This is the Place

The girls and I got to enjoy a HOT summer afternoon playing at This is the Place Heritage Park with my mom, sister and her little boy on Tuesday. Despite the 95 degree weather the girls had a great time. Lily LOVED riding on the pony, (zoe liked them far away but once on one started to bawl), as well as petting all the baby farm animals at the petting zoo, riding the train all around the park and playing at the mini replica-houses kid park. Grandma Allred even bought ice cream cones. It was a fun time but I was tired after pushing the stroller around on such a hot day. Gotta love that sticky, sweatiness that comes from mid-summer. (My mom took the majority of the pictures on her camera, but here are a few from mine)on the train...enjoying some sitting-down and relax time

playing at the mini-store house

hand-in-hand on the boardwalk

oh what do we do in the summertime?

the girls were digging these baby sunglasses and took turns wearing them at various times
Zoe uses her mouth for a lot of things...this being one of the more unique
Here's a collage of some of my fave pix from June

And lastly, why go to an amusement park when you have Andrew?

relationships

In talking to a good friend of mine tonight, I was reminded of how complicated and imperfect relationships really are. There is no perfect relationship because there are no perfect people. Remember the days of yesteryear when a game of make believe included the perfect marriage...the thoughtful, handsome husband, the angelic, beautiful children, the gorgeous mansion and problem-free life? Good times...role-playing for a future for which many of us dreamed.

However, along with maturity and experience comes reality. Reality that life is not fair, was never intended to be fair and requires more work than originally imagined. But then again love is work....it's not something we are entitled to. In the worldwide leadership conference insert that came with this month's Ensign, I read a definition of love that has stuck with me....'Love is what we go through together.' Isn't that the truth? Love is not stagnant...it's constantly moving, progressing, evolving...it's scope is only limited to the effort we, ourselves, our willing to put forth. It's through our trials and experiences that we learn what love really is.

But isn't it great? What better way to strive to become more like our Heavenly Father than by learning more and more of love...not by definition, but by feeling and experiencing the work and incredible satisfaction and joy that comes from loving and being loved.

There are no perfect people but there are people that are perfect for each other. Imperfect relationships...yes, but perfect Love sees past that and helps one to cope with the imperfections and work past them. I'm grateful for a plan that is beautifully and wholly seen by an Omniscient Father, placing us here on earth for the sole purpose to learn to love and be loved. We really couldn't ask for more.

work

Why is it that I need some kind of reason to actually get stuff done around the house? I'm talking about the little, nitty-gritty stuff that I'm always putting off.

Well, this week I decided that I needed to kick my butt in gear and do all that stuff. It helps when I have a reason....such as putting our house up for sale. It's been in the works and in the talk for a little while, but we just up and did it this past week. We're not necessarily in a hurry to leave....I so LOVE our little house and will be so sad when it passes on to another owner. It's cute, cozy and now all the way done. We have just decided to hopefully take advantage of the buyer's market and upgrade sooner than later, before the homes which we can remarkably afford now fall outside our means. It'll be interesting to see it all work out...however sooner or later that may be.

I'm so enjoying our house even more now that I've done all the little things....new caulking in the master bath, the finishing touches on the new basement bath, the little homey touches which have taken us now 2 plus years to finally get where we want them. i've been cleaning like mad, and it's so nice to enjoy the fruits of my labors. the hard part will be keeping it clean...a formidable task somedays.

It's been a week of mixed feelings and plenty of energy-burning to keep my mind and body busy. My beautiful, flower-laden yard is so enticing right now, and I enjoy spending as much time as I can taking it all in. Summer is so great...such nostalgia and promise when there's so much daylight of which to take advantage.

As the saying goes, "There's a time and season for everything"...we'll have to see what this season brings for our family.

Daddy's day

DADDYS Are Special People

Daddys are special people

No home should be without,

For every family will agree

They're 'SO NICE TO HAVE ABOUT' -

They are a happy mixture

Of a 'SMALL BOY' and a 'MAN'

And they're very necessary

In every 'FAMILY PLAN' Sometimes they're most demanding

And stern, and firm and tough

But underneath they're 'soft as silk'

For this is just a 'BLUFF'

But in any kind of trouble

Daddy reaches out his hand.

And you can always count on him

To help and understand -

And while we do not praise Daddy

as often as we should,

We love him and admire him,

And while that's understood,

It's only fair to emphasize

His importance and his worth -

For if there were no loving Daddys

This would be a 'LOVELESS EARTH'.

