We've got a Snaggle

Marguerite is always on the go. Carrying her is a bit of an aerobic workout. She's always lunging down toward the ground, but as soon as I put her down, she wants back up. When she is exploring happily she's in full-on destruction mode - disrupting order everywhere she goes.

Optimism

We tried a new form of painting the other day (with medicine droppers), because I thought it might be less messy than our typical painting projects...

At least he's creative.

Gabe actually thought the idea was cool and while HE was less painted than with a normal project, we discovered that the medicine dropper can shoot paint pretty far - to the walls, to mom's hair, etc.

The world is Josh's canvas.

 

(not blood...)

Mr. Golden Sun

The other day I heard Gabe yelling outside so I went to investigate.

Gabe: (yelling at the top of his lungs) MY. BIRTHDAY. IS. ON. MAY. 23!!!!! MY. NAME. IS. GABRIEL.

Me: (looking around to see who he's yelling at) Gabe, who are you talking to?

Gabe: The sun. I'm telling him when my birthday is, so he can give me a present.

Me: Oh. What do you want the sun to give you for your birthday?

Gabe: I want him to come out.

Luckily, the sun shines most days here in Texas, so I think we'll be in luck on May 23, 2013...

 We had visitors this week. Marguerite was so excited to see cousin Jackie, and quickly greeted her with enthusiasm. Jackie wasn't super impressed with Marguerite's form of socialization. Poor Marguerite. She actually cried a few times when Jackie would take cover and crawl away. (Not that I blame Jackie, what with M's sharp nails, monster grip, and exuberant scream.)

Josh's Words of Comfort

Gabe: I'm NOT going to the Doctor for shots!
Josh: It's not scary, Josh. It's OK.
Gabe: Stop telling me things, Josh!
Josh: It's not scary.
Gabe: Josh! Stop talking!
Josh: It's not scary, Josh. Doctor not scary.

Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.

I love this whole series of pictures. It really shows the kids personalities. I think my favorite one is the second, where Marguerite is staring at Gabe with somewhat of a scowl. The boys loved being spiderman (like 90% of the boys their age) this year. My hints to be more original went unheeded. In the end, they had a lot of fun at the different festivities and created fun memories.

Happiness

Last week, our church had our semi-annual General Conference, and one of the speakers shared the following as part of his address...

I Wish I Had Let Myself Be Happier

Another regret of those who knew they were dying may be somewhat surprising. They wished they had let themselves be happier.  So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial. The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness.

We do matter. We determine our happiness. You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness.

My wife, Harriet, and I love riding our bicycles. It is wonderful to get out and enjoy the beauties of nature. We have certain routes we like to bike, but we don’t pay too much attention to how far we go or how fast we travel in comparison with other riders. However, occasionally I think we should be a bit more competitive. I even think we could get a better time or ride at a higher speed if only we pushed ourselves a little more. And then sometimes I even make the big mistake of mentioning this idea to my wonderful wife. Her typical reaction to my suggestions of this nature is always very kind, very clear, and very direct. She smiles and says, “Dieter, it’s not a race; it’s a journey. Enjoy the moment.”

How right she is!

Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don’t go cycling with my wife because I’m excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable. Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?

Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.

Do we say our prayers with only the “amen” or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”⁶

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts. I love the quote: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”⁷

W

e are commanded “to give thanks in all things.”⁸ So isn’t it better to see with our eyes and hearts even the small things we can be thankful for, rather than magnifying the negative in our current condition?

The Lord has promised, “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold.”⁹ Brothers and sisters, with the bountiful blessings of our Heavenly Father, His generous plan of salvation, the supernal truths of the restored gospel, and the many beauties of this mortal journey, “have we not reason to rejoice?” I really appreciate these words and the optimism resonates with my soul. Sometimes, like most mothers of young children, I feel frazzled and frayed and frumpy. And because of that, I sometimes miss the joy it is to play superhero all. day. long. every. single. day. Or the joy a pumpkin patch can bring, or even the smiles on my children's faces and the laughs on their lips. I'm grateful for modern-day-prophets who remind us of the importance to enjoy the journey, for in that enjoyment I think we find the most growth and can discover a sincere gratitude that will bring us closer to our Father in Heaven.

