Busy May!

May has been a busy month for us. We are trying to figure everything out for the move in 2 months and trying to get everything taken care of for Scott to start medical school in August! I can't believe it's already so close! We are flying out to DC next month to find housing, etc. It has been busy around here to say the least, so much has been going on I haven't had energy to blog. My little sister is graduating high school on Thursday, so I'm driving to Utah with the kids tomorrow. Then I have my citizenship appointment this coming Monday in Boise (pray for me!), so I'm going to be doing lots of driving. I decided I better blog right now before the end of the month!!!:)

The highlight of this month for Scott and I was going to a session in the Rexburg Temple for the first time! Can you believe it? The first time!!!! I can't believe it! It has been so hard to go to the temple since we've had both kids but we finally made it, I think last time we went was last November, way too long. It was such a special session and it was so amazing to be there and it seemed like I had gone to heaven for a few hours and I was able to recharge my batteries and return to my routine. I loved every second of the session, I was so awake and I had missed what we are able to do in the temple! I feel truly blessed to have these truth available in my life!

Last Thursday, Scott and I got offered free babysitting from a former T.A. I had last year (who is now adjunct faculty at BYU-Idaho) so Scott and I can go dancing! We hadn't gone Latin dancing in sooooo long! They have it on-campus every Thursday night. We decided that we are both out of shape! But we had the best time and realized how much we both LOVE dancing and hopefully when Scott is a rich doctor we both can take private lessons and do competitions together! It was fun to remember when we started dating we'd go to country and swing Wednesday nights at BYU-Idaho. At first, we were just friends and then I remember thinking: "but he is just dancing with me, he's not asking any other girl to dance, I wonder if we are together?" And then, he started holding my hand to go get a drink of water together...such fun memories...

I've had my dancing shoes for about 8 years now! It was fun to finally wear them again after about 4 years of them just sitting in my closet!

We both look so cheesy in these pictures, but after almost 4 years of marriage we are still very much in love!!!:)

We've been enjoying the nice weather the last few weeks (even though it has been raining this last week) We have been outside a lot and just enjoying our last summer in Idaho. I have to say that I have always loved Idaho summers and have fun memories of the summers I have spent here. The kids have been loving life because we are not stuck in the apartment all day long!

We had a fun Memorial Weekend, we went to visit Scott's grandpa Jensen's grave on Sunday. It is probably the last time we'll be there for a while. It was special to go and visit his grave and remember him and the sweet man that he was.

On Monday, we went to Blast Off. The kids had a BLAST!!!!!:) That place is so much fun and it is perfect for little kids. They played and played and played forever!

Scott quit his Olive Garden job last week, so he didn't have to work on Saturday. (He's been working at Qwest for the last 2 months during the week but decided to keep his job at Olive Garden on Saturdays, for some extra money. But now we get to have him on Saturdays for the last few months before medical school.) The kids have been loving being able to spend time with their dad.

I am blessed to be a Mother...

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms I know who are reading this post! Two days late, I know, but it's the thought that counts right? Besides my own mother, I can think of many, many "older" and younger moms out there who I admire and love. In the words of Elder Ballard, "There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood." The ways that my mom has shaped my life are countless and I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices that she has made for her children. Gracias mami por tu ejemplo.

My mom was pregnant with me when this picture was taken...too bad we can't see her belly!

I always dreamed of being a wife and a mother...I always envisioned myself being sealed in the temple to a worthy priesthood holder and I have been blessed to have that happen in my life. Then I envisioned myself as a mother. I have to say that what I thought motherhood would be like doesn't come close to the reality of my role now. Being pregnant, giving birth and now raising my two children have been the most humbling, refining and rewarding experiences I have ever gone through in my life. Brielle and Braden have changed my life for the better! I never thought it would be possible to love and care for another human being so deeply as I do for them. Before I had kids I often wondered how it could be possible to love your children equally...now I know...yes...I'll be the first to admit that as a mother I have felt incredibly inadequate and frustrated at times but I have also experienced the deepest feelings of happiness and charity. I now understand more fully why through having our own families we are perfected and why this is the plan. I loved Elder Ballard's recent talk "Daughters of God". What a blessing we have to have inspired leaders that know what we need to hear and this talk was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I have learned many things these last two years of motherhood and I have forcefully realized my many flaws!!! I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity in this life to be a mom and I'm sure grateful for the laughter and joy that Brielle and Braden bring to our home!

