BusyBliss

I'm Alive :)

2013-03-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends,

I miss you. Even if no one were to see this post, I miss sharing a bit of our crazy, wonderful life and feeling like maybe I'm helping someone out there! Or helping you to know you are NOT crazy for feeling crazy through this amazing motherhood adventure.

With the amount of traffic this blog was getting, I just felt obligated to post very often. And... in my life right now of sleepless nights, piles of laundry, energetic kids, needing some moments with the hubby, and as of last night taking care of a little girl with a 104 temp... my blog, which I love, was just stressing me out. I had to relieve myself of that pressure and distraction! So, if any of you mothers are still there... I will keep posting here and there. Not every week, no way, maybe not even every month, but occasionally you are welcome to stop by :).

I wish I never had to sleep to give me more time, haha. I love you all - even those of you I've never met! You can do amazing things!!

Bye Bye to Busy Bliss... for now :)

2013-02-26T11:18:00.001-08:00

Time is precious. And so are these little dears. This is just not my season to have a blog like this :). Motherhood is sacrifice. It is work (whew, is it work!), but it is the GREATEST WORK on earth! What a great adventure it has been to have a voice for mothers who deeply desire to be intentional and to thrive (haha, not just survive!) in this most challenging, most paramount work! I will forever cherish all the comments and the wonderful women I've meet through this blog.

With three kids three and under, I need less distractions (even the really good things) and more MOMENTS to focus on THEM. This is my greatest life's work and I don't want to miss it!

I'll be posting from time to time to update with pictures, but I leave you with my conviction that:

The greatest gift you can give your children is YOU. If you're human than you're going to have really hard moments (even to the point of tears!) but I believe that mothers can learn and grow and TRY AGAIN every day! We truly have the most influential job on earth. Choosing to have daily moments of teaching and connecting will be our greatest investment!! I hope we all can find JOY and our desperate need for CHRIST in the midst of all our motherly mayhem.

Maybe there'll be another season for me to spread my feelings through writing. But here's the little dears that need MORE of me! And Steve that includes you too babes :).

And here's my favorite video that reminds me what matters most.

Much Love,

Mindy

Love Story

2013-02-14T21:06:00.001-08:00

It was my freshman year first semester at BYU and I lucked out to have this boy in my ward. Unfortunately, he was the ONLY boy I didn't talk to! I remember walking out the glass doors of my Deseret Towers dorms and seeing that red head playing pool in the lobby. I thought to myself, man I wish I had gotten to know that guy. But it was too late as he was quickly leaving on his church mission to Tennessee (my home!).

So two years passed and I had an incredible college experience. And... luckily I had memorized everyone's name in the freshman ward directory so I recognized this red head when we ran into each other ... me on my way to the computer lab and him on his way to the gym. Typical. And on a cute side note, the exact place where his grandparents met - the Smith Field House.

We ran into each other a few times and I conveniently needed a ride to my brother's in Bountiful and found out Steve's family lives near there. So, I found many reasons why I needed to visit that sweet brother :) which meant we were trapped in a car together for hours... no dates, no awkwardness, and yes... no dates. For a long time. I couldn't quite figure out if he was ever going to ask me out. He did come over to fix my bike :), to pick up my roommate's dying fish, to give me rides, but I finally challenged him to a taco eating contest. He ate 10. I ate 2.

One weekend I was in the middle of a "girls' night" - ice cream, chick flick and all when Steve left a message that the fish "missed me" and was wondering if I had some time to see them! So we hopped on our bikes and met in the middle at some point finding ourselves at the local elementary school climbing these trees and eventually playing football and dancing on the school rooftop!

One day while riding my bike down a steep hill south of campus, a girl came out of nowhere! I swirved and barely missed taking her out and instead skidded my face all down the pavement. My first thought was Am I alive? Then my next thought was "Call Steve." So I hobbled home and Steve rushed me to the doctors. He was so overly concerned - it was cute. He even took me out for ice cream and bought me a bunch of groceries. That week I was homebound and Steve came to visit me everyday... with PB & Js (haha, that was a great prelude to the food he eats), Jamba Juice, and just making me laugh. But oh it hurt to laugh.

I landed a job at BYU's Center for Service so we found ourselves doing a LOT of service. We didn't have money and I just loved watching that boy help others. I thought Wow, he's sure going to be a good daddy someday...

Plus, he was super good looking...

