So I do try not to talk about my Mom in every post, yet everything I do/am/try to be has been touched by my Mom. So if I sound a little redundant, that's why ;)
Anyways, back to my post...our ward just had our primary program last week. (Where the kids ages 3-11 teach our worship service.) I got the privilege of writing it this year. Of course when you put your heart into something you want it to turn out perfect and you especially want the Spirit to be felt by the congregation. Wow! What a learning experience it was! It was so amazing to see it all come together. From writing it, to interjecting the children in and finally, arranging seats on the 'stage.'(sorry, I don't know what it's called...) It all came together. from having exactly the right amount of parts, to seating arrangements. It's so comforting to know that the Lord watches over me as I try my best to serve him, no matter how small my task.
I also learned so much about myself. I have always known that I am not usually a person who stresses about things, and when I do stress about something, its because I have no control over someone else's actions and that saddens me and causes my stress. I really didn't stress about the program. Sure, I dreamed about kids embarassing themselves and detracting from the Spirit, but I never really stressed. I felt so close to my Mom because of it. I don't recall her getting stressed very often when I was younger. She would always do her best and let the Lord take any worry that could turn into stress. I am so grateful that she passed that on to me, no matter that I am not able to do it as easily, I learned it from her. That trait that she possesses, she passed it on to me! If only I can live up to her legacy.
Another thing my Mom taught me was that my children are the most important things in my life. We had a rainstorm today, it was one of those 'Singing in the Rain' rainstorms. Where the rain is pouring down as hard and unrealistically as it does in the movie. What did we do? We stopped what we were doing, Kira ignored her barbies and I left the messy after-lunch kitchen, we had a storm to play in! Kira, Lizzy(Kira's friend) and I had a blast for about 10 minutes just running, dancing, jumping in puddles and enjoying the rain. When we came back in the house Kira told me that, "Grandma used to do that when you were a little girl." Yes, yes my Mother taught me so much. About life, family and the Lord. She also taught me about trials.
I have never met another being as enduring as my Mom. To think that she layed in that bed for over two years fighting each day to live makes me feel so shameful. She never complained. She always had a smile and did everything she could to make my life and everyone else's as easy as possible. How many times have I complained because I had a headache? Or didn't get enough sleep? I know on Sunday I made bread. It was a colder morning and as I was kneading the dough I had to stop in between loaves because of my arthritis. As I finished the last loaf I started to cry, realising that if it keeps progressing, one day I may not have the ability to make bread, or teach my children to embroider, etc, etc, etc. Yet that is nothing to the trials that Mom faced. Days before her passing she was asking about my kids and helping me through, in comparison, simple trials. One day I hope to have her graceful and charming spirit of endurance...yes, I need to work on it!
So now you know, nothing that I do is without my Mom. She is gone, but she is still very much a part of my life. And if I do say so myself, she taught me well...now I just need to learn it all!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Update on our life...
So I realize that I haven't finished our Disney trip report, but life is crazy and I haven't had time. Anyways, I figure I better put an update out for the few of you who actually read this ;) Here goes:
Kira just turned 4. She had a princess and prince party. They were knighted and went on a quest to slay the dragon(pinata). She had a blast! Who says that you need to spend a fortune on a party in order for kids to have fun? Plus, instead of those annoying goody bags the kids got to take home a sword...much better in my opinion!
Rora loves playing peekaboo. She has a blast every time you look at her. She just hides her head by leaning down and then shoots it up with a huge grin. So sweet. She isn't saying any words yet, but she does mimic sounds and inflections so it sounds like words :)
Kira is obsessed with horses. She enjoyed a play date hosted by Merri and she spent the entire two hours on one of her horses. She looked like such a natural. I think when she turns 6(maybe 5) we will try to get her riding lessons. It's her first time enjoying anything outdoors and I think that, although expensive, horseback riding would be a great activity!
Rora now has enough hair to put in pigtails and curl. She is looking more and more like a toddler and less like a baby. Plus she acts more mature. Yes, she loves putting things in her mouth and has a fascination with the garbage, but she also understands sign language, is really good at rolling a ball and listens more often than not when you tell her no.
Kira is learning to read. She is getting better and better at sounding out words. I really haven't been working with her, except when we are reading. If I read a story and notice a short word that I think she could read then I have her read it. She does pretty well and it doesn't feel like I'm forcing her to read.
Josh is now working the morning shift. So he goes in to work at 5:40! It is so hard on him, but is so appreciated by me! I love that he is willing to work so hard to provide for us. Especially early in the morning!
