Random Pictures

These are various pictures throughout the week that I needed to delete from my phone.

Most are of Kimball naked. He must have had a lot of baths this week.

 This was after the car wash. You can still see his crocodile tears, he really doesn't like the car wash.

 Here he was mad at me because I wouldn't let him play with my phone before church.

 Remnants of a chocolate chip cookie on his upper lip, and playing with mommy's nail polishes. This entertained him for hours!

 Right after I took this picture, he piddled on the stair, haha!

Operation Make An Effort

This year we'll celebrate our 8th anniversary which is awesome, but sometimes life sneaks in and we become mundane creatures of habit, forgetting to put any extra effort or love into any of our mundane actions. So this past week I've really, diligently tried hard to make an effort. Every day I asked myself, "Self, what can you do for Lance to make him happy today?" And then I do that thing. It has really helped me put Lance first and ensure that I do something special, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to me. I've found it is most often those insignificant things that make the biggest difference.

For family home evening we played a game of 20 Questions about ourselves, because after 7 or 8 years, we either forget or change. So we learned about each other again which sounds lame but it was surprisingly nice. I know Lance's favorite color of burgundy hasn't changed from when we were dating, he still doesn't know his favorite food, his favorite tv series that he's currently watching is Dragnet, he would like to vacation in TX (which I didn't know), and if he could change anything on the house he would replace the outside steps. My favorite color has changed to a pear-y green, my favorite food is steak, my favorite tv series that I'm currently watching is Everybody Loves Raymond (Netflix) or Parenthood, I'd go on a vacation to the New England states and do a US history tour, and I would change the paint color in every room of our house. Of course we continued talking and had a great discussion.

Since our FHE of 20 Questions, we've both sacrificed little things here and there for each other and have really gone out of our way to make sure the other is happy. We went on a date Friday to dinner and a movie which was lovely to have some time together without him being on call. In short, our very small and tiny efforts have made a very big difference and I think we'll continue to do so because it has made our lives so much happier as well as easier. We've also had better communication which is a win win!

Tomorrow we're going on a "vacation" to Idaho Falls and SLC. Lance has to do three audits in the those areas and Kimball and I are going along for the ride. It'll be a great way to break up the week, spend more time together, and see Christine.

As Of Late

I haven't blogged for a week which feels so weird to me. Here's what we've been up to:

• Me: the usual mom stuff
• Lance: work
• Kimball: finally took off and now walks 80/20 at 15 months old. He's such a funny boy and a happy boy at that. We sure do love him!

Likes PBS Kids

Playing With Daddy

Cats Need Toys Too

This week I've made a few homemade baby toys. But while running errands on Wednesday, I stopped at the dollar store and found something similar to a homemade toy I was going to make. It's a cat toy. You know the wand that you twirl around to tease a cat with? Yep, bought it for Kimball for $1 and it was worth every penny. He loves it!

Breathe

I don't know if I should say anything about yesterday...............but...................it was bad. It was one of those days where you question every little thing you do and wonder if you're a good mom. Kimball and I ran a few errands and I ended up calling Trish to pout for a minute. Luckily, she said everyone has days like me. Which I already knew, it just felt good to actually hear it from someone else and with her having five kids, I knew she'd understand. It was one of those days that I didn't want to be a mom and I didn't want to take care of any one else but me. A day where I didn't have to closet eat or change diapers or fold laundry. A day where I lay can on the couch watching whatever I wanted to, eating whatever I wanted to, and getting up only when I wanted to. Selfish I know but it's how I felt. I even stopped at the mortuary and had Lance come out for a minute. I know he didn't have time for me and he let me know that, but the tears were coming and I needed him anyway. He gently reminded me that he doesn't have time for my trivial tears when he's planning funerals and urged me to visit his or my mom for a break. Yep, got it. I just needed his attention for a half second. I went home from the mortuary, fed Kimball some lunch, and then took a nap. It's amazing what a little cat nap can do!