And I knew that if he could tell me he loved me through Blokus, then he'd be an amazing husband too :)

So we dated a year, and then I decided I wanted to go on a semester abroad to Jerusalem (which Steve totally supported, even though that was the hardest day of my life to say goodbye). We got married, and I did discover what an incredible husband and daddy I had chosen for our family. I love Steve for so many reasons, but I think my favorite thing is watching him play with our kids and seeing how they adore each other.

I grabbed the video camera last night as the kids were super excited that Daddy was coming home :). And whew, I was happy too :). I love you babe. Thanks for being my bestest friend and for being the kids' best friend too. Happy love day!

Meet "Sharie"

2013-02-13T08:23:00.004-08:00

Do you ever feel like all you are doing is telling your kids to stop yelling, stop hitting, stop making messes...? When I get distracted I find that I'm only intervening and giving attention when they are misbehaving.

We don't have to read a parenting book to know that telling them what they CAN DO and praising the positive usually is more effective. So meet "Sharie" our Melissa & Doug cheerleader puppet who only comes out when we see the kids "sharing" or doing something great!! She cheers and dances and gets super excited as she praises the children for ... when they do share, use their kind words, clean up their rooms, help a friend... We all love to feel appreciated and encouraged, right?!

Brayden and Hailey love Sharie and get so giddy every time she comes out!! Haha! It's hilarious. Just an idea in case you feel the need to have more "Positive Discipline" - I love that book. And I love Sharie.

CATCH them DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!!

Green Smoothie - YUM!

2013-02-07T20:41:00.001-08:00

In trying to trick our kids to eating healthier foods, I tried another green smoothie recipe (from Steve's mom), and this one has been my favorite so far! Well, the kids didn't go for it quite yet, but I loved it!

GREEN SMOOTHIE:

fresh spinach

vanilla protein powder (from Costco)

1 T. lemon juice

frozen fruit (pineapple, peaches, strawberries, etc)

Juice (I used orange juice)

yogurt (I used Dannon light & fit vanilla)

Blend very well and enjoy!

Tears

2013-02-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

Steve was drawing Hailey a picture of "Madeline" (after reading that cute book). And all the sudden with paper and pencil in hand Hailey drew her very first little person. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I was completely overcome with immense joy. I felt so proud of her. I can't help but think how much our Heavenly Father must rejoice even in our small and simple triumphs!

My little Hailey Roo Roo is growing up. I love the way that girl sweetly says "one minute" when she just wants us to cuddle all cozied up with her pink blanket a little longer before putting her down for bed. I love how she wants every day to do "booty parlor" to paint her nails and fix her hair and put on mommy's makeup. I love how she counts ... one, two, three, eleven, twelve. I adore her dimpled beautiful smile with her shiny red, curly hair (that I just chopped off, oh I miss it!). I will keep this picture forever and remember those tears :)

They Are Watching Us :)

2013-02-03T13:09:00.001-08:00

I'm amazed at how these cute little people of mine just want to be like Mom and Dad - to do exactly what we do and be all "grown up." I'm sure not done growing yet - still have so many things to learn and re-learn every day, but... I do believe strongly in the power and influence we have as parents.

It's okay, if you feel down and discouraged when you have tantrums alongside your child's tantrum... you're are not alone. If you feel funny that you shoved your children apart from each other to try to "teach" them to be soft and kind :). If you with frustration tell them to "BE PATIENT" when you've completely run out of patience! If you get distracted with all your to-dos and forget to look your children in their eyes and delight with them in the smallest of things. If you feel hopeless to ever have clean clothes or a clean home. We all have been there and will likely be there again most days.

BUT, we can renew to remember over and over again to have those moments to get on all fours, to work along side them, to laugh and squeal over their excitements, to take them with us to help others, to turn to prayer and the word of God, to try again when we make mistakes, to show them a deep love for learning...

They are watching us. And I know, as we partnership with God, we will be their greatest strength and most powerful example - through all the bad and all the good!

Chocolate Chip Cookies that Melt in Your Mouth

2013-02-02T09:33:00.003-08:00

I've been in a rut lately. So in an attempt to snap out of it, we tried doing something new.... finding a way to run outside in the cold snow with three little ones! ... and making sure everyone got good, early naps :), because that just makes ALL the difference. So we bought these snow suits, played outside, and came in to eat chocolate chip cookies (my fav recipe from Steve's mom... see below)! It felt rejuvenating and so stinkin' fun!! Humans were not made to be cooped inside a house all day. And yeah for chocolate... I think I'll make some more :)

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 sticks butter (the key is to NEVER melt it, only softened)

1 t. vanilla

In a separate bowl, sift together:

3 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Mix together dry and wet ingredients separately then add together, then add the chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is best). Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes (and not a second MORE! It will seem that they are not done but just take them out and they'll be perfect).

