Just keep swimming, what do we do we swim, swim...

So, Who knew kids could be so frustrating when it comes to swimming lessons. Well, and who knew swim lesson teachers, if you could call them that, could be so frustrating as well!!

So we've been doing swimming lessons for the past week. Emma and I are doing parent/tot. Bud didn't get into his level so he's just been hanging out on the side. The first couple of days were great. Emma was willing to get in the water and do most of what I wanted her to. This week has been a wreck though. Yesterday the water was frigid, 72 degrees. So, the kids played in the kiddy pool while our "teacher" gave us a variety of instructions on CPR and rescue breathing. Come to find out none of it was really quite correct. Then she decided we could get into the big pool for a whopping 5 minutes!! So, this morning Emma didn't even want to get in. I did finally get her in, once our "teacher" decided to show up to class and she pitched a fit. Then she wanted to get out to supposedly jump back in. Well, she never got back in. She ran away from the pool and I wasn't able to get her back into the water. It's all a joke I've decided. Benjamin did so well for his parent/tot class. Now of course he is deathly afraid of the water! I just want them to be safe.
Here's Bud when he was 9 months in parent/tot swimming lessons. So happy in the water. What happened!!

What is commitment?

Elder Russell M Nelson said:

"When the time comes for you to sacrifice for that which you believe, will you have the faith to make that sacrifice? Have you made the commitment to do anything the Lord asks, and are you disciplined enough to fulfill that commitment, even at a time that may not be particularly opportune or pleasant? I would encourage each of you to promise the Lord, now, that you will do as he or his messengers ask. The sacrifice may be great; the sacrifice may be small. But may you all have the strength and integrity to act on your faith, so that you may one day appear before the Lord blameless, knowing that you did everything in your power to prove your commitment."

M. Russell Ballard, “The Power of Commitment,” New Era, Nov 1989, 4

I have been struggling with commitment. The worst part is that my struggle is not with my own commitment, but with others. I was taught when you said yes to someone you followed through. If it happened that you were unable to follow through, you found someone to replace and take care of that thing in you place. There was no backing out, not showing up, or only filling a part of what was asked. Maybe my parents were not the norm, but because this is how they were, that is how I am, and luckily for my so is N8.

I do not want to assume the worst in people. I want to believe that they will do what they said they would, or would not for that matter. Maybe it's just a bad week, but I feel like lack of commitment is creeping up all around me.

On a better note, I did finish my VT for the month, our Quarterly Enrichment Activity was successful and we've started swimming lessons!

The cat is out of the bag...

So, we finally broke the news to our parents yesterday that we are expecting #3! We are excited, but I am more excited to not have to keep it a secret anymore. We have so many pregnant women in out ward right now. We always seem to go in spirts, but geez! Four of the YM's leaders wives are pregnant plus 2 more. I think I totally caught my mom off guard, she didn't know how to respond on the phone.

I'm also in a doctor dilemma. We haven't been happy with our first 2 appointments and are pretty sure we're going to try a different doctor. I just wish we had more choices.

It was a great thing to be able to share this news on Father's day with out families and hope and pray that everything continues to go well.

We're Back...

So, we're finally home and we had a great trip. We spent the first 4 days we were gone with my lovely sister in Northern Cali. We enjoyed to Jelly Belly factory, great shopping and the Temple. We were sorry that my BIL wasn't there to enjoy it with us but maybe next time!

Then it was off to Monterey. N8 had 3 1/2 days of meetings there so we thought it would be a great time for me and the kids to join him. The weather was chilly! We were expecting cool, but it was a little cooler than we thought. Luckily we spent the first 2 days at the Monterey Aquarium and then Thursday at the park and doing some shopping. The kids loved seeing all of the fish and other creatures at the aquarium. It would be great to be able to go when there weren't so many school groups there.

It was nice to be in a place that was so green. One the drive home we drove through a lot of farm land. What a beautiful thing farming is. Maybe it's just in my blood or something. All of that Idaho farming from my grandparents somehow got instilled in me or something. Seeing the fields of growing things, the vibrant colors, the water... It was so fresh and clean.

Well here a a few pics to show that we actually left the desert!

Baby Shower...

So last night I hosted the baby shower for Amy. It was fun but man, I am wiped out today. I've been sick so I'm sure that's way but I seriously feel like I could sleep all day. To bad Bud and Emma won't let me do that. So, we had a flower theme for the shower and I realized the only pictures that I took were of the food I made. The food was fun, but I really should have at least gotten a snapshot of the Mommy and Baby. Well, Here's the food. The theme was flowers so I made a sugar cookie bouquet.
And a fruit kabob bouquet.


I think all in all it turned out pretty well. Now I just need to clean-up and catch up on some sleep!!

I've got chills... they're multiplying

Ok, well not really but seriously I hate being sick and really the timing could not be worse. Saturday night we too the kids to Denny's for dinner (kids eat free!!). So either I ate the wrong thing or I was getting sick anyway. Since early Sunday morning I've been battling the runs. Sunday I also ran a fever and was achy with chills. Augh!!! Tonight I'm having a baby shower at my house so I've been slowly trying to clean my house and prepare food. double augh!!! It's a small shower there will be 10 people at the most, but I still want everything to look nice and be fun.

This weekend we're suppose to head down to LA and go to the temple. We also really need to go to Costco and N8 needs to go to REI and look for new hiking boots for the 50-miler. So, I better be feeling better since we waited until the last weekend of the month to do our temple trip.

Here's to feeling better!!

kicking & hitting & screaming, oh my!!

So, if a stranger were to look at my two darling children they would have no idea that they are constantly fighting with each other. It is just about driving my crazy. The only reason I think I'm staying sane is that Bud goes to preschool for 3 hours each day! If Bud is sitting on the couch reading a book, Emma immediately goes and lays down next to him so she can kick him. This of course aggravates him and he starts hitting her. Then it's just a snowball effect. N8 said that he and his brothers did the same thing. I don't remember doing this with my sister, but I do remember chasing her or visa versa and my mom just ignoring us. I just keep praying that they will our grow this little phase.

So Bud is currently obsessed with the day and time. He is constantly asking "is today Monday (or Tuesday....) This weekend is Father's and Sons campout and we told him it was on Friday. So throughout the day he asks is today Friday, so I can go camping with daddy. I'm glad he's excited to go, but the week needs to go by a little bit faster so we can get to Friday.

I think a blog is a great venue to display or write about crafts I'm working on. So, I've been working on a baby blanket for baby Iris. We haven't planned the shower yet, but it will be in the next couple of weeks. I better be working faster!! I also made a new "quiet book" for sacrament meeting for the kids. We'll probably also do it at the Mother/Daughter craft night in July. http://www.enrichmentcottage.com/files/callmeonamission.pdf
http://www.enrichmentcottage.com/crafts/i_hope.htm
In primary the kids are learning a new article of faith each month, so this should be a good craft to do.

My other new venture is computer scrapbooking. We had a gift card to Best Buy and I got Scrapbook Factory. He's a page from Emma's scrapbook I started.