My Life Shines!!!

Some mornings I wake up and I wonder what life is all about and why I am here in this time and in this moment. Then I see these 3 faces and I know why...

Ashlyn ALWAYS has the best smile and the sweetest disposition. She is so obedient and helpful. She's such a loving and caring big sister and I know that someday she will be a great mommy. I'm so glad that she came first!




Breckin ALWAYS makes me happy no matter how sad I might be feeling, and he is so creative and imaginative in his play. Sometimes, I just stand by his door and listen to him play. He also is very funny and makes me laugh several times a day!




Addy is AlWAYS silly, she wakes up in the morning with a smile ready for you. She is also one of the cutest babies that I've ever seen, but I might be a little bias. On top of that, who doesn't LOVE a naked baby, especially one with her tongue sticking out at you!




So when I'm running on spiritual fumes, or I'm questioning my purpose. I look at these 3 little miracles that I've been given and I know why I am here. I am here to learn about love, pure and unconditional love, the kind of love that Christ and my Heavenly Father have for me. The most perfect way for me to learn about this love is to experience it myself. There is nothing that my children could ever do to make me not love them. They are a part of me and they are part of my purpose in this life. Thanks Ashlyn, Breckin, and Addy for giving my life meaning and helping to learn to love.

P.S. What's with the head tilt? I guess that's just how they pose.

What I Learned This Week

Hey everybody, if you don't know about the Shine Project yet, you should really check it out, it is awesome. This week we were given the challenge to learn something new that we have always wanted to learn this week. There are so many things that I want to learn. I feel like I'm going to be in school forever because I want to learn so much. I did challenge myself this week and I tried to teach myself how to sew.

I won't post any pictures now, but I'll try on Sunday when I actually wear the skirt that I made. I had to have Jame help me with some of the technicalities which I really appreciated. He also watched the kids while I worked on my project. Two hours later I had my own homemade masterpiece. I hope to be able to make more and get a little more complex. I also have BIG plans for re-fashioning some of my kids' clothes so that I don't have to buy a whole new summer wardrobe for them. As I said before, there are many other things that I want to learn in my life so here's
THE LIST:

-scuba dive
-bake a souffle
-rock climb and repel
-garden
-live green
-knit and crochet, I technically know how to crochet, but I would like to be able to do it better
-run a marathon
-shoot a gun, I actually plan on doing this over the summer when I do a Trash The Dress photo shoot
-photography
-make jewelry
-French, Spanish and Italian
-ballet, I already took a semester of ballet, but I would love to do more
-use a Silhouetee and Cricut
-make my own furniture

This is quite the list and there are probably more things that I haven't thought of yet or that I have forgotten, but for now this will do. I really wish that I could find a ballet class for myself, but for now I will have to live vicariously through Ashlyn who will start ballet in the fall. I also can't wait to do my Trash The Dress photo shoot because I only spent $57 on my dress and I would love to be able to wear it again, just for fun. For the past week, my brain has been on autopilot, after all of the school work and papers that I had to do, but now I'm ready for more stimulation. I hope that you will all challenge yourselves to learn something that you have always wanted to.

Things I HEART!!

So, I've been thinking about some things in my life that really make me happy. Of course, at the top of the list is my husband and my children. But there are sooo many things that make me happy, some of them are spiritual and some of them are silly. Anyway, here they are:

*Andy Samburg: I don't know what it is about him, but I have a small crush on him. I know that it's silly and I've talked to the hubs about it and he doesn't feel threatened by him :) I just find him incredibly funny and charming.



*Baking with Ashlyn: She is the BEST helper and she is able to understand what I need her to do and she wants to grow up to be a chef someday and a superhero!



*The Rain: In Texas the rain is warm and creates A LOT of humidity, but when it rains in Wyoming it's pretty cold, however, I bought myself some lovely black galoshes that Jame insists makes me look like a farmer's wife because I refuse to put them inside of my pants. They are the BEST for jumping in puddles, which I try to do frequently.




*The Color Pink: I'm a little obsessed. It can't be baby pink it has to be HOT pink. I have several shirts that are pink, an iPod that is pink, a pink cover for my phone, if it is pink I WANT it!! The best thing about this picture is that it's a pair of PINK CHUCK TAYLORS which I want sooo bad! Hey my birthday is coming, maybe I can talk my mom into some :)






*Glee: On Tuesday evenings from 7-8 I am glued to the television for an hour of peace in the form of Glee. Maybe it's because I was in choir in high school and I can relate to some of the drama that occurs, but I really do love it!



*The Prophet of My Church: I am so grateful that I am able to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I am also grateful that I am able to have the guidance from a prophet on the Earth today and apostles. The counsel that they give me has helped me to avoid many pitfalls in my life.




