I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ

One of the wonderful things that happened this month was a baptism in our family. Audrey was baptized on December 5th and she was so excited! In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe you reach the age of accountability at 8 so we don’t baptize our babies, the usual age is 8.

We are so proud of her. What a wonderful example she has been for her younger sisters!

As we went through the process of getting her ready, I was surprised at how much she already knew. She had an interview with our bishop and she had no problem answering the questions he had for her. I often worry if I am doing enough to teach her and help her recognize the Holy Ghost in her life and know the Gospel as well as she can at this young age. After her baptism and everything, I realized she knows and she tries to do the best she can. I had the epiphany that it doesn’t matter if you are 8 or 45 when you are baptized, you know very little about the Gospel. All you need is the confirmation from the Holy Ghost and faith that what you are doing pleases God. There is time after to learn more as we all are throughout this life and if we remain worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, he will help us learn and know truth. baptism is not something we do AFTER we know everything. Baptism is the opening of the windows of Heaven, showering us with knowledge and truth. We just have to be willing to receive it.  I know that Audrey is willing to receive it. I see it in her eyes when she talks about her baptism, when she gets ready for church and when we talk about the Gospel and Jesus Christ in our home.

  

It’s not everyday you get to be baptized with your BFF!

I know that I complain heavily about being a mom of girls or really just being a mom but I am very blessed! I don’t know what God saw in me that He was confident enough to send these beautiful souls to my care but I am humbled by this gift. These girls are a joy in my life and it’s moments like Audrey’s baptism that remind me of how truly blessed ElRey and I are as parents. I hope I can live up to what they deserve as a mom and an example. I fail often but somehow they still give me hugs and kisses and tell me they love me so I must be doing kinda okay.

After Audrey came out of the water (we baptize by immersion), Annie said, “Audrey! Are you okay?” If I had been near I would have said, “She’s more than okay! She’s better off than any of us here right now! Her soul is perfectly clean!”

Holy Cow It’s Christmas Already!

Well, if you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been around for a while. It just got to be too hard to do everything so it all fell to the wayside while I muscled through the last few weeks of school. This would include blogging, reading blogs, exercising, cooking, talking to my husband unless it involved crying-I always made time for crying, oh yeah, and being present in my children’s lives. I seemed to have plenty of time to stuff my face. Go figure. Get it?? Go figure?? Like my figure is going to Hell in a hand basket??? yeah….that’s not funny at all….pass the cookies…

Can I just say, I think it’s hilarious that a few of you thought that was my crack I posted a while ago! I love it! You know me so well! Maybe someday I will do what is expected of me-inappropriate partial nudity of yours truly- but for now I will leave it to the kids. Trust me, you’d know if it was me! I’m sure I would have a “Muffin-Top” WITH a thong involved, just to make it that much more comfortable for us all.

There has been many events this past month that I am excited to tell you about but some of them cannot be in the same post that I just created the above vision so I will wait on those. I do want to bring up a phenomenon that I do not understand.

Once a year something magical happens. Yes, that’s right all of our brothers and sisters who never leave their homes decide to leave the comforts of their caves to venture out for the month of December. It makes for a fun drive and an even more enjoyable shopping trip at Costco or our favorite place, Walmart. This is where they prove their awesome driving skills even more with a cart in a narrow aisle. Sure, it’s totally cool to completly stop and look at that Elvis snow globe and leave your cart in the middle of the aisle so NO ONE can pass you by so we can all enjoy the moment with you. Better yet why don’t you just cut across the busy aisle a nanosecond before I am right in front of you so I can attempt to stop my cart that is overloaded with Diet Coke, brownies, chips and the larger size of Calvin Klein’s because my butt is getting bigger and I don’t know why Christmas dinners for less fortunate families and Christmas gifts for all my neighbors. Then when I do get it stopped so I don’t run over you, you should stop and look at that new Sarah Palin book AND read the inside cover while I wait for you to move. No rush, I’ll wait.

