Memorial Day

This is probably the first time since Adam and I have known each other,we stayed home. We have always tried to visit everyone during the 'long' weekend. When you go to visit so many people in such a short time, it starts to wear down on you. Now that we have a little one, we opted to stay home and enjoy the time as a family (especially now since Adam is working 2 jobs for the time being). We had the opportunity to go to the lake and spend the weekend there, but we had some responsibilities here with our church which also required us to stay close to home. (One of the things I love so much about our church is that we are taught the principle of Service, one of those ways we are allowed to serve is by cleaning the church building twice a year.) Since cleaning the church only takes an hour or so, we didn't think much of it. However, we had several other things we needed to do that were church related. Before we went to the Temple, we took some Temple Prep classes. There was a follow-up class that we needed to do after going through the Temple. It was very interesting. (Temple work is also another way to provide service.) Adam had also requested to receive his Patriarchal Blessing. (Patriarchal blessings are given to worthy members of the Church by ordained patriarchs. Patriarchal blessings include a declaration of a person's lineage in the house of Israel and contain personal counsel from the Lord. As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection.) It was very exciting to hear his blessing. It's exciting to know that we are promised wonderful things from the Lord as long as we do what is asked of us. Since we are not perfect, it makes the Atonement that much more meaningful. (I could go on and on about the Atonement.) After hearing Adam's blessing, I am excited to go through this life and the next with him. I know it will be bumpy as all lives are, but it will DEFINITELY be worth it.

Since we were home, we also decided to join our ward in the Memorial Day Picnic. (our church is divided up in branches and wards. Branches are the equivalent of wards, just smaller and the president of branches does not have all the authority a bishop does over a ward. A bishop is the president over a ward. The groups are decided by physical boundaries. A branch has fewer members who attend church on a regular basis. Once the branch reaches a certain number on a regular basis, it is then called a ward and the president is then ordained a bishop and given the authority of other bishops. Several branches and wards belong to a Stake. A stake also has a presidency and presides over all the wards and branches.) Anyhow, it was very fun to spend time with our Church Family and enjoy in the festivities the ward had planned. It was a great social event and I was very surprised to see how many people showed up on a day predicted to be stormy. The rain did come, but we were able to get the games in before it came.

Good people + good food + good conversations = a fun day!

Backyard Shenanigans

Adam was able to spend some time at home with us before he went into the office this afternoon. Since the weather is so beautiful, we decided to fill Haydn's wading pool. We set it up on the deck so we didn't have to move too much stuff around and wouldn't kill the grass. Anyhow, we're hanging out and Haydn's having a ton of fun. Our next door neighbors had a run of the mill teenage daughter and mother spat. Haydn stood up in his pool facing their yard and started yelling...JUST LIKE THEM! It was too funny. We both started laughing. I wonder what it was he was telling them.

A few weeks ago we gave Haydn a plastic golf club set. He's really enjoyed them. The only problem with them is that the heads of the clubs have fallen off. Haydn developed a new game with them. He takes his bag of giant legos and stabs them with the stick portion of the club and flings them down the steps. He's really enjoyed this game as all the legos are on the steps.

Sleeping

We've been having a tough time with Haydn going to bed. He would like to quit taking naps, and I'm not quite ready for that. Since he wants to stop taking naps, he needs to go to bed earlier. Well, that's the tough part, especially with the sun going down later and later. He's also waking up in the night. I'm not sure if he's uncomfortable in his room or what? So, this morning I get up around 6:30 and I see that Haydn is already up...at least out of his bed. He was/is sleeping in the hall on the floor. I felt bad for him, so I went and got a blanket and covered him up. It's about 2 hours later and he's still asleep on the floor. Maybe he's going through a growth spurt, but I do like that he wants to sleep!

Kisses

This will be short, but a very funny moment for me today. I asked Haydn if he would give me a kiss. He usually does, but his kisses consist of him opening his mouth like he is singing "ah". He then leans in and gives me a kiss, being sure he touches my lips. It's very sweet. Anyhow, today he gave me a kiss and then I kissed him again on his cheek. He looked at me as if I stole the last cookie from the cookie jar, pinched his finger and thumb together and touched my lips. I was a little confused and then he put his pinched fingers back to his lips and did a backwards kiss. He took his kiss back! Too funny. I love that boy. I'm so amazed at his personality and skills he has already developed.

Summer Time

I'm afraid I will be getting nothing accomplished this summer. Yesterday, I took Haydn outside to play and get some fresh air. He didn't really want to play much so I took him back inside after only about 20 minutes. Mind you, he can play with something for over an hour and not get bored. When Adam came home from work, he decided to mow the lawn...it definitely needed it. Anyhow, Haydn was fascinated with what he was doing and wanted to be out there with him. So, I stood on the deck holding Haydn and watching Adam mow. Anytime I needed to go back inside Haydn would scream. Not just scream, but "bloody murder" scream. (FYI - Lasley family...that's a horrible description, but I digress) We also grilled some burgers last night for dinner, and again Haydn was angry when we would make him come inside. He really is a funny kid! But...I think I'll be spending my days outdoors this summer to enjoy the summer in the eyes of a toddler! Maybe I'll get a tan too!