Strawberry Pickin'

Yay for sweet delicious fruit...Colt was in HEAVEN!

Speaking of Colton...he LOVES food...is frequently scrounging for it.

 And speaking of Heaven...this boy is Heavenly to me!

Pet Frogs...oh yes

We found them to be the perfect day pets...as that's about how long one can keep a frog.

30...30...30

So for the past month I've been trying to think of a goal for my thirties...something meaningful, improving, healthy, challenging, gratifying...and it finally came to me last night.  My goal for my thirties is "COME WHAT MAY AND LOVE IT."

Starting with my thoughts, I want to be more positive and get rid of all the negativity/stress/worry/fear I've been battling since last May when I learned Doug would probably deploy and it's been intense the last month-too much stress and not enough faith.  It's time for a change Amber...you hear me...we are going to let go of the control, let go of the fear, let go of the constant planning, let go of the stress, let go of worrying where we will live (searching for new house to rent), when we will have baby #4, if/when Doug will deploy and for how long, if I'm really cut out as a Young Women leader, etc.  I'm done...turning it over to the Lord. 

Also, yesterday while I was driving to Young Women's night, a sassy Carrie Underwood song came on and I starting belting it in the car.  It felt great!  I want to do just that...take full advantage of the moment and SING LOUD!

Hillary Weeks has a new song coming out that I heard at T.O.F.W. called "I Danced in the Rain."  The lyrics are powerful and that's what I'm going to do.  I know it's going to rain and rain hard...possibly with  more tornados, but you know what I'm going to find my polka dot umbrella and childlike rain boots and go dance in it.

So here it is in list form, because I like lists:

1. Think positive

2. Sing loud in the shower/car/home

3. Dance...how about a dance class

4. Sit-ups and push-ups daily (unless prego)

5. Scriptures daily/Prayers morning and night (all with more meaning)

6. Share Gospel more confidently and frequently

7. Candidly Creative Photography business going

8. Record our family history through blogging/pictures and print into books

9. Read to kids everyday (scriptures and lots of good books)

10.LOVE and serve my husband better (this might mean I'll fold and put away his laundry...we'll see =)

So here's to you Elder Wirthlin, "The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life."

http://lds.org/liahona/2008/11/come-what-may-and-love-it?lang=eng&query=come+may+love+%22come+what+may+and+love+it%22

And from Hillary Weeks' blog and experiment on positive thinking:

http://hilaryweeks.com/blog/?p=392

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “How could a person possibly become what he is not thinking?  Nor is any thought, when persistently entertained, too small to have its effect.  The divinity that shapes our ends is indeed in ourselves.”

Brigham Young said, “The greatest mystery a man ever learned, is to know how to control the human mind, and bring every faculty and power of the same in subjection to Jesus Christ.  This is the greatest mystery we have to learn while in these tabernacles of clay.”

So life: Come what may and love it and watch me dance in the rain!

Some things my mom has taught me

I gave a talk in Church today about how my mom helped teach me the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  These are some of the things I remember learning from her example and during those tender one-on-one moments of teaching.

1.  Mom loves to learn and develop talents.   Her children were expected to stimulate their minds in healthy ways such as 

music- learn to play an instrument, helps organize the mind and enhance learning throughout the day

creativity- dress up, building tents, Christmas popcorn snow, musical theater, dance

school was a priority, college was celebrated

reading- library in our house, 30min reading first= 30min mom approved tv show

writing- record what you learn in conference talks

2.  Taught us characteristics that would prepare us for our futures:

Hard work= positive self-esteem- if a job was only completed 90%, we had to do it again until it was 100% completed; if we had a school project it was to be done to best of our ability and not just thrown together; she worked with us side by side

Responsibility- we were held accountable for our choices and consequences where given, *Girl’s Camp YCL story

Resist temptation- we have the power to choose right or wrong, there will always be a consequence good or bad to every choice we make, Satan is crafty and will do everything he can to bring you down

Faith- the Lord’s will, will always be what’s best for us

Happiness- There’s a positive in every situation, look for it.

Service- seek it out, rarely sits still when she comes to visit me; be anxiously engaged in a good cause

3.  Created a Home where the Spirit dwelt.

Sensitivity to the spirit- taught us from an early age to identify recognize when the Holy Ghost is present and when he’s not,  TV and Computer programs were expected uplift us and not kick out the Holy Ghost

Uplifting Music- Classical, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, EFY songs always being played in our house

Pictures of Christ, Temples, our family decorated our walls.

