Monday, July 30, 2012
I Am a Child of God (Bridger's Rendition)
Friday, July 27, 2012
Myra is eating solids!
I have started feeding Myra pureed foods. She seems to be getting extra hungry so I decided it was time to introduce other foods. I started by giving her oatmeal, but she didn't love it. I have also tried sweet potatoes, peas, and squash. I think the sweet potatoes have been her favorite. She still slurps it off the spoon like she would suck on a bottle, but she is getting better!
(These videos might only be interesting to our grandma's. . .)
Just too cute!!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Making Pancakes
Bridger loves pancakes! He also loves to say "I want to do it!" So he has been making his own pancakes. He actually does a really good job! Not perfect, but he pours them, flips them and takes them off, mostly on his own. What a big boy!
Humidity
With two kids I don't have much extra time. . . and with the Virginia humidity, it is hardly worth doing my hair. So this summer I've been doing this quick do. . .
Gotta love the headbands!
More fun!
More fun this month!...
We've also been super lucky to have Katelyn spend a week and a half with us! We are so lucky!
Myra enjoyed a pedicure from her aunts, Katey and Court!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
He Did It!
We haven't tried to potty train Bridger at all, but he thinks it is cool to make bubbles in the potty so sometimes he'll sit on the toilet and "make bubbles" just before he takes his bath. I want him to think that it is fun and not force him yet, because I haven't thought he is ready.
Today he was getting stinky and let us know he had to poo. . . So we set him on the potty and he did it! Hooray! His first success! I still am going to wait to potty train him, but I'm encouraged that he will be able to do it when I am ready!
Today he was getting stinky and let us know he had to poo. . . So we set him on the potty and he did it! Hooray! His first success! I still am going to wait to potty train him, but I'm encouraged that he will be able to do it when I am ready!
Books I Love
I am fighting the all too easy tendency to let my brain turn mushy as I chase kids and change diapers throughout my day. And so I read! I have developed an obsession as of late, with reading and learning. So many people share their expert knowledge in books. I just want to absorb in everyone's experiences, thoughts, and expert advice.
"I love books. There is something wonderful about a book. We can pick it up. We can heft it. We can read it. We can set it down. We can think of what we have read. It does something for us. We can share great minds, great actions, and great undertakings in the pages of a book," Gordon B. Hinckley.
These are some books I have read in the last two or three months. . .
7 Miracles That Saved America Love! It is truly a miracle that our nation overcame all the obstacles before it. From its discovery to creation of the government and constitution to now. . . God has had his hand in it. He has inspired leaders at critical times and prepared them specifically for what they would encounter. This is an incredible nation with an amazing history!
This book talks about seven miracles, when America could have failed, a miracle pulled us through.
Ultra Marathon Man Though I never aspire to run anything past a marathon, it is incredible to see the ability of the human body to perform in extreme conditions and distances. Dean Karnanzes is an "adrenaline junkie". In one summer he ran six ultra marathons totaling 788 miles. He ran an Ultra in Death Valley in 120 degrees F and at the South Pole at -40 degrees. I don't believe the human body is really made to do that, but his body seems to have adapted to the extreme. He may be completely insane.
Some of his best lines: "Pain is weakness leaving the body"; "If it doesn't hurt like [crazy] you're not running hard enough"; "There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner"; "To call running 'fun' would be a misuse of the word. Running can be 'enjoyable.' Running can be 'rejuvenating.' But in a pure sense of the word, running is not fun."
Shift This was our book club book. It's about two guys who bike across the country after graduating High School. It was a fast read and kept me interested throughout. It won't go on my favorite list but it was a fun one.
Crucial Conversations Love! This book is so good for me and I think I ought to memorize it! As I read I realized so many ways I could improve my communication skills. It teaches how to address hot topics without anyone getting upset, and still saying everything that needs to be said. I love where it talks about our stories we create. We see the facts and then draw a story up to meet the facts (which may or may not be true), then we confuse our story with fact and often draw conclusions about the persons character based on the story we told our self. I know I have to be careful with this one. Give others the benefit of the doubt! They suggest asking yourself "Why would a reasonable, rational, and decent person do what this person is doing?" This ought to be required reading for everyone!
Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood This is another book that I love and want to memorize. I keep it in my bag so any time I am stuck in a waiting room, or somewhere similar I can pull it out and have renewed desire and skill set to be a better mom. I've read it all the way through, and I just keep reading it. I believe in this book! It is all about parenting without breaking a sweat and making it fun! It outlines the techniques and skills. . . A lot about natural consequences and empowering your children by giving them many choices. Four main points: 1- Build the self-concept, 2- Share the control, 3- Provide a strong dose of empathy before delivering consequences, 4- Share the thinking. I highly, highly recommend it for anyone with young kids! (They have other versions of this book for older children as well).
Church related:
Mary, Martha, and Me Halfway through reading this book, I started putting a sticky not next to every good quote, and now my book has eight colorful tabs. The focus of the book is on the scripture in Luke 10:
39 And [Martha] had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
. . .It pointed out in the book that "Mary hath chosen that good part", it didn't say the "better" part. Christ wasn't saying that what Martha was doing was bad and what Mary was doing was best. . .
I love this thought, because it applies to me, "Those of us with more of Martha than of Mary in us have long felt that this rebuke is unjust. While we do not doubt the overriding importance of listening to the Lord, does the listening have to be done during dinner preparations? Would it have hurt Mary to have joined us in serving, then we all could have sat down to hear the Lord together? . . ."
The book pointed out that Martha was "cumbered about much serving". It is possible that Martha was serving begrudgingly, more intently wishing Mary were in helping her than on serving with love and gratitude for the Lord.
The "one needful thing" then, as I understood it, is accepting Christ's enabling power in our lives.
Standing for Something, Pres. Hinckley Love! I am so impressed with how well versed our prophets are. President Monson always seems to be quoting his favorite book, play or poem. In President Hinckley's book, he also speaks of influential men from all of history and draws beautiful quotes from classics and important figures. He speaks of "The Ten Virtues" which are Love, Honesty, Morality, Civility, Learning, Forgiveness and Mercy, Thrift and Industry, Gratitude, Optimism, and Faith. He has so many beautiful quotes, here is only one of my favorites, "No matter how old we become, we can acquire knowledge and use it. We can gather wisdom and profit from it. We can grow and progress and improve--and, in the process, strengthen the lives of those within our circle of influence. We can enrich our lives dramatically through the miracle of reading and exposure to the arts. . ."
I love the idea he supports. . . Our goal should be to reach for EXCELLENCE!
Behind Every Good Man This was a great read! I like everything John Bytheway writes. It is a small book, so it only took me three days to read. It could also be titled "How To Become a Good Wife" or "How To Strengthen Your Marriage". He says to: eliminate criticism, invite the Spirit of God and the Love of God into our marriage, and accentuate the positive. Great advice!
What are your favorite books? I'd love to add them to my list!
"I love books. There is something wonderful about a book. We can pick it up. We can heft it. We can read it. We can set it down. We can think of what we have read. It does something for us. We can share great minds, great actions, and great undertakings in the pages of a book," Gordon B. Hinckley.
These are some books I have read in the last two or three months. . .
7 Miracles That Saved America Love! It is truly a miracle that our nation overcame all the obstacles before it. From its discovery to creation of the government and constitution to now. . . God has had his hand in it. He has inspired leaders at critical times and prepared them specifically for what they would encounter. This is an incredible nation with an amazing history!
This book talks about seven miracles, when America could have failed, a miracle pulled us through.
Ultra Marathon Man Though I never aspire to run anything past a marathon, it is incredible to see the ability of the human body to perform in extreme conditions and distances. Dean Karnanzes is an "adrenaline junkie". In one summer he ran six ultra marathons totaling 788 miles. He ran an Ultra in Death Valley in 120 degrees F and at the South Pole at -40 degrees. I don't believe the human body is really made to do that, but his body seems to have adapted to the extreme. He may be completely insane.
