Oh yeah, and I had a birthday in there. Good times.
So I haven't written in a month, and thought I should make up for it. Hahaha. This is another really long post. Guess I just can't change my wordy nature.
So I haven't written in a month, and thought I should make up for it. Hahaha. This is another really long post. Guess I just can't change my wordy nature.
Wedding
Well, we went to California for Rob and Michelle's wedding, and it was great.
Ummm.... didn't actually think they'd come out tiny like this. This must be because I'm not officially friends with their photographer on Facebook, and they come straight from her page. Well, you get the jist...
FlowersLol. I've been telling anyone who'll listen that I got to make this bouquet for Michelle, along with the boutonnieres, and she and I made the bridesmaids' bouquets together (mostly her). Facebook friends are, I'm sure, sick of hearing about it, but I just cannot tell you how much I enjoyed doing that for her. I wasn't sure I could do it, and except for a couple of mistakes, I did! I did some careful planning and tried to think how I'd put all the components together, tried to do it carefully, had to do some trial and error, and it worked!
Amazing satisfaction and joy. That's what it was.
I wish I were an author so I could express my feelings better. It means the world to me when people tell me I did a good job, but it's not just showing off--the discovery of a skill I proved to myself I do have, if not in a great degree, at least some?
Anyway. Babbling now. You'll just have to take my word for it. :)
Maybe I should have waited until I have access to big pictures? Probably.
There will be more then, anyway. For now, you can look at my Facebook page if we're friends on there.
So yeah, the wedding was stressful but fun. I can't believe how much I loved getting to play florist. I'm going to have to keep that filed away under "future possibilities." And did I mention how awesome it is to see a new family formed, and to see Rob & Michelle's happiness?
We recently saw a very interesting documentary called "Fat Head" that's an answer to "Super Size Me," or rather a rebuttal. I highly recommend watching it; it's entertaining but also amazingly informative and thought-provoking. Jason and I and our two good friends, Matt and Jina, watched it together on the Netflix instant queue and have been talking about it a lot ever since.
A quick summary would be that America in general has been fed a load of "bologna," as comedian and former health writer Tom Naughton, the producer and star of the film, calls it: basically, fat is not the enemy, if it's a good kind of fat. Americans consume WAY too many carbohydrates (i.e., grains--maybe they're not as healthy as we think, even whole wheat and such) and too much sugar, not to mention processed fats like corn oil that aren't found in nature, and this is what's making us fat. Exercise also plays an important part, of course.
Jason, Matt and Jina were all so intrigued by it that they've been cutting their carbs way back--Jason and I bought bacon for the first time in I don't know how long, and I don't know what we'll do with all the breakfast cereal he's now spurning--and all three of them say that they feel amazingly better, energetic, light, etc., and that they've lost weight. I haven't been following it as closely, but I'm very intrigued, and I would love to hear any other opinions. If you have Netflix, again, you can watch it instantly. I'm going to try a little harder on it this week, and I'll let you know if we see some big results.
Jamie has been kind of up and down lately, moody/fussiness-wise, but that's better than just being down. All in all, he's such a sweet and loving little guy, pretty obedient for the most part. The last few days when I've gone in to wake him up, he scrambles up as soon as he hears the door open, yells "Hi!!" and then says "Hi, mama!" He's talking up a storm now, and has become a little parrot, repeating practically everything we say. He loves crayons ("shash" -- he doesn't make "cuh" sounds yet), coloring books ("a-gur buh"), chocolate milk a.k.a. Instant Breakfast to fatten him up ("ah-get mill"), and smoothies ("bwadnah" -- no idea where he got that).
Some things he says very clearly, and he'll surprise me when he points to something and names it, and I don't know how he learned it, like "sweatshirt." He picks up on things even when we don't specifically go over it. He can say "shirt," "shorts," "knees," "elbow," and lots of other words clear as a bell. Oh, and the coolest thing is that since I made a sign with his name on it for his door, thanks to Sesame Street, he now can spell his name when you ask him to! He knows LOTS of letters and loves to say them whenever he sees them.
