Newborn Cry

I know I already posted something today. But remember a couple of weeks ago when I said I wished I had gotten Morgan's newborn cry on video? I was so sad because I couldn't remember what it sounded like. Well, my mom was there the day she was born so it dawned on me today to that I should go through her pictures and videos to see if she had by chance gotten it on video....and she did! I found it! I was so excited! Its nothing like I remembered. Its was so quiet, and kind of low pitched. Video was taken December 10th. I think.

My New Favorite Artist-September 29, 2008

These are a few examples of artwork by Liz Lemon Swindle. Her paintings look almost real. I saw one of her paintings on the cover of a book today and so I had to find her on the internet. My favorite one is called "Hold On Tight". It was the one on the cover of the book I saw. It depicts a side of Christ that we don't read about in the scriptures. Lately I've turn to mush when I see any pictures of Jesus with children, or hear/sing songs about Jesus and children. I'm so grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the life He lived. And for the death He suffered in order to save us all from sin.

"Silent Night"

"Seeking the One"

"No Man Knoweth the Hour"

Book Review #1

Book: The Kingdom and the Crown Volume 1 of 3-Fishers of Men

Author: Gerald N. Lund

Finished: September 28, 2008

Pages: 640

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Year: 2000

Fishers of Men is a fictional story that takes place during actual events happening in The New Testament times.

The family of David of Capernaum is living in Roman-ruled Israel during the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ. David's family is divided in their beliefs of whether or not Jesus is the promised Messiah. There is much controversy on the subject throughout the land, especially amongst the Pharisees and Sudducees who have spent their entire lives studying and practicing their interpretation of the Bible and Jewish religion. In the midst of the trouble that Jesus of Nazareth is causing for religious leaders, there is also trouble stirring between religious and political leaders.

I loved this book. It wasn't one of those 'I-can't-put-it-down' type of books, however I did love reading it. I learned a lot about the Jewish faith, the political situation of the time period, and about the ministry of Christ. Although the family in the book is fictional, the story really puts into perspective the issues that were presented to those who lived during the New Testament times. It made me wonder where I would have stood in my faith had a lived back then, and a man had come into my hometown claiming to be the Messiah and Savior of the world who was prophesied by so many prophets. It also made me take a look at where my faith is today. Am I just living the motions or am I truly a follower of Christ? Do I really understand the religion I claim to be converted to?

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading any type of Christian fiction. Although written by an LDS author, it makes no reference to the LDS religion that I noticed. Only to the Old Testament, New Testament, and several historical texts on Israel, the Jewish religion, and Biblical research. It is quite obvious that the author spent countless hours ensuring that events, customs, and geographical location surrounding his fictional story were as accurate as could be. I can't wait to read Volume 2!

Such An Angel-September 27, 2008

She is my favorite person in the whole world. Besides her dad of course.

September 23, 2008

I Don't Know-September 24, 2008

I copied this flag from my friend Mindy. But I don't know, I'm not so sure I like how mine turned out. It just seems too plain. What do you think?

Fall Into Reading 2008-September 23, 2008

Yesterday was the first day of fall and I happened to stumble onto a blog called Callapidder Days. The author of this blog is hosting a Fall Into Reading Challange and I've decided to participate. I absolutely love reading. I know some people might think its a waste of time, but there is something about books that just draws me to them. I usually only read for pleasure, almost always fiction. And more often then not, I read LDS fiction. So here is my list of books that I would like to read by December 20th (first day of winter and the end of the challange).

1. The Kingdom and the Crown Series by Gerald N. Lund;

X Fishers of Men-Finished September 28, 2008

Come Unto Me

Behold The Man

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis;

The Magician's Nephew

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Horse and His Boy

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Last Battle

There are so many others I want to read. But this will have to do for now. I don't want to overwhelm myself with a huge list of books. I know once I get to Korea things will be a little crazy for a while. So this is it. 10 books in 13 weeks. Wish me luck!

