Each year, to pick out our pumpkins, we go to a farm in Freedom, where we take a hay ride out to the patch and pick our own. If you look back on previous October posts, you will see a progression of the years sitting on this old swing! TJ loves the animals!
TJ and Kennedy weren't sure about this big kitty! Alex and his guitar...he loves that thing as much as life itself! Alex singing to the chickens! There is nothing like new baby kitties to love and hold! Out in the pumpkin patch...the rule we use is that you must be able to carry your pumpkin yourself!
Well, while Alex and Mackenzie are FIXING their teeth, Natalie is losing them! She just lost her second tooth! She isn't your typical girl...she really ENJOYS losing them!
Last month Alex joined Mackenzie with getting braces...funny thing is that he is 16 months older than her...she will be getting hers off next month! :) We are happy to only have a couple months of double braces bills (say that 10 times fast!).
Everyone has that "someone" in their family. You know, the one who is always mothering, nurturing, kind and loving. The one you go to when you have had a bad day, because they will say "It's okay! What do you want me to do?". You know...the one whose smile just melts your heart? That is our little Kennedy. She is just absolutely precious, and such a wonderful gift to all of us, but especially to our TJ. He idolizes her, and she dotes on his every move. Last year in the Christmas card, we described Kennedy as Mary Poppins. And she really is practically perfect in every way. We love you Kennedy!
I know we go through this every day but please give me the knowledge as to why I actually wanted to go to nursing school. Lord, give me the strength to make it through those boring three hour lectures without falling asleep. Lord, please give me the patience to make it through twelve hour clinicals with instructors that can’t just give you the right answer and on the same note, give the nurses the ability to remember what it was like to be a student and give us just a little more respect. Lord, give me the endurance to read all the assigned readings and be able to remember it when I am taking a test with four right answers. Lord, give my family and friends the ability to realize I really am on the edge of insanity. Finally, Lord, give me the vision to see that one day I will be a real nurse and I will never have to wear this ugly uniform again.
I have been thinking a lot about relationships lately. Especially since I am now out of the house most days and in the "real" world...unforunately I see the real world and how it operates on a daily basis.
I have a blog I follow and I just love it. I am awe inspired by Christina and how she is a "hands full mom" with her beautiful 8 children. She shared some awesome things about marriage on her latest post. I love learning things about great women who I admire and look up too...she is just one of them.
Let's start off with a short spotlight on a general conference talk by Julie B. Beck. So many great thoughts were shared that are so relevant to our lives. I especially liked this quote from Eliza R. Snow that was used in the talk:
"Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.”8
I needed that message because sometimes I get so frustrated with taking care of everyone else and I start to feel sorry for myself. "Who's going to take care of me?" I think. It's good to remember that I'm not a baby. I am a woman, capable, strong, and smart.
Some thoughts and ideas to share:
* Every marriage requires adjustment and compromise.
* You can't change your spouse. You can only change yourself. A wise woman in church said that when she got married she discovered her husband loved sports, while she barely even knew what a ball was. She wanted her family more focused on music and theater, and she said, "I really thought I could change him. I learned that didn't work." She spent many years at the bleachers with little kids (she raised five sons). Interestingly, her children learned from both parents. Her oldest son is a concert pianist. The other four are very good at sports.
* We mothers and wives set the tone in our home. We can put up beautiful and inspiring pictures and listen to lovely music.
* "Love them" into doing the things you want them to do.
* Be grateful for the good things your husband does. A suggestion is to make two lists, the positive and the negative, and then take a match and burn up the negative list.
* Don't compare your husband to other men. Be aware of and encouraging of his good points and patient with his faults.
* The importance of affectionate touch.
* Men want to be admired. Let them know you love them and admire the work they do.
* It's helpful to remember that most men are task-oriented people. During courtship, the task was to woo and court. Once they've married, many men see the new task as providing for their families so they put their focus there.
Along those lines, someone once shared how she was so touched by this video when she saw it online (you'll have to click on it to see it full-screen; I don't know how to shrink it).
She showed it to her husband who said, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen." Doesn't that just illustrate the differences between men and women and the challenge we have becoming unified in a vision for our marriages and homes?
* The importance of keeping a home neat and orderly. It makes a difference. It helps me sometimes to realize that my husband has to do a lot of things in the course of his job that he doesn't enjoy. If he's willing to do all that to provide for our family, can't I take on the task of the housework without complaining?
* One friend said that she notices that when she's the most critical of her husband and all the things he's not doing, it's usually at the time of greatest stress in her life and that it's the stress at the root of the problem, not her husband. When she's less stressed, the same things just don't bother her.
* When we are concerned about improving our marriages or about choices our husbands are making that aren't good, we can increase our prayers and attend the temple seeking those things we desire. God knows us and will help us find solutions, peace, and hope.
* Pornography is a huge problem in many marriages. Some suggestions for how to avoid it were to put the computer in a main living area, to have filters and passwords and to just be aware of the danger. For those who are addicted, it is important to seek outside help and not expect that things will get better without it. The Church's Addiction Recovery Program is wonderful and the success rate is very high.
* It is silly to expect our husbands to meet our every need. "When I expect him to take care of my every need, I forget that's what Heavenly Father is for. I can't expect my husband to stand in for Heavenly Father." said one woman.
* Remember what a blessing it is to be married and have children. One mother, married at age 31 shared that she is determined to keep her marriage strong because she knows what a blessing it is. "Being single is really hard. There's good things about it, but it's also lonely." Another girl shared that once she was complaining about her husband to an older woman in her ward who's never been married. "Oh, stop it," the woman gently told her, "don't you know how blessed you are?"
So.....what do you do to make your marriage a priority? What qualities are you grateful for in your husband?
This meet was CRAZY! Not only did they have Big Bertha (this huge hill the kids have to run up half way through the race) but it had been pouring this week, so there was a major mud mess on the course. Kids had to run right through it! :)
My family and I are located just outside of Green Bay, and are living - what I would describe as - the American dream. We have 8 acres where our 5 kiddos have room to roam, as well as horses and chickens to grow up with! We are LDS (aka Mormon) and our faith plays a big part as to how we raise our children. I tend to be a bit "crunchy" in my parenting style- I enjoy babywearing, cloth diapering (part time) and I am an advocate for the benefits of extended breastfeeding. I dabble with the idea of homeschooling as well. For my hobby, I love photography, and we own a photo announcement graphic design company which has blessed both my husband and I with the ability to work from a virtual office at times. By far, my children, my wonderful husband & my faith are the most important aspect of my life...
If you look back on previous October posts, you will see a progression of the years sitting on this old swing!
TJ loves the animals!
TJ and Kennedy weren't sure about this big kitty!
Alex and his guitar...he loves that thing as much as life itself!
Alex singing to the chickens!
There is nothing like new baby kitties to love and hold!
Out in the pumpkin patch...the rule we use is that you must be able to carry your pumpkin yourself!
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