Christmas 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Secrets....

Well, we're letting you in on a little secret we've been keeping for a few months now. We're having a baby! We wanted to surprise our families on Christmas so we haven't been able to tell anyone and it's been driving us all crazy! I am due on July 1st, and am 14 weeks right now. We are very excited and hoping, praying, crossing our fingers that it is a little boy, but whatever we get we will be thrilled. Durke's says because we want a boy so bad we'll get a little girl, but hey at least I'll have a lot of clothes.

Time flies when you're having fun...

Well, I think we've been having fun anyway. I looked at my blog today and realized I haven't posted anything since November 19th. Ugh! I'm becoming one of those once a month bloggers that make me crazy! (Sorry if you are one of those :) We have been so so busy, as I'm sure you all have been too. Even the people I talk to regularly I haven't talked to in a while. I'll chalk it up the happy holidays.

We had a great Thanksgiving down in St. George with my family. The girls loved staying in the hotel as usual. I think we could go to the Willowcreek Inn here in Ephraim and they would think it was a wonderful vacation. Durke got to ride his bike, after much whining and complaining about the rain, I finally had my prayers answered and the sun broke through for a few hours. Whew! I think we were both going to go crazy if he didn't get his ride! I got to ride horses with my girls, eat yummy food, and do the crazy Black Friday thing with my mom and sister. I think it's safe to say it was a great time had by all.

Last weekend, we went up to Salt Lake and rode "tracks" with the girls, went to the lights at temple square, and out to dinner. This wasn't quite the magical holiday tradition I had always remembered. Our girls were crazy, tracks was packed, and there were more people on the temple grounds than live in our entire town. I told Durke I've lived in Ephraim for way too long, too many people give me anxiety. Needless to say, it was good to be home and we can mark that off our check list of "Christmas musts".

In the meantime, I have finished my Christmas shopping, Hooray!;threw a Bonko bash, husbands and all, (boy am I glad that's over), went to my sister's baby's blessing, and a bunch of other things. Now on to Christmas cards!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. Here's to January and life slowing down!

I thought this was hilarious!

Funny conversation...

Gracie: Mom, what does it mean to "make sense"?
Me: Well, it means that you understand it or you think it's true.
Gracie: Laughs
Me: Why is that funny?
Gracie: Because it makes sense.

Mom Moment:
I ran me a much needed bath this morning and I really just wanted to soak. I had been in all of 30 seconds and in comes Gracie and Abi. Needless to say I didn't get to soak all by myself, and it was anything but relaxing. Oh well, chalk it up as a fun memory.

Picture Tag

I am finally getting around to the 4th picture in my 4th folder tag. I have kind of checked out of life lately, but I am finally getting around to the really important things! :)

I smiled when this was the picture I found. It was like 3 years ago and Gracie was so little. We were making sugar cookies and I was being brave and letting her have fun. We have flour everywhere, but it was fun. Isn't she so darn cute!

Time...

I have been thinking a lot lately about time and how precious each moment we have on Earth is. Yesterday we watched some of our friends bury their one-year old little boy. It was one of the hardest things I have ever seen let alone for them to be going through. I feel so sorry for them. They had so little time with their sweet little boy. I am so grateful for the knowledge we have of the plan of salvation and forever families. I know that this is what is helping them through this difficult time.

On Sunday in our Relief Society lesson there was a quote that has been on my mind; it is from the May 2008 conference talk that Elder Ballard gave, it was from the author Anna Quindlen, she said: "The biggest mistake I made (as a parent) is the one that most of us make...I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

I am starting to understand what it means to "live in the moment", and how important it really is. The most important thing we do in our lives is our how we treat those we love and the relationships we cultivate; not how clean our house is, or what we make for dinner, or how cute our house is decorated, or all the other things that we spend so much time worrying about.

I don't want to have any regrets when my kids are old. I want to remember all the little things, and I want them to remember how much I loved them. Because we never know how long we have here, I guess my challenge to you all is to live in the moment and enjoy all the little things in your lives that make it great.