Happy Birthday, Honey!

So...I'm a little late posting this. Ryan's birthday was yesterday, but I was insanely busy all day yesterday. (I have good excuses, though, because I was doing birthday things all day.) I just have to do a little birthday bragging about my amazing husband. :)

OK--when I say amazing, I mean Ryan is completely AMAZING. When we got married, I thought Ryan was getting a pretty great girl...and I quickly realized that what I got out of the deal is about 100 times better than what he ended up with. First and foremost, he is the most patient and understanding person on the face of the planet. Even in the moments when he might not totally understand, he will admit it--and then offer whatever support he can give. I'm a girl...I don't think I need to explain beyond that...and even in my worst moments, Ryan continues to see the best in me. He encourages me to be a better person just by the way he lives.

Beyond all of the emotional stuff, Ryan is amazing at helping with the household and family chores. He has done the dishes almost every night since we've been married. He changes diapers, gives the girls baths, cleans up barf, does most of the vacuuming that's done in our home, takes out the trash, (including the diapers!), and any other random chores that I may need help with. Talk about making my life easier! I think he really believes that a happy wife is a happy life--because he does everything in his power to make sure that I'm happy. (And--it works!)

Ryan is also an incredible dad. I know that, as the youngest child in his family and not spending much time around kids, he had his own concerns about becoming a father--but no child could have a better dad than Ryan. He plays with his girls, provides them plenty of positive attention, and is even learning how to match little girl outfits. He has gained a wealth of knowledge about tights, bows, dollies, dresses, etc. in the almost 3 years since our first daughter arrived.

Along with all of this, Ryan is an extremely dedicated and hard-working person. I remember the first semester that Ryan went to school after we got married. It was early in my pregnancy with Kallie and I was REALLY sick. Ryan, working part-time and going to school full-time, managed to shoulder all of his responsibilities at school and home AND managed to make the Dean's List as well. He is so organized with his homework and projects that he always has enough time to accomplish what he needs to and still have time to take his wife on a date or build a snowman with Kallie, (or take her to the playground, depending on the season).

Honestly, Ryan never ceases to amaze me. I truly could not have married a more incredible person--and I'm so grateful I did! I can't imagine what my life would be without him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYAN!

Preschool Co-op

Just after we returned from Christmas break, one of my friends in my ward approached me about Kallie and I participating in a preschool co-op. I wasn't planning to get involved in anything like that for a while, since Kallie isn't even three yet. But, after talking about this particular co-op with a couple of the moms who participate, I decided to go for it. I figured Kallie would have some great playtime in a loosely structured environment and I would have 2 hours twice a week to get something done.

So far, it has been wonderful! Kallie absolutely LOVES going to preschool and I absolutely LOVE having what feels like extra time in my day. One of my favorite parts about it is that I get to see what the other moms come up with for the learning portion of school. Last week, Kallie made an "N" out of salt dough, (At least I'm pretty sure that's what it was. It looked like it might be bread, so I asked Kallie if it was for eating. She told me, "No, mommy, that is VERY salty and yucky. It's not for eating." The way she said it was so much like a mom that I figured the mom teaching that week had told them the same thing.), and this week, she made an octopus out of a balloon and pipe cleaners. She loves telling daddy all about her day (2 hours) at school when he comes home from going to school himself. For quite some time now, she's been talking about going to school, so this has been like a dream come true for her. I'm just thrilled that it has turned out so well so far and look forward to many more co-ops to come!

From the mouths of babes

Last night, I explained to Kallie that President Hinckley had died, which meant that he was living with Heavenly Father again. I then told her that President Monson would probably be the next prophet. So, this morning, we took Ryan to school and drove by the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni Building on BYU campus. Kallie LOVES when we drive by because there's a clock tower and, since she currently has a fascination with clocks, she points it out every time. So, as we drove by today, I reminded her that the clock is on the Hinckley building. And the coversation continued like this:

Mommy: President Hinckley is with Heavenly Father now.
Kallie: Yes--and then it will be Monson!
Mommy: What?
Kallie: Monson will be next. Does Monson have a building?

