I am so grateful for the new Mormon Messages videos that the church has been putting out. Each one of them is so uplifting!! Any time I feel the need for a "pick me up" or a reminder of who I am, where I'm going, the blessings I have, the ability to overcome trials, etc. I can find the perfect message. They now have some that are geared to the youth, too, that are inspiring examples of the good that exists in the "rising generation."
You can subscribe to the YouTube Channel so you are alerted whenever a new video is released so you never miss one! They are easy to share on blogs and Facebook, too. I posted one on Motherhood back in September ... still love that one. I can't pick a favorite because they each touch me in a different way depending on what I "need" to hear when I take the time to watch them.
These are just a few that I love and go back to again and again - ENJOY!!
We knew that having a boy after 3 girls would be a whole new experience, but I don't know that you can ever be fully prepared for just what those differences may be. Cougar keeps us on our toes and I can't begin to relate even PART of the funny/tragic things that he has done over the course of his brief 3 1/2 years with us!!! I wish I had been better about writing them down but that's a story for another day ...
Anyhow - after weeks of changing his mind about what he wanted to be for Halloween he finally settled on being a pirate. We knew it was ok to think about buying an actual costume when he declared the same choice 3 days in a row. Nevermind it was the Monday before Halloween. I scored the last pirate costume in his size on the cheap *YAY* and topped it off with a sword and eyepatch. I'm pretty sure the sword was all it would have taken to make the boy happy.
You've never seen a more enthusiastic pirate than ours. He and that sword have been inseparable for days now. He actually broke it as he got in the car on the way to his preschool Halloween party and was heartbroken when I told him he would have to leave it at home so we could fix it. "But pirates have swords," he said with the poutiest lip ... ripped my heart right out. I headed straight to Target for super glue and a new sword. All was well with the world after his party when he realized he might actually have TWO swords to play with {and the new sword also came with a hook for his other hand ... be still his heart!!}!
Here are just a few pics that I snapped before his party - they kill me. His personality really shines in them. My fave is the one with his tongue up his nose ... he does that constantly. Gross.
Lastly, a video of him singing a song he learned in preschool. He got most of the words right and then did a little ad lib to finish things out.
** In case you can't quite understand it's supposed to say: I'm a mean old witch with a hat, and I ride on my broom with my cat. My chin is pointed and my shoes are, too, and you better watch out 'cuz I might scare you. I'm a mean old witch with a hat ... BOO!!
Happy Halloween Weekend ... we've got our ward Trunk or Treat tomorrow so I'm sure there will be more pics to come!
I had the opportunity to teach in Relief Society today {for those who are not members of the LDS church that is our Women's Organization} and it was truly humbling. I was given a talk entitled "That Our Children May See the Face of the Savior" from our last General Conference to base my lesson on. I spent a lot of time reading different messages that have been shared about our own relationships with the Savior, how we can teach our children about him, and how important it is for us as parents to use everyday teaching moments to teach about Christ and live our lives as an example of Him. I often find that I am the one who needs the lessons the most when I am asked to speak. There was so much that I wanted to share with the sisters about the importance of our jobs as mothers. I had WAY too much content for the amount of time I had {I ended up having to skip over at least 3 pages of notes}. I cried WAY too often and felt like a babbling idiot more than once (which is BIG for me because I am typically a very unemotional person who only cries about 3 times a year ... really). In the end I can only hope that the ladies there walked away with a small portion of what I did.
I ended my lesson with this quote that came from a talk that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland shared in a talk over 10 years ago {you can read his entire talk HERE} - it is an excerpt from a letter that was sent to him from a young mother who struggled at times with feelings that she couldn't measure up to the tasks expected of her (boy, can I relate). To quote from his talk:
But one thing, she said, keeps her going: “Through the thick and the thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God’s work. I know that in my motherhood I am in an eternal partnership with Him. I am deeply moved that God finds His ultimate purpose and meaning in being a parent, even if some of His children make Him weep. “It is this realization,” she says, “that I try to recall on those inevitably difficult days when all of this can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe it is precisely our inability and anxiousness that urge us to reach out to Him and enhance His ability to reach back to us. Maybe He secretly hopes we will be anxious,” she said, “and will plead for His help. Then, I believe, He can teach these children directly, through us, but with no resistance offered. I like that idea,” she concludes. “It gives me hope. If I can be right before my Father in Heaven, perhaps His guidance to our children can be unimpeded. Maybe then it can be His work and His glory in a very literal sense.”