Today however, was quite the opposite. I loved being a mom and was a little sad when I had to put Kimball to bed. He was so playful and funny and we had a great day! I sure L-O-V-E being his mama and even though there are rough days like yesterday, there are even more days like today. It helped for me to keep Lance's day in perspective. He's worked 13 hours so far and still isn't home, worked a service for a family friend, is on call this weekend with absolutely no break in sight (he'll be lucky if he makes it to church), and on top of all that he's starving and tired. In comparison, my day rocked.

So for future reference, here's a little hint to myself:

Dear Me,
Don't dwell on the whining and food throwing and cleaning up. Be grateful there's whining for you to endure and food for your child to throw and a warm house that needs endless cleaning. It won't last forever, it won't even last a day. Sleep is a beautiful thing and it will come shortly. It's ok to forget the mess and take a sick day, just get down and play on their level. Children don't wake up wondering how they can make your day miserable, remember they are a gift from Heavenly Father and a blessed miracle that they're yours. It's ok to nap. It's ok to cry. It's ok to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. Just breathe and give yourself credit; motherhood is no walk in the park.
Love, Me

Two quotes I also want to remember:

"The family is eternal. Love must be nurtured. It must be spoken. We must put away our pride, our haughtiness, our shyness, our misunderstandings, and with humility say, 'I love you. Is there something I can do to help you?' You can never be completely happy under any other circumstances."
- Marjory Pay Hinckley

"I know that we came to this life with a purpose and that the greatest joy we will receive will be those acts of love and service that we do for others.....There is none too great to need the help of others. There is none so great that he can 'do it alone.'"
-Robert D. Hales

Made Me Laugh

"I was in teaching and heard Jayna giggling and giggling. When I came out to see what was so funny, This is what I saw. Hehehe!"

- Jerusha

FHE

Last night we had Ma and Pa Cox over for dinner and family night. I tried a new recipe that I found on pinterest, pork chops with a ranch gravy all made in the crock pot. It was delicious! I'm going to have to file that one in "keepers." I didn't make dessert because I was trying to make a meal compatible to their diet but it was unanimous that I make brownies. Kimball had quite the time licking the beaters and spatula, haha. We devoured the powdered sugar covered, chocolaty goodness after Lance's lesson. It was good night with them and Donna's back was much better yesterday so hopefully she can get back to her regular schedule of life soon. I've felt bad and have been trying to help her out here and there. Last week I was trying to clean their house up while she was teaching piano, but I ended up sucking up the dog's toy and breaking the vacuum. Oops. I promise I had good intentions, really!

Ice Capades

Kimball had quite the time playing in the freezer yesterday. Specifically the ice maker and ice storage bin. He sucked on several ice cubes for quite some time but when he went back for more, they stuck to his fingers. And it was cold and painful. And it turned his fingers white.

Mad Face

Kimball has learned to use his eyebrow muscles and whenever we sit down to eat, he makes his mad face. Of course usually followed up by laughing and smiling. Excuse the banana mess, it was lunch time.

Is It Nap Time Yet?!

Oh dear. It's a monday which day I've come to love as a mother because it's my catch up/cleaning/laundry/get back on a routine kind of day. However on this particular monday, I'm loathing life. Kimball was up way too much last night, I think the other side teeth on top and bottom are coming in. He's been extra whiny. Try combining a teething, cranky, whiny, tired, little 14 month old and you get one cranky, whiny, tired mother. It's going to be a long day.

Enlightened Yet Scattered Thoughts

Today we had ward conference and for the first part of sacrament meeting, Kimball was quite good. The last half he wasn't fussy but his usual jabberings were too loud and Lance took him out so I could stay in the chapel and listen. We just got a new bishopric last week and I can't even imagine the pressure and whirlwind and overwhelming-ness of that kind of calling. Not to mention speaking in ward conference right after he was sustained. I wish I could have recorded his entire talk, it was just so good. And though my thoughts are scattered, this is my attempt to organize them so I can be a better wife and mother.

