My new "Friend"

I have a new friend...The Children's Friend magazine. It has saved my life the past 2-3 weeks. For a while we've been trying to figure out how to make our family home evening a little more "kid-friendly," and a few weeks ago, as I was trying to find a lesson, it came to me that I should look in The Friend. I found an easy lesson and activity that would be fun for all of us, and it was a huge success. So the next week I went back and found something else we could do, and Will actually sat down and was quiet for more than 5 minutes. Last night was a little bit harder, since we were trying to calm him down from a tantrum, but I plowed through the lesson, and after a few minutes, Will was able to listen and the crying ceased long enough for me to make my point. I am so grateful for this wonderful resource that not only keeps the attention of a 2-year-old, but teaches wonderful, simple gospel principles that will be beneficial to him for the rest of his life.

What should he be?

Will and I had a little fun with the camera earlier today. What do you think Will should be when he grows up?


A world-famous chef?


A musician?


A movie critic? (And lest you think I'm a lazy parent, I don't usually let him watch movies during the day, but I made an exception for a few minutes)


Or a veterinarian?

Our fun Valentine's Day weekend

Ok, so I know Valentine's Day was almost a week ago, but I decided that it was worth posting about. (Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination). Bill and I decided that, instead of only celebrating on one day, we would spread it out over the whole weekend. On Thursday, since Bill had an evening class, I was in charge of the festivities that day. I made what we call a chicken bundle, which is chicken, broccoli, and cheese wrapped in crescent rolls. In honor of the day, I tried to make it heart-shaped. It was slightly lop-sided, but very tasty. I also made a green salad with heart-shaped cheese, ham, and tomato slices. Sounds cheesy, I know, but Bill was impressed, and we got to spend a little alone time together that night. Friday was Bill's day, so he got up early with Will that morning and let me sleep in, then surprised me with breakfast in bed. Later that night he made a really good dinner with teriyaki-marinated turkey, baked potatoes, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Saturday was the final day of celebrating, and probably my favorite. We were able to get a baby-sitter for the night, so we went to Chili's for dinner. Bill also surprised me again by giving me a dozen red roses. It was a wonderful weekend with some great memories. I can't wait to see what next year will bring!

I will conquer my fear!

So you can tell it's been a slow week when your post has a title like that. Oh well, on with the post. Our family has been here in Urbana for about 6 months or so, and that whole time I went without having a calling. I had enjoyed being able to sit through Sunday School and Relief Society without a care in the world, basking in the spirit of the meetings. Notice that I've been using the past tense. Yes, it's true, the inevitable has happened. I have been given a calling. But not just any calling...a teaching calling! Last Sunday, our family hadn't been at church for more than 5 minutes when a member of the bishopric came over and asked if they could extend a calling to me. I said sure, thinking they would call me to be on the activities committee or something. But no such luck. I got called to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher. Let's just say...not what I was expecting. I have only had one teaching calling since I graduated from high school, and that was a class of 6-7 year olds. Teaching a class of your peers is COMPLETELY different. But I'm not usually one to turn something down like that, so I dutifully started preparing my first lesson. I was feeling pretty good about it for the first couple of days, but every time I went back to work on it a little, doubt started creeping in more and more. By the time this morning rolled around, I was a nervous wreck. Of course, my wonderful husband kept reassuring me that everything would be fine, but that did very little to calm my nerves (thanks for trying, honey!) Luckily, my lesson didn't completely bomb, and no one but Bill could tell that I was as nervous as I was. Of course, after the lesson was over, I spent the next hour going through my mind what went wrong and what I could have done differently. And I'm sure it'll take a while before I feel completely comfortable in this new calling, but hopefully I will be able to face and conquer this fear. And hopefully next time I'll have something a little more fun and interesting to post!

Let me tell you about...

One of my favorite people in the world....my adorable little boy! After filling out the survey about my husband a few weeks ago, I decided that Will deserves a blog all about him as well (or at least another one, since the majority of this blog is about him anyway).
Over the past 2+ years, I have watched Will go from a quiet, calm newborn


To a very active, often hyper, talkative little boy.


For the first few months of his life, my days were spent feeding him, changing him, and putting him to sleep, with an hour or two of playtime in-between.


When I went back to school for a year, I handed over the majority of the responsibility to my family, who graciously took wonderful care of him so I could fulfill my dream of getting a college degree. Of course, in my absence, Will continued to grow and learn new things every day.


I missed being with him while I sat in boring lectures and taking annoying finals. Luckily, once that diploma was in my hand, I could take back that responsibility and focus on being a full-time, stay-at-home mother, another dream I was longing to fulfill. One sad part about the whole going back to school thing is that I lost about a year of my son's life. Sure, I had been with him in the mornings and the evenings for a few hours, but I missed the opportunity to just sit and watch him play and learn. So now I am determined to make up for that time and be there for every experience of my son's life, as well as any other children that might come in the future. Being a mother is definitely the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life, and I have had a time or two (or twenty) where I wonder what I was thinking, and if I can really do this. But all I have to do is look into that sweet face, or hear "I love you Mommy," and I realize that I wouldn't trade going to play groups, or giving baths, or reading the same book over and over again for anything in the world. Having Will is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I love my little stinker more than anything.





















*I realize this post is really long and picture-heavy. I hope you enjoyed reading it nonetheless!

An Inspiration

This afternoon my family and I watched the funeral services for President Gordon B. Hinckley. What an amazing and touching experience. Everything from the personal stories of two of his daughters and a number of Church leaders to the beautiful music sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was so uplifting. So many feelings and thoughts ran through my mind as I reflected on what an inspirational man President Hinckley was, and is, to me and the millions of other people whose lives he touched. I thought about the numerous lessons that he taught us over the years. Who could forget things like "Stand a Little Taller," "The Proclamation on the Family," and the 6 B's. And even the way he lived his personal life is an inspiration. I cried as each speaker touched on the loving relationship he had with his wife, Marjorie, and when his children spoke about the kind of parent he was. It added to my testimony of the sacredness of eternal marriage and families, and what a wonderful responsibility I have as a wife and a mother. It strengthened my resolve to better myself in every way, and be a more Christ-like person. I am so grateful for this prophet of God who has inspired me through his example, his testimony, and his life.

Creative Fun

So yesterday I got in touch with my creative side, and I did something I never thought I would actually do - I made homemade play dough! (I haven't done that since I was in 8th grade, and I had to make a salt-dough map of Utah for a class). I noticed that Will was getting a little bored of playing with the many toys in his room, so I branched out. I know I sound like a total dork, but I was pretty proud of myself, and Will actually had fun helping me make it and play with it. Granted, the fun only lasted about 20 minutes, but what else can you expect from a 2-year-old with a 30-second attention span?


I love Will's face. You can just see the excitement.


This was my contribution to the activity. If you can't tell, it's a very squished snowman.


I call this his "space cadet" look. So cute!


Since Bill was at school all day and missed out on the fun, we decided to make him a little something to show him how much we love him.


And of course, no activity with Will would be complete without some sort of doggy involved.