I was completely surprised that Kallie remembered everything I told her last night. I've never even heard her say Monson before. Then, tonight, at Family Home Evening, we were going over our weekly planning and I mentioned that President Hinckley's funeral is on Saturday. Kallie piped up with, "President Hinckley is with Heavenly Father. Monson will be next. Does President Eyring have a building?" I really have NO CLUE how she knows who President Eyring is! If I have ever talked about him, it was several months ago when the Conference Ensign came with the First Presidency's picture on the front. After I got over the momentary shock that she knew who President Eyring was, (and that he went with Hinckley and Monson), I had to laugh that she thinks since there's a Hinckley building, there should also be a Monson and Eyring building as well.

His Perfect Love

During the few years that Sister Bonnie D. Parkin was the General Relief Society President, one of the themes was feeling the love of the Lord in our lives daily. Now that she has been released, (for quite a while, I may add), I'm finally getting it. I'll explain...

Last week, I finished reading the Book of Mormon again. At the very end, Moroni says:

"...Behold I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear" (Moroni 8:16).

This really got me thinking about "perfect love." I feel like, generally, I know that the Lord loves me. But, after reading this, I really wanted to feel that love--not just think, "Yeah, sure, He loves me." So, I started praying for it. I have prayed about this in the past, but not as consistently as I have in the past week. And, the results have been amazing. I have really felt His love for me on a daily basis. It doesn't come in the same way each day, but it is there--and it is so strong that I can no longer think, "Sure, He loves me." Now, I know.

As a result of this, I am starting to understand what Moroni meant by "perfect love casteth out all fear." When you recognize God's love, you know who you are and where you come from. You start to understand that what you are doing, whatever it is, is important. You begin to feel unfailing confidence in yourself and where you are in life. Without that, just like the Wemmicks in the book "You Are Special", you begin to see huge black dots when someone makes even the most innocent comment. I am so grateful for this perfect love that I feel in my life. I hope that I will be able to always remember this feeling.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Tonight, I heard of the passing of President Hinckley. My first reaction was one of complete happiness for him that he's back with his wife--whom he loves so much. What a wonderful and amazing life he has lived. I have always been impressed with President Hinckley's sense of humor and just how straight on he took everything. He spoke straight forward and to the point--truly and inspired man.

He has been the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for most of what I call my adult life, as he was sustained as the prophet at the end of my junior year of high school. I will never forget the feelings I had as I stood in the Marriott Center my freshmen year at BYU as President Hinckley walked in to speak at the CES fireside. He's not a very big person, but the spirit that was with him filled that entire building. And, I knew, without a doubt, that Gordon B. Hinckley was God's prophet on the earth. There have been many times since then that I have been either in the Conference Center or at the Marriott Center to hear him speak--and every time, a hush would fall over the congregation and everyone rose to their feet out of respect for God's prophet. Those are incredible feelings that I will never forget.

In a world where confusion reigns and those we consider role-models are anything but, President Hinckley was truly a man of God who was definitely a worthy role-model for anyone to follow. I will certainly miss him, but am so relieved for him that he has finally completed everything he was sent to do.

Buttermilk Syrup

At first glance, the thought of buttermilk syrup probably seems a little strange--and like one of those things that you're fine with other people enjoying, but just can't bring yourself to try. I thought the same thing until a few weeks ago. As I was helping with dinner at my parents' house on Sunday, I happened to see a Christmas labeled bottle with the words, "Homemade Buttermilk Syrup, Please refrigerate," signed by my parents' neighbors. Knowing that my parents like to drink straight buttermilk, (YUCK!), I asked if they thought it was any good. They responded with rave reviews and my somewhat picky sisters agreed. So, being a generally adventurous person when it comes to food, I put it at the top of my "Must Try" list.

