Friday, October 1, 2010

California Dreamin'

*I have tons of photos that I have finally uploaded to my computer, so I'll do a bunch of posts before I re-date them chronologically! I'm so excited I finally learned how to do collages, so I can share more pics!*

In August we went to California with my family for our summer vacation. My parents own a time share in Newport, and we love to go with them. There is a lot for the kiddies to do, and Steve and I always love escaping the Vegas heat for Cali. temperatures any chance we get. In fact, we looked at these photos and dreamed of escaping the lingering summer temps here and running back to California. For now memories will do.

Swimming in the pool!

Chillin' on the beach, burying kids, building sand castles and fun stuff like that!

Exploring the tide pools, climbing rocks and Josie was really good at stalking the sea gulls!

Catching hermit crabs and putting them right back where we found them. Playing 'king and queens of the mountain'!

It was a great trip. A great mix of hanging out with extended family, and just chilling with our little gang! We all had a lot of fun!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

What a mug!

Could she be any cuter?
I don't think so! What a smile!
She is getting so big, and she loves to feed herself!
Such a cute little mess!
I love her hair that sticks up all the time!
Oh, the enthusiasm! She is quite a character!
I wish I could read baby minds!
I bet it would be entertaining!
I love to nibble on those luscious cheeks!
I love the Josie B!
Truly, Josie B living the good life!

*These pictures were all taken within the past month!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The need to ramble...

Does anyone else ever feel that need? It is not that I think to myself, "I just need to ramble to someone right now." It just happens. Usually I call someone, then I begin to tell them a story. It probably doesn't have anything to do with nothing that is or is not important. 5 to 10 minutes later I have to think really hard as I near the end of my story to remember the point, you know that little thing that made me think that it was important to share it in the first place. 30% of the time I realize that the only importance in sharing was just that, the sharing. Just because I got to talk and connect with someone I love! I'm sure there are at least ten people who will read this and chuckle to themselves, because they've experienced that with me.

I think it looks like Taryn is choking Josie in my new header picture. I still think it is stinkin' adorable. She is also wearing a panty on her head. Kids are great, and hilarious. I cannot believe how big my little Josie is. I need to post some pictures soon, but that requires uploading and there is trouble with space in macland, well my little macland anyway. Josie thinks baby food is for the dog, and that she should be allowed to eat everything we do. What happened to my baby? She is growing up. Byron is getting his adult set of teeth. He just finished wrestling and had a great season. Taryn is so tall that people think she is 3, and that's been going on since she was just over 2. I've heard that if you measure a boy when he is two years old and a girl when she is 2 1/2 years old, they will double that height by the time they are full grown. Taryn will definitely be taller than me. She wears 3T clothing and some 4T stuff too. The sun rises and the sun sets. March is following February at a ridiculous rate. Time goes on. I don't want to miss anything.
Sometimes I miss things because I am living in the glory days of the past, others times because I am so worried about the next thing on my list. Ashley told me about this article by Jeffrey R. Holland. It is titled "The Best is Yet to Be."

"As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives."

Both living in the past and worry about the future show a lack of faith on my part. I love my life. I love every day. Life is good. I'm learning and loving. What more can I ask for?
So I'll continue focusing on living in the NOW! Enjoying life and accepting it. Even when I'm working on making something better of myself or my home. I have so much more fun when I accept where I am currently. Life is amazing, beautiful, hard, wonderful, challenging and awesome!

"You can remember just enough to avoid repeating the mistake, but then put the rest of it all on the dung heap Paul spoke of to the Philippians. Dismiss the destructive, and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family, your friends, and your neighbors. God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go."

So I suppose it isn't so much rambling after all. Just the way my funny little brain works, thinking, talking, rambling, reading, listening, talking and rambling some more. Then it clicks, and I've learned something new or had an 'aha' moment!

"Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11)."

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Mr. Funnyman

Byron: "What's wrong mom?"
Mom: "Well it's 7:00 and I haven't fed everyone, so I'm feeling kind of like a bad mom."
Byron: "Well I can tell you how to be a good mom!"
Mom: "Oh yeah? How is that?" (chuckles)
Byron: "Well you have to act like a big spender. But, if you don't really want to be a big spender, you can take us to Cici's!"
Mom: HAHAHAHAHA! & HAHAHAHA!
Byron: (shy grin) "I just said that to make you laugh!"
Mom: "Well it sure worked!"
Byron: "Yeah, that is why God sent me down here, to make people laugh and be happy!"

*I love that kid!*