The Extraordinaries

Phone Pictures

2012-01-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

I'm terrible at uploading the pictures from my phone! Fortunately, there weren't a ton of them this time around, so it makes it a little easier for me.

These two must have be a few months old, at least! But, the little guy is just too cute to leave out.

Before Christmas, Kristoffer and I went on a date to Temple Square. They decorate the trees and have quite a few different life sized nativity scenes from all over the world there, and brrrrrr, it was freezing!!!

I can only imagine this *might* be what the Tree of Life would have looked like...minus the bone chilling temperature.

I sure do love that hubby of mine, and I'm so glad, that after all these years (!!), he still kind of likes me, too.

I love this picture, the temple shining through the sparkly tree, a beacon to all nations!

In the morning, I pull this little guy or 'Mr. Happy', out of his crib and into bed with me so I can feed him, and I caught a *super* cute grin from him one morning. This boy melts my heart like nothing else. I sent Kristoffer this picture with the caption: "I'm in bed with another man, I hope you don't mind ;)". I don't think he did.

Ok, the picture quality with this last one is about the worst I've seen, but I can't NOT post it. Kristoffer's aunt Mette and her husband Jonathan from Sweden were in town for about a week-ish, and we had a little family party together. It was so much fun! My hubby had fun teaching my how to play pool....I may have played it dumb...it's fun having your hubby teach you to play pool, right? ;) BUT, we were so glad to see family and have the kids meet more of the *other* side of the family.

And, as a side note...Owen practiced giving mommy kisses today, and it was the sweetest thing ever. A big, wet, open, slobbery, baby mouth planted firmly on my cheek...again, and again, and again....I just couldn't push him away! He is such a mama's boy, and I love the way my little boy loves me. The things I need to write so I'll never forget them!

Attachment Not Included

2012-01-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, I bought Kristoffer an i-stubble shaving kit. It's kind of like regular clippers, but the head stays in place and to adjust it, you press a button and it micro-adjusts for the perfect length of stubble. I really like Kris with a bit of facial hair, his face is just suited for it. I tell you this because the box actually came with an attachment that was not included....Marin.

She loves buttons (what 3 year old doesn't?!) and since this was relatively safe, Kris handed over the reins and away she went!

Chin up, daddy!

I remember helping to shave my dad's face. It was something I was sooo interested in as a little girl, for some reason, and my dad let me use the real deal razor, although, Kristoffer has tried to tell me otherwise. It's always the small and simple things that add up to such fun memories!

More Capacity

2012-01-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

I was incredibly touched by a Relief Society lesson we had on Sunday, and I feel I need to write it down so I don't forget what I learned. Lately, I've kind of been struggling with....just...keeping up. And feeling like I'm keeping on top of life. I've felt incredibly imbalanced, and while I'm sure some of that is due to weaning and crazy hormones, some of it is due to a concept I've been pondering about.

I know I have a loving Heavenly Father, and I know He lives and wants me to be happy, but I've had such a hard time thinking that my Heavenly Father, and my Saviour Jesus Christ, could actually know what it's like to be a wife and mom. Since, they've never actually been a wife or mom. I understand they know our feeling and thoughts, but it was so challenging for me to think that they could understand my frustrations as a wife and mother. I'm sure this sounds ridiculously silly. I know our Heavenly Father is omnipotent and all knowing. I know He sees all. I know Christ suffered for our sins, for our pain. But, at the end of the day...they are still, not women. How can this knowledge and understanding extend to things that are felt, by women, in a womanly way?

The truth is, I'm still kind of grappling with this. I know that feelings are not exclusive to women, I get that, but can a man, even our loving Father, understand a womanly circumstance in it's true form? At the very least, I have evolved to reminding myself that our Heavenly Father has a wife, our Heavenly Mother, and for some reason, this gives me so much comfort. I often forget that I have a Heavenly Mother who loves me, and who really *has* been in my shoes, and has been there and knows and understands. Perhaps this is why we can't make it to Celestial Glory without an eternal marriage? It must take a man and woman to make a perfect knowledge of understanding of all things.

So, these ponderings and maybe the winter weather and weaning and running on the metaphorical hamster wheel all kind of weighed me down. They made me wonder how I was supposed to flourish, when I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. How I was expected to give and be more, when I felt like I barely had enough to give to my husband and my kids (I know I'm not alone in this!). So, on Sunday, part of the lesson touched on this subject, and made my eyes well with tears, just knowing that I'm not the only one who struggle with being enough. And, after the teacher highlighted all of what I was struggling with, she said that the answer was to pray for...capacity. Capacity to do all that we need to do and to be able to serve more. Capacity to be open to receiving the Lord's strength and be filled with more and know that we can do more. Capacity to allow ourselves to breathe and know that our satchels will not be overloaded and we only need to pray for more room....more, capacity. This really touched me that Sunday morning. The Sunday morning we were late to church and had a dead battery in one car, and needed to shovel icy snow off of our other car just to make it to church. The Sunday I almost took a very sleepy baby boy home for a nap. I was so glad I found some strength that Sunday. And, I hope that maybe in 20ish years or so, my daughter can read this and be strengthened as well.

Finger Painting!

2012-01-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday was, at least weather-wise, kind of a bust. It rained *all* day, and then turned into slushy, icy snow...plus, Kristoffer needed to study for a few hours. So, essentially, it was just another day for me!

I struggled with what to do to keep children stimulated, happy and myself...sane. Saturday is a day to share joint responsibility with the hubs, so when he's studying, I seem to lack motivation to do it alone. BUT, I remembered we had some finger paints hiding on a shelf, so I bolstered my courage and pulled the box out. It actually wasn't as messy as I was thinking it was going to be, yay! The box included a plastic smock, so I was one happy mama! Marin needed some coaching, we don't really finger paint much, and she likes to keep herself clean, but she got into it and had a great time.

Marin really had fun mixing the colors on her paper to see what NEW color she could make. It was a pretty fun teaching tool. She finally mixed them all up, hoping I'm sure, to make a new magnificent color, but ended up with...yup, brown!

And, yes...I actually helped Owen finger paint as well, and it was super cute. Obviously I don't have pictures of it, but this is his painting. I spooned some paint onto his fingers, and he just giggled! It was so cute to watch his tactile/sensory motors working as he squished the paint in his fist. I initially tried to do a handprint with his hand, but it was impossible to open his tight little fist, so we just went with it!