As for me, I am just enjoying the time I have with my babies. Preschool is so fun, but who knew how much work it would be to prepare a 15 minute lesson!
There you go, a quick look at our life lately...yes, it could be deemed as a boring existence, but I disagree. We may be busy doing the same thing over and over, but with kids no matter how many times you do anything its a new experience and I love it!
Kira just turned 4. She had a princess and prince party. They were knighted and went on a quest to slay the dragon(pinata). She had a blast! Who says that you need to spend a fortune on a party in order for kids to have fun? Plus, instead of those annoying goody bags the kids got to take home a sword...much better in my opinion!
Rora loves playing peekaboo. She has a blast every time you look at her. She just hides her head by leaning down and then shoots it up with a huge grin. So sweet. She isn't saying any words yet, but she does mimic sounds and inflections so it sounds like words :)
Kira is obsessed with horses. She enjoyed a play date hosted by Merri and she spent the entire two hours on one of her horses. She looked like such a natural. I think when she turns 6(maybe 5) we will try to get her riding lessons. It's her first time enjoying anything outdoors and I think that, although expensive, horseback riding would be a great activity!
Rora now has enough hair to put in pigtails and curl. She is looking more and more like a toddler and less like a baby. Plus she acts more mature. Yes, she loves putting things in her mouth and has a fascination with the garbage, but she also understands sign language, is really good at rolling a ball and listens more often than not when you tell her no.
Kira is learning to read. She is getting better and better at sounding out words. I really haven't been working with her, except when we are reading. If I read a story and notice a short word that I think she could read then I have her read it. She does pretty well and it doesn't feel like I'm forcing her to read.
Josh is now working the morning shift. So he goes in to work at 5:40! It is so hard on him, but is so appreciated by me! I love that he is willing to work so hard to provide for us. Especially early in the morning!
As for me, I am just enjoying the time I have with my babies. Preschool is so fun, but who knew how much work it would be to prepare a 15 minute lesson!
There you go, a quick look at our life lately...yes, it could be deemed as a boring existence, but I disagree. We may be busy doing the same thing over and over, but with kids no matter how many times you do anything its a new experience and I love it!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
just playing
I tried to upload this to facebook, but it wont let me so I figured i'd put it here. Please ignore my messy house...I was cleaning the kitchen before moving on to the livingroom when I had to stop and record the video...my girls are just too cute!!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Day 5 part 2 - I know its been a LOONNNGGGG time coming!
After such a great lunch, we were ready to conquer the rest of the world. As we left Coral Reef, my concern for Aurora grew. She had been sleeping most of the morning and even after a long break in the ac, she was still so hot. We decided to split up. Josh took Kira to go ride Soarin' again while I took Rora over to the first aid center to see how high her fever was. The first aid center was so nice. They got us in and out in a few minutes. Turns out Rora had a fever of 102.5! Yikes! Luckily I had my mini first aid kit with me so I didn't have to fork over Disney prices for baby tylenol. After a dose of tylenol and a trip to the babycare center to nurse, we were on our way to meet Josh and Kira and finish our tour of the world. Fist stop was Canada. 
Then the U.K. where we met Pooh Bear, Tigger, Mary Poppins and Mr. Penguin. Kira finally saw Mary Poppins. She was so in love! 
We then headed to France. Where we were able to complete another Kim Possible mission. 
We finished it up just as Marie(from Aristocats) was coming outside. Of course we had to meet her :) You couldn't even tell Rora was under the weather, she was so cute. She just loved on Marie. It was so cute! 
We took a quick trip to Morocco before heading back to France so we could meet both Belle and Beast. Side note: Did you know that Beast's real name is Prince Adam? We didn't. Thanks to google and the teenagers in line behind us, we found out :) Now you know! 
We then headed back to Morocco to meet Jasmine. Thankfully it was a short walk between France and Morocco and we had plenty of water. Unfortunately, Rora was ready to snuggle back in the wrap and I wanted her to wait...I put her in the stroller and since I was going to put her in the wrap in just one minute, I only buckled one side. Rora flipped herself out of the stroller and whacked her face on the concrete. Thankfully her guardian angel was watching her because it could have been so much worse. After that fiasco, Rora slept the rest of the way around the world. The line to see Jasmine was long so by the time we got to the front of it, Rora was out and Kira had completely forgotten what had happened. Kira had a blast with Jasmine. There is just something better about the characters in Epcot. They take more time with the kids than in the other parks. 
