Edifying and Uplifting

I had one of the most edifying and uplifting days that I've had in a very long time. I had the opportunity to attend a 'training' by the General Primary President (Sis. Wixom) and then attend a fireside where she spoke along with the General Relief Society 2nd Counselor (Sis. Thompson) and a member of the Area 70 (Elder Reall). I had debated whether or not I should go for a number of reasons. I ended up going (and my mom got to go with me too!) and am so thankful that I did. I'm having a hard time putting into words my thoughts and feelings of the afternoon/evening. Words like "fantastic," "wonderful," and "peace" come to mind. However, I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling to someone who is not of my faith. I've had some trials to deal with lately and started to feel 'lost' but the words shared today lifted my spirit and I know that everything will be just fine. My testimony of the Gospel was strengthened so much today. I know the Lord puts us in place to learn from people at just the right time. I know the Gospel is true, I know that we have a living prophet today to help guide us back to our Heavenly Father. I know that Heavenly Father hears our prayers and wants to help us.

Quoting Haydn

My youngest brother came and stayed with us for a week. We loved having him here. I don't know who loved having him here the most though. Haydn had someone new to play with (and usually only asked Jake to play with him), Adam enjoyed having a fresh dinner every night (because I told Jake that I needed to make him a few things), and I got to spend a whole week with my baby brother before he leaves and serves the Lord for 2 whole years! With that much excitement in our home, Haydn comes out with some funny phrases (and sweet ones too)!
While playing trains with Adam and Jake, Adam picked up some of the tracks to build with and Haydn says "Hey Man, what you doing with my tracks?!?"
While not feeling the greatest and desperately needing a drink of water I asked Haydn if he'd get me a glass of water. Haydn responded "I sure will!"
When we eat anything that Haydn deems as 'good' he says "Yum-yum-yum-yum, doe-soe." (It's supposed to be delicioso)
Every night Haydn gives us kisses and hugs good night. he just started giving my belly hugs and kisses too. He talks to the baby and tells me what the baby needs. He's very concerned that everything I eat goes onto the baby's head and gets in his hair. He then tells me that I need to drink lots of water to get all the food out of the baby's hair.
I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting at this time, but he sure does say a lot of funny things. I love him so much and could not imagine my life without him in it. I am truly blessed to be his mother.

Just this One time

I am only going to complain this ONE time about pregnancy. My body aches and I hardly sleep at night. I am so tired. My back hurts, my stomach hurts, my legs hurt, even my sides hurt! It hurts to walk, it hurts to sit, it hurts to lay down. My legs feel like they weigh one hundred pounds each and the act of getting out of bed is painful. OH! and the random braxton hicks are nothing to pass off lightly. Nothing sounds good to eat and making meals is out of the question. If I have to come up with the idea for dinner, I don't have the energy to make it. I have lots of things to get done around the house before this little man gets here, but I have zero energy to do that. I am barely getting the things finished that are normal tasks. I can't get down and play on the floor with Haydn.  Knowing that there are only 5 weeks left of this is bittersweet. I know it isn't very long, but it seems forever at the same time.
On the other side of things, I am so happy that we have this little guy coming to us. We are all so excited to see him and can hardly wait to hold him and kiss him. We know we'll be tired, but seeing his little face will be so wonderful. There were many prayers asking for him and many more asking for his health and well being. I know I'll miss feeling him move. He'll grow so fast and there will be a lot of "remember when" or "I can't believe" conversations. As uncomfortable as I am now, I am very thankful to be pregnant. I know it could be a lot worse and I have been very blessed through this whole pregnancy.

Ranting

I know I have had a few posts where I ranted. I have no problem expressing my feelings about different subjects, so after much thought and a number of topics I can't wait to write about, I've started a new blog just for that purpose. I know...I will probably make some enemies or hurt some feelings, but I should be able to write out my opinion on subjects too. So, to keep this blog more about my family, the other will be my pet peeves and other 'controversial' topics. Feel free to check it out RantingwRachel.blogspot.com
If you don't want to hear my ranting, don't check it out. Either way, I won't be offended.