Look at that cute girl!

Boy, two sideways pictures in one post! Strikeout for mom!

Marin has been astounding me with her progress on her ABC's. She will ask me during the day what letter a certain word starts with. So I will sound it out for her and help her figure it out. She's comprehending so much! Today we spelled letters on her magna doodle, and she is recognizing almost all letters and their sounds. She likes to play with (Owen's) foam letters in the bathtub and is always asking and confirming which letter's she's holding. Such a smart girl!

Owen is a cruising maniac! He has been getting braver with taking steps on his own, and yesterday, went from coffee table to couch on his feet! It was only one big step all by himself, but since he's been kind of a wimp when it comes to walking, it was a big step for him. The little boy weighs a solid 22 pounds as of 2 days ago and continues to eat, eat, eat. He enjoys feeding himself, and is moving on to mama's homemade baby 'casserole's'. He has been pushing through two teeth on the top on either side of his front teeth, but they haven't quite popped out yet. Owen's poor little gums are actually bruised right where his teeth are coming in, poor buddy. I had no idea gums actually bruised, I've never seen that before!

My little boy's first birthday is coming up, I can't believe it!! I have a few ideas for cake and decorations, but I'm most excited that my daddy is coming out!! He's going to be here for 5 days to help us celebrate Owen's first birthday. Marin is very excited about this, she loves hanging out with grandpa and I know grandpa is just as excited, too.

Big Sis, Little Bro

2012-01-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

These two...sometimes they are so funny together. Owen mostly tolerates it at this stage in the game, but he sure does think his big sister is something special. She does like to clobber him from time to time, so mommy has to referee, but mostly, they're just good friends....as long as Owen isn't getting into 'her' stuff.

Here's a 'clobber' moment.

She really does love her little bro. She loves to give him kisses and snuggle with him, it's so cute and it makes my heart melt.

Crazy kids.

Awwww, look at those faces. Sorry it's such terrible quality!

I do love my babies so much. It is really hard to be a mom. No one ever really tells you this before you have kids! There are day's when I think it's just too much and I feel like a terrible mother and I just can't WAIT to toss my children into bed. And there are day's when I see beyond the physical and emotional strains and recognize the sweet, loving spirit's that they are. Being a mom is all about the long haul, the marathon, the million mile emotional run. I chose to become a mother, so I *must* choose to make it work, and to make it a choice *everyday*. Every day, is a new day!

Family Saturday

2012-01-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

So what's a family to do when you need to get out of the house? Head to the LDS visitors center! It really was a great thing to do together as a family. We were able to show Marin some really BIG pictures of Christ and tell her the story behind them. Plus, it was FREE! I can't tell you how happy I was that we were able to take the kids.

The room had a succession of pictures, starting with Christ's birth and ending with his ascension to heaven.

Learning about baptism!

Happy boy!

Daddy and Owen

I love this picture, Owen reaching for Christ. This part of the visitors center is so beautiful, and has a large white statue of Christ. Painted all around the walls and ceiling are a gorgeous rendition of the cosmos and is completely awe inspiring. It really makes you think beyond this world.

Part of the ceiling, so so so beautiful.

Family picture 1 of 2. Kristoffer has his eyes closed in this one....

And Owen has his head turned in this one.

Our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

Taking a little walk with daddy.

A kiss.

We had to stop by the fountain on the way out, Marin was clamoring to see some water, funny girl.

After the visitors center, we rushed home and then went to drop the kids off at my friends house so Kristoffer and I could drive *back to the temple to do a session. It had been a while since we have done a session together, and it was so nice to be inside the quiet walls and reverent peace of the temple. Truly, a suave to an achy soul.

Sunday after church we drove to Wyoming to visit grand-dad and Sallie. It was fantastic to breath in such clean, crisp Wyoming air. We had a super yummy Sunday dinner together and just spent time chatting and hanging out. It was so nice to just be an hour and a half away from home!

2012-01-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have TOTALLY been into all things Valentine's Day lately (thanks to Pinterest!), and so Marin and I made some cookies and put pink frosting on them tonight. She always loves to help in the kitchen, so here we are making the frosting!

Helping mama frost the cookies. She is so cute, I love watching how focused she was.

She did such a great job!

Daddy took Marin sledding on Saturday while Owen took his nap. She got to try out her new green sled that Santa brought for her.

We went a little overboard with the snow gear for only about 2 inches of snow, but she stayed warm!

Little Owen...sigh...my little boy is just about the cutest thing. When it's bathtime and he hears the water running, he's OFF for the tub! And this is the face I see when he comes around the corner, laughing and squealing.

Awwww, my little cheekers! He has the cutest little cheekers to goose, such a cute boy!

This weekend went FAR too fast, as they always do. And...I survived my root canal! It was an unpleasant experience, it's just the nature of the beast, but I was numb, numb, numb for all of it. And my dentist this time around was just as nice as the last, very conscientious of asking me if I was in pain. It was tough having my mouth cranked open for 90 minutes, and my dead tooth was my very *last* molar, so it was aaaallllll the way in the back and I had an entire fist in my mouth just about the entire time (are you loving the visual?). I have two more visits to do a fitting for the crown and then for the crown placement, but the worst is over, thankfully! And thanks for all of your prayers and happy thoughts!

Cool Foodie Mama: Sausage, Snow Pea and Tomato with Shells

2012-01-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

Cool Foodie Mama: Sausage, Snow Pea and Tomato with Shells: We had this dish today for Sunday lunch and it was fantastic! With a new year, we have refocused our strategies for healthy food and are tr...

The Tooth-monger

2012-01-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, I have an appointment for my first root canal. And I'm silently a little terrified! I'm trying so diligently to keep my wits about me, and put on the brave this-is-nothing face, but there is something so menacing about the thought of having a root.....canal. It does NOT sound like anything pleasant, or even ho-hum. It sounds really vicious! The little girl in me is cringing as I think about dental pain. That searing, up the side of your face pain....oooh, it makes me shiver to recall and imagine. I feel a bit like a lamb being led to the slaughterhouse.