I didn't have to wait too long until the perfect moment came along...Saturday night and I REALLY wanted french toast. Since I had no idea what buttermilk syrup tasted like, I figured I may as well just go for it. Let me tell you--I honestly wonder why I haven't known about this stuff sooner! It's AMAZING! It's the kind of syrup that you want to pour on everything from pancakes and waffles to ice cream and apples. I highly recommend it to you. And, just in case you're feeling adventurous, but don't want to search for a Buttermilk Syrup recipe, here it is:

Buttermilk Syrup
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbls. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
In a saucepan, stir together sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Bring to a boil and cook for 7 minutes. (Make sure to use a large saucepan, as the mixture bubbles up quite a bit.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Wax On...,Wax Off...

Almost 2 weeks ago, I had my first experience with waxing. My sister, who is studying at the Paul Mitchell School, waxed my eyebrows--and I loved it! After years and years of plucking, I was so relieved to have it done in one fell swoop, with a much cleaner line than I've ever been able to get from tweezing alone. Sure, it was slightly painful, but nothing worse than pulling them out torturously one by one. It was wonderful to have instantly beautiful eyebrows. I can't wait to have her wax 'em again!

Wasted

I don't wanna' spend my life jaded
Waitin' to wake up one day and find
That I've let all these years go by
Wasted
(Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts, "Wasted")
For the past few weeks, the way that I choose to use my time has been on my mind a lot. Then, a couple of weeks ago, my Relief Society President gave a lesson on how we use our agency. It really made me think about what I'm using my agency to accomplish in my life. As I thought about it, I realized that I've wasted a lot of time during the past year on things that aren't really integral to my life or my family life. As I thought about this, I remembered an oft-quoted line from Sheri Dew's talk "Women of God":

We no longer have the luxury of spending our energy on anything that does not lead us and our families to Christ...With these privileges comes great responsibility, and at times the demands of discipleship are heavy.
I want to spend my time on things that will bring me and my family to Christ. I want to create a spirit in my home that people can feel just by entering. I want to know that what I'm doing with my life is going to positively influence my husband, my kids, and myself for eternity. And, I know I can't do these things if I'm wasting my time on empty conversations, meaningless computer games, noisy television drivel, or other random distractions. Of course, giving up some of these things is a challenge, which in a sense makes them "heavy" like Sis. Dew said. But, I feel that the privileges that come as a result are more than worth the sacrifice.

Please understand that by saying this, I'm not saying every single thing we do has to have a planned purpose or be totally church-i-fied. I'm just tired of filling my life with "white bread" activities (lacking nutrition, empty), when there are so many other "whole wheat" activities, (full of substance, wholesome), I want to participate in instead.

I'm so grateful that I have the knowledge that "[t]his life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors" (Alma 34:32). I hope that by trying to perform more meaningful labors in this life, I will be prepared to meet God when the time comes. I just hope I can start making up for wasted time.

Whitney's Baby

Whitney LOVES babies. And, when I say LOVES I mean "can't leave them alone and gets VERY frustrated if she's not allowed to touch them." This past week, a friend of mine came to pick up her girls, (who had been playing with Kallie), and brought her 2 month old son over. We ended up talking for a while and my friend put the baby on the couch. Whitney immediately crawled over and started touching him and trying to give him "loves," (not-so-gentle pats on his face). I kept pulling her away and giving her other toys to play with and she would ditch the toys and crawl right back over to the baby until we finally picked him up to avoid accidental injury from an over-zealous 1 year old.

Whitney also LOVES to maul love her cousin, Marne, who is just older than my friend's baby. If Marne is in her baby carrier with a blanket over the top, Whitney will crawl over, lift the blanket, and start patting or poking Marne. We've learned to keep Whitney away from the baby carrier.

Just this week, while Whitney was playing with toys in the front room, I said, "Whitney, where's your baby? Can you go find your baby?" Whitney immediately turned and crawled through the kitchen, down the hall, and into her bedroom--where she found her baby in the pile of stuffed animals. She crawled back to the front room with the baby in tow and then snuggled, rocked, and loved her little dolly. It was so incredibly cute! Then, she put the baby in the carry bed. Whitney also picked up the sign for "baby" this week. I think she picked that one up faster than any other sign I've ever tried to teach her! Kallie was never into babies--especially not at this age--so it has been a lot of fun to watch Whitney really enjoy them like I used to.

