Richelle's Reflections

I Love Spring Flowers!

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:55:00 +0000

Sorry to those of you who have gotten snow this week. We have been enjoying 80 degree plus weather, playing in the park, having picnics, and even running through the sprinklers. And the sights and smells of beautiful flowers!

New Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:17:00 +0000

I got a new camera for Christmas. I got a Canon PowerShot SX120 IS. It is not a fancy SLR or anything, but it is pretty fun.

I took these pictures at my parents house after Christmas. They had some cool icicles hanging down from their roof, and the trees were beautifully covered with snow.

It has a great 10x optical zoom, which has been great to get pictures like these from the other week at a local park's nature exhibit.

A hawk:

An eagle:

A bear:

Bison and elk:

I can also get shots like this, without even stepping outside! :)

PS--This blog has been a little neglected lately. I have been blogging a bit more faithfully on my other blog, so make sure you visit me there, too!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:49:00 +0000

"At the focal point of all human history, a point illuminated by a new star in the heavens revealed for just such a purpose, probably no other mortal watched--none but a poor young carpenter, a beautiful virgin mother, and silent stabled animals who had not the power to utter the sacredness they had seen. Shepherds would soon arrive and later, wise men from the East. Later yet the memory of that night would bring Santa Claus and Frosty and Rudolph--and all would be welcome. But first and forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees or tinsel. With a baby--that's how Christmas began. It is for this baby that we shout in chorus: 'Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King! . . . Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth' ( Hymns, no. 209)."
--Jeffrey R. Holland, "Without Ribbons and Bows", New Era, Dec. 1994, 6

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Getting the most out of Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Last night we carved our pumpkins.

I always enjoy carving pumpkins. One of my favorite parts of carving though, is getting to eat the seeds. If you have never toasted pumpkin seeds, you should! They make a yummy snack!

You basically want to cook them slowly until they are crispy. I don't think I do it the same every year, but this is what I did this year. I put a bit of oil and seasoning salt on them. Spread them out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250° for about 40 minutes (stirring half way through). Then turned up the heat to about 350° for another 20 minutes or so. Once they are slightly browned and crispy, they are done! Enjoy!

Another thing we have done the last couple years, is carve out some of the inside flesh, cook it, puree, and freeze. Then we can make pumpkin pie or some other yummy treat later on!

Things That Make Me Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:57:00 +0000

fall colors
fog
rain
rainbows
flowers
baby giggles
baby toes
music
making music
hearing my 3 year old sing all day
hearing my husband sing to my boys
taking long warm showers
listening to the logic and stories of my 3 year old
watching my baby scoot all over the floor
flowers
watching my boys be sweet to each other
getting good deals and bargains
snuggles and cuddles and kisses from my boys
going fabric shopping
going fabric shopping while my husband makes dinner and dessert, feeds the boys, and gets the boys bathed...

I'm sure I could go on, but that will do for today!

Wow, It has been awile!

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:00:00 +0000

I have really gotten out of the habit of blogging lately. I have been keeping up with my family's blog, so grandma's can see pictures of my boys, but this one has been a bit neglected.

Besides just being busy, I have been trying to decide what I want to do with my blog, trying to decide what my blogging "niche" is. I will still post on this blog random thoughts I have about life and motherhood. I have also started another blog.

It will basically be a log of all the projects that I do, both my projects and projects I do with my preschooler. My hope in sharing is that I can inspire someone else's creativity. If you stop by, leave me a comment, and don't forget to subscribe to my feed!

My Bathroom Smells Like Little Boys...

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:49:00 +0000

But that means my little boy is using the bathroom!

I think it is safe to say that Big Brother is potty trained. He still hasn't gone a whole day without an accident, but he is wearing underwear all the time. He even wore them to bed last night with no accident!

