Snorenelle

My sister Lauren decided to visit us this weekend from Michigan. She saw that she had 5 days off from her 2 jobs, so thought that she would take a trip to the big MO and see us. I love having company! I appreciate so much when our family comes and visits. I know it isn't easy, but it makes us feel special and loved. She leaves tomorrow. :( So, yes, it is a short visit, but Lauren and Adalin have gotten some wonderful bonding time in. They watched movies, put makeup and perfume on each other, help each other get dressed and ready for the days, played in nursery on Sunday together and ate every meal hip to hip.
"The milk chugger": that's what I have named Lauren. I have NEVER seen so much milk be consumed from my refrigerator ever. We had 1 1/2 gallons in our fridge Saturday afternoon. I went to the store for a few things and picked up another gallon just so I wouldn't have to go get more milk before Lauren left Wednesday. We ran out Monday morning. 2 1/2 gallons in 2 days. That's sad. Lauren LOVES to drink milk, obviously. I ran this morning for more, bought 2 gallons, and one is already 1/3 full. Now she isn't the only one drinking it, but it is being consumed at about twice the regular rate. I never really understood the magnitude of this milk obsession until her visit this time. She says that she usually buys herself 2-3 gallons a week. Hmm, at $2.50 per gallon, that's $25 per month for milk. Not ideal for a poor college student. The verdict... milk rehab. She needs to learn to drink water.

The Kirksville Fire Station

We had a fun time at the Kirksville fire station Friday. The medical school student spouse organization puts together children's socials every month and it was the fir station this time. It was really cool to look into the life of a firefighter. They have an entire "house" on the second floor of the station complete with a large living room with 6 or 8 lazy boys, a big screen TV, a kitchen with 3 different pantries (with locks) and refrigerators for the 3 different shifts, a laundry room, and a bunch of little bedrooms with beds, nightstands and dressers. Adalin was a little afraid of the firefighter when he put on all of his gear. She warmed up a little by the end though. A friend of mine took the picture of us on the fire truck... sorry it's absent.

Habits

There are a lot of things about myself that I would like to change. Things that range from how I interact with people to very personal things such as where my thoughts are directed and how intent my prayers are. To try to change all of these (many) things at once would only result in failure. I'll take it one at a time. Prayer is first.

I feel like I am in a spiritual slump as of late. For some, they wouldn't know what I mean b/c they have never had a spiritual high. Well, let me honestly tell you, when I am in tuned with what my Heavenly Father wants for me and can feel his love, and am living like I should, doing all that I have been asked to do, I am happy. Nothing made on this earth by man can bring this happiness. It is when I concentrate on the spiritual that I feel good, motivated, happy, healthy, focused.

Why is it so hard to change? We are creatures of habit. Unfortunately, this means that when we develop bad habits they stick, just like the good ones.

So here goes my Better Prayer Campaign. I need to put forth more effort into my prayers. This is more important than I realize, I think. All that I have, all that brings me joy in my life, has been given to me by God. Why don't I sincerely thank Him more? Why, at the end of the night, can I not remember all the things that I was blessed with that day?

Some of my favorite words on the subject of prayer are written in the Bible Dictionary, at the back of the Bible published by my church. It reads:

"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7: 7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

I forget this relationship. God is our father. He wants me to be happy, just as I want my own children to be happy. He would do anything for me, he has done so much for me already. He knows me so well, but do I know Him? This paragraph reminds me of some fundamental things that I am failing to remember. It was a good reminder for me today.

"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece."

John Ruskin said that. It has provoked thought today as I have read it over and over on my google sidebar. I have thought all day about my grandparents in Georgia. Well, my Grandma passed away just days after Kira was born, my grandpa lives on. They were/are both skilled people. My grandfather is a woodworker. He has made many great pieces for me and my family. His love and skill have combined to make true masterpieces. They mean the world to me. My grandma was a wonderful woman who gave of all that she had to those she loved until the day she died. She helped me make my scripture bag. It a simple bag, but to me it is one of the things I have that mean the most to me. Her hands touched it, her voice instructed me how to stitch it. She laughed a lot that day it was made. My mom, both sisters and I were all down in her sewing room making the bags of our dreams and my Grandie was in heaven with us all there. When Adalin was born, she made at least 15 custom burp cloths, 2 silkie blankets, 5 flannel blankets and many more items and sent them all in a box for us to use and enjoy. An ordinary burp rag isn't anything special, but she made these using her talents and with SO much love. They mean a lot to me. They are masterpieces.
She was so happy when Kira was born. My girls were her only great grandchildren. She was so proud to be a great grandmother, SO PROUD. In just the few days before she died, she carried a picture of my two girls around in her work apron, showing everyone that would look and telling everyone who would listen about her new g-baby. I wish that she could have been able to hold Kira and see Adalin again. She only saw Adalin once when she was 4 months old. It had been too long. Why didn't we come from Utah to see her again? I wish we would have. She had a 11x14 picture of Adalin in her "happy room," a room where she would go and watch TV, write emails or read. We visited Georgia after her death and seeing that picture and others of my girls and our little family really touched my heart. She loved us so much. How grateful I am to know that I will see her again.

"Closed book, closed notes, open revelation."

2nd quarter was bad, 5th is worse. The past 3 months have been lonely, tiring and, at times, depressing. We are hanging in there though. Adam has 3 tests left this week and then its PARTY TIME!

