Wednesday, February 6, 2008


I have been feeling frustrated with motherhood lately and my inability to do everything for my children that I feel I should do. I then read a book titled One Tough Mother by Julie Barnhill. I really enjoyed her humor and insights. She devotes one chapter to letting our children just be ordinary and not trying to make them something extrodianary.
As mothers we can "stand up...and refocus our time and energy to raising and discovering the wonderfully ordinary children living in our homes.
"I believe we will find it impossible not to see the wonder and glory wrapped up in each of our ordinary lives."
"The sacred resides in the ordinary, in...
a child's laugh,
the pull of a brush through a daughter's hair
a well-hit ball off a T-ball stand,
the aroma of a baby's freshly washed nape,
the sputtering sound of frying bacon,
a wave of the ocean determinedly followed by another and another,
a toddler's squeal of delight,
a daughter dancing on her father's shoes,
the scent of sweaty boys roughhousing in a family room,
languorous conversations with a teenage daughter after curfew has been met,
grandparents bragging on thier grandchild,
grandchildren napping beside thier Papa,
the repeated bedtime story refrain, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always...,"
blueberry buckle stains on a freshly laundered bib,
a three-year old hiding in a kitchen cabinet,
the slobbery wide-open kiss of a nine-month-old,
the pale sheen of a newborn's fingernails,
a student council campaign speech proudly composed and confidently delivered by a sixth-grade son before a student body,
bathtub rings proving a six-year-old's day spent playing outside,
damp footprints on ancient pine flooring,
hand after hand of Go Fish and Old Maid,
beater blades licked clean of batter,
a nerve-racking first piano recital conquered,
a nursing babe's arms outstretched toward his mother's smiling face,
"big boy" underware,
teenage sons renting their first tuxedos,
teenage daughters applying liquid eyeliner,
husbands making love to their wives,
and One Tough Mother delighting in her gloriously ordinary child.
Julie Barnhill
One Tough Mother
I'll add a few of my favorites to the list -
a stack of freshely laundered white towels in the bathroom,
a well made bed,
laughter around the dinner table,
a childs first prayer,
a family gathered to read from the scriptures,
a sweet bearing of testimony,
hands held tightly,
a quiet moment of peace,
a sleeping child,
a true expression of love.
I love reading the blog entries of family and friends and can see that each of our ordinary lives are not boring, but absolutely wonderful, filled with humor and love. Keep up the day to day good work!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Hair Cut



Aubrey had her beautiful, long hair cut. Now she has very sassy, cute, short hair! She is giving her hair to locks of love just like her cousin!

We all scream for Ice Cream!


We all love ice cream at our house - even on a cold winters day. I love these mini cones made by Disney. They are perfect for kids!

Snow Slide




We love the snow!! Keep it coming. We made our first attempt to build a snow slide. It was small, but it worked and the kids spent the whole afternoon playing on it.

When I was growing up we had a neighbor who would make a big snow slide in his backyard. My brothers and sisters and I loved taking off down the big slide on huge black innertubes.

Drew, Two Dogs, and a Snowman





Drew and his two dogs build a snowman at the park!

Winter Sport ll



Drew enjoys the candy counter and Rachel enjoys a nap while the girls skate!

Winter Sport





The girls really enjoy ice skating. They are taking lessons at the sports complex.

The Passing of a Prophet

We are saddened by the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley. We will miss his great humor and powerful testimony. However, we are happy as he is again with his sweet wife and great things still lie ahead of us as members of the church. It is exciting to anticipate the changes that will come and to see the work of the Lord continue to move forward.

"I hope that all of you will remember that on this Sabbath day you heard me bear my witness that this is God's holy work. The vision given to the prophet Joseph in the grove of Palmyra was not an imaginary thing. It was real. It occurred in the broad light of day. Both the Father and the Son spoke to the boy. He saw Them standing in the air above him. He heard Their voices. He gave heed to Their instruction.

"It was the resurrected Lord who was introduced by His Father, the great God of the universe. For the first time in recorded history, both the Father and the Son appeared together to part the curtains and open this the last and final dispensation, the dispensation of the fullness of times.

"The Book of Mormon is all that it purports to be - a work recorded by prophets who lived anciently and whose words have come forth to the convincing the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations' (Book of Mormon title page).

"The priesthood has been restored under the hands of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. All the keys and authority pertaining to eternal life are excercised in this Church.

"Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation. This Church, which carries the name of the Redeemer, is true.

"I leave you my testimony, my witness, and my LOVE for each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

President Gordon B. Hinckley
(June 23, 1910 - January 27, 2008)

April 1, 2006, sunday morning session of the 176th
Annual World General Conference