Thinking Over My Blessings.

As most moms do, I have good and bad days.  On the bad days, I wish I could start over and be more patient, more loving, more understanding...on the good days I feel grateful.  There is something about feeling gratitude in my heart that changes things.  When I do feel grateful I see a change in my attitude.

I have been looking for something to do with my children to connect with them.  I want them to feel safe, I want them to know that I enjoy spending time with them.  Because I do, even though a vast majority of my time with them, it seems like I am just trying to get them to do things they are supposed to do, like getting ready for school, making sure they are eating, doing their homework, going to bed on time.  I sometimes become like a sergeant and in some instances, not a very nice one.  

Tonight, I followed a prompting.  I decided that I would read to them every night.  We started reading a condensed version of "Little Women".  As I started reading, I could see them so interested, I thought, 'this is just what I need with them!'.  Especially in these next few months that Scott is not going to be here to help put them to bed.  He is always so good at playing with them and reading to them.  He is just a good dad and makes up for the things I'm not good at.  When Scott starts on these bad rotations, I feel so sad that my kids just get me, sometimes grumpy mom, who is just trying to get things done all the time.  

As I was reading tonight, I was so touched by the story.  One of the girls in the story had asked her mother to tell a story, one with a moral to it because she liked to think about it afterward.  The mom began, "Once upon a time, there were four girls.  They had enough to eat and drink and wear.  They had kind friends and parents who loved them dearly.  But they were not happy.  These girls were anxious to be good, but were constantly saying, 'If only we had this,' or 'If we could only do that.' They were always forgetting how much they already had, and how many things they actually could do.  So they asked an old woman what spell they could use to make them happy.  She said, 'When you feel unhappy, think over your blessings, and be grateful.'  So they agreed to stop complaining.  They promised to enjoy their blessing and try to deserve them.  And I believe they were never disappointed or sorry that they took the old woman's advice." 

From my own daily experience, on my good days of mothering, gratitude is what makes the difference. It's hard to have a bad attitude when my heart is filled with gratitude for my blessings.  I get to experience this life and be the mother to three wonderful, exceptional people.  What more can I ask for? They are here now with me, filling my days with joy.  I think I've talked about this joy I feel, it's the kind of joy that fills my heart and it feels like it might burst, it's the kind of joy that brings tears to my eyes.  It is such a strong emotion I can physically feel it.  It's joy and love, and when I mix it with gratitude it makes a perfect combination for a good attitude. 

There are few talks that I quote over and over and I read them every once in a while because they changed me.  One of them is a talk given by Elder Eyring, called 'O Remember, Remember' 

He says:

"And the challenge to remember has always been the hardest for those who are blessed abundantly. Those who are faithful to God are protected and prospered. That comes as the result of serving God and keeping His commandments. But with those blessings comes the temptation to forget their source. It is easy to begin to feel the blessings were granted not by a loving God on whom we depend but by our own powers. The prophets have repeated this lament over and over:

“And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.

“Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.”

And the prophet goes on to say: “Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!”

There is so much in this talk that is so good but I LOVE how he ends by saying:

"Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him. I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized. I know that is true, and it brings me joy to remember Him."

And I guess, this is my way of preserving the memory of how I see the hand of God in my life 

and how it fills me with gratitude: 

So grateful for these three amazing little people. 

My cute little soccer player.

My busy body, Brookie.  

My little entrepreneur, Brielle sold lemonade and earned $11. 

As I was taking this picture, she was saying: "I'm RICH!!!" 

Exhausted from playing. 

Nicest big brother! He pushes her in the swing as long as she wants! 

My hard working husband, he is a good provider and protector to this family. 

Such cute little neighbors who find joy in making a little 2 year old happy. 

My beautiful street. 

My beautiful daughters. 

“You are the trip I did not take, you are the pearls I could not buy,

you are my blue Italian lake, you are my piece of foreign sky.

You are my Honolulu moon, you are the book I did not write,

you are my heart's unuttered tune, you are a candle in my night.

You are the flower beneath the snow, in my dark sky a bit of blue,

answering disappointment's blow with "I am happy! I have you!”

Anne Campbell

Around Here | Update

I have been feeling so uninspired with the blog lately.  I don't know if it is the monotony of life or if my iphone is numbing my senses.  I've hit a rut with taking pictures and I've had writer's block for a while. Exhaustion is what I often feel at the end of the day.  My days are filled with joy and frustration.  More joy than frustration, which means that we are doing well and living life as most everyone does.  

Not much out of the ordinary happens on a daily basis. 

