May in Review

May brought beautiful weather here in Salt Lake City.  One beautiful May Saturday afternoon, Brielle insisted she would sell lemonade.  She set it up all by herself and made a few bucks! She was so excited! She is a little entrepreneur and when she wants to buy something she will think of ways to work for some money.  I can't believe how big she is getting. 

Scott had the worst schedule pretty much all of May, June and July.  Night float was especially awful! 

Probably because he comes home to sleep during the day and it is nearly impossible to keep the children quiet.  I try to take the kids places but it is hard when the kids are in school, which they were still in school in May.  At the beginning of these awful residency rotations Scott and I pretty much say, 'goodbye! see you in a few weeks!' It is sad and funny at the same time. 

My mom had a birthday in May and we took her out to celebrate! Scott was working, Nya and her family were out of town, so it was up to us to make abuelita feel extra special. 

We love abuelita! 

We always laugh so hard when we are together.  My mom really is my best friend.  She is always there for me and loves me unconditionally.  She is the one person who always understand and doesn't judge.  She listens and guides me gently.  So grateful my children get to know her so well and learn from her.  

Such a cute 62 year old lady!:) 

Brielle had her spring piano recital.  

She stumbled through a few parts of her piece but I think we all learned a few things: practice, practice, practice!!!:) 

She has such natural ability that sometimes we forget that natural ability doesn't replace practicing.  

She had a very long piece and were proud of her efforts to play it.  

Heidi is such a good piano teacher and such a positive influence in Brielle's life.  She builds Brielle up, is kind to her and loves her.  To me, as a parent, that means the world.  Children need these kinds of positive influences in their world and Heidi is one of those influences in Brielle's life.  I will forever be grateful to the people around me that love my children.     

All of us, supporting our Brielle! 

May went on and we celebrated that Scott finished night float!!!

We couldn't hide our excitement!!! 

May also brought lots of spring cleaning out in the patio and we planted our garden.  

It is too bad that these beautiful flower trees only last a few weeks.

They are so beautiful!

...and I planted these little forget-me-nots  in our backyard last year but nothing happened until this year.  They always make me think of Elder Uchtdorf's talk.    

Brooke enjoyed the sand box in her birthday suit! Isn't that what two year olds do? 

My little sister also had a birthday and we celebrated Cuban style! When you grow up in Miami, you become part Cuban! The food was ok but it was fun to spend time with her! 

Happy Birthday Nyita!   

Since it started getting warmer in May, we made a few trips to the splash pad. 

End of school festivities came before I knew it.  We said goodbye to Mrs. Ostler who decided to retire.  She was Brielle and Braden's first grade teacher.  She was kind to my children and they both became strong readers in her class.   

My mom came to visit us the last weekend in May and as always the kids just love it when she comes to our house! They are always asking her to do things with them and she does.  She sits down and plays with them or draws with them.  This time they sat down for a good half an hour coloring.  

Jana also had a birthday and I was able to meet up with her and her friends for breakfast at this yummy dinner up Emigration Canyon.  The food was yummy and I was so glad to be part of the celebration.  Jana is a special lady and I'm so glad we are family!

...and as you can see I hardly took any picture with my Nikon.  My phone camera has taken over! 

What is happening to me?

April in Review

I have to rewind just a little bit before I move forward.  I hate to miss important snippets of these last few months...and by few months I mean way back at the end of March and April and May and June. 

So here it goes: 

Scottie turned 33 and we celebrated at the Dodo.  Yummy food and good times as a family! 

  

Brookie continues to grow and I continue to wish she would just stop it...

These girls continue to keep me on my toes and I continue to love them...

General Conference came and went...we were so grateful to listen to the prophet and apostles and these 3 kids were so cute wearing their Conference crowns.

Sometime in April, we got to see our cute little Vanessa.  

These two little cousins are way too cute. 

Braden continues to amaze us with his drawing skills.  

Brielle was part of the sweetest little recital with her whole second grade class.  It was called, One Small Voice, Can Change the World.  The lyrics to every song taught different values and Brielle sang every song with all of her little heart. We were so proud of her. 

Spring brought such beautiful flowers. 

Our dear Aunt Penny turned 65 and we had a little celebration for her with Jana and her family.

We sure love Penny and are grateful for the positive influence she brings to our lives.  

Scott had the worst schedule during Spring Break, so the kids and I had a staycation. 

The Natural History Museum has a free day every year and it so happened to be during Spring Break, so we took advantage and went.

The exhibits were awesome and it made for a nice outing with the kids. 

The zoo never gets old.  My friend Geno joined us with her kids and we spent such a fun day there.

We went to Provo and got spend a fun day with my mom.  

We also made a trip to the Capitol.  It is such a beautiful building and I love it that you can walk through it without anyone breathing down your neck like it was at the Capitol in D.C. The murals and architecture are so beautiful there and we were so glad that the Stagg girls could join us.  

Scott had Easter weekend off, so we headed to Idaho to spend it with his folks.  

Always a good time in Idaho. 

The Easter bunny came to drop off some goodies for these cute kids.  

We have a little tradition on Easter, the girls get new Easter dresses and the boys new ties.  

We made a quick stop to see Grandma Jensen.  

Always good to see her and spend time with her. 

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