I'm am so excited for this, so happy that he has finally decided he can use the potty. It has been a long process. He started getting interested in the potty before he was even 2, but nothing I tried to do to motivate him to be trained ever really worked and we would back off for a while. Now that he is over 3, he has had a lot of practice, and just finally decided he could do it. I mentioned in my last post that I was reading the book " Toilet Training in Less Than A Day." I actually didn't even get through the whole book. I did get some ideas from it, though. I think what finally worked for us was being patient, letting him decide if and when he wanted to wear underwear or go potty, trying to "inspire" him to want to go, instead of pressuring him and asking him to go. I also tried to get him to know how to do it himself (which is what the book teaches). That really has been key, because I can't always be right next to him for him to tell me when he needs to go. He knows he can just run to the bathroom and do it, and then ask me to help him wash his hands when he is done. The other thing the book teaches to do, which I did, was to emphasize staying dry. I started giving him treats every so often for staying dry, which reminded him when he needed to go. It works a lot better than asking him if he needs to go potty, which he always just responds with a "no" without even thinking about it. Now I just have to wean him off the treats. :)

Now that he has gotten the hang of going most of the time, he wants to stand up, which is why my bathroom smells like little boys. Now I need to train him to clean up after himself. :)

Yay, a Blog Post!

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:10:00 +0000

I have been very uninspired to write any blog posts lately. No real reason, I guess life just gets busy.

A few things we have been up to lately:

Enjoying this:
Spontaneous trips here:
Enjoying a few of these in our yard:
Eating lots of:
and:
Reading this in hopes of trying, once more, (hopefully once and for all!), to get rid of these (at least in the bigger size):
Planning our trip to see my Sister married here:
Enjoying some free days at home with no errands or preschool to run off to.
And mostly enjoying an increasingly independent 3 year old and lots of baby giggles.

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:57:00 +0000

I hope you all had a happy Mother's Day.

Saturday, my husband stayed at home with the boys so I could get my hair cut. Although not technically a mother's day gift, it was really nice to get it done. It has needed it for a while and we haven't really had a free Saturday recently that I could go. It feels so nice to have it shorter again.

Despite being woken up at 4 am and again at 5:45 by a stuffy little baby, I had a pretty good day Sunday.

When Big Brother woke up, he was excited to show me where my presents were hiding, in "Grandma's room" (our spare bedroom). He had picked out a balloon for me with flowers on it, and helped Daddy pick out a bouquet of flowers. They also gave me a book and CD. My husband also helped the boys make me a card (and gave me one from himself.) So sweet!

We went to church as usual. They gave all of the moms a carnation. My husband also bought some caramels the young women were selling as a fundraiser for girl's camp. Yum!

After church, my hubby got Big Brother to take a nap, and then took Baby Boy for a while so I could get a nap. Then, he made us a super yummy dinner. Roast and potatoes, carrots and homemade rolls, and a fresh fruit salad. Mmmm!

Since I know I can't expect a total day off, I'd say I got pretty close!

Thanks to my husband for giving me a special day!

Testimony

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:18:00 +0000

If you are interested, here is the talk I gave in church yesterday:

How We Gain a Testimony

In the book, True to the Faith, (178–80) it defines testimony as “a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost.” It goes on to explain, “The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves us; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that we are led by a living prophet today; and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior’s true Church on the earth. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel.”

So how do we gain such a testimony? When we think about gaining a testimony, quite often we think of stories where someone had some miraculous experience that lead them to believe in the truthfulness of the gospel. But, we do not have to have a spectacular experience to be able to gain a sincere testimony.

True to the Faith, (178–80) outlines four steps that we can follow to obtain and strengthen our testimonies.

1. “The quest for a testimony begins with a righteous, sincere desire.”

As it explains in Alma 32, we need to first “exercise a particle of faith” and “desire to believe” for our testimony to start to grow. Faith is not only a feeling, it is a decision. We need to choose faith. (Nov. 08 Ensign, p 14)

2. “Testimony comes through the quiet influence of the Holy Ghost.”