Potty Training Update

Well, Kallie is almost there. She manages to stay totally dry overnight and during naptime...and, of course, throughout the day. BUT--she's still having a hard time with pooping in the potty. I really hope she'll catch on to the poop thing within the next day or so, though, because I'm getting tired of cleaning up the accidents. I just have to remember that it's only been a week since we started and she really is doing great!

She did it! She did it! She did it!

Last night, I posted about how Kallie was doing with potty training. I mentioned that she INSISTED on wearing panties to bed, even though Ryan tried every trick in the book to get her to wear a pull-up. Even bribery didn't work last night.

Well, this morning, she woke up completely dry with a completely dry bed. Unfortunately, I was in a deep sleep...and didn't hear her trying to wake me up. The result? She had an accident on the floor next to my bed this morning. Too bad I'm not a lighter sleeper! I guess years and years of sharing a bedroom with younger sisters will do that to you... But, I am happy to report that she has been completely dry all day today--even through her afternoon nap!

And, the big event today was that after her nap, Kallie pooped in the potty! She's made extremely small "deposits" there before, and while she was praised and got candy, it was SO not worth it. Then, since Monday, she has had 3 poop accidents in her panties. Today, she hasn't had ONE! I am SO proud of her! I'm really hoping that this milestone means that we're on the downside of potty training.

Potty Training, Second Time Around

Well, now that the holidays are gone and life does seem to be slowing down this week, (finally!), I have decided to take on the task of potty training Kallie. As opposed to 2 months ago, I am much less stressed and Kallie is way more into wearing panties. So, it seems to be going better than last time.

I feel like Kallie has done really well. She had 3 1/2 accidents yesterday. (It would have been just 2 1/2 if I had realized the 1/2 wasn't all there was and encouraged some potty time afterward.) Then today, she had 3 accidents--which numerically doesn't seem like an improvement, but really is. She's having a difficult time getting #2's in the right place...but we're working on that. I am pleased to report, however, even with the few accidents, she stayed dry through naptime yesterday and today and even through the night last night. Tonight, she would NOT let us put a pull-up on her for bed, so we let her sleep in her panties. In case anything happens, tomorrow is laundry day and her sheets need to be changed anyway, so we'll see what happens.

Is this seat taken?

Before I start this post, I just have to make a comment: For all those who have been waiting for SOMETHING to read on this blog...watch out! I have some time tonight, (in addition to the 2 posts I've already done today), so here comes another one. I should have more time over the next few weeks as well, so ya'll will have something to keep you going for a bit. ;)

Sunday, after church, Ryan had a quick Sunday School presidency meeting. I had the choice of waiting for a few minutes or taking the girls home by myself. I opted to stay. Since most of the rooms were taken because of the ward behind us, they set up a small circle of chairs in the cultural hall and met while all the kids walked on the lines painted on the wooden floor. When they finished, I headed over to the circle and decided to sit down to put Kallie's shoes back on. Just as I started to sit, the Sunday School president decided to put his chair away. Yep--the chair I was planning to sit on and the chair he was putting away were the same chair.

I landed with a THUD on that hard wood floor and quickly pulled my skirt back to knee-length. I definitely flashed a little more than I, or probably anyone else who saw, was comfortable with. I was so shocked and actually thought it was incredibly funny, so I just sat there and laughed for a few minutes. The poor president was so embarrassed! Walking to the car, later that day, and even now I'm still giggling about it. My back is a little sore, (no bruise yet), from hitting against the chair as I went down and my muscles were a little sore from the impact, but nothing major. Next time, I'm making sure to announce my seating plans ahead of time to avoid any repeat experiences.

And it begins...

Tonight was the season opener of American Idol 2008...and Ryan and I watched it. I can't say we were glued to the TV, but we watched. Honestly, (and I know a lot of people disagree with me on this), but these next few weeks are the boring parts. It starts getting really good when they move on over to the Kodak Theater. Before that, it's hard for me to get TOO into it.

