Spiritual Thought: Choose Change

We are in the last month before Punkito can go into nursery. I know everyone worries about germs and such in nursery, but I am ready for some relief. Three hours is a long time to roam the halls with a little and most Sundays I don't feel like I get much out of going.

This past Saturday night as I went to bed, I prayed that I might be able to get a little something extra in the spiritual nourishment department at church on Sunday. I guess I just feel like I need a boost lately. And, as usual, ask and ye shall receive.

I particularly enjoyed our Relief Society lesson. It was about recognizing our personal weaknesses and what we can do to change them. We made a list on the white board and talked about what specific things we can pray for to help us overcome those weaknesses. It was so good I snuck a quick pic:

Any guesses which was my contribution? I bet my family members can guess ;) But based on the comments of the other sisters in the room, some of them may be my soul sisters.

The really good lessons are the ones you keep thinking about long after you go home. I had a few more thoughts on this topic so I'm sharing them here:

1. Looking at that white board, I think everything that's in the right column can fall under one very broad thing: We can pray to have greater love for our fellow man. When we feel love toward someone, we are more patient. We have a DESIRE to be kind. We have greater empathy, are kinder, more willing to forgive. So many of our personal weaknesses can be overcome by stopping thinking about ourselves so much and learning to love others more.
2. We had one young sister in the room who recently graduated from Young Women's and is new to the Relief Society organization. Another sister commented to me how glad she was that this young woman was in the room for this lesson because it really painted a picture of the sisters that we don't often see. It was women acknowledging their flaws in an honest, but not self-disparaging manner. No one pretended to be perfect. It felt very real and less intimidating to hear what the other sisters struggle with and how they are dealing with it. Good for all of us, but hopefully helped her see these "adult" women in a different light. (btw... am I seriously an adult? Who let that happen? But adults are... old...)
3. The teacher talked about how some people use the excuse of "This is just how I am." And (just to let my nerd flag truly fly) I couldn't help thinking about one of my favorite Harry Potter quotes. To quote the wonderful Albus Dumbledore, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." We can choose to change who we are. We are not bound by our current weaknesses. We can choose to be more positive. More joyful. More kind. We just have to choose those things, ask for help, and try a little harder each day to improve.

So as you go about the week, heed the wise words of Hogwarts' most beloved headmaster and CHOOSE to improve yourself for the better.

Red, White and Blue weekend

Confession time: Late Thursday night Hans and I finally got around to making plans for the Fourth of July. And I got really down on myself when I realized I waited too long and was scrambling to find something to make the day special for Emma. I was frustrated because I couldn't find any good parades or carnivals to take her to and Austin wasn't offering fireworks in town this year (don't get me started about this inane business...)

The day started off rocky - we tried to go for brunch and the lines were obscene. We ended up grabbing a quick taco and then browsing the aisles of Target (which, let's be real, always cheers me up). As we were pulling all the toys off the shelves, we got a text from our friends inviting us over for a BBQ and pool swim.

Now Em is so well crib-trained that she refuses to sleep anywhere else. But in an Independence Day miracle, she slept in her pack-n-play at the Edwards' house for a full 2.5 hours! It was glorious. We ate and swam and danced and had a blast. Hans looks like a lobster now.

This photo killed me, but I figured it needed to be censored for the blog. That kid was getting the shorts tossed right off him!

Mama chilled pool-side with a delicious faux mojito 

To me, no Fourth of July would be complete without burgers and ice cream and fireworks. So we stopped for some tasty burgers and a glorious milkshake (I think she liked it!) and then headed to neighboring Kyle for their fireworks show. We really enjoyed both the show and the symphony that played before hand.

baby teenager moment

Saturday we slept in late. Our child is awesome. Pretty much no matter what time she goes to sleep, she's going to sleep 12 hours. So since we were out late for the fireworks (I think she finally got to sleep right before 11), I actually went in and woke her up at 10 on Saturday so that we didn't get *too* off her schedule. Then we met up with our favie fav Liz who helped us with our mural tour and then we gorged on Gourdough's. After naptime, we rounded out our day with more swimming.

