Book Time

Tali is growing and changing so much. Her little mind is constantly going and she continues to crack us up with her humor and cheerfulness.

Yesterday I took the kids to the library and when we got home Tali had "Book Time." (While Owen takes his morning nap, Tali looks at books in her crib.) I came downstairs and saw that one of her books had been tossed out of the crib so I asked her about it.

"They wuh haveen bad add-ih-tudes, Mommy. I didn't like it! A man was angry and evweeone kept taking away the guls toys! It was not good and I did not like that book."

Immediately I knew which book she was talking about and started cracking up. "Rummage Sale" is the title. It's a book about various people who come to a little girl's rummage sale and buy her toys. It's kind of a cute book and has some good elements that make kids think. Anyway, I just loved that from looking at the pictures she had thought that it would be absolutely horrible (or "tara-bull" as she would say) to have people come and take your toys away. No wonder she didn't like it!

p.s.- I'm having trouble posting pictures. I'll try to add one later.

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12 Weeks and Thanking God

As of Saturday, I am now 12 weeks along.  And guess what? When the 12 week mark hit, the awful nausea left.  Praise the Lord!  I feel like a new person and so grateful to be able to eat without dread again.  I am so grateful to be feeling better and grateful for all of your prayers along the way.

Life has been very full lately (and really, when isn't it?). We've had the Maxims with us for about a month now and are still transitioning a bit into how to do life with 10 people in the house.  It's been a joy to see all of our kids enjoying one another, a blessing to have another lady around to talk with during the day, and a nice break to share meal prep & housework.  I've especially enjoyed simply being around friends who have sacrificed so much for the sake of the Gospel.  Their joy in serving the Savior is contagious and we're learning a lot just from seeing their lives more up-close and personal.

I know that some of you have asked how you can be praying for us during this season. Thank you so much for wanting to be our friends in that way!  A couple requests come to mind:

~ Wisdom for Josh and me as we seek to prioritize time together to talk even with me going to sleep early and having lots of other people around.

~ Grace for me to joyfully serve my kids, not complain, especially related to how inconsistent their sleep is right now. They've not adapted well to sleeping in the basement; Owen's getting up 2-5 times a night, Tali's waking up sometimes during the night, Owen's waking up for the day a couple hours earlier than he was upstairs.  We're tired but in light of eternity this isn't as big of a deal as I can make it be.

~ For me to find joy in the Gospel, first and foremost, not looking for it in my circumstances.  Routine, good sleep, feeling well, an organized room, peace and quiet, etc. can be tempting places for me to seek joy and then get angry when those things don't happen.  I so want to look for my joy in the only place where it will last-Christ!

Thanks, friends.  Enjoy your week!

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