Relief Society General Broadcast

I realize I've already posted about 100 new posts today...but you get one more anyway. :)

Tonight, I was able to go with a group of girls from my ward to SLC for the RS General broadcast. I have to say, I was not in the best mood when the meeting started. I was tired of women who thought that getting a good seat was important enough to forget kindness. It seemed like there were so many ladies who decided that waiting in line was not for them, or that waiting for the ushers to guide them to a seat, (which we had been asked to do), was not what they were supposed to do. I mentioned my frustration to a friend and she commented that a lot of LDS women are the take-charge-get-it-done kind of people. What a positive thing! It really helped change my perspective when I thought about what great leaders LDS women are...it took a little longer to get over it, though. :)

The meeting was great. I appreciated the comments about offering relief and look forward to exploring more what that means in my own life. I also really enjoyed President Monson's story about the man who walked into a bookstore looking for a book called, "Man: The Ruler of Women," and was directed to the Fiction section. I really appreciate when the leaders of my faith are candid and let their personalities show through. The choir consisted of women from the South Jordan, UT area. Knowing that my aunt lives there, (and that she's a singer), I scanned the choir. I was surprised to find she was one of the first people I saw! I didn't know she was going to be there--but what a fun thing to see her singing in the choir.

After the meeting, all 12 of us went to Denny's in SLC. And, just as with all other Denny's across America, our food was super slow. But, we had a great time chatting with each other there, as well as in the car on the way there and home. I'm now convinced that we need a girls' night at least once a month!

As a result...

One of the benefits of feeling better is that I've had the desire to read again. So, when I took the girls to the library on Thursday, I decided to get a couple of books for myself. I had NO idea what I wanted to read and wandered up and down the aisles for a while (with two whining kids in the stroller) trying to see if anything caught my eye. Nothing.

So, I finally decided to look at the library computer and found lists developed by the librarians. I found a book called "The Friendly Persuasion" and then I remembered that my mom had recommended "The Secret Life of Bees." So, I picked that one up as well.

I just finished reading "The Secret Life of Bees" and absolutely loved it! Since it's on the New York Times best seller list, I'm sure I'm about the last person in America to figure out it's such a great book. It really enjoyed the style of writing and I'm thinking about getting "The Mermaid Chair" next time I go to the library. Has anyone read it? I'm loving this rediscovered love of reading...and did I say I LOVE feeling better? :)

What a feeling!

Some of you know that I've been going through kind of a hard time these past few months. I think it actually started before I weaned Whitney, but that event really set things in motion. I have not been myself at all. I had terrible mood swings at any moment and the tiniest things would set me off. I had no motivation to do anything and getting out of the house seemed like a big ordeal I couldn't accomplish on my own. I had no idea what was going on and felt like the darkness would last forever.

About a month after this started, I went to a naturopath doctor in Provo. He prescribed sleep and supplements to help me start feeling better. And, it worked most of the time. I still had some mood swings and my motivation was still lacking. Then, almost 2 weeks ago, I went back for some further testing. They adjusted the dosing of supplements I was already taking and added a few more to the mix. The first week was still a little rough--but this past week has been AMAZING!

I seriously marvel every single day at how well I suddenly feel. I cleaned the house, ran errands like crazy, took the girls to the library, and am once again finding joy in the little things of motherhood. Every night I pray that this feeling will not go away because it feels so good to be back in this place! I finally feel like myself again--like I can take on the world--and like I have something of myself to offer once more. I cannot believe the night and day difference in me from even a month ago. I am so grateful for this amazing change. I live every day just incredibly thankful for the light again.

Good morning, birdies!

This morning, I was laying in bed...well, actually, I think I was sleeping...but then I heard a tiny little voice in the other room that woke me up. It is extremely unusual for Kallie to wake up and not come into our room to get us. But, maybe telling her that she can get up when the sun does is starting to work! Anyway--I wasn't really ready to get up, so I just sat and listened to what was happening.

