Two hours and 4...no 5 Oreos later I end my night of blogging with something to "sleep on"...better make that 6 Oreos.....and a bit of milk....why not? It's only after midnight!
So, besides being EXACTLY PERFECT at eating too many chocolate cookies...the crumbs are all over my shirt to prove it...let me get a bit more serious.
As I was getting ready for church today, wondering and worrying about a dozen different things, I was really just hoping that today I could go and get that confirmation that I was doing something right in my life. Russ took Carter during priesthood/relief society and I was sooo ready to sit through a whole lesson childless!! I have only been in our new ward for two weeks now, but I love it! I didn't think that any ward could be as wonderful as the Pocatello Cedar 3rd ward...but I might be wrong!
The lesson given today was EXACT LY what I needed to hear and what was even more wonderful was that all throughout the lesson I kept feeling an almost continual confirmation from the Holy Ghost that truth was being taught in that tiny room! So many sisters gave comment after comment, adding upon the spirit and depth of the principles being portrayed by our teacher! It was a wonderful and fulfilling experience for me....I felt like a dry sponge trying to soak up every ounce of "spiritual moisture" in that room!
One of the many comments that has stuck with me today was one given by a sister missionary. She mentioned that although we cannot be perfect at EVERYTHING, we can be EXACTLY PERFECT at something. I thought, "What am I exactly perfect at?" I had to do a hard evaluation of myself. Maybe there are other moms who feel the same as me, maybe there are other moms who have been where I am now....
Thirteen years ago, I began a journey as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It seemed like the more I did things the Lord's way, the more trials I suffered along the way. Why? I knew, even from a very young age, that there was a real evil in the world that turned good people bad, and bad people into monsters. Light vs. darkness. I have always felt deep within me that desire to rise above the darkness. I am only one person, but maybe it would only take one person, one little ray of sunshine, to chase the dark away. How?
We cannot be perfect at EVERYTHING, but we can be EXACTLY PERFECT at something!
As I sat in that little relief society room, I felt in every fiber of my being that the Lord doesn't need women to be the next President, the greatest doctor, lawyer, CEO, or celebrity....he needs Mothers, Grandmothers, Sisters, Aunts....to be on His side and to take part in spreading light and goodness throughout our homes, neighborhoods, churches, and work places.
If, in every day, and in every way, we tried a little harder to be more positive, patient, gentle, and understanding....couldn't we make life a little better? I don't want to sit around and wait for anyone else but myself to be obedient to what the Lord has asked of us. Do we have to be compelled in all things?
There have been nights where I lay down to sleep and am exhausted after all I did that day: cleaning, cooking, disciplining, cleaning, bathing children, nap-time, laundry, cleaning again, going to the park, bed-time rituals for each child, thinking about exercising, eating half a package of Oreos...the list can go on!!! I wonder, "What more can be asked of me?" And as I settle down and almost drift off to sleep a little voice whispers (like a tiny pin-prick) "Don't forget to say your prayers!" I roll over to find Russ softly snoring, envying his "ability" to shut off so easily! I give him a nudge, "Hey! We need to say our prayer!" He obediently kneels, and of all the things I did that day, the hardest one is to get out of bed to kneel and say a prayer! We can be EXACTLY PERFECT at something! Of all the things I did that day...saying a prayer with my husband, hand in hand, is more important than any other task! I think of the lyrics to a song, "A thousand prayers, a million words....but one voice is heard."
Sometimes, women, we have to step up and set the standard. We have to be strong and immovable...a light guiding our family through the darkness. It's hard....it really is! I work hard for what is most important to me. But I can't do it alone. We must depend more upon our Savior, upon our Heavenly Father, to lead, guide, and walk beside us. I felt today at church, the urging of a loving Father in Heaven, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, to do a little better, to reach a little higher, to stand a little taller as a mother and a woman and daughter of God.
When all is said and done, it won't matter who was president, a doctor, a lawyer, CEO, or celebrity....will it? Maybe you did just eat a half a package of Oreo cookies, and there are crumbs all over your shirt to prove it...but you can go to bed knowing that your two-almost three year old daughter knows that Jesus loves us and is waiting to hear us pray at night, that when we pray it makes him very happy, ( I helped Anna say her prayer tonight...she did not want to say it...I told her to look at her picture of Jesus...that it makes him very happy when she says her prayers. After her prayer was done, she looked up at her picture, furrowed her eyebrows, and said, "Mommy, Jesus still not happy!" In the picture, Jesus is serious!) that God will help us every day... He can even help us throw stones at big giants and make them fall down (by-the-way...Anna told me she wants a bag of rocks and a "thingy" (aka-slingshot) for her birthday, to make the giants fall down)
My body or hair or house will never look or be perfect. But I can be EXACTLY PERFECT at something...and maybe someday I will be exactly perfect at two things....and then three things.....and four.....and then I'll help myself to another Oreo!
