January in Pictures

Picture 1...I spent many hours putting this together for Literacy Night at the girls' school. (I actually took this picture before it was completely finished. There were two pics of her books added to the bottom of the left white square.) It was all made out of butcher paper and I hung each of them with clothespins on a string that I tied up. It was a lot of fun and a GREAT event to be involved with. One of my friends was in charge of the night and she did such a great job. The author of the Llama Llama book series was flown in for the night and it was so much fun hearing her speak about her books. I would LOVE to write children's books someday.

Picture 2...Have I told you how much I LOVE having four girls?! Well, I do. Sometimes (a lot of times) things are loud and crazy, but honestly, I even love that (except when I don't) :).

Picture 3...There is no question about who the favorite is in our house. It's definitely Daddy. And...he's my favorite as well.

Picture 4...We have had a very spring-like winter this year. I keep waiting for the cold weather to blast us, but it just hasn't. One day last week was absolutely beautiful so I spent about four hours there before I went home to pick the older girls up and then I drove right back and spent another two.

Picture 5...This is Hailey's "I'm in trouble" look.

Picture 6...This is the cupboard that Hailey is in charge of putting dishes away in. She LOVES to help with dishes, especially since I let her stand on the counter.

Picture 7...One of the food staples around our house is olives. I will open up a can and it will be gone in about 5 seconds. We all love them. I love to put them on my girls' fingers so they can eat them off. Hailey loves it, but I don't think she loves it nearly as much as Cloey does.

Picture 8...Makayla is our first baby to not take a pacifier. I thought for sure she would end up being a thumb sucker...nope. But, apparently she likes Hailey's toe.

Picture 9...This is the cutest little boy ever!! His name is Jaxon and he belongs to my friend Jenae. Although he is totally and completely head over heels in love with his momma, every once in awhile he lets me snuggle him. I've got to get in some boy time somehow.

A couple more things that don't have pictures to go with them...

In January, I ran right around 90 miles. The half marathon is just weeks away and the full is right around the corner as well. It is pretty intense training, but it will be totally worth it.

Cory has spent a lot of hours on the trails mountain biking. He LOVES it!! On Saturdays, me and the girls go running early in the morning, then the boys go biking. It is something he REALLY enjoys and he is getting pretty good at it as well.

Katelund is loving 3rd grade and is doing really well too. She has just jumped into reading with both feet this year. I LOVE seeing her walking around the house with her nose in a book. It has taken quite awhile for her to really like reading, but now that she does, she is off and reading like crazy. She is also really enjoying math this year. She is such a wonderful big sister and I can totally see why she was sent down first. I am so GRATEFUL for all of the help she is constantly giving me with the babies.

Cloey is loving 1st grade. Unlike Katelund, I never have to ask her twice to get started on her homework. She is a very good student and an absolute SWEETHEART!! It's amazing how each child fills a different place in your heart. Cloey is so sensitive to not only her friends and her sisters feelings, but also to mine. She is just a beautiful girl, inside and out.

I think I've written a lot about Hailey along with the pictures so I'll just skip to Makayla...

Makayla is sweeter than sweet! I seriously wish I could just freeze the aging process and keep her as a 6 month old forever! She is rolling over, almost sitting, eating baby food, and I'm pretty sure she is weeks away from crawling. She brings me so much joy (Although, she may not tomorrow. I had pizza last night. It was the first time I've eaten cheese for 5 months...I'm so ready to be done with this no milk diet!!)

So that is it for January...whew!!! Now I'm ready to jump into February.

Not just a kitchen table...

Some say that with time, things lose their value. In many cases, this is true. But in other cases I believe that with time things not only increase in value, but eventually become priceless. Such is the case with my kitchen table.

We bought our table almost six years ago. When both leaves are put in, it can comfortably seat ten people. The only drawback to it was that it was a close-out and so it came as is...which meant no chairs. We got it anyways. For almost 4 years, we used folding chairs with it because, come to find out, chairs are really expensive when sold separately. Then one day, Cory and I were driving down the road and decided to check out an estate sale, and I'm so glad we did because that is where we found our chairs. Once we brought the chairs home, we decided that we were going to sand them all down and refinish them ourselves. A couple hour project (at least that's what we originally thought) turned into a VERY LONG project that I finally gave up on once I realized that I actually did like the original cream color. So we were left with three chairs that were sanded and four that were not. Which is why we now have three spray painted black chairs and four cream ones. I have always loved the chairs but this last summer I fell in love with them even more when my mom helped me refinish them all with the perfect fabric. Now, each day when I look at those chairs, I think of her. I think of the selfless countless hours that she not only spent last July, but that she has spent my whole life, serving and loving me.