As the song goes, "children get older, I'm getting older too"...and that just about sums it up.  It is a wonderful time, my kids are healthy, I look at them and time becomes tangible. It's like I can see time.  Time is such an abstract concept.  But when I look at Brielle, Braden and Brooke I see it and that is the part of life that never gets monotonous.  I'm going into my eighth year of being a mother and I continue to try to embrace my motherhood every day. Some days, I wonder how much good I really do and other days I see that as President Harold B. Lee said, 'the most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home."

Scott continues to work hard and is just about to end his second year of residency.  It has been so cool to watch him evolve into a doctor and become more confident.  The nature of medicine is so demanding and stressful and he is constantly studying whenever he can.  He enjoys what he does, which makes me glad and relieved that all of this effort and sacrifice will be worth it.     

  

I continue to enjoy taking my kids on walks whenever the weather is nice.  

Brooke is well into the terrible two's and in the picture above she is telling me: "Don't take a picture!!!!" She obviously is able to vocalize her wants.  

This particular day she wanted to bring as many purses as she could hang on the stroller.  This little girl has been blessed with a strong will.  I hope this strong will develop into being willing to choose the right in her life!:) 

On another occasion, we went on a walk to the park.  She is again telling me, "Don't take a picture!!!!!!!" Sometimes, she is very adamant about me not taking photos of her.  She threw a monumental tantrum pretty much the whole walk.  In her defense, this was after afternoon church.  So she was exhausted.  She becomes irrational when she is tired.  Sadly, I admit that I'm pretty sure she inherited that from me.  

We've had some fun times with the Friels.  We all went bowling one evening and had great time together.  It's always fun getting with those guys.  

Brielle has been growing her hair for months with a trim here and there.  One evening, we were talking about donating hair and she decided that she wanted to keep growing her hair and then cut it and donate it.  We decided to donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, they make wigs for women with cancer who have lost their hair.  At first, we wanted to donate it to children with cancer, but it was hard to find reputable organization.  Anyway, she was thrilled and when the day finally came she was able to donate 12 inches.  Our dear friend, Lindsay cut it and did such a great job.  She looks adorable with her short hair, even though there are days she misses her long hair.  

We are so proud of her.  She did this of her own initiative, we didn't force her or talk her into it.  

I could tell she was pleased with herself for making this choice.    

Have I mentioned how much I love this little girl? 

We get to spend a lot of one-on-one time when the older kiddos are in school.  

She truly brightens my days. 

My poor mom, broke her arm at work when a little girl ran into her with her tricycle.  My mom fell, caught herself with her hand but broke her wrist.  Brookie and I have been going to Provo a lot lately.  When I told Brooke that abuelita had broken her arm, she said, "I need to go read her a book and buy her a toy."  I guess those are the things that would make Brookie happy if she broke her arm!:) So, we went to Provo and she read to her abuelita.  

A few weeks after Brielle chopped her hair, I decided it was time for me to also get a haircut.  I think this is the shortest I've had it in a long, long time.  It has been a nice change.  

In March, we also made a one day trip to Idaho for Scott's cousin Whitney's wedding.  Sadly, I didn't get one picture at her wedding!:( But we were able to get some cute ones of Great Grandma Jensen and the kids.  Glad we got to see her, even for a few minutes.  

We feel so grateful to have Grandma's sweet influence in our lives.

We definitely count her among our many blessings.

The thing about living in Utah is that we get to see family often...and it is nice and a blessing.  

CJ and Lenell were here for a few days and we met up with them at "This is the place".  

It was a chilly and windy day, but it was fun to be with them and for the kids to play with their cousins. 

These 3 little girls are so cute!

Cousins! 

We also got to see Nya and Vanessita during one of our visits to Provo to see my mom.  

That little Vanessita is the cutest thing ever!

She is the sweetest little girl.

We sure love her. 

Clay, Karen and Lanie also visited in March.  They stayed at a hotel and we got to go play in the pool. 

Brooke was fearless! 

We also celebrated Stephanie's birthday at the end of March.  We had a nice get-together with these ladies whom I've become quite fond of.  I often feel so grateful to find good people wherever we go.  

Most of March, I also trained to run a 5K with my dear friend Daija.  It was so good for me to do this.  It motivated me to go running and I have to say, that I surprised myself.  I realized that I can do hard things.  Sometimes, we forget the things we are capable of doing.  Or we simple don't find out what we're capable of because we don't try.  I have never been fond of running or working out in general.  The last time, I was consistently working out was in college.  I would always go to the gym to run, lift weights, etc.  I feel it needs to become a necessity in my life to be active and exercise at this stage of my life...for too many reasons.  I have to thank Daija for motivating me.  I'm always grateful for the good influence good friends have in my life. 