WOW. I closed with this video that was created with pieces of this same talk. Go grab a tissue and make sure you watch it. Every time I watched it as I prepared for my lesson (and learned to download YouTube videos and burn them to DVD ... YES!) I was overwhelmed by the sense that I am doing better than I think I am. The Lord is there to carry us through the challenges as long as we will rely on him. Elder Holland also said, "if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do." Thank goodness.
My dear friend Shell sent me this video today and I could not believe it ... I never even knew I was nominated!!! While I'm fairly certain that my husband and children had NO SAY in whether or not this honor should be given to me I thoroughly enjoyed the comments from complete strangers as to my overwhelming capabilities as a mother - now if they could only convince my family that I could be the least bit worthy .... Totally hilarious!! CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO (I can't find a way to embed it here)
Our family set a goal in January to memorize all of the Articles of Faith this year. I was inspired by my friend Emily whose parents have an incentive program for their grandkids to memorize them. Armed with that we set a plan in motion - we introduce a new Article of Faith on the first Monday of each month at Family Home Evening. We work all month learning the songs, practicing with flash cards, and simply reciting them together. On the last Monday of the month each of the girls has the opportunity to "pass off" the Article of Faith for the month. If they have it memorized they are rewarded with $1.11 - seems like a silly amount but then they get to keep $1 and pay $.11 for tithing (Steve said "Why not just give them $1.10?" I said "Because tithing on $1.10 is $.11 *LOL*). We then get the opportunity to teach the important lesson of tithing, fill out tithing slips, and have them excited when they hand over their donation envelopes to the bishop! This has been such a great thing for our family and I am so proud of the girls ... they are all 3 for 3 so far! I'm excited for next Monday when we start working on the 4th Ariticle of Faith - especially because it focuses on the importance of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Perfect timing with Ashton's baptism just around the corner in June :) Here is an extremely poor quality video clip of Kendyl reciting the 3rd Ariticle of Faith for you (please note the emphasis on the word LAWS ... it took a lot of training to get that S on the end):
It feels so strange to be blogging during daylight hours, by the way!!
I figured it was time to come up for air and let you know I am, indeed, alive and quite well ... except for the fact that our summer vacation officially began at 10:50 this morning when the girls got out of school. Thank heaven I have Hawaii to look forward to in a few weeks - should keep me going (if swim team every day doesn't)!!
I have so much to post it's overwhelming so I'm going to take it one bite at a time rather than making you sit through a post that could rival a good novel ;) There has been a kid-free, husband free, completely perfect vacation, Ashton's birthday & party, stampers group projects, Mother's Day, swim team practice, a fun mini-album project for a surprise baby shower, our first 100 AND 110 degree days, and a sweet family move into our backyard!! Throw in some church related activities and a few other things at the school, my parents visiting, and trying to actually spend a few minutes with my husband and we've had a busy month! There will be details ... and pictures ... coming soon now that I have "entertainment" for Cougar during daylight hours - otherwise he sits and pinches my arms when I'm on the computer :)
I'll start with posting our most recent family delight ... we have a family of quail living in our backyard!! No idea how they got there (although we're assuming the eggs were laid in our yard and now that they've hatched they're sticking around until they can fly) but we are getting such a kick out of watching them!! Steve first noticed them a few days ago. They hide in the lantana bushes and then wander out onto the pool deck or the grass. We've been able to get a few good pictures of them and even a video clip with Ashton's new camera (will be covered when the birthday is discussed). The girls are so concerned about them. We've had rain the past few days and they have been praying for Heavenly Father to protect them and keep them safe. We got a really good downpour this afternoon which prompted another fervent prayer on their behalf. Within minutes the rain stopped, the sun came out, and all 12 babies, mom, and dad were out playing on the deck!! The girls were thrilled to know that their prayer had been answered and that the family was safe. Brinley said "It's amazing that one little prayer for one simple thing can make such a difference!" How true. Here is our little family playing after the rain storm:
And a few pictures for good measure (and journaling purposes) ... aren't they adorable?! Thanks for putting up with my absence ... I know how disappointing it can be to see the same post title every day when you are checking ;) I've still got lots to say so come back soon! I'm nearing 100 posts and there will be fanfare! I should hopefully be making the blogging rounds again soon so I can see what all of you have been doing in my time away!