The table no longer has the perfect finish across it, in fact, it is anything BUT perfect. It has nail polish stains, marker spots, scratches and dents all over it. It has been well used and well loved. Upon its surface, hundreds of meals have been eaten, hundreds of pages of homework have been completed, and hundreds of clothes have been folded. I have scrapbooked on it, sewn on it, and sat at it hundreds of thousands of times to read a book, lecture a child, prepare for a lesson, do my visiting teaching reports, make things for my home, school, community, or church. Upon its chairs I have bowed my head in humility as I have listened to the words of a prayer, I have felt gratitude in my heart as I have fed countless numbers of friends, family, missionaries, and neighbors. I have collapsed my head upon its surface as I have laughed harder than I thought possible, and also at other times, as I have prayed and cried for comfort, forgiveness, understanding and relief. Upon its surface, I have made gingerbread houses, rolled out play dough, taught joy school, cut out snowflakes, wrapped presents, and taught my children.

This morning as I wiped the table down for the ten millionth time, I couldn't help but smile as I wiped away the spilled water from Hailey's sippy cup, the cream of wheat from the girls' breakfast, and then put away all four sets of scriptures that were used last night as we sat at our table to read and study from the Book of Mormon. This table of mine is one filled with memories, memories of unforgettable conversations, good company, and millions of moments that have carved character and meaning not only into our table, but into our home, family, and hearts.

Yes, this table may be worthless to somebody else, but to me...it is priceless.

Angels and Running

One of the greatest blessings of my life is and always has been my girl friends. Ever since I was four, I have always had a best friend. My very first best friend was Bree. To this day, I still remember what she looked like, her long beautiful brown hair and her green eyes. Then there was Monica. She had curly black hair, dark brown eyes and light brown skin. She was the first person I ever gave a Book of Mormon to. Then there was Angela. Angela was my best friend for a long long time. All the way from 3rd grade to 8th grade. We moved after 8th grade, but Angela and I continued our friendship. In fact, we still keep in touch occasionally. Then there were my high school friends. I couldn't imagine having gone through high school without them. And of course, I can't forget the best friend who has been by my side my entire life (all though at times I swore she was my enemy), my oldest sister Andrea.

Although Cory is and always will be my very best friend, Heavenly Father must have known that I would continue to need good girl friends in my life because everywhere I have moved, I always seem to find those kind of friends that come into my life and leave me a better person. Unfortunately, I am not very good at staying in touch like I should, but I think about each of my friends regularly...wondering how they are doing, where they are at, and if they have any idea the impact that they have made in my life. Each one has a special place in my heart and will never be forgotten. These friends have been angels in my life...teaching, supporting, and loving me in their own unique ways.

This morning, our family and three others drove down to the temple. Two couples did a session while the other two stayed with all the children. Then we switched. Of course it was wonderful, going to the temple always is, but there were a couple of things that made this time even more wonderful than usual. Two of them are too personal to share on a blog, but the other one happened while I was in the dressing room. I looked over and saw two of my friends in their white temple dresses talking to one another. These two friends are not just any friends. They are my 5:30 am running buddies. I have ran with them in pouring rain, icy wind, snow, and crazy cold temperatures. Why would we be so insane? Because we are training for a marathon. One morning this last week I missed our morning run and so one of them came over to my house with her children to watch my girls so that I could get my miles in for the day. When I tried to talk her out of doing such a sweet thing, she texted me the following, "You forget that we are in this together and the more you are trained, the more I am and the better we will run the big M." As I looked at the two of them in the temple, I thought of what she had written and I realized the truth of what she had said. You see, we really are all in this together. Yes, right now we are training for a marathon, but in the race of life we are training for something much bigger and much greater. We are running to win the greatest prize of all, the prize of eternal life.