To Georgia and Back

I have been home for a few days now from Georgia. It was so great getting to visit my sister and her family. It's been two and a half years since I saw them last! It was also great getting to road trip with my youngest two siblings. Yes, I had talking points and they believe there were cross references. My mind works that way though...everything can be related. =) It's not often that I get to sit down and talk with these two so it was great to have hours upon hours to talk. It also helped to see funny things on the road, like a mattress tied to the back of a semi moving truck.
I guess there was too much fun being had, because I didn't pull my camera out much. I didn't even get pictures with my sister or of her family. Kind of bittersweet I guess. It was so fun getting to see where my sister lives and the people she hangs out with. After we arrived EARLY in the morning Sunday, we all went to bed. However, Haydn had slept in the car for hours already and was ready to play. Sure enough, he played with his two cousins. He hadn't ever really been able to play with them before. They were instant friends and he calls them his cousin friends now. How we miss our cousin friends though.
One evening we went out to my sister and her husband's favorite Mexican restaurant. Haydn had fallen asleep in the car on the way to the restaurant so he was LOTS of fun once we got there. He is very much like his father, very cranky when he is just one of the following three: hot, sleepy, hungry. This fantastic evening, Haydn was all three! The waitress was taking our drink orders after putting chips and salsa on the table. Haydn thought the little carafe of salsa was a beverage. I asked him what he wanted to drink and he insisted that he just wanted "this." After I explained to him several times that he really didn't want it to drink and that it was not a beverage, he insisted. The whole time he was unwrapping a straw. Finally he put the straw in the salsa and took a BIG GULP! I knew what he was going to do, so I announced to everyone to watch. Sure enough, the salsa burned his mouth and he was in desperate need of a drink. However, we had just placed our orders. The only thing I could give him to calm the heat was a chip. This is not the first time I have seen someone do this. When Liz was younger, she did the same thing. The difference, Liz didn't know she was drinking salsa. She thought she had picked up her cup of juice which happened to be red.
We were able to go see several historical buildings in the downtown area. It was actually pretty cool the history of the town. I think we chose the hottest day to go and do that because it was 103 degrees. Whew...it had been hot before we left, but not quite in the 100s yet! We had heat advisories and heat index over 100, and the whole time I had been driving around town with the windows down. (I love fresh air!) But there is definitely a difference when you are walking around in 100 degree heat and riding around in 100 degree heat index.
We also got to go the to aviation museum. Apparently there was a 2 star general at the air force base close to the museum and he had a goal of getting a museum set up. There were lots of airplanes and WWII items. Going through a WWII section was kind of difficult for me. I am currently reading a book series that follows a family through the trials of WWII. Some things are a little more graphic than I can handle and I have a much better understanding of the war. Adam loves history and I really wish he could have gone.
We spent most of our evenings playing board games. I LOVE playing games. We were able to have great conversations during this time too. There's a few games I'd like to add to our family game collection. The worst part of the trip was that Adam wasn't with us. We missed him so much and hope that next time, he can go. He was just too busy with work to be able to take that much time off.

Sitting in a Doctor's Office

After sitting in the doctor's office for 3 hours for a glucose test, I saw a LOT of things I don't think I should have. I have some advise for pregnant women.
1. It doesn't matter how bad you feel, but wear clothes that match...mismatched clothes scream fat, not pregnant.
2. Don't wear pants that are too tight where everyone and their dog can see that you are wearing panties that are too small. Wedgies are never cute, and especially not on an oversized, pregnant butt!
3. Wear shorts that are long enough. Yes, most women get stretch marks, but we don't want to see them running down your legs.
4. Adding to the stretch marks, nobody wants to see the stretch marks on your belly, or your arms. Please cover them up.
5. Please do not discuss the conception of the baby. I don't care if you are a teen, 20s, or older. Trust me, nobody wants to hear that!

On the other hand, it was cute seeing so many couples getting to 'see' their baby for the first time or finding out the gender. I even saw one soon to be grandmother bring in balloons. So sweet.

Good news for the Roe's though, no gestational diabetes. I previously thought that gestational diabetes is no big deal, but there are so many complications caused by it. I am so glad that we are both healthy!

Happy Birthday America!

I know, I'm a day early. If I don't say anything now, I'll miss it. Soooo...Happy Birthday America! I am so thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and the men and women who made and are still making that possible. I don't want to forget the families of those men and women. I know it's a huge sacrifice for the families to send their loved one off to war and wonder if they will return. I always get teary-eyed when I see soldiers. They will never know how much their job means to me personally.