The need for my root canal is due, in part to the Tooth-monger. You may be more familiar with his wonderful, happy cousin, the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth-monger is a terrible creature that seeks out the weak and sick among our teeth and sucks the remaining life out of them, leaving a cold, empty shell of sad enamel. He evidently made a very silent visit to one of my very back molars at some point over the past year or so. Let me tell you my sad little tooth story:

Last week, the day after Christmas, I had some mild pain on my upper right jaw. I knew it was a tooth, but I didn't know which one...it kind of radiated, so it was hard to pinpoint. Throughout the day, the pain became pretty intense and I bought some Orajel and Motrin to start self-medicating (we nurses, we're all alike). I was silently hoping and praying everything would go away...Kristoffer's internship, while a great opportunity, yields no benefits. No such luck the next day, so I looked up any discount dental programs I could find. I chose a dental school with attached discounted dental services office in Orem. I went in the next day and the dentist broke me the bad news. After gently tapping my teeth and looking at the X-rays, he told me that I had a dead tooth. What?! I was a little bemused and slightly embarrassed! I felt like such an irresponsible tooth owner!! A sick tooth, a filling, a cleaning...it's all normal right? But, a dead tooth?! I'll admit, I did feel a little ashamed. So he went on to explain that I had a fairly large filling in that tooth (it must have been quite some time ago, the last filling I had was when I was in high school), and that my tooth had not fully recovered from having such a large filling. I had no idea that teeth...recovered, who knew? He said it looked as though it had been brewing for a year and half or two, but the only option to save the tooth was to do a root canal.

There it was. The lump in my throat and worried crease in my brow were, I'm sure, very noticeable. My throat was lumping and brow was furrowing for the added expense and of course the trepidation of the procedure. Curse that Tooth-monger!! My one solace was that the entire office staff was superbly nice and my dentist was SUPER nice...if he thought less of me for having a dead tooth, he certainly didn't let it show.

So the hubs and I chatted that evening as we came to grips with our forced ownership of a brand new bundle of dental bills. And, as we chatted, he shed a little more light on my dead-tooth conundrum. He works with a fellow, and he and his wife have six children. This fellow told my husband that his wife has had to have a root canal after just about every baby. !!! Imagine! Obviously, in their journey, they must have questioned their dentist about this root-canal mystery of their own...and what information did they glean? Pregnancy and breastfeeding. This fellow told my husband that pregnancy and subsequent breastfeeding absolutely SUCK the calcium from your wife's body, and that my teeth...are first on the menu. So he told Kristoffer to make sure I was taking an extra calcium supplement to hopefully prevent this in the future.

It all made sense now. Everything was coming into focus. I kid you not when I tell you that my fillings are all from high school, at the latest. And since that was 10 years ago (!), and I've had no issues until now, and my tooth has only died recently, it must have been due in part to my pregnancies, and my current total of 22 months of nursing....and that horrible Tooth-monger. I should have known about that calcium thing!! So, to all you women out there having and nursing babies, take your prenatals AND an extra calcium supplement!!

If I've learned anything from this experience so far, it's THAT. So send me some happy thoughts for tomorrow. I'll be sitting in that dentist chair at 9am, clutching my i-Pod and shivering (the dentist's office is always cold) and trying to ward off my stealthy imagination from conjuring up images of axe wielding psychotic zombie-dentists. If I'm lucky, he'll find that wretched Tooth-monger and clean his clock.

One Last Project

2011-12-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start the New Year off right...with a little more organization, so I ventured in to accomplish one more project before the year ends. Check out my new dry erase calendar!

Don't let me fool you, this project seriously stressed me out. I wanted the right type of frame and size and adequate sized boxes with extra room for more stuff. And then I had limited resources and so I was working with what I had and it wasn't working and I hate measuring...ack!

Let me first tell you that I didn't buy *anything* for this project. Nothing! Are you impressed?! I know...me too! I had a frame that had a little poster in it, but I hadn't hung yet, so I decided to pull the poster (it wasn't the right size anyway) and set it aside. I then mapped out the calendar portion in pencil, then outlined in marker. I cut the papers and bordered them in black and taped them together and onto the white backing. Then I just put it all together! I just realized how easy that should have been...oh my, my poor husband...he had to listen to me gripe.

BUT, I am WAY satisfied with how it turned out. Glass makes the perfect dry-erase surface! I have been less and less able to use my little purse planner, and I've been needing a big open dry-erase one like this for a little while. I'm ready to conquer having two children, and organization (and maybe weaning in 6 weeks) is the key, I'm SURE of it!

Aaaand, what's the first event that is going on my new calendar? My root canal. :( *Super* frowny face! Comin' to a theater near me on Friday....more on this later.

A Lovely Little Christmas

2011-12-26T22:47:00.001-07:00

We had ourselves a lovely little Christmas, and we hope you all did too! Friday the 23rd, we had a little family party with Kristoffer's Bestemor (Oldemor for Marin and Owen) with family and a walk through Temple Square to see the lights. I hadn't been clued in on the walk, so I had on some flats, and boy were my feet COLD! I felt like I was walking barefoot on 20 degree concrete, brrrr!

Kristoffer also gave me one of my Christmas gifts....a new haircut!! I was *beyond* sorely in need of one and I dove right in headfirst and came out with a foxy little bob, check it out!

I feel amazing with my new 'do', and Kristoffer, well....he likes it too!

Christmas Eve was a perfect evening of family and fun. We headed to Kristoffer's mother's house for a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner, and it was divine. Tasty hor's d'ouvres of cheese, asparagus wrapped in pancetta, a delicious meal of clam chowder, tender salmon, potatoes, carrots, pickled cucumbers, and desserts I don't remember the name of. I...was....stuffed. Then we had a white elephant gift drawing/exchange. We loved every minute of being with our family that night, it was wonderful. I wish I had pictures, but we were having too much fun!

And Santa DID manage to find our house, wohoo!

Aww, my little guy...and his tiny stocking for this year. Next year he graduates to a big boy stocking! He and Marin received amazingly cute stockings this year as a gift from Aunt Siri, and they will be employed for a loooong time from here on out, but next year will be their big debut.

Hey boy! (That's a classic Kristoffer to Owen greeting).

This was just the beginning of "Nooooo, Owen.....that's MINE!". Sigh, mama had to put toys in time out ON Christmas day. C'mon kids, why ya gotta be that way, huh?

A little learning walker for Owen.

