture upload limit. I'm actually surprised it took this long....but it's happened. And I can't post anymore pictures until I upgrade my memory through blogger. So far I've only found that I have to pay a monthly subscription for my extra memory. I don't really want to pay. Even if it is just $2.50 a month. Thoughts? Has this happened to you? Not sure where to go from here. I do know I'll be lost if I can't post pictures on my blog! Even this feels weird.... {Thanks for all the tips and suggestions I got via email and facebook. I fixed it and everything is back to normal! WHEW!}

In January

-Evyn Kate had a visit to the Pediatrician for her 9 month check up. She weighs 15 pounds even and is under weight. This is my shocked face....

-Addysen pulled my point and shoot camera out of my purse and dropped it. It's broken and will cost $100 to be fixed. Sigh. Just another reason to keep anything you want to keep nice out of reach of 3 year olds.

-We went to the library every Wednesday.

-Chris and I started watching "How I met your mother" on Netflix and love it!

- The girls wanted to go bike riding every single afternoon.

-I pulled all my Valentine decorations out on January 9th.

-I helped organize a teacher's luncheon at Elodie's school. One of those things I didn't know about when I signed up to be the home room mom.

-Elodie had 3 days off from school for the County Fair. It's a big deal here.

-Elodie got 3 Book It coupons from Pizza Hut.

-Elodie and Addysen insisted we make a cake to celebrate Evyn's first tooth. We sang Happy First Tooth to Evyn too. It was another big deal.

-The Bachelor started. Woot! Woot! Mondays are so great!

-We watched LSU and the Saints get beat. Bummer.

-Our family caught the puzzle bug and put together 3 puzzles. Two 500 piece and one 750 piece. It was a lot of fun to do it as a family! A little crowded at times but fun!

-I made 9 skirts.

-I cancelled our Costco Membership. Sad day. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's not permanent. That helps.

-We started reading the Book of Mormon as a family. We have read the children's version about 3 times and since Elodie will be baptized this year we feel it's time. We told the girls when we finished it we would take a trip to Sea World. Addysen immediately asked "THIS WEEKEND!?!?" It's going to be a long haul!

-Christopher listened to The Hunger Games. He finished it in a couple of days. I got sucked back into the series and enjoyed listening to it with him before bed.

-Evyn Kate finally figured out how to hold her sippy cup.

Go To Meal...

Food is always on my mind. So naturally, I should blog about it.

If I'm not making a meal for someone I'm thinking about the next meal, adding to my grocery list, staying within a decent budget, not buying more than we need, what's for Sunday treat, after school snacks, meals for Evyn, food storage....it's never ending!

And even with all the meal planning it can get a little overwhelming! Which is why a good "go to meal" is essential! We all have our favorites and it changes month to month but always having the ingredients for that one meal you know everyone will eat and enjoy is a life savor! Especially when it involves my crockpot!

Our go to meal as of late is Cafe Rio Salad. Cafe Rio reminds me of Arizona. Reminds me of Book Club...visious circle! There are many versions on the internet but I got mine here a while ago and I love it. Once I made it I never searched for a new way to make it.

My girls aren't crazy about the dressing so when I make their plates I just do a cheese crisp and serve the rice, beans, and chicken on the side.

And this is one the few meals that we actually eat the leftovers! Everything just goes in individual containers and we are good to go!

Café Rio Chicken
5 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 sm bottle zesty italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken. Keep warm.

Café Rio Lime Cilantro Rice
(Double this for large crowd)

2 Tb. Butter
pepper to taste
1 ¼ rice
juice and zest 1 large or 2 small limes
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
2 Tb. chopped cilantro
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cumin

In a skillet melt butter with rice, add liquid, and other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 C buttermilk
1 C Mayo
1 to 2 tomatillos
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 t lime juice
1/2 to 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed.

Blend all together in a blender or food processor and store in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.