Honestly, I think 2 hours of air time is more than enough for the "selection" shows. Who wants to see some fat guy dressed up in a "Princess Lea Dancing for Jabba the Hut" outfit? I mean, really! I had to turn away from the TV I was so grossed out by that. And, how many people in the world hate Simon? That's not news anymore. Give the airtime to someone who has a real story instead of a foul mouth and an attitude. That's not entertainment--it's ignorance combined with an overdose of self-confidence. There were certainly some promising performers on the show tonight, among all the "usuals", so I'm interested to see what this season brings.

Tuesday Devotional

Today, being Tuesday, BYU held its weekly devotional. It begins at 11 a.m., which is usually not a good time for me, as I'm wrapped up in the lunch/nap routine. Although my intentions are always good, I have not watched one in...well, let's just say it's been quite a while. So, being a new year, I decided that I wanted to fit watching the devo, (as we used to call it at KBYU), into my weekly routine.

Today, President Henry B. Eyring spoke, so it was a great day to start watching again! He said after much thought and prayer, the topic he was to speak on finally came to him: God's Deliverance. (Now, if you have musical siblings like mine who love to play the piano, then you probably also heard the music from Prince of Egypt booming in your head--"Deliver us!" *boom-BOOM* And, the story of the Israelites begins to play in your mind.) My interest was certainly piqued as I wondered what new spin President Eyring was going to put on this story? But, to my surprise, he didn't even mention the Israelites; He talked about the ways God delivers us in our lives. What I got from it was that when we ask God for deliverance, He doesn't take away the opportunities to learn or experience life. Instead, He has the power to deliver us from the pain and suffering related to those experiences. God's will still comes to pass and He still allows us to experience all that we can in this life. But, He will bless us with strength to endure the opportunities and experiences that might seem more than we can bear.

As ready as I am to move away from BYU and start living in "the real world" again, I am certainly enjoying the time that I still have here and appreciate the opportunity to learn from these inspired men on an on-going basis.

I cry the day that I take the tree down...

For those of you who are regular readers, sorry I haven't posted in a while. To all four of you, I keep a running list of blog topics on my whiteboard and it keeps getting longer and longer, while my available writing time doesn't seem to coincide. I thought life was supposed to calm down after the holidays were over. But, for some reason, it seems like December was just a "revving up" time for January. Adding re-establishing our daily routines, having my brother's family in town until last Friday, my sister's birthday, potty training attempt #2, organizing and preparing for my monthly FHE lesson swap, teaching last Sunday, Relief Society meetings, service activities, playdates, reading a great book, and taking down Christmas to my "normal" day--it seems I have absolutely no time time for anything else right now. Unfortunately, it's not looking like things will slow down any time soon. I should actually be folding laundry right now--but that will wait for a few minutes while I blog. Right?

The point of today's post isn't actually to inform or complain about my busy schedule. But, instead, to tell a story about the last item on that list: taking Christmas down. Kallie is the biggest fan of Christmas I have ever seen. She loves the lights, the tree, the ornaments, the hot chocolate, the presents, the parties...EVERYTHING. Over the holidays, she literally jumped up and down every morning when she woke up and saw the tree in the family room. It was her self-appointed job to plug in the lights and flip the switches on the power strips to ensure our home was sufficiently lit during the holidays.

A week ago, (has it really been that long already?), we put Kallie to bed after FHE and took down our Christmas decorations. The next morning was my day to sleep in...but I woke up a little after 7 a.m. to hear Kallie CRYING. And, I don't mean her fake, tired, or complaining cries--this was a real, true, heartfelt cry. I thought she might have hurt herself, so I hopped out of bed to go see what happened. When I got into the family room, Ryan was sitting there trying not to smile. Apparently, Kallie walked out, saw that the tree was gone and burst into tears. She was so sad that Christmas was over. Later that day, she asked if we were going to put away the kitchen she and Whitney got for Christmas--and then, it dawned on me: Maybe she thought that the Christmas presents had to go away with the lights and decorations! The past week since that incident has been filled with reassurances that Christmas will come again next year, people will once again put lights on their homes and in their yards, and she can keep playing with the toys she got even though it's not Christmas. Oh--to have the honesty of emotion and the complete freedom of expression that children have! If I were her, I would have cried, too!