Pete the Cat BIRTHDAY Party!

2013-01-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

My kids LOVE Pete the Cat books, so we had a Pete party for Hailey 2nd Birthday! This website had super cute ideas (the first three pictures). They went ALL out, and that kind of birthday party would totally stress me out to the max, but you can check it out to get ideas :). I just read the book "I Love My White Shoes" and when Pete stepped in the strawberries, we ate STRAWBERRIES. When Pete stepped in the blueberries, we ate BLUEBERRIES. When Pete stepped in the mud, we ate BROWNIES. When Pete stepped in the water, we drank mini WATER BOTTLES. It was fun and simple!! My little Hailey is now 2, even though she tells every one she's "Five" :) I adore that little lady of mine.

Here's the author telling the story live:

And here's our simple party :)

Hailey got her very first purse. She carries that thing (and the phone) EVERYWHERE!

Cracker Crumbs & Delicious Dishes

2013-01-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up to "MOMMY!" shrills and I somehow wobbled my sleepy self out of bed to change diapers and begin the day. As I entered the kitchen, I found two tall cups of spilled juices all over the table and coloring pages now stuck to it! There are muffin crumbs scattered all over the floor and mountains of dishes. It's delicious. I didn't quite squeeze in a shower before the kids woke up but ready or not, here we are! I just need like 5 more hands :). I'm not sure which laundry baskets are clean and which ones are dirty since it's almost impossible to put all the loads away. So, we end up digging through clean clothes and hope to find what we need! Somehow we'll survive :). I often dream of when the kids are all tucked in and I can clean the WHOLE house and figure out some super-momish fun things to do. But then night comes, and I'm usually completely tuckered out!

On days like this I just want to leave on vacation and play with my kids! But then we'd have to pack up our whole house and then come home and unpack our whole house. So on second thought, I think Tinkerbell may be our saving grace. I secretly thoroughly enjoy watching those movies.

If you too have crumb-covered feet and feel like this...

I hope you have a WONDERFUL DAY! I know you are a rockin' awesome mom who has hard days but somehow knows how to get down on all fours, forget your woes momentarily, and laugh with your kids! Hmmm... maybe we can rock out to fun music and get everyone to have clean up party. Or maybe Hailey can "help" me do dishes - she loves doing that. But eventually, the answer just may be... Tinkerbell :)

Off to JERSUSALEM!

2013-01-13T14:45:00.001-08:00

Steve's sister Lizzy is flying over to the BYU Jerusalem Study Abroad right now!! I went this exact same semester right before Steve and I got engaged, so I threw together an Israel party for her last weekend. As I compiled a video slideshow of my trip, I remembered how dear Jerusalem is to me. It's amazing how an adventure abroad can change you forever. Those sacred and special experiences are still deep in my bones and I'm determined to take my children abroad someday to open their eyes to fascinating histories, cultures, religions, ... and food.

I made Middle-Eastern "Falafels" with Hummus and set out all my treasures and trinkets!

You never really leave Jerusalem. It stays with you wherever you go.
Here's a little clip from the my trip:

When Mommy's Having a Melt-Down

2013-01-11T12:29:00.001-08:00

There's days where all we can see is where our kids struggle. And on those days we likely are having melt downs and tantrums along with them! Of course little ones have TONS to learn, but whew - I just need help to find perspective and patience in those moments! When we're coming out of a melt-down, I find an ounce of hope when I see the "genious" within them.

Like my little Brayden ... Did I tell you how much we LOVE these magformers and play with them EVERY SINGLE DAY?! It's so cool when you start to see the genious inside a child. We all readily know what our kids aren't good at and what drives us a bit bonkers. I'm so grateful that they each have seeds of greatness within them. Kids are like puzzles and we've get to study them to try to figure them out.

I'm learning that Brayden is incredibly gifted at spacial awareness and building things. He's bursting with creativity when I give him these magnets, and he's always counting everything around him. He just might be a budding engineer! Our little people are full of strengths and at the same time of course they are full of struggles which sometimes we just don't know how to handle. Like when our kids pout and whine... even with brilliant "love & logic" and any other parenting trick we've got, it seems like we deal with the same problems every single day. Maybe it's just that it's a "stage" or maybe their progress grows slowly sometimes that it's hard to realize. But I do think it's our special work to find the BEST in them and BRING THAT OUT!! ...and hopefully we can help them work through their "worst" (mine included!).

He has even learned to store his creations up high so Hailey can't break them... now that's genious.