Adam and I have been watching a show with a heavy military presence. The characters are either in the military or married to a soldier. I am also reading a book series that takes place during WWII. With those two current influences of military in my life, I feel like I need to show my thanks that much more. I just don't know how to show it. Sure, I've seen the youtube videos about signing "thank you" to soldiers, but do they really appreciate that? I don't know.

I know, this is a holiday about our Freedom and not to thank the military. However, our freedom wouldn't exist without the military.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy it, be safe, and remember those who made/make it possible.

Girls Camp

About three years ago I had asked to go to Girls Camp. It's a camp for just the young women (ages 12-18) in our ward (along with the other wards in our stake) to go to a camp and be spiritually enlightened and learn camping/first aid skills. I went the few years I lived in Washington but never went as a youth in Missouri. I was asked to be a leader one year when my little sister was going and that was pretty fun. Anyhow, I asked about 3 years ago to go to camp but they had enough leaders then. This year, our ward was short on leaders or leaders could only make it for a couple of the nights. I only went one night but made a lifetime of memories. I got to know several of the girls that I otherwise wouldn't have. It was interesting to me to see the different styles in running the camp. When I went as a youth, we camped with other girls who had been to camp the same number of years as us. This time around, we camped as a ward. Either way, friendships and bonds can be made. I missed all the silly camp songs though. That's the problem with having it at a Boy Scouts camp. There were several fun activities the girls could do at this camp that they probably wouldn't have been able to do elsewhere. Anyhow, I had so much fun with the girls and the other leader from our ward, I hope I can go next year.

Mac and Cheese

I feel like the only thing Haydn will ever eat each time I make it, is Mac and Cheese. He loves that stuff! He seriously will ask for it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! When we go out to eat, Mac and Cheese is what he orders. (I have no idea why in the world someone would ever order mac and cheese when they go out to eat...on that note, I don't know why anyone would ever order MEATLOAF either!!! Blech!) The smell of noodles cooking kind of make me nauseous. I could explain, but then you might be disgusted at the smell of noodles too. Anyhow, I often give in to the mac and cheese. We even had to make a rule that we will not make mac and cheese every day. So far, we've been good. My biggest concern about the mac and cheese is that it really doesn't have a lot of nutritional value. He doesn't like a lot of fresh fruit. He'll eat bananas (only about half of it though), grapefruit, and grapes. He claims to like blueberries and requests them all the time, but I've never seen him actually eat one. I can get him to eat canned mandarin oranges, peaches and pears. He'll eat just about ANY fruit as long as it is dehydrated. Seriously...raisins (what kid doesn't like raisins), apples, bananas, even mangos! So how do I get him to eat something other than mac and cheese? I've tried telling him that he needs to eat all his food so he can grow big and strong (which he has interpreted as really tall like my dad). I explained that Thomas the Tank Engine gets his energy from coal and water otherwise he wouldn't be able to go anywhere and Haydn needs to eat food and drink plenty of water so he can get his energy too. I shouldn't complain...I'm pretty sure I was a pickier eater than he is!

Keeping up with the Jones's

I have pondered over this topic for a few days. I wondered if I should even say anything considering it 'might' offend someone. I do a lot of things, or rather, I don't do a lot of things to avoid offending someone. It is not my intention to offend. If it was, you'd know.

Everyone has had a "keeping up with the Jones's" moment in their life. (I know you have!) Someone always has something better: a bigger/cleaner/nicer/better located/etc house, newer cars, better kids, better spouse, better finances, better job, better weather, better vacations, better life, etc. You get the point.

This weekend I attended a wedding for one of my friends from high school. During the reception Adam said "when I get married...blah blah blah" and continued to express things he would do the same or differently. Funny...ha.ha.ha. Adam is NOT getting remarried unless I am dead. =) But really, we laughed and joked. There were a few things said in the wedding and then, not talking about marriage but were again said, in our lessons at church the following day. I remember back when Adam and I were getting married we were asked to think about what marriage is to each of us. I remember saying "marriage is learning to love an imperfect person, perfectly." I know I heard that somewhere, but it stuck with me. I think we can apply that to all people though, we can love all imperfect people, perfectly. If we are capable of doing so, we are loving people the way God loves each one of us.

