August 2009

Ezra was sure happy to be home with his daddy!

8.1.09

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27!
Wow, I'm almost 30. There's something different about turning 27 . . . . I'm not sure I like it. Well, I have mixed feelings actually. I finally feel like I am starting to feel more comfortable and secure in my own skin and there is something very liberating and empowering about that. But I also realize I'm not getting any younger and aging is a real thing that happens . . . . to all of us . . . . yea, I think I was in denial before. It's going to be ok . . . . or so I keep telling myself.

I wanted to spend my birthday as schedule free as possible and with my family. When Ezra is happy I'm happy, so we started my birthday off with a jog to the park. I tried to take pictures of Ezra showing off his big boy climbing skills (22 months!) but he was too cool to look at the camera that morning.


I have learned that with an unpredictable toddler in tow, you never know for sure how the days is going to go. So rather than trying to plan a day full of everything I wanted to do, I planned something I wanted to do several days that week and left my birthday free to spend it doing the best thing I could want to do; playing with Ezra.

It worked pretty well. Whether it was taking time to exercise, reading a book, or meeting friends for playdates at the pool and sprinkler park, it was enjoyable and made for a great week. I even got a sitter for Ezra one afternoon and got a long list of errands done in just a few hours. I had forgotten how productive and quick I could be by myself! I almost didn't know what to do with myself when I had checked everything off of my list. (That never happens!) I liked this approach better because I got to do what I wanted to do and without there being any expectation (or disappointment) on my actual birthday. There was no stress to be somewhere at a certain time, and no stress if Ezra melted down, because we just stayed home and adjusted to his mood, which wasn't the best that day. I could only laugh at the irony that the only agenda I had for my birthday was to play with Ezra and do things he enjoyed, with the thought that I would be so happy as my child would be so happy to play with me and have my undivided attention, but he was out to test that theory all day long. (He was just making sure he gave me some humble pie for my birthday cake.) I think those days are to be expected with a 22 month old though. He must have been tired because he did give me a gift; he fell asleep in my arms as I rocked him for his nap, and that never happens anymore so I savored that tender moment. I kissed his soft baby cheeks, breathed him in and tried to squeeze him as gentle as possible as I rocked him.

When Chris got home from work he took Ezra to run a "quick errand" and came back with the most lovely roses; big garden roses full of fragrance and color. And he had a card for Ezra to scribble on and give me. Then we attempted an early dinner out at The California Pizza Kitchen, but it was a vain attempt. I should have known that Ezra was not in the mood to eat out that day. I think it is the only time we have actually had to take Ezra out of a restaurant because he was behaving so poorly. I took him to sit on time-out outside, we made a few trips in and out, and then finally we got the food to go and went home.

When we got home Chris brought out a cake for me. (That is the nice thing about ice-cream cake, it can hide in the deep freeze.) I was very appreciative of his thoughtfulness to get me flowers and a cake, as simple as they may be, it made my day feel celebrated.I like how Ezra has his trains in this picture. He never lets go of these trains.

I feel strength and heavenly support in knowing that what I am doing with my time, in raising our son and focusing on our home, is the most valuable thing I can be doing right now. I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that teaches women to know their divine and noble calling as mothers. The more time I have in this role the more content I feel. Sure, some days I am tempted to wonder what other people might think of me; am I boring and too simple minded to be so content to focus on my young child and home, because I am "just" a mom and wife. I don't have much to show for what I spend my time doing, or much exciting to tell, but it fills my days and my heart nonetheless. I'm not the most accomplished person by a long shot, and I am not very crafty, talented or creative, but at 27 I am finally gaining a sense of peace and security in who I am becoming and believing that it doesn't matter what others think of me, only what my father in heaven thinks of me, and I know that he is pleased with what I have chosen to focus on at this time in my life, and that gives me peace and comfort.

8.5.09


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Liz, Kristen, baby Cali, and Stacey took me to The Cheesecake Factory for a birthday dessert night.

