Mommy Musings: What will you choose?

I have made a discovery since becoming a mother: I have a very short fuse. I tend to get irritated/frustrated/angry quite easily the majority of the time, especially when dealing with my family, and often it's the little things that will set me off. I know that most mothers probably struggle with patience, but some days it seems like my patience got lost in the mail somewhere along the way over the past 6 years. I'm working on not comparing myself with other mothers, especially since hearing President Uchtdorf say that "God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect...God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not." I realize we all have flaws, and there is no perfect mother out there. I'm also trying to work on something that my husband keeps trying to remind me of. The way that I deal with stressful situations, whether it be parenting, a church calling, housecleaning, etc., is my choice. For example: recently we've been having some behavior issues with Will. Each time he acts out or does something wrong, I have a choice. I can either get angry, wonder "Why me?", and make it an even worse situation. Or I can try to calmly deal with the problem, treat Will with love and kindness, and keep the spirit of contention out of our home. On the wall of our bedroom I put up a question for myself. It says "What mood will you choose to be in today?" Admittedly I look at that question very infrequently these days, but when I do look at it I am reminded that I am the one who chooses how I'm going to go about my day and deal with whatever life throws at me.

Best birthday present EVER!

In my 30 years of birthdays I've had some pretty fun and memorable ones. And for the longest time my favorite birthday was when my parents threw me a surprise party for my 16th birthday. But I think that this year has topped it, because my amazing, wonderful, fantastic husband gave me one of the best presents I think I've had in a long time. I FINALLY got to see this:



And if that weren't awesome enough, I got to see the play here:



When we found out that it was playing in Atlanta we decided to make a quick trip out of it and visit Bill's cousin Tom and his family again. Our kids enjoy playing together, and I was able to take Tom's wife Jenn to the play with me, which was SO much fun. So Jenn and I left the kids with our wonderful husbands and hit the town. First we had dinner here:


(Cheesecake factory, in case you can't read it)

Oh my word, this place was heavenly. They have so much to choose from, and their cheesecake is AMAZING!! I think this restaurant tops my list of favorites now. Definitely a repeat.

After dinner we headed over to the theater. And even before the show started we had a couple of funny experiences. First of all, when we were leaving the restaurant is was pouring rain. And of course we didn't have an umbrella, so by the time we got to the car we felt like we had just been swimming. Lovely. But we just laughed it off and went on our way. When we got to the theater I realized I left something in the car that I needed, so Jenn was nice enough to run back and get it. While she was gone I got to witness a marriage proposal. About 5 feet away from me. The couple drove up in a horse and carriage, then the minute they stepped out the guy proposed. It was really cute. And then of course the play was AWESOME! I didn't know anything about it beyond hearing bits and pieces of some of the songs, so I really enjoyed it. It is such a unique story with wonderful music.

So let's just say, I have no idea how I am going to top this birthday. It was definitely one that I will remember for a long time.

We love grandparents!

Last weekend Bill's parents stopped by for a couple of days on their way to see Bill's sister and her family in Florida. We did our best to pack in as much fun as we could in the time we had. On Saturday evening Bobby and Susan and their family came over and we had dinner at our house.

I think the kids enjoyed having someone to play with other than Mommy and Daddy.


Bill and his dad cooking the ingredients for the yummy fajitas we had

After dinner we headed over to a local park that has sprinkler-type features that they turn on a couple of times a day. It was great because it gave the kids something to do while the adults (or at least the moms - thanks to Bill and Bobby and their dad for watching the kids!) had a chance to sit in the shade and talk.

(sorry for the random picture, Susan!)


On Sunday Bill's parents went to church with us, then we had another yummy dinner, this time at Bobby and Susan's house. After that we let the kids run around and play while we chatted. Sorry, no pictures from this day. It was really sad to say goodbye, but we hope they'll be back again soon.

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.

Videos

We've had requests for more videos of Will and Kayla, so here are some of our favorites. Enjoy!


Kayla is definitely all girl. She loves to wear dresses and dance to any music that is playing. Part way through the clip she says "I need my slippers." She's currently obsessed with Cinderella and princesses.


Will decided that he and Kayla ought to be in charge of the opening song for FHE recently. "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is his favorite song.


Will and his friends playing at preschool graduation. I didn't even know this video existed until a couple of days ago, so I'm glad Bill took it.


Will showing off his awesome memorization skills. Our stake president encouraged us to memorize at least the first paragraph of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." Our family took it a bit further and decided to memorize the whole thing. So far we've done 3 paragraphs.

Seven Years

Seven years ago, a dream came true. Kristin and I had been dating for about a year when we finally got married on July 10, 2004. While we were dating, I really fell in love with her empathy, her caring, and her independence. I thought I loved her and was amazed by her then, but I am still constantly surprised and amazed by her. She does so much to help make our house a home. She constantly finds ways to celebrate special occasions and to show those around her that she loves them. She stretches outside her comfort zone to do things to help her children and to support her husband. Happy Anniversary, I love you Sweetie.

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Today is my 30th birthday. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days about my 20's and wondering about what my 30's will be like. It seems like, as I'm sure it is with a lot of people, my 20's were a time of changes and new experiences. In the last decade I have accomplished pretty much all of the goals that I set for myself when I was a child and teenager. I served a mission, graduated from BYU, married in the temple, and started my family. The first half of my 20's was spent living in an apartment and enjoying life as a single college student. The second half of my 20's was spent dating then marrying Bill, having my two kids, and adjusting to being a homemaker. So recently my question to myself has been "Now what?" Now that I've accomplished everything, what's next? I was talking about this with Bill yesterday, and he said something that I thought was perfect. I wish I could remember exactly how he put it, but I'll try to paraphrase. He said that I spent my 20's reaching my goals of becoming a wife and mother, and I'll spend my 30's perfecting those roles. By the time my 30's are over Will is going to be almost 16 and Kayla will be in Young Women. So my 30's will be spent teaching them how to be good people and helping them through their childhood and early adolescence. Which is quite a daunting and overwhelming thought. And of course I can always make new goals for myself. So even though I'm saying goodbye to a fun and enlightening time of my life, I'm looking forward to seeing what the next 10 years have in store for me.