The Dentist-September 23, 2008

I went to the dentist today to get some cavities filled. Yes that was plural. I had 3. You just gotta love the dentist. So much fun! They stuck some Q-tips with anesthetic between my gums and lips, so I had 3 Q-tips sticking out of my mouth. I felt like a saber tooth tiger or a vampire. Then they stuck a huge long needle into my gums in about 4 different places. How does a need that long go into my gums? I don't get it. Once I'm numb they start drilling and I see tooth dust flying in the air in front of my face and I'm wondering, "why is he drilling a hole? I thought there was already one there?" Then they push and pull and poke and yank until my skin is crawling and I think my tooth is about to be ripped out of my head! Aaagghhh.

My dentist is actually really great. A good family friend. He's been my dentist for like 10 years. Minus the 4 I've been married. But I came back to him. He's very nice and gentle (as gentle as one can be) and funny and fast. I'm glad its over though. My goal for the rest of my life is to never have another cavity!

B-Day With Friends-September 17, 2008

I should have posted this last week, but didn't get around to it. On Wednesday the 17th I went out to dinner with my awesome friends. I have been friends with these girl since I moved into their school boundries in 1999. Almost 10 years. I love them and I realize what a blessing they have been in my life. We ate at Buco de Beppo (I think thats how you spell it) and then we roasted marshmallows and ate smores around a fire pit. Thanks girls, it was a blast!

Me, Stephanie, Christine, Amber, and Morgan

For sweet memories sake, I'd like to share some things about these girls. I lived in Layton, Utah from 1997-1999. My mom got remarried the summer of '99 and we moved back to Salt Lake. I started 9th grade at Wasatch Jr. High because that's where my step brother was going.

I met Stephanie first out of the these three. We met in our Earth Science class, taught by the coolest science teacher in the history of science teachers, Mrs. Potter. We did a dinasour report together on Velociraptors. It was awesome. We recorded noices off of Jurassic Park on one of those ancient tape recorders and played it for the class. At the time Steph wanted to be an Archiologist and I wanted to be a Volcanologist. Oh how things change.

My first memory of Christine is funny. I always got dropped off at school early because my parents had to take me on their way to work. Or maybe it was my brother. Anyway, Stephanie and I would walk up and down the halls waiting for school to start. I remember her introducing me to Christine one morning and Christine wasn't very friendly. She wasn't rude, I just thought she hated me. It took a while, but I finally got through that hard outer shell and discovered the nut inside!

I met Amber in our Geometry class. I think she sat right behind me. She was one of those really cute girls that you're super jeleous of and wish you could haver her hair and shoes and clothes. She was always so nice. It turned out that my friend Katie who I met in English, and my friend Bekah who I met in Cross Country, had been friends with Amber for a long time. It had to be fate that I met these girls, because I met them all in different places at different times, but they were all friends with each other too. Come to find out, several years later, Amber thought I was the big dweeb in math class because of my big huge nerdy glasses that I wore.

I Am A Child of God-September 21, 2008

I am a child of God,
And He has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.

I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand His words
Before it grows too late.

I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do His will,
I'll live with Him once more.

I am a child of God.
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but edure.

Chorus
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with Him someday.

Today in our sacrament meeting we sang hymns for the entire hour. The bishop would stand up in between each one and ask for someone to shout out their favorite. Then we would sing it. For some reason I Am a Child of God really touched my heart today. Especially the 2nd and 3rd versus. I didn't know about the 4th verse (its in the Children's Songbook). Anyway, it got me thinking about some verses in the Book of Mormon;

3 Nephi 11:38
"And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."

and Mosiah 3:18
"...but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children..."

So then I got to wondering, what does it mean to become "like a child"? I look at Morgan and I see perfection, innocence, pure love, grace, beauty, holiness, mercy. How does an adult, with all of the evils in the world around them, with all of the stress, pressure, temptations, and mature emotions, become as perfect as a child? The next verse in Mosiah answered that question for me;

Mosiah 3:19
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

This is going to be my focus this week. Learning to become like a child. Not perfect, but more like a perfect child.