Bring the SNOW inside

2013-01-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

With a little baby, you can't just run out in the snow everyday to play. So, we decided to bring the snow indoors! Brayden lasted for about 2 seconds, but Hailey loved it! Put some gloves, snow pants, and jacket on, and they're ready to party!

Bowling Party!

2013-01-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

When Brayden was just a little tike - probably 15 months - we took him bowling for the very first time. He will never be the same! That boy loves balls of any kind, so it was fun to meet up with family and take him back to that exact bowling alley we raised him on as a one year old!

Christmas Eve Party!

2012-12-29T20:05:00.001-08:00

Our family Christmas Eve party started out with getting all the yummies ready. Oh I adore these girls. I'm so glad that humans have to eat just so I can chat with all these ladies while we cook. I'm craving that Taco Salad right now... and just to let you in on a secret... I compiled ALL of Steve's family's BEST RECIPES (over 100) and I'll be sharing them shortly.

While we cooked, the kids all decorated gingerbread houses. I think my kids ate more candies than they put on.

Then the kids played cute games like run Christmas bows on your head to the basket.

I love how Hailey is flying in mid-air! She has the cutest run with her bouncy red locks.

All the grandkids excitedly waited for Santa's visit.

And we worked on a "service project" of tying blankets, and our wonderful "grandma greats" finished them all since all the parents had their hands full of kiddies. I just need like 10 more hands.

Then we headed to Steve's parents' home where we had a musical program. I just love how they have a big "great room" where the kitchen, dining, and living room are all in the same space. Some day we'll have that. Anywho, I bought these christmas bells from Amazon which were so stinkin' fun. Little babies can chew on them, toddlers can just ring them, and bigger kids can stand in a line and play songs! Each bell rings a different note on the piano scale.

I love hearing those girls play their violins - the most beautiful instrument on the planet, besides the cello.

Every Christmas Eve my in-laws do Christmas PJS!

It's Bedtime

2012-12-26T18:20:00.003-08:00

We all survived. 12 hours, stuck inside, no car, running on 6 hours of sleep (3 increments of 2 hours at a time). It's now "bedtime" and I turned to my sweet, supportive husband and said "I'm done." I'm done means can you put the 2 kids to bed while I nurse the babe then put her in the car seat which she strongly dislikes so I can go grocery shopping?! :) I'm done means I'm past the point of niceness and patience that it would be a swell idea for me to leave! A mommy is never really "done" but sometimes we just need little breaks. I know it's pretty adventurous to grab some milk for my "moment" but I will relish the fresh cold air and freedom. I just watched this hilarious clip from my sis in law's blog. Good luck to all you parents out there who miraculously seem to put all your dear little ones to bed once again!

Merry Christmas!

2012-12-25T08:01:00.002-08:00

I'm just waiting for my kids to finally wake up so I thought I'd wish you all a Merry Christmas!

We watched this video for family night last week. It's a great reminder of the spirit of Christ and how learning to love and give as He did is what life is really about! I sure hope and pray that I can teach them that! Have a wonderful day with your families.

Kangaroo Zoo

2012-12-21T08:26:00.001-08:00

I found a place where Brayden can jump and climb and and run to his heart's content! It's easy to go bonkers when little boys are trying to do those things all over the house, but they desperately need it! So I am forever grateful for "Kangaroo Zoo"... a huge place full of blow-up toys. Brayden and Hailey were continually squealing with delight and happiness. And... while I was supposedly "helping" Hailey, I had a little too much fun :). It's hard with a little baby to jump in there and do everything with your older kids. But with Penny sleeping by Daddy I thoroughly enjoyed finally playing with them - and I think they really loved that too.

As we climbed up, we all chanted, "Never give up! Never give up!" well Hailey said, "Never up!"

Where ever I go every single day, people always say "you sure have your hands full!" This picture is proof.

Almost Trip to the ER

2012-12-20T07:50:00.001-08:00

It's scary how much blood gushes from a head wound, but luckily little Hailey is okay! Brayden and Hailey were running around laughing when she tripped and fell into the cinderblock corner. We didn't want to put her under for stitches, so these butterfly band-aids worked their magic.

We do "beauty parlor" together, so Hailey was excited to pamper up Grandma's dog! She wanted to paint Scout's nails too.

And just for the record, Penny is rolling over everywhere! She's all giggles and laughs - as long as she's full of milk and someone is cuddling with her.