The girls night out and the yummy food were enjoyable! Thanks girls!

8.7.09

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Saturday night was my birthday date with Chris. Just remembering our enjoyable evening makes me smile. There are some dates when we really connect and have a really great time, and this night was one such night. He had been trying to focus on my love language, which is quality time, and I could tell he was making an effort to meet my needs and I felt very loved.

We had spent the day having fun at the pool with Ezra and then we got a sitter and went to dinner at Eddie V's for the first time and we both enjoyed it. It was a nice atmosphere as we sat in a corner booth overlooking the view as the sun set, and the food was great and the service very friendly. Then we went to a movie. I can't remember the last movie we went out to, so that was fun for us since we don't do that often. We just had a fun night out together and I appreciated it! Spending time with Chris is my favorite gift from him, and I feel very happy when we have fun family days together.

8.8.09

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My therapeutic post about Ezra and Food

I don't know how Ezra became such a picky eater since he used to happily eat everything I gave him when I made his baby food, but meals have become a dreaded time for me. Often I can't even get him to try something, not even one bite, and it drives me crazy. I'm not a force feeder, and that is fine if he doesn't like something, but when he won't even try something and he hasn't eaten for hours, that is just frustrating. Especially when Ezra is fussy because he is hungry, and then won't eat, I just don't understand him or what to do. Meal time is teaching me patience. Patience. Patience. I think Ezra was living on just toddler formula for a while.

This is what many meal times look like:

But if I let Ezra have his trains on his tray with his food, look at how his demeanor changes.
Too bad I'm not ok with him driving his trains through his food. If he would just leave them by his food I wouldn't mind, but I'm not ok with toys in food. This day I gave in, but these particular trains eventually went on a time out (and they haven't come out yet!) because I couldn't stand the constant battles we had as Ezra wanted these trains in everything, everywhere, all the time! If he even accidentally dropped them or if we had to set them down to get his arm through a shirt when getting dressed he would scream and cry. So after several freak-outs over these, I decided we had had enough because they were causing more problems than happiness. Aren't toys supposed to be fun? Maybe they'll come out of hiding some time soon.

While many a meal looked like this:
(So sad and yet so cute.)
I did find a bargaining tool that looked like this:
Look at how big he opens his mouth for that bite of ice-cream. Very different from trying to feed him anything else.
Bribery works. He may not talk yet, but he knows what "ice-cream" is. I don't give him ice-cream every day, maybe twice a week, but sometimes it gets him to try a bite of carrot or some other food of substance and for that I am grateful. I don't like him being a picky eater! I hope he grows out of it! And yes, this is more humble pie. Serves me right for saying my kid would never be a picky eater. Well good for me to learn that I can make all the ridiculous statements I want on what my kid will or won't do, but when it comes down to it, he is his own person with his own mind, and I can't control what he does or doesn't like, or what he will or won't eat. I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and remind myself what our Pediatrician said, "It is your job to provide him the opportunity to eat, but it is up to him if he eats or not." Breath in, breath out. Ok, I can do this. :) Some people say "they will eat when they get hungry", but I think my child's will is stronger than his hunger pains.

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John and Odin came out for a visit. This was their first time coming out to visit us.
8.19.09

Odin loves to swim so we spent a couple of afternoons at our neighborhood pools. We cooked and ate out and talked as much as the young boys would allow. We got a sitter for Ezra one night and took John and Odin down town where we waited on the bridge for the bats to come out. Then we took them to dinner at The Texas Roadhouse. You know what they say, "When in Rome" err, Texas. :) John and Odin built some model toys and brought fun animated movies to watch while we were hanging out during Ezra's naps. They also came prepared with white shirts and ties to go to church with us. I thought that was a nice gesture, considering they had never gone before but went to support us and experience a piece of something that is a big part of our lives.

