Cutness and Goodness

Kiari reading to Enoch (she's also the one who placed all the stuffed animals around him while he was asleep).







Trent during the BYU sweet 16 game last week. I don't know when I've had so much fun watching my husband watch a basketball game. He got a little animated.
Enoch and I during the game.




Our Sunday church meetings start at 1. Most days Kiari takes her nap around 1. So come Sunday evening Kiari's pretty much ready to crash just about anywhere. This last Sunday night I nearly walked right past her.



If you have never experienced the goodness that is Monkey Bread there is a part of you that has yet to really live. Just remember that after putting all the little cinnamony sugary dough balls in the bundt pan you have to let it rise a second time. So getting all the little dough balls ready at about quarter to ten at night is a little bit too late. You'll be waiting until about 12:30 a.m. before you get to partake of the goodness.


And it's totally worth it.

The Return of Elder Robinson

Trent's youngest brother Caleb returned home last month after serving a 2 year mission for the LDS Church in Mexico. We had the awesome opportunity of going back up to Idaho February 25-27th to listen to him talk in church about his experiences. I'm usually a huge picture taker on weekends like this but ironically we didn't get one picture with the return missionary!! But it was sooooo fun to see him!
The first time I even got to see him was late Saturday night and he gave me the biggest hug! And when he spoke in church on Sunday it was amazing. It was so neat to listen to him talk about his experiences and everything that he'd learned.
It was a really fast trip there and back but we're so grateful to have had that time with family and to have heard/seen Caleb talk to church.

Moments from Today

When I'm in the car with my kids I'll often have a moment where I turn and ask, "I have told you guys yet today how much I love you?" and whether they say yes or no I'll always say, "I love you so much!" Today I asked Ethan,
"do you know that I love you a lot?"
yes.
"Do you know that I love Kiari a lot?"
yes.
"Do you know that I love Enoch a lot?"
yes.
"And do you know that I love your daddy a lot?"
yes.

and suddenly I remembered a story that I had read a long time ago in a Reader's Digest. The author was talking about an experience she'd had when she was about 5 years old. She had asked her mother, "who do you love more, me or daddy?" she also made the comment that she had asked feeling sure she knew the answer. I'm hoping to find the actually article but I'll have to do my best from memory. Her mother went on to explain that the love she had for her was different from the love she had for daddy. (and again, I wish I could remember the exact words) The love she had for her was a natural kind of love because she was her daughter, she had carried her and brought her into the world, and in doing so a natural love/bond was formed. She then went on to explain that the love she had for the daddy was a love of choice, she and her husband had chosen to love and be with one another. That of all the people in the world, they had chosen each other.
It was a really great little story.
I absolutely adore my children, they are my everything. They are the most precious gift that God could ever give me and I love them with all of me.
I wish I had words to describe the love that I have for my husband.
I'm trying to remember the conversation, but once one of my brothers asked me about love and what it feels like, and how do you know, and does it always feel really strong. And this is what I told him:
I absolutely love my husband, everyday of our lives, I love him. I feel it and I know it. The giddiness and the butterflies in the stomach may not be present daily but I know that I love him with all of me. And then there are days, moments, when I look at him or even at times just think of him, and I suddenly have this wave come over me. And in that wave I feel completely and utterly overwhelmed by the love that I feel for him. And right alongside that overwhelming emotion comes the deepest feeling of gratitude for him, all that he does, all that he is, and all that he wants to be. My husband. My best friend. The father of my children. My Eternal Companion.









I had another moment today.
I took Ethan to preschool just a few minutes early so that I could talk to his teacher briefly. Because I was early I went through the front door instead of the side door. As we started down the hall I heard a young mother behind us say to her kids, "come on." But I heard her say it in Chinese. I turned around and asked, "where are you from?" it took her a second or two to respond as she realized that she had in fact heard me ask her in Chinese, and thus began our conversation.
It feels like soooooo long since I've heard the language of my mission. The Taiwanese have such a beautiful and distinct tone when they speak and I felt like I could just listen to her talk all day long. It was beautiful to hear again.
Her two children, 5 and 3, couldn't help but stare at me while I spoke with their mom in Chinese, no doubt very curious about this very non-Asian woman speaking with their mother in Chinese.
We didn't talk for very long but exchanged numbers. She later sent me a text saying how fun it was to meet me and the kids and that she hopes to get together in the near future. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. Taiwan, the people, and the language hold a very sweet and special place in my heart. I have days when I miss the country and the people very much. I often say a silent prayer that everyone there knows how often I think of them.
So yes, I'm looking very much forward to getting to know this sweet new friend and her family. I had mentioned that I don't have many opportunities to speak the language to which she said, "you can come over and talk to me! everyone at my house speaks Chinese."
Hooray for new friends!!


The LDS Temple in Taipei, Taiwan.

Changes

I'm not sure where to start so I'm going to do my best to just jump in....
It started last week when I heard a news story about a family in Pennsylvania. You may have heard about it, while the father was out delivering milk and the mother was in the barn milking cows, their 3 year came to tell the mother there was smoke in the house. When she ran to the house it was completely engulfed with their 7 other children inside. All 7 were lost to the fire. This story made me absolutely ache and a very humbling epiphany struck me and I vowed to not take for granted the time I've been given with my children. Lately I've been stepping into their rooms multiple times at night to touch their head and kiss their faces. I've been working very hard to not lose my patience or get frustrated over the little things that inevitably happen throughout the course of any given day. The change? A MUCH greater appreciation for the gift that my children are.

A few of my sister-in-laws have started blogging on a daily basis and it has been both fun and inspiring to read their blogs regularly. I've decided that I'd like to do a better job at documenting the life of my family. More for us than for anyone but you're more than welcome to join us for the ride. :o) I'm definitely not as crafty or creative as my sisters so all you can really expect are various ramblings and likely a plethora of pictures.

I'm not exactly sure what happened a few nights back but when I took time to visit with Father before going to bed I poured over some very overdue changes that I was wanting to implement. Changes that involved more time with my children than doing heaven knows what on the computer. More time with the children than perhaps doing chores, those things can wait until their napping as can my business hours. Making sure I'm taking time every day to exercise, not only to re-claim my body from my most recent pregnancy but to ensure that I'm in a better mood throughout the day. I would hate for my kids' childhood memories to consist of a cranky mommy who was constantly saying, "in a minute," or "maybe we can do that later." I want them to feel and know that they're my priority during the day. I love them. They are my everything... as is my incredibly amazing husband.
About a month ago the topic in Sacrament Meeting at church was about Family Home Evening, something that our church encourages all families to hold at least once a week. It's something that we've talked many times about doing but never seemed to get into the swing of it. After that Sunday however, my husband and I made a decision and since then we have been taking time very Monday night to make sure we have a brief family lesson with our 2 and 4 year old. They're very brief, but the Spirit is definitely present and it's something that I look very much forward to. This last Monday I invited Ethan to be in charge of the lesson and throughout the day I'd go over it with him. That night Kiari picked the opening song, "The Daddy Song" (I'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as I can be....), Daddy said the opening prayer, Ethan gave the lesson, and Mommy said the closing prayer.
When we were finished Kiari wanted more songs so she and I sat at the piano for a bit.

I hope that I'm able to continue to recognize areas in my life that need refining and quickly act on them. The days seem to be going by so much faster and I don't want to miss the many special moments that I'm given with my kids at this stage in their lives. I've been very blessed. And I want the Lord to know, every single day, just how grateful I truly am.