As I looked at my two friends, they never looked more beautiful to me than they did right then, standing in the temple dressed in white . How grateful I am to know that I am not alone in this race of life. I am not only running along side my loving and devoted husband, I am also running with angels, some that I am trying to recruit, some that are running by my side, and others who I am following from behind. Angels who are here in my life right now for a specific purpose and others who have ran by my side through miles of intense rain, snow, and even the brisk winds of trial and suffering. In fact, I'm pretty sure some have even carried me for a time. Just as it has with all of my other "running buddies", the time will eventually come in our lives that our mortal paths will diverge into different directions, but I know that as long as we continue our "training" that one day we will cross the victory line together. But until then, I will continue my race, praying to get better with time, and daily thanking the Lord for all the angels in my life, those who are running beside me, and those who are cheering me on from the finish line.

Big Sister

I walked into the bedroom and found Makayla stripped down to nothing because Hailey had decided to change her diaper.

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

While Cory's parents were here last week, Cory took me on an afternoon date to the "mountains". This place is BEAUTIFUL!! It is a park that is made specifically for road and trail hiking, biking, walking, and running. It is one of our favorite places around here. I have been biking and running on the roads but I've never been biking on the trails before. It was a first for me and I absolutely LOVED it!!! We had such a great time doing it together. Cory is actually really good at it. He and some of his friends go mountain biking at least once or twice a week together. He just loves biking period. He likes to road bike but recently he has become a huge fan of mountain biking. I wanted to see what it was all about. It is actually probably the most extreme sport I've ever done on land ( sky coasting and parasailing are the most extreme sports I've done), although I guess skiing can be an extreme sport for some, and I guess last year our date night on the Harley while I was pregnant was pretty extreme and probably completely crazy of me (although, it is one of my favorite memories ever). Anyways, it was such a fun date for us.

On Saturday, Cory and I took the girls back to this same spot to ride on the "roads" (paved trails) that wind through the "mountains" (more like huge hills but they are absolutely beautiful and covered with pine trees and deer). We decided to leave Makayla home with Grandma and Grandpa (the babies usually ride together in a bike trailer that Cory pulls), but it was so weird not having her with us. It's so funny how our family of five that used to feel so big, feels so small and incomplete without our little Makayla. I so look forward to the day when our family of six will be reunited and complete with seven, our perfect little Clairisa. In fact, did you know that in Hebrew the number seven is symbolic for complete and whole? Pretty cool, huh? Our family biking trip was the perfect way to spend the last day of 2011. It was a great year for us, and we are looking forward to another wonderful year in 2012. One filled with more memories, moments, and milestones that will not only matter, but that will mold us into the kind of people that we want to become. Here's to a wonderful 2012!

Five and a Half Months

She is rolling over like crazy! Last night while I was cooking dinner, she rolled over and over from one side of the kitchen to the other. It was hilarious. She is such a joy in my life. I love her like crazy!!! I took these pictures yesterday during the day. She had been so quiet in her crib so I thought she'd fallen asleep. When I went in to check on her she had spit up all over her face but looked up at me with the most precious smile ever. I tried to capture it, but of course the pictures just don't do the moment justice.

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was wonderful for our family. One of the best parts was getting to spend it with Grandma and Grandpa Mann. It was so much fun to share our traditions with them and create the spirit and magic of Christmas together. It was a year that we will never forget. Of course, I wish I would've captured more of it on camera, but here is a little glimpse through a couple of pictures I did take.

Makayla created an instant bond with Grandpa. He can put her to sleep like nobody else can. It was so sweet to see her face light up when she saw him. He is such a sweet Grandpa and I am constantly amazed with how incredible he is with babies. I have yet to meet a baby that doesn't fall head over heels for him (and vice versa) :)
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Not the best picture of my Christmas dinner table, but I wanted to get a shot of the BEAUTIFUL new plates that my mom and dad gave me for Christmas. I LOVE them. Not only do I love the design, but I also love that they are Correll, which means they are durable and shatter resistant. The perfect plate set for our family. When my mom was here helping with Makayla, I had told her how much I love that my girls know how to do the dishes and load/unload the dishwasher BUT through the process of learning, my 8 piece plate set has dwindled to 5. So, not only did she send me durable beautiful plates, she also get me a set of 12. No, we are not going to have a family of 12 ( I would definitely have to be checked into a mental hospital..that many children takes a special woman...like you Tasha) but we do love to have company for dinner quite often and we also REALLY need some backups. :)
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Our Ride on the Polar Express

Four Months

Although Makayla has the most sensitive tummy EVER (yes, I'm still totally deprived of milk, cheese, ice cream, chocolate, broccoli, etc), she is such a sweet and happy baby. I'm LOVING every stage she is going through. I've decided not to introduce her to baby food until she is six months. I'm hoping it will give her a little more time to grow out of her food sensitivities.