In October General Conference last year, Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Seventy, gave a talk about gaining testimony. He told of an experience he had visiting a Sunday school class where they were discussing personal testimonies of the gospel. The teacher was asking the class if they had spiritual experiences that lead to their testimony of the Church. Elder Godoy wanted to be able to share an experience with the class, and felt they expected that he, as an Area Seventy, would have something impressive to share, but he was not able to think of anything. He did take the opportunity to share his testimony to them. Although he did not have a remarkable experience to share, he shared sincere testimony of the truths of the restored gospel.

Elder Godoy went on to explain that the spirit speaks, not loud or harsh, but gently, as a whisper to our souls. (Ensign, Nov. 08, 100-102)

Also, great events are not a guarantee that our testimony will be strong. Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon, saw an angel, but very shortly forgot and questioned the will of the Lord. The great spiritual experience they had did not give them a testimony.

I like how the story of Alma the Younger illustrates this. Alma was visited by an angel. This experience was so powerful that Alma was “struck dumb” and “carried helpless to his Father.” After two days and two nights, Alma again received strength, and immediately bore testimony of the atonement of Christ; that he had repented of his sins and been redeemed of the Lord. This experience totally changed his life. He went from persecuting the gospel and those in the church, to being a great missionary and spreading the gospel. (Mosiah 27)

But, later in his life, Alma explained that his testimony was not based on this experience alone. He asked the people he was preaching to, “And how do ye suppose that I know of [the] surety [of these words]?” (he was speaking mainly about the atonement of Christ.) He then answered, “Behold I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.” (Alma 5:45-46)

Alma could have based his testimony on the miraculous appearance of an angel to him. But he didn’t. He made sure he knew for himself the truthfulness of the gospel. He fasted and prayed and received a witness from the spirit.

To quote Elder Godoy, “A testimony then, for some people, may come through a single and irrefutable event. But for others, it may come through a process of experiences that, perhaps not as remarkable but when combined, testify in an indisputable way that what we have learned and lived is true.”

“The results of a testimony can be miraculous and life changing, but the gift of testimony usually comes as a quiet assurance, without spectacular displays of God’s power.” (178-80)

3. “Your testimony will grow gradually through your experiences.”

Also in last October’s General Conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen explained that, “Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes step-by-step, line upon line. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon. (The Book of Mormon is powerful spiritual nourishment.)

We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord’s answer will be, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right.”

4. “Your testimony will increase as you share it.”

Growing up in the church, I never really doubted that Joseph Smith was a prophet. But, I wouldn’t really say that I had a sure testimony that he was, either. My testimony of Joseph Smith was solidified while I was on my mission. The story of Joseph’s first vision was my favorite part of the missionary discussions to teach because the spirit was always so strong. Each time I told a new investigator about Joseph seeing God and Jesus Christ, the spirit would witness that it was true. My testimony increased as I shared it.

I have gained my testimony gradually through experiences I have had throughout my life. I never had a big life altering experience, but through many small experiences gained my testimony. Through small prayers answered, I know that God loves us and listens to us. Through learning of and testifying of Jesus Christ, I know that he is the Son of God, and that the atonement works. Through the spirit that is manifested when I hear or tell the story of Joseph Smiths First Vision, I know that he did see God and Jesus Christ and was called as a prophet. Through the witness of the spirit while listening to our prophet today, President Monson, speak, I know that he is called of God.

I know that the church is true. I know that we can all gain or strengthen our testimony of the gospel if we have a sincere desire, pray to know, listen to the whisperings of the spirit, learn from the experiences we have, and share our testimony with those around us.

Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Despite my lack of motivation last week, I managed to get a few things done.

I put this up in the boys' room.

I got the little animals a while ago from Micheal's, and have been waiting to figure something out. Last week I bought the frames and letters, painted the letters, and got them hung up. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Are you sick of seeing baby shoes yet? I also made these:

Anyone have a little future ballerina that needs some slippers? I've had the idea for this pattern in my head for a while and wanted to try it out. I didn't have anyone that I was specifically making them for, so I might try to sell them. Although I'm tempted to just keep them for myself in my "hope chest." I can make more, though! :)

I'm so bad at keeping journals. I have so many that abruptly end, sometimes even in the middle of a sentence. I really want my boys' baby books to be complete. This week I've been catching up/starting my boys' baby books. I've written down most major milestones either on my blogs or in a notebook, but I like them to be all together in a book, too.

