About Sundays

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Most Mondays on social media I see posts that say some thing like “Oh Mondays” or some kind of picture showing how Mondays are rough. I totally get it. We are all coming back from a weekend, a break of sorts, and getting back into the swing of things isn’t always easy or fun. But I have a different feeling about Mondays because I kind of like Mondays; and that’s because of Sundays.

Since the four of us were probably still carrying around remnants of our uninvited visitor (the stomach flu), and we did not want to send him home with any of our friends, we stayed home from church on Sunday.

It felt so strange.

I have to admit, it was kind of exciting to think that we’d have a whole extra day of doing nothing and just hanging out together, but once two o’clock came around and we still hadn’t done anything that even slightly compared in value to being at church, I really just couldn’t wait until next Sunday when we could be there again!

We don’t go to church because we should, we go because it’s like an anchor for us. We rely on it. I feel so refreshed after taking the sacrament, renewing my covenants with God, and feeling His Spirit in abundance. When Mondays come, I feel ready for a new week. I feel motivated to do good and to be a little better, and I enjoy the fresh start. It’s subtle, but when I miss it, I notice the difference.

So basically what I’m saying is that I’m grateful for the little church that we get to attend each Sunday here in North Dakota and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that gives it meaning. We are so blessed by it!

https://www.mormon.org/worship — Jake took this picture through the window of the moving van when he first arrived in our tiny town. He was excited to show me where the church was. He texted me after the first Sunday and said, “I think you’re going to really like this ward. I have the feeling we’re really going to miss them when we leave.”

Hyrum’s First Birthday

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My little one year old, do you know how loved you are? I want to share with you a small part of the way I feel about you, my sweet little boy.When we first learned that you would be joining our family, I jumped into your father’s arms rejoicing. Even the thought of your arrival was joyful above even the most happy of things. And then you arrived, and when I saw your squishy little cheeks and your perfect little body I felt as if my heart would burst. I could not get enough of you. I held you as often as I could, kissing the crest of your nose so many times, as if I could convey to you in some way how much I loved you. But I don’t know if I ever could convey that deepest of feeling. It just came when you came. I love you without limits, without knowing who you’ll become, your talents or your goodness. From your glorious beginning, you were first His before you were mine, and I wonder if this feeling is precisely what God gives us parents so that we can feel His love. He shares with us a tiny piece of what He knows of you and your eternal destiny and how perfectly he loves you, and He packages it up in this transcending peaceful wonderful feeling we call love. And oh if I could show you how much He loves you! But that is something you will come to feel for yourself, in time. And it will be a most wonderful thing.
So for now, I will kiss you and cuddle you and sing you lullabies of your heavenly home so that you may know that the love we have for you spans oceans and skies, binding heaven and earth with the divine alliance of your earthly and heavenly parents. So for now may you know that you are so dearly, everlastingly, loved.Happy one year my dear, sweet Hyrum!
#mamanotes Hyrum turned one on December 30th. We were still in Utah at the time, so we invited both our parents for a little cake to celebrate (it was the first time we had any family nearby for any of the kids’ birthdays, so we were pretty excited about it.) My favorite part was watching Hyrum’s face while we sang Happy Birthday to him. He looked like this…
1st birthday (It was adorable.)

These two

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These two. They give me so many messes and slobbery kisses and earfuls of requests. They give me energy, exhaustion, and a new kind of fun. They give me hugs. And when they wrap their little arms around my neck, they give me love in bushels. They give me motherhood, something that I have hoped for since I was big enough to carry a doll. Between their tears and their giggles, they are refining me to be more patient, kind, and selfless. They are showing me how to be more playful and creative. They are reminding me to simplify, to give, and to be humble. They are teaching me how to be their mother, and in the process I am learning how to follow the Savior a little better. I think God meant it to be that way. So, these two… they bring me a whole lot of joy. What brings you joy? Share with the hashtag #thatwemighthavejoy ☀️

Sleeping Beauty

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Sometimes I just love to watch her as she sleeps. And when I do, I feel so grateful to have her. So grateful. She’s growing up fast, and I think I really need to slow down so that I can enjoy moments like these more often.

I am incredibly task oriented– I cannot sit still if I still have projects to finish and stuff to do on my list. Sometimes it’s hard for me to take time away for the little moments–really the most important moments. Like cuddling my little one, playing card games with my husband, and really just being there with them. I often think of two things that have really helped me refocus my priorities.

So many times I hear Thomas S. Monson’s words in my head: “Don’t let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” That has been some of the best counsel for me.

I also think of two lines from this sweet poem.

“Quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”

You can read the whole poem here.

So for now, I am working on slowing down, refocusing, and enjoying these little moments more.