Japan was the next country on our stop around the world. I was a little bummed because none of the yummy Japanese candy was included as a snack in the dining plan. 
Since my snack idea fell through, we stopped and got a Kaki gori. It was yummy, but soo messy! Not the best idea for a baby... Up next we were finally back in the good old U.S.of A. 
After enjoying some shopping(we skipped the show since it wasn't playing right then and we saw it last year.) we stopped to grab a turkey leg. It was delicious, but oh so messy. 
Thankfully we were able to grab a table in Italy and watch the World Showcase Performers while we enjoyed our turkey leg. They are a hoot! Kira still spouts of, "eh, forget about it!" Italy was our last stop on our journey around the world. We headed back out. Here is a picture Josh took...yes, I was nursing Aurora and pushing Kira in the stroller while he was taking pictures...nothing like multitasking, even in Disney World...right!?! 
We were leaving Epcot to head over to the Magic Kingdom to watch the Electrical Parade. We did however, have one last stop before we left Epcot for good...(for this trip anyways ;) We needed to buy an international stamp. While we were being sent from store to store since no one knew where they could be bought(we eventually gave up and got one in Magic Kingdom) we saw a large braille map. Josh being the great friend that he is snapped a picture to show Heath. 
...now since most of you don't know Heath(and yes, I got his permission for this...) he is Josh's best friend...and he is blind. Yep, Josh took a picture to show to a blind guy. Classic. He is and will be teased mercilessly for the rest of eternity for that moment. His defense? It was hot and he realised after he took the picture that Heath couldn't see it...yeah....what more can I say? Here is one final picture of us as we were leaving Epcot. It was a great day! 
Laughing about the braille map the entire way to Magic Kingdom, we were full of energy as we entered. To top it off, there was a perfect spot for viewing the parade with our names on it(figuratively, of course.) We got seated and Kira started playing with the kids sitting next to us. They all had fun collecting the 'magic' that Fairy Godmother throws during the afternoon parade. When Kira was getting bored of that I pulled out the rings that I had saved throughout the last few months. I had collected all the cheap rings that came on the tops of cupcakes. The ones we brought were all Pooh & gang ones. Kira had so much fun handing them out to all the kids along the route that were waiting. One little boy even came over to us afterwards and asked to take his picture with Kira. It was so gratifying as a Mom to see my child not caring that she got a ring, just happy to share them with others. To top it off after the parade a CM came over and thanked me for raising such a good girl. I know, it is bragging, but seriously, when you spend months planning the perfect vacation and then you have that 'perfect' day, can you blame me for being the proud Mamma? Back to the parade. The Electrical Parade is my new favorite. I like it much better than Spectromagic. There is just a difference about it that made it magical. Hands down, it was fantastic. Since we were right at the start of the parade(watched it coming out of the gate) we were able to follow right behind the end of the parade after and get to a perfect spot for wishes. We did grab the perfect spot. The family that we cosied up next to was a homeschooling family. It was great to talk to them and I enjoyed asking the kids(ages 10,9&7) all about their favorite thing from that day and the trip in general. Plus they were so well behaved. It was so nice to see. When wishes started we had a perfect view of Tinkerbell's flight. After the fireworks, I left Josh with a (now sleeping) Akira and took Rora over to the baby care center for one last long nursing while the park cleared out. Yeah, bad idea. Why the baby care center closes before the park is cleared ill never understand...anyways, I slipped inside the first aid center planning on nursing her in the lobby since she needed air conditioning and peace and quiet. Thankfully the nurse was very sweet and let me nurse her in one of the exam rooms. Even though the bus ride back took forever(slow buses...we waited over an hour!) this was still my favorite day. We made it back to the hotel just after midnight and crashed! The perfect day of vacation!
Then the U.K. where we met Pooh Bear, Tigger, Mary Poppins and Mr. Penguin. Kira finally saw Mary Poppins. She was so in love! 
We then headed to France. Where we were able to complete another Kim Possible mission. 
We finished it up just as Marie(from Aristocats) was coming outside. Of course we had to meet her :) You couldn't even tell Rora was under the weather, she was so cute. She just loved on Marie. It was so cute! 
We took a quick trip to Morocco before heading back to France so we could meet both Belle and Beast. Side note: Did you know that Beast's real name is Prince Adam? We didn't. Thanks to google and the teenagers in line behind us, we found out :) Now you know! 
