Bittersweet Reality

This is a picture of Summer 2005, 4 short years ago. It was right before Sophia was born. All of my kids were really still kids then. No teenagers to be found.

In 4 short years from now, Summer 2013, we will be taking a picture of Josh in his Cap and Gown.

I feel like I am in the back of a train, yelling, "Whoa, slow down, take it easy!"

No one can hear me, the train just keeps barreling down the track.

A New Twist on an Old Song

Tonight at dinner, we were discussing how after we die, we will someday be reunited with our resurrected glorified bodies.

Luke said, "Yeah, we'll be in Heaven singing, 'Bring back, bring back, 'O, bring back my body to me, to me."

Prayers of the Faithful

After our routine family prayers, we have a time for each person to say some "thank you" and "please help" prayers. It has been truly a blessing and a joy to listen as our children have grown in what they pray for.

It has also been quite comical. Tonight was a prime example...

Sophia,"Please bless the people in Heaben, and in hotels, and in bathtubs."

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

When I first became a mom, I was terrified. I really had no idea why the nurses were sending Omar and me home with a newborn baby. Did they really not know that we had absolutely NO idea what we were doing? Didn't they know we were not much more than kids ourselves? Of course we had taken every new parenting course that the hospital offered, and I had read as much as I could, but we really had no hands on experience. After a few days into to being Mom and Dad, I really wondered what had we gotten ourselves into.

That is when my mom showed up. She came right in and started doing what she does best, taking care of others. She cooked for us, cleaned for us, held the baby so we could sleep, and told us that she thought we could do it. I was never so sad to say goodbye to my mom as I was at the end of that week. I thought how in the world am I going to do this alone, everyday? That is when the years of love, encouragement, support, and nurturing that I had received from my mom kicked in.

My mom is a great care taker. Every time I make up a cozy couch bed for a child who isn't feeling well, I think of my mom. When I bring homework up to a child who has forgotten it for the 20th time, I think of how many times my mom brought items up to me at school. Even today when we go and visit her, she tries to make sure she has the type of soda we like and waffles the kids like for breakfast.

My mom has always been my number one cheerleader. She has always been cheering me on to do what ever it was that I thought I needed to be doing. She taught me how to be a mother bear. She can be one tough girl when it comes to defending her kids, grand kids, and kids-in-law . She showed us our worth by being willing to stand up to any teacher, administrator, or any other authority figure that she thought had treated us unfairly. She has always supported me . She has come to my aide a number of times when I've called her and asked her to drop everything to come and help me. She also spent years attending to the details of our lives by making sure we were signed up for CCD, and dance, and baseball, and swimming lessons, and softball, and boy scouts, and girl scouts. She made sure that our family did fun stuff like go camping, and to the movies, and to Disney World. She made every birthday so special and continues to carry that tradition on for her grand kids.

Mom, you have been such a wonderful example of what a loving and caring mom should be. I am grateful for you and I treasure you. God bless you! I love you!

Hannah

She will tell you that her name is a palindrome.

She is the 3rd youngest and the 3rd oldest in our family.

She loves to read, plant flowers, do puzzles, and play Solitaire on the computer.

She is a joy to be around and a blessing to our family.

She is Hannah!

Hmm...

Last week, Sophia and I were signing up for swimming lessons, when we saw a dead bird lying on the ground. Sophia heard the other birds tweeting and she said that they were wanting him to come back alive.

Once we came back outside, she saw the bird was still lying on the ground, and she said, "I guess the bird is still dead."

I guess so.

A Month of Thanksgiving

During this new month, the month of May, Mary's month, I am going to try a little experiment. There are times, too many times, that I am not the mom I want to be. I lose my patience, I speak harshly, I don't listen, and/or I am unkind. In an effort to become a tiny bit more like my Heavenly Mother, Mary, I am going to spend the next month being more thankful for my beloved family. I am going to keep a little journal, and I am going to write down each of their names everyday. Honestly, to me, those 6 words, Omar, Joshua, Katie, Hannah, Luke and Sophia are some of the nicest words in the English Language, so just writing them down is sweet! Not to mention, the meanings of their names are so lovely, that just reflecting on them for a moment might also be a source of grace.

Omar - Long living (I better be nice to him, because I guess he's sticking around for a while.)

Joshua - God is Salvation

Katherine - Pure One

Hannah - Full of Grace

Luke - Light

Sophia - Wisdom

Next to their names, I am going to write down one thing about them that I am thankful for. I am going to try to focus on who they are, what they do, what a joy they are instead of who they are not, what they don't do, and how they are annoying me. This is the time, right now, to grow. This is the time to be refined in the fire of my family life. This is the time to be the mother that I want to be.

Quite the Comedian

Round 1
Archery Instructor: "Clear to the left, clear to the right...fire at will."
Hannah: "Who's Will?"

Round 2
Archery Instructor: "Clear to the left, clear to the right...fire at will."
Hannah and Girl Scout friend: "Who's Will?"

Round 3
Archery Instructor: "Clear to the left, clear to the right...fire when ready."
Hannah and friend, "Ahh."


He said he had heard that joke once or twice before.