Happy 25th Birthday to My Wonderful Husband!

Happy Birthday Nathan!  Just so you all know, I am married to the best man.  We have been married for a little over three years now and they have been the best three years of my life. 

I realized most all of our pictures are of the kids but here is a sweet one of him and Anna.  I love it because it reminds me of what a great father he is.  I also couldn't ask for a better husband who is always supportive of me and always putting me first(hopefully I can become more like him).  I am also grateful for his faith and devotion to the Gospel and his Savior.   I love my husband!

We went bowling today which Anna absolutely loved until she got tired and everybody started screaming so we went home for nap time.  Nathan had to work tonight so we didn't even have his cake yet. But he did convince me to let him open his present this morning.  He got some new hunting gear.  Not too eventful since it was in the middle of the week, but a fun day.

My Big Helpers

My children don't play with their toys very much but yes, they love to help me!

Anna helping me make laundry soap.

Apparently he needed a diaper change.

At least she shares the stick of butter with her brother.

They LOVE to help me clean out the fridge.

They are helping me make pizza crust.


I love my kids!

Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

So last night was a crazy one! My husband works in the evenings right now so I am on my own with the kids during the fussy time ;) Last night I laid down on the couch to try and get rid of my headache while the kids were playing and watching a movie. While I was resting Anna came up and said "change Joshua's poo poo." I told her just a minute. About 5 minutes later she tells me again so I get myself up and Joshua had pooped and somehow managed to smear it all over the living room, on the couches and rug. I threw the kids in the bath and got them dresses. We had a Relief Society dinner to go to in an hour so I attempted to try and clean up but everyone was so whiny so I got everyone in the car and we just left and drove around until it started.

When we got there my kids were so fussy and both of them are very attached to me and wouldn't go to nursery without crying like they were being tortured. I was about to leave half way through but I had wonderful friends who pulled out awesome snacks and crayons to try to distract for a little longer and keep me there. (oh, and Anna wet her panties in the car seat on the way there and all I had was an extra pull up.) I am surprised they didn't kick me out of the meeting! I came home to a house turned upside down with dirty dishes and never ending poop and pee. Finally I quickly got the kids in bed and did a massive clean until midnight. My husband came home to laugh and sympathize with my situation.

Now people at church probably think I am crazy but really, that was just a bad night. My children are only 16 months apart and I often get comments like "isn't that hard?" or "I'm so sorry." My answer is of coarse" it is HARD,' but nothing worth having comes easy. I find it interesting that people are so concerned about trying to avoid "hard work" that they often miss out on some of life's greatest blessings and opportunities to become better. I have never once envied a person who didn't work hard. The best people I know are hard workers. It is a blessing to work and should we really expect every thing in life to come easy?

I love my children with all my heart (even on the hard days) and I will not choose to stop having children because I think it will be to "hard." What a selfish thing that would be on my part.

F. David Stanley said in the April 1993 General Conference session "Hard work is a blessing of God. It involves going after it “with all your heart, might, mind and strength.” (D&C 4:2.) That alone is the difference between the average and the excellent."

So to all those that wonder, yes, it is sometimes hard, but oh it is worth it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

The Best Cookies Ever!

These are the best cookies ever! I must give credit to Barbara Hart from Allrecipes, Thank you!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon salt, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture.
2. Drain cherries, reserving 1-1/2 teaspoons juice. Pat cherries dry. Shape 1 tablespoon of dough around each cherry. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on wire racks.
3. For frosting, in a saucepan, heat chocolate chips and milk until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Add reserved cherry juice and remaining salt. Frost cookies.

Enjoy!

A Consecrated Life

True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes (see John 17:1, 4; D&C 19:19). In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny. (Reflections on a Consecrated Life- D. Todd Christofferson- October 2010 General Conference)

I absolutely loved this talk by Elder Christofferson last General Conference. My daily goal is to consecrate my will to my Savior's and allow him to guide my life and help me to become like him.

Everything we have is actually something that our Savior has first given us. The only thing we can truly give him that is our own is our will and our lives. I love my Savior with all of my heart and desire to please him more than anything. My Savior and my Father in Heaven know me better than anyone including myself and know what is best for me. This is something we must each truly come to know for ourselves to be able to give our wills to Him.

Elder B. H. Roberts once expressed the process in these words: “The man who so walks in the light and wisdom and power of God, will at the last, by the very force of association, make the light and wisdom and power of God his own—weaving those bright rays into a chain divine, linking himself forever to God and God to him. This [is] the sum of Messiah’s mystic words, ‘Thou, Father, in me, and I in thee’—beyond this human greatness cannot achieve.” (Reflections on a Consecrated Life- D. Todd Christofferson- October 2010 General Conference)

^{Every time I give something to the Lord no matter how hard it might be I feel this great light and wisdom and power of God that is talked about. Each time it becomes easier because I learn to trust in my Savior. I have always felt a strong need to be in control of my life and not knowing what might happen in the future can sometimes drive me crazy but I am slowing realizing the power of God in His ultimate wisdom. I know this will be something I will work on for a lifetime and there will be many instances in my life where the Lord will test my devotion to him. But I will give everything to him and find the greatest joy!}

Those who believe that our bodies are nothing more than the result of evolutionary chance will feel no accountability to God or anyone else for what they do with or to their body. We who have a witness of the broader reality of premortal, mortal, and postmortal eternity, however, must acknowledge that we have a duty to God with respect to this crowning achievement of His physical creation. In Paul’s words:

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

(Reflections on a Consecrated Life- D. Todd Christofferson- October 2010 General Conference)

Our bodies are so sacred. We must honor them! We must present our bodies in sacred and holy ways so that we can obtain the constant companion of the Holy Ghost and stand as witnesses of Christ in all things!

I know that consecrating our hearts is a lifetime pursuit but the blessings and joy we receive from it will be beyond measure and comprehension.