We spent one afternoon at The Rockin' River in Round Rock with the Duke family. We thought Odin would like spending some time with boys close to his age so his trip wouldn't be just grown-ups talking all the time. ;)




John really loves kids and enjoys making them happy. Here he is buying everyone a snowcone. He is like Santa Claus all year round. He has a talent I think, in coming up with things that kids really enjoy. He is very generous. Ah, to be a kid, enjoying summer time. :)

Right before John left he spent a few hours borrowing my car driving around to different stores in the area. He came home excited to set up an inflatable kiddy pool for Ezra, inside the house, which he then filled with colorful balls, like what you would find at Chucky Cheese. Ezra wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but he quickly dove in and still loves to play in his little pool of balls. It is still, 5 months later, the favorite attraction in our house when kids come over to play. John just knows what kids like. I would've never come up with the idea to put a kiddy pool full of balls in my house, but it has proven to be a great source of entertainment for Ezra. It seems most of our toys are from grandparents, especially from John and Odin as they have been so generous to give us some of Odin's hand me down toys, along with some new toys too. I think one of John's favorite things to do at this time in his life is give toys to Odin and Ezra and enjoy watching and playing with them. I'm telling ya, Santa Claus all year round.

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Friends

I had a humbling experience the day I drove John and Odin to the airport to fly home. Within an hour of being home I had an ovarian cyst burst. I've had trouble with cysts since I was 15, and I thought cysts hurt, but wow, having one burst is a whole different level of pain for me. Having experienced child birth, I still say having a cyst burst is more painful, at least for me. Probably because it is a pain I can't see or expect, for no gain, no planned process, just this crazy internal explosion of pain that comes on so suddenly and then wipes me out. This was the first time I experienced this without Chris by my side. Normally he is there to catch me, literaly, and his presence gives me comfort. It was very hard and scary for me to be by myself as I doubled over in pain, puked, broke into a dripping sweat and then fainted in my bathroom, only to eventually realize my baby was present, worried and climbing on me. At least I know by now what it is so I don't get quite so scared of what is happening, and I know to sit on the floor and lean in the corner of the wall so I don't fall when I faint. My son kept saying "Mamma? Mamma?" and patting and rubbing me, and then climbing on top of me, and then falling as I didn't pick him up. For the first time in his life I could not pick him up or hold him. I couldn't even talk at first. Finally I whispered "Mamma, owie". That was a hard thing as a mother, to not be able to comfort or even respond to my child because of my own physical limits at the time. In his lifetime I have been feverish, achey, exhausted, injured, but have always been able to hold my baby. No matter how bad you hurt, a mom can always hold her baby. This was different for me.

Eventually I was able to crawl to the phone and called two friends who amazingly picked up the phone right away and rushed to my side. They both said they knew that I needed something when they saw that I was calling them. One took Ezra for me and the other drove me to the ER, since my GYN's nurse told me that's where I needed to go to get checked out. (So annoying! Why couldn't I just get an ultrasound and exam in her office?! I was annoyed that her front office staff told me to go to the ER instead of getting me into see her.) These two friends coming to my aid was very humbling and filled my heart with an overwhelming grattitude. I don't like to be the one in need. I don't like feeling helpless and needy, but I was in need. I really didn't like that I couldn't just "mind over matter" it. More Humble Pie. I really felt these friends were there for me and I was so grateful. Living here in Texas, far from both sides of our family, has taught me the value of friends and I am often humbled and surprised by the kindness and service of such women of whom I am blessed to know.

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My sister Chantal and her boyfriend Jon came for a visit! This was Chantal's first visit to our home in Austin and I was so happy she came down. She had been visiting her boyfriend's family in Dallas and he was kind enough to drive her down to see me. It was fun having them to talk with and hang out with during the day. Jon left the next day so we could have sister time. Lots of girl talk, ice-cream, a chick flick, and more girl talk. Sisters are great! I can't believe she is in college, dating, and experiencing that phase of life already. She will always seem my little sister, so I have to remind myself she really isn't so little anymore, but rather, about to graduate from BYU. It will be fun to see where she goes in life.