What Matters Most

2012-12-17T20:03:00.003-08:00

This movie makes me cry just about every time I watch it! This is why I write and really, what life is all about. We all have really bad days, days where we wonder how we are ever going to survive this emotion-packed adventure of life! But there's those moments, and hopefully more and more of those moments when we do connect with others and see what matters most. And what matters most is that our little families and those around us know that they are loved deeply and that their Savior loves them.

If I've had a terrible day or a day where I've felt like a failure as a mother or a day when I figure the house and laundry will never be clean... then I watch this. And I re-vow to try again... to cherish and build the relationships I have with my hubby and kidlets a little more.

Latest Adventures

2012-12-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

We bundled up and took a little trip to Temple Square to see the live nativity. Hailey goes around everyday saying "Hailey Roo Roo, Mary" - since of course every little girl wants to be Mary. Oh I wish you could hear her little voice - the cutest sounds in the whole world. Just listening to her talk gets me through each day. I've got to get that camera out more to capture her adorable words before she's all grown up.

Another day we went to the Festival of Trees (an expo center full of decorated Christmas trees) and Brayden had to find every single train set in the building! My sis in law Tiffany's suzuki violin students were performing for the event so I tried to keep 3 kids happy during their show... which meant I bought a big fat crumbly cookie with thick pink icing and it was everywhere! I think a few bites landed in their mouth. Yikes. Well, they were happy and listening. Steve's family had all their girls go through Suzuki violin lessons starting at age 5ish. So I had to take a picture of Hailey, cookie crumbs and all, getting giddy about playing the violin someday.

There's Tiff helping her cute little students get ready. Those little girls just stare in awe at Tiff and say how they want to grow up to be just like her. It seems that there's so much value in playing an instrument - even if the only outcome is they have a great teacher and mentor who loves them and inspires them!

And meet "Jerry" our snowman :)

A Mother's Vacation

2012-12-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Steve just finished finals!!! Wahoo! So we have 2 days until he starts working full time until next semester starts. He is such a gem and played with the kids while I had some personal time. And guess what I did?! I went to the grocery store ... alone! I know sad, right? But it was beautiful. Going to the store with 3 little ones is great fun and all (like cleaning up cracked eggs off the floor) but I enjoyed a little moment to myself.

Our Favorite Toy

2012-12-14T08:08:00.001-08:00

Brayden is ALWAYS building something... train tracks, "boats" out of boxes, and especially these MAGFORMERS! They are pricy, but we seriously play with them every. single. day. HERE 's a beginner set on Amazon. Magformers = less TV in the winter. I adore these little shapes. It's amazing the inventive creations they come up with.

Hailey LOVES them too actually! And yes that is oreo crumbs all over her cute face and her sporting bed hair and pjs well into the afternoon :)

Here's Brayden's latest play dough invention. If he had his magnets at Grandma's house, I'm sure he would have built some magnetic concoction around it,

Pearls By Laurel Winner...

2012-12-13T20:33:00.001-08:00

For the Pearls by Laurel free giveaway, I wrote down all the entries and my little boy drew out...

Karen & Todd!

Karen commented "Pinned it! So so cute!"

Click HERE to check out these bracelets that have pearls that represent each birthstone month of each in you family!

Wise Men Gifts

2012-12-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Oh I LOVE this time of year - the glittering lights, hot chocolate, Christmas music, Santa fun, elfs on shelves, gingerbread houses, family parties, traditions, gift-giving...

And I desperately want for my kids to get what Christmas is all about. I want them to come to know Christ as their Savior. And I want them to feel of His love and share that love with others.

This picture was actually taken the very DAY Penny was born! Haha, all that walking around probably put me into labor.

So, my wonderful sis-in-law Kristin just told me of the tradition they do of giving their kids

3 WISE MEN GIFTS

each Christmas morning!! Their kids know to expect only 3 gifts from Mom and Dad ( well there's lots of ways to do it... Kristin's fam does 1 gift from Mom & Dad, 1 from Santa, and 1 sibling-exchange gift). I think we're going to do 1 gift from Santa and 3 from us parents. I just LOVE how you can teach how everything ties back to CHRIST!! Isn't that the coolest idea?!

Another one of my dreams is the tradition of SECRET SERVICE. At the beginning of December, each member of the family draws a name and you get to do secret acts of service for that person all month long. Then, on Christmas morning everyone reveals who they had by giving a gift to their person!

And while I'm at it :), here's another one... right after Thanksgiving dinner I want to bring in a beautifully wrapped CHRISTMAS BOOK. So one special, new Christmas book for each year. Here have been some of our favs this year. (Not all these are "Christ-centered" but they are about giving/loving :))