• I'm impressed with the bishop and his sharing a little bit about his marriage. How often they pray or read the scriptures, how they express their gratitude to one another. And while this may come across as bragging, it certainly didn't to me. I was very impressed that he was open and I was certainly overcome with the sense that I'm a terrible wife! I'm pretty sure I call Lance an idiot at least 20 times a day (mostly out of sarcasm), I more often than not forget to pack his lunch so he starves all day at work, I don't get his laundry done when he needs it, I don't greet him at the door with a kiss because I'm usually taking care of Kimball, and on and on. I know the bishop wasn't trying to make us feel inadequate by sharing a few things about his marriage. I just want to work harder and be a better wife for Lance. Lance doesn't complain at all but I should just.......I don't know what I'm trying to say......I just want to do more things for him to make him happy. Simply for that purpose. I want to do something little everyday that will make him smile and want to come home to me.
• I don't know how many times the  bishop's wife had to get up and down and in and out of the chapel today to chase their youngest child. I just remember thinking, "Man, if I were her, I'd be in tears having a meltdown and trying to go home as fast as I can." But she kept at it and kept her composure and it didn't seem to ruin her sunday at all. I talked to her for a bit after church to thank her for showing that motherhood is a bit challenging at times and with her young family of five kids, if she can do it then so can I. She then told me a few more stories about how some of her children had embarrassed her earlier in the week and I just thanked her for sharing. Because if a bishop's wife can have a difficult sunday and be ok with it then so can I. I don't know why but sundays are my hardest days of the week. (With Kimball that is).
• Our ward has so many young families and other women who have their hands free are more than willing to help mothers like me. Today was one of those days, I was fortunate to see Terri Swensen since she was there for ward conference and she took Kimball for me so I could go to Relief Society. Thank you to all the women who help mothers!
• There was also a big emphasis on regular temple attendance. Oh boy, I have slacked big time in this area. Sadly, this past year I haven't gone a whole lot. It was definitely a huge adjustment for me to become a mother and with all the change and such, the months just crept away. I think I'm going to make it a "me night" where Lance can stay home with Kimball and I can go to the temple by myself (and perhaps stop for ice cream). Of course we'll go together as well. It's pretty pathetic if I compare our temple attendance in Charleston to now. The drive from Chas to Columbia was two hours and we were ordinance workers every other week. But now? I'm so pathetic! Anyway, so I definitely need to make a commitment to go more regularly to the temple, it's only 10 minutes away after all.
• I'm having a hard time remembering everything else that was talked about, I just really wanted to remember how the bishop spoke about his wife with such loving sincerity. I wanted to remember my chat with his wife about being a mother and her encouragement and loving support. I just need to be a better wife with less use of the word idiot and a more patient mother to my sweet boy.

Ramblings

• I thought for sure by now Kimball would be on his feet. Each day this week he'll take a few "walks" of 5-10 steps at various times throughout the day all on his own without any coaxing. I thought to myself, "Self, give it a week and he'll be up." It's now been a week and he's just very content doing his own thing.
• On Thursday Heather, Trish, Mom, and I all got together at moms to craft. I worked on my sample craft since I'm hosting craft day next month and I'm so in love! I really love it and I'm excited for everyone else to make theirs. I thought us girls would only be at mom's in the morning but everyone stayed until dinner time. Friday was a snow day so we all got together again and did the same thing while all the kids played. It was good for the cousins to spend the day together. It was a nice, relaxing couple of days but I'm ready to be home now. I'll post a picture of my craft soon.
• I think the last time I remember it being this cold was about seven years ago. It has been downright frigid and all the blowing snow doesn't help. When does spring start?!
• For christmas I got a new set of dishes. I love the Corelle Ware because they're so light and stack up quite compactly. I've practically got a whole new shelf in my cupboard because they take up much less space. I'm in love! They're just simple dishes with red circles but I'm loving the change. I got rid of all the rooster stuff including the decor so I'm starting fresh and have a few projects up my sleeve to decorate the kitchen.
• Is it bad to admit that I'm hoping church tomorrow will be a snow day? Yeah, that's pretty bad. But it's just so cold and snowy, I don't want to go anywhere!