My little cheerleaders! 

Lastly, we had the wonderful blessing of attending the Women's Meeting for our Church.  Stephanie has some connections close to President Monson and she was able to get tickets for us to go.  We were on the sixth row.  It was especially exciting because this is the first time that Brielle was able to come with me.  I was so emotional.  My heart was so full that day.  I felt so blessed to be there in the presence of our prophet.  The meeting was wonderful and so uplifting.  I could tell Brielle was also feeling the Spirit.  She really is a special little girl.  I'm so grateful I get to experience this life with her.  She is full of life and so ready and willing to learn.  She was very attentive throughout the whole meeting.  

My heart was so full of gratitude, love and 

a desire to be better and be more grateful for this life I have been given. 

Life after all, is not all that monotonous when I sit down to reflect on my blessings 

and monotony is really not all that bad. 

As I was washing dishes one night, Scott was helping me.  I said to him, "isn't life just so monotonous sometimes?" He sincerely replied, "I like life this way." I said back to him, "I like you, thank you for giving me perspective."  

Life is good.  

Brielle's Baptism

After all of the birthday celebrations and all the preparation for Brielle's baptism, the day finally came! 

I can't believe it is all over and she is already baptized.  

Scott and I wanted this day to be special for Brielle and we wanted her to feel the important commitment that she was making to be baptized as a member of our Church. 

After many months of preparation and many teaching moments, we asked Brielle if she was ready to make these covenants.  We wanted to make sure she understood that it was a choice and not just something we do out of tradition. 

Brielle was ready to be baptized.  We were so glad when we found out that the day of baptisms in our stake for the month of February was going to be on her actual birthday, February 9th.  I think that made it even extra special.  She got baptized right on her birthday.   

We were so grateful to have so many of our family here with us to share this big event in Brielle's life.  

My brother surprised us from D.C. the day before her baptism.  

It was such a fun surprise.  

We also had my sister and her family, Penny, Jana and her family and other friends joined us.  

It was such a special day and I was so grateful that Brielle has a good dad who was worthy to baptize her.  I think it was a special day for Scott too as he was able to baptize our first born.  

We all felt so blessed that day. 

The service was beautiful and the talks were so good.  Brielle got to play the piano as the musical number.  She played, 'I like to look for rainbows'.  It was so sweet and she did such a good job.   

The Spirit was strong as we witnessed our daughter making covenants with our Heavenly Father and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  

Brielle and her good little friend Abby got to be baptized on the same day.  

The Nelsons are such good people and we were glad that these two little friends got to share this special day together. 

It was so nice to have these little cousins join us and be part of such a special day! 

It was a day I wish I could bottle up and relive once in a while.  

Brielle is a good little girl, full of life and ready to choose the right! 

We couldn't be more blessed.  

Brielle turns 8.

Brielle has been anxiously waiting to turn 8 because that meant she would get her ears pierced.  

She was so brave and so excited! 

The day finally came and we headed to Claire's.  

Two little pinches later and she had her ears pierced.  

Brielle got an American Girl doll for Christmas.  

She wanted an American Girl doll themed party and so I went to work!

Even though it is a lot of work to plan a party, I actually enjoy making all the decorations and putting everything together.  Of course, like I said about Braden's party, it is their reactions that make it all worth it.    

It was so difficult trying to narrow down the friends that Brielle wanted to invite.  

All of the little girls in her 1st grade class, church class and 

our little neighbor friends are the sweetest girls.  

It was hard to not invite everyone! So glad we did, I got to know some of them better and it was so fun to watch Brielle be such a good little friend to all of them.  

Brielle has so many good qualities.  One of my favorite ones is that she doesn't have a mean bone in her body.  She is generally a very kind little girl.  Scott and I always say that if there is a value we want to transfer to our children is to always try to be kind to those around them.

My friend Heidi decorated this cake.  She is so talented and I think it turned out so cute.  

Happy, happy 8th birthday to my sweet Brielle!

The dance party at the end was a hit! 

Call me Maybe was their favorite song and songs from Frozen.  

Even my mom was dancing!

So funny! 

Scott and I feel grateful to be Brielle's parents.  We are blessed to have a bright, confident, kind and beautiful daughter.  We can't thank our Heavenly Father enough every day to have Brielle as part of our family.