Matthew 5:40-44

I just came across this story and I think it is awesome. A few posts ago, I wrote about how refreshing it is to know that really good people are out and about...well here is another one. Read it here.

Thank you Jackie!!!

Our friend Jackie gave us a fun paint by number Easter kit. Lizzy was so excited and I am so happy to see her having a long enough attention span to finish this that I had to post it. It is fun to see her taking more pride and enjoyment in working hard at something and doing a good job. She actually did every space in the (sort of) right color...even some that required mixing two colors. After she was done, she told me that her arms were getting so tired, but she just kept going. Way to go Lizzy.

Thanks Jackie and thanks for watching Lizzy for me in the morning. You are, as always, a wonderful example to everyone who knows you. As Michelle said about you just yesterday...."She is going straight to heaven."

1,000 Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Have you ever seen these signs at McDonalds that say 1 million burgers sold? (It is now closer to 13 million). Anyway it got me thinking about my major milestones as a mother. Are you ready???

1,000 peanut butter sandwiches made

We honestly have peanut butter and honey (not jam) sandwiches almost everyday. It may be that I am lazy, but really it is usually at the kids request.

7,000 diaper changes

This was hard to estimate...cause you know it's like 20 a day when they're newborns and they poop after every feeding. Eventually...it's not quite so often.

600 times reading "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?"

It was tough to decide which is the most read book in our house, but this one is way up there along with Cinderella, Clifford and any Dr. Suess.

So yes...motherhood can be somewhat monotonous, but you gotta love it.

By the way...did you know that if all the cattle that have ever laid down their lives for McDonald's were to be resurrected for a reunion, they would stand flank-by-jowl over an area larger than Greater London?

Gross. So what are your remarkable milestones?

Slackers

Of all my posts...this is one I really hope my Dad doesn't read. He'd be so ashamed of us. Our check engine light has been on for months. We've been putting it off and putting it off and never got around to having it looked at. If we'd been in Utah my Dad would have had a look and advised us long ago. Of course we were due.... but the irony of having it happen on the way home from the airport after picking up Aaron's parents is just too much. Their plane landed at about 10, but Aaron didn't get home until after 2 in the morning. Aaron's parents claimed to have enjoyed the chance to walk around for awhile and see the city from a distance. Of course...their just nice that way. Kudos to the nice tow truck driver for dropping off Aaron's parents, taking Aaron and the car to a repair shop, and then taking Aaron home again off the clock. While Aaron was at the repair shop (it is also a gas station which explains why it was open until 2 in the morning) there were 2 nice people that offered him a ride home. Isn't it good to be reminded that there are just plain old nice people still out there in the world. Anyway Dad in case you DID read this....we got it fixed and I (almost) promise that it won't happen when we pick you up from the airport in a few weeks.

Grandpa's Shadow

Aaron's parents were able to come and visit this last week. We had so much fun. We have talked and talked about how much fun we've had in the East, but it was awesome to be able to show them all that we've been talking about and let them experience some of the amazing history. I think I just really love sharing things that I love with other people. It gets me excited.
Grandpa found that he had a new sidekick. He couldn't sit down for more than 10 seconds before Andrew would be at his side. "Bampa" read the bedtime stories all week and Andrew had to tell he and "Bama" goodnight about 100 times each night before he'd go into bed. Thanks for making the trip. We loved it.

He is Risen!!!

As I watched the sun rise this Easter morning, I thought of another SON who also rose on Easter morning and brought light and life to all the world. How grateful I am for His gift to the world. How grateful I am for Easter morning. "He is not here: for he is risen." (Matthew 28:6).

The Family Performers

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Google reader.

A friend of mine posted this recently and it has been so helpful that I decided to post it as well. Do you all use google reader? If you like to read the blogs of your friends...it saves so much time. Go to www.google.com/reader and enter the addresses of the blogs that you read. Then all you have to do is open it up and it will tell you which ones have new posts. It is so nice and its free.

I Am A Child of God

Kaelene and I have been doing a little at-home preschool a few times a week. It's been a lot of fun. Kate has also joined us a few times. This particular day we were learning about the letter "F' and I was giving them goldfish when they answered questions correctly. They wanted those goldfish so badly that they were eager to do whatever I asked. I had to take advantage of it and so at the end I told them that if they all stood up and sang "I Am a Child of God" together that they could have the rest of them. Really I was just being a little silly...but they jumped right up and did it with such gusto that it was so beautiful. What sweet kids.