Hailey is spelt T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Green Smoothies

Have you heard of these? Basically you fill your blender with spinach, frozen fruit, and water. Mix it all together for a super healthy drink. I was totally suprised by how much better tasting it was than I thought it would be. But, I was even more surprised by how much Hailey loved it.

Halloween Pictures

I'm trying to update my blog. It has seriously been suffering lately. So, I'm going all the way back to October to catch up on pictures.

Living with Gratitude

The other week we had some major septic issues in our home. When we moved in this home (almost 3 years ago) we were not given any specific directions on how to take care of a septic tank (although, in the last week I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about them). On Sunday night, as I was washing dishes after dinner and running the washer (Makayla had a MAJOR blow out diaper), the toilets started bubbling. The girls ran in and told me that something weird was happening in the bathroom. The next thing I know Cory is running in telling me to turn the water off because we had gray water filling our bathtubs. Yes, it was totally disgusting. At that point, we stopped using all our toilets, showers, washers, etc for the next three days. The reason we waited so long before it was fixed was because Monday morning we were told by a plumber that he was getting calls like crazy in our area. He said that because it had been raining non-stop for the last 2-3 days, the ground was super saturated and it was causing lots of issues for homes with septic tanks. He told us to wait until it stopped raining and then our issue would go away. Well we waited...and waited...until we just couldn't stand it any longer. The plumber who came out told us that our 1000 gallon tank was filled with 1200 gallons of sewage. He pumped our tank, cleared our drains, and we were good to go.

Yes, it was a total inconveniance but it was so much more than that. It became a lesson to always remember. Not a lesson on septic tanks, a lesson on gratitude and thanksgiving. I don't think it was a coincidence that this all happened around Thanksgiving week. Because you see, of all the many many lectures I have given my children on having an "attitude of gratitude" there are none that have made such a lasting and impressionable impact as this one. But, the greatest lesson was not the one learned by my children. It was the one taught to me.

On Sunday night, we loaded up all the girls into the van to take a trip to the church so that we could all go to the bathroom and brush our teeth for the night. As we were driving, I was totally feeling discouraged and down thinking about how I was ever going to be able to live without a septic system. As these pessimistic thoughts were overwhelming my mind, Katelund's voice pulled me back as she sweetly said to Cloey, "you know what song keeps going through my mind? Count Your Many Blessings." Then Cloey said, "Let's sing it." So they did. I was completely humbled. My children say and do a lot of naughty and impolite things at times, but then there are those other times....times when all of the sudden time stands still as a watch and listen in awe as they they do and/or say something amazing. So amazing that I wonder if during those sweet priceless moments, the Spirit is just pouring through their pure little hearts and inspiring them to say exactly what my troubled heart needs to hear. As their angelic little voices sang the words of the hymn, my mind and heart felt more peace than it had in a long time. It was then that I knew and realized how much I had to be grateful for.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning. After spending all day Monday running to grocery stores to use the bathroom and bathing myself and my children at a friend's house, I was feeling discouraged and pessimistic once again. As I immersed myself in the scriptures and tried to ignore the piles of dirty clothes and dishes and the sewer smell that was starting to take over our house, I came across the scripture about Elijah and how he will turn the hearts of the children to their fathers. It was at this point that the Spirit began to work on me once more. My thoughts turned to my ancestors. I thought about my 5th great grandma and the life she lived in hiding because of polygomy. I thought of another grandma and how she gave up everything in order to come to Zion. The stories that have brought strength to me through the years began to flow over and over in my mind as I began to see my circumstances in a new light. A light that made me feel completely weak, pathetic, and spoiled. I am, after all, the descendant of women who have gone through situations and circumstances that I can't even imagine. At this point, I knew what I needed to do. I got up and got busy. I took my dishes outside and washed them in the freezing rain. I cleaned up the best that I could and put a smile on my face. All though I have always loved that scripture because of its powerful message of prophecy being fulfilled in our day through the Spirit of Elijah, it now has personally found its way to my heart. I am a descendant of so many courageous men and women who lived hard lives and did things that seem almost impossible. As I turn my heart to all of my grandmothers who have lived lives of obedience, honor, courage, and faith, I find a greater desire to be true to the family name I bear. Just like them, I can also do hard things, and all things through Christ who strengthens me. My hard things don't even seem to compare to theirs, but just the same, together we stand fighting for our families, our children, and our faith....even if we stand decades and centuries apart.