Kallie was talking to birdie. She said, "Yellow birdie, come here! Oh no, little birdie, come back. Come back, yellow birdie!" Then she sounded sad...and quickly got happy again and said, "You heard me!" At that point, Ryan came home and Kallie got out of bed when she heard him. When Kallie came in to our room, she held out her hands and said, "Look Mommy!" I squinted very closely at her little outstretched hands, (I wasn't wearing my glasses), and saw that there was nothing there. So, I asked her what was in her hands. She proceeded to tell me that she had birdies in her hands...one red one and one yellow one. I thought it was so cute that she was pretending so early in the morning to keep herself company until the sun woke up, too.

He's Still Got It!

This afternoon, on his way home from school, Ryan was walking through the Heritage Halls area of campus. (For those of you who don't know, Heritage Halls are dorms where mostly freshmen live.) There was a girl walking a little bit in front of him...and all of a sudden, she turned around and said, "Hi! My name is Brittany, what's your name?" Ryan told her and then she said, "Do you live in the dorms?" He replied, "No...I live in married student housing." Amazingly enough, the conversation quickly ended and they parted ways. I guess that's one more freshman who has learned to look for a ring before she gets too far into the converstation. And, what can I say, my handsome hubby has still got it!

The information age

I'm sure that we've all heard the same old, same old reports on this amazing age of technology. We have been told we have so much information available to us now, we can quite easily develop information overload at any moment.

The problem is that we bring it all on ourselves! We are the ones who click the link...we are the ones who turn on the TV, the radio, etc. We are seeking information that will somehow make us feel better, worse, happier, depressed, or any sort of feeling we seek at any time. While I feel that all of this information at our fingertips is quite a blessing, (like searching for conference talks from who knows how long ago), I also think we can become too wrapped up in the craziness of it all. I mean, really, how many articles on motherhood or marriage or housecleaning or exercising or health or...(I could list a million things)...do I really need to read? After about 3, I have read that I'm doing everything right--or wrong--and that either way, I don't need to worry about it. What a simpler time when you didn't know what every single authority on any subject said simply because you didn't have access to more than the local library.

I'll admit, like I said earlier, I know that by seeking out more information than I could possibly need, I am bringing any feelings of triumph or guilt on myself. It's about this time that I wonder if such a realization is normal. Hmm...maybe there's an article about it on-line...

How great shall be your joy

Today, I had the incredible privilege of going to the temple with a girl I baptized on my mission five years ago. Edita is getting married next week to a great guy who lives in SLC, so she received her endowment in the Bountiful Temple today and then was sealed to her parents, (who were baptized I think about a year and a half before she was). What an amazing experience to know that this incredible girl is still living the gospel and worthy to attend the temple. I was almost bursting with the joy I felt all day today. To know that she is an eternal family with her parents and she will begin her own eternal family next week is such a sweet, sweet feeling. I'm just incredibly grateful that I was able to be a part of it all.

Kallie's Prayer

Tonight, Kallie was rather grumpy and seriously ready for bed. I can't remember what it was, but something happened that made her cry as we were getting her ready for bed. And, her nose started running. She started freaking out that her nose was running, which is actually unusual for her to point out. We wiped it like we always do when it's running and went about the rest of the routine. Well, fast forward a few minutes to bedtime. Kallie was kneeling by her bed saying prayers and this is what she said..."Hebelly Fahdder, geen boogers in my nose..." and then went on to say a few other things. We have NO idea what she was really saying, but apparently the green boogers in her nose made a big impression on her tonight.

ABC's of Me

I am having one of those "I don't feel like doing anything" days. We were up VERY late last night canning peaches...so I'm taking the day "off." (If you can call changing a million diapers, fixing breakfasts and lunches, doing dishes, giving my girls a bath, going to the playground, and caring for a teething baby a day off!) Anyway--so I thought I'd post this fun ABC game I stole from Patti's blog.