Ah! I just LOVE this little girl! Our children are our most priceless and most valuable gifts....I wish I could love all those children in the world without love in thier lives as much as I love my children! Moms and dads.....please take care of your little ones!!! Love, LOVE, love them....to pieces!!!!!
Ok-so these pictures are kinda small, but this is my family! In the top picture there is: me, Jospeh, Haylee, Jacob, Caleb, Emma, Alisha, and Ben is on the bottom! Second picture is all of the "Wayment" girls! There's me, Haylee, Alisha, and Emma. I really think that all of my sisters are beautiful and all talented and unique! Can you guess who is the oldest? Alisha is the oldest (26), then me (25), Emma (18), and Haylee (16). When I look at this picture, I see so much more than four sisters there. Each of us has been through so much together, and so much apart. We all hold inside our hearts memories that have hurt us and memories that have molded us. Each of us have struggles, weakness, strength, and endurance! We are not perfect, but we are priceless...to each other. I wish I had the time to tell you all about my sisters and how awesome I think they all are! Alisha and I fought like cat and dog when we were younger, and Haylee and Emma fought the same way! Now- it is so much different-and so much better! When we are together, I try to cherish that kinship we have! I hope my sisters know how much they mean to me!
We all went to Rob and Jenilyn's home for the fourth and Jenilyn....our boy-baby-lover wanted to spike Carter's hair! It turned out soooo cute! It is nice to see that Carter FINALLY has enough hair to actually style! I've been styling Anna's hair almost minutes after she left my womb, so what can I say? I love to play "dolls" still with my children and dress them up!
Hottie!!!!! Watch out all you little nursery girls...cuz when Carter comes in...whoa...major drama!
Anna, as cute as a button, in her new July outfit.....she loves new clothes!
Carter, yeah.....not so happy...but still as cute as ever....he was just mad that mom put him down!
So....."Happy-late-Fourth of July, everyone!!!!!"
You all know that we have "troubles" with Anna when it comes to bedtime! Since we have been in Rexburg, she hasn't been so "monstrous" as she could be before....so I take it that things are getting better! We have REALLY been working with her ALOT!!! I think that is the key! Children take so much patience and need so much consistency....and sometimes it is truly HARD WORK!
One night, after I had thought Anna was in bed, I went down the hall and this is what I found! She has become so quiet and sneaky, we had no idea Anna had crawled out of bed, opened her door, and planted herself on the floor for a night of "happy" dreaming!
I had to move her back to bed, which she did not want...(you know what it's like to reason with a child who is half-awake and half-asleep!) Russ and I had a good laugh about it all afterwards, and agree that this little girl will never cease to amaze us!
Rylei, Emily, and Addy...our three little DIVAs!!!
Olivia and Emily! (we have found that if a little one has disappeared, they have usually been kidnapped by Olivia! She loves, loves, loves babies! Thanks Livy for giving us moms a break!
Me and Carter. We were trying to capture Carter's reaction to the fireworks! Whenever they would go off, he would perk up and start "oooh-ing" It was Great!!
"Oooh, ooh, oh!" (stay posted for more pictures!)
From left to right: Grandpa "bobber" Meredith, Russ, Chelsea, Gill, Rob, Jake, Dallin, Karli, Gavin, and Carson. On the fourth of July some of the family went on a hike through the ice caves. I hear it is wet, cold, slippery....lots of FUN!! I was planning on going too, but Carter mysteriously broke out in strange hives all over his legs...so I decided to trade my wet, cold, and slippery trip through the caves to stay with my cute and adorably sweet boy!
Last week we went to Pocatello and stayed from Sunday evening until Thursday night. We figured since Russ had to work (he is still working in Pocatello until he finds a job in Rexburg) we would go along and have a "vacation"! We went to the zoo with Geoff and Jenny and baby Emily! It was HOT and the kids loved it! Anna had to keep reassuring herself before we got there about the bears. Suddenly she was afraid of them! She told me, "Mommy, da bears...dey not git me...dey dead!" I had to keep explaining to her that although they were not dead, they would not get her! Once we got to the bear cage, she was ok, though she kept telling me things like, "Mommy, I not pet dat bear...it bite me!" and "Mommy, dat bear not yike grumpy yittle dirls, dat bear ony yike happy dirls!"