*****Just noticed the cat batting intently at something on the carpet. Went to investigate and found an earwig, NOT a scorpion. YAY. They haven't been as much a problem this year, so far.******
He likes to pray. We coach him, and he's gotten so he knows the rhythm, inserting things before we can tell him. It basically goes (our prompts, his repeat in brackets if they're different), "Father {fah-vor}, Please {meese} bless {bess} us. Thank you {beh-boo} for today {day}. Love mama, love dada, love Jesus {gee-gee}" and here's where he usually says "Gee-gee, a-main!" for "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
It's precious beyond belief, is what it is.
Jamie also likes to sing--He likes the la-la la-la la's of this classic song:
If I try to sing any other part of the song, he says, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" "What?" "La la laaa!" and then joins in the la-la's with me.
He also likes this classic LDS children's song:
Tradition goes that children in Primary bounce in their seats on the "-beam" parts of the song. We jump at our house. So during and after our singing, Jamie jumps around, going "suh-BING! Suh-BING!"
Jamie also loves nursery. He calls it "bubbo-zing" because he likes the bubbles they blow and singing time.
Life-Changing Challenge
A few years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was the prophet and president of our church at the time, asked the entire membership to read the Book of Mormon straight through before the end of the year--and I believe it was sometime in August when he said that. When he issued that challenge, in this {article}, he said:
New Diet
We recently saw a very interesting documentary called "Fat Head" that's an answer to "Super Size Me," or rather a rebuttal. I highly recommend watching it; it's entertaining but also amazingly informative and thought-provoking. Jason and I and our two good friends, Matt and Jina, watched it together on the Netflix instant queue and have been talking about it a lot ever since.
A quick summary would be that America in general has been fed a load of "bologna," as comedian and former health writer Tom Naughton, the producer and star of the film, calls it: basically, fat is not the enemy, if it's a good kind of fat. Americans consume WAY too many carbohydrates (i.e., grains--maybe they're not as healthy as we think, even whole wheat and such) and too much sugar, not to mention processed fats like corn oil that aren't found in nature, and this is what's making us fat. Exercise also plays an important part, of course.
Jason, Matt and Jina were all so intrigued by it that they've been cutting their carbs way back--Jason and I bought bacon for the first time in I don't know how long, and I don't know what we'll do with all the breakfast cereal he's now spurning--and all three of them say that they feel amazingly better, energetic, light, etc., and that they've lost weight. I haven't been following it as closely, but I'm very intrigued, and I would love to hear any other opinions. If you have Netflix, again, you can watch it instantly. I'm going to try a little harder on it this week, and I'll let you know if we see some big results.
Jamie
Jamie has been kind of up and down lately, moody/fussiness-wise, but that's better than just being down. All in all, he's such a sweet and loving little guy, pretty obedient for the most part. The last few days when I've gone in to wake him up, he scrambles up as soon as he hears the door open, yells "Hi!!" and then says "Hi, mama!" He's talking up a storm now, and has become a little parrot, repeating practically everything we say. He loves crayons ("shash" -- he doesn't make "cuh" sounds yet), coloring books ("a-gur buh"), chocolate milk a.k.a. Instant Breakfast to fatten him up ("ah-get mill"), and smoothies ("bwadnah" -- no idea where he got that).
Some things he says very clearly, and he'll surprise me when he points to something and names it, and I don't know how he learned it, like "sweatshirt." He picks up on things even when we don't specifically go over it. He can say "shirt," "shorts," "knees," "elbow," and lots of other words clear as a bell. Oh, and the coolest thing is that since I made a sign with his name on it for his door, thanks to Sesame Street, he now can spell his name when you ask him to! He knows LOTS of letters and loves to say them whenever he sees them.
*****Just noticed the cat batting intently at something on the carpet. Went to investigate and found an earwig, NOT a scorpion. YAY. They haven't been as much a problem this year, so far.******
He likes to pray. We coach him, and he's gotten so he knows the rhythm, inserting things before we can tell him. It basically goes (our prompts, his repeat in brackets if they're different), "Father {fah-vor}, Please {meese} bless {bess} us. Thank you {beh-boo} for today {day}. Love mama, love dada, love Jesus {gee-gee}" and here's where he usually says "Gee-gee, a-main!" for "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
It's precious beyond belief, is what it is.
Jamie also likes to sing--He likes the la-la la-la la's of this classic song:
If I try to sing any other part of the song, he says, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" "What?" "La la laaa!" and then joins in the la-la's with me.