Sunday was just a lazy day in the house, playing and napping together. It was the perfect way to round out our busy weekend.

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Fourth, too!

Mama Monday: Emma's top lit picks

Today as Hans was cleaning out one of our extra bedrooms he looks at me and asks "Why do we have so many books?"

Because books are awesome. And we are nerds to the core. And doing our very, very best to pass that on to our little one.

Thankfully, so far she LOVES to read. One of the first things she does in the morning is point to a stack on the nightstand and ask "buh?" My little ball of energy hardly ever sits still, but she will sit with me in her rocker for half an hour and read book after book. I love it. Every time we go to Barnes and Noble or Target (like, once a week) I have to resist that urge to buy every book in the place for her. It's a real struggle!

These are her favorites - we read them over and over. I think I can recite them in my sleep. What are your kids recommendations? We need some more variety and I think I see an Amazon spree in my future...

Go, Dog, Go! - Her first favorite. We like the simple story and she likes the drawings.
Are You My Mother - She loves to make the animal noises and she loves it when we make the SNORT noise.
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb - We read it with a rhythm and she nods her head or taps the book in time. 

Olivia - We like that it makes us laugh, too. For some reason she loves the painting of Jackson Pollock's. We all love the drawings.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - She loves the colors and animal noises (are we sensing a theme?)
Bears, Bears, Bears - It's a sweet story and the art is fantastic. She loves to point out all the bears.
Dear Zoo - She loves flip books! And once again, this one's great for making animal noises. 

Freebie Friday: I got this

See this girl? She is amazing. She was a Laurel when I served in Young Women and we have been friends ever since. She is pretty much the female version of my brother AJ. No joke, they became friends at BYU after I told them about each other and were amazed. So of course she feels like family and I love her to bits.

Anyway, she is leaving next week to serve a full time mission in Washington State and this past Sunday gave her farewell talk. Just like her, it was amazing. She talked about a quote that her mom loves: "Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'" (Mary Anne Radmacher) Losa said that she feels the quote needs some tweaking, because it's not about TRYING, it's about DOING.

I wrote it down right then and have been thinking about it all week. I made it into a little printable and framed it for her to take with her. And I'm offering it to you here because it's an awesome quote. So download it and stick it on your mirror and remember that Tomorrow, You Got This.

Congrats, Losa girl. We will sure miss you. Washington doesn't know how lucky it is!

Download (5x7 jpg)

Love List: Little things

1. Bubbles
Punkito has learned that you blow on bubbles. She's still trying to work out how exactly to do it, but she's definitely mimicking us. I love it.

Also, how great is that cowlick? Love that superman curl.

2. Spazzy dance
We'v always known Em likes to dance, but lately she's started doing this little spazzy dance, only with the music to this puzzle. I don't know what the heck it is, but it cracks me up!

3. The American
I had to steal a picture from their website because ours got eaten too dang fast to take a pic. It's not secret that we are Torchy's Tacos addicts. This month's special is the American. I thought it sounded a little strange, but some fellow Torchy's addicts recommended it (strongly. She said she had a nightmare that it was NOT offered this month). It didn't disappoint. It has fried chicken, coleslaw, pineapples, bacon, and creamy chipotle ranch. If you're in Austin, TRY IT! You won't regret it.







4. Project Life
Ever since a friend of mine posted about Project Life on Instagram, I've been dying to give it a try. Today while I was at Michaels I saw they had a bunch of PL on clearance. I figured I would try a little mini-project and see how that goes before I really dive in. So I got this cute little album and some travel cards and I'm going to try and put together something for our Hawaiian babymoon trip. Anyone have any Project Life tips and tricks?

5. New water shoes
I freaking love baby shoes. I may end up spending all my money on them. At least I had an excuse to get these. The ground at the Butler Park splash pads gets really hot in the burning sun. So we got these adorable little Nikes for all our summer time water fun. I die.

no shoes in these pics. just cute pics of my water baby.