What have you been working on lately?

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:42:00 +0000

The past week went by so fast. It was a busy, fun week.

We were excited to hear last weekend that my little sister got engaged. I can't believe my baby sister is getting married! It doesn't seem that long ago since I got married. She can't possibly be old enough yet. :) We are looking forward to meeting her fiance and being there for the wedding.

We are glad she made sure it was at a time when I could be there. Out of the rest of my four siblings who are all now married, I was only able to go to one of the weddings. My older brother got married while I was in Scotland on my mission. Then one of my younger brothers got married two weeks before Big Brother was born. Since we are on the other side of the country as they are, we weren't able to go. I went to the next one, but then my youngest brother got married just a couple weeks before Baby Boy was born. But we will be there for my sister's wedding.

She is the last of all my siblings to get married. That's kind of weird. But we are way excited.

This past week I wasn't very motivated to get much done. Hence, I didn't post my goals last week, and didn't even blog at all last week. I was feeling a little worn out. Maybe it was the rain, but I had no motivation to go anywhere during the day with the kids. It is just stressful and tiring to haul two kids and all their stuff everywhere. Then I have to worry about Big Brother not running off all the time and keeping Baby Boy happy. It can wear you out! I have also been feeling a bit lonely lately. I miss all my friends that I moved away from. I miss the laid back weekly playgroup we had. People from church here do a playgroup, but lately it has just been going to community events. I like going to community events, but it is not the same as sitting around chatting with all the moms while the kids get to run around and play together.

I felt that my prayers were answered a bit this week. A friend from church sent me an email this week to tell me about a little preschool people from church were doing together and wondered if we would be interested. So last Thursday, Big Brother started preschool. We are going to take turns teaching twice a week little lessons centered on a "letter of the day." I am really excited about this. Big Brother needs friends, as do I, and this will give us both a chance to get to know a few people from church a little better. He is the youngest one, but since he knows all his letters, I think he will do fine. It should be fun for him, and prepare him for "real" preschool. Plus, I get a couple hours twice a week with only one kid! On Thursday I went to the store with just Baby Boy. It is so much easier to go shopping with only one kid to worry about! Or I may be able to come home and rest while Baby Boy takes a nap. I am excited about teaching a couple times, too. I've been starting to think of some activities to do with the kids. It should be fun!

I am going to make one goal this week. I have to speak in church next Sunday. I need to use my alone time (the very few minutes that I usually have) each day to prepare for my talk.

If you want to join in or learn more about “For Just One Week,” visit My Ice Cream Diary!

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:54:00 +0000

I finished my Easter pillow cover. I made the small one in the front to go with the bigger one that I made last year.

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.

"At this Easter season of hope and renewal we testify of the glorious reality of the atonement and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The empty tomb brought comforting assurance and provided the answer to the question of Job, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).
"Because of the Savior’s resurrection we will overcome death and become the beneficiaries of His mercy and grace. In a world of trouble and uncertainty, His peace fills our hearts and eases our minds. Jesus is in very deed “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

"We give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit. To each member of the human family He stands as our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend"
--First Presidency Easter Message

For Just One Week

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:50:00 +0000

I spent quite a bit of time this week in our spare room putting boxes away and organizing. It still has a ways to go, but all my scrapbooking stuff is out and pretty much organized.

Before:

After:

The desk with my scrapbooking stuff:

I also spent a bit of time every day sewing. I made these cute little shoes for my baby, and I am almost done with an Easter cover for a little throw pillow. I will post a picture of that when I'm done.

This week I will continue to spend 10-20 minutes a day organizing our spare room. I also want to sew or craft in some way every day.

We are also going to try the game that Ice Cream posted about last week. I told my husband about it and he's going to try it, too. We will probably add a few things like reading scriptures every day. It should be fun!