We have had our trials. We have had our ups and our downs. Some of our imperfections have come out at different times and we have had to learn how to love through those imperfections. I know our trials are not over, and we will have many many more. I know that several of our trials have brought us closer to each other and we have learned to rely on each other more than we did before. That is life.

Anyhow, after this weekend I felt like the Jones's. I felt happy with my life. Not just happy, but so thankful for my life. I really cannot think of a word to describe how I truly feel. It's like I understand my life better now. I have never been in love with my house, but I do like it. I love my husband so much. He really is the best husband (for me). I love my son and am so happy to be his mother. I feel like I learn just as much from him if not more than what he learns from me. I have good friends. I live in a good, safe town. I get to be a SAHM and I LOVE IT. There are tons of things we can do and relatively close...for free! My little family is close and often express our love to each other. I love hearing the 20 times a day "Mommy, I love you too much." I love that my husband kisses me bye each morning and hello each evening. I love that we sit at the table for dinner together and most of the time we even have breakfast together. I love that I don't feel like I have to hide things from my husband and vice versa. I love that we can truly talk about anything. I love that my family shares spiritual experiences and feelings with me. I love that my husband and I are on the same page about parenting and religion. There are so many other things that I love and wouldn't change for the world. I know that I have this peace and love because it is give to me by our Father in Heaven.

On our way to the town where the wedding was, we saw the Kansas City Temple. It's still under construction, but absolutely beautiful. I have had wonderful experiences at the temple and know the importance of them on this earth. I also know of the trials the early Saints had to go through living in the area where the temple is located now. When we saw the temple, I had overwhelming and conflicting feelings. Not good versus bad, but extreme happiness and sadness. My breath was taken away from me. To me, the temple is so much more than a building. I am so happy for us today to have that temple, and so sad the early Saints did not have it. Maybe that is why I feel the way I do. I am so thankful for the many blessings in my life and feel like the 'richest' person in the world.

Chores, chores, All I do is Chores

That's going to be the song Haydn is singing before too long. He always wants to help with everything and to help him develop those skills, we've given him chores. One thing he has to do is gather all the little trashcans in our house and dump them into the bigger one. It's actually quite cute watching a little 3 year old 'taking out the trash.' I'm so thankful he wants to help, most children do.

I have had a hard time staying on top of my chores. Our schedules have changed so much and my energy level is so low these days. There are a few things that I must stay on top of or else we all will suffer. Since we are rearranging our house, I have a couple rooms that need a little work and one that needs a lot of work. When rearranging things, I need Adam's help. He's been so busy between work and his calling at church. So, little by little right?

What are your feelings?

A friend of mine posted on her blog about Osama bin Laden's death that "the threat of terrorism has not been defused whatsoever." I think that point has been over looked by so many people. Rejoicing at Osama's death is not something I am doing. I don't feel happy or sad, I don't feel relieved or scared. I honestly feel...the same. What is this going to do to our futures? Who knows...we've been 'at war' for so long now that it's probably just another surge in military services much like the ebb and flow of our stock market. At times we need more men and women to serve this country, and others less. We are proving time and time again that history repeats itself. I have seen this happen for the second time in my adulthood and that hasn't been very many years. I remember when Saddam Hussein was captured and then tried and then put to death. However, nothing changed. We were still plagued with 'terrorism' even though this horrible man was gone. Does this really bring closure? I don't think so. This one man can no longer cause fear, threat, etc. to humankind, however his successor can. And his successor and so forth.

I guess in a time like this, I feel that it is important to be thankful to those men, women, and families who serve this country to allow me to feel this way.

I do feel safe. However, I don't feel the world is any safer with Osama dead.

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter. We're not big into fictional characters or anything like that, however we had a wonderful feast for our little family. Our day was not rushed. We played together and helped each other, it was a perfect day. We also learned that we really enjoy just staying home and not worrying about getting from point A to point B and back to point A in just a few hours. We had wonderful talks at church and everyone really did focus on the purpose of Easter.