A is for age: Almost 29

B is for Breakfast: A bowl of Kashi with berries

C is for Career: Before Kids--HR Assistant/Office Manager, After Kids--Full-time Wife and Mother

D is for my Dog’s Name: Kaebi

E is for Essential Item I Use Everyday: Scriptures, mascara, Kallie's Time Out chair

F is for Favorite T.V. Show: The Office, Supernanny

G is for Favorite Game: Apples to Apples

H is for Hometown: Growing up--Mesa, AZ; Right now--Provo, UT

I is for Instruments I Play: Piano

J is for Favorite Juice: Cido Multifruit, (From my mission--unfortunately, not available in the U.S.)

K is for Kitchen, What Color is it?: Red and white (cherries) with black accents

L is for the Last Place I Ate Out: Cafe Rio

M is for Marriage: 3 years and it just keeps getting better!

N is for my Nickname: Amanda Bubba or just Bubba

O is for Overnight Hospital Stays: Just 2--when my kids were born.

P is for People I was With Today: Kallie, Whitney, and a few girls from my ward at the playground.

Q is for Quote: Nothing is so terrible that complaining about it won't make it worse.

R is for Biggest Regret: Spending so much energy worrying about how my life would turn out.

S is for Sport: BYU FOOTBALL! Go Cougars!

T is for Time I Woke Up Today: 8:15 a.m.

U is for Favorite Piece of Undergarment: My shaper

V is for Last Vacation you Took: Seattle in July

W is for Worst Habit: Picking at my arms

Y is for Yummy Food You Ate Today: Kashi

Z is for Zodiac: Libra

Whenever I hear...

Every time we put Kallie down to bed, we sing her a lullaby and rock-a-bye before we put her in bed. We have been doing it since she was born! And, we always sing, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me," (Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue, blue sky...we call it the Butterfly Song--because of the phrase "He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings." It also went along with the bedtime story we read to Kallie every night.). The past couple of times that I have sung to her, she has started singing along with me. I can't tell you how sweet it is to listen to her sing, in her little two year old voice, "her" night-night song. She tries to mimic me with her pitch and it's precious to hear her sing.

And--this is an old story, but not written down yet and on this topic, so I figure now is a good time to write it down! At October conference, almost a year ago, on Saturday afternoon, (I think that's the session...), the choir sang Kallie's "Butterfly Song." A few measures in, she asked for her lahlahk and doggy and then sat on the couch quietly listening to the rest of the song. When it was over, she asked for bed and went down for a nap! Ryan and I thought it was pretty funny--and we're interested to see what will happen when they sing that song in Primary.

So excited!

For the longest time, I have wanted to subscribe to FamilyFun magazine. It always has such cute ideas in it to do with or for kids. But, I've either not had kids or my kids have been too young. Now, I think Kallie's just barely getting to the age where this magazine will actually be applicable. So, I finally subscribed tonight! I got a great deal through the UPromise website and got another magazine called WonderTime for just a little more. I'm looking forward to starting to receive both of these magazines!

Costco

Yesterday, after the Stop Talking incident, as we were driving past a shopping center, Kallie started asking, "Where Costco?" Kallie LOVES Costco. At first, I wasn't quite sure what she found so fascinating about Costco. But, I think she loves what everyone loves about Costco. The HUGE shopping carts, aisles so wide you could use them as an airport runway, and, of course, the free samples. She, like the rest of us, has learned that going shopping at Costco on Saturday afternoon means free lunch. The samples range from meat to veggie to drink--and there is usually something sweet for dessert.

Whitney even had her first Costco sample last Saturday. The girls were hungry and we still had a few more places to go. (It's times like those that I'm super grateful for the free samples.) So, Whitney enjoyed some yummy french toast. And, Kallie tried and enjoyed some green juice--which for those of you who haven't tried it--the Superfood (I think that's what it's called) Juice at Costco is delicious. It looks like swamp water, but I doubt swamp water ever tasted that good. And, who would have known if there hadn't been free samples at Costco?

Stop talking!