For salads serve in the following order:
tortillas (I warm mine in foil pans like cafe rio in the oven with cheese)
cheese
black or pinto beans
lime rice
shredded chicken or pork
red and green leaf lettuce, shredded
sprinkle crunch corn strips on top
grated Parmesan cheese


{Don't forget about my Valentine Banner Giveaway 2 post below! It ends tonight and I will announce the winner tomorrow!}

Around.

Not sure where I have been the last few days. Doing the daily grind feels good in the sense that 1. nothing has broken. 2. we are healthy. and 3. everyone is safe.

Christopher's life revolves around work. Just the way he wanted it right hun? Before we moved I told him he couldn't complain about a single thing work related for the first year we were here. I think I started out by saying 6 months but now that it is clear we will be here longer than a year I'm stringing it out as long as possible. I'm the only complainer in the family. He has kept his word and has nothing but good things to say about work.

I tried to surprise him (my first mistake) and bought him a ticket to go home to Arizona the last weekend in September. Our best friends are purchasing a house. When we moved Mace was Chris' right hand man and helped Christopher from start to finish. He even took a day off of work to help us. Good man. We always felt like we wanted to repay Mace somehow but sending a gift card didn't seem like enough. So when I found out about their big move, and looked to see how cheap tickets were, AND realized I had some credit card points that needed to be used, I immediately got him a flight. I wanted to hold on to the surprise for a few more weeks but when you share a checking account with her husband and he knows every user name and password you own he is bound to find out. So yesterday he came home and asked if I had spent some money to some travel agency I spilt the beans. He was in shock at first, mostly because he can't stand being surprised, but later on he started asking questions about his trip and I think he is gearing up for it. Once the idea that he didn't have any say in the matter wears off he will be more excited! I'm excited for him!

I'm trying here. Still. A few days ago I sat in the car pool line waiting for Elodie and I watched a group of moms outside of the door to the school chatting and laughing to one another. Man that one got to me. I was that girl who chatted with the other moms at school. She is still there, I just need to find her. Secretly I people watch and wonder if that girl could be my friend.
I joined the PTA group and am the home room mom in Elodie's class. I hate not knowing all the kids in her class. Christopher had to remind me that this is only the 4th full week of school and there is a lot of time for all for all of that. It's pointless to point out that if we were in Arizona I wouldn't have to get to know the kids in Elodie's class...I already knew them! Once I get all my training done for volunteering in the classroom I hope more opportunities will come my way to venture out. I got called to be the chorister in Primary shortly after we moved to the ward and this weekend is the big primary presentation. GULP! I tell Elodie every Sunday that she has to sing loud to compensate for all the kids that just stare at me. Those kids can be a tough crowd at times!

Elodie is doing well in school. She is continuing to excel in reading. She has 2 teachers and she loves that she switches classrooms halfway through the day. She started piano lessons again but this time around we are her teachers. I practice with her every day and Chris does a one on one lesson one day a week. So far so good. Typical Elodie. Offspring of Alacey. If she is doing well she loves it. If she messes up she hates it. She gets it honestly so I try and be as patient as I can with her. No other outside activity as of now. She is still a tumbling fool and does front rolls all over the place. I'm hoping we can get her into dance or gymnastics after the first of the year.

Addysen lives in a bubble just the way I like it. She says things like "You are so busted!" and "Whatcha doing?" She loves all the Glee music and we have a dance party pretty much every night so she can shake her bum. She loves Evyn and runs ahead of me to help the baby. She is completely diaper free at night. TMI? Maybe but man are we happy about that one! She loves to do homework while Elodie is doing hers which consist of tracing. She will trace letters forever! She is at such a fun age and we just love her spunk!

Evyn is getting better with a spoon and has made the connection between bowl and meal time. She sees the bowl coming and she gets so excited. She gets more of the oatmeal in her mouth than on her clothes and slowly I am seeing a change in her sleep schedule. As of the last few days she is only waking up around 5am for a quick feeding and then back to bed until 7:30am when we have to get ready to take Elodie to school. A nice change for me for sure!

All in all we are good. The daily grind is good.