And what did we have for breakfast? French Toast Strata, mmmmmm. An original recipe by your's truly, it was delicious and I'll be posting the recipe on my food blog very soon, oh yeah. The perfect thing about this breakfast, is that I prepped it the night before and kept it in the fridge, then I popped it in the oven Christmas morning and it baked while we opened presents. That's how you start the day right!

I had planned on just roasting a chicken for Christmas dinner, but would you believe...I couldn't find a single ONE! I found turkey and ham and cornish game hen and duck....so I thought, what the heck, DUCK it is! So we had duck l'orange and it was super yummy. It's just like roasting a chicken, truly, don't be scared of the duck. We ate the duck with apple stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, broccoli casserole, rolls and Mormon fluff. And for dessert....Tollhouse Pie. Oh...YEAH. It's your chocolate fix WITH a super yummy pie crust. DIVINE. This will also be making an appearance on the food blog.

I have no idea how Kristoffer managed to pull off this little stunt, but he did, and I'm still in shock. My new Cuisinart cookware set! It's shiny and smooth and just so lovely. This cookware was a Merry-Christmas-thanks-for-sticking-with-me-this-past-year gift. He did tell me that he got a great deal on it, that's my husband...I think I'm finally rubbing off on him!

My old set of T-fal cookware. I had a friend that I used to work with at the hospital in Cortland, NY give it to me shortly after Kristoffer and I were married, and it has lasted me all these years! And, you are going to think I'm silly...my little heart sunk when I knew I couldn't keep my T-fal. Those pots and pans have been my faithful culinary buddies for YEARS! BUT, I have taken great solace...they have gone to live with my friend Amy, so I know they will be in good hands.

I'm sad to see Christmas go. It's always hard to relinquish the warm, cozy anticipation of the still, reverent reflection of Christmas Eve, and the joyous, bright celebration of Christmas Day. I love that the world unites in peace and love for a whole month of preparation to celebrate the birth our Saviour. I love that I can hear even the most agnostic of non-believers listen to Christmas music...it's almost like a small victory. I'm so grateful for my loving Saviour. I am so grateful for His loving mercy and sacrifice. I'm amazingly grateful that through the sealing powers of the temple, I can be together forever with my husband and children. If there is any season I would wish that everyone could have an eternal family, it's the Christmas season. Everyone can have an eternal family, and can carry their marraige vows beyond the grave. To find out more about being a Forever Family, please click HERE.

Marin's Treat Shoppe

2011-12-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

So, we happened to have a rather large cardboard box from an Amazon delivery, and I wanted to use it for...something. I wasn't quite sure, and then I remembered what my daughter loves...cooking! I took a knife and started slicing at the box to make the 'window'. Marin kept asking "What are you doing, mommy?". As SOON as I finished the window, she clasped her hands and gasped and said "Mommy! I can make food and have a store!". I hadn't said a WORD to her about what I was planning, but she knew what she wanted.

And with a large permanent marker and some creative touches, Marin's Treat Shoppe was open for business!

We've played in her Treat Shoppe everyday...switching roles. Sometimes she makes the food and I order at the window, sometimes I make the food and she orders.

Marin's Treat Shoppe comes with a state of the art oven, and cookies baking inside, oh yeah..... (And a rug on the floor, of course!)

....a shelf for her goods, a counter, cupboards, window, pictures on the wall...

....another shelf and a fridge (I didn't have room for a sink, haha!).

Tonight, mommy was the Italian/Russian chef selling stromboli, shish-kebabs and spaghetti and meatballs. She sang in a crazy voice while she made the food and charged ludicrous prices for her entrees.

Here's your food mama!

Owen always wants 'in' on the fun, sweet boy.

We should have saved the box for a very special morning coming up here in a few days...had we known how much she was going to love that box! It's ok though, we've had so much fun playing with it in the meantime.

Lesson's I've Learned

2011-12-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking today of all of the things I've learned, especially since I've been married. And, since it *is* the season of reflection, I thought I would share just a few of my top picks...perhaps in hopes that someday my children will read this and be all the wiser...?

And, lest you think I'm posting all of these because I've mastered them in their entirety, I do hope you'll notice that this post is titled "Lesson's I've Learned", not "Things I No Longer Need To Work At". I may be amazing (oh stop....!), but I am undoubtedly human. So....here we go, a few of my top picks for the season of reflection!

1) It's better to be a first rate version of yourself, than a second rate version of somebody else.

*I LOVE this one. It has been my mantra for *so* long, and it has truly helped me to become more confident. I would tell this to my Young Women in church ALL THE TIME...and why? Because they (especially!) are pelted each and every day with the idea that being themselves is just not enough. It *IS* enough to be yourself, it really and truly IS! The good, gracious Lord Almighty created you, in all of your two legged wonderful-ness to be YOU, not Suzy McTall or Andrea VonPerfectHair! You are YOU, and you are *amazing*. This isn't to say that we can't develop our talents and explore our interests, we should! They are all a part of what makes us unique and perfectly *us*. I still repeat this little mantra to myself, because even after 27 years, would you believe I still have self esteem issues from time to time? It's a work in progress!

2) Listen to the Spirit.

*This should be a no-brainer, right? Hmmmm, riiiiight. We've been described in the Bible and Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ) numerous times as sheep. I always thought this was kind of cute...until I remembered that sheep are hopelessly stupid. That's right. I guess I can't be too offended, because I look at how we must look to our Heavenly Father. He must be thinking; "Geez, come on here people, get it together! I give you the Bible, AND the Book of Mormon AND the Spirit and you STILL make mistakes?!". We as paltry little people-lambs can make really dumb choices (myself included). The Spirit is totally on our side, He really wants to help us out down here! Everyone hears the Spirit differently. I typically have a fleeting thought, which can easily be passed off as a wandering mind, so I need to be careful and stop myself to think a little more about that Spirit-thought. I can remember one instance in particular when I did not listen and things just fell....apart. I know I have lots of examples, but I'm learning my lesson.

