King Superman.

One day not too many days ago we celebrated Patrick.  Because he's special to us and so so wonderful.

Truly, Heavenly Father's plan of happiness is so divine.  Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.  And when we find a man--the right man--our puzzle pieces fit together so as to create a picture much more resplendent than our half a puzzle ever was before.  

I think husbands are wonderful.  And mine is perfect for me in every single way.

But it seems that no matter how many times I tell him I love him or how often I try to express my sentiments, it's never enough to satisfy me.  So Easton and I planned all day {he even escaped a nap} to plan a surprise party for Daddy.  It started with a little song {I'm so glad when Daddy comes home}.  Then came the secret clues hidden in a coded map...

leading to pieces of a cryptic message waiting to be deciphered....

And when his eyes were closed, we placed a crown on his head and a cake on the table.

We love you Patrick, Daddy, Sweetheart, Love.

You mean everything to us because you are everything.

Officially Delicious

We started a new tradition a few weeks ago when we took the boys out to dinner just the four of us for the very first time.  We've never been one to brave the restaurant world with tots in hand.  It's too much of a battle. 
But with Easton now 3 and Tate 2, they are growing up quite a bit.

So January 5th, we loaded up and visited a favorite restaurant we've loved since Rexburg...Craigo's (which has recently been changed to Pizza Pie Cafe).  We were the only ones on our side of the restaurant.  It was homey and quite cozy.  So we settled in and ate plates and plates of buffet-style pizza and pasta and dessert.

The only words I could think of to describe the experience were "officially delicious."  And of course heart-warming and just plain wonderful to be together.

We'll hopefully be able to continue this tradition every six months for...forever?

I already can't wait for July...

Rise Above the Rest.

Do you remember the old mormonad that showed a bunch of dark blue balloons and then one yellow one floating higher than the others?

Well, here is our unprofessional version.

{P.S. This scene was not staged. It was all coincidence.}

RISE ABOVE THE REST

And so this is what I am trying to do today {and hopefully everyday}.  It's hard to rise above the world that seems to relentlessly pull us down to fear, inadequacy, doubt, discouragement, temptation, unrighteousness, worldliness, materialism, the list goes on and on.

So what helps us rise above when the world tries to pull us down?

There are many answers and many ways.  The first ones that come to my mind are the twin couplet--faith and hope.  Faith enough to trust the Lord no matter what happens or what trials lie before us.  And hope to give us an eternal vista of what awaits us if we will simply rise above.

My Little Sunbeam.

Dear Easton,

Last week you started Sunbeams.  I was a little nervous wondering how you would do with me in there as the chorister.  Let's just say I was pleased and surprised.  You were a gem.  In fact, you even had to give a talk on your very first day.  We practiced all week and you told me you wanted to do it all by yourself.  You didn't even want me to stand by you--instructing me to sit on the bench instead.  However, I finally convinced you to let me stand there and hold the picture.  It was probably good since you needed a few prompters.  You told the story of Peter walking on the water and bore a little testimony at the end just like you did for us in Family Home Evening a few weeks back.  I can't even describe the sweet feeling that filled my heart to hear you--my sweet little boy who is growing up so fast--give your very first talk.

The rest of Primary went smoothly and you absolutely LOVED your class.  When you got home you lined up all of your stuffed animals and taught them a Sunbeam lesson.

But the laugh of the day came when you lugged into the kitchen one of your larger teddy bears and announced loudly, "He needs to go to the bathroom."  When you got back to "your class" all of the other stuffed animals needed to go to.  I almost died laughing.  Being a sunbeam teacher for a year was experience enough to know that the "whole class bathroom trip" is a weekly hallmark of Sunbeams.

I love you Easton.  Thank you for being my little Sunbeam.

Love, Mommy

Homemade Quilts

On my other blog (feel.create.inspire) you will find several entries devoted to the progress I have made on the boys' quilts.  I finally and officially finished them on Christmas Eve...and not a moment too soon!  After the help of my Gram (binding), my Mom and I quilted the squares with a charming X.