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Color Inspiration

I have yet to pick fabric for a valance in our dining room. I liked how the colors in this boquet looked with the paint on our walls, but finding fabric with these colors is another thing. I liked this fabric, but then I decided the gold and texture in the fabric was too much like our already textured gold walls and my mother-in-law said it was too stiff to work well as a valance. Chris says I can't pick fabric because I'm a prefectionist, but I think I'm much more of an indecisive and distracted mess than a perfectionist. I just don't want to spend money on something unless I love it. Does that make me a perfectionist? Anyway, I like these colors together. What would you call that blue-purple color?

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August was a good, busy month. I think it was the only month all year that Ezra and I didn't fly somewhere, so it was nice to be home for a few weeks and to have family visit and to catch up with a few friends. The only sad part of August was the end of the month when Chris left the morning of August 30th to go hunting in Alaska. He was to be gone for three weeks out of cell phone range. I did my best to be happy for him and I reminded myself how hunting makes him happy and he does little else for himself. Of course I knew I was going to miss him but I did my best to be excited for him as I drove him to the airport.
Ezra cried for his Daddy as we drove away from the airport without him. Sigh.

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July 2009

Look at Me!


7.3.09

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Master Bedroom Paint

These colors may seem a little bright, but I love them! Trust me, you have to see the room in person to understand. It is more calm than how it appears on film. These colors were inspired by the hotel Chris and I stayed in for our wedding night; Hotel Los Gatos. (http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/los_gatos/)
Then Chris picked out this bedspread a year ago and the combination of the silvery blue and the coppery orange further inspired our paint colors. Maybe a little bright for some but I love it. More changes to come . . . .

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Kristen's Surprise Birthday Celebration!




We had planned a baby shower for Kristen but her baby girl beat us to the celebration with her early arrival. Kristen went into labor the day before the planned shower, and then I was out of town from the end of May till about the end of June, so it worked out well to try again with a surprise birthday gathering.

7.6.09

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Breakfast at Kirby Lane

Happy Birthday Kristen!
7.7.09

Sometimes the only way I can get my little boy to agree to go somewhere is if I offer him a piggy-back ride. It's a good trick and a much happier departure. :)

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A few of our fun summer activities in July:
-Fourth of July at the pool with the Dukes & dinner at ZTejas
-Sprinkler Park play dates
-Play dates at the pool
-First time to Cool River Cafe; Yum!
-Shopping for fabric for drapes . . . . oh wait, that wasn't fun, just time consuming.
-Acclimating to record braking temperatures (most number of days in July over 100) & jogging without feeling like I was going to die. :)
-Finally giving in to curiosity and renting Twilight.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

On July 16th we got on a 6am flight to Salt Lake. When we arrived at the airport it was surprisingly crowded and we almost missed our flight. Lanette (Chris' mother) picked Ezra up at the airport and then Chris and I got on a plane to Copenhagen, Denmark! I was so excited to be accompanying Chris to Copenhagen for the Pharmaceuticals conference he was attending. I have Danish in my lineage so I was interested to visit a country where some of my ancestors are from. I was even excited for the long flight; a rare opportunity to sit still and read! The first book I read was The Five Love Languages. I enjoyed having time to sit and talk with Chris about our relationship and how we could grow as a couple after I read the book. (I appreciate being able to talk about our relationship from time to time and reflect on our strengths and memories and things we can work on, and during a time when we are neutral and not in the middle of an issue.) Chris was eventually able to sleep, but I could not fall asleep. I have a hard enough time sleeping in my bed, let alone sitting up in a chair (restless leg!) and in a very cold airplane.

7.18.09
Arriving at the Central Train Station in Copenhagen
Once we arrived in Denmark the excitement kept me awake long enough to have energy to walk to our hotel from the train station and around the city while we waited for our room to be ready. Chris learned to trust me and just start walking. :) I had our handy little guide book and I figured it was a pedestrian friendly city and what else did we need?!