*The Beach: Jame and I have decided that if we ever get the chance to live by the beach, we are definenlty going to. We first fell in love with the sand and water when we went to visit my parents in Southern California and we still can't get enough.



*Mint Oreos: I am convinced that even though we don't need to eat in heaven, I want to and I want to have Mint Oreos and milk everyday! The best thing about it would be that I wouldn't gain any weight :) When I really need something super sweet and I don't have any cupcakes in the house, I go to the Mint Oreo.




*Reading: As I have said, my ideal vacation would consist of a secluded beach, myself and a few people to clean up after me, and a library full of GOOD books. I could spend all my time reading, but alas I have a husband and 3 little ones that NEED me EVERYDAY! Don't get me wrong, I love them and I love that they NEED me, but I would really love just one day to relax and do nothing but read! This picture is of the Library of Congress and someday I am going there!



*Lisa Leonard Designs: If you don't know about this woman, you should. She is an inspiration to any stay-at-home mom. I also LOVE her jewelry and home decor. She is so amazing!






I hope that you enjoyed reading about some of the things that I love that make me happy! I try to make it a goal to be happy everyday and honestly, some days are better than others, but a happy day is still a good day! I hope that you will consider things in your life, however simple they may be, that make you happy!

On This Day 7 Years Ago

On this day, 7 years ago, I married my best friend. Jame and I are so different from each other, but some how we make it work. There is a lot of laughter and playful teasing in our relationship, which I feel has made it a lot more fun for us. We have grown to understand each other better than I though we could. He understands my need for busyness and excitement in my life and I understand his need for peace and calm. I understand his need for life outdoors and what it means to him and he understands my need for hustle and bustle and the excitement of a city's energy. I understand his affinity for hunting, fishing, guns and The Discovery Channel and he understands my affinity for shopping, cleaning, reading and my intese of love of all things pink, he even got me a pink iPod for Valentine's Day one year.

I am so grateful to have Jame in my life. He is my best friend and the person that I go to when I am upset about myself or frustrated with my life. We have been through some intese trials in our short marriage, but we have also been given so many blessings. Jame is the person that has paced the halls of the Powell Hospital while I was in labor. He is the one that takes care of our kids while I go take a swim, he is the one that makes me feel beautiful even when I'm in my jammies and my hair is all messed up. He is the best daddy to my kids, he gets up with Ashlyn when she is having a bad dream, he takes Breckin camping with him and he takes care of Addy while I try to relax and take a much needed bath. He sacrifices his time and sometimes his sanity to provide for our family. Finally, he loves me when I sometimes feel the least lovable. I have to say that he's the BEST!! I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father put us together and provided a way for us to be together for time and all eternity.

On this day, 7 years ago, I married, my best friend and I couldn't imagine life without him or the family that we have made together.

A Lesson Learned, A Heart Changed

A Lesson Learned, A Heart Changed

Tonight Ashlyn and I were relaxing together while Addy slept and Daddy and Brecky were away. We were watching 20/20 and a special about a woman who had been in a plane accident with her husband and another individual was the story for the evening. I could remember seeing this woman on a short video online on the Mormon Messages YouTube channel. I wanted to learn more about her and I was glad that I tuned in.

She is such an inspiration and the fact that although she will never get over what happened to her, she hasn't made it define who she is and she hasn't wallowed in self pity. She has carried on with faith. She is a person that I truly admire and I hope that I can be like someday.

Here is her story, you should really check it out: http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

Another thing that really touched me is that while Ashlyn was watching this she informed me that someday Heavenly Father would make her like she was before and she would be perfect again. It gave me hope that maybe I am doing something right. Maybe I'm too hard on myself when it comes to being a mother because my children throw the occasional fit in the grocery story or that their bedrooms are in disarray more than they are clean and orderly "the way mommy would do it". It also made me realize what is really important for me to teach my children and that is to have faith to hold on to that faith even in the midst of the most grave of trials and to always have eternity in your sights.

My Summer Plans

So since the past 10 months have kept me so busy I have some BIG summer plans. We have had a really challenging year. The kids and I were in California with my parents for 10 weeks and then we had Addy in January and another semester of school started 3 days after she made her appearance in this world. Then there was the launch of the Cody Cupcake Company. I also have some cleaning and window washing work that I've been doing the past couple to be of weeks, so I want to be able spend some time doing some things that I WANT to do! Here are some of my tentative plans: They are all subject to approval and cooperation of the management which would include a 5 year old, 3 year old and 4 month old.

*READ!! I have only been reading textbooks for the past 5 months and I am so anxious to get to read something that I actually want to read that I have already sold my textbooks back, just to get them FAR away from me.