Dear Texas,

Don't think that just because it was 68 degrees this morning when I took Elodie to school I'm going to automatically start liking you. My heart only has room to complain and swoon over one state's temperature and it's not you. You'll have to do better than that for sure!

Sincerely,
Trying to find a reason to like Texas for reasons other than my husband's job.

Back Pedaling.

I wrote this post the night it happened but didn't add the pictures until today. Mostly because it still makes me sad and homesick! But if your looking for some new entries on my blog. This is one of them. Only a month late.

Projects...

We've got a few projects in the works around our house that I am really excited about. I figure it's good to have something to stress me out in the last 60 days (!?!?) of this pregnancy to keep my mind off said pregnancy. But considering the fact that I can't breathe every second of everyday and have to go to the bathroom every other second, I'm pretty sure that will be hard to do! We will try though!

Project #1 (and top of the priority list): After much debate, we've decided to add on to Elodie's bed to make bunkbeds for the girls. Originally, I wanted to just buy bunk beds and keep the girls in separate rooms. Elodie would stay in her bed and Addysen would sleep on the lower half of the new bunk beds. Then when littlest sister was old enough, she and Addysen would share a room. Christopher had different ideas. Since Elodie's bed looks like the lower half of the bunk beds we like (and comes with 2 mattresses since it's a pullout) , he thought it would be cheaper to just add on to her bed. Especially since it will be 3 years (atleast) before littlest sister needs a big girl bed. And by then, a lot can change. It wouldn't change Elodie's bed when later on we switch it up. It's a little hard to explain but I'm confident he can do it without making it look (how do I put this nicely) cheap and thrown together. He spent the better half of his Saturday purchasing wood and putting things together. He is enjoying himself and I know he is a perfectionist enough to make it look really nice. Much to his dismay, I documented the occasion. Because my girls need to know just how handy their dad is!


Project #2 (and of less importance than the 1st): I bought fabric to make the girls valentine outfits. I'm super excited about the colors: reds,pinks,teals,and browns. I'm planning to make tiered skirts and then take the remaining fabric and cut out the letters L-O-V-E to sew on to white shirts. Should be so cute-especially since the fabric cost me as much as 1 skirt at Gymboree! And I know I will have enough to make 2 skirts, shirts, and fabric flowers! With leftovers for other valentine projects I have worked up!


Project #3: I'm on a felt kick. After making my felt heart wreath and balls I went and bought some more felt to make a heart banner. I have all my hearts cut out, now to just pull the sewing machine out and finish it all up!


Project #4: Will not be announced right now because it is so cute it will make you fall out of your chair! All I will tell you is it involves more felt!! And Valentine's Day!! And our whole family doing something nice for each other everyday until V-Day!! So it must be completed before Feb. 1st.

Project #5: I started this Valentine Advent 2 years ago...yes, 2 years ago. It has sat in this same bag for 2 years. I vow to finish it this year! Especially since I used 1 of my 2 muffin pans to make this project and I think about it everytime I need 2 muffin pans!


Project #6: My neighbor put this couch out on trash day (GASP!?). I knew with a little love and care it would be the perfect prop couch for photography. Now I just need to pick my new fabric....and learn how to reupholster!


Project #7: I signed up to take a Photo Editing class through the community college! I'm so excited about it and everything I will learn. Everything I've learned up until now has been self taught so it will be so beneficial to learn from someone who knows what they are talking about. My class is one night a week, the majority of it is online, and I start next week. I will have to take atleast 1 week off when the baby is born but since the class is only once a week for 2 hours, I think I can handle picking back up after the baby is born. It's in the evenings too so Chris will be home. If this class proves to be beneficial I will definitely plan on taking another class in the fall!

I think we have enough to keep us busy for the next couple of weeks. Add to it buying little sister a dresser, organizing and cleaning newborn clothes, cleaning up the newborn carseat, AND switching Addysen to a big girl bed we definitely have our hands full!

What happens after Valentine's Day you ask? The search for 3 (!!?!??!) Easter dresses! Heaven help me!

Heart Attack...