Closet Eating

It's now been two weeks since Christmas and thanks to all the stocking stuffers, we have had an entire drawer in the kitchen designated for candy and treats. We're talking jerky, sunflower seeds, (those are the only "healthy" snacks we had) chips, bags of milky ways, bags of peanut butter m&ms, bags of york peppermint patties, bit o honey, reisin chews, mini hershey bars, lyndt lyndor balls, box of assorted chocolates, several mini boxes of assorted truffles, etc. etc. I'm not complaining that we have these treats, I've quite enjoyed my closet eating.

Speaking of closet eating, I'm not very good about sharing with Kimball. I probably should be but he's still young for that much sugar. On the other hand, Lance and I got equal an amount of treats. He's been eating all mine! Early on I got smart and put my lyndor balls and mini hershey bars in a secret hiding place. I don't know why but a difficulty for me with marriage is having to share my food. Back away people!

But, in that amount of time we've (both of us) managed to clear the drawer for other kitchen-y uses. Pretty pathetic. No wonder my pants are too tight. We had to clear the kitchen of treats so we could ensure healthier eating and the new year weight loss goals. Yep, we're off to a great start.

Installment Dinner

Last night was the barbershop installment dinner. Instead of the usual potluck in the basement of the Methodist church, the board decided to (with Lance's convincing) have a super nice catered dinner next to Norm's. We had delicious ham with all of the fixings and sides and dessert, it was delicious! I think the barbershoppers unanimously agreed it was ten times better than the potluck. Kimball was a trooper and so patient the whole time. The only pictures I got was of Lance's back directing a few impromptu songs at the end of the night.

I Feel The Same Way After Church

Well Said

"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."

- Someone from relief society who was probably quoting someone else but I didn't hear because of Kimball

Random Journaling

• This last week Lance's coworker quit which leaves Lance and Trent the only funeral directors. I don't know yet if this is a good thing or not. He's on call a lot more but they're looking at getting someone else to help lighten the load. I really hope this means a pay raise for us. Lance had the highest JD Power scores this year, even higher than his boss (keep in mind this is Lance's first year being licensed).
• Lance went with the ward youth group to help do baptisms in the temple and ended up being the baptizer for the whole session. When he was baptizing Tim one of the names was actually Elmer Fudd! Tim came back up out of the water and looked at Lance and asked really? Really. Everyone was chuckling and they checked the name over and over, even the witnesses (one of whom was Grandpa Pettingill).
• I have craft day in February so I've been trying to get a head start planning it all. I think I've got my craft picked out, next week I'm going to make up my own sample so I know for sure it'll be something that's cute and that everyone would want. I don't recall anybody doing any canvas crafts so I think I'll experiment with a canvas-y something. Dawn will be throwing Kaitlyn a bridal shower that afternoon, I still can't believe she's old enough to get married!
• I have not been able to sleep very well at all this week. For example, right now it's 2:09am. It really gets old after a while.
• I know I say it all the time but Kimball is so stinking funny! He's learned to move his eyebrows so he'll throw us a pretty good glare when we tell him no, cracks us up every time. He's so close to walking its killing me! His latest favorite is throwing things. And by things I mean everything. The best ones are hard objects, usually directed at my head such as the remote or metal spoon. He's got a good arm. I'm dreading the day he throws a hot wheel car six pews up in church and beans a little old lady in the head.
• Speaking of church I'm excited for the new curriculum for the youth and starting tomorrow, not only do we get a new bishopric but my class size will double with all the new 15 year olds. I think they're all boys too.
• I'm getting antsy to do some changes around the house. I've come to not like painting as much because its a lot of work, but I know a paint job does wonders and is considerably cheap to change the whole look of a room. I just don't know how to keep Kimball out of my working area and away from wet walls and wet baseboards.
• It's been quite fridge the last week or so with temperatures below zero. Speaking of being cold, look at this cute little guy all ready to run errands with Mama!