mama

The night before Kurt and I were married we had a family dinner where people gave us some "advise". My father-in-law said we were to take good things from each of our families to make our new family Great! As mothers day approached, I couldnt help but think of ways I could improve in being a mother and wife. My own Mother and Mother-in-law are great examples to me and I can take a lot of good things from them to help me and my family be great.
My mom is a peacemaker- it has been said a lot of times, but it is true. She is always the one to work out a spat between siblings or settle a fight. My mother also taught me how to be a good "house wife" if you may, something she got from her own Mother I think. I can always remember her working non stop to keep the house clean and have dinner and treats ready when we got home. She taught me how to appreciate what we have and make do. We were not rich growing up and many time we "did without". But I never remember my Mother complaining or even more profound, I dont remember her ever buying things for herself. We were and are her main concern and she put our needs above hers no matter what it was. She taught me to treat others the way I want to be treated. If someone is left out or doesnt fit in we can reach out a hand and befriend these people. I know how it feels to not fit in, and in those times I would have LOVED someone to reach out a hand to me.


My Mother-in-law is a very kind and friendly woman. The first time I went to Church with them in St. Louis everyone wanted to sit by her and now I know why! I tend to keep to myself but I can learn a lot from this attribute of hers. She has taught me how to show my love for my family not only through actions but through words. Sometimes we forget that our loved ones may just need to hear an I love you. Its simple but powerful. She has taught me not to judge others on their past. I have a tattoo- its true. I was so concerned for my in-laws to see it and think negativly about me that I asked Kurt to tell them before hand they met me so they wouldnt be shocked. But their response was so comforting. Not only did they not care, but they never judged me for it. My mother-in-law has taught me the meaning of a strong testimony and Living the Gospel to the fullest. This is something that if I follow her example, will help ensure that my children and their childrens children will continue to recieve the blessings promised to us when we live righteously.

I am not a perfect wife or mother but I strive to be great and by following the examples of these two amazing mothers in my life, I can and will succeed. I love you Mom Shelley and Mom Marita!

Cant sit anymore!

Tyson is 10 months old!!

I cant believe I have been a mother to this amazing little guy for almost a year! He is trying very hard to be independant- and is some what succeeding. He climbs onto everything, gets into everything and attempts to explore everywhere! He is starting to wave and sometimes I think he is signing things like, "all done." I try really hard to get him to clap on his own but he isnt very interested in it, he just likes me to do it for him!! He gets really excited when he hears the door open at the end of the day because he knows Daddy is home! He can say Mama- but I dont think he connects it with me yet. He is doing really good with his finger foods and today he actually pickup his banana and ate it(he hated the feel of them for a long time and would just throw it on the floor, refusing to even eat it) He loves going for walks and being outide when it is nice. He has 4 teeth now...which are very sharp! He loves to get chased and loves to wrestle with Daddy! The other day he was playing with a little girl who is a month younger than him and after she took the toy he was playing with, I looked over and saw him wrestling her to the ground to take it back. Crazy kid!