This Thanksgiving, I learned what it really means to live with gratitude. Gratitude for children who speak the words of angels. Gratitude for ancestors whose lives and testimonies echo in my heart and stand as pillars of strength and courage in my life. Gratitude for friends who are so willing to serve and open their homes to my family. Gratitude for the Lord and the way that he teaches me so patiently, purposefully, and perfectly.

Conversations I don't want to forget....

After a family night on charity a couple weeks ago, Katelund told me that she had a great example of charity from that day. We have been talking a lot lately about the importance of choosing good friends. I tell my girls that choosing friends reminds me of how I eat a box of chocolates. I always take a little bit out of them to see what's in the middle so that I will know if I want to eat it or not. If I don't like what's in the middle then I put it back and don't eat it. I then told them as they get to know their friends they will begin to see what they are really like on the inside. If they discover that what is inside of that friend isn't that great or sweet, then they should not be friends with them. They have to be nice to everyone but they should always carefully choose their friends. Anyways, Katelund has a friend that she has really wanted to be friends with but she said that she isn't always nice to the other girls at recess. So Katelund had the following conversation with her...

Katelund: "I've decided that I don't really like you, but I am still going to try and be your friend."
friend: "Ok, I guess I can live with that."

If only we could all be that honest and humble.
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Here is a conversation that happened later that night with Cloey...

Cloey: "Mommy, I have a really big problem"`
Me: "What is it?"
Cloey: "I don't like Lance anymore (Lance is in Cloey's primary class at church), but I really like another boy in my class. He is so nice, smart, and he never gets in trouble, just like me. I really want to marry him someday.....BUT (at this point she lowered her head) he can't take me to the temple.
Me: "That is a really big problem. What are you going to do?"
Cloey: "Well, I'm not going to marry him."
Me: "Good choice. It's a good thing that you're only six and you have plenty of time to find a boy who is just as nice and smart and who can take you to the temple someday."
Cloey: "And if I don't find someone, then I guess I'll just marry Lance."

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Me: "Katelund, do you like the taste of spaghetti sauce on your broccoli?" (she kept dipping them in her sauce)
Katelund: "I am making them fall trees."

How clever is that?!

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And since Hailey refuses to talk, I'll tell you the funny thing she was doing this morning. I guess she was getting bored and needed a challenge (I'm nipping the whole climbing thing in the bud...at least trying to) so she started walking all around the house with her eyes closed. When she would bump into things she would start laughing hysterically.

Pictures and No Pictures

Over the last two months I have been horrible about posting pictures and keeping my blog updated. So, here is a quick recap of pictures on my phone. Unfortunately, there were a lot of events that I didn't take pictures of but I still want to remember, so I'll give a quick recap of those as well (yes, quick and short...I promise I can do it).

My girls look pretty wild in this pictures, but I had to have one on here of "Aunt Stepi" (that's what they used to call her when we lived in Fayetteville).

Cory was in charge of our family night treat while Stefani was here. This is what he came up with. SERIOUSLY??!! Who is this guy? Just when I think I can out do him at something, he surprises me yet again. :)

This is the picture Stefani and I put together to "pin" on pinterest...but, then we realized how lame it would be to actually pin your own thing. We had a lot of fun setting up the "scenery". This was actually some of my homemade wheat bread that we gave to my friend's husband for stitching Stefani's finger up after she sliced it at our house.

Cory's parents just couldn't resist driving out here to visit Lily and their other grandkids....and maybe to see us too, then again maybe not....:)

Lily and Makayla are just weeks apart from each other. Their due dates were actually one day apart though. Apparently, none of my children like to come down to earth unless they can come down with a cousin.

Big sister taking care of the babies.

Hailey LOVES Makayla (a little too much!).

We had a family ward temple trip in October down to our temple in Atlanta. The primary had activities for the primary age children in the stake center while the adults and youth did sessions in the temple. When we first got there, I walked into the primary room to find my girls and another family's children all sitting in the chairs they'd set out and singing "Praise to the Man" together. It was the sweetest thing ever! Especially because they had decided to do it all on their own.

This is a love letter Katelund wrote to a little boy in her class.