Last night, the girls and I picked Ryan up from school so we could head straight over and pick peaches at Ryan's brother's house. Peaches which, by the way, Ryan says we're canning tonight. And I'm going visiting teaching. And I'm planning to be in bed by about 9:30 or so. And Ryan has homework. So, we're OBVIOUSLY canning peaches tonight. There isn't a better night this week to do them...so I guess we can at least start on them tonight, right?

But, I digress. What I'm really planning to write about has nothing to do with peaches. So, Ryan got into the car when we picked him up and, as usual, he and I started having a conversation about our days. Somewhere in the background, we could hear Kallie talking. Neither of us had any idea what she was talking about. Suddenly, she says, "STOP TALKING, DADDY!" Which, of course, Ryan did immediately--because he was laughing so hard that he couldn't keep talking. But, both Ryan and I lost our trains of thought and Kallie proceeded to tell daddy what ever it was that she felt was important enough that he needed to stop talking.

The Monsters

Kallie has been REALLY good about going to bed these past few weeks. We really have not had any problems with her getting out of bed--which has been wonderful! Tonight, however, she decided to try pulling a new trick on mom and dad. About 10 minutes after we put her in bed, we heard her walk out into the hall crying--and not just the fake "I don't want to go to bed" cry--but a real cry. When I finally got her to use her words, she told me that she was scared of the monsters.

At this point, I have to offer a huge THANKS to Curious George for that idea. Somehow, she conveniently forgot the part of the show where Curious George learns that the "monsters" in the dark aren't really monsters and that the dark isn't scary. She managed only to retain the idea that the dark is scary and that there are monsters.

So, we explored her room for a minute and I put her back to bed. She still wasn't excited about being in her room alone, but (after getting out of bed 2 more times), FINALLY fell asleep. I'm going to have to get a little creative and come up with soothing, yet monster repelling bedtime activities.

Addicted to fuzz

The title of this post reminds me of the Robert Palmer song, "Addicted to Love," for obvious reasons. So, you can let the chorus of that song echo through your brain as you read this post.

When Kallie was about 6 months old, she started taking 10 minute naps. At the time, I couldn't figure out why in the world this was happening! I mentioned it to her pediatrician and he told me to try using radio fuzz turned up pretty loud to drown out the other noises in the house. I figured it couldn't hurt to have some white noise going on--and it just might help. About the same time, I figured out that I was just putting Kallie to sleep on the wrong schedule. Once I ironed out those kinks, she went back to sleeping wonderfully. BUT--from that point on, she has been addicted to fuzz.

When it's time for bed every night, we do the same routine. Jammies, brush teeth, drink of water, prayers, turn on FUZZ, lullabies and rock-a-byes, and bed. Ryan usually turns on the fuzz while Kallie and I get situated in the rocking chair. Tonight, for some reason, he forgot. Kallie, being her usual observant and totally on-top-of-it self, called, "Daddy! FUZZ!" When he came back in and turned it on, she said, "Thanks, dad!" and then settled down for lullabies. She honestly feels like she can't sleep if her fuzz isn't on. Hopefully, we'll be able to wean her from the fuzz at some point because I'm sure her future husband may not appreciate radio static blaring from the radio all night long.

A Blessing and a curse

When I first got my prescription to sleep in about a month and a half ago, I thought it was every mom's dream to be told that she needed to sleep past 8 a.m. every day. I was thrilled with this news, but have since discovered there is a down side to sleeping in every morning.

First of all, I don't get up until about 8:15 a.m. I'm really supposed to sleep longer than that, but Ryan has to shower and prepare for school--and he can't do that while the girls are running around. By the time he heads out the door, I have managed to feed Whitney and usually put her down for a nap. As soon as he's gone, I eat breakfast and start cleaning something. Occasionally, I'll get a shower around 10 a.m. or so--and Kallie's in there with me because I can't leave her unattended while I shower. But, more likely, I'm folding laundry, feeding kids, still cleaning, or doing who knows what until it's time for the kids to have their afternoon nap. I put them into bed, shower and get ready for the day and then check my e-mail and blogs. After a few minutes of this, the girls are usually awake and ready to play. The afternoon goes pretty quickly, as I play games with Kallie, do whatever I didn't finish in the morning, and get dinner ready. After dinner, I usually work on my Sunday lesson, do laundry, do any number of random little projects, or just veg, having very little energy or motivation left by the end of the day. And, I'm supposed to go to bed early, which would be between 9-10 p.m.