Small regrets

Have you ever said something or done something that you feel so bad for that years down the road you still feel bad about it? I have a few of those- they may not seem like big things to others but I think about them a lot and still feel bad for them. Maybe if I get them out in the open I can feel better!!! 1) I took over my brother Jamins horse when I was younger- his name was Sam. We were inseprable, I worked with him every chance I could and took him to fair, where I took first place and the chance to go to state fair! I was so excited and so was Jamin. He ran from the bleachers to the gate were I was coming out of the arena...and(this is the feel bad part) I stayed on Sam and didnt even get down to hug my brother. I can still see Jamins face- he was so proud of me and I didnt even show him my thankfulness for his help in getting me to that point. 2) My dad and I spent a whole day together when I was in High School. I know that he loved those kind of days- they were very seldom. We went all around town running errands, and eating out for lunch. One of our stops was the Post Office where we needed to drop off a package. It was a busy day there and the line was somewhat long, so the time we would spend standing in line and talking was something I could tell he was looking forward to. On our way to the Post Office I heard on the radio that they were going to be playing my FAVORITE song somewhere in the next 30 minutes. So I opted out of standing in line and talking with my dad so that I could sit in the truck and listen to Chumbawamba. I can remember my Dad's reaction when I told him I was just going to stay in the car. He seemed so dissapointed. And I am still sorry I didnt go in with him. 3) My sister bought me a makeup case for Christmas while I was going to school. It was a very nice one that had all the makeup, brushes, bottles- everything I needed to help with my career. I took it to a Relief Society activity to show the women how to apply makeup. While applying the foundation to a friends face, someone asked what kind of foundation is best. I had just started a job where all they used was powder foundation and therefore I answered, "Mineral makeup is best- not this kind of stuff I am using right now." Now this answer may not seem too bad but the minute it came out of my mouth my stomach dropped. Why did I say that? This makeup is perfectly fine- not just fine- its great. It is high quality, good foudation! I know for a fact that my sister put a lot of thought and MONEY into this gift for me and here I am telling people it its not good makeup. I shouldnt of said that, not only because it wasnt nice but because it simply wasnt true. Now I know these things seems small and I dont know if Jamin, my Dad or Liana remember these instances or even were bothered by them in the least bit. But they are things that I think about a lot and regret saying or doing. It reminds me each day to think before you act/talk. Once things or done, they are very hard to take back.

Texting

Im not a phone person and i never have been but I am a texter..And I love it...because I dont have to face akward pauses and I feel comfortable not having to answer something if I dont want to. Same thing with facebook- instead of calling someone, I feel more comfortable sending a message or posting on their wall. But I have realized that I love texting and email for all the wrong reasons(most of the time). Brad Wilcox summed it up perfectly, he said in a Liahona article, "Its is pretty easy to feel like you have a protective wall around when you're texting... It is easy to fire off thoughtless invitations or biting responses because you feel safe. Such a feeling is not always healthy." That is so true- IT IS a safety thing for me- I feel safe not having to actually talk to someone- I can take a few minutes to think of the words I want to use which makes me say things I probably wouldnt say. But I want to change. Texting can be good, for example Im able to talk to my husband when he's at work, or send my family pictures of Tyson. But I have taken it too far and I have found myself thinking in pretty much every instance that I need to call someone, " I wonder if they have text messaging." Its getting so bad that I cant think of things to say when I'm in a real conversation and it has to stop "A returned missionary commented that, in his view, texting does not teach good communication skills. " When do you learn to carry on a conversation that lasts more than a few minutes?" he asked. "When do you learn to listen to verbal and nonverbal message that are being expressed?" "Perhaps the biggest drawback of texting is that it allows you to remain detached from people." said another return missionary. Relationships are like bank accounts: no deposit, no return. If you invest little in your efforts to reach out and interact with others, you get very little back." So if I text you a lot and not actually talk...Im sorry and I WILL do better. STARTING NOW

Fun in the sun..with Tyson!!!

We are loooooving this weather! We have been going on walks everyday...which Tyson LOVES!

He's looks like such a big boy!

Yesterday we went out back and let him play...but the grass was a little pokey for him!

He loved the wind tinckling the back of his neck!

He got a brave a couple of times...

But that was just to hurry and get on my lap!

And of course he tried to eat the leaves! Suprise suprise:)

Daddy and Tyson went barefoot all day! Great day in the sun.

Sprung Spring

This is our plum tree in the back yard. It is beautiful. I see the flowers in the morning out my window and it makes me smile because I think of all the wonderful things spring will bring; rain, a fresh start, new beginnings, new life. I am happy and greatful for these things. I am greatful for my savior and for his sacrifice for each and everyone of us-even me. I am greatful for the blessing of a "fresh start" and forgivness for my mistakes and know that if I have faith in the atonment and continue on the right path that it can always be "spring". I am reminded of the bapism song, "When I am Baptised"- "I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain, and ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain. I want to do the best I can, and live with God again. I know when I am baptized my wrong are washed away and I can be forgiven and improve myself each day. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain. I want to do the best I can and live with God again." Very thankful for this beautiful reminder each day when I look outside.