I am in the presidency of our primary (children aged 3-11). Since I'm in the presidency, I get to teach all the children once every 3 weeks. I was really nervous about this when I was fist called, but now I look forward to it and enjoy every moment of it. Teaching the children helps me build my testimony too. Sometimes it is hard to think of ways to help get the lesson or point across to the children. However, yesterday I didn't want to tarnish the message at all by playing games. I have a very strong testimony of the atonement and know that My Savior lives. So, the lesson is easy enough to teach when you know it to be true. I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of all the children. I'm not superior to them and I didn't want that teacher/student atmosphere. I had everyone open their scriptures to John chapter 20. We read versus and then we discussed. I had a few pictures to help depict the scenes. A lot of the time when teaching the children, you just talk and they listen...or not listen. This time was very different. All the children and teachers were listening. The children asked questions and the teachers would give their input. There were a few questions the children asked that I wasn't sure I'd be able to answer properly. I KNOW that I would not be able to, so the Spirit took over. I know that through the Holy Ghost I was able to teach those children the lesson they should have been taught. I know all those children left primary thinking about the resurrection and what it means to them and how it applies to them. I know that at least the seed of a testimony of the atonement and resurrection has been placed in their hearts. I am so thankful that I was able to be the tool I needed to be for God. I will cherish that lesson and experience forever. If you haven't had a chance yet this Easter season, read or even re-read the chapters on Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Try to place yourself at the time and think about how you would have responded to the events. Not how you today would  respond with the knowledge you have, but how you would respond to this as if it was your first encounter with Jesus.

Again, I know that Jesus is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that he rose that 3rd day and lives now. There truly is comfort in knowing that Jesus, our Redeemer, lives.

Friends for a Reason, Season, or Lifetime

If you have an email address and a friend who likes to send forwards (which we all do), you have received that email about how you and your friends can be friends for a reason, season, or a lifetime. Everyone hopes they are friends for a lifetime, but it takes the lifetime to figure that one out.

This last week has been one of the most difficult weeks for me in a very long time. My friend who has been a friend for a reason and a season (Shut up Danny!) is moving tomorrow. Today they are getting packed up, tomorrow they are leaving. I am very excited for them and can't wait to go visit them at their new home. However, in the mean time I'm losing my great example, gospel teacher, sounding board, motivator, exercise partner, and much more.

She helped me learn how to be the best mom and wife I can be. From our conversations, I learned ways how to deal with different parenting struggles as she had gone through them already, or talked out different punishments. My testimony of the gospel grew to new heights. Instead of struggling every day to get everything in the in house cleaned, I learned that you can be just as effective if you have different things you do on different days. We talked about modesty, when it's appropriate to have chores for your children, the first vision, children, husbands, church, hot topics of the day, and best exercises for our bodies to lose weight or burn fat. Whenever I needed someone to watch Haydn, she was always willing. Whenever we needed our dog watched, she did it! She helped us make time for the more important things in life. When I needed to talk, she listened. When I needed some advice, she gave it.We swapped recipes. I learned how to make some new family favorite meals.

The list can go on and on, but as you can see I am not losing my friend because I do believe we will always be friends. However, I'm losing her daily influence. I have come to rely on her for so much and it is going to take me awhile to learn to be the strong, confident, yet peaceful woman she has taught me to be, and do it all on my own.

I am sad to see my best friend go, but she wasn't just MY best friend. Our kids are best friends, in fact sometime you would wonder which ones were siblings and which one was the friend. Our husbands were friends too! How often do you find a family where EVERYONE is a friend with someone in the other family?

Apparently I don't have many pictures of Laura and I together since I'm always the photographer.

Danny, Laura, Alyssa, and Ashley~
We are going to miss you so much! We are not going to forget our game nights, dinners, and number of other get togethers. Going to the zoo or park will not be quite as fun. New Year's Eve and the 4th of July will never be the same. We wish you luck on this new chapter and hope to see you guys again soon! Thank you for being you.

Peace

Have you ever been sitting quietly and felt peace? I have, a number of times. I have had moments where there didn't seem to be anything that could take that wonderful feeling away. Today during church Haydn was sitting between Adam and me. Haydn was sitting reverently and doing what we asked. Adam and I were both happy and I had that overwhelming feeling of peace come over me again. I am so glad I have a family and more importantly an eternal family.

I can't believe that tomorrow marks our 2 year anniversary of becoming an eternal family. In Matthew 18:18 it states "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." I am very thankful to all those who made righteous choices and followed through on their questions to find answers that I might have the opportunities that were not there not too long ago. I love my family and could not and do not wish to think about eternity without them. I know there is power to seal or 'bind' things on this earth and the family is one of them. This knowledge is another way peace is given to me.