The point of saying all of this is that there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. Before I found out about this adrenal stuff, I was getting up between 6-6:30 every day and going walking, (either by myself or with the girls), then showering while Whitney slept or even before Ryan left for the day, and getting tons of stuff done during the rest of the day. I miss those extra 2 hours in the morning! Some days, I feel like I'm drowning in everything I have to get done--and yet I know that I do not have any extra time to accomplish it!

While I feel that sleeping in has made a huge difference for me, it's frustrating to feel like I HAVE to sleep more--like I don't really have a choice if I want to get up early some day. Don't get me wrong--I am really tired all the time. I woke up this morning around 7 a.m. because of amazing thunder that was right on top of us--and I already feel like I could sleep another 8 hours. I just wish that I could have the best of both worlds and have extra time and extra sleep all in the same day. Hopefully, my body will be back to normal before too long.

You would think...

From my last two posts, you would think that all I've done in the past week is laundry...but that's not true. I just haven't had the chance to get on and post about the goings on of the last week. It's been a good week!

Ryan's last day of work was Friday. He was finished by 10:00 a.m., so we spent a couple of hours running errands and then went to Swiss Days up in Midway, UT. We have gone every year since 2004 with our friends, David and Elizabeth Smith. Since then, we've both added two girls to our families and are actually thinking about getting a babysitter next year...

Saturday was filled with the regular Saturday chores of grocery shopping and BYU FOOTBALL! I love football season. And, BYU won their first game. We were super excited about BYU's win and enjoyed watching the game. They're playing UCLA this next week--and I really hope they beat the Bruins. It's going to be a tough challenge, though, as they're playing at the Rose Bowl and UCLA is supposedly a better team than the Cougars. We'll see what happens...

Sunday, we started a new church schedule, with our meetings starting at noon. Earlier in the day, Ryan asked what we were going to do about naptime, since church was RIGHT when my kids take naps. I told him that we were going to pray for the nursery leaders. Whitney will sleep at church, but Kallie will NOT and gets really unruly when she's tired. So--those poor nursery leaders had to deal with about 15 cranky kids! Kallie was so tired that she cried when we dropped her off at nursery--and she hasn't cried in several months. I just hope she can adjust to this new schedule.

Monday, we did a TON of shopping. We got a new car seat for Whitney--and we got a really great deal on it at Toys R' Us. I love when they have sales!

Today, Ryan started school again. I'm sure it's going to take some getting used to that he's going to have homework in the evenings again. He doesn't really have any tonight, but I'm sure the flood gates are about to burst. He also found out today that he's going to TA for his faculty advisor along with working in the advisor's lab. So, it should be an interesting and busy semester for him. The good news, however, is that he gets the full 3 weeks off at Christmas time--so we should be able to enjoy a nice, long break!

Well--I think that's all of our updates. If I think of any more, I'll post again later...

Little Laundry Post

So--I just had to add a little post on to my HUGE laundry complaint from last week. I'm doing laundry tonight, (I'm hosting Enrichment at my apartment tomorrow night), and I went back up to the big laundry building. Tonight, there was NO ONE there...which was fabulous. I guess people didn't want to do laundry on top of dealing with the first day of school at BYU?

Anyway--guess what was piled on top of the countertop between the first row of washers?! THE LOAD OF JEANS FROM LAST WEEK!! I can only imagine some poor guy somewhere going, "Honey, where are my Tommy Hilfiger jeans?" And the wife responds, "I did the laundry last week...are you sure they're not in your closet?" Anyway--my speculation is that someone forgot about them and moved. Why else would you leave your brand name jeans in the Wymount laundry building for a week? I jokingly told Ryan that I was going to check the size and if they fit, we wouldn't have to buy him new pants!