murmuring

that's what i have been doing a lot of lately - complaining, griping, and murmuring. as i was sitting here, reading other people's blogs, i started feeling ashamed and embarrassed for my lack of gratitude and thanks for the plethora of things that make my life wonderful. i thought it would be beneficial for me to take a few minutes and think about things in a different light.

i am grateful for an untidy house because it means i have kids to clean up after.

i am grateful for dishes that never seem to get done because it means we have food to eat.

i am grateful for laundry that doesn't get folded or put away because it means we have clothes to wear.

i am grateful for a husband who helps and serves others because it reminds me of our Savior.

i am grateful for giggles and hugs and kisses.

i am grateful for i love you's and thank you's.

i am grateful for unconditional love and the promise of forever.

i am grateful for good friends even when i am not one.

i am grateful for the beauty that surrounds me.

i am grateful for my mom.

i am grateful for my dad.

i am grateful for good books that give me a break for a bit.

i am grateful for my sewing machine.

i am grateful for my camera to capture all those moments in time.

i am grateful for a husband who lifts me up and makes me stronger than i am on my own.

i am grateful for a husband who loves me for who i am (and in spite of it!)

i am grateful for this

and this

and this

and this.

i am grateful for tender mercies.

i am grateful that i can try again.

and i am most grateful for this

good for a laugh

so, i found this little tid bit online the other day - i think it was on a friend of a friend's blog - and had to share. i must admit that my mothering life is not quite this hectic (yet!!!)...but pretty close! i often say that if our husbands only knew........

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES: 6 married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 2 kids each for 6 weeks. each kid will play 2 sports and take either music or dance classes. there is no fast food. each man must take care of his 2 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete school projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend" bills. in addition, each man will have to budget enough groceries for each week and purchase said groceries - looking for deals, sales, and coupons in an effort to be as thrifty as possible. each man must remember the birthdays of all friends and relatives and send cards out or make a phone call on time - no emailing! each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a hair cut appointment. he must make 1 unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the emergency room. he must also make cookies or cupcakes for a school function.
each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside, and keeping it presentable at all times.
the men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all the chores are done.
the men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn themselves with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed during 1 of the 6 weeks.
the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, backaches, headaches, have extreme, unexplained mood swings, but never once complain or slow down from other duties.
they must attend weekly school meetings, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.
they will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 8:30.
a test will be given at the end of the 6 weeks. each father will be required to know each child's:
birthday,
height and weight,
shoe size and clothing size,
doctor's name,
child's weight and length at birth,
time of birth and length of labor,
favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.
the kids vote the men off the island based on performance.
the last man wins ONLY IF....
he still has enough energy to be intimate with his wife at a moment's notice.
if the man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18 to 25 years, eventually earning the right to be called "mom."

now that i am done laughing, i must say that i wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the world. and my wonderful husband really does do a good job of sharing the load that is our's, as parents. but still, if he only knew......

my not so baby girl

dear paige,

how do words express the amount of joy that you bring to my life? your big smile, with your crooked, thumb sucking teeth, the way you look at me when you say "mama," your hugs and kisses, your beautiful hair, the way you run, your zest for life and love for your family, your laughs and giggles, dancing with you, playing with you, snuggling with you, and loving you fill my heart with such gratitude that Heavenly Father sent you to be my little girl.

i hope that as you grow, you will always know just how very much i love you. and how i treasure you, my one and only daughter.

love,

your mama.

from the mouth of babes

tonight for fhe, jensen was teaching us a short lesson on the first vision. after he was finished, i asked the boys to think about how they know that joseph smith really saw Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. i asked them to really think about it and give me an answer. burton said he knew it really heppened because he has felt the holy ghost when he has been taught about the first vision. jensen said that Heavenly Father has answered his prayers so he must have answered joseph smith's prayer as well. and then evan piped in with his answer. this is what he said, pretty much word for word:

"remember in that movie where the guy hadded enough faif to see the Lord's finger? then joseph smith hadded enough faif to see Heavenly Father and Jesus."

how humble my kids make me feel! truly i have so much to learn from my kids. their simple and sweet testimonies of the gospel bring such joy and peace to my heart. they remind me that the gospel - and living the gospel - really is simple. i am grateful for such wonderful children who are gaining their own testimonies bit by bit.

i sure love them and love being their mom!

2011 baby

wow! another year come and gone - how cliche, i know. but really, has it already been 11 years since the whol Y2K deal?? am i really getting that much older!!?? (don't answer that - it was a rhetorical question) the last 6 months have been go, go, go!! and as my lack of blogging shows, it has been busy! so, what has made it so busy, you ask? here, in random order, are the busy but FUN moments of 2010:

-swimming lessons and soccer! with 3 boys all in swimming and soccer, we had lessons 4 days a week and soccer 4 nights a week. with brent coaching both jensen and burton's teams (yep, they were on separate teams) and evan having his own soccer night at a different location, we lived, ate, and breathed soccer this spring. as fun as it was, we were relieved to get a break during summer vacation....only to start it all again in the fall!