I know it is two years later, but I wanted to thank all those who supported us in making this decision and also for participating in the process. It was absolutely wonderful to have the love and support of family and friends. I will never forget that day and will cherish it forever. 

I want to Go to School

I have been trying to get Haydn as much time as I can with his friends who are moving hundreds of miles away in a couple weeks. We are so incredibly sad at this move but so happy for them. I invited the younger of the two girls over for a play date while older sister was at preschool. Haydn asked where this older sister was and I explained that she had to go to school. His response..."I WANT to go to school!" He has been working on the alphabet for a long time now and he will NOT learn the letters in order. Nor will he learn how to count correctly (I will NEVER miss count something again to play with a child as this is what he does to us, EVERY TIME!). So, I told him that he needs to learn the order of the alphabet, count correctly and learn how to write his letters before he can go to school (he won't be ready for kindergarten for 2 years!). He said ok and has been working on it ever since. He'll tell me the first letter of something and draw it in the air with his finger, he is counting better and is even trying to learn the alphabet song. His favorite part of the song is "x, y, and double z, next time won't you sing the a, b, c's." I try to correct him, but also find this so adorable. I love to hear him sing songs too. LOVE HIM! I also hope he is still this anxious to go to school when school comes around.

Slacking...Again

I have been slacking yet again. It seems that a minor change can totally throw me off my routine. Things are settling down and we are getting back into a routine. Thank goodness!

A couple funny things...we were watching a show the other night and a guy is talking to his wife (who might be having a baby from another father..I know, a little trashy) and says something along the lines of he knows of a guy who gladly raised a boy who wasn't his. Haydn says "I know! Jesus Christ!" Who says those kinds of things go over a child's head. It wasn't even like Haydn was watching...he just heard it. However, I'm glad he knew who the guy was talking about.

He has also been talking about his best friend and his very best friend. He told us that his very best friend in the whole wide world is Ashley. But Mommy and Daddy are his best friends too. We were looking at pictures of me when I was a little girl and he grabbed the picture and said "That's my best friend!". I explained to him that it was Mommy when she was little like him.

Other fun things...Haydn is spelling 3 letter words. They are words he can sound out and it's all part of a game to him. He is also really picking up on the alphabet (he knows all the letters and sounds, just not the order) and counting. Who said learning can't be fun. 

Squirrels and Surprises

Attack of a Squirrel 

Okay, so it wasn't really a squirrel but it would add to my complete disgust with the furry creatures people find so 'cute'. BLECH! Haydn was jumping on my lap and I tried to hold him closer to me to avoid him bumping into a pregnant lady in the play area today. I'm not sure how, but I managed to scratch myself with my ring. At first I thought it was just the top layer, but then it started bleeding and now it is actually quite painful. It hurts to use my pinky. I showed it to Haydn, which he looked very concerned about. I asked if he wanted to kiss it and he looked at me like I was gross. He said "Yuck! No way!" I'll remember that when he wants me to kiss something gross. =)

Later today we had a play date at a friend's home. I was a little late and Haydn actually fell asleep on the way. He has been so tired and not feeling the greatest this past week (he fell asleep yesterday about 5pm and slept until 7am today) that I considered taking him home so he could nap. I'm VERY glad I decided to stay because it was a play date plus a SURPRISE birthday party. Those tricky ladies! I had no idea. Laura ~ you sure can keep a secret! I told Adam about  it and that I had contemplated coming home and he told me he wouldn't have let me. HE KNEW TOO! The funny thing about all this planning is: I have been working extra days these past two weeks and was possibly going to miss the play date. Apparently Adam had called my boss to see if he needed me for today and told him what was going on. Yesterday afternoon my boss called me and told me that he didn't need me for today which I was super excited about. I was going to ask if I could take a couple hours off to go, but this made it so much easier! Haydn had a great time, I had a great time, and I am so thankful for such wonderful friends. Quite a bit of planning had to go into this and makes me feel all the more loved. Thank you my dear sweet friends. What a wonderful birthday you have made this one!