If you want to join in or learn more about “For Just One Week,” visit My Ice Cream Diary!

Creating

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:12:00 +0000

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before."Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty."Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. . ". . . Remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination."But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy (see 2 Nephi 2:25). Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 118–19

There is something satisfying in creating something. Especially when they turn out so cute!

For Just One Week

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:29:00 +0000

My goals last week went well!

Master bedroom closet before:

And after:

We can actually walk into our walk-in closet! It didn't even take as long as I thought it would. Working just 10-15 minutes a day, I was done by Thursday.

My other goal to get outside every day was fine. One day we didnt' have anywhere to go, and it was kind of rainy, but Big Brother still went outside to play a bit. He needs the fresh air and open space. :)

This week I'm going to start working on our spare room.

The rest of our house is all put together, but the spare room is a mess. We have so much stuff that we store in there (including food storage). I'm not sure it is all going to fit in there. I'm pretty sure it will take me a few weeks to get all organized, too. So my goal this week is to spend 10-20 minutes a day organizing the spare room. We'll see how much progress we can make.

Number two goal for this week is to do something creative or crafty every day. I realized the other day that I haven't created much lately and my sanity was suffering. I really need that outlet. I will most likely be sewing, since my sewing stuff is out in my room. I would like to scrapbook, but all that stuff is in the spare room. Maybe next week! :)

If you want to join in or learn more about “For Just One Week,” visit My Ice Cream Diary!

Goals for this week

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:24:00 +0000

The cleaning up/putting away in our back room I did last week went really well! I knew I was going to be taking a picture of it, so it gave me even more motivation to get it done.

Here is the "before" shot again:

And "after:"

There are no more boxes! Yeah! There are a few random things on the shelf that still need to be put away, but it feels so much more homey. There was a stack of pictures in there that we hung up. Its amazing how much more at home it feels with a few pictures on the walls!

The other side of our back room didn't get as cleaned up as I hoped.

Before:

After:

The boxes are still there, but not the box full of packing paper, and the boxes are all organized in neat piles. So it is so much better. Hopefully they can be gone this week!

As for my other goal of getting outside everyday, it was great. Even though it was a bit rainy most of the week, we went to a play group, the library, ran errands, and played at a nearby playground. I liked this goal, and want to do it again this week.

My organizing/cleaning goal for this week is our master bedroom closet:

Yep, it is a mess. Lots to do in there. But if I work on it a bit each day this week, it should be organized!

If you want to join in or learn more about “For Just One Week,” visit My Ice Cream Diary!

Five Years Ago...

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Five years ago yesterday, was the first time my husband remembers meeting me. I actually had met him before, but he didn't remember.

The story: While going to BYU, my future husband moved into a house that was next door to the house that I just moved out of. So we lived next door to each other, but not at the same time. But I still had a lot of friends in that area. My former roommate, K, was dating my future husband's roommate.

The first time I met my future husband, I believe, was after an ultimate Frisbee game. Some of his roommates had been playing, and a bunch of us went to their house after the game to order some pizza and play some card games. One other time I remember meeting future husband, I went to his house with K to watch a movie.

But, my husband doesn't remember those times. Five years ago on St. Patrick's day, K had a St. Paddy's party at her apartment. She had all the fixings of a traditional Irish meal. There I was more formally introduced to future hubby.

Two days later, K set us up on a "blind"-ish date. Then we started dating and, well, the rest is history! :)

So, to celebrate five years since my hubby remembers meeting me (and just to celebrate St. Patrick's day), he wanted to make a traditional Irish St. Patrick's Day meal.

We had the corned beef and cabbage (with some potatoes and carrots) (the picture doesn't make it look too great, but it really was pretty good)...

and some Irish soda bread (sans raisins, since I'm not too much of a fan).

It was a pretty good. My son thought the corned beef was ham, which it really was quite a bit like ham, the cabbage was good, and the bread was yummy.

Hope you had a great St. Patrick's day!

To see what others are talking about, click the picture.