Some of his best lines: "Pain is weakness leaving the body"; "If it doesn't hurt like [crazy] you're not running hard enough"; "There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner"; "To call running 'fun' would be a misuse of the word. Running can be 'enjoyable.' Running can be 'rejuvenating.' But in a pure sense of the word, running is not fun."
Shift This was our book club book. It's about two guys who bike across the country after graduating High School. It was a fast read and kept me interested throughout. It won't go on my favorite list but it was a fun one.
Crucial Conversations Love! This book is so good for me and I think I ought to memorize it! As I read I realized so many ways I could improve my communication skills. It teaches how to address hot topics without anyone getting upset, and still saying everything that needs to be said. I love where it talks about our stories we create. We see the facts and then draw a story up to meet the facts (which may or may not be true), then we confuse our story with fact and often draw conclusions about the persons character based on the story we told our self. I know I have to be careful with this one. Give others the benefit of the doubt! They suggest asking yourself "Why would a reasonable, rational, and decent person do what this person is doing?" This ought to be required reading for everyone!
Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood This is another book that I love and want to memorize. I keep it in my bag so any time I am stuck in a waiting room, or somewhere similar I can pull it out and have renewed desire and skill set to be a better mom. I've read it all the way through, and I just keep reading it. I believe in this book! It is all about parenting without breaking a sweat and making it fun! It outlines the techniques and skills. . . A lot about natural consequences and empowering your children by giving them many choices. Four main points: 1- Build the self-concept, 2- Share the control, 3- Provide a strong dose of empathy before delivering consequences, 4- Share the thinking. I highly, highly recommend it for anyone with young kids! (They have other versions of this book for older children as well).
Church related:
Mary, Martha, and Me Halfway through reading this book, I started putting a sticky not next to every good quote, and now my book has eight colorful tabs. The focus of the book is on the scripture in Luke 10:
39 And [Martha] had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
. . .It pointed out in the book that "Mary hath chosen that good part", it didn't say the "better" part. Christ wasn't saying that what Martha was doing was bad and what Mary was doing was best. . .
I love this thought, because it applies to me, "Those of us with more of Martha than of Mary in us have long felt that this rebuke is unjust. While we do not doubt the overriding importance of listening to the Lord, does the listening have to be done during dinner preparations? Would it have hurt Mary to have joined us in serving, then we all could have sat down to hear the Lord together? . . ."
The book pointed out that Martha was "cumbered about much serving". It is possible that Martha was serving begrudgingly, more intently wishing Mary were in helping her than on serving with love and gratitude for the Lord.
The "one needful thing" then, as I understood it, is accepting Christ's enabling power in our lives.
Standing for Something, Pres. Hinckley Love! I am so impressed with how well versed our prophets are. President Monson always seems to be quoting his favorite book, play or poem. In President Hinckley's book, he also speaks of influential men from all of history and draws beautiful quotes from classics and important figures. He speaks of "The Ten Virtues" which are Love, Honesty, Morality, Civility, Learning, Forgiveness and Mercy, Thrift and Industry, Gratitude, Optimism, and Faith. He has so many beautiful quotes, here is only one of my favorites, "No matter how old we become, we can acquire knowledge and use it. We can gather wisdom and profit from it. We can grow and progress and improve--and, in the process, strengthen the lives of those within our circle of influence. We can enrich our lives dramatically through the miracle of reading and exposure to the arts. . ."
I love the idea he supports. . . Our goal should be to reach for EXCELLENCE!
Behind Every Good Man This was a great read! I like everything John Bytheway writes. It is a small book, so it only took me three days to read. It could also be titled "How To Become a Good Wife" or "How To Strengthen Your Marriage". He says to: eliminate criticism, invite the Spirit of God and the Love of God into our marriage, and accentuate the positive. Great advice!
What are your favorite books? I'd love to add them to my list!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Garden Veggies
I love having a garden. . . especially when it starts producing and everything looks this good!
I really have no knowledge to back up my gardening so I get so excited when it produces anyway. I do a lot of trial and error, so I'm glad it is doing well! My favorite thing in the summer are BLTs and I am so proud of my big tomatoes!! Yum!