Over the weekend my blog disappeared. As in it was like it never existed! Scary stuff. Especially when you consider I've had this blog for 5 years and was nearing my 1000th post.

As you can tell I got it back...but not after a lot of tears and stress! Apparently, gmail detected a virus on my account that was trying to email out to all of my address book. Luckily, gmail prevented that from happening but not before notifying blogger that I may or may not be a real person. So blogger blocked my account until they could verify that I was in fact a real person and all is back to normal in my life. Whew! Just what you need to spice things up in your life...

As if:

-Being 6 months pregnant
-Chris in the thick of finals with a graduation date set for this Thursday
-Planning and following through with the Ward Christmas Party
-Interviews and lots of waiting for Christopher
-School programs and parties for Elodie
-Christmas Shopping
-Editing the last of my holiday photoshoots
-Amongst the normal daily routine

That apparently isn't enough!

If this whole ordeal did anything it's whip my butt into shape. I'm falling farther and farther behind and today is the day to get my blog out of the hole! So many things are falling behind me and I'll hate myself 6 months from now if I don't catch up! So stay tuned...lots more to come!

Happy Holidays everyone! Now go back up your blog!

Poor Blog...

I miss my oldself. Is that wrong? 13 weeks into this pregnancy and I daydream about her. Maybe I wasn't all that great before, but this pregnant me is not good. I want my oldself back. Wah.Wah.Wah.

I'm still sick. What else is new. Throwing up atleast once a day (on a good day) and whoever invented the term "morning sickness" needs to be shot. I feel it all day long.

I had an appointment with my doctor last week. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat and everything looks great. Despite my physical appearance, apparently my body is meant to hold babies. Not birth them, but hold them. I've lost 3 pounds. It comes with the territory.

In other news- in my first trimester I've been on 2 campouts. One I was in charge of for our ward. The other was our yearly Big Dirty. If I don't ever hear the word campout again I will be fine. I've been able to keep up with photoshoots (just don't ask about my photoblog). And my family is still going about as normal. Thanks in huge part to Christopher. I have lots of photos to document but don't have the energy. They will just have to wait. Thank heavens for draft mode.

Christopher is wrapping up his last semester of his Masters. He will be done in December. The question now is where next? Will we even stay in Arizona. Lots of unknow but all the same very exciting. We would love the opportunity to move, which most likely means we will stay here, but we are trusting Heavenly Father and know we will be where we are meant to be.

Elodie is amazing and doing great in school. She is my big helper and I constantly remind her how badly I need her. I am so grateful for her and she is an awesome big sister. She is reading like crazy and I'm so excited to see her take it all in.

Addysen is tagging along. She says all the time that she needs to throw up because she has a boy baby in her belly. I'm not setting the greatest example as I'm constantly finding the girls pretending to throw up in the toilet. I don't find it all entertaining. She isn't completely convinced that I'm pregnant because she sees my friend Melissa who is much further along than me. She always says "mom, your not pregnant, Ms. Melissa is pregnant"

All in all, we are surviving. I'm hoping I can come out of my black hole soon and revert back to my old self. For now, this will have to do.

Bullet Points

-Elodie is in swim lessons and is getting better with every lesson. She now can do a handstand under water and can dive down to get the rings. She starts a tumbling class next week.

-Potty training Addysen is going well. She is in undies most of the day when she is home and has even used the potty at the pool a few times. The only annoying part is we are in too deep now. No turning back. So when she says to me that she needs to potty 3 different times while at the swimming pool, I have to take her! And everyone knows how annoying taking a wet swimsuit off can be.

-Christopher recently got called to be the Ward Clerk in our ward. It's keeping him very busy in the evenings.

-I got called to be the Ward Activities Director and we have our first activity this Saturday. It's mind consuming and I'll be glad when it's underway. Fun but stressful.

-We will be in Utah in a couple weeks and I'm excited to see lots of my family I haven't seen in a while. My Aunt Connie and Aunt Jeanne are next best to my mother so while the trip will make me homesick, I can't wait to soak in my family!