For Just One Week

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:54:00 +0000

I love the meme that My Ice Cream Diary started. Instead of making a big list of goals at the first of the year that inevitably don't get accomplished, she makes some small goals each week to do just for that one week. As a mother of a newborn, I really like this idea. I can do something for just one week.

Since I still have SO much to do around my house to get it all unpacked and put together, I want to focus my attention on specific areas each week so I feel like I actually get something done.

So, for just one week I'm going to work on this mess:

I want to spend a bit of time each day putting stuff away in our back room.

Hopefully I can get rid of the mess on this side of the room, too:

My husband has a coworker who wants some of our boxes. The rest of them I will try to give away on freecycle. Hopefully that will get done by the end of this week.

Another thing I really want to be able to do this week, is get out of the house every day. Being pent up in the house while I have been unpacking has made my 3 year old a little stir crazy. Even if we just go out in our backyard and play, or just go to the store to run errands, I want to get some fresh air every day.

We'll see how it goes!

If you want to join in or learn more about “For Just One Week,” visit My Ice Cream Diary!

We Are All Moved In

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:15:00 +0000

We got moved in, despite setbacks from the snow storm, and now we finally have our internet up and running again.

Last Monday, when we were supposed to move in to our house, the property managers office never did open, and they opened late Tuesday morning. Which meant I spent over an hour waiting outside the office for someone to show up to give us our keys, while the moving truck was waiting to unload at our house. The most frustrating part was that no one tried to contact us to let us know when they would be open, and at the office, I could see the envelope with the keys in it and our name on it from the window, but had no way of getting in.

We finally did get in to our house, though, and have been up to our ears with boxes. We are slowly getting everything put away. It has been hard finding space for everything since this house is smaller than the one we lived in before. We were so happy to have my husband's parents here all last week to help entertain kids and help us unpack.

I have always tried to have a mostly orderly house, because I know you can be happier that way. Now I really know how much that is true. Having the house so full of boxes and paper and stuff not put away yet has been frustrating and has made me more irritated by other little things. We got our living room cleared out and put together, so we have at least that room to be in without the chaos. It's nice to have the internet back, too, to give me a diversion. I've got lots of blog post to catch up on!

Oh, the Joys of Moving

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Thursday, the movers came and packed up all the stuff in our house. Although our house was covered in boxes, they left our beds, so we stayed in our house Thursday night. My husband's parents flew out from Utah to help us move, and they arrived that night.

Friday, they loaded all our stuff onto a huge truck. Those mover guys were amazing. One guy, we named The Pack Horse, would strap two or three big heavy boxes on his back and then carry something else in front of him. It made me tired just watching him. We had to stay in a hotel Friday and Saturday night. Saturday, we spent the day cleaning and packing the things that the movers wouldn't take.

Sunday, we went to church one last time to say goodbye to all our friends, loaded up our car, and headed out to take the two hour drive to our new hometown. We had quite the drive up here. It snowed the whole way. Once we got here, it just kept on snowing. I think it snowed most of the night. It has been a nice snow storm. I have never seen it snow like this in Virginia. It's like a real snow storm like in Utah or Idaho.

We stayed in a hotel last night. We woke up to at least 6 inches of snow on the ground. My husband was supposed to have his orientation meeting today at his new office, we were supposed to get our key this morning to the house we are renting, and the truck was supposed to be here this morning with all our stuff. Well, because off all the snow, my husband's office is closed, the property manager's office is not open yet, and our stuff won't be here until tomorrow. Hopefully we can get out of here later and get the key to our house, but we will have to stay in the hotel again tonight because we don't have our beds yet.

I am tired of being displaced, staying in hotels, and sick of eating out for every meal.

Hopefully, though, we can have a bit of fun in the snow today, at least build a little snowman!

Free Food

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:28:00 +0000

What Works for Me this week is free food!

Big Brother's birthday is this weekend (I can't believe he will be three years old!) and I have signed up for free food from a bunch of places. We are going to get Cold Stone ice cream, a free kid's meal from Sonic, and Moe's and a few others.