Here is a picture of the handout I made for the Visiting Teaching Conference I did at the end of October. I wish I would've gotten pictures at the actual conference...but I guess I was too busy enjoying it.

Other things that I didn't take pictures of....

-I actually did the whole Breaking Dawn at midnight thing with a bunch of my friends. I've never gone to a midnight showing before, so I decided to do it for the last one. I'm so glad I did. The show itself was okay, but my favorite part was just being with the girls. Since we had to be there so stinking early beforehand, my friend Jenae and I, ran 3 miles around the movie theatre parking lot. It was a great way to wake myself up.

-For Halloween, we went over to a friend's house and did our traditional chili dinner with about 5 other families before the trick or treating. Then the kids went around while the adults all sat around their outdoor fire pit and hung out together. It was such a fun night!!

-For Thanksgiving, we actually didn't have any family this year so we invited three families and a man from our ward. I REALLY wish I would've taken pictures. The day started off great with my annual "Turkey Trot" (not an official one) with 3 of my friends. We ran about 5 miles...just enough to take away the guilt of all the pie we would eat. Then Cory went and played football at the ward Turkey Bowl. Cory and I cooked the turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and bought a pecan pie. Then everyone else brought two sides and a pie. We had DELICIOUS food and even better company.

-Then this last week we had a lesson in gratitude, but that is a whole other post....coming soon.

-Oh, and one more thing, Makayla is officially sleeping through the night!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

Process vs. Product

Growing up, Saturday was our chore day. Even if we spent the night at a friend's house, we always had to be home by 7 am so that we could do our Saturday chores as a family. We worked until at least noon and then we were free to play with friends, or whatever else we wanted to do. Although at the time I HATED this Saturday tradition, as I look back on it now I think it was one of the best traditions we had. Me, my sisters, and my parents would clean out and organize the garage, pull weeds in the garden, scrub the bathrooms, mow the lawn, paint the house, etc. We worked hard and accomplished a lot.........at least that's how I remember it.

Now fast forward to my life as a mother with children who are old enough to work. Seriously, Mom and Dad, how did you do it??!! Teaching children to work is not only hard work it also requires A LOT of patience, long-suffering, repitition, consistancy, and endurance. Disciplining is hard, but I think that teaching your children how to work is even harder. But, it is worth all the effort it takes (I need to remind myself of that every single day!!).

This last Saturday evening, after our chores were done, we decided to build a camp fire in our homemade backyard fire pit and roast marshmallows. Cory told the girls that they needed to go and help him break branches from the big pile of tree limbs that he had trimmed off our trees over the summer. I was in my bedroom feeding Makayla and as I looked out the window to watch my girls "working" with their Daddy, I started laughing. There was Cory breaking and cutting up wood while the girls were making leaf piles and running and jumping into them. Although part of me wanted to open the window and tell the girls to get back to work, I didn't. Instead, I just enjoyed the moment. I watched with fondness as they played with one another, laughed together, and even taught Hailey how to make an angel in the leaves. They were ten of the best minutes of my day.

Although they had only broken up a handful of branches, they had so much fun "working". As we sat around the campfire later that night, they proudly talked about all of the branches that they had helped break apart. The words of the kindergarten teacher that mentored me as I did my student teaching came to my mind. One day as we were looking at the finished products of one of the art projects I had come up with, I commented about how horrible they looked and that I guess that project was a failure. She then said, "Melissa, it is the process that matters most, not the product." Those words have become a life lesson for me over and over again through the last seven years.

So much of what we teach and do as parents end with a product that may at times seem like a failure. The "scrubbed" bathtub that is not even close to clean, the silverware put away in the wrong slots, the bedroom that is clean until you look under the bed, and the "clean" windows that now have more streaks than when they were dirty. But then there are moments, within the painful process of teaching, that the real lessons are learned and when the true measures of success are realized. Moments of clarity when all of the sudden the task to be accomplished is overshadowed and insignificant as you see what is truly happening in the process.

I'm sure that as I worked all of those many Saturdays growing up, that the jobs that I did were not even close to what my parents hoped for or expected. But nonetheless, within the recesses of my memory I can still see me "working" alongside my family to fix every problem that needed fixing and every job that needed doing. And in the process, we learned the most important lesson. The lesson that cannot be taught with words or lectures...because it is the lesson of love. The love that binds a family together. Growing up, we had that kind of love within our family, and we still have it today. This is the lesson that I want my children to learn. The people that we become, the product of our existance here on earth, will never be complete in mortality. But, the processes we go through, the lessons we learn along the way, are the ones that will determine the success or failure of the finished product.