Adam told me the other day that he doesn't know if the price he is paying to become a doctor is worth it to him. He isn't dropping out, but he didn't know that it was going to be this hard. He eats lunch and dinner with us and some days that's it. He thinks that he could have been happy doing a lot of things for work, but he decided medicine b/c it is fulfilling, pays well and is what he has always wanted to do. It's what a lot of his family members do. Is it worth the sacrifice though? Does he want to be a doc that bad? I think in the middle of all the stress of a million tests per week, he thinks not, but in retrospect, this will seem but a small moment and not as hard as it once was.

I am proud of him. I wouldn't trade my life for his for a million dollars, well.... haha. A million dollars would help out a lot right now. His life is stressful. He feels like a failure sometimes b/c everything he is involved in he needs to do better at or spend more time with.

I can't even describe how wonderful Sundays are. After this last week, we had Sunday, always a day of spiritual and physical rejuvenation. Adam decided not to study on Sunday back at BYU and has stuck to that through the years, at all costs. He promised the Lord, and himself, that Sunday would be a day for us and him. It has been VERY hard for him to keep that promise, though I know that blessings have flown and he has been looked after as he takes those Monday morning tests on 4 hours of sleep, not having studied at all the day before. I am grateful for a husband who is committed to everything he does.

I remember at BYU a professor was discussing a test coming up and said, "closed book, closed notes, open revelation." People laughed, myself included, but I know that Adam has been assisted with his studying and tests and that the Lord has helped him make it this far b/c he he has kept this promise.

Of course, he would no longer have a sane wife if I didn't see him on Sundays either... maybe that's his motivation. :)

Cinderella Days

OK, so Adalin wants to watch Cinderella everyday. I didn't let her watch TV at all before she was 2 and after that she didn't really know how to focus on any movie. She wasn't all that interested. Things have changed! She was once scared of the stepmother in Cinderella but her bravery has now increased and the wicked lady doesn't even phase her. I always give in and let her watch Cindersmelly (as Adam calls her) while I shower and get ready. It's a little too easy.

What motivated this Cinderella post? I have been thinking a lot about how I used to watch this same movie and many other Disney classics when I was a child (Dumbo, Lady & The Tramp, Sleeping Beauty were a few of our all-time favs). That is cool stuff, that these movies are so timeless and last through generations and are as magical to her as they were to me.

Adalin said to Adam one day while watching Cinderella and her prince dance in love, "Daddy, when will I get to dance with my prince?" How cute. It made me think that someday Adalin will grow up and find the man of her dreams. How I hope for all the happiness in the world for her and for a wonderful, righteous man to take her to the temple and marry her. I am sure her future hubby will like that line of hers when she was 2.

I have my favorite parts of Cinderella now too, different from my favorite bits as a child.

OK, so next time you watch Cindersmelly, when Jaq comes into Cinderella's room to tell her that there is a new mouse in the house, Gus Gus, C. gets out a dress and says, "Oh, well she'll need a dress" and, here it is, Jaq's laugh. This giggle is my favorite part of the movie and I don't think that it even made me laugh at all as a child.

I know, this is pathetic! Getting ready in the morning, I listen to this movie at least 3 times per week. I just had to share my thoughts about this little giggle. I love it, it makes me laugh every time. Go ahead, turn your C. movie on and find that part, it will be fun!

It was SO funny, when C. is mopping the floor and when you can see her reflection in all the bubbles while she is singing "Sing, sing nightingale" Adalin says the other day, "Mom, how is she going to get out of those bubbles?" I love little brains.

Kira the Muffin

I can't even describe how much of a joy this little girl is. She makes my heart swell with an immense love. She is so sweet and so smiley and wonderful. So fat too! It cracks me up that her waist won't fit into 12 month sizes anymore and that I am putting 18 month jeans on my 7 month old. I love her bald head. I like to just rub it sometimes and feel the fuzziness on my fingers. Her smile is immaculate and brings such happiness to my soul.




This quarter is only a week and a half from ending and has been the worst yet. Adam has been amazingly upbeat and positive through it all. He ALWAYS has to study, but we have managed to have some moments full of laughter in the last few days. Adam got our cowboy hat and afro wig out of our coat closet last night and put them on Kira. We laughed, smiled and were able to charge up for another night of studying.

My mom started the muffin thing. That's Kira's nickname, "muffin girl," "muffin top," "top top," the list goes on. Silly, I know, but what is sweeter than a sweet, soft muffin? Nothing.

The Rose

This is the best rose that we have grown so far this year! It is in a vase in our house now, and is just so pretty. Looking at it as I pass by, I have been reminded often over the last few days how beautiful God's creations are. I just love having fresh flowers in the house. It humbles me somehow and reminds me to take pleasure in simple, naturally beautiful things.

The TP Saga Continues

I felt like I was ran over by a bus this afternoon, so I decided to nap... Ahhhh, I love taking naps. Anyway, I awoke from the sound of 13 year-old voices in my front yard, cleaning up the Toilet paper! They are sweet kids and I am SO thankful that they have good parents who made them come back and clean up the mess they made!

Halloween!

Baby Kira with daddy on Halloween night. I thought that she was a pretty cute frog!


Adam coaches basketball for the Mary Immaculate 7th & 8th grade team... they said a few weeks ago, "Hey coach, would your wife care if we toilet papered your house on Halloween?" Adam: "Uh, I don't think so." So here you have it... The sad part is that I got back home from trick-or-treating at like 8:15 pm and they had already TPed. Who TPs someone house before 8PM at night? 8th graders.

I have some better pics of our little Tink, but here's one to start. Some friends took pictures for me, so I need to get them still. Adalin loved going trick-or-treating with all of her little buddies, esp. Jocelyn. They were so cute!