-my younger sister, jess, went to the temple for her first time in june. what a special opportunity it was to travel to the edmonton temple to experience that with my family.

-my brother robert was also ordained as an elder that same weekend and brent and i were happy to be in red deer to witness and participate in his ordination.

-brent and i celebrated our 10th anniversary (what!!!???)

-camping with friends in july was fun, even though the weather was LOUSY!! needless to say, i am so happy we purchased a tent trailer this fall so that when the rain pours, we won't be sleeping in our leaky tent anymore.

-staying in a lake house for a week with my family at hayden lake (idaho) was SO MUCH FUN that we have already booked another trip for next summer. evan is already asking when we will be going to the lake house:)

-we adopted an additional family member for the summer and early fall. it seems my brother rob was out to visit us in cranbrook almost every weekend during the summer. i even took to calling it "the summer of rob." we had rob boating with us, camping with us, hanging in cranbrook with us, cliff jumping and hiking with us....i would like to think he was here so much because he loves me, his big sister, so much but i'm pretty sure it had more to do with my kids than anything. he sure loves them!

-boating, boating, and more boating...any time, any where, as much as we could! WE LOVE BOATING. jensen, burton, and evan all learned how to knee board and wake surf (with help), and jensen and burton discovered a new love for water skiing. i think we spent 2 weekends of the entire summer at home!

-young women's camp...my first one as a leader. LOVED IT!!! i love our girls here in cranbrook. what wonderful young women they are. they have truly inspired me to become a better "older" woman:)

-planning and organizing my mom's 50th birthday in september. how fun it was to have her whole family there! i love the coopers!!!! and my mom, a whole lot.

-then it was time for my other brother, andrew, to get ordained as an elder. as brent was already going to edmonton for an orthodontics course, the kids and i tagged along and had him drop us off in red deer for the weekend so we could support andrew and let him know how much we love and appreciate him.

-thanksgiving in red deer came next. always fun to go home for thanksgiving and spend time with the fam. we were also able to go to the temple with rob for his first time - again, a truly marvelous experience!

-followed a few short weeks later by meeting in calgary to send robert off to the preston, england mtc to get ready for his mission in the scotland/ireland mission. tears were shed by all, still are sometimes by me!! but happy tears - we all love him so very much! he is doing awesome and it was so great to be able to talk to him on Christmas day. we love getting emails and letters from him and to hear about his experiences teaching the gospel. what an example he is setting for my kids...and for me too! and to think we will have to do it all again for andy soon....emotionally draining sums it up pretty good:) but i wouldn't want my brothers to be doing anything else with their lives at this time. their missionary service and experiences will be invaluable to them and to those they serve.

-then...change!! being called as the new primary president in our ward threw me for a loop and it took a bit for me to get my feet back under me. but things are going well and i am really enjoying my new calling. it keeps me busy! i am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord.

-and then the hustle and bustle of Christmas. we actually stayed home for Christmas this year - we didn't travel to spokane until the afternoon of Christmas day. it was really very nice to wake up in our own home on Christmas morning. i sense a new tradition in the making:) it was fun to spend a few days in spokane with brent's family as we have not seen them too much in the last 6 months...what with all the major happenings in my family!

-and then back home for a few relaxing and LAZY days over the new year's weekend. my mom and sister, jess, came to spend new year's with us and it was so fun to just do nothing with them. just to have them around to talk to, play games with, watch movies with, and just hang out. i love my family.

phew....reading all that made me tired again. really we did have a fabulous and fun 2010. as busy as it was, i wouldn't change any part of it. i love making memories with my kids and spending time with our extended families. that is what growing up is all about. it is fun to see our kids learning and growing - trying new things as they are getting older. it is rewarding as a parent to start teaching my kids things that i learned and loved as a kid, and seeing them start to enjoy these new things. i only wish that they wouldn't grow quite so fast....it makes me realize just how much more i need to take a step back, focus on the most important things, and treasure every moment i have with my boys and paige. they are so precious and i love them so much.

so, with that being said, here's to 2011! may it be as fun and exciting as the last 10 years!

4 things

so, one of my bestest friends ever (even though she is now a distant and not often seen but still very much loved friend), sharon, "tagged" me on her blog. so, here it is:

four shows i watch:
1. the mentalist
2. survivor
3. canada's worst driver
4. food network challenge

four things i'm passionate about:
1. my family!!
2. reading
3. fabric
4. strength training

four phrases i say a lot:
1. really?
2. hurry! we're going to be late
3. sleep tight (every night, without fail, to evan)
4. i love you

four things i have learned from the past:
1. being able to laugh at yourself makes life easier
2. i am never alone in my fears or challenges
3. good friends are priceless
4. worrying is a waste of time....still learning this one:)

four places i'd like to go:
1. italy
2. paris
3. disneyland with the fam
4. hawaii

four things i did yesterday:
1. slept in
2. finished Christmas shopping
3. made a delicious chocolate cake for our ward Christmas party
4. visited with friends

four things i am looking forward to:
1. Christmas holidays
2. seeing and spending time with sharon at the vancouver dental conference in march!!
3. camping this spring with our tent trailer
4. an email from my missionary brother robert tomorrow morning!