*As a side note. While all of this singing was going on at church Morgan was sitting on her Grandma Lanny's lap and she was singing too, sometimes at the top of her lungs, and even when it got quiet for a few seconds. It was quite entertaining. I wish I had it on video. Also, during Sunday School, she was looking at a book on my lap and talking in a soft voice, like she was reading the book. It was so cute. I loved the whole day today. Morgan was an angel through all 3 hours of church (a first) and all 3 meetings were very inspirational. I hate missing church.

September 16, 2008

Yesterday was my happy birthday. On Sunday Clint's grandparents had me over for dinner and then Clint's mom and 2 sisters gave me a little party. It was a lot of fun! Thanks you guys!

Playing the piano with Great Grandpa Paul

Clint and Kristen, the happy newlyweds

Yes the candles say '21'. We didn't have a number 4 candle, so we compromised.

Grandpa Paul and his 2 great grandchildren, Morgan and her cousin Carson

Yesterday for my actual birthday my mom and stepdad took me to a place I've been craving for over a month now, Cafe Rio. I love it! Good bye Costa Vida, its all about the Rio now! Thanks for dinner guys! Afterward we went to RedMango. If you haven't been there....GO, GO NOW! It is oh so delicious!

This picture is proof that I do Mo's hair every morning. Complete with gel and everything.

My brother Otto at dinner

You can't really tell but her hair is completely flat by the end of the day. How do I make it stay? People think she's a boy even when she wears pink!

Just Wondering-September 15, 2008

I've been thinking about something a lot lately. And I'm wondering what every one's thoughts/feelings/opinions are on the subject.

Almost 3 years ago I had a miscarriage. I was only 7 weeks pregnant when it happened and after doing an ultrasound, the doc said the blastocyte probably never made it past 3 weeks, even though I didn't start bleeding until 7 weeks. Which means it may have never been considered an embryo. For a long time after that miscarriage my thoughts were mostly occupied by questions of whether or not that baby was considered, in a spiritual sense, one of my children. Although I only new I was pregnant for 1 week before the miscarriage happened, I felt very connected and attached to that little clump of cells. It was my baby, something I had been looking forward to my entire life.

As far as I know, there isn't a whole lot of Doctrine on exactly when a spirit enters a body and what happens with miscarried babies. I was reassured by many people, and non-gospel doctrine books, that I will have the chance to raise that child in the next life, regardless of how early it was miscarried. And the thought of that got me through most days. It took another year for us to get pregnant again. Since the day I found out I was pregnant with Morgan I have wondered if she is the same spirit that would have come to us had I carried our first baby. Or if she has an older brother/sister with whom she was with before she was sent to us.

I know this is not of great importance, that all things will be revealed in their own due time. Its not something I dwell on, its not something that brings me sadness anymore, its just something I'm curious about. Especially this month, as the child would be turning 2 years old. I have faith that our Father in Heaven has a plan and that our experience of loss was part of that plan. I felt comforted during that time and still do. I know that either way, whether Morgan is that same spirit or there is another spirit waiting for us in heaven, that child is where he/she is supposed to be.

I'm just awfully curious what others think about the topic. So leave me your thoughts and feelings. Don't worry about being offensive. If you think that baby was just a lump of tissue with no purpose or significance, that's okay. I want to know your honest opinions.

Clint-Sept. 13, 2008

Talking on the webcam

Once again I have to say how much I love technology. Clint and I played tic tac toe and checkers on the internet while we talked on the webcam. It was so much fun!

UILC 5K-September 13, 2008

This morning my step dad and I ran a 5K (3.2 miles) for the Utah Independent Living Center. All the entry fees went to helping the disabled so it wasn't super competitive. Good for my first race since highschool. I used to run 5K's with my step dad all the time in Highschool. But its been about 6 years since the last one. The course was fairly flat, I think there was only one hill and it wasn't very big. But boy, when I saw that half way point I swear I heard angels singing! The clouds parted and a ray of light shone down on the little cone. That was when I thought to myself that maybe I could make it all the way.
I've been running every other day for the last 2 weeks, but I haven't made it even close to 3 miles, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to run the whole thing today. I figured I'd have to walk the last half. But I did make it. Of course I had to slow down my pace and take it pretty easy. And I did throw up afterward, but I made it.
My time was 30 minutes 31 seconds. I didn't expect to make it in less than 40. There wasn't a whole lot of people there, but I came in 11th overall out of the runners. I was hoping they would break it down into age groups but they didn't.