A few quotes from Elder Ballard's talk:

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

"It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our home."

"...recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

"Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together."

"Pray deeply about your children and about your role as a mother."

My attempt of taking a good picture with Brielle & Braden...I failed...all they wanted to do was play!!!

SIDE NOTE: Brielle, Braden and I went to Target this last Saturday and the worse thing happened...Brielle fell off the cart...I felt like a horrible mom and I was crying with her, I felt so terrible, the whole thing happened in half a second, it was VERY SAD. She was very cuddly after that...and I kept asking her "are you okay honey?" and she'd answer: "No mommy, I'm not okay" My poor little girl now has a bruise on her forehead!:(

Another Brielle Story...

I need to write this before I forget...I probably shouldn't have laughed but it was way too funny not to...yesterday Scott was helping me put the kids down for bed and Braden is usually very cooperative (for the most part) and Brielle on the other hand has a harder time cooperating. Both of them have been having a harder time going to bed at 8 because it is still light outside...anyway, we were all in our bedroom and Brielle was sitting on the computer chair pretending to type and this is the conversation Scott and Brielle had:

Scott: Brielle, it's time for bed, please get down and let's go to your bedroom.

Brielle: NOOOOOOOO, SCOTT, YOU GO BEDROOM BRIELLE'S!!!!!!!!! YOU GO SCOTT.

She's 2...what are we going to do when she's 15? She sure makes us laugh though...

Braden habla español!

He does this every time he hears Spanish! What a silly boy!!!

Mommy, Look it's Hannah Montana!

Two reasons for writing about this: First, I have an opinion and second, every time Brielle sees a picture of Hannah Montana at the store she enthusiastically lets me know, "MOMMY, LOOK IT'S HANNAH MONTANA!" If I didn't have kids I probably wouldn't know who the heck Miley Cyrus is...when her father was on Dancing with the stars I had NO CLUE who whatever his name was...Anyway, if you haven't heard, this 15 year-old girl posed semi-nude on Vanity Fair, which I never read and don't care to either. But the fact that Vanity Fair published the semi-nude, very sexy picture has been all over the news...the truth of the matter is that I could care less about what these dumb celebrities do with their stinking lives but it totally hit home because Brielle recognizes who she is and SHE IS TWO YEARS OLD!!!!!!! She doesn't even watch the show, she may have watched it once or twice. I watched the interview Glenn Beck did with the dad and he seemed like a decent guy and I was happy to see that a few of these celebrities and I shared a few values. I was in a way, relieved to see that not all people in Hollywood are shallow and have no values whatsoever. I thought, "wow good for them!" I was completely deceived! As a parent, if I saw that the photographer was getting too risque taking pictures of my 15 year-old Brielle I would have stopped the photo shoot and I would have done something about it!!!! But they just went with the flow like brainless human beings! Her mother and father were both there! Frankly, you can't blame the girl because she IS 15 years-old! It was the parents' responsibility! And it is obvious that the magazine and the photographer had their own agenda: to corrupt the image of what a 15 year old girl should look like!

My conclusion on the matter: the only people we can look up to as role models are our prophet, our families and the good people in our lives, that we KNOW would NEVER compromise their values. Obviously, Brielle right now has no clue what is going on, she only sees the flashy clothes she wears and the flashy, INTRUSIVE advertisements that are EVERYWHERE we go!!! It makes me so scared to realize that the world is in to get our children! It is such a real threat! I guess I have never felt it so strongly like this...The adversary is in to get us and he is using every tool he can to accomplish his purposes. We really need to safeguard our homes, because this is a battle for our lives and the lives of our children. It is so real! The only constant thing we have is the gospel. What would we do without it?

P.S. If you like Jack Johnson you may have heard his song "Good People" (which is playing right now) It definitely describes what I'm talking about.