3) Cut Your Losses

*I remember when my husband (then fiancee) said those words to me, it all became so clear! I had been struggling with someone in my ward who just...didn't like me, and she made that *very* clear. I was very hurt and even though I had struggled with an unkind friend years before, I just didn't understand why she didn't like me! I'm really a very amenable person! It didn't matter. My loving fiancee hugged me and said "You've done everything you can do, so now you just have to cut your losses and move on. There's nothing else you can do.". I was amazed! Cut my losses?! Move ON?! That meant I would have to be 'ok' with knowing there was someone in the world who didn't like me! I mulled that thought for a few seconds, and I began to feel incredibly...liberated! Wow, did that feel SO good! He was absolutely right, I have no control over whether or not someone chooses to like me, and I had to be ok with that. So I've learned; Be Kind, Be Christlike, but cut your losses and MOVE ON.

4) Sometimes, you just have to let go.

*If you haven't learned this about me already, I like to fix things and see it through. I like to make a difference-this is why I chose to become a nurse...it's the perfect outlet for my personality. But, having that trait can be a challenge, especially when life throws you so many curve balls, you just can't see to make it to first base...not to mention it really hurts! My husband and I actually gleaned this lesson from our daughter's sweet little Pixar movie: Finding Nemo. We realized, in the midst of our frustrations and tears and torturous journey with heavy laden shoulders, that there was nothing we could do. We HAD to let go...we had to let it all go, and just roll with the punches. There was no other option. And let me tell you, it is HARD. It didn't solve our problems, but what it did give us was the realization that we just can't fix everything and we have to let life run it's course, and let the Lord guide us through it. It's not a solution to your problems, it's a better way to deal with them.

5) People don't always want your advice.

*Haha, I'm laughing! Only because this is superbly, 100% meant for me. I've always considered myself fairly level headed, and while I certainly make mistakes, and paaa-lenty of 'em, I have a hard time not pitching in my two, very eager cents sometimes. It just goes along with the whole nurse thing, I think. I just really want to help people-really and truly-I love to help people! I frequently bite my tongue when I hear an opinion or a decision I don't agree with, because I know I can damage a lot of friendships if I let-fly. We all have different opinions, and that's how we're made. Even though I may think someone may be making a bad choice, it's not my job to call them out. So I zip the lips and change the subject. I'd rather be a good friend than a bad experience!

I'm so glad we are on this earth to learn and grow, it certainly isn't a pleasant experience all the time, but someday I'll be the old smarty pants with white hair....and maybe then I can throw unsolicited advice at people! ;)

Tab Update

2011-12-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've finished updating my *Childbirth* tab at the top of the page. It has a TON of great information about having a healthy pregnancy and delivery with some other great tidbits thrown in for good measure. Whether you choose to deliver with or without medication, there is some excellent stuff that every pregnant mama should read. You can find my two book references there as well. Happy reading!

Holiday EVERYTHING...

2011-12-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

My blogging has been leaving a little to be desired lately *gulp*. I truly think it's the holiday season...it's just the nature of the beast, my friends! I have been taking some pictures here and there, and now they've all accumulated to a giant blog-post-conglomerate!

This is Marin, and she sits on the couch...JUST like her daddy. It made me laugh to see her sitting like this, she is such a daddy's girl.

I've been wanting to make cookies with my little Marin and I seem to struggle having a little Owen crawling all over the place and needing attention. It's a very punctuated process! But, we triumphed!

Sweet girl :)

She loves to use my little red rolling pin, and she refers to it as though it belongs to her.

Sugar cookies with white frosting and blue sugar sprinklies.

Owen was a spectator for this one.

I love this pic, Marin with her giant cookie and Owen with his silly grin.

Oh, my boy, he is such a sweet guy. He just touches my heart with tenderness.

Sometimes I wonder if he thinks his name is "Buddy", we call him that quite a bit, so I've made an effort to stop using that nickname so much.

Hey, there's my cookies! I bundled them into little party bags (LOVE them) and Marin and I delivered them to our neighbors on Saturday. Ahhh, I love the holidays for this reason!

There's my little helper. It's hard to get things done when you have to monitor/entertain a little one.

But who can get mad at this face, huh?!

At our ward Christmas breakfast on Saturday, daddy and a *very* sleepy Owen.

The line to see Santa!!

The gym was FILLED, there were so many people there! I signed up to bring a breakfast casserole, and I hesitated over what I knew people would be familiar with (a sausage egg casserole) and something different (a hash brown casserole). I ended up making the sausage egg....and so did *everyone* else!! Haha, next time I know....make the one that's different!

Marin and her friend from nursery, Sammy. The saw each other in the Santa line and jumped and held hands, it was the cutest thing ever.

Those little girls.

Playing toss-the-jacket.

Sitting with Santa! Sammy was a little less sure.

Marin did....ok. She was excited, but a little hesitant, but she pulled through, good job Marin!

Owen was less than thrilled. He took one look at Santa, put his head down and came up crying for mama. Haha, it's ok, next year maybe?

And Saturday still...Grandad and Sallie took us out for a late lunch to Red Robin and Marin had fun playing Angry Birds on Sallie's phone.

And MORE Saturday (it was a busy day!), Our children went with Grandad and Sallie, and my husband and I went to a Christmas concert at the Conference Center.

This performance featured Jane Seymour and world famous baritone, Nathan Gunn. It was a fantastic show. It's funny that the one thing that really stood out to me was the organ solo...WOW! They showed the organist playing his solo, and all I can say.... is that playing the organ is a finger slappin', toe tappin' choreography of sheer talent!! There was so much going on with each of his hands and both of his feet on the pedals, amazing!

Marin in her pretty Christmas dress, she is such a pretty girl.

Oh, that girl!

And she's off to her next adventure.

Twirling!

And....Owen's first haircut! He's been sporting a bit of a baby-mullet now that his hair is growing in, so I bit the mommy bullet and took the clippers to my son's hair. This is the before.

Aaand the after. I'm not experienced using clippers...I cut Kris's hair, but I use scissors, so it was a new adventure for me today!

I think I did pretty well, all things considered! Owen was obviously distracted with the buzzing sound, so it was tough to work with, and you can see I had a slip up on (his) left side there. But, I can't believe how much like a little boy he is looking!

I truly think I aged about five years today though. Seeing as today was Marin's last day in nursery and then she will be my little Sunbeam! And giving my son a haircut...it all made me feel like I had aged! Plus, I've been rearranging Owen's feeding schedule slightly to prepare for the one-year-weaning in 8 weeks. I cannot even imagine that my sweet boy will be a year old in (less than) 8 weeks!! It's going to be another emotional roller-coaster when the time comes and I'm already feeling it. Kristoffer does the bedtime feeding now and I pump. It will be nice to be done, but I'm really a weepy basketcase of emotions for a good week. The Lyman kids are growing up!!