I presented the boys their quilts on Christmas Evening and wrapped them up inside for a few photos.

Lessons I have learned from my quilts:

*Calculating how much time and effort is required in a project before beginning is essential...I'm not so sure I would have attempted these little darlings had I known beforehand the work I would have to put in.

*When I wanted to quit halfway through, I learned endurance and perseverance.

*With Father in Heaven, anything is possible.  There were days I would pray that time would be elongated so I could finish double what I could normally do.  The Lord always answered my heartfelt prayer.

*Small mistakes, if left unchecked, can wreak havoc later.  Unpicking and resewing is essential to do as you go along....not days later when so much more of the quilt has been completed and progress is now halted because of a hole in the middle.  Is this not so much like the mistakes we make in our lives?

*Sometimes the things we do for our children are not appreciated right at first, but with hope and faith, they will come to appreciate them in the future.  We must keep trying.

*And lastly, the Lord, as the Divine quilter, can see the end from the beginning, just as I could see what the quilts would look like completed even when I was first selecting the fabric at the store.  He knows us and He has selected us to be part of a great quilt (or marvelous work and a wonder).  At times we feel small, insignificant, flawed, or discolored.  But in the Lord's grand scheme of things we are a vital part to the quilt.  Our small and simple lives are each needed to complete the glorious plan the Father has devised.

A Few More.

Can you guess what they're doing??

{A makeshift, make-believe car}

Tate's Celebration

It's hard to believe that Tate's birthday rolls around so quickly after Christmas--four days to be exact.

With Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Papa, and Gram and Pop in attendance, it couldn't have been more fun.  We played pin-the-tail on the dog and watched Tate's movie I made him of his first year.

We decorated with sky blue and silver and white.

The party theme was dogs and Blue's Clues.

We had little paw prints leading up to the cake.

I think the cake (made by Nana) was my very favorite part.

Happy 2nd birthday sweet Tater tot!!!

Christmastime

Tuesday afternoon, we packed up and headed down for Christmas at Nana and Papa's.

Christmas Eve always brings new Jammies

And this year Easton was our flannel board Nativity-doer

Christmas morning was even more special this year than I remember it in the past...

I'll never forget the lit-up faces of my boys opening their gifts.

Easton told everyone that he was getting "my own computer" for Christmas.

He was so excited.

We came home Christmas evening to our own Christmas.  Easton and Tate received the most beautiful handmade rocking horse from Grandpa and Grandma.

They spent the rest of the evening riding and rocking to their hearts' content.

Another magical Christmas has come and gone.

Proclaimed by the weak and simple...

I have been pondering this lovely January morning about missionary service.  It really is a miraculous work.  To think:  that the pure, perfect gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is entrusted to the hands of young men and young women.  The thought is sobering, really.  The world would think this quite preposterous.  But with our understanding of the Lord and how He works, it makes perfect, complete sense.  Bringing this work forward through the means of youth accomplishes several purposes.  First, the gospel seems to be more readily accepted when it is delivered by seemingly "young boys and girls."  People are curious why young adults would give up time when they could be pursuing higher education, getting married, or enjoying the thrills of life.  These humble, young servants are living proof that the Lord sends the weak things of the earth to confound the mighty.  And second, missionary work offers a haven where missionaries can be separated, if you will, from the world and all of the evil, enticing traps of the adversary.  It gives them an environment where they can grow up, mature, and turn from boys into men--all the while strengthening their testimonies into sure foundations upon which to build their lives.  I love missionary work.  It's awe-inspiring.  I witnessed it first-hand for two years when my Dad was a mission president in Portugal.  And though I haven't had the opportunity to serve a full-time mission, I was able to go out for a week.  It whetted my desire to someday serve the Lord...with my dear, sweet eternal companion by my side.  That someday seems so far away.  But there are still numerous ways for us to share the gospel today.  Being a good neighbor, teaching our children about Christ, serving vigilantly in our callings, sharing our testimony through blogging or other means.  Creating a mormon.org profile to share our love of the gospel with anyone in the world.  There are so many ways, making me think that someday can really be now.