Family Scripture Study- early in the morning before seminary

Family Prayer- give thanks daily as a family and on your own, create a relationship with Heavenly Father

FHE- Mom made sure it was held frequently

Attends Temple frequently- currently goes every Saturday morning

4. Mom taught me to always do my best in whatever I did. Even during hard times. You don’t give up or give into temptation, you always give it your best as that’s what we will stand accountable for, “Did we do our best?  Did we give it our all?”  That doesn’t mean you’re perfect in fact at times, it means you accept that your best is not always going to measure up.  You can’t do it alone, must rely on the Lord.  With His strength and power, all things are possible.  He’ll make your weaknesses strong and He will make up for where we lack.

Just an example of this stage in my life...I know it will pass too quickly

Your toddler wakes up at 6am freezing because he wet his bed and wants to climb into yours, then begs you for breakfast while you ignore the request trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, this lasts until you leap to your feet when you hear the gallon of milk spill all over the kitchen floor, you rush in and have to decide if your going to be upset about it or not, then your kids are upset because you didn’t pour enough milk in their bowl, you suggest if they’re not content with what’s for breakfast, then they are excused to get dressed for preschool in their room, later you go into their rooms to find they’ve pulled out all their clean clothes from their drawers and have mixed them with the dirty clothes as they’ve piled up all the clothes to jump into while only wearing their underwear, you create a “clean up” game on the spot to get them to put away their clothes and do their laundry and after 45 minutes you’ve tackled 25% of the mess. 

Then you look at your watch you’ve got 15 minutes till school begins, accept you’ll be late, throw clothes at kids to put on, they don’t like what you’ve chosen so you leave the room instructing them to pick out an outfit and get in the car, go get the baby who’s blown out his jammies and needs a bath, no time, wipe him down with a wet wipe, dress the squirming little one, throw soiled clothes and bedding in wash, load everyone in the car, quickly prepare milk for baby, a semi-healthy lunch for the kids, lick the peanut butter knife as you need a little protein to keep you going, leap in the car planning the fast route to school, v.t. companion calls to remind you of appointments schedule, hugs/kisses send kids to school whom you just realized are wearing mismatched clothing, one forgot his shoes and they’re strutting bedhead, switch cd in car from kids songs to Hillary Weeks seeking some inspiration from the Spirit that you can say what the sisters need to hear, after a moment of putting life in perspective as you learn the trials of another, you put on the “I’m so thankful for my life” shirt and head off to quickly grab a few necessities from the store before picking up kids.  

Head home for what you feel is a “prized possession” of the day...naptime.  Read stories about king cobras, farm animals, and jungle sounds, pat backs, blow kisses, feel a sense of “yes, my time!”, straighten up a bit, switch out laundry, send emails out for church calling, hide in the garage while making phone calls as to carefully not wake up the kids, read an Ensign article, debate if it’s worth taking a 15 minute power nap or if you’ll be more grumpy because it wasn’t long enough, the baby wakes making the decision for you, you sneak in a little one on one playtime of peak-a-boo, the other two wake, make snack, and head outside for some bike riding and frog finding, have a quick lesson on sharing after punches were thrown, kiss a few knees, start dinner, rejoice when dad gets home as he brings so much comfort to our lives, family dinner, dishes, encourage clean up of toys, colors, the cool tent they made out of blankets with dad, forgo bathtime as one more day won’t really hurt, read scriptures with kids, prayers, snuggles, lights out.  

Dad and I look at each other decide if we want to work on a project or just go to bed.  Spend some downtime and just before we go to bed, we sneak a glimpse of the most precious sleeping kids in the world...ours.  Say our prayers and thanks the Lord for the most wonderful day together and pray for many more just like it.  

I like how Hillary Weeks put it, “Extraordinary moments happen during ordinary days.”

Yay for trip to the temple...in Utah!

I went to my cousin Katie's wedding in Utah the beginning of May and it was so wonderfully refreshing.  The day I arrived was her endowment session and it was the first time I was in the temple with every endowed member (minus one) on my family's side.  It was so neat to have my mom, Dan, Daniel, Adrienne, my Dad, Lori, Aunt Chris, Uncle Kevin, cousins- Jared, Jeannie, Jason, Tae, Aubrey (Jon had to work), and of course Katie and her fiance Devin.  It was truly a heavenly moment and as my aunt pointed out, we were all there because of my mom...pretty neat I think.

though I wan't their photographer, I did take this shot of the them

Also, while I was there, Hunter (16yr) had his Eagle Ceremony.  What a talented young man he is!  And his desire to do his best school, scouting, and what the Lord wants of him is such a great example for me.  I just love him and am so proud of him!

 His ultimate frisbee team took state champs this year! (Mom says it was because they had Hunter on their team =).

Her wedding was really wonderful.  I even got to get to know her wedding photographer a bit as she gave me a ride home from the reception which was 3 hours away.  Aria is her name from ariaphotography.com and she was super encouraging and offered some great advice to me.  My aunt asked me to video tape the event and I found it fun that she and I both where dressed in green outfits.