That's MY Man!

Seriously, the guy should be a model for Ralph Lauren underwear. Check out that pose. So natural. So cool. So collected.

We were meant to be together...but then, I thought that was fairly obvious to the world since date #2.



It was one of those moments. Those moments when you're heart is beating wildly inside you and you just wanna jump up and scream in a semi-fanatical way "He's MINE!!" "Isn't he AMAZING?" "Back away ladies--I'm willing to fight for him!"

We had a wonderful Halloween! (wish I had taken more pictures, but this year I at least remembered to grab the camera and wear around my neck...Maybe next year I will remember to use it!) Little Emri is the only one we caught on camera. (In my defense, Ryan was in charge of the ward halloween party and so I spent that night helping him get ready and just arriving at the party with the kids was a feat in itself. Then we hosted a party for some of our homeschool friends--such a fun afternoon--but I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone let alone take pictures! And then we hosted another dinner party on the night of halloween for some friends and neighbors to come eat with us before we busted out to trick or treat together...ummm yeah...let's just say that was another busy night! And the last 7 days have been spent trying to recover from last week!)


PS-- I really do love that nerd who stands beside me.

Another One bites the dust

Family Night is always pretty adventurous around here. It takes some courage just to attempt it.

Tonight, we actually had a preformed plan...and when friends invited us to join them in their fun adventures, we declined. Because ours was going to be awesome family time at its greatest. Lots of Love. Lots of Laughs. Lots and Lots of Pictures. And, of course, Lots of yummy Treats!

The plan: Get the wagon and strollers out and go on a spooky walk, complete with spooky music, down the spooky canal until we reach the country market on the corner. Then, we would pick out and purchase our pumpkins and treats, take lots of pics, and then happily head home.

The reality: Spooky walk went good. Nobody fell into the canal like on our last walk in the dark. The pumpkin patch and store were closed...wait...did they want business? Who goes to the pumpkin patch during the middle of the day? Isn't that a night thing? Plan B...oh scrud-o!

We ended up going to a little park and having a lesson on family love...and then sang one of my favorite primary songs, "God gave us Families". Then, we listened to the kids fight the rest of the way home.

I am so glad they were listening.

I'm Bringing Home My Baby Bumblebee

How many days have you gone without washing your hair? My longest was over a week--amazing what a single girl will do to keep the boys away. (Or, that is what I tell myself. I am sure it's not because I am/was disgusting and lazy)

Today is my second longest record. 5 days without water (sweat does not count as water.)


The picture is a little disappointing. I look far more worthy of a shower in real life. (clarifier: I have had a SHOWER on my BODY...just my HAIR is neglected.) So neglected, that it has not been combed since Sunday. It has been in the same raggedy knot on the top of my head for 3 1/2 full days.

This is what homeschooling does to a woman.

I had to make a goal to spend at least 1 minute looking in the mirror. Enough time to throw on some eye shadow and mascara (a very good thing if you have blonde lashes and look nude around the eyes el natural.)

Next goal: spend one more additional minute brushing my teeth in the morning.

Or, maybe I should spend that one minute washing my hair...that takes longer than one minute, so it will have to wait until the "school year" is over.

Small and simple = great things...right?

Line upon line = great things...right?

My personal mantra: I did not come to earth to look amazing or be fabulous. I wanted to be a mother.

I am being a mother.

P.S. Please notice the beautiful color of the walls in my office and the cute green chairs (which Ryan refuses to sit in, he prefers a hard, ugly plastic one.) Rather amusing that "blue" makes me so happy.

And when will those eyebrows ever get plucked? Afterlife?

Apology

To my horror, I realized this evening that my latest blog entry had a somewhat major misspelling--which has since been corrected. Jeffress, I apologize for spelling your name incorrectly. I should have paid more attention, and the world can sigh with relief that I am not going to quit my day job to become a journalist. ( That's right folks, let it all out and just relax...journalism is not for me.)

On a more positive note, the article that alerted me to my error was one of the highlights on CNN's homepage entitled "Who Says Mormons aren't Christians?" by Dean Obeidallah. If you have a moment, it is worth the read. If not, the last paragraph sums it up in a nutshell:

"In comparing the hate-filled language of Jeffress with the words and good deeds of the Mormons we met, it is clear to me who is best following the teachings of Jesus Christ and truly deserves to be called a Christian."

Thank you Mr. Dean Obeidallah. You did your research well, and I appreciate the fact that you took took the time to share your view.

Jeffress vs Lena

Recent media has definitely shown its spotlight on the "Mormon Church". Being that, "I am a Mormon", I have rankled more than a little at some of the comments made, especially those by Texas Pastor Robert Jeffress. Name calling on national TV is not a good idea, and I hope that most Americans either role their eyes at his remarks and immediately dismiss him, or at least have the decency to check out our side of the story.

