Surfin' USA

The girls had their annual Spring Concert/Recital on Saturday. It was so fun to go see them up there on that big stage. It was Sophia's first performance and she did very well. Gabriela appeared bored, and at the end she told me that she was mad because she wanted to be dancing with the girls who didn't have their teacher standing at the front of the stage helping them. That lets me know that it's time to move her to a more advanced class. When I went to pick them up at intermission from their dressing room, they both looked mad that I had come. They were having a ball with all of the older girls who were giving them so much attention. During the second half Gabriela made friends with some early teens in the audience and sat with them to watch the show. That kid is crazy friendly I'm tellin ya. She was also mad that they were telling secrets and not including her. She thinks she's 14 in her mind. She begged to stay to the end, and so we did. The girls were adorable and we had a good time together. We were also thankful that Grandma and Grandpa came to support the girls.

SPRING at our house!!!

Serendipity

Serendipity: the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident

We should all have more of these moments. I didn't wake up planning to ride the Barbie Mustang out in the front yard, but it was a small moment to spend with my little one. I did kind of lower my head every time a car passed by. We live on a busy road, however I did feel proud of myself for letting go and taking a break from my agenda.

Family Scripture Study

My good friend gave me a great idea for family scripture study the other day. You take all of the children's songs from the Children's Song Book and pair them with the scripture references they give at the bottom. You cut them up and place them in a jar (there are so many we used one of our empty food storage cans). Each night let a child pick one, or three, and read the scripture and sing the song. We've done this two nights and the kids love it. If you want a copy of the document, leave me you email and I'll forward it on to you.

When Mom's not feeling so great.

I've been living in a fog all day. The seasonal allergies are creating havoc in my life. Last night I didn't go to sleep until 4:00 a.m. because I was too congested. Finally at about 3:30 I got up hoping to find something in the medicine cabinet. I thought I was out of everything, but in a desperate hope I found one dose of Benadryl left. That knocked me out until 7 am. Then it was up and at 'em. So by 6:00 pm. and dinner time, I don't have the energy to cook dinner, clean up, or go for take out, so it was yogurt and produce. I don't think they were complaining. It's what happens when Mom is not on her game.

Whew, I'm back!

Man oh man, have I been busy. Things are just so crazy around here. Miguel's working ALL THE TIME and I've just been running, running, running to try to keep up. It totally feels like I'm juggling ten different balls and as soon as I pay attention to one I drop another. Laundry is piled up. The "needs to be ironed" stack is growing, because I keep leaving the laundry sitting in the dryer. Dishes are always piled in the sink, but despite the stress, I'm actually quite proud of myself because I've maintained a pretty positive attitude. Maybe my patience muscle is growing after all or I'm just getting accustomed to my new life. But it does feel like a marathon at time. With him working six days a week and being at church all day Sunday, there is just never a break. I know there are a lot of women out there who deal with similar circumstances, and I completely understand how they feel....EXHAUSTED!

New Focus = New Blog Title

Well, I've been doing quite a bit of soul searching lately. I know I probably mentioned that before, but I've been focusing on the questions that I ask myself each day. One of my favorite questions when I read Alma 5, was "do I see Christ image in my countenance?" The answer was no, not yet. Whenever I think about parenting it always reminds me of the refiner's fire and I've been saying for quite sometime that me being a parent is the single most life changing thing I can do. My kids are changing me and making me a better person all the time.

Now if someone offered me a job that entailed being shown my imperfections hourly or all of my shortcoming each day, I highly doubt I would sign up for that, but with all of the burning and pricking, each day comes with the greatest love I could ever know. Most of my time is spent putting out fires it seems, but my kids are turning me to the Lord! My kids make me pick up my scriptures, say prayers, and look at who I really am. Without the trials and stresses of being a Mom, I might tend to rely on my own knowledge and strength. When I found Pres. Faust's talk today on the refining fire it struck a chord and reminded me of what I already knew. My children are making me ask questions and pushing me to the Lord for the answers. As Pres. Faust suggests, they are stripping me of pride and the unimportant and strengthening my faith. I love them all the more for that reason alone.


So instead of this blog just being a place to show family pictures and what not, I want to be able to strengthen others by my own life experiences. I was looking for a new name for my blog and one that was more true to what I'm trying to accomplish here. Hence the new blog name and focus. I hope in writing about my own struggles and imperfections, as well as the lessons I'm learning through parenthood, I'll be able to help others along the way.