Prayers Please

I just received this email from my sister:

"Please pray for G [my nephew] and the [G's girlfriend's family]. A [his girlfriend] was filming G at about 5:00 tonight on the train tressel and did not hear the train. It hit her in the head and she was gone instantly.

Her parents will be back over tomorrow to meet with us and the coroner...

I will let you now as soon as the service time is set."

I know the prayers of my few loyal readers can give extra comfort and strength to my nephew and my sister's family, and the family of my nephew's girlfriend. Please remember them.

Due to distance, I don't get to visit with this nephew often, but he is a stellar guy. He has excelled in school and in extra-curriculars, and more importantly, he is a super high quality person. He is a great son to my sister, and a wonderful example to those around him. He will graduate from high school next month, and was accepted to both BYU-Provo and BYU-Hawaii.

I remember the day of G's baptism when he was 8. He and I were able to spend some time in the scriptures together as we talked about what the baptismal covenant meant. I read to him from Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon.

7 And it came to pass *after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

He and I visited quite a bit about what this passage means. And how we promise to comfort others, and be a witness of God when we are baptized. It was a great conversation, but I didn't know how much he took from it.

The next day in church it was fast and testimony meeting. On this day, once a month, members of the congregation are asked to fast for two meals and contribute the value of their meals (and more if they can) to a fund which helps those in need. The meeting time is taken by those members who feel a desire to come forward and bear testimony of our Savior.

That amazing little G bore his testimony that day, all of his own accord, because he felt of the truthfulness in those verses above. In fact, he took his scripture up and read some of them, bearing witness that he felt the Holy Ghost confirming to him that these words were true, and that he was glad he could be baptized.

So today I pray that as I mourn with G from afar, that he will feel comforted. That he will know in his heart that A will be resurrected again because of our Savior, that her spirit is safe in paradise, and that he can see her again. And that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost his heart can find peace.

I'm a WHAT?

Lately Max has taken to a new "loving" phrase. Most days, he will take the time to cuddle up to me, pat me gently, and with great love in his eyes and sweetness in his voice he'll coo:

"You a big Mommy. You a BIG Mommy."


As one on a weight loss journey, I have to admit these aren't the words I would have chosen to hear, but taken in context, they are rather endearing.


When you are the often left-out little brother, isn't being big the greatest thing you can imagine?

You mean SHE has to grow up TOO?

My littlest darling is 8 months old now. Today, she learned to clap. Well. On cue. She is more and more mobile everyday, and she has cut 6 teeth to date.


I know 8 month old babies are still little, but they aren't little babies anymore. They are big babies, and I am kind of sad about that.


Don't get me wrong. I love that she can sit up by herself and play toys. I love that she can crack up when she thinks something is funny, like Little Mommy waving purple pom poms.


I love that she sleeps through the night most of the time. And I love that she can hug and kiss me back (read:slobber and suck on my face).


But I still wish that the relative speed of the last trimester of pregnancy and the first year of a baby's life were somehow reversed. Why is it that the last trimester feels like twelve long years, and then it would seem that only one week after the baby is born, it is time for the first birthday party?


I hope you enjoy this glimpse of Princess. She is one popular gal around here, and I am sure you can see why.

Still here!!!

In the past few weeks I have:

taken our family on a super-fun trip to sleep in a train caboose,

run a LOT of miles,

changed countless diapers,

finally gotten all of the white laundry out of baskets and into drawers!

cleaned my bathrooms really well,

done some detail cleaning in my kitchen,

dejunked and vacuumed the entire interior of the Suburban,

And much much more of the regular life of fixing food, hosting playdates, playing chauffeur, running errands, and just generally adoring my husband and children.

I finally feel like I am pulling out of the new baby chaos...and soon that will mean catching up on the blog as well.

In the meantime, check out this uplifting clip on dealing with the challenges of life.

Little Mommy Tales

Little Mommy is at the stage of princess...beautiful dancing, an endless desire to wear dress-ups and jewelry, and ample talk of princes and servants.


In fact yesterday she offered to let me be her servant. Um, sure. But don't we ALWAYS play that game?


A couple of months ago she was able to take a ballet class with her favorite friend. It was a dream come true for Little Mommy.


She loved choosing her outfit each week from the abundant trove of ballet and gymnastics leotards and accessories.


She loved putting her shoes in a ballet bag. She loved feeling like a big girl, in attending her OWN ballet class.


She loved seeing her teacher and feeling like a princess.


She loved the music and the twirling and the leaping.


And I loved to spy in the window and watch the magic.

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Sometimes when I look at her, I can't believe how grown up Little Mommy is becoming. She takes her role as a big sister very seriously, and as an experienced little sister, she understands the drill.

She tried to explain it to Princess the other night:


"Listen to me because I am your big sister and you have to listen to your big sister. You cannot just cry and cry at your big sister."

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Recently I had laid out a darling wrap dress for Little Mommy to wear to church. It did NOT meet the princess wardrobe criteria, and she let me know.

LM: "I need a different dress. This one isn't pretty."

Me: "I like that dress. I think it is pretty."

LM: "All my friends are going to say this dress is weird."

Me: "It's not weird, it's a cute wrap jumper."

LM: "It doesn't jump. See?" [shrugs shoulders grumpily so dress bounces up and down]


I painted her nails to help her feel more pretty, as she had decided that maybe wearing the dress would be okay.


Not long after that, I discovered that she had apparently engaged in some conflict with my makeup, and the makeup had won.

What will I do when she's 16?"

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Little Mommy is such a gift and a joy. If only I could make her stay little forever, I would happily be her servant.

A Most Precious Gift

I traveled 6.5 miles on my treadmill this morning. I ran, I walked, I jogged. But I mostly ran. I finished at 5.5 miles, went upstairs and changed a stinky diaper, and realized I had one more mile in me. I was too close to 10K to quit.

I love the metric system. You travel further and weigh less. That just rocks.

For much of my life, I would have imagined 6.5 miles to be outside of my reach for one session of treadmill therapy. My body is stronger now than it has been in some time. Physically stronger, and mentally stronger too. I'm convinced that the real roadblocks for most people who want to run long distances are mental ones, not physical ones.

And isn't that the way for most of us in other areas of life? Sometimes we truly do our very best and fall short. But more often, we shortchange ourselves. We procrastinate, or we are too hard on ourselves. We give up too soon, or we give up what we want most for what we want now. We lack discipline and faith. These are mental and spiritual issues.

Today I am 31. And the gift I give myself this year, is that of faith in my ability to be who my Heavenly Father would want me to be. The woman that I want to be.

The woman who seeks her Heavenly Father each day in prayer and scripture study. Who waits upon His answers and follows inspiration.

The woman whose home is organized enough for the household to run smoothly. Who builds a sanctuary of comfort, peace, and love and draws others in to share it.

The woman who spends her time on the things of greatest value. Who learns to say no to anything that isn't.

The woman who treats her body with respect and great care.

The woman who appreciates and adores her incredible husband, and who nurtures and openly adores her amazing children.

The woman of optimism in the face of darkness. Whose faith in Jesus Christ is firm and steadfast.

The woman of mercy to others, and to herself--full of patience whenever she is reminded that she can't realize her potential all at once.

The woman who creates a legacy of faith and love through a series of small and simple everyday actions.

So here's to a year's worth of personal growth. May I be one year better when I reach 32.

And if you need a little inspiration to realize some of what you can do, try this beautiful two minute clip, and let it move you to action in some small way.