God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again

I teach in the primary at church (the 6 year olds). Our sharing time leader got realeased a few weeks ago and she came in today to say goodbye to all of the kids. She had them sing the song she taught them called Latter-Day Prophets. It goes through all the names of the prophets and ends with "Gordon B. Hinckley shows the way, we hear and follow his words today." It is quite a catchy little tune and I have had it in my head all day. After dinner we received news that President Hinckley passed away.

He has been the prophet of the church since I was 16 years old. Throughout my teenage years I remember being so inspired by him. He and his wife came to Colorado to speak to the youth when I was 17. Carrie and I got there early and lined up outside the door to get good seats. We were more excited for this than we were a Smashing Pumpkins concert. They opened the doors and we walked as fast as we could without running (only b/c the leaders told us not to) to get the best seats. We ended up 3rd row back. In my journal I wrote, "It was an amazing spiritual experience which I wish could happen 10 times over." My sophmore year in college I read his biography by Sheri Dew (It took me the whole year). I remember being impressed by his accomplishments and at the same time his amazing humility. Serving the Lord was his priority and his testimony was bold. His humor made life fun and trials more bearable. I love how he used his cane. I think for the first year he had it he just carried it and pointed it at people or waved with it. Below he is tapping Elder Eyring on the head with it after Elder Eyring was sustained into the First Presidency.
I am just greatful to have had him as a prophet as long as we did. He once quoted Matt 10:39 "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." He said that scripture changed his life and he has tried to live by its words. He was lost in the work of the Lord and his life here will be missed. "God be with you till we meet again!"

29 Things I Love About Steve...

1. He sings to our kids

2. He sings in the shower, usually the Star-Spangled Banner

3. He almost always has a pen handy (he's a cute nerd)

4. He loves kids and will often say how cute "so and so's" baby is

5. He could eat pizza for every meal and never tire of it AND never get fat

6. He doesn't mind me giving him orders the minute he gets home (or he doesn't complain about it)

7. He wrestles and plays with the kids while I make dinner

8. When I'm out with friends or shopping he often says, "take as long as you need".

9. He cleans the shower better than me and he wears flip flops while doing it

10. He memorizes maps and therefore knows where everything is

11. He cleans my car inside and out and changes the oil

12. He is extremely honest

13. He is a great communicator

14. He is the most forgiving person I have ever met, maybe because I have offended him the most :). He also quickly forgives and never holds a grudge.

15. When girls night is at my house he ends up hanging out with us

16. He is so friendly

17. He has multiple nicknames...the beav, zippy, maxfly,...to name just a few

18. He knows random facts. He answers all the kids questions when they ask, "what's that?" he always has an answer and some details.

19. He will go on an occasional jog with me

20. He always beats me on a jog, no matter if I have been running for months. I pretend it annoys me, but I am actually glad he isn't slugging behind

21. He always sincerely tells me I look good, even when I am 9 mo. pregnant

22. He loves the outdoors, he takes us hiking, running in the mountains

23. He puts almost everything into an excel spreadsheet

24. He does the finances and bills

25. He breaks out into dancing at random moments

26. He makes the kids laugh by making weird faces

27. He likes to plant flowers and take care of the yard (when we have one)

28. Everything he tries he ends up being good at

29. He is the best father and husband

Happy 29th! Love you!

Happy Birthday Hudson!

Hudson will be four on Sunday and since we are leaving for CO on friday we had a little party with his friends this weekend. This was his first friend party and he loved every minute (of course). Steve pretty much ran the show with the games and the best was the freeze game. Everyone dances and freezes when the music stops. I just wish I had video of him breakin' it down with the four year olds, it was too funny.



Here are a couple photos and clips from the event...

From L to R. Hudson, Katie, Saber, Zach, Jack, Annie, & Aubrey. (Nick & Sadie not pictured, but in attendance, somewhere.) And no, he's not 8, it's a racetrack.

Watch Everett in the second video, he's dancing too. By the way, this is Amy's house and her daughter (Cady) and friend (Shannon) were a HUGE help. Thanks all, it was fun.

Things I Wish I'd Known Before Becoming a Mom

When I have a lot of housecleaning to do I pass the time by coming up with lists. Here is one I came up with today (as titled above)...

(in no particular order)
1. Wet wipes can be used for more than just bums. Never leave home without 'em.
2. Keep a water bottle by the kids bed to eliminate going to the kitchen to fulfill their last minute drink of water request.
3. If you have to take them shopping bring lots of candy (preferably suckers or anything that takes time to eat) or stop off at the food court and get them fries.
4. Check out library items in moderation.
5. When potty training give them raisin bran or other high fiber foods daily. Constipation and potty training are not friends.
6. You don't have to breastfeed for an hour for them to be full. And on that topic, reposition if painful. Breastfeeding could have its own major really.
7. A double stroller is a must with more than 1 (why I waited until I had three, I do not know).
8. A minivan is a must with more than two (I tried rationalizing this away, but it is so true).
9. Don't tell a child about big events (birthday parties, Santa coming, visits from Grandma and Grandpa) until minutes before the event (unless you can use it for bribery somehow).
10. Read Love and Logic The Early Years before they are two.
11. On picture day do the hair and put the clothes on at the picture place.
12. Give yourself an extra 20 min per child to get ready.
13. Veggies can be hidden (see previous post for more info)
14. Two-year-old tantrums don't compare to three-year-old tantrums (we haven't hit four yet).
15. If all of the sudden they have trouble sleeping and their not sick, they are teething (I forget this and then a tooth pops up)
16. A car organizer (hung on the back of the seat) with books, car toys, drawing board, etc makes car rides much more bearable. For long trips-invest in the portable DVD player.
17. Always check the weather before taking them for a walk/jog (I've been caught in windstorms and rainstorms more than once. I've had to call Steve at work to come pick me up at times).
18. Quality diapers are worth it when they are newborn.
19. The dishes can wait, go play.
20. Use paper plates until there are no dishes in the sink and the dishwasher is empty.