Spiritual Thought: Give away all my sins

My current scripture study has me in Alma, in one of my favorites stories about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. Some of my favorite verses are Alma 22 verse 15 "...Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy" and verse 18 "...I will give away all my sins to know thee..."

In this story, the people had been a fearsome people eager for war. When they become converted, they bury their weapons deep in the ground so they no longer have the temptation to fight. Nothing is more important to them than the Gospel and keeping their covenants with the Lord.

Those few lines cause me great reflection. What are the things that I should be giving up or forsaking to reach the joy of the Lord? Am I willing to give away all my sins? Am I willing to bury them so deep they will never tempt me again?

The Anti-Nehi-Lehies made this grand gesture once and here we are talking about it centuries later. But I don't think these questions apply only to grand, historically-significant moments. I think we can ask ourselves each day what things we are holding on to that we can give up to know our Savior better. May we all be willing to give all that we possess to know Him and feel of his joy.

Daddy-Daughter Date and 16 months of Emma

This weekend was a little quieter than usual for us. I had a baby shower to go to, so Em and Daddy got to have a little date. They went to Jamba Juice for yummy smoothies and then to the Children's Museum. I'm so jealous I didn't get to go, but they look like they had fun. Emma's so lucky to have such a wonderful daddy.

Since our weekend was so uneventful, I thought I might do a little Emma update, since I haven't really done one before! She just turned 16 months. She is such a character and loves to make us laugh. Here's a little about Emma at 16 months.

Favorite Foods: She loves cheese and avocados. She eats both almost every day. Scrambled eggs are another big hit, and most days she really likes blueberries, too. She's recently started eating chicken fingers - up to this point she hasn't liked any kind of meat! And she's finally drinking milk. She used to hate it, so we're relieved that she will finally drink it.

Favorite Toys: Her favorite is still her cozy coupe, but she loves her stuffed bear that Bapa gave her. She sleeps with it every night. She's really developing her fine motor skills so she is starting to pay attention to toys she didn't use to play with - now she stacks the blocks (she can get about five before it topples), puzzles, stacking rings, and her shape sorter. Her current favorite toy is a measuring tape she keeps pulling out of my sewing things.

Favorite Books: We have a little book worm and we love it. We just read all day. Her favorites are Olivia, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, Dear Zoo, Go Dog Go, and Bears Bears Bears

New developments: In the past few weeks, Teeth #11, 12, and 13 came in. Judging by the way today is going, #14 will be here in the next day or two. I had to buy all new shoes because she jumped from a size 4 to a size 6 (almost overnight!) At her last doctor's appointment, she measured in the 99th percentile for height.

Likes: Swimming! She is so fearless and loves to be in the water. We have to go swimming a couple times a week and she just plunges in, not caring about the temperature or the fact that it's overhead. She has a blast at splash pads. She has never been interested in watching anything on TV before but just sat down and watched a movie for the first time (Tarzan). At the park, she prefers the slide to the swings.

Dislikes: Anything we spoon feed her. She hates having her hands and face wiped clean. Mommy's been shedding like crazy lately and she hates finding hairs on her, especially between her fingers or toes. She'll either use her thumb and pointer to very delicately try and remove it, or she'll just hold her hand out for you to take it off. She doesn't like a lot of "normal" kid foods - cheerios, peanut butter and jelly, and she's not a big fan of sweets. It's a rare occasion that we offer to let her try a bite of cake or a piece of cookie, but she's never taken more than one bite and just doesn't seem interested. Guys with beards. The sound of the blender/food processor.

Words/Sounds: mama, dada, bapa (grandpa), shoes, cheese, keys, hi (that's a new one and it comes and goes), duck duck, ball, ba (bear). She knows animal noises for puppy, cat, cow, pig (hilarious! sounds like she's choking), elephant, monkey, lion, and sometimes fish. And she can point out head, ear, nose, mouth, eye, tongue, belly button and toes.