Old School or New School

I am not shy about my disgust in technology. I think it has alienated people and caused us to be rather rude. You disagree? Let me ask you this...Have you ever been in a get together (dinner, friends over just hanging out, etc) and someone is either sitting in the corner texting or excuses themselves from the group to take that 'oh so important' phone call that probably could have waited until tomorrow to be handled? I have been in both situations. I have to admit, I am guilty of both of those too. There is a wonderful convenience of cell phones and being able to get a hold of someone who you might not have been able to if it were 20 years ago when nobody had a cell phone. However, I find it awfully disgusting seeing how many people use their cell phones DURING church...not just mine, but others I have visited. There really aren't that many people out there that are THAT important. Maybe if you are a doctor and are on call, a police officer/detective and need to rush to that emergency. But does a lawyer really need to take his cell phone to church...maybe for that criminal that took the detective/police officer from church? Does the guy who works in a Monday-Friday business office need his (or hers)? I hate going out to dinner with people and there is usually that one person who's cell phone is constantly dinging because they received yet ANOTHER text. Am I really that boring that you can't sit with me and talk to me for an hour without talking to someone else...upgrading your company to someone more interesting? Don't answer that! =) I remember a family get together a few months ago and there were about 8 people sitting around the table playing a game. At one point in the game, 6 cell phones came out. Seriously!?! Someone else pointed it out and everyone laughed. But do you see my point?

I'm not saying that there are not benefits to technology. I do benefit from unlimited long distance on my house phone and I can talk to any one of my family members for however long I choose at no extra cost. But is it really no extra cost? No...if I were to talk to say, my sister for hours on end (which is VERY possible) is it really free? I sacrifice time with my son, time I will not be able to ever get back. I can use the internet whenever I please and for whatever I please. I love that I can get ideas for my lessons I teach on Sundays from complete strangers. However, I often find myself on the dreaded facebook. It's great to get in touch with people from my past, but I haven't really been keeping up with ALL of them, just a handful.

This brings me to my real point...paper and bound books or electronic books. Which do you prefer? I personally LOVE paper. I have discussed this with my sister numerous times. She pointed out that there is something 'romantic' about holding a book and turning the pages. I feel the same way. I find this same feeling when I write in my journal. I can type much faster than I can handwrite, but there is something 'romantic' or as another friend put it 'Victorian' about handwriting. I handwrite my journal so that my children, grandchildren, and so on will have those books to hold in their hands and to see my handwriting. Handwriting can tell you so much about a person and their mood when they were writing it. I randomly receive cards from my grandmother. I save every single one of them as I LOVE to see her handwriting. It's so...magical. When I see it, it takes me back in time. My grandmother is one of those who will never use a computer. I respect her for that. I want my descendants to KNOW who I was. To have a feel for the pain I went through or the joys I was blessed with. Technology is so black and white to me. My journals are full of color.

I'm very curious to your thoughts on technology. I have heard from my mother-in-law that she prefers the paper phone book over the internet. She says she can't live without her cell phone, but I think she could. She doesn't use it to the extent that so many people do today. I think she's more 'Victorian' than she thinks.

Reading

I love days when Haydn wants to read. He's always been really good about sitting in my lap or next to me and letting me read to him. His imagination is taking him away lately. This morning he was laying on the floor with a book (Little Drummer Boy) and he is making up the story to go along with the pictures. He knows the story as it is one of his favorite books and Christmas songs. However, he doesn't let the story follow what he already knows. He had a parent telling the little drummer boy to "put those drum sticks down!" and the little boy complained that he didn't want to. Then he had Mary talking to baby Jesus in a sweet voice saying "I love you my sweet baby boy" (something I KNOW I have said to Haydn). It cracks me up to hear some of the things he has in the story line and then others I know he listens to everything I say. Ahhh...the joys of being a mother.

To Do or Not To Do

I have contemplated canning this blog. I find it more difficult to keep up with it now that Haydn is older and wants to do everything I do. I've looked at it in numerous ways...it's a journal, it's an easy way to update everyone (who cares) about what is going on in our lives, it's really easy to do, it's a missionary tool, etc. As those are good reasons to continue writing it, I have also found some negative things about it, which I won't list. So, I decided that I will continue to write this blog as it helps me to maintain my writing skills and all the above mentioned. I do have one question though...Is anyone out there reading? =)