-I'm in the process of making my girls 4th of July Dresses. I've completely finished Elodie's dress and I'm so pleased with how it has come out! It's such a fun activity when the house is quiet and all I hear is the rhythm of my sewing machine! It's been a positive experience so far so I might try my hand at a few more dresses this summer. My friend and uber talented seamstress Jen has helped me along the way! Thanks Jen!

-I can't wait to see Eclipse again!

Collection

{My New Moon Water Cup is looking so sad compared to my shiny new Eclipse cup}

Babysitter- $10

Movie Ticket- $7
New Water Cup- $5.25
Ditching my regular morning chores and going to the 10am showing of Eclipse with friends...worth every penny! I highly recommend it!

{Worth.Every.Penny}

{Edit: I had originally titled this post "New Addition" but didn't want to disappoint anyone who might have thought the title meant I was pregnant. Sadly, I'm not.}

I've come to the conclusion...

that the virtue Patience is never meant to be mastered. I don't think you ever get to a point in your life where one can say they are an expert in patience. Maybe I'm not being optimistic, but I don't think that's the point.

Christopher and I have been reading the conference talks from the April Ensign and recently finished President Dieter F. Uchtdorf talk "Continue in Patience" . If you haven't read it, do. And then read it again! And again!

It's been on my mind a lot these last few days. (Really the last year has been about patience but counting days just gets depressing.)

Maybe because we are teaching Elodie about spending her money wisely. Poor girl wants everything under the sun but doesn't want to spend her own money. It's heartbreaking because as much as I would love to just buy her whatever she wants, it's not the way the world works. She is struggling to understand the difference between buying something as soon as she gets a dollar and saving it until she gets 10 dollars and can buy something really big. And when you only get $1 a week, it's a tough lesson to learn! I keep reminding her that if she learns to save her money when she is younger, it will be much easier when she is older. But then again, I struggle with the same concept!

One part of President Uchtdorf's message has stayed with me...

Every one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can’t possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer.

We have had many opportunities pass us by this past year. Opportunities that, in the moment, felt perfect for our family. And just as we got our hopes up, they were gone. It's hard to understand Heavenly Father's plan but another part of President Uchtdorf's message is reassuring...

patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

That really hit me. I never want to regret the way I deal with a trial. I never want to look back and wish I had reacted to it differently. I never want it to get in the way of my relationship with Chris and my Heavenly Father. I never want a trial to get the best of me and change me as a person! I think that's the true test of a trial.

In reality I know that clearing one hump doesn't exclude me from another but accepting that counts for something! Right?

Content

Do you ever have those days where you feel at peace? They come in spurts for me. One day I can be stressed without a minute to let my brain rest and the next...completely content.

I am trying my hardest to recognize those moments of contentment and today is one.

Our lives our full of uncertainty. Whose isn't? The future is unclear for our little family. With Christopher's graduation in December we aren't sure if we will be here or clear across the country! We can barely plan a family vacation because we just aren't sure about whats to come. It doesn't keep me from planning vacations-just not sure if any of them will pan out. It's exciting and stressful all in the same breath.

But today I'm not going to worry about that.

Today my house is clean and quiet.
Today my girls are healthy.
Today I feel closer to Chris.
Today I know what I'm making for dinner.
Today I have my Family Home Evening Lesson mapped out.

Today I feel Happy.
At Peace.
Content.
And everything else will just fall into place.

Lately

I feel like I don't have much to blog about these days. Lots of busyness but nothing blog worthy. Is it just me?

-Christopher finished his last final for the semester today. The last 2 nights he has been up until at least 4am so I am happy to have him done and hopefully back on a normal sleeping schedule soon. He is taking a 1 summer class that starts in June and then has his last semester this fall.

-On the other end, Elodie has 10 days left of kindergarten. Sad. Very Sad. She goes around telling everyone she can that she is "almost in 1st grade." She never says "I'm in Kindergarten." She is growing up too fast. I'm planning an uber cute Kindergarten Photo Shoot and haven't decided on Kindergarten announcements. Is that too much? I'm thinking it's not too much...just too cute!

