An Update

Lots of things have happened in the last few weeks and months to our family, so here's a quick update

Kayla:

It seems like almost overnight that she's become such a big girl. I am loving having a girl who enjoys being in dresses and playing with princess stuff. If she had her way she would wear a dress every day and watch "Cinderella" 24/7. She loves nursery so much that we end up just following her down the hall at church while she runs. She misses Will now that he's gone all day, but she and I have been having some fun girl time. We go grocery shopping, read books, play outside, anything to make the time without Will go faster. Recently she moved from her crib to the bunk bed with Will, which they both love.

Her next big adventure: potty training! Wish me luck!

Will:

Obviously the most exciting thing in Will's life has been starting kindergarten. I asked him what his most favorite and least favorite parts of kindergarten are so far. This is what he said:

Most favorite: Playing with Mr. Potato Head, Mr. Corn and Mr. Carrot and drawing and learning how to write letters and learning how to make things.
Least favorite: Don't like kids pushing me off things on the playground or talking mean.

Hopefully the fact that his list of most favorite things is longer than the least favorite means that kindergarten will be a good experience. So far he's been the "big dog" (aka teacher's helper, snack provider, etc) for a day, learned a few new songs, and made some new friends. We're proud of him and how much he's grown and matured.

Kristin:

On August 20th I participated in my second 5K. Bill and the kids came with me to show support. It was quite a bit different from my first one. First of all, there were WAY too many hills! I was so tired and achy by the time I was done. And unfortunately the hills caused me to be about 2 minutes slower than my previous time. I had been hoping to beat my previous time. Oh well, maybe next race. Bill and I are thinking about training for a race together now.

Bill:
A couple months ago Bill was able to go with the ward scout troop to Iowa for High Adventure. They went rock climbing, swimming, and had a great time.


And when he's not home with us being an awesome husband and father, this is his life:



He's working hard to get ready for prelims hopefully the end of next month, which unfortunately sometimes mean long hours and late nights, but we're hopeful it'll all be worth it in the end.

And here are some other fun pictures of life at our house.


We role-played Joshua and the Battle of Jericho for FHE one night. Will was Joshua and the rest of us were Israelites.




We were lucky to get some good bikes from a neighbor a few months ago. Kayla is still trying to get the hang of using the pedals, but they still have a great time.

Mommy Musings: Memories

Have you ever come across a picture from your childhood or teenage years that made you go "Eek" or "What was I thinking dressing like that?" Well, my dad recently uncovered this little gem



Hellooo 80's! I love so many parts of this picture. The big hair, the prints on the shorts, the shoulder pads, the ugly pink cast I'm sporting. I'm not sure what's happening in the picture. It looks like some sort of school program. And it's definitely not one of my most photogenic moments, but it's fun to look back and remember other parts of my childhood. And possibly curse the fact that this picture is now floating around the web for all to see.

Mommy Musings: The Importance of Women

We had a really good lesson in Relief Society today. It was based on a talk by Quentin L. Cook entitled "LDS Women Are Incredible!" There have been a number of times when I feel like a lesson or talk has been prepared or given just for me. Today was one of those days. As a stay-at-home mom there are many days when I think to myself "Why am I doing this?" or "Can this get any harder or more overwhelming?" I love my children, but motherhood can be very taxing, not only physically but emotionally. I often feel like I don't measure up to my full potential. I feel like I'm not doing enough for Bill or the kids. This quote by Elder Cook made me feel a bit better

Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer—from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems—they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

We can't avoid the trials of our life. That's why we are here on this earth. How we approach them is what matters the most. I often lose track of that. Unfortunately I've been known too often to ask "Why is this happening to me?" It's something I've struggled with for a long time and something I have decided to work extra hard to overcome.

Another interesting point that was brought up in the Relief Society lesson today was about the organization of Relief Society. The sister giving the comment brought up the fact that the Relief Society is an organization of the Church that wasn't proposed by the priesthood. Emma Smith and others went to the Prophet Joseph Smith and talked to him about starting an organization for women. Eliza R. Snow drafted a constitution all on her own. These were strong women who knew what they wanted to do and knew how to get it done.

I'm very glad that we had this lesson today, because I needed to be reminded of my important role in my family, in my church, and in my community. As a woman I have special abilities and qualities that are unique.

Mommy Musings: To clean or not to clean?

I am starting a new feature on this blog. A few months ago I attended a book signing by The Pioneer Woman. During her Q&A period someone asked her how she got started with her blog. She said that one of her first posts was pictures of food in her pantry and the expiration dates. She is famous for writing about random happenings around her house and about her family. So I have decided to try and do something similar. Every once in a while (I have yet to decide if this will be daily, weekly, or just whenever I feel inspired) I am going to talk about family, church, housewife duties, etc. Today's musing, as you can probably tell from the title, is about cleaning. I'm not the most effective cleaner nor the most consistent, but I do like to have a clean house on a regular basis. However, today I had a thought: Why do I bother cleaning certain areas of my house? As anyone with small children can attest, the minute you clean a room, especially if it's frequented by family members, it stays clean for very little time. If you clean it right before you go to bed it stays clean a bit longer, but you aren't able to enjoy its cleanliness because you're sleeping. So I was trying to figure out why I take so much time and energy to clean my house. And the answer is that I get a sense of accomplishment and a good feeling from doing so. Even if a room or the house is clean for half an hour or less, for that small amount of time I can look around and say "I did this. This makes me happy." And I even realized a while back that cleaning can be a form of exercise. For example, when I clean my bathroom I'm constantly bending forward to clean the tub or reaching up to clean the mirrors. And by the time I'm done I've worked up a sweat. So I've come to the conclusion that cleaning is very beneficial, even if the results are only temporary. And since, if you were to come to my house now you wouldn't believe it, here is proof that my house was clean earlier today.