But I, of course, can't just leave it at that. I had to share a small portion of my thoughts. So, in reference to Jeffress calling me (yes, I took this personally) a non-christian, and adding the additional insult of cult (which, by definition is not bad, but it does carry an extremely negative connotation), my simple argument is this:

Jeffress calls upon christians to reject the Mormon claim to christianity because we disagree over certain attributes of Jesus Christ. Our disagreements are not over His teachings or His role as Savior of the world, but instead, over the Nicene Creed. Traditional christianity has used this creed to define the makeup of the Godhead, and we, the Mormons, don't believe it to be consistent with the teachings in the Old or New Testament. Because of these differences, and in spite of the fact that we both believe Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world among other commonalities, Jeffress has ousted me (and all other mormons) to the realm of non-christian. And, I am assuming that the rest of our nation, who claim christianity, get his stamp of approval. But, how many of these people, who qualify as true "CHRISTIANS" in the eyes of Jeffress, even know what the nicene creed is? And, of these same true "christians", how many agree with it? Christians have sloughed off much of the traditional views and theologies of historic christianity. Most christians don't go to church each sunday (roughly 20% do) and I am assuming that the personal acts of studying the scriptures and praying are likewise low, and yet 76% of Americans call themselves christians. So, in Jeffress eyes, if you simply call yourself a christian, without actually knowing what traditional christianity defines God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as, you are a true christian, regardless of your personal set of morals or adherence to living christlike principles and teachings, as taught in the New Testament (which you may or may not have read). But, if you are "cultish" enough to affiliate yourself with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you have in Jeffress eyes, also chosen to not be a christian, in spite of daily and consistent studying of the scriptures and a sincere desire to be Christlike and follow his teachings to the best of your ability. And now, the very un-Christ-like part of me would like to claim that Jeffress is either daft, ignorant, hateful, and/or bigoted. And then, the part of me that is sincerely trying to follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, feels guilty for calling him names when I, myself, was in-flamed at being called a "non-christian".

So, if your definition of Christ is Lord of the Universe, Savior of the world, Redeemer of mankind, Son of God, Friend to all (including Jeffress), and yet lacks the Nicene Creed, then what do you call yourself?

I am a Mormon. I am a CHRISTIAN.

No Small Thing

Baby #5.

I am a seasoned mother.

I know my body.

Boys make me nauseas for the first trimester. They make me throw up a couple times. I am tired, but most days I can skip the nap and opt for an earlier than normal bedtime.

Girls are a completely different story. Nauseas is taken to a whole new level. To stand up is to throw up. Grocery store? Please NO!!! Tired? Can I even get off the couch? A nap in the morning plus an afternoon nap is essential in order to even function...at a very low level.

Girls make me crave chocolate. With boys its cold cereal. Girls cause issues with my veins (we won't go into details). Boys, not so much.

I like patterns. Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl. Nice pattern.

I have ALWAYS correctly guessed the gender. It was pretty easy to tell by about week 6.

So, I am pregnant. I didn't even know I was pregnant on week 6. I was mildly nauseas on some days. Many days I felt so good I forgot I was pregnant or felt certain that I had miscarried. I have had 4 naps this whole pregnancy, and only a handful of early-to-beds. Throw up? THREE times. And what about our pattern? A BOY is next on the list. I MUST be having a boy.

Like I said, I am a seasoned mother. I know my body. I KNOW what pregnant feels like.



What? A Girl? Are you sure? I made them check three different times at three different angles. GIRLS ARE NOT EASY FOR ME...AND THIS HAS BEEN MY EASIEST PREGNANCY! How can this baby be a girl? I have narrowed it down to 2 different reasons why this pregnancy has not followed our typical pattern:

1) The baby is actually an IT. It doesn't have either male or female organs, and no hormones. The correct terminology would be Hermaphrodite.

OR

2) Heavenly Father provided a miracle. He knew that we needed this little girl and that she needed to come this year. He knew that Remington desperately needed the extra help with his reading and the safety of our home. He knew that Indi needed the time with Mom and the time "playing Mom with Emri". He knew that Walker needed the extra help with his letters and lots of extra kisses. He knew that we needed time together as a family. He knew that I needed to know that He was beside me helping me every step of the way and smoothing the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in my way.

He got His message across.

A girl? I am still in shock. Thrilled. But shocked.

A Love Affair

Some people, in my opinion, are incredibly smart, and some are incredibly stupid. I typically throw all media into the the stupid category: FOX news and CNN are too far on either side of the debate to be smart. Hollywood in general proves over and over that they definitely do NOT belong in the smart category ( a select few make it into the talented category, but that is another blog). So, who is smart? First, I will tickle you taste buds with an excerpt:

"Government taxes cigarettes to stop people from smoking, not to get them to smoke. Government fines speeders so they won't speed, not to encourage them to drive faster. And yet contrary to common sense, it seems perfectly natural to some people that government would tax people who work or companies that are successful only to give that money to people who don't work and to bail out losing companies. The thought never crosses their minds that these policies are the very reason why our economy is in such bad shape."
Wall Street Journal contributor Mr. Laffer
Mr. Laffer, I love you. Your entire article was genius. You, at least in economics, are a very smart man.

And, Wall Street Journal, I love you as well. You are one smart cookie...errr... paper.