He also likes this classic LDS children's song:
Tradition goes that children in Primary bounce in their seats on the "-beam" parts of the song. We jump at our house. So during and after our singing, Jamie jumps around, going "suh-BING! Suh-BING!"
Jamie also loves nursery. He calls it "bubbo-zing" because he likes the bubbles they blow and singing time.
Life-Changing Challenge
A few years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was the prophet and president of our church at the time, asked the entire membership to read the Book of Mormon straight through before the end of the year--and I believe it was sometime in August when he said that. When he issued that challenge, in this {article}, he said:
"Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."
In May, the bishopric of my ward issued a similar challenge that they felt was what our ward needed, to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days. Since then, though I'm way behind, I've been trying very hard to at least read some every day. I have a very small BOM in my purse, and I've been pulling it out to read in waiting rooms, airport terminals while waiting to board, etc., while also trying to get my reading time in at home on a regular basis.
I wanted to share with you that the Book of Mormon has truly brought " into [our] home an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord" that has been noticeable, and wonderful. I know I've complained a lot about Jamie and what a handful he is on here, and how incredibly frustrated and even angry I get. I would get that way kind of a lot, to be honest. I wasn't happy with the kind of mother I was most of the time.
But since I've started reading the Book of Mormon, which I believe is scripture and another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion to the Bible, the difference has been staggering. Of course he still frustrates me at times, but my patience and love have increased tenfold, at least. Our home is so much more peaceful and loving, and when there is a flare-up, it's usually followed by a quiet and sincere apology, from me or Jason. I have felt much less pull toward things that don't invite the Spirit of the Lord, and I've felt so much more desire to be like Christ, and obey His commandments.
Now, when I put Jamie to bed at night, instead of dumping him in his crib because I just can't take him anymore, or quickly singing a song while being annoyed the whole and then going out and laying on my bed full of frustration for the demands he places on me, and wondering how I'll get through another day, I'm happy to be with him. If he needs something, I want to figure out what it is, instead of just being annoyed that he's bugging me. I tell him night-night and I love him, he snuggles in his bed and tells me "Nigh-nigh" and "sher-sher {love you} Mama" multiple times, and I close the door so full of love and gratitude for my son, it almost hurts. I can't tell you how much better this way is, and how much happier I've been.
I know I take a long time to explain things; I just want so much to get my feelings across accurately, and it's not easy. But I want to testify to anyone who reads this that reading the Book of Mormon with a pure heart and real intent will bring you closer to Christ, and make you so much happier and more peaceful. It really is that simple.
I've felt for a couple of days now that I needed to share this--if it's doing so much good in my life, it only makes sense to want others to experience it, too.
I wanted to share with you that the Book of Mormon has truly brought " into [our] home an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord" that has been noticeable, and wonderful. I know I've complained a lot about Jamie and what a handful he is on here, and how incredibly frustrated and even angry I get. I would get that way kind of a lot, to be honest. I wasn't happy with the kind of mother I was most of the time.
But since I've started reading the Book of Mormon, which I believe is scripture and another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion to the Bible, the difference has been staggering. Of course he still frustrates me at times, but my patience and love have increased tenfold, at least. Our home is so much more peaceful and loving, and when there is a flare-up, it's usually followed by a quiet and sincere apology, from me or Jason. I have felt much less pull toward things that don't invite the Spirit of the Lord, and I've felt so much more desire to be like Christ, and obey His commandments.
Now, when I put Jamie to bed at night, instead of dumping him in his crib because I just can't take him anymore, or quickly singing a song while being annoyed the whole and then going out and laying on my bed full of frustration for the demands he places on me, and wondering how I'll get through another day, I'm happy to be with him. If he needs something, I want to figure out what it is, instead of just being annoyed that he's bugging me. I tell him night-night and I love him, he snuggles in his bed and tells me "Nigh-nigh" and "sher-sher {love you} Mama" multiple times, and I close the door so full of love and gratitude for my son, it almost hurts. I can't tell you how much better this way is, and how much happier I've been.
I know I take a long time to explain things; I just want so much to get my feelings across accurately, and it's not easy. But I want to testify to anyone who reads this that reading the Book of Mormon with a pure heart and real intent will bring you closer to Christ, and make you so much happier and more peaceful. It really is that simple.
I've felt for a couple of days now that I needed to share this--if it's doing so much good in my life, it only makes sense to want others to experience it, too.