Some people raced in their wheelchairs, some pushed wheelchairs, some raced in those cycles that you pedal with your hands, and some walked.

I'm standing close to center, behind the guy in the yellow shirt. My step dad is the bald guy on the left side of the picture.
Morgan having fun with Grandma while we raced.

I hate mid-run pictures, but here I am running by Morgan and my mom. I yelled out Morgan's name and waved to her and my mom said she got pretty upset that I just kept running by without stopping.

I know, I'm a dork.

Just Babbling-September 12, 2008

Morgan and I had a fun day yesterday. We didn't take our morning walk like we have been and I don't think she was very happy about it because she WOULD NOT take her morning nap. Finally, after about 45 minutes of crying (with no tears), she fell asleep for about half an hour.

After she woke up and ate we took a drive downtown to Grandma Lanny's work to scan and email some paperwork to Clint. Then (this is the most exciting part of our day) we got to watch a bunch of the attorneys and paralegals at the District Attorney's office play Guitar Hero on Play Station!!! It was great! You should have seen Steve and Candice rockin out! Morgan loved it too, she was bouncing up and down to the music.

After prying ourselves away from the game, Morgan and I went down to the Gateway to return a jacket I bought a couple of weeks ago. I found a parking spot, unloaded the stroller, got her buckled into it, loaded the diaper bag and jacket into the stroller and then walked through the crowded outdoor mall in the heat (okay it was only 72 degrees) til we got to our destination store. After giving the jacket and reciept to the cashier lady I realize my wallet is still in the car. She needed my debit card so she could put the money back on it. So we hiked back through the crowd to the parking garage to get my wallet out of the center console. Then, as we're walking back out of the garage, the fire alarm goes off and a voice comes over the speaker for everyone to evacuate the building. Images flash in my mind of watching the whole parking garage go up in flames with my car in it. But I figure there's nothing I can do and keep walking.

The store where I was returning the jacket didn't have any parking vouchers and since I thought parking cost like 10 dollars I decided to eat lunch at the mall so I could get a voucher. I spent 6 dollars on lunch and then the lady tells me they only give vouchers on orders over 20 dollars. So I still have no voucher.

Luckily the parking garage didn't burn down and we made it out alive. And parking ended up being free because I was there for an hour and 5 minutes. The guy didn't think it was necessary to charge me for a full hour. Nice guy. Good thing I bought that lunch.

Then on our way home we nearly got side swiped by a lady that looked like she's about to kick the bucket any day. Seriously, if I hadn't slammed on my brakes she would have nailed the front passanger side of my car! Of course I switched lanes to pass her and laid on my horn while giving her a nasty look. I know, road rage, I get it from my father ;)

So anyway, Morgan and I had an eventful day. And for some reason I just felt like sharing.

Stats-September 10, 2008

Today Morgan had her 9 month well baby check up. I love going to the doctor and finding out how much she's grown. Today she was 18 and a half pounds, 27 and a half inches. Exactly 50th percentile for both weight and height. She was so good for the doctor. I was so proud. As for the sleeping through the night issues we've been having, almost solved. You see, Morgan has been a schedule baby her whole life. And I think the lack thereof has been contributing to her restless nights (she woke up 4 times on Saturday night and 5 times on Sunday night). The last 2 days I have been very consitent with both her eating and napping schedules and, to my great joy and excitement, she's slept from 9:30 pm to 8:00 am only waking up once! Can I just tell you how good it feels to actually get a good night's rest? Woo eee! I feel like a new woman! Now if we could just get those teeth to pop through and rid her of the pain.

Pictures of Morgan chewing on a frozen (unopened) popscicle. My latest attempt to numb her gums. Another thing I've been doing is freezing her pacifier (Clint's idea) so when its time to go to bed she has something to chew on that helps the pain subside enough to fall asleep. It seems to be working.