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| My pickings from this week. . . minus what we already ate or gave away. |
Saturday, July 14, 2012
I Am a Child of God
This is Bridger's new favorite movie. I might be regretting that I showed it to him earlier this week. Since then he wants to watch it over and over... probably 20 times a day. How can I say no to "I Am a Child of God" though?
If anyone else has little kiddos, try this. It can keep at least mine happy for many minutes. :-)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Happy 4th!
I've been learning more about the founding of our nation and I just know that God prepared and inspired so many great people (Washington, Jefferson, Madison... Lincoln...) to build our nation and establish our government. These were truly great men! I think our nation has always been The Promised Land. It is a special land and we have an amazing heritage. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence are unique and so incredibly important to our nation! I feel so blessed to live in a free nation!
God Bless America!
God Bless America!
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| Happy Fourth of July! |
Our celebrations started in the morning with our ward's annual 4th of July breakfast! It is always so yummy and fun. We love hanging out with our ward, everyone is so great!
Then we had a Recon barbecue at the office. Devin said I am in big trouble because I didn't get any pictures of the steaks which were his very favorite part. . . They were good! We had lots and lots of yummy food, rode the scooter, played basketball, and had ping pong tournaments.
We took a short break out of our partying for naps and then resumed at Bready Park (which is located so conveniently right next to our house) for park fun where we met up with some friends and watched fireworks.
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| Bridger, Mary and Cora |
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| Sweating at the park... it has been SO HUMID and HOT! |
Herndon had really awesome fireworks for a little town. We haven't watched fireworks on the fourth since before I had Bridger because it always seemed like it would be too much work finding parking and fighting traffic for him to only be scared of them anyway. I was so glad we went this year! I love watching the fireworks to music. It feels so patriotic. Bridger loved them and Myra even seemed pretty interested in them. And it took us less than five minutes to walk home afterward. . . Perfect!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Virginia Storms
"Northern Virginia woke up to power outages and scattered tree limbs and debris in roads after a powerful storm hit the area Friday night, [the areas hardest hit by the storm packed 80-mph winds], killing two people in its wake after a day of record heat. . . As of 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, the number out of power in the Northern Virginia area was about 450,000."
We were some of the lucky ones. We didn't lose power and didn't have any damage done. Other's around us weren't so lucky. Driving around I could see all the destruction... lots of spaghettied trees, trees that had smashed out car windows, fallen trees on houses and fences. . . This is a tree Devin and Scott were working to clear. Branches came down right through the roof!
We were some of the lucky ones. We didn't lose power and didn't have any damage done. Other's around us weren't so lucky. Driving around I could see all the destruction... lots of spaghettied trees, trees that had smashed out car windows, fallen trees on houses and fences. . . This is a tree Devin and Scott were working to clear. Branches came down right through the roof!
Saturday morning I went to the grocery store and there were many people there filling their carts full with ice to keep freezer items from spoiling. My checker told me there were many people at the there to eat breakfast and some just to hang out where there was air conditioning. When we arrived at church on Sunday about half of the members, it seemed, were still out of power! Most of our friends power came on by Monday night, but there are still some people without. Crazy!
We are so lucky and so blessed!
What a fun month!
June has been fun filled for us! We went to the beach, Amy came to visit, then Landon and Katey came to visit, my dad came out for Father's day, then Bridger and I went to Utah! Wowzers! FUN!
Here are some pictures from Father's Day weekend:
Ping Pong Tournament:
Utah
Here are some pictures from Father's Day weekend:
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| My dad dubbed himself winner:) |
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| He has great style! |
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| Bridger LOVED riding with Landon on his motorcycle! |
It is refreshing to go home and remember who I am and where I come from. I love Virginia and the people here and I have learned and grown so much since moving here, but I don't want to forget the best of my upbringings and who I am. I talked with Leanna about how nice it is to be with people who I am like, who come from the same roots and just understand me and people who I want to be like. I love my family! I loved hanging out with my siblings, my parents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents! These are some of the most amazing people with the most influence in my life! I love them and love being around them!
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