Sparkling Sprinkle anyone?

So it was really cold, windy and rainy here today. Okay so the high was 45 degrees, and I am sure many of you are laughing at me right now but for us that is cold, and there was no sun, which I just don't do well with! So my hats are off to all of you who live through cold, sunless winters...I just couldn't do it! I hoped that may be my girls would entertain themselves today and I would be able to catch up on a bit more scrapbooking, but all I got done was one page and I organized some of my scrapbooking papers. But we did get all the Christmas cookies baked...now to just get them delivered!

It's been forever...

since I have posted...apologies to all, or may be you don't even care that we don't post around here anymore! This new calling thing has really taken up a bit of time, but I am grateful for the chance to grow and learn. We have had an eventful past month and hopefully I'll get a few more photos and entries up soon. We were blessed to open our home to Justin's family for Thanksgiving. We had 14 of us living in our small home for about a week...we were extra blessed to have Celeste and family here for almost 2 weeks (and I am not being sarcastic! I loved having them here and pray that can find a job next year out on the west coast). As usual it is late and I have to go to bed!

What will we do now?

The past days, weeks, and months we have spent many hours working on Prop 8 and now it is over, hurray! And even better it passed! I truly call it a miracle and I know that God's hand was with us and the many others who joined forces over the last few months. As you can see even the littlest ones in our family know how to help, as Justin was preparing to paint his last round of big signs, Lyndie ran down the side of the house grabbed some gloves and paint and headed for the big yellow signs.

I am afraid my kids are going to be quite bored in the car now and we'll have to revert back to singing High School Musical all the time as the sign are disappearing and we can't play, "Look there's a YES sign!" game anymore. What really got me was last week when I was driving around in the afternoon trying to get Lyndie to go to sleep, she's learned to climb out of her crib...it makes naptime very difficult!, and I hear her little voice say, "sign" and sure enough she is pointing to a sign. Our kids have been real troopers through all of this and certainly did their part too! I can't wait for this Saturday, we have no plans!

Just let me get through the tomorrow and we'll be home FREE! Tonight was Wonderful Wednesday at church and since my enrichment leader got released a few weeks ago many of the responsibilities fell on my counselor and I. We had a good turnout, we combined with another ward and the ended up inviting the other 2 wards in our city as well. I enjoyed my few minutes in between things when I could just visit with people. Tomorrow I agreed to host a baby shower in our home for a girl that grew up in the ward. Oh well, at least my house will get cleaned! Oh, wait I have to do the cleaning don't I?

Don't be scared if these little kittens cross your path!

What an amazing find!

Today I got a real treat, Justin took the two big girls with him to work. So it was just Lyndie and I, so I decided we would spend a few hours scouring the thrift stores, which is one of my all time favorite things to do! Ever since we have moved in I just haven't felt like our living room/family room/great room was complete. I knew that I needed another chair to complete the room but I haven't been able to find one nor have I wanted to spend much money because frankly there wasn't any money to spend! But since we have several of Justin's family coming this next month and I am hosting a baby shower I have been searching craigslist for another piece of furniture. I found a perfect loveseat but the person won't email me back! I was hoping that may be, just may be I would get lucky today. And I did! I love my new chair, throw (which matches our red couch) and tree! I asked Justin how much he thought I spend and his first guess was $45 for the chair, I told him lower at which he went to $15. Would you believe I got everything for less than $18. I was shocked when I saw the price on the chair $9.95! The guy who helped me take it out said, "Oh you get the chair that put me to sleep last night!" My room finally looks complete, and I can't wait for my mom to come over tomorrow and help me put up the curtains, they've been sitting in the garage for over a year now! I'll post a picture when we are finished.

Vacation...wait, we took children along!