-Speaking of photoshoots, I have a million pictures to post on my photography blog but no motivation to get them on there. Like 10 shoots! I'm thinking I'm spoiling my people by editing their pictures so fast so by the time I'm done I don't have the energy to post them anywhere else!

-Addysen's favorite word is "NO!" and will say it before you even finish a sentence...for example:

Me- "Addysen, pick up your shoes and take them to..." Addysen- "NO!"
I can't remember how to discipline a 2 year old. Does she even know she is being sassy so if we put her in time out does she even understand why she is going to time-out? Who said it was easier the second time around!

-Elodie's favorite sentence is "I don't know?!?" I'm thinking of having it printed HUGE in vinyl and plastered on her wall...UGH!

-Round trip tickets to Louisiana are $300 EACH! Double UGH! I really want to go home this summer but holy $900-and that's only if the girls and I go! Donations are totally accepted!

-I found the CUTEST peacock blue pencil skirt with pockets...I can't wait for 8am church on Sunday!

-I need a vacation...

-I can't remember the last time I posted without a picture..it feels weird.

Where I've really been...

So everyone has noticed my lack of blog post. And I certainly can't blame it on the holidays as we are now half-way through January.

The real culprit is this...LOST

Chris and I tackled all 5 seasons. In about 2 weeks time! Kid you not! It's what we did every night after we put the girls to bed. We stayed up until midnight a few times, snuck in a few episodes on Fridays when Chris was home, and utilized quiet time on weekends!

My friend Melissa has been telling me about the show for a while now but we never really caught on. The 6th season is getting ready to start in February and we decided now was as good a time as any to catch up! The best part was we didn't have to wait a whole week to watch every episode and we didn't waste anytime during commercial breaks!!

I'm not sure how I feel about the show. The whole purpose is to keep you questioning and totally confused! They do a great job of that! It's that sort of show that if your not sure what's going on you have to just let it go and know eventually your questions will be answered!

It's pretty intense and at times, down right scary, but overall I'd say it's worth watching! If you have any space on your tivo that is!!
We are done with all 5 seasons now and are patiently waiting for the 6th season to start. Blogging is back to normal!

Best 49 cents ever spent

I am on a mission. My good friend Jen found some great fixer upper chairs at Goodwill. She painted them a great teal color and now they sit around a table in her breakfast nook. I am on a mission to find my own chairs to paint bright colors and what else? Use for pictures.

So off I went. I expected to walk into Goodwill and find 3 perfect barrel chairs ready for me to paint! Didn't happen. I did find a great brown chair that was $15. I didn't buy it the day I saw it but thought about it the rest of the week and had decided by Saturday that I needed that chair.

On Saturday, Elodie and I headed back to Goodwill to get my chair. To my surprise the place was PACKED!!! I couldn't find a parking spot, couldn't find a cart, couldn't find my way through the crowd to get to my chair. Sadly, by the time I made it to where my chair was suppose to be, it was gone! BUMMER!! I did, however, find a great substitute that didn't need any painting and would work perfect for the pictures I had all built up in my head. (Which I will post about next)

Before Elodie and I got in line we passed the toy isle. If it can even be called an isle. More like a bunch of toys in a corner of the store. Elodie found a Barbie car for 99 cents and asked if she could get it. It needed some cleaning but for 99 cents, sure.

When we got in line the lady in front of me had a cart FULL of stuff!! I asked her what was going on and she told me that every other Saturday everything in the store is 50% off!!! WHAT??! Where have I been!?!

Very excited, I got to the register and found out that my new chair would be $8 and Elodie's Barbie car would be 49 cents!!! Very exciting!!!

When we got home, Elodie and Addysen spent the rest of the afternoon outside playing barbies and enjoying the outside weather! Which has been amazing!



Seriously, who knew 49 cents could buy a whole afternoon of entertainment!!
I'm still on my hunt for some chairs to paint so I will definitely be checking out Goodwill again!