*CRAFT!! I have found some awesome tutorials of things that I want to make for my kids, myself and others. I want to re-fashion some of the kids' clothes and I want to be able to make them some cute clothes too. I also want to make some cute stuff for their rooms and for our house, and finally I want to starting to hand stamp metal jewelry which I think is so beautiful and I would love to make a few personal pieces for my mom and mother-in-law.

*PLAY!! It is getting warmer here and we want to play outside! The kids and I all have tennis rackets and we have like 10 tennis balls around this house, so we have big plans to go out and play.

*RUN!! There are a few races around here and I plan on participating in at least one of them. Hopefully I can have the time to train and get a hold of it.

*WORK!! I want to work a little bit so that I can save some money up for our trip to California in November and a little surprise that I have in store for 2 little kids and 1 big one!

*CAMP!! Now for those of you who know me very well, I am not an outdoors person. I have a serious fear of rattlesnakes and I think that they are going to sneak up on me and bite me, even though I know better. However, I was watching the TLC show Quints By Surprise the other day and they went camping with one 8 year old and 5 two year olds, so I figured if they can do it, Jame and I certainly can try at least, so we're going to try it.

So, all in all, I plan on making the most of the time I have this summer. I plan on enjoying myself and the company of my family as much as I can especially because Ashlyn is going to school this fall and that Breckin will be in preschool. So we're going to do as much as we can!

Mother's Day!!

For Jame and I it was never a question of if we were going to have children, it was when. It just so happened that the "when" occurred just a year and a half after we were married. With three children now, I have spent 27 months pregnant, that's 2 years and 3 months, 820 days, 19,680 hours, 1.180,800 minutes and I wouldn't trade that time for anything. My children bring me so much joy, along with the occasional annoyance. They are such special individuals and I feel so grateful that Heavenly Father chose to give me such choice blessings. Here they are if you want to get to know them better:



Ashlyn: Also known as "Monkey". She is just like her mommy, bossy and stubborn. She is also very sweet and loving as well as intelligent and obedient. I am so excited to see what she decides to be when she grows up because I know that whatever it is she will be the BEST!!




Breckin: Also known as "Brecky". He is also like is mommy in his stubbornness, but like his daddy in that he is quick to forgive and forget. He has the best imagination and loves to play pretend with his sister. He says the funniest things and is very friendly. I have a feeling that he's going to be an incredible athlete just like his grandpa and Uncle Sean because he has great hand-eye coordination.



Addy: Also known as "Addy-Paddy". She is a mommy's girl. She frequently sticks her bottom lip out if someone other than her mother is holding her. She's so happy and sweet. She's also very loving. Her newest trick is to roll over and she's working on perfecting it. She's my baby and I love her. She smells so good and is a GREAT cuddler.

So, this is why I do it. This is why I have sacrificed my body, time and in some cases my sanity. This is why I wake up at 3 am after finally falling asleep at 11 pm and then wake up again for the day at 6 am. This is why I have postponed my dreams of travel, career and leisure time. No matter what I have sacrificed, I wouldn't change my life for anything. My children have made me into the person that I have become and the person that I want to be someday. They have taught me the greatest lesson about charity and the pure love of Christ that I could ever learn. I know how our Heavenly Father feels about us because I have been fortunate enough to have children of my own. I love being a mother, not just today, but everyday!!

To My Mommy, On Her Birthday

Okay, first off, I know it's not your birthday yet, but I don't know if I'm going to have time for more than a phone call tomorrow, so here is a little birthday present for you.

We were in Heaven and loved each other and belonged to each other before we ever came to this earth and I have to say that I am so grateful that I was fortunate enough to belong to you. Without you there would be no me, and as we all know, I'm fabulous :)

You gave your time to me when you stayed up with me at night when I was scared, when you came to my sporting events or choir recitals and supported me regardless of the distance, when you spent time cooking, cleaning, and creating so that we had a home and not just a house, when you comforted me when I was suffering and broken-hearted, when you worked to provide our family with the comfortable things in life, when you ran around like a crazy person to the various activities of two busy kids so that we knew you were there, when you put yourself last and others first.

You gave your talents to me when you created some questionable outfits the evidence of which will never see the light of day, and you know what I'm talking about, when you coached my softball team and put me in my place one afternoon for swearing, when you first taught me how to make my own house a home, when you gave me encouragement and advice for raising my own children,

Mommy, you will ALWAYS be my closest friend, my greatest confidant and my heroine. you are always there when I need a shoulder to cry on, even if you are all the way in California, when I need a good laugh, because we all know that driving you crazy gets the biggest laughs, and when I need support and unconditional love.

For your birthday I would wish that all of your dreams would come true and that you could have every good thing that life can offer. I love you, Mommy, and I am truly grateful to my Heavenly Father every day that he gave me you for MY Mommy.