7 Things That Every Mother Needs...

1. two mothers (my own and my mother-in-law) who continually teach, love, and support me from hundreds of miles.

2. a husband who will sit with all four of your children for two hours of stake conference so that you can sit on the stand and be part of the choir. This is one of MANY things that he is constantly doing for me and our children. Although he's not perfect, he's perfectly what I need.

3. A friend to run with at 5:30 in the morning. Seriously, it is so therapeutic (mentally, emotionally, and physically). I look forward to my morning runs because I love to be with Jenae and because I am always so much more productive on days that I run.

4. Sisters who somehow always know when I need them (even though the closest one to me is 12 hours away). The other day I had one of those pity party days. The kind where I spent the day griping at my children and husband because I am sick of cleaning up everyone else's messes. I was also just feeling so inadequate and inferior in so many ways. Like I said, a major pity party. Little did I know that my sister had been working on this project for school all about me. She sent it to my email last night. As I watched it I just cried and cried. How did she know that I needed something like that? Because she is my sister and somehow she just always knows.

5. chocolate....except when you can't eat it! AHHHHHH!!! Can you tell that I'm still in withdrawls?! I'm actually doing okay without it (most days). It's a good thing I can still drink diet coke. :) I am learning so many things through this diet, but the greatest thing I'm learning is self control and self discipline. Two things that I really need to improve on.

6. A baby to kiss. I keep telling everyone that I am done having children, but then there is this other part of my heart that just can't imagine not ever having another sweet precious baby again. It is almost too hard to even think about. But, I'm pretty maxed out at this point so I guess I'll just keep enjoying this beautiful baby girl that is the toughest baby I've ever had. You'd think she was my first baby because she is SO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than any of my other children.

7. Christmas music. Yep, I've already started listening to it and oh man it seriously makes all my mundane chores so much more exciting! I'm LOVING the beautiful music filling my home (I'm listening to the David Archuleta Holiday radio on Pandora) and the BEAUTIFUL fall colors out my window. I LOVE this time of year!!!

More

Cory and I trade off singing to our girls at bedtime. Each time one of us sings them to sleep, one song is never enough. It never fails, they will always ask for "one more song please". On Saturday night, after getting the girls to bed late, I was really trying to get away with just one song, but of course the all familiar pleading began for "just one more". So I did. I sang my all-time favorite songs. By the time I got to the second verse of How Great Thou Art, both girls were asleep. At this point, I usually just stop singing and quietly leave the room. But this time I didn't. I continued singing just a little bit more. As I sang, I stroked Katelund's hair and wondered where the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday she was a two year old running in circles around our living room floor. Then my thoughts went to the future as I realized that before too long she would no longer be wanting me to sing her to sleep or tuck her in at night. My singing then turned to pleading as I prayed for just a little more time. More time for her to just be a little girl. More time for me to teach her all the things that I need to teach her. More time to be silly with her, listen to her, comfort her, protect her, and learn from her.

More time for me to become the kind of mother that she needs me to be.

Yesterday in stake conference, I was part of the stake choir. One of the songs that we sang was More Holiness Give Me. As I sang the words to the song, I realized that the song I was singing was exactly what I was feeling inside throughout the entire conference weekend. Yes, there were some AMAZING talks (especially from our visiting General Authority), but it was even more than that. My heart was pricked over and over again as I not only heard the beautiful words of the speakers but also the powerful and humbling words of the Holy Ghost as he spoke to my mind and heart the exact words that I needed to hear. As I continued singing with the choir, I began to sing with more intensity and more feeling. The words that I sang became the prayer of my heart. Today, the words to that song are still singing within my soul as I plead for more holiness, more faith, more love, more freedom from earth stains, more strivings within, and...

...more time to become the kind of Christian that He needs me to be.

As we enter into the holiday season, I am filled with great hope. Not for more yummy holiday food (with my no dairy diet, I will miss out on all my favorites this year), not for more presents at Christmas (4 kids=no presents for me), and not for more family in our home (sob, sob no one is coming here and since this is super busy time for Cory, we aren't going anywhere either). I am filled with hope for more love in our home, more gratitude in my heart, and...