So we spent a week near Yosemite last week, it was suppose to be a vacation but we took children along! I have decided that we can no longer call vacations, "vacations" because we get all excited thinking about days gone past when we got to lay on beaches, sleep past 6am, snorkel...etc. Because anyone who has traveled with little children knows that time spent away from home is not as carefree and relaxful as you think it is going to be. About half way through the trip I told Justin, "it's adventure Justin, we need to call it an adventure, when we travel with the girls." Don't get me wrong we had a wonderful time and I am glad we went it's just not really relaxful when you travel with little ones. We just need to remind ourselves that we need to go at "their pace" and find out what makes them happy...and then we are all happy!

I read this quote last October when we were on our vacation in Utah for Justin's sister's wedding and I actually called the store and had them read it to me so I could write it down. It is:

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things.

Once we started focusing on the little things on our vacations it was much more pleasant for everyone. Like playing in the pool, they loved it, they asked to go in everyday, and I think we made it everyday. Or looking in the lake for golfballs, they then spent an hour or so playing with them in the parking lot...don't worry we were sitting outside with them and not a single car came the whole time. Spending over 2 hours at the children's museum. Finding "glass dolls" at the thrift store. Looking for deer. Riding the little train car on the old logging railroad. But by far I think their favorite was frog hunting. After being at the condo for 5 days we finally made it down to Bass Lake which was a short 2 minute walk from our condo and we were in "frog heaven". Justin and the two little girls came back with one frog, and then the rest of us followed them back down and they had so much fun hunting down frogs and covering themselves in mud! At one point I think Lainey had 20 frogs in her cup of mud!

It was good to spend time together and Lyndie learned she can climb out of the pack n play and has since learned to climb out of the crib too! aahhhh...didn't anyone give her the memo that in our family you are suppose to stay in your crib until you are at least 2 and a half!

Taking a stand...

I have a battle raging inside me, a battle to protect my family, those I love and the plan our Father in heaven has in store for each of us. I still remember sitting in the Marriot Center 13 years ago when President Hinckley began his address at the Relief Society General Broadcast, it went something like this, "Sisters I hope the brethern will excuse for getting out late tonight but I have an important message to share..." and then he went on to read The Family A Proclamation to the World. I knew it was important but not until the last few months have I really sensed the importance of that message, and I think how lucky we are to have a prophet on this earth who can give us guidance and direction. It so clearly stated in that proclamation the role families, of husbands, of wives, of what marriage truly is. And today in my state that I truly love, it's the place that I grew up, it has been redefined. It is no more than a union between party A and party B. There is no man or woman in it anymore and it saddens me. And for that we fight. For the fact that 4 judges overuled what we already stated as the law here. For our children to not be taught in schools what "CA deems marriage to be." To continue to have our religious freedoms.

May be it's a far shot but I couldn't help but reflect as Elder Ballard spoke in General Conference about our pioneer forefathers holding the standard of truth upright that we were doing the same thing here today as we seek to "redefine marriage between a man and a woman". We are striving to see The Truth of God going forth... it gave me strength to listen to his words and to think of those who had to leave their homes and all they knew so that the church could be built. Remembering their strength and convicition gives me power to move forward.

I nearly had an anxiety attack the other night as I made phone calls to talk to people about Prop 8, but somehow I will find a way to do my part. For several weeks Justin and I have walked the precints. Tonight we stood on a street corner near the government center with our signs. There were a few no's and unkind words spoken but overall the reaction was positive. I loved watching people as they read our signs, and then gave us a thumbs up or honked their car horns as they drove by. And I wondered about the conversations that followed after I could see children reading our signs and then turn to their parents to ask I am sure, "what is prop 8?"

We attended a broadcast the other night where several general authorities spoke, it strengthened my conviction in the matter and made me once again realize the importance of talking and sharing with others what I know and believe.

I know there are others out there who feel the same as we do and I pray that the people of my state will realize and understand the importance of this issue at hand.

Check out these sites for more info

http://www.protectmarriage.com/

http://www.preservingmarriage.org/

www.whatisprop8.com