After seeing their cousin Kalli announce the winner of Anna Marie's giveaway my girls simply could not be left out of the process :) Here are their big announcements!!
Congratulations to you both!! E-mail me at karistamps at msn dot com with your mailing info and I'll get your gift cards right out to you! Thanks for all of your fun comments - I *love* that you leave me some love on my blog! If you didn't win this time don't worry ... I promise to have many more giveaways in the future - I just LOVE them!!!
Just had to post a little Cougar footage ... don't know that I really classify these as "first steps" because the boy is actually really lazy with the whole standing/walking thing (my girls all walked around 10 months) but I love to see him glide between pieces of furniture without skipping a beat! He loves to walk and push his Tonka truck and anything else with wheels. He is just too cute for words and I am having a hard time believing that in less than 4 weeks he will be turning one. A crime, really, in my eyes ... I never said he could grow up! Only up side is he gets more fun by the day :)
My friend Angela posted this YouTube video on her blog last week and I just had to copy!! This is one of the most fascinating and funny things I've watched in a while. Well worth the 2 minutes. Then again, all I've watched in the past little while is the thermometer go up and down with the dosing of Motrin and Tylenol. Things are looking up here and I think we may just have this fever/flu thing beat ... almost. Cougar has been the worst off lately and was up to 104 and 105 degrees a few days ago. Worst part, of course, was him not wanting to eat or sleep well. I am happy to report his temp is staying below 101 now and he actually slept until almost 7:30 this morning! I actually got to sleep in my bed all night rather than in the recliner with a fevered and restless baby (which equates to NOT sleeping). Steve saw the doctor yesterday and is getting a referral to see an ENT about having his tonsils removed - yes, something that should have been done well before the age of 35. His primary care doc recommended it so we'll wait to see what the ENT says. We know the recovery time will be miserable but I imagine it can be no worse that what he goes through several times a year with his tonsils now. Thanks for all of the prayers and well wishes on our family's behalf. And thanks so much for your comments ... every time I get an e-mail with your comments it brings a smile to my face ... and often a giggle,too!
It's official ... my baby boy is on the move! After sneaking in a few roll overs when no one was looking (I missed at least 2 more before I caught my first one) he decided to impress us all by showing us his new "skills" yesterday. Now he won't stay on his back!! Amazing to me how once they learn something new they don't want to stop :) He still hasn't learned to be an "ambiroller" (had to have seen Zoolander to get that ... ambiturner ... the thought just cracks me up!!) so he sticks to rolling over his right arm, but he'll get it with time - maybe by tomorrow at this rate!
My girlfriend sent me this YouTube link the other day and I thought it was hilarious!! Now if I could just learn all of the words and sing it to my kiddos ....
Brinley and Ashton have both been taking piano lessons for a year now. Their latest "piece of work" is a duet called Swing Me Lightly. After practicing hard on their individual parts they were finally able to put it together. They played it for their piano teacher today for the first time together (rather than having her play the other part). She told me it almost made her cry! I'm so proud of them for the hard work they put in to learn the piano!!
I don't know about the rest of you but our girls are hopelessly in love with Hannah Montana right now! We have downloaded both soundtracks and they all love to dance around the kitchen and sing. Kendyl loves to do her own rendition of "If We Were a Movie." To hear what it actually sounds like you can listen here:
It seems like forever now since I took this video. This was back when Cougar was just starting to "really" smile for us and I would just sit and talk to him and gush every time he would share one of his grins. I, of course, sound like a fool in the video, but those few precious first smiles captured were worth it!
