12 WEEKS!!!

We are officially at the 12 week mark and that makes me happy!

A Little Reminder (Warning- Long and kind of whiny at points)

So Chris and I have been in sort of a slump, life has just seemed extra hard this semester. The kids I have in daycare are great but we are not full and then we found out one of our full time kids is going part time on us, so we have been a little worried about money, Chris has a load of tough science courses this semester (he is gone a lot), I have just been exhausted (growing a baby will do that), I could keep going but I honestly don't want to think about it all right now. This has really made life sad and killed our motivation for anything church related, it just seems to push our to do list up and over the top. Don't get me wrong, we know we have so much to be thankful for, and we are not pouting all day about this stuff, it just builds up and every once in a while we have ourselves a little pity party. I have been trying to figure out how all these other families survive while going through school... I just don't get it, if you are in school or your husband and you have kids how do you make it? What do you live off of?
So Chris and I were talking about all these things and more and just kinda having a tough week last week. Well I think Heavenly Father saw our needs and met as many of them as he could, because last week we had a package from each of our Mom's containing some needed items, our home teachers and visiting teachers come, and well Matthew was in extra high spirits and it is hard to stay sad with him around!
Then Saturday I went to the Stake Service project and Women's Broadcast. Let me tell you that was exactly what I needed. President Dieter F. Uchdorf who is the second counselor in the first presidency gave a talk on exactly what I needed to hear, it was amazing, it really was because he managed to address every worry and concern that I currently had. I left feeling a whole lot better about myself, my struggles, and my life. Here is a little snippet, if you did not hear this amazing and inspiring talk please go to lds.org and listen to it, he talks about the five petals of the forget me not flower and what they can represent to us. Truly five things I need to remember each and every day!

The Power of Knowing “Why”

My dear sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not an obligation; it is a pathway, marked by our loving Father in Heaven, leading to happiness and peace in this life and glory and inexpressible fulfillment in the life to come. The gospel is a light that penetrates mortality and illuminates the way before us.
While understanding the “what” and the “how” of the gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the “why.” When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet.
Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us. Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us.
My dear sisters, seek out the majesty, the beauty, and the exhilarating joy of the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The “what” and “how” of obedience marks the way, yes, and it keeps us on the right path. But the “why” of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic. It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration.
—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Noises I Hear

Right now I am listening to a 6 month old make a really gross noise that he loves so he does it over and over, also listening to my one year old push the kids table around the kitchen, a 2.5 year old sing quietly to her baby doll so she will go to sleep, and toddler radio on Pandora. 

Just thought everyone would like to know... :)

Baby #2 Update

So we had another checkup today, which I actually like. I look forward to pregnancy appointments, I love to hear the heartbeat! Especially early in the pregnancy before I can feel the baby, and it was especially exciting this time because I am still so hesitant to be excited, in case something goes wrong, we are almost through the first trimester though! Each week we successfully complete I get a little more excited :) 

The baby's heart rate was a strong 170 beats per minute (which doc says is completely normal). This doctor has been great so far, he listens to me, answers my questions happily, and he even let me listen to the heartbeat longer and got excited when the baby would move around. A much different experience than we had at our last OB, and I am glad for that!

Oh Facebook

I find myself on Facebook and reading blogs all too often, I think it helps to make me feel a little more connected to people. I find being a Mom, and being stuck at home running a home business can start to feel a little claustrophobic. It is hard for me to get out of the house, or out of my house beyond my fenced back yard. So I fill in that want/need for friends with the little connection I can get through the internet, kinda sad and/or pathetic I know. But, it makes life happier for me and that is what counts at this point. 

So anyways, they have all the little secret games or rather status postings that people do to confuse men. This one was to make people think you are expecting. I never really go along with these things, but I looked to see what my "status" would be. 

I thought it was hilarious because according to their setup: 

I'm 10 weeks and craving smarties. 

They are only a few days off, but I am definitely not craving smarties, a more accurate status would be:

 I'm 9.5 weeks and craving everything unhealthy

Yup that about covers it :)

Pictures Soon!

So we went camping with my parents over the last holiday weekend and we forgot our camera so I have been "patiently" waiting for a CD of the pictures from my parents. Anyways Mom told me that she will be sending them soon! 

It was a fun trip and there are some great pictures of Matthew eating dirt, ect...

Some Thoughts from a Prophet

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild

By Thomas S. Monson

Badge from fire helmet discovered in the debris post 9/11/01. (Ira Block) The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.
There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.
Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.
Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.
But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.
If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.
The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.
It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.
Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Oh Teething....

Matthew has been teething since Tuesday and is driving me crazy. I love this kid with all my heart but I have dealt with more whining in the last 5 days than I can handle without loosing my mind...

Don't get me wrong I feel really bad that he is in so much pain, has had a fever for days, and doesn't even want to eat. I totally understand that he is generally miserable and I have given him cuddle time galore, let him eat almost anything he wanted (not much, usually yogurt bites), and he even got a nice new stuffed giraffe to cuddle with. 

All I am saying is that 4 teeth coming through in a week is just mean to everyone involved, especially since we have only had two completely break through which means that we still have two more to go!

So if you are at home with happy children or no children at all just remember you could have a teething child with you but you don't, so smile and enjoy it!

I Forgot...

But I remember now...

During my pregnancy with Matthew I used to get the worst sciatic nerve pain that would run down my right leg. This happened a lot in the 1st and 3rd trimester for me, and was so painful at times... Well that pain is back :( I was hoping since I was working at home, and able to relax a little more during the day that I would not have it (at least not this early) no such luck...

At least if all the kids sleep at nap time I can lay down for a little while, that is much better.

I am still excited to have another baby... I just was hoping to avoid this pain... haha :)

A Cloth Diapers Best Friend

Okay so I was having problems with the stinky messy diapers, but we have a solution!

I love these things, they make poopy diapers way less messy, and very simple and easy to clean up. We simply put a liner in with each diaper change, if he poops all we do is lift the liner out and throw it in the toilet. I let it sit in the toilet for a few minutes so it goes down easier, and the diaper is almost like a simple wet one, no toilet dunking, no spraying off, no extra mess! Love these and I think they are a cloth diaper must!

I have an addiction...

Love these, I have been eating them for desert every night.. Chris thinks I am crazy to turn down ice cream for cereal... Maybe I am?

Cloth Again..

Okay so Chris started the cloth again... I told him and my friend Liz about what was bothering me (smell and mess). Well Chris being the logical husband he is was like "that is why we have the flush-able liners!"  I think I said something like, "but what if they don't hold everything?"... Apparently he doesn't think my argument is a good one :) I must say they did hold the mess he made before nap... so maybe the flush-able liners are going to be just the trick I need. We shall see I guess.