Thank you to the man who treats his girls like princesses. There's just something about a daddy to every little girl that lights her up inside and makes her feel so loved, and Andrew's heart definitely belongs to his girls. I couldn't ask for more.

And to my own incredibly wonderful Dad...

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who

wants to catch you before you fall

but instead picks you up,

brushes you off,

and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who

wants to keep you from making mistakes

but instead lets you find your own way,

even though his heart breaks in silence

when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who

holds you when you cry,

scolds you when you break the rules,

shines with pride when you succeed,

and has faith in you even when you fail...

~By Susan Ceylise.~

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your unconditional love for me and my little family. You are such an important part of my/our lives. Love you always and all ways, Daddyconz! bzzt!

Religion and faith

I read a very thought-provoking article today in the 'Mormon Times' section of the Deseret News. It was written by Orson Scott Card and was refreshingly open-minded. Please read here: http://mormontimes.com/ME_blogs.php?id=1299

As I was thinking about religion in my own terms, I am reminded of how the word 'faith' is interchangeable with 'religion' for good reasons. On the flipside, science tends to be a polar opposite of both--not because science is wrong or anti-religious, only because it requires proof (concrete evidence) for something to be true or believed.

I find it particularly comforting in the fact that religion is all-encompassing. It knows no boundaries. Each individual's definition of faith is only contained by his/her's own limitations. And when we find ourselves questioning everything/anything it is a sign that we are on the road to expanding our own personal circle of religion--willing to perhaps expand our self-created borders.

We are challenged in the scriptures to experiment upon the word...question, wonder, ASK, wait, listen...and sometimes we are just not spiritually ready to receive the revelation in which we seek-- despite our earnest inquiries and expectations. An all-knowing Father will not give us further personal revelation if we are not spiritually mature enough to understand. And that's what is so great about religion. It is never-ending. We are always learning, questioning, exercising and receiving...perhaps preparing ourselves for greater insights with every doubt...allowing our minds and hearts to open and push aside the cobwebs which weren't always there to block our spiritual eyes.

How fitting that we read in the scriptures about being reborn. Every minute of every day we are doing just that...seeking to re-birth ourselves from our limited human mind into discovering truths and knowledge that were always there in our spiritual minds. We are putting forth the effort to see with a new perspective, even a godly perspective...doing something to help us become more all-encompassing, more part of our faith and religion and ultimately becoming more like our Father in Heaven. It's a lofty goal and grand mission but one worth every ounce of effort, perspiration and hard work.

Elmer Wheeler in The Wealth Within You, said, " Begin thinking of faith in terms of "something to do" rather than something to "have."...Faith is not a substitute for work. It is not a substitute for preparation. Rather it is a necessary part of these things. There is nothing which can be demonstrated and pointed to as faith except in relation to work. The man who says he has faith he can do something and then does nothing, has never known faith for it comes into being only at the point of action."

And to come full-circle I think Oswald Chambers puts it best, "Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason--a life of knowing Him who calls us to go."

I encourage myself to expand my own horizons of faith/religion...question more, doubt, seek, study, learn, ASK and be ready to receive the spiritual manifestions and burning bosom that only comes from the true Spirit of faith, from a loving Father who knows me better than I know myself.

24 hours...

Thank goodness it's only called the 24 hour bug. Zoe was doing okay after the initial night of throwing up, and I chalked it up to experience (one that I don't soon want to have again). We went to church and then to a family party on Sunday after a two-day period of no incidents. But then Zoe threw up again Sunday night, she slept in our bed, and I woke up Monday feeling TERRIBLE. I felt so bad for Zoe if that's how she felt. I could not stand up without feeling like I was going to upchuck. After a day of vomiting myself and lying on the couch while trying to keep the kids entertained, I was so sick of being sick, and I couldn't believe it'd only been 12 hours. Unfortunately, Andrew was working two overtime shifts that he couldn't get out of, and I had an extremely hard time doing anything for the girls. I hadn't been that kind of sick since before I had kids. Man, never again would be okay with me. Needless to say I was really weak this morning from not having eaten anything. It took me several hours to get some strength up, but the 24 hours is up, and I'm grateful that some things (although seemingly much longer at the time) are really only a day's suffering. It's too bad that I appreciate my health and strength the most when I don't have it. Time to leave this one in the book and move on....

