I Love Happy Endings!

Today, we went back to look for my keys. After a very long night of worrying, (how are we going to get our whole family to the baptism tomorrow, how are we all going to get to church, how are we going to get a new key made, how could I have lost them?, not to mention worrying about the money it's going to cost to get a new one), I woke up the next morning and called the dealership about the key. They said that they didn't have anyone in today to reprogram a key, so I was going to have to wait til Monday. They also said it would be $82 plus the price of a tow because they needed the car down at the dealership. That is one expensive lost key!

We decided to do one last search of the berry patch since we were going to be vanless until Monday no matter what. Doug and I went down there in the rain and searched for another hour and a half. We saw nothing on our long walks up and down the rows (but I did find the best bushes for picking, anyone up for picking blueberries?). Finally, we knew we had to give up, we were going to be late to a baptism. We felt more than a little bit frustrated, a little bit wet, and a little bit downtrodden. We decided on the way home that we were just going to have to bite the bullet and pay for them to reprogram a new key for us.

On the way home, Doug was racking his brain trying to think of all the places that his extra key could have been, but he couldn't even remember if he had them while we were living in our house (which has been almost 6 months now). However, for some reason, when he came home he began to rampage our closet. He pulled out everything in his sailbags (he's only got three) and started going through every pocket in every pair of pants he owns.

Amazingly enough, HE FOUND THE MISSING KEY! It was in a pocket of one of his dress pants that he almost never wears. That was not a coincidence! We still never found my keys, but I know our prayers were answered. Maybe our prayers weren't answered as fast as we would have liked, or maybe not in the way we would have asked them to be, but they were none the less answered. For that I am truly grateful (you should have seen our celebration dance).

By the way, if anyone ever needs someone to go looking for keys in the middle of the night with them I know the perfect person to help (thanks Kami), or maybe babysitting at the last minute (your a lifesaver KellyAnne), or if anyone ever needs to borrow a brand new van for the day, boy do I have the friends for you (some things go way above and beyond, you guys are the best). Thank you all so much for your help!

Repentance Among the Blueberry Patch!

Tonight, I went blueberry picking. A few of us drove together and we got lots of blueberries. I think we were all really satisfied with the evening, but as we were driving home, I got the distinct impression that I was missing something. I brushed off the feeling because I thought to myself that I must feel that way because I was kidless (and that is pretty unusual). When we arrived at Tara's house, where my van was parked, I realized just exactly what I was missing. MY KEYS WERE GONE!

Of course, I didn't drive to the berry patch, so I started looking in the only available places that they could be. We searched my van, Tara's van, Tara's house, and then I started feeling a little panicked. I called Doug to tell him about it and asked him where our extra set was. He said that (unbeknownest to me) our other set had been missing for quite sometime. Then, he told me that he had put a hide-a-key in the van a couple of years ago. We found the key box, put the key in and figured out that that key didn't actually start the car, it only opened the car doors. At this point, there was nothing left to do but check the blueberry patch! Most people would have waited til morning, but knowing I wouldn't sleep a wink until I knew I had done all I could, I felt compelled to check. Luckily, I knew which row I had been on for most of the evening, so I felt confident that I could find my keys with the Lord's help, of course.

So, I went, and I prayed, and I searched, and I found the row I had been on, but I didn't find my keys. At one point during my hour and half of searching, I realized how very often I need a wake up call before sincerely praying and repenting of my sins. It saddens me to think that sometimes I only really pour my heart out to my Heavenly Father when things aren't going so great. When things are going well, I get complacent and lazy. Things have been going really well lately. I have really been so blessed. Blessed with the things I need, blessed with a great home, blessed with wonderful friends, blessed with an amazing family, blessed with health, and the list goes on and on. Why then, with all this happiness, is tonight the first time in quite a while, that I felt like I was pouring my heart out to the Lord? Why do I need a trial, to get me to do what I have already been asked to do?

Tonight I feel a little like Nephi when he said "my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which so easily beset me" (2 Nephi 4:19). I really love Nephi! As I read on, he knows that he must repent, but he also knows that his soul can not "linger in the valley of sorrow". He has hope and finds joy in repentance. He knows of his weaknesses and therefore asks for help that he might "shake at the appearance of sin". In 2 Nephi 4:34-35, Nephi says, "O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of the flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of the flesh.... Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea,my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness."
The scriptures are filled with such messages of hope, faith, love, peace, help, joy, and comfort. All I have to do is be humble enough to receive these things from them. Why is that so hard? I am grateful for my time in the blueberry patch, because even though I haven't found my keys, I have found some humility and I needed that even more.

Growing up so fast!

Doug took some super cute pictures this morning before church. I just really love my kids! Jay looks so grown up somehow in this picture. I think it is because his feet not only touch the ground, but there is a slight bend at the knee. I am constantly amazed at how fast he is growing up (I call it the first child syndrome). His newest "cutest thing to do" is that he will come and stand by me and say, "Mom how tall am I?", so I will measure him and tell him that he is almost up to my arm. He will ask me if he is growing up, and I will assure him that he is getting really big and tall.

One day, I was teasing him and telling him that I did not want him to grow anymore, that I just wanted him to stay little. He got a huge frown on his face and his eyes welled up in tears, and he said, "but Mom, I need to grow up." We had a long talk after that and I assured him that I really did want him to grow up, that I was excited for all the things that he was going to get to do.

