Don't Eat the Daisies!

Fall Art Project - Leaves made during General Conference: Great thing to do, kept River interested and entertained, but didn't take too much thinking to distract from the message.
Coloring Eggs - River enjoyed this activity and was taking pictures of me with her camera while I took pictures of her.

Feet Painting!
Finger Painting!

Jigglers!

Princess - Dress Up!

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet!

Painting pumpkins for Halloween!

Happy Princess.

I used to watch Doris Day movies with my grandma when I was little.

One is called Don't Eat the Daises. One of her little boys ate daises, and he says something like, but Mom, you didn't say to not eat the Daises!

River's latest book from the Library was about naughty little monkeys that go through the house doing things they shouldn't. The book was a great conversation starter about Rules.

The next day while coloring a picture on the table, she said "Mom, it's a rule not to cut our own hair, huh!" We then talked about some of the other rules in our home: Only color on paper, not walls, and When you're finished chewing gum, throw it in the trash. No throwing things inside and Be nice to Each Other.

A short while later, I noticed that our front room blind cords had been cut!! She had sniped the cords on each blind - on all 3 of the front room windows. One of them is so short, the blinds only come down about a foot! River has been so proud of her new found talent of cutting out things - she cuts really well and goes around shapes on her paper.

We set a new rule in our home on the spot: No cutting the blind cords! No cutting anything without Mama's permission. In River's defense, she did ask me, sort of: I was SO tired, I laid down while Silver Finally went down to nap. Silver has had the worst diaper rash ever. She kept me up really late the night before and early the next day, waking up multiple times in the night and had a hard time napping. So, I enjoyed a nap myself while Silver finally slept some. Half asleep, I noticed River walking past me with scissors in her hand. I asked her what she was doing: she said she was cutting the things that were wrapped around her hand. I assumed she meant her necklace she had made out of beads that she had been cutting earlier, cutting the string shorter after each bead. Yikes!

A while later, she was squeezing out milk from Silver's bottle into Silver's hair. 2nd rule of the day: No squeezing milk out of the bottle. And the 3rd rule of the day came after filling Mama's violin case with chalk. The violin case has all sorts of fun compartments to put things! Rule: No playing with Mama's violin case.

My Beautiful Violin

I am tired as I write this. I've been extremely exhausted pretty much every day for the past while. Mid-April I was in a lot of pain and we found another ovarian cyst. 10 years ago I had a 12 cm cyst surgically removed. This one is around 6 cm - so about 1/2 the size. It is still there and the same size which now makes it persistent and abnormal, and by the OBGYN's opinion needs to come out.

I have surgery scheduled for Monday morning in St George. I've always been pretty sensitive when it comes to fertility issues. I would really like to have a large family with lots of kids. I really, really, really enjoy being a mom. Our girls bring me the greatest joy :)

I look at our girls as the biggest blessing! I love modern medicine too. If I had been born at another time in history, I don't know if I would have been able to have kids with the cysts - rupturing or twisting is a possibility when they get so big.

It's hard for me to write about this. The hardest thing would be to not be able to have kids. Next hardest would be to only be able to have 1. We have 2 sweet, darling girls, so I feel I have much to be thankful for. If it was up to me, I would choose to have 6+ kids. I feel selfish as I write this as I know family and friends that aren't able to have kids. Children are a huge part of the gospel, and we desire to raise them in righteousness and love - with a huge amount of FUN too!

Hopefully removing this cyst also helps me with my energy.

I have ALWAYS wanted to play the violin. Growing up, I started the piano at age 7. I really enjoy being able to play the piano, and even though I wanted to play the violin, I never told anyone because if I had to choose, I would choose the piano as my instrument of choice.

I finally decided to take lessons and make my dreams a reality :)

I think we need to take some time to enjoy the things that really make us smile and live.

I feel alive when I play the violin, and I don't feel tired at all when I play. I can only do it when the girls are taking naps (which seldom happens that they are both down for naps at the same time) or after they are asleep for the night. There are so many other things that cry out to be done in that quiet time with 2 hands - but I've really had such a fun time playing and pretending I'm a violinist :)

I wanted to find a good teacher - and I ran into Linda Deluca's husband at a yard sale at their home. She was inside the house teaching a violin lesson and I mentioned to him that I've always wanted to learn and was she taking on new students? After telling people I would start with her as my teacher, I have heard some amazing things about her. She has a Masters from Julliard in violin and she used to play for the Dixie Chicks. She has a fun personality too.

The person you are today and the person you are in 5 years will differ by the people you associate with and the books that you read. I'm glad I made this connection.

Here's to Enjoying the Journey and Finding the Courage to Follow Your Dreams!