four things i love about winter:
1. Christmas!!
2. skiing with my boys
3. snowmen and sledding
4. hot chocolate after skiing and sledding

four things on my wish list:
1. books, books, and more books
2. to pay off our school debt asap!!!!
3. a trip somewhere warm with just brent and i
4. motivation to wake up early and exercise before the kids get up instead of trying to fit it in during the day

four people i tag:
1. Erin Cahoon
2. Laura Neilson
3. Andrea Salmon
4. Maja Russell
.....i hope all these people actually read my blog! although they do leave comments once in awhile so i would think so:)

happenings

since i have last posted, a few major things have happened. things that have tried and tested my emotions, in mostly good ways. things that have been planned for a long time and things that were definitely unexpected! first things first.

one of my youngest brothers, robert, left to serve his mission. he has been called to serve for the next 2 years in the scotland ireland mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. he is currently in the preston enlgand mtc and will be until november 11 or 12. he left from the calgary airport on october 21st. let me first say how excited i am for rob! and (forgive me for saying it!!) how proud i am of him. i know that he will be an amazing missionary as he is an amazing young man. i am so glad that he made the decision to serve the Lord as a missionary. i am so grateful for the example that he is setting for my boys (as they think rob is "the man!") and the growth and strength he will gain from this experience. he is so happy where he is and i couldn't be happier for him. now that i got that off my chest, on to the more selfish side of me. I MISS HIM!!!!! i already miss him so very much!! i have been lucky these past 6 months to be able to spend so much time with rob. we jokingly called this summer our "summer of rob." it seems that he was out here, in cranbrook, boating with us, or camping in the states, or just hanging out with our family almost every other weekend all summer. i had many opportunities to have some real heart to heart conversations with rob and really appreciated the level of trust and love he has for me as his sister...but also as his friend. he is not only one of my younger brothers but one of my bestest friends, as all my siblings are! my kids also have a great love for rob and it was hard for them to say goodbye. my whole family were able to meet for dinner in calgary before going to the airport together to send rob off. it was good to be all together for one last hurrah! to share our love for each other and our great love for rob. there were tears shed as we said goodbye...mostly by us, not so much by rob (which was a good sign:). he was so ready to go!!) not only was i crying for my own heartache but also for the heartache of my boys. i think burton (who really has a special relationship with rob) hugged rob about 10 times and held back his tears until rob walked through security and was really gone. evan didn't really realize what was going on but started his crying once he realized that we really were saying goodbye. and jensen cried hardest of all - my little sweetheart. i think that he was crying for everyone else as much as he was crying for himself. as i already said, it was hard to say goodbye!
needless to say, my emotions have been very close to the surface since he left! we got our first letter from elder swainson last wednesday. it was so GOOD to hear that he is doing so well. he is on top of the world and is so happy that he is serving a mission. it makes missing him not as hard when i know that he is where he wants to be, doing what he wants to be doing, and enjoying it so much. i am again so very grateful for my little brother. and i love him so very much!!
now, on to the unexpected part of my week. i have been serving as a councillor in the young women's organization in our ward for just over 2 years. i got called shortly after we moved to cranbrook. i didn't really know anyone yet and was excited to be able to serve with girls and women (paige wasn't yet born and i was really looking forward to some girl time). as i have served in yw's, i have made life long friends that i love and cherish - with the other leaders as well as the girls. i came to love the women i served with and the young women we served. things were going great. and then the bishop called and wanted to meet with me. any time you accept a calling, you know it won't last forever. but, i must say i was not expecting a change yet - especially not the one he gave me. i have been called to serve as the new primary president in our ward.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

i must admit, with my emotions being so close to the surface as i previously described, i started to cry after the bishop released me from my yw's calling. not because i am sad to be moving on to primary, but because it means leaving my yw's position behind - working with such wonderful women, spending so much time with such amazing young women, and having so much fun as we strengthened and taught eachother. i felt embarassed for crying:) but i think the bishop understood. anyways, the last few days have been filled with LOTS of self doubt mixed with a few moments of thinking, "i can do this." it is a big calling - i have never been the president of anything before!!! but i have been given some great councillors to work with and, after talking to them, i feel much more able to fill the big shoes that are before me. i am grateful that i have a testimony of callings in the church - that i know they come to the bishop through inspiration and prayer. i know that this is the Lord's church, and if he thinks i can be the primary president, i will be.....i just pray i am a good one:)

so, that's it for now...really. atleast i hope that this is it for now. i think i have had enough major changes to last me for a little bit. now that i am finished writing this novel of an entry, i will finish with this.
I LOVE YOU ROB!!! and i will be the best i can be - just as you have asked us to. you are awesome, amazing, fabulous and i know you will be a greater than great missionary.