I took this picture while waiting in our hotel's lobby for a few minutes. Of course there were many bicycles. I have to say the majority of people we saw looked healthy to me, probably from all of the walking an cycling. I dream of living in the country, but then I think it would be great to live in a city where I could walk and cycle everywhere and be out in the fresh air as an active part of daily life. (I think I could be happy anywhere, and yes I realize that city air isn't exactly "fresh".) There were prams and bicycle trailers everywhere with babies in them. People were out rain or shine and I thought it was great. And while it seems the trend in the modeling world is to be from Brazil, I think some scouts need to head to Copenhagen. Everywhere I looked there were tall, thin women with clear golden skin and long blonde hair with a natural beauty about them.

While we waited for our room we started to tour the city on foot. Here we are walking by the museum we would later tour.
Chris and Jim, the PhD student he worked with at UT in the Pharmaceuticals department.


We stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe on this street. There were street musicians and antique stands set up by the water and the weather was perfect.

After lunch we took a boat tour of the city. It was very interesting and we saw a lot of great architecture, but I eventually gave in to my exhaustion. I had maybe slept for 2 hours the night before we left from packing and getting the house in order to be gone for a while, and then with not being able to sleep on the plane the next day and walking for hours, it eventually caught up with me. Luckily I had on sunglasses and tried to be discreet but the rocking of the boat put me to sleep. I was so embarrassed that I was nodding off, but my sweet hubby let me lean on him and we just joked about it later. Sometimes you just need to laugh at yourself, and me, well I need to a lot. I did take a few pictures before getting too sleepy though.


One of the many palaces.

A quick glimpse of the much photographed NyHavn Canal.


The only bad part of our whole trip was when we arrived in the airport and discovered that our luggage had not arrived with us. We had hoped it would show up later at our hotel, but that was not the case. Chris' luggage ended up being lost for our entire trip. He spent a lot of frustrated time on the phone with various people trying to track it down over the course of our trip, but it never showed up. Mine was lost for the first couple of days but I didn't mind. Aren't you supposed to back-pack when in Europe anyway? :) Yea, too bad Chris had his only suit in his luggage and other things that he needed for his business meetings, so he wasn't as care-free about it, which I completely understood. It gave us an excuse to shop though, which I was very supportive and understanding of. Darn, we had to shop in a European city. :) I just got some toothpaste and sunscreen and an $8 shirt, but it was still fun!


Frederiksberg Slot

Our first full day there was a Saturday and Chris didn't have to work so we enjoyed a day of exploring. We walked a few miles and ended up at Frederiksberg Slot (castle) and Have (park). I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera because this park was so romantic and picturesque, but I was able to find a few pictures on the internet. They don't do it justice, but here is a glimpse of what this park was like:




I didn't want to leave this place! I ended up jogging back to this park on Monday when Chris was working. I really enjoyed jogging through the city and around this beautiful park.


Another day, another beautiful park. We made small detours this day so that we could walk through the parks as much as possible.


Rosenborg SlotWe enjoyed walking through this castle. The preserved and restored interior itself was fascinating to see, the history and the preserved art and furniture, clothing, dishes, gold, etc., . . . . it felt like going back in time.The crown jewels were displayed in the basement of this castle and they were pretty amazing. I thought it was entertaining when some pieces were missing and in their place was a little card saying the Prince was borrowing a piece for his son's baptism or the Queen was borrowing a piece. Nice.


We went back to NyHavn Canal so I could take a few pictures, but we picked the worst day of our trip for taking pictures because it was very gray and it was raining quite a bit but I think we took the most pictures this day.









Chris in his newly purchased Danish designer clothing. The guys there must be very lean because it took some effort (several stores) to find clothes that weren't too tight for my man but I think we came out all right in the end. I thought he looked cute in his new European duds. ;) Shopping is normally tortorous for Chris but since he was shopping out of necessity and we were in the fun shopping district of Copenhagen, he was a good sport. He even let me go into designer stores I've never seen before, like Chanel for example. We shopped in much more budget friendly stores for ourselves, like my $8 T-shirt, but it was still fun to go in and look around.