first time for everything

I consider myself lucky in some ways. My kids have always been relatively healthy. We've dealt with the colds here and there and ear infections but up until last night, no throw up. That's right, I got to deal with a vomiting Zoe all last night. I felt so bad for her. By the time she had thrown up five times there was nothing left and she was so wiped. Of course, trying to keep her hydrated was my main concern, but any drop of liquid she was given was immediately expelled. I ended up calling Andrew to come home early from work so one of us could stay here with a sleeping Lily and the other take Zoe to the doctor. The doc pretty much told us what we already knew--keep an eye on her wet diapers, make sure she gets liquids in small amounts, etc. I was mostly concerned about her vomiting in her sleep and me not being able to hear her (it happened twice after she went down for the night, when I was still awake). So we just had her sleep in our bed on a towel. Needless to say we didn't sleep very well, not because she was throwing up, but because it's hard to sleep with a little toddler in one's bed. She actually did much better after she got back from instacare. we were able to give her Gatorade which she wanted to guzzle, but in keeping with her queasy stomach I limited it to a few swallows as often as she woke up throughout the night. She woke up this morning looking better but still very tired and drained. She is sleeping now and hopefully will get over this little stomach bug quickly.

Now I just have to figure out how to get the vomit out of my carpet and the four sets of bedding and pajamas she went through....any good ideas? :o)

catch up, lists, and belated spring cleaning

Here is a conglomeration of some pix from the last two weeks or so.

After Zoe's surgery she was up and walking, getting into everything as usual. As you can see from the first pix, standing was no hurdle. The second pix is quite the rocker pose, thumbs up and all. The third pix is her trying to pull an ear of corn off the counter using her gimp foot as a heightening advantage. Go, go, go...

Here is a classic example of me trying to get my girls to pose---next to impossible to have both of them looking at the camera. they are wearing their cute, new dresses from Grandma Allred and eating graham crackers before church. Lily's hair is an ongoing experimental process as I have been on a hair kick and have been using her tresses as my guinea pig. Zoe is not a very good subject as anything placed in her hair is ripped out seconds or minutes later. (I probably should just cut the long, wispy pieces in front so it's not always in her eyes, but I am hoping she'll out grow this pull-out-ponytail phase just like Lily did at her age).

This past Sunday was Andrew's last day for motor school, and wouldn't you know it, he missed the final test by one mistake and thus was not allowed to be on the list as a potential motor cop for the upcoming year. He was way bummed (I was too, mainly because of all the time he put into it. Next year's school will probably be a sore point as I really don't want him to do it again)

We took Zoe in for her follow-up with the surgeon. He said the swelling on her foot is normal due to the space left by the fatty tumor that was removed. He said it was a completely benign tumor and shouldn't grow back. She is still walks very gingerly on her toes on that foot and will make a sad face when she looks at the stitches. I'm sure a lot of it's mental in how she's walking, but I'm really hoping once the stitches finally dissolve that she'll be able to take off and not look back.

One thing that has really interested Zoe since the surgery is wearing shoes. Before, it was so hard to put shoes on her because they just didn't fit right and would almost always invariably fall off. She most often just wore socks. But now that shoes fit her, she'll go to our shoe basket, find a shoe, hold it up to me and stick her foot out, waiting for me put it on. It brings a whole new meaning to shoe fetish--just like Cinderella who didn't have a shoe on one foot, but now can wear a matching pair.

Here she is standing in her shoes and sitting in the doll stroller (she was bound and determined to get inside even though she's not exactly doll-size)

And lastly, I've been SOOO enjoying my flowers. That's one thing that I'm so grateful for--the previous owners who planted gorgeous irises and roses all along the side of the house, which I get to enjoy every spring/summer. It's given me a gardening bug which I never thought would be part of my repertoire.

And speaking of repertoire, lately I've been into trying a lot of new things--expanding my horizons. I mentioned earlier the hair thing...I found a great blog (see my fave blogs) and have been getting all kinds of great ideas. That also inspired me to make my own flower clips for my girls' hair (and save a ton of money in the meantime). On top of that, my cute neighbor and friend down the street has been re-decorating her house and has really got me into it to. I guess the word re-decorate in our house is relative seeing as it was never decorated to begin with. But I've been doing my best to find some inexpensive ways to spruce up and spring clean. I've been surprised to find how much of a mood-lift it creates. I found a great little bistro table set for my front porch which is so darling, and I'm excited to have more excuses to sit outside and enjoy the early-summer weather. Hopefully now I'll have enough motivation to actually re-paint our room and finish painting the downstairs...all in good time though (and in all good money).