I Almost Missed It

Sometimes as a parent I forget what it's really all about. A few days ago Lizzy woke up from her nap and I was thinking about all of the things that I hadn't gotten done yet. I wasn't really listening to her talk because I was mentally running through the list and deciding what to do first and what to put off for tomorrow. She snuggled up to me and said.. Mom... let's go out on the deck. I had lots of reasons NOT to go sit on the deck at that moment...but for some reason I said..okay. It was kind of chilly and so we dragged out blankets and we just sat and talked. For some reason it was a good moment for Lizzy and she just talked and talked about all sorts of things. She asked me about what's going to happen when we move in a few months. She found shapes in the clouds. She told me that she wants a garden and that we need to plant trees in our (someday) yard. Then she just snuggled up to me and said in such a sweet voice, "Mom, I love you." It occured to me that in 20 years... these are the times I'm going to miss. I certainly won't be wondering about the laundry I put off or dinner being 30 minutes later then planned. When Andrew woke up, he joined us out on the deck. . Lizzy and Andrew of course played their favorite game....Sleep time. (It is so wierd that they love to play this game since they certainly don't like the real thing.)

My little Spideran

Andrew is such a character. He just goes and goes. I had him all ready for bed and was just letting him play for a few more minutes. He went into the bathroom where Lizzy was having a bath. The two of them giggled and giggled and when Andrew came out he was sopping wet. What else should I have expected eh?!!? It's so fun to have a child who is learning to speak. Each time he says something new that I can actually understand it is like he and I both have a little celebration. It's so fun. He was a spider for Halloween this year but only recently has decided that spiders are cool (ever since he got spider ring from Chuck E. Cheese.) A few days ago Lizzy was trying to teach him that his name is Andrew Brown. He said...in his adorable two year old voice.... "Not Anrew Bown....Anrew Spideran." It was hilarious.

My Career

So I feel like this is kind of a wierd post....but it is what I've been thinking about lately...so bear with me.

I recently read a very old talk by President Spencer W. Kimball. It was in the New Era and is called The Message, John and Mary, Beginning Life Together. (1975) It is written in kind of an unusual format. It is a new couple that he is speaking to before they are to be married. It is as if the advice he gives to them, he also gives to the reader. There is one part that stood out to me. It said,

"You [Mary] are to become a career woman in the greatest career on earth—that of homemaker, wife, and mother. And so, if you have failed to prepare for motherhood and homemaking when you could, you may make up somewhat by devoting yourself to those subjects now. In your spare time you could now study child psychology and child discipline, the fundamentals of nursing, the art of teaching, particularly how to tell stories and teach children; and you will want to get all the theory as well as the practice now in cooking, sewing, budgeting, and buying."

So I realize that this talk is pretty old-fashioned - I don't necessarily believe that the only education worth pursuing is homemaking of some sort which is kind of implied. (Sewing also may not be essential anymore -or am I just saying that to make myself feel better because I can't sew worth a lick?). But some of the other stuff obviously is still applicable. Motherhood is my primary and most important job and so why shouldn't I do it right?? If I were in any other career, I would study and learn and try to keep up on the latest knowledge in the field. I have read some good parenting books and I put on some pictures of a few of them. I would recommend Love and Logic the most. I'm not saying that I am a good example of implementing Love and Logic, but I think it is a good system. There's good stuff in there. But mostly I wanted to get some feedback. What have you read, studied, learned or gained in some way that has helped you perform better in your role as a mother?? What has worked for you?

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Most adults are fairly tactful. For example when I ask Aaron...he will tell me... Oh Rachelle don't worry... nobody will even notice those incredibly huge new zits on your face. I appreciate this. Kids, however, are more honest. They really tell it like it is. Here is a picture that Lizzy recently drew of me. I shouldn't have asked...because I already knew, but I did anyway.

Me: "What are those red things Lizzy?"

Lizzy: "Those are your owies."

Ouch!! Thank goodness for make-up!!

I was talking about this to another friend and she told me the less than flattering thing her toddler said to her - so I guess it's just life. It makes me laugh. I'd rather have her be honest with me than say such things to a stranger. (For example when she said about a wrinkly man that we just finished talking to...."he looked like a raisin.") It's true though.... kids say the darndest things!!