We then headed back to Morocco to meet Jasmine. Thankfully it was a short walk between France and Morocco and we had plenty of water. Unfortunately, Rora was ready to snuggle back in the wrap and I wanted her to wait...I put her in the stroller and since I was going to put her in the wrap in just one minute, I only buckled one side. Rora flipped herself out of the stroller and whacked her face on the concrete. Thankfully her guardian angel was watching her because it could have been so much worse. After that fiasco, Rora slept the rest of the way around the world. The line to see Jasmine was long so by the time we got to the front of it, Rora was out and Kira had completely forgotten what had happened. Kira had a blast with Jasmine. There is just something better about the characters in Epcot. They take more time with the kids than in the other parks. 
Japan was the next country on our stop around the world. I was a little bummed because none of the yummy Japanese candy was included as a snack in the dining plan. 
Since my snack idea fell through, we stopped and got a Kaki gori. It was yummy, but soo messy! Not the best idea for a baby... Up next we were finally back in the good old U.S.of A. 
After enjoying some shopping(we skipped the show since it wasn't playing right then and we saw it last year.) we stopped to grab a turkey leg. It was delicious, but oh so messy. 
Thankfully we were able to grab a table in Italy and watch the World Showcase Performers while we enjoyed our turkey leg. They are a hoot! Kira still spouts of, "eh, forget about it!" Italy was our last stop on our journey around the world. We headed back out. Here is a picture Josh took...yes, I was nursing Aurora and pushing Kira in the stroller while he was taking pictures...nothing like multitasking, even in Disney World...right!?! 
We were leaving Epcot to head over to the Magic Kingdom to watch the Electrical Parade. We did however, have one last stop before we left Epcot for good...(for this trip anyways ;) We needed to buy an international stamp. While we were being sent from store to store since no one knew where they could be bought(we eventually gave up and got one in Magic Kingdom) we saw a large braille map. Josh being the great friend that he is snapped a picture to show Heath. 
...now since most of you don't know Heath(and yes, I got his permission for this...) he is Josh's best friend...and he is blind. Yep, Josh took a picture to show to a blind guy. Classic. He is and will be teased mercilessly for the rest of eternity for that moment. His defense? It was hot and he realised after he took the picture that Heath couldn't see it...yeah....what more can I say? Here is one final picture of us as we were leaving Epcot. It was a great day! 
Laughing about the braille map the entire way to Magic Kingdom, we were full of energy as we entered. To top it off, there was a perfect spot for viewing the parade with our names on it(figuratively, of course.) We got seated and Kira started playing with the kids sitting next to us. They all had fun collecting the 'magic' that Fairy Godmother throws during the afternoon parade. When Kira was getting bored of that I pulled out the rings that I had saved throughout the last few months. I had collected all the cheap rings that came on the tops of cupcakes. The ones we brought were all Pooh & gang ones. Kira had so much fun handing them out to all the kids along the route that were waiting. One little boy even came over to us afterwards and asked to take his picture with Kira. It was so gratifying as a Mom to see my child not caring that she got a ring, just happy to share them with others. To top it off after the parade a CM came over and thanked me for raising such a good girl. I know, it is bragging, but seriously, when you spend months planning the perfect vacation and then you have that 'perfect' day, can you blame me for being the proud Mamma? Back to the parade. The Electrical Parade is my new favorite. I like it much better than Spectromagic. There is just a difference about it that made it magical. Hands down, it was fantastic. Since we were right at the start of the parade(watched it coming out of the gate) we were able to follow right behind the end of the parade after and get to a perfect spot for wishes. We did grab the perfect spot. The family that we cosied up next to was a homeschooling family. It was great to talk to them and I enjoyed asking the kids(ages 10,9&7) all about their favorite thing from that day and the trip in general. Plus they were so well behaved. It was so nice to see. When wishes started we had a perfect view of Tinkerbell's flight. After the fireworks, I left Josh with a (now sleeping) Akira and took Rora over to the baby care center for one last long nursing while the park cleared out. Yeah, bad idea. Why the baby care center closes before the park is cleared ill never understand...anyways, I slipped inside the first aid center planning on nursing her in the lobby since she needed air conditioning and peace and quiet. Thankfully the nurse was very sweet and let me nurse her in one of the exam rooms. Even though the bus ride back took forever(slow buses...we waited over an hour!) this was still my favorite day. We made it back to the hotel just after midnight and crashed! The perfect day of vacation!
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