God's Work

Over the weekend, our stake had a two-day women's conference.  It was wonderful.  I received so many insights and renewed energy of spirit. One of the things I've decided I want to work on is this blog.  I want to post more often, and I want to post more thought-provoking...ahem...thoughts.  I often think I should blog, but then think that I have nothing to blog about.  Yet, while I was in college I had to have 1500 words written every week for just one of my classes, and I always found something.  I remember always having my eyes open and being more aware of the world around me so that I wouldn't miss the opportunity to be inspired to write.

Well, I'm starting today.  I had an "aha" moment in church yesterday (see, I told ya the ball was rolling).  Here is what I learned:

The lesson was on work.  Well, it was more about loving your work, which, face it, when it comes to mopping the floor, I'm not always on board with loving it.  But as most of you know, my work is that of a full-time mom which means diapers, messes, laundry, potty accidents, and endless hours preparing food, serving food, and cleaning up food.

We all know how the world tends to view stay-at-home motherhood.  It gets a big thumbs down.  They say it isn't fulfilling to the woman, it doesn't use her talents, it doesn't allow her to make her own money, or have her own career, or be all that she can be.  I realized yesterday that the world is missing a huge part of the equation when it comes to moms.  We have a scripture that the world doesn't have and this scripture holds the key to what it is really all about.  Mosiah 2:17 in the Book of Mormon reads:

When you are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Well, aren't my children and my husband my fellow beings?  You bet they are.  So everything I do to serve them, also serves God and that means that what I do all day, everyday (for the most part. I'm not sure my avid novel-reading counts) is God's work!  That is what the world doesn't see.  They don't see stinky diapers and long nights with sick children as God's work.  They see it as stifling drudgery.  Admittedly, it isn't very pretty a lot of the time.  They see women walking around with snot all over their shirts and think "count me out," so we can see why it would be easy for the world not to recognize the Godly side of it.  But the world also misses those precious moments when your children smile at you, say a new word, reach for your hand, or come to you for comfort.  And those moments make it absolutely worth it all.

If you ever finding yourself wondering if there is something more out there, something more important, or more fulfilling, just remember that what you do is God's work and no one can do that for your family the way you can!

"Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that the power it work is a blessing, that the love of work is success" (President David O. McKay)

Resolved....Again

(the view out my front window)

Is it too late to write about New Year's Resolutions?  Probably, but I will anyway.  I wrote about them last year, and I did so well achieving them (all but the one about only eating treats only once a week--yeah right) that I thought maybe blogging about them would help me bring this year's resolutions to pass as well.  So here are a few:

1. Attend the temple monthly.  This one is possible now only because we formed a baby-sitting co-op with some of our neighbors for Friday nights (which is absolutely wonderful and highly recommended).  However, it is January 25th, and I haven't been yet.

2.  Cut sugar.  I say this one every year.  I'm convinced that if I cut sugar out of my diet I could possibly be a size six.  It is just so dang hard!  I LOVE dessert.  What can I say.  But I have to keep it in mind.

3.  Increase my social life.  I have wonderful friends, but many of them live too far away for me to see them often.  The older I get, and the more I stay at home with my kids, the more I realize that I need social activity--the more the better.  Luckily I have great neighbors so I will strive to make friends with them until we can be the kind that hang out during the day--hopefully a lot.

4.   Train diligently for races.  I am already signed up for the Ragnar Relay-Wasatch Back.  I'm planning on signing up for the Echo triathlon and possibly the first-ever half marathon to be held in my hometown of Morgan, UT.  That does equal a LOT of running.  More than I've ever done in my whole life.  But now is the time.

5.  Get my house decorated.  We've been living in this house for over six months and it still isn't decorated.  We've made great strides in the living room just in the last week.  There is still so much to do.  I think I finally know what I want.  Unfortunately, it also takes money to decorate--a definite hindrance.  But these blank walls are stressing me out!

6.  Get Lydia potty-trained!  I know this goal requires her cooperation too.  That's what I'm worried about.  She is 3 years and 3 months old and has absolutely no interest in potty training.  Her doctor told me not to bother if she isn't interested, but holy cow!  She's going to be five before she gets interested!  It definitely has me a little worried even though a few friends have told me to relax.  They say when she's ready it will only take two days.  I'm really, really hoping......