Walking in the narrow and busy streets of the shopping district was pretty entertaining. There were street performers and beautiful churches and fountains along the way, courtyards and sidewalk cafes and lots of yummy food being sold from stands and farmer's carts like crepes and fresh produce. We bought the best raspberries I've ever had; they had been picked ripe that morning.




It was raining so we stopped in a small bakery for hot cocoa and a danish. Yes, Denmark is apparently the land of sweet pastries, thus the name. I have to say, they are so much better there. I can't even eat a croissant at home now, it just doesn't compare. And they had these great little sandwhiches, I forget what they are called, but they are everywhere and surprisingly good. Yes, food was definitely a part of our trip so walking everywhere was a good thing. ;)

On our walk back one night we stopped into an Italian restaurant, a small door down a stone alleyway, and it ended up being one of the best restaurants! It was so cozy and enjoyable. I was absolutely loving my little Copenhagen adventure with Chris. We went there not knowing what to expect and I think we made the most of it and had a really great time together. It meant a lot to me that he wanted me to be there with him. :) I really enjoyed being able to walk everywhere and explore, enjoy the different architecture, to be able to go to different museums, to see art and history, and eating out, it was just a good grown-up time. Thanks to Lanette for keeping Ezra for us so we could enjoy that time together!!! I know it is so hard to leave our little one, but I also think it is rejuvenating for us to be alone and to have fun being a couple, enjoying things that we wouldn't be able to with a toddler in tow. And I have to admit that one of my favorite aspects was being able to sleep in every day and not be on any sort of schedule. It was so relaxing!! And to be spontaneous and leave on a whim without worrying about diapers and sippy cups and nap schedules. Ah. Don't get me wrong, I love my son more than anything and am so happy to be a full time mom, but a break every once in a while is good, at least for me. It makes me a better wife and a better mom and it is a good reminder that I am still my own person.

For the flight back from Copenhagen I succombed to temptation and bought the book Twilight. I had really mixed emotions and a sort of internal battle over reading this book. I never thought Twilight was a bad book/series to read, I just felt that if I ever took the time to read I should read a book from the growing stack I have of church literature and child development and educational subjects to improve myself and benefit my family and overall growth. So on the flight there I read a relationship book and a health/nutrition book but then I decided I wanted to make our trip a real vacation and read a "fun" book on the way back, and Twilight it was. I had no idea what I was getting into; I had no idea I would be so into the book. I don't care what people may say, judge me if you want, but I thought it was a fun read. I'm not saying I think it is appropriate for every age, but I thought it was fun. Can't it just be that simple? I don't think it needs to be made a big deal and a topic of debate on moral issues. It is fantasy people, but to each their own. :)

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We flew back to Utah just in time for a weekend with Chris' family for their family reunion. I felt like I spent most of the time with Ezra trying to get us both back on a good sleep schedule, but it was fun to see everyone in the family. The night the reunion ended the ladies of the family got together for a Shabby Apple Dress party. It is a cute brand that sells stylish modest dresses. I tried on so many dresses! My sweet mother-in-law bought me a dress for my early birthday present. We all had fun modeling the dresses for each other. You can look up Shabby Apple on line I think and order them or look up a local distributor.

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Chris ended up flying back to Austin before me this time because I wanted to stay a few extra days to visit my sister Sandi who lives in Salt Lake, and my aunt Jen and her family who were visiting from England. My aunt Jen is my mother's youngest sibling and she babysat me a lot. I have a lot of memories as a young girl with Jen. All of my aunts and uncles and cousins are great! They are all so fun!) There are some people whom I would love to be a fly on their wall, to see how they manage to balance everything in their lives, and this is one of those families that I am curious to know how they do it all. It was nice to get to visit with them, though the time passed too quickly, as it always does when you are having fun. Ezra didn't nap that day and I was a little stressed that he would melt down, but Jen and Patrick's three adorable girls, Lizzie, Suze and Emma entertained him which I greatly appreciated. And I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of them! That's weird, I feel like I have a memory of taking pictures while I was there, but maybe they were only thoughts that never became actions.