... more of my time filled with moments that will truly matter.

Love it!

A conversation after school today...

Cloey: "There is a new boy at school and today on the bus he told me that he wants to marry me."

Katelund: "Man, what is up with boys these days?!"

What I've Been Up To

Last week I got to spend time with one of my favorite people in the whole world, Stefani (Cory's baby sister) AND her beautiful baby, Lily. Lily and Makayla are only 3 weeks apart, so it was really fun doing the whole baby thing together. I can still see Stefani as that little 6 year old girl that was my best friend's little sister. I loved the time we spent in Fayetteville because I got to know her as a teenager. I seriously fell in love with her! She has a heart of gold!! I loved that girl so much and I haven't really gotten to spend a lot of time with her since then, which has been like six years. Having her in our home for a week was so WONDERFUL!!! Cory and I just kept saying over and over how much we love her and how much we are HOPING that her husband goes to med school out here in Tennessee (that's why they were out here) so that we will only be a couple hours away. It was amazing, while she was here my flaundry would somehow just fold on its own. I'd leave the room with a basket full of laundry on my bed and when I'd come back to it, it was already folded. That's just who Stefani is. One day she told me to just leave and go to the store on my own. Although I didn't leave Makayla, I really could have and not even worried. Stefani has such an amazing gift. She has always been SO GOOD with children. When we lived in Fayetteville, she would go and sit with women who were sitting alone with their children because their husbands were deployed. She saw a need and she would immediately act upon it. Someday when I grow up, I want to be like Stefani!!
We also had lots of laughs. One of the things that was consistent with almost every conversation we had was the sentence, "I saw it on Pinterest". So, after one of my friend's husband stitched up Stefani's finger (she sliced it open slicing apples) we made some bread to say thank you. But not only did we make bread, we also made up a cute saying, put some ribbon on it and created a "photo shoot" so we could put it on pinterest. Afterwards, we realized how lame that really was but we had a lot of fun doing it. She has been gone for a week now, and I am still having withdrawls. We had such a great time.

*Last Thursday was our ward's visiting teaching conference. I am the VT coordinator right now so this was my baby. I loved doing it and had a lot of fun with it. My theme was all centered around a s'more. I made up a whole analogy with a s'more and visiting teaching. We had the activity outside in our Bishop's backyard. We sat around a camp fire in snuggled up in our sweatshirts and blankets and listened to great talks by our RS president and Bishop. I wish I had taken some pictures. Two of my good friends helped me decorate with Christmas lights and outdoor lanterns. I do have one picture I'll post below of the handout I passed out the Sunday before.

*A couple of months ago, a girl moved into our ward. She had me at hello. Just kidding. But really, have you ever seen someone for the first time and just knew that you would be friends? That's how I felt about her. She has become such a great friend and I LOVE being with her. We have been meeting every morning REALLY early (this morning we met at 5:30) to run together. I never thought I would enjoy running so much, but it is so fun to run and talk with her. We have decided to do a half marathon in Feb. and then a full marathon in April. Crazy, right? I just have to do a full one. It's for my Grandpa Black. He ran MANY marathons in his life and after he passed away, I decided that since he can't run anymore (although maybe he does in the Spirit World) that I'll run for him. I am by no means a runner. Just a girl who loves her grandpa and loves a challenge, especially when I'm doing it with friends. We are trying to get a big group together to do it. Wanna do it with us? Fly out to Nashville in April. There's actually a country music concert every mile and then a big one at the end. It's going to be so much fun. Hopefully I don't kill myself getting there. We are up to 6 and a quarter or so miles each morning. Now I just have to be able to do four times that. Whew. I can do hard things. I can do hard things. :)

*Halloween was great! We had so much fun celebrating it with a bunch of family friends last night. I think Cory went a little over board on the girl's makeup but they liked it and so I guess that's all that matters. They were WAY TOO scary for me!! I'm all about the princess costume but they really wanted to be a spider witch and a vampire (this year we just re-used past costumes). But, my mind is already reeling for next year and I think I'm actually going to go all out next year with hand sewn family themed costumes like my sister-in-law, Amber, always does. You should see the one they did this year! She's amazing. Why do I have to have such incredible sisters and sisters-in-law. They just make me look so bad!!! Oh well, I love them anyways.:)

So apparently, I still need to upload my pics. They'll be coming soon, I've got to get off this computer and get some stuff done.