Don't you just love how lady like she is with her little ankles crossed?
This one is my favorite

9 Months-September 9, 2008

Today our baby girl is 9 months old! How time flies. Before we know it, we'll be walking her through the doors of kindergarten, wondering how on earth we let her grow up so fast! What a blessing it is to have Morgan in our lives and to be entrusted with raising her to be a righteous daughter of God. We love this little girl so much and thank our Father in Heaven for her everyday.

This picture was taken the day we brought her home from the hospital. December 11, 2007

The rest of these were taken yesterday.

Morgan's newest thing is sucking fruit juice out of those mesh cloth things. She loves cantalope. It keeps her occupied for a good 30 minutes to have fruit to suck on.

A Daily Scoop-September 7, 2008

In my minutes of blogging today (minutes that became hours), I stumbled onto a blog called A Daily Scoop. I had heard about this blog quite some time ago from some friends, the Shepards, but hadn't gotten around to visiting it. Tonight I took some time to read several posts. To any of you in need of strengthening, uplifting, inspiration, or a good cry, I say take a look at this blog. Fair warning, give yourself time to sift through some of the posts. Specifically the ones under "June" in her archive. You will be absolutely drawn into what this amazing woman and family has endured in the last 3 months. What strength! And what great lessons can be learned from their willingness to share their experiences.

In the seemingly difficult trials I am currently experiencing with my own little one I tend to forget how truly precious this time of her life is. As I have expressed in recent posts, I struggle to find the good in her tantrums, her sleepless nights, her unwillingness to take naps, teething, and so forth. 'Find the good' is not the right phrase. I struggle to not get so stressed out and frustrated and angry etc etc. What I'm getting at is that from this blog, A Daily Scoop, I have found comfort and have been inspired to put forth more effort in enjoying this time I have with my sweet, precious, Heaven-sent daughter.

What lead me to these thoughts and feelings came from a post entitled Behold Your Little Ones.

"Love your little ones--even the ones that drive you crazy. If you could see them the way God sees them -- you would be astounded at their glory."

Killing Time-September 6, 2008

What do you do when you've been up for 3 hours in the middle of the night with a crying baby and then can't go back to sleep? You blog of course! Yes, its 5 AM and I've been up since 2. Morgan woke up screaming and usually she'll either take her pacifier or a bottle and go right back to sleep. But not tonight. She screamed all the harder when I tried to give her anything. I'm assuming its her gums/teeth hurting her because she was crying so hard yet her gums were pressed ever so firmly together. Anyway, since my husband is out having a great night on the Korean town and isn't available to talk to me, I decided to post some pictures from the last week.

Here is my younger brother, Otto, with his 2 youngest neices. I love the look on both babies faces. Ambria is scrunching her nose and Morgan is smiling. So cute. Taken August 30, 2008.

I just had to get a picture of Otto's shirt. It just cracks me up!

Here's a picture of what happens when you forget that you put a pepsi in the freezer. What a mess! Can you tell how bored I get?

Ambria and Morgan playing after a day of shopping in Park City. Taken September 1, 2008. Morgan is almost 9 months and Ambria is 3 weeks younger. Ambria just started crawling this last week! I'm just so proud of her! No, Morgan isn't really trying very hard. Which is okay. She'll do it when she's ready.

Morgan's goofy smile. Taken September 4, 2008.

I love Daddy THIS MUCH!

I finally got a picture of this face. You know how some babies do the nose blowing thing where they breath in and out of their nose really fast. Morgan just started doing that.

She's finally drinking successfully from a sippy cup. And she's finally accepting juice! She hasn't been too fond of it until now.

Taken Septermber 5, 2008. The last 3 nights or so Morgan has woken up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder because she's on her stomach. I flip her over to her back and she goes right back to sleep. Its funny because she knows how to roll onto her back, she rolls all over the floor. I think she just wakes up disoriented. Anyway, here she is napping on my dad's bed, on her stomach. I think its so cute. Its like she's becoming a real little person that can think, "hmm, its more comfortable on my tummy", and then make the decision to roll over. Either that or she just gets too tired to even try to roll over.