The Business of Being a Mom

2011-12-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

I work. Every...single...day. Where?

Lyman Domestic Relations and Management

This past week I've coined the perfect title for my job. The job that I do inside the 4 walls of my home every single day. The job of creating and shaping functional, capable, healthy, strong, independent, and caring human beings. The job that even the most literate and well read smarty-pants brush off because I don't have a degree from a college to do what I do each day. While I may not have a degree that enables me to prove to the world that I worked really hard for a few years of my life in college while still getting a full nights sleep most nights.....I DO have two beautiful, healthy, (relatively) well behaved and caring children. This has taken far more dedication and work than anything in nursing school ever required of me. Nursing school compared to raising children is CAKE...you heard me...cake....the fluffiest most pansy-like cake out there!

In nursing school I memorized and studied and learned and stressed and cried and over-ate (meh) and slept in on weekends and went out on dates and laughed and pinched pennies. All of those things we revel in when we're in college.

In motherhood, I give and explain and teach and remind and rephrase and listen and listen and give and expain and teach and cook and and teach some more and listen and clean and listen and remind and feed and cook and cry and cry and cry and don't sleep in on weekend and pinch pennies even harder and give and give and give and give and just keep on givin'!

It may not sound like a big difference. What's the big deal, huh? In college a failed test is well, sucky, but in the end, it's just that...a failed test. You move on and learn from it. In motherhood, your failed test may go something like this: your child has done something naughty, you lose it and yell at them. FAIL! Beyond fail, because what you don't realize is that this is more than just a point in time, it's a moment they will remember forever and it will begin to shape the person they become. Haha, responsibility much?!

And, you know, I've worked full time. I've had tough days. I've had terrible days, and in the end, I clock out, pick up my paycheck and go home. A bad day as a nurse is cured with a day off. Now that I have the opportunity to be home with my children, I realize that clocking out just isn't an option. I'm always on call. I can't ever clock out and I don't pick up a paycheck for my long hard hours of work. BUT, what I do get is something that a regular job just doesn't offer. I get the amazing feeling knowing I have created life with the man of my dreams, that I have carried two healthy babies to term and delivered them with my amazing body. That I can choose to be the BEST mom I can be and give my kids the best. I get to have wet smoochy kisses and "I love you mama!"'s and silly laughs and pride in watching my kids reach milestones. I get the overwhelming and exciting feeling of knowing that I have the power to shape my children into the people they will become.

I get...from time to time...complete and utter satisfaction. I have forever relinquished the person I used to be, the body I used to have and the things I used to enjoy. I've given it all up for the love of something greater than me. Is it a labor of love? No doubt about it. I've never laughed so much or cried so hard as I have over the welfare of my children....and I wouldn't change it for the world.

My business is my life, and I am proud to be a part of the most influential organization in the world....the FAMILY.

I am proud to work at Lyman Domestic Relations and Management.

The Gingerbread House

2011-12-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have some really awesome memories of making gingerbread houses with my family growing up. We really had such a great time. Bless my dear mother for all of her time and effort she put into the prep work, phew! I even remember having TWO houses to decorate! It was so much fun and picking away at the houses over the ensuing weeks before Christmas was true reward. So, in my motherly dedication, I decided we would decorate a *real* gingerbread house this year.

I was sick on Sunday, but I went ahead and baked the pieces for the house that night anyway. I'm no architect, haha, truuuust me. I'm all about eye-balling it, but I figured so much of the house would be covered with frosting and candy anyway, it wouldn't really matter.

Then Monday evening (I was hoping to do this earlier in the day, but mama's with small kids, you KNOW how that goes), I made the royal icing and set the house together before dinner to give it a chance to harden. Ok, and royal icing....is the bomb *diggety*! Where has THIS stuff been my whole life?! Absolutely delicious and reminiscent of perfect loveliness. I've a mind to make me some meringue cookies now, mmmmMMM! And, truthfully, it couldn't be easier to make. 3 medium egg whites, slowly incorporate some powdered sugar, then add more and whisk on high until you get stiff peaks. Done.

Here's the house pre-candy onslaught.

The little lovelies I picked up at Winco in their candy bins.

Here we go....

Yeah, so I forgot to take into account the spacing increments when I cut the roof pieces out, the were too small. BUT, the frosting was SO thick, that even though the pieces just rested inside, the frosting held them perfectly.

Totally non-traditional what with purple gummy butterflies and all! I wasn't about to get into doing fancy work and have Marin do her thing...that would be setting myself up for frustration right there.

Oh, and I had a little gingerbread left over after the pieces were cut, so I shaped Marin a little Christmas Kitty by hand. Kris thought I used a cookie cutter, it came out so nice!

Yeah, creepy I know. I didn't have the time or patience for piping any cute faces, so kitty got this face instead.

Finished!

From all sides...

Marin had so much fun and it's nice to have a real deal gingerbread house. I would really like to do one every year as a little family tradition. Come on, you know you want to make on too.... ;)

Backlogged!

2011-12-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Phew, I have been in a SUPER blogging *slump* lately! But, here I am and I have pictures-a-plenty of our pretty awesome kidlets, and a few of our activities, watch out, it's true deluge!

Oh, sweet little Owen, my oh my has he moved on to the next phase of infancy. As you will see soon...

Little bud, he's been loving feeding himself and has tons of fun.

Marin made her own little candy necklace courtesy of grandma Sallie. Her neck was all orange by the end of the day!

I know it's fuzzy, but Owen and daddy, how cute huh?!

Decorating the Christmas tree!! The tree was pre-lit, and I did the ribbon, but Marin did pretty much the rest!

Ha, that face, it get's me every time.

Marin's star from last year!

The finished product! You may notice where most of the ornaments are located....yep, there they are, hanging on the bottom rack...haha, I love my girl.

Must....get....flashy-squishy-ball!

Lunch time!

Hey cute girl. She loads her play-food into her backpack and carries her 'picnic' with her all over the house.

Marin helped mama make French toast Saturday morning for breakfast. Let me just say it was *perfect*. I found some Texas toast cut bread and used that and it was the best French toast I think I've ever had.