Now the problem with some of these resolutions is that it is three weeks into the New Year and I have yet to start working on some of them.  Especially the sugar and the training.  I do workout regularly and still attend my swim class, but running?  Haven't done a lot of that.  Some of that I blame on the winter.  Who wants to run outside when it is only 28 degrees?  But I figure that New Year's resolutions are goals for the entire year.  I've got some time, don't I?

L.A.

Chad and I have had it in the works for a long time to go to California for our fifth anniversary.  I actually figured it out almost two years ago.  I took into account all aspects of family planning before deciding the kids would be old enough to leave for a week since nursing and all other binding activities would not be a part of our lives.  Yea!  We packed up, dropped the kids off at my wonderful mother-in-law's house and away we went.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to leave the kids.  It does help that I know they were in the best of hands.

As we were getting ready for our plane to take off and as I people-watched and wondered what each person's story was, I thought: I'm a mother.  And I wonder if I look like a mother, if these people whom I am watching know that I'm a mother.  And I thought about how becoming a mother is such a life-altering happening.  How I'll forever be tied to those two little people.  Much like Adam and Even becoming mortal--something changing in their blood.  The point was further driven home to me when my mother texted later that night to make sure that her grown and married daughter had made it safely to California.  Forever tied.

We started our vacation with the rumbles of the beach and the enormous board walk of Santa Monica pier under our feet.  I loved watching the vendors as they sold their various commodities along the way.  It reminded me of Brazil and how the people there make anything they think will bring a buck.

Our second day was also filled with noise and bustle at Knott's Berry Farm.  We arrived with about ten middle school buses and after standing in line with them for thirty minutes at the first roller coaster, I was sure I was going to kill them all.  Luckily we lost the crowds after that and blissfully walked right onto every roller coaster until after lunch time.

I can say a few things about L.A.  It really is pretty there.  The rolling mountains covered with foliage of some type or another eventually smoothing out into the beaches and the ocean.  And the weather!  Oh, what wonderful weather.  BUT the traffic!  The traffic would be enough to relocate me if I lived there.  It is truly terrible.

Just the opposite of the noise and hustle of traffic and theme parks, we visited the L.A. temple in such tranquility.  I LOVED that temple.  I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not prepared for the gigantic rooms and the beautiful murals.  It rivaled the inside of the Salt Lake Temple and actually one of the workers said that the session rooms of the L.A. temple are actually larger.  I loved it and was so grateful that there existed a place like that amid such madness.  (And they had really cool trees on the temple grounds).

 We spent the rest of our time eating and driving, visiting museums and Hollywood (which wasn't worth the drive), going to a movie or eating whenever we wanted.  It was so nice.  And I loved getting dessert twice a day.  In the end, I was anxious to see my babies.  But they did well without us and that encourages me to think that maybe Chad and I could get away again sometime.

My Animals and a Birthday Girl

 My crazy little Halloween animals.  The cutest bat you've ever seen (although I thought his costume was a dragon when I bought it) and one crazy kangaroo (and yes, she was the same thing last year, but she insisted.)

 I tried to get a picture of the two of them, but they were never both looking at me except for in this shot where Lydia is ceremoniously picking her nose. We actually went door-to-door trick-or-treating this year--in the rain.  We only went to five or six houses before Lydia was done, but it was still fun. 

Lydia's birthday party was Saturday.  She chose her own theme and cake: a pink party with a pink elephant cake.  Can't believe my cute girl is THREE!  She is a lot of fun.  She's very expressive and loves to be close to us.  She got the cute green dress and boots from my mom and I think they are adorable.  Lydia, of course, hated them.  She has opinions now on what colors she wears or what color plates she eats from.  She's attached the things she wore in the past even if they are way too small.  And she wants nothing to do with potty training.  Hmm.  Maybe I should prepare myself for even greater parenting challenges with this growing girl of mine.

P.S. And thanks to my friend Nicole Ekberg for taking our new family photos.  I love them and will have to post more of them.