Back to cleaning.

A Few of my Favorite Things

So, this blogging thing is very new to me. I've never posted anything but a few comments here and there...but my lovely wife has done an excellent job in keeping all of you up to speed on the fun side of our lives. For this Thanksgiving I want to let you all know what I am thankful for:

1) Hudson James - Hudson continues to amaze me with the knowledge that he learns every day. He draws letters and smiley faces very well, and his vocabulary grows on a daily basis. He has a beautiful little voice. The other day I had just woken from a nap when Hudson asked, "Daddy, are you awake?" to which I replied, "Yep, what's going on?" He then said, "Listen to this daddy" and started a song that he was listening to on nickjr.com. "Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets we're on our way..." He proceeded to sing the whole song to me with perfect pronunciation with a smile on his face. I was impressed. He's come a long way from last Christmas when he stood on the fireplace hearth and stomped his feet to an incomprehensible song he had just invented. He's a great first child.

2) Sadie Kay - with her puppy dog eyes and "love you too's" and "night dad's" Sadie melts my heart every day. She often runs up to Natalee or me and hugs us around the leg, looks up, and says, "I love you Daddy/Mommy." She has entered the terrible 2's but she does most of it in such an adorable way, it's hard to take her very seriously. We'll keep her around for sure.

3) Everett Michael - who can deny his one dimpled smile and big round eyes? People always ask us a church if he ever fusses, to which we reply, "only at night." We are lucky to have this precious little surprise in our family and wouldn't have it any other way.

4) Natalee Joye - a friend once said to me, "whoever marries Natalee Downs will just be holding on to her coattails while she's riding to the Celestial Kingdom." Fortunately for me, she chose me and I'm trying to hold on tight. There is no one I would rather be with than Natalee, no one who can make me laugh like Natalee, no one who can build me up like Natalee, no one who I admire on this earth more than Natalee, no better example of a great person than Natalee, and the list goes on and on. I am so privileged to have such a patient, loving, and kind companion. We are a team together and we struggle together to "fight the good fight." We not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but she's the more perfect part and I am just holding on for dear life to make it back to the Lord with her.

5) I could go on and on, but I'll just list a few other things I'm grateful for: Tom & Judy (most loving people in the world), Jim & Janett (best in-laws you could ask for), my siblings, living in the United States, school, good books, the beautiful earth, many friends we have come to admire over the last 28 years...

Finally, I am grateful for the Lord, Jesus Christ. He is my Savior, my patient friend, my guide, and my great example. Through all the mistakes, shortfalls, and sins of omission, the Lord has always help me do a little better the next time. This weekend, when we went to the Mesa Temple to see the Christmas lights we watched a video based off of Luke, chapter 2. The Spirit was so strong as I watched Mary hold the Savior in her arms. I thought, how incredible was the life of Jesus Christ. What an amazing impact he has had on this Earth! What an incredible impact he has had in my life and the life of my family! While I still have a long ways to go, I know that He lives and I love Him. I'm looking forward to this Christmas as my family celebrates His birth.
Sorry for the extra cheese on my first post, I just feel very grateful this Christmas season.

In The Meadow You Cannot Build a Snowman

I have always been one of those people to pull out the Christmas tree at the earliest moment possible and I have also been known to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving. However, this year I have been in denial that it is even the Christmas season. What is wrong with me? I love Christmas! I will tell you what is wrong. It has been 90 degrees until this week it "cooled off" to the 80's. Having never lived in a warm climate during the holidays, it is just weird for me. I turned on the radio this morning to "In the meadow you can build a snowman..." and I changed the channel saying, no actually you cannot build a snowman in the meadow. I tried to think of Christmas songs I could listen to here and other than religious ones there aren't many. . . Sleigh Bells Ring, well no. Let it Snow, no. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, no. Frosty the Snowman, Baby it's Cold Outside, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...no.no.no. Do people in warm climates listen to these songs? It just doesn't make sense to me. I'm adjusting.

Deceptively Delicious

Veggies were always eaten and I never had any input when moms would ask "How do you get Hudson to eat his veggies?" "I don't know, he just eats them. He eats everything." I would say. Then Sadie was born. Sadie is my biggest critic in the food department. Even when I would mix peas in with her mac and cheese, she would sort out the peas and eat the mac. If I hid the pea under the noodles when she wasn't looking she would discover it in her mouth and the pea would be found and she would say "uh, uh" and it would be back in the bowl or on her chin. Then one day I found in the back of my cupboard a wedding gift that saved the day. A veggie chopper . So I basically super chopped the veggies and hid them on quesadillas or stirred it in with pasta. That worked. She is getting better at eating veggies but does not even come close to the three a day mark. So even better than the veggie chopper, my mother-in-law (thanks Judy) gave me a cookbook (which is apparently a best seller now, and she was on Oprah, probably the reason it is a best seller) by Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptively Delicious. It is about hiding pureed veggies in healthy kid friendly food. Amazing. So little does Sadie know but in her grilled cheese (above photo) is a full serving of butternut squash. So if you didn't catch that Oprah I thought I would pass it on because every mother with a "Sadie" should know this secret.