Secretly, though, I am a little sad. This is the last year that I will have all my children around me all day long. I know instinctively, that even though I feel my life is pretty busy right now, it is only going to get busier once school starts full time. I love having my kids around me. I know what they are doing, what they are learning, what friends they are making, how they are behaving, etc. (Am I a control freak?, Maybe!) Even when their behavior is less than desirable, I am still fully involved in their lives. Giving up that special time will definitely feel like a loss.

I am just glad that I have one more year to make that break, not because I don't want Jay to grow up and become even more independent, but because I truly just love being his mom and having him around. He is such a good big brother, he is helpful and kind, he loves his baby brother, he is Ellie's best friend, and has such sweet disposition. Jay and I have always had a really special connection and I count having him as my son as one of my most cherished blessings.

A New Chapter Has Begun!

Jay and Ellie went to preschool this week for the first time! Although this may be a seemingly minor occurence in other people's world, it was huge in mine. Not only is it significant because my babies are growing up, (which is always an amazing process for a mother to go through, especially when it's their first), but it also has added another drop to my "the Lord really loves me bucket". Let me explain!

For over two years now, I have been interested in doing some kind of co-op preschool. I had no interest in paying for preschool because #1 it's expensive and #2 our money has always been seasonal because we own a business that is seasonal. I had no interest in signing up for something in the fall that would be an added burden to our family in the winter. So, for over two years now, I have wanted to put together a co-op preschool. The only problem was that all the mothers that I knew were already involved with expensive preschools and had zero interest!

Fifteen months ago, we moved to Oak Harbor. I had high hopes of finding other preschool moms, but to no avail. Finally, after living in Oak Harbor for 10 months, we moved into our lovely little home, that just happened to be in the boundaries of the best ward ever! It just so happened that the year before Jay enters kindergarten, (when pre-school is needed most) I met a wonderful group of women, that not only were open to the idea of a pre-school, but actually really excited about the idea. We also just happen to each have children that are all starting kindergarten at the same time and will possibly even go to the same school. Each one of these children have become my children's best friends and each one of these women have touched my life. The Lord knows us each individually and knows exactly what we need. I am glad that he knew I needed these amazing women as my friends.

Little Monkey Preschool

Five little monkeys, sitting in a row

They all learned what we all know.

They learned about crosswalks and made stop signs,

Formed the letter O,

And stood in a line.

Do I blog? NO WAY!

I have been hearing about blogs for months, possibly years now, and I have avoided the trend completely. I honestly had no interest until April 2008 (5 months ago), when suddenly I am surronded by bloggers. They wanted to know if I blogged, everyone talked about everyone else's blogs, and it seemed I was the only person who not only didn't blog, but didn't even know how to blog. What peer pressure!

I, being the strong-willed person that I am, decided I was going to go against the flow and I still wasn't going to blog. "Really what is the point?", I said to myself. Do I really want to spend my free time checking other people's blogs, writing my own, and spending more and more time on the computer. I don't even enjoy being on the computer. "Why should I blog?", I said to myself, "my children will just destroy my house while I am distractedly choosing the exact word that will express my deepest thoughts and feelings. Then, there are the other factors such as, what am I going to give up so I can blog (maybe I just won't do the dishes anymore), or what am I going to neglect (do you ever just not hear your kids, and then you suddenly realize they have said your name at least a half a dozen times or more and you are still not answering to their persistent - mom, mom, mom)." I was seriously trying to resist the blogging fad. I had every excuse not to blog and I was prepared to use them.

Yet, in the last 5 months, I have made some wonderful friends. In many of our recent phone calls, I have heard many sentences that start out with phrases such as these..."Well, I know you don't blog, so I thought I should call you and tell you what is going on". Or, "I posted it on my blog, oh but you don't blog...". Everyone has seriously been so nice about calling me and telling me things, but I have finally decided that I need to quit being so stubborn and become a BLOGGER.

There are a few reasons I have come to this conclusion, one of them of course being peer pressure, which I could have resisted if that were the only reason I thought blogging would be beneficial. The biggest reason I feel I need to start keeping a blog is that I DO NOT keep a journal. Have you ever had something that you know, absolutely know, that you are supposed to do and still have the hardest time doing it? Well, keeping a journal is one of the hardest things for me to do and I KNOW that I am supposed to do it. It talks about writing and keeping a journal several times in my patriarchial blessing and every single time there is any mention of journal keeping in a talk, lesson, article or conversation - I either feel one of two things. Either I am completely overwhelmed with the spirit or I feel totally guilty because I am not already doing it. Both are good indicators that the Lord has a purpose in asking me specifically to keep a journal. So, blogging is my attempt at repentance and restitution.

My blog may be a little different than the typical blog. For example, the title. I have felt that I need to write about things that happen in my daily life that show me that Lord loves me, loves each one of us, knows exactly who we are, and is in the details of our lives. I have had and continue to have things happen that help me know, not just believe, but know that things happen for a reason. That life in all it's beauty and unpleasantness, does not just happen on accident. There are no coincidences! We are given experiences, strengths, weaknesses, trials and temptations for a reason. I love searching for what those reasons are. Of course, I also want to use this blog as a way for others to get to know me and my family better, but hopefully through the course of writing about me and my family, I will develop stronger faith, improve on the talents Heavenly Father has given me, and maybe - just maybe - help strengthen someone else in the process.

Learning How to BLOG

I am sitting here today with my friend C, and being the great friend that she is, she is introducing me to the wonderful world of BLOGGING.  It is a little overwhelming and could be very time consuming it seems.  I know I need to keep some kind of journal and because scrapbooking has somehow become entirely impossible to keep up on, I am looking for a new creative outlet.