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!*

Monday, December 14, 2009

My Heroes!


We bid a sorrowful farewell last night to my dear, sweet brother-in-law Robert Kenneth Ashworth. He returned to his loving Heavenly Father at 9:20 surrounded by his family, Ashley and our family. We sang the hymns, "Be Still My Soul" and "God Be With You"!

Though he is gone, Robdob will forever be one of my greatest heroes. His memory will forever challenge me to strive to live an exemplary life, as he did. He inspired. He fought. He loved. He loved my sister Ashley. I love him, and I am so grateful to know that through their temple marriage he will always be a part of my family! What comfort this brings, to know that I will see him again, because of my dear Savior, Jesus Christ. I celebrate this Christmas season with more gratitude for His atonement, and in particular His resurrection. My life is so much more for having known Robert!

Ashley, my amazing little sister. She is my hero! I know this is so difficult for her, yet her strength is . . . is beyond my ability to describe. She is beautiful and wise beyond her years. She will continue her whole life to set an example for me to follow. She is stretching, and I want to stretch with her. I want to grow with her, to become better with her. I want to scoop her up and put her in my pocket and carry her around for at least the next two years and take care of her. Since I can't I will ask my Savior to do this for her. He already is. She knows Him. She is strength. She loves. She loves Robert eternally. I love her.

Those two know more about true love, and really loving another than most couples learn in 50+ years of marriage. They inspire me to work for a marriage like theirs. I love them both so much.

For more details go here.

Monday, October 26, 2009

For Steve...

I made this video for Steve, to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary
October 23, 2009



I thought it would be fun to share here!
Man time flies when you are having fun.
And I can't believe what baby faces we had!

*Many thanks to my 'lil sisters Brittany, for her fabulous technical skills, and Karalee, for her keen scanning skills!
**Music: "You and Me" by Dave Matthews

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Workin' It!

Is it October 1st? Because we are getting into the Halloween Spirit. Ya, we're workin' it! Karalee, Tyler and Elijah came over and the four kiddos made the cutest ghosts!

They were super easy, all you need is a couple paper plates, a garbage bag cut into strips, a construction paper or marker face, and some glue! They also glued some jack-o-lanterns!

The picasso on the left belongs to Elijah, lucky pumpkin got two noses! And Taryn's is on the right! Speaking of Taryn, she was workin' the peanut butter at dinner. (We had an easy meal since Steve got home from work too late for dinner!)

Peanut butter paws, then "get in my belly!"
Oh, and Josie, well she is workin' the burger...

See, I told you so!
(Hat and picture courtesy of Byron. He put it on her and then announced, "we have to take a picture of that mom. It is so funny!")