¹⁰

Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our circumstances.

I hear the phrase, "You have your hands full" at least once a day. I won't lie. I do often literally have full hands and arms. But I sure love these kiddos a lot. They each have their own unique, wonderful, and strong personality. 

(cheese alert) 

I may have full hands, but I also have a full heart.

The Slip and Slide

Marguerite enjoying the water...

Josh enjoying the water...

Josh discovering Marguerite is with him

plotting

executing

 

...and there she goes. Poor little munchkin. Doesn't Josh look pleased, though?

First day of School for Gabe

First day of school.

Gabe felt a little anxious about his first day of school. He loved his teachers (Ms. Parsla  and Tara) from last year. And rightfully so. They were a perfect match for him for his first school experience and they loved him just how he is. I'm really grateful to them. Gabe was not excited about having a new teacher, but was happy he could go into Ms. Parsla's classroom at the end of the day to tell her that he loved her. His nerves show in these pictures, but he still wanted pictures with both his siblings. So far, Gabe's doing well, but misses his family when he's at school. He wants to have a play-by-play of what we did while he was in school every day even though he "can't remember" anything he did while he was gone.

This girl continues to light up the house. Every time the boys hear her stirring from her naps, they run into her room and entertain her until I can get in there to get her out. They love dancing silly for her to make her laugh. Marguerite is scooting all over the place and is always headed to towards the most active, noisy part of the house. 

Josh is turning out to be such a sweet little guy. He has started to tell us that he loves us, gives un-asked for hugs and kisses to everyone, loves to snuggle, and says "thank you" all the time without being reminded (we're talking for diaper changes, when we help him get dressed, bring him food, etc.). One of the sweetest things he does is though is encourage others. He tells me "good job, mom!" or "did it, mom!" when I'm doing something he perceives as particularly difficult. He also gives similar encouragement to Gabe (Josh, according to him), and Marguerite. And he has awesome hair.

Gabe and Marguerite usually get an hour or so in the morning, just the two of them, before Josh wakes up. It's such a joy to see how much they enjoy each other.

This is the one picture we took with my camera at Josh's birthday party

Josh loves to try to ride Gabe's bike (aka - sit on Gabe's bike, while I push)

On the days when I try to be an organized mom, we spend about 1/2 hour at the table doing "learning" time. Gabe does his work sheets because the crazy child LOVES worksheets. Josh colors and tells us stories in Joshanese. I'm hoping he'll learn English soon, or that Gabe will catch on to Joshanese and start translating for us, because those stories sound like they're very interesting.

Sometimes Gabe likes to play Angry Birds on my kindle. And Josh and Marguerite like to watch.

Josh likes to rearrange condiments.

Marguerite likes to eat.

When Brian gets home from work, the boys like to hide from him. Can you find them?

How You Know it's a Second Birthday

Mom and Gabe: Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!
Josh: STOP!
Mom and Gabe: Happy Birthday dear Jo---osh.
Josh: STOP!
Mom and Gabe: Happy Birthday to you!
Josh: NO!
Mom: Happy Birthday Josh!
Josh: NO!
Mom: You're two! Yay!
Gabe: (in background) You're two. You're two. You're really, really too (repeated over and over).
Josh: NO! NO!

In reality, Josh is a wonderful boy, exploring very methodically all over the house - each drawer, cabinet, bookcase, etc. He is very grateful too, and even thanks me after diaper changes. He loves his siblings, tries to keep up with Gabe (and does a really good job), and is super sweet with Marguerite. He is a very special spirit and we're so grateful to have him in our family!!