Owen had some too...he kept shoving it into a VERY full mouth, silly boy.

Mmmm, oh yeah.

So Kristoffer kept joking that all Owen needed for Christmas was a box. I brushed him off and rolled my eyes...and then I saw my son with the diaper box. That kid has played with this diaper box more than any other toy these last three days.

And Owen has earned himself a new nickname....Mr. Mischevious. These last few weeks he has been absolutely impossible to keep up with. I seriously don't remember Marin being this tenacious. I'm serious...this boy is...is....it's like holding onto an alligator! When he's after something, he will let nothing stand in his way. And he is STRONG! Wowza does this boy have muscle, he's already winning at tug-of-war with his big sis. Aaaand here he is getting into my kitchen drawers.

I have another post with picture of our gingerbread house, but that will wait until tomorrow. I'm determined to get to bed a little earlier...I literally worked myself into a sick day on Sunday and it was not pretty. But, the pictures of our gingerbread masterpiece are worth the wait!

Exercise: A Young Mother's Memoir

2011-11-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

I like to think of myself as a fairly dedicated person. While I may not be successful right away, I work hard to see something through. And, I also like to think my dedication extends to the buzzing realms of exercise.

It's true, I've always been active and I really enjoy playing and doing 'sporty' stuff. In high school, I played tennis and I loved it. I got to be on my feet, dodging back and forth on the green courts and swinging really hard at some sprightly yellow balls...not to mention the happy white tennis skirts! I also played volleyball and loved it every bit as much. While the court may not have been green, I was able to use raw force with those volleyballs and serve them up like they was fast flyin' hotcakes! The knee pads were not *quite* as sightly as the tennis skirts, but hey, who doesn't love feeling like a pro when you dive around on the floor after a rogue ball?! I LOVED playing sports. I loved being active with friends and focusing my mind on fast moving, flying balls....it kept my attention, mostly.

After graduation, I mourned the loss of my weekly matches/games and wondered how a girl stays 'sporty' without playing sports anymore....hmmmm. So, I took up running. It seemed like all the cool girls ran, and I wanted to be cool too, so I ran. It was...well...alright, I guess. I really didn't look forward to staring into space for 45 minutes while my feet pounded out a monotonous 2-3 miles. And I didn't even have any fast moving, flying balls to chase after! I was bored when I ran. The scenery was lovely of course, but when you're not a born runner, the trees and ferns instantly appear to be gasping for breath and wheezing....as though to be mocking me in my voluntary state of cardio agony.

College came and my friend Amy introduced me to her company gym and we worked out together on her lunch break. I still tried to run, and this time, I was introduced to the fabulous, new fangled world of the treadmill runners. It seemed awfully cool, so I hopped on and ran. Luckily, this time around there was no pesky scenery to get in my way...no gasping trees and ferns to mock me, no fresh air, no sunshine, no nonsense! I was focused! Focused like the freakishly serious work-out-a-holics in the girly magazines. My focus quickly turned to boredom. So, now I was bored on the treadmill....and I even kind of missed my tree and fern friends....and sometimes, I even remembered those fast, flying tennis balls.

After one husband and two children, my need for physical activity increased, while my body's responsiveness to it has....decreased. What a maddening irony of life..."Congratulations on your amazing husband and two beautiful children and countless hours of unpaid servitude...here's your dumpy new body, complete with stretch marks, a mushy belly and flabby arms. You're welcome, MWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!". Yep, that's about how it feels.

So, I go the gym and for lack of any other creative exercise idea and for the LOVE of all things familiar, I silently roll my eyes and step on my old friend, the treadmill. I am just about the slowest runner alive. Truly, I don't even think I can consider it 'jogging'. I pace myself at a 5.5, whatever that means and thump thump thump away. I miss my tennis balls and I haven't even reached a quarter mile! I see myself in the mirrors across the gym and through the fit and flabby bodies in between. There I am. My bouncing head and swaying ponytail. The lighting is not my friend today. The sway of my hair casts shadows on my shoulders and I look like I'm shrugging in agony. The guy two machines over from me is so cool. He's running really fast and he was running before I even got onto my machine...."Don't look at his display board, Samantha! You'll only get depressed!". Too late. 5 miles....the showoff. I may be able to feel a little better about my running if I didn't keep looking into the mirror. Half a mile...red face is here. There is no hiding it. I've always been a red-faced-runner. I look like I've been running in a sauna and it isn't pretty. No man would dare come near me now for fear I may be about to explode into a billion tears of shame. But, I've really come to grips with my exercise-face. When you've had two kids, I guess you just don't care as much what people think...especially about your face.

But, I keep running. Not because I want to run a marathon someday, and certainly not because I love it. I keep running because it just *has* to be done. I run because my fear of giving up and being weak outweighs my love of chasing after tennis balls and my dislike of that cursed treadmill. I know I'll never look like how I used to look, but I MUST try. I MUST never give up, even when, after all of my efforts, I gain weight. I will not yield! I will always keep trying and hope that in three months, when my body is truly my own again, I can whip it into submission. I may not ever be able to go back to exercising my little heart out on delightfully green tennis courts or squeaky volleyball courts, but I dream of running after those sprightly yellow tennis balls and diving for those leather-y volleyballs as I thump thump thump my mundane miles. And sometimes, I even dream of those pesky trees and ferns mocking me.

Disney on Ice

2011-11-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Marin and I had a mommy-daughter date...to go see Disney on Ice!!! I bought the tickets a few months ago and was able to get pretty good seats too...since then, I've had a little flyer for it on the fridge and Marin has been asking almost everyday if it's "On yet?".

She brought her little " 'Punzel" doll and was practically *skipping* as we walked to the arena, it was about the cutest thing I've ever seen...and then I heard her giggle with excitement, ah, what a funny girl!

Sorry the pictures are so grainy, I forgot the camera and all I had was my phone.

Marin was just about *enraptured*...it was so sweet.

They did a really nice job with the program. They chose the classic Disney movies and did a VERY short synopsis with one or two songs, really well done.

There were some of the Disney movies she hadn't seen, so I had to help her out a little.

Marin and mama.

Crazy faces!!!

Silly Marin.

Lion King.

At the very end, they brought out ALL of the Disney princesses and their princes for a grand finale.