This will be especially nice this weekend because we are going to have to do more eating out than usual. The movers are coming to pack up our house on Thursday, loading the truck on Friday, and not unloading until Monday. We will have to stay in a hotel for a few days, so will need to eat out those days. Not having to pay for a couple meals will be nice!

To see a great list of restaurants and other places that give out birthday freebies, visit Freebies 4 Mom. Sign up the whole family!

To see what works for others this week, visit WFMW's new home.

Being a Mother of Two

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +0000

When I was pregnant with Baby Boy, I didn't worry too much about knowing how to take care of him. I've done it once, I can do it again. I did worry a bit about how I was going to take care of him and Big Brother at the same time.

When I got home from the hospital, I was sitting in my rocking chair rocking Baby Boy and had a feeling like I had no idea what I was doing with this little baby. Sure, I had done it before, but that was almost 3 years ago. And all the things that we figured out over time that worked for our first baby would not necessarily work for our second. It was evident right at the first that he has a different personality. He has different preferences, likes, and dislikes. We would have to figure everything out again.

The second time around has been easier in some ways. I do know what I am doing with the basics-- I can change a diaper faster, even when half asleep in the middle of the night, bathing him is easier than it was when my first was a newborn, and other such basics are easier. I think that my perspective is better the second time around-- I know things won't last forever and to take setbacks with a grain of salt. He won't always want to stay up for hours in the middle of the night, and I don't need to stress if he doesn't stick to a schedule that I think would be the best.

I also am trying to enjoy this newborn stage because I know it won't last. I try to take time to enjoy cuddling with him while he is so small and enjoy the little newborn noises and expressions he makes.

It has also been harder. Having two kids to take care of takes a bit of creativity. Things are not always ideal, but you do what you can to get things done. Nursing while feeding myself and Big Brother, or while laying by Big Brother before naps, I can do. Nursing while trying to get lunch put together doesn't work so well. :) It is hard to try to discipline Big Brother while occupied with Baby Boy. I have had to let both my boys cry more than I would like sometimes because I am occupied with the other. It is hard to hear comments from Big Brother, like, "can you just put down the baby and come play with me?" I've really tried to give him one on one attention when I can, but he just doesn't get all the attention like he used to.

I also feel like I need an extra set of hands. Trying to carry a diaper bag, baby car seat, a drink and a toy for Big Brother, a library bag, and whatever else it seems we need to get out of the house, gets a little tricky! :)

But then Big Brother gives Baby Boy kisses and says that Baby Boy likes him the best. I know they will be good buddies. They will probably get into a lot of mischief together, but they will have a lot of fun together, too.

And Baby Boy gave me the biggest, sweetest smile for the first time this morning. It makes it all worth it!

Busy, busy

noreply@blogger.com (Richelle) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:57:00 +0000

Life has been crazy around here. I've been a bit silent on my blog since it seems that the only chance I get to sit down at the computer I am holding a little baby. It's kind of hard to type with only one hand. I have been reading, though.

I definitely keep busy with our little guy. And when I am not nursing or rocking him, our not so little guy is always wanting my attention.

If that in and of itself has not been enough, we have been trying to get our house ready to sell and to move out. We are having movers come, so we don't have to pack, which is nice, but we've needed a bunch of cleaning and de-cluttering done before we have people come look at our house. We have been slowly getting things done.

Yesterday the real estate agent called to say he was going to come take pictures to get our house listed. So we had a marathon cleaning and de-cluttering session last night (stopping for a break during 24, of course), and again for a couple hours this morning. Our house looks great! We still have a few little things we want to do, but I don't think it has ever been this free of stuff! Too bad we are only going to be able to enjoy it for a few more weeks.

P.S. I would like to show you all more pictures of my cute baby. He really is cute! I just want to keep crazy internet stockers away. So if you are a regular reader and I'm pretty sure you are not a crazy internet stocker, :) I would love to invite you to view my family's private blog. Send me an email so I have your email: richelle262 [at] yahoo [dot] com