The other day I was at Hell Walmart when I noticed a young couple smiling and giggling as they run about the store with birds frolicking about their love struck heads. As they looked at toys for no other reason than the girl was thinking “I bet he’s sooo great with kids! Look he’s looking at toys and he thinks that tea set is so cute! We’ll have at least 4 girls and he will spoil them and love them!” While he is thinking, “How long do I have to pretend I’m having fun looking at toys so she’ll make out with me?” All I could think was, “You’re on a date and you came here? On purpose?” All the while wishing I could climb to the top of this Walmart and dive off just to save myself the agony of..dun, dun, dun….the dreaded checkout line.

On any other day of the year these places are crowded and I have to deal with traffic but it seems as though from December 1st till Christmas day, the population doubles, nay, triples (did you notice I used the word ‘nay’?? School is totally making me smarter!)! I really don’t get it. I’m beginning to think either pod-people who deal in an underground city unknown to all of us come out shopping because even though they live in the sewers, they need bath gift-sets and Christmas towels, and stocking stuffers too, or it’s like the Wendover bus where people are shipped in from all over to do their shopping here.

I’m pretty sure it was the first one.

I give up!

 

Why is it no matter my effort to avoid this, this is what I see all day?

Either this child has too much crack or clothing designers need to rethink their patterns…

i don’t even have the energy or brainpower to come up with a title…or capitalize….

 

I’m tired. But it’s the Biggest Loser Finale and that is important stuff to stay awake for. School is killing me but I have one week left and maybe I can enjoy some blogging again…..after I sleep some…..

 

 

 

 

 

It’s kinda almost still Tuesday….kinda

So, I’m a little late! I sat here doing homework for about 6 hours straight so my bottom needed a little rest. So I sat on the sofa for a few hours. It’s always good to cross-train.

Click on the above Post it to join the fun!

 

      

Have a nice Tuesday. Or early Wednesday. Whatever.

This would be why ElRey and Mindi walk around like zombies all the time:

For weeks our youngest has been struggling with sleeping. She’s 2, she should’ve had this figured out a long time ago. For some unknown reason, she wakes up several times a night. I’m pretty sure she waits until she hears snoring and that’s when the screaming commences. Again.

Let me take you on a trip. A trip of our night life. Oh yeah, it’s hot!

12am: I am just getting to bed. Some nights I amaze myself (and ElRey) and get to bed by 10:30. By this time Elrey has usually been asleep for 2-3 hours at this point.

1am: I have finally dozed off and the screaming begins. One of us goes and gets her and *gasp* bring her into bed with us. All in an attempt to keep other small people sleeping and maybe get a little of that ourselves.

1:05am: The crying for water begins.

1:15am: I am laying in soggy sheets because the stupid piece of crap sippy cup leaked.

1:25am: A small foot in someone’s unmentionables.

1:37am: A slap in the face by a small hand.

2am: One of us takes her back to her bed (usually ElRey, because he’s pretty awesome).

2:15am: More screaming.

2:17am: A strong desire to put a fist through the wall fills our bedroom.

2:18am: Child is back in our bed.

2:25am: I am laying in soggier sheets because the stupid piece of crap diapers she wears can’t hold what she gives it.

2:26am: Swear words, the smell of urine and stale farts fill our bedroom. I will only claim the swear words willingly.

3am: Another attempt to put her in her bed(probably by ElRey again-I’m telling you, he rocks!).

4am: Again with the crying, dammit.

At this point I pretty much give up on sleep because I am desperate to get to the gym to get on with ‘damage control’ from the past couple weeks of debauchery. This is when I lay there thinking of how in the world am I going to take care of this:

And this:

And this room of fun:

And these cute things(I have an extra one for a couple days):

And all this (note the small hand getting in the way, a sign of how that may actually go…):

How much of this will be ingested to help me through it:

   

How much of this will be taken to keep that migraine at bay:

All without the aid of this, which died this weekend:

All because of this:

  

I know you are way jealous of my life. But it’s mine! You can’t have it! Now go get on with your rested life, I gotta get back to being a zombie.