We had a perfect date and I hope I can always find time to take my little girl out mono-et-mono, so she always knows mama has time for *just* her.

Happy 9 Months!

2011-11-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my sweet little boy is 9 months old today!! Such bittersweet feelings for a mother. I am so happy he is growing and learning, but I know I will never get this time back with him. I am so happy he has joined our family. He has brought a level of sweet tenderness into our home that is just sublime. His beautiful face, bright blue eyes, rosy cheeks and happy smile are just infectious.

And I couldn't decide which of these pictures to post, so I posted them all....check out our cutest little fella ever!

Oh-my-happy-boy!

Hey mama!

Look at that sweet face, he melts my heart.

Awwww, buddy.....

Mr. Happy

Happy 9 months little guy!

Nothing So Sweet As....

2011-11-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

Truly, is there anything so sweet as a sleeping baby?! It is RARE that I am able to catch a daytime glimpse of my sweet Owen, he is a ridiculously light sleeper. Oh how I love this sleeping boy. I know how quickly he'll be big and not so baby-ish anymore, so I have been making sure to savor every moment of baby-bliss that I can. After I feed Owen at night before bed, he usually falls asleep in my arms and I snuggle his little head into my neck and rock and smell and kiss him until my mother heart has been filled to happiness.

And is there anything as sweet to a mother as her family? Sunday morning the children piled on top of Daddy and got comfortable. They LOVE Daddy, and I'm so glad I have a husband who really loves his kids and plays with them. I'm such a lucky gal :)

In The Snow

2011-11-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago it snowed on a perfect Saturday morning, and while my husband may be a grown man, I saw a glimmer of boyhood in his ice blue eyes as he proudly looked out the window at the famous Salt Lake snow and loosed a small grin on his face. I could tell he was just as excited as my little girl to go and play in it!

Marin and Daddy, all ready to head out in the snow.

We had about 4 inches!

Those two, if they aren't peas in a pod....

Daddy would make a snowball, and Marin would throw it at mama who was kneeling on the couch and taking pictures through the window. Then I started to fall over on the couch when the snowball hit the window, she thought that mama was crazy funny!

I *do* love my handsome hubs ;)

More snowballs!

And, I do have to admit, the snow here in Salt Lake is about the fluffiest I've seen. It is so dry and delicate and if 'soft' could have word, it would this snow. As a rough-and-tough New York girl, I'm so used to wet and heavy snow, I was sure that was the only kind! How wonderful to know that snow has a light and fluffy relative!

Family Updates

2011-11-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

Haha, I'm SURE you are all super excited to read this post after a title like that, eh? I just can't bring myself to download and edit pictures at this time of night. "10:30 pm?!", you say? Yes, I've two small children and it wears me OUT, phew! So, here we go:

Kristoffer has a BIG test looming this Saturday, so PLEASE keep him in your prayers and thoughts. He will sit for his series 7 exam which, in part, will allow him 1) to legally trade stocks/bonds and 2) to be more likely for hire at Zion's and unofficially 3) to spend more time with us....yeah.

He has been studying SO hard and has been so dilligent. He's had less than half the time most people usually have to study for this test and has made monumental progress since he first started. I can't tell you how very proud I am of him! It's a 6 hour test, yikes! He's had some encouraging news from his boss hinting at a hire after his internship ends and he passes his test, so we are keeping our fingers crossed!

I wish I had exciting news about myself. Stay at home mom's rarely have excting news to share about themselves (truly). It's always about the kids or the hubs. The highlite of my day is going to the gym, and well, that just isn't encouraging anymore. I had spent 3 months at the same weight, started working out, gained 6 pounds, then had lost 3, and now I'm up another 2. So, whatever. My clothes do fit a little better, so I'm toning up, but I feel like the weight is just redistributing...I would like it to distribute itself OFF my body. My mother told me that losing weight would be harder after the second baby...she was right. Why do mom's always have to be right?

Marin is a sweet little jabberbox. She asks a million questions a day and is a happy girl. We've been working on night training for a few weeks and she's been doing surpisingly well. I limit liquids after 6pm and then I put her on her little potty before I go to be around 11. She's been staying dry, so we are SO happy to only have ONE child in diapers, wohooo! I relented and cut her hair the other day. She had snipped her own hair about a month ago, plus she twirls her hair with her fingers on that same side, so it breaks and was a little shorter....she was looking a little scraggly, so she has a little bob now, and it really looks super cute.

Owen, oh he is a happy little guy. He's army crawling *everywhere* and is really quite speedy. He enjoys re-arranging my cookbooks, getting into the (clean) fireplace and turning up the volume dial for the speakers. The last one is is favorite. He crawls over there, and looks at me with his hand on the dial and GRINS ear to ear and squeels with anticipation as I call to him..."Buddyyyyy, what are you doing?". He thinks it's quite the game. Then he cranks it and thrills himself to alertness when he realizes how loud it is. Silly boy. Owen has been loving standing next to furniture and his play table, he's still a bit unsteady and needs help getting to the standing position, but it's good practice. He loves eating cheerios and tasting whatever we're eating. He smiles so much and I love his smiley face, it makes me soooo happy!

I hope to have some pictures....wait, I hope to have some *ambition* to download pictures here very soon.

Marin's Testimony

2011-11-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Today was a lovely day.

There was nothing extraordinary about our early start due to daylight savings time, although, it did make our morning much less rushed. Huh, imagine that! We walked into Sacrament Meeting and sat in the folding chairs in the back with the other stragglers tip-toeing (?) in. Some weeks we get to sit in a pew.

As we listened to the other members bear their testimonies, I looked at my little Marin and asked her, "Marin, would like to go up to the front and tell everyone that you love Jesus?".

She peered at me with her bright blue eyes and enthusiastically responded "Yes!", in her sweet squeaky voice. So I took her hand and we walked. Normally, the walk to the rostrum is always full of self awareness and trepidation, and today was no exception. I held the hand of an excited little girl who was trotting happily beside me, and while the walk seemed twice as long, perhaps it's because I was already choking back tears.

We arrived at the pulpit, I lifted her up to microphone and she bore her very simple and concise testimony: "I love Jesus 'cuz he is my friend."

I coached her through a few more lines and then took my own turn. I truly felt the Spirit and was so proud of my sweet daughter. I am so happy she knows that Jesus is her friend, and I hope she will always remember that.