I visited Jen and Patrick in England the summer I turned 14, and I dream of taking Chris back to visit them and see parts of England. It is fun to dream, you never know where life will take you. ;)

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Visiting Sandi, Jackson and Landon


Landon is such a nice cousin to Ezra. Whenever we come to visit, Landon happily plays with Ezra and is very nice to share all of his toys with him. Landon is very patient when Ezra wants to get in to all of his toys and creations. They had a fun time running around with the two dogs in the backyard this day. Little Ezra is flat worn out I think from all the fun running around.


This might have been Ezra's first time seeing a horse. He would get pretty close, almost make me nervous and then run away.


When we got back to Chris' parent's house that night I took this picture of Ezra when he was looking (staring) at Monte's mounted lion and the other animal mounts around the room. His profile will always be changing and I couldn't pass up the messy hair, cute chubby cheeks and round little nose.

Then he just wanted to sit and hang out by the lion.My funny little dude.

7.28.09

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Back home with Daddy!

We like to go to "Zero Degrees Ice-cream" for a treat every now and then.
Ezra is wearing the shirt we brought back for him from the Hard Rock Cafe in Copenhagen, his "first Hard Rock Cafe" shirt it says.

7.30.09

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KBYU is a great chanel. I should turn it on more. Whenever I do, I am inspired and uplifted. I have started recording Music and the Spoken Word so I can have some uplifting music to turn on every now and then, and the simple messages that accompany the music are always appreciated. These short programs can make doing dishes a much happier and inspiring task. ;) I recorded a few Women's Conference talks too and one was by Sister Hillam. After listening to her talk (while I did dishes and cleaned up the kitchen and family room) I felt so inspired and motivated to be a better wife and mother and person, as aposed to maybe feeling a little tired and grumpy that I was doing the never ending dishes and picking up after other people again and the repetitive tasks that we do. We women can have such an influence for good and I often feel I am not living up to my potential. She gave 8 simple steps to a successful family which I want to record for my own memory:

1. Family Prayer Every Day
2. Scripture Study Every Day
3. Family Home Evening Every Week
4. Everyone Has Work & Responsibility Every Day
5. Keep the Sabath Day Holy Every Week
(stay in church clothes, talk as a family, laugh, play together, read, music, simple meal but nice setting to make it feel special, discuss lessons together, etc.)
6. Develop Talents Every Day
7. Meals Together Every Day
8. Support Church Programs
(I added my own #9)
9. Attitude of Gratitude - Have a Cheery Disposition - Be a ray of sunshine to your family and those around you

Wow. I think she had at least 6 kids. I only have 1 and we aren't doing all of these things, as simple as they may seem. Family prayers and meals every day as a whole family are impossible due to Chris' work schedule and travel, but I do do them with Ezra. I'm hoping that still counts if it is just the two of us, though maybe that is more casual than the whole family dinners and prayers and scripture studies. I'm guessing that is all pretty casual with just one parent and a 2 year old though, but I don't want to be too casual in my approach and deny my child of possible blessings. (Really, it would be awesome if an angel could just come hang out with me for a day and tell me everything I'm doing wrong and what I could do better because I'm not sure my efforts are enough but our little family is so far from having a set routine and schedule, other than Ezra's bed time. Our life is always different and changing it seems as we travel and as Chris is in and out. His schedule is different every day.) So I'm not sure if "meals together every day" counts as me hanging out in the kitchen while Ezra eats in his high chair. I should probably sit at the table and pull him up to the table with me, rather than walking around the kitchen while he eats in his high chair and as I eat standing up at the counter. ? I know I can do better at all of these things! I do not want to fail my family. I also think of sister Beck's talk from a recent conference or General Relief Society Broadcast when she said we should create family habits that make it easy for our children to live the gospel. Am I creating those habits? I could do better. These are things I need to check in with myself and ask myself often.

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