One Track Mind

Congratulations to Kirsten! She made the track team and will be running the 200. We're so excited for you!

The Climb

Hey everyone. Well I guess it's my turn to write on the blog. This is exciting, yes?

So the other day while I was babysitting, one of the little girls wanted to watch The Hannah Montana Movie. I turned it on reluctantly, because I really don't like Miley Cyrus. In the movie, Miley was getting into trouble trying to balance her pop star life with her normal life, so her dad made her take a break and go to Tennessee. He called it a "Hannah Detox". Miley was so angry at her dad, and resented him at first for "taking away her life", as she put it. Eventually, she started having fun and met a very cute guy who told her "life's a climb, but the view sure is great".

I started thinking about how I was sort of forced to take a break from my life. A few months ago, I was living life in the fast lane, being popular and just having fun, except I was neglecting the things in life that really mattered: my family and the Gospel. I didn't notice, or really care actually, what was happening, and just went along with the crowd. I ended up breaking curfew by a whole night, just to be rebellious, and got grounded (yeah, I am STILL grounded).

At first, things sucked. People called me all the time, wanting to hang out, and I felt left out, and I resented my mom for grounding me, especially for such a long period of time. My mom wanted me to take the time to strengthen relationships with my family members, learn more about the Gospel and try to live my life with those standards, and take a break from all of the drama that came along with being friends with those people I should have ever been friends with.

We all make mistakes, I'm just glad that I can recognize them as mistakes now. When I was rebelling, I thought I was too far gone, and any time I thought it would be a good idea to stop following the crowd, I just thought "oh no, I can't do it". I just wanted to get back to where I was in a split second, instead of working for it. But life is a climb, and you have to go step by step, with a little help, you can do whatever it is you set your mind to do.

I'm very grateful for my mom, and for her not giving up on me when I pushed her away. Parents give the best advice, hands down. I've asked friends what I should do, but heck, if I don't know, then why would they know? But my parents have been there, done that. I'm glad that I can go to my mom with my problems, and she can fix things just like that. I love my family, and I guess what I've learned so far throughout this whole, crazy mess called life is that it's a climb. But the view sure is great. I'm sure that this is the cheesiest thing I'll ever write, but that's okay with me. It's life.

Love, Emma.

I'm an Idiot (revised title)

Remember my recent post about Alice? And remember how I said that I KNOW that doing things like reading my scriptures, prayer, and going to the temple give me strength? Yep, it's true. I said those things.

But really how do I know? Because part of knowing is doing, right? And what am I doing??

Well it turns out that some of those I haven't quite gotten to. And one of those things I couldn't do, even if I wanted to...like today when I wanted to, you know in my quest to be better and be happier. That was when I just happened to double check if my temple recommend was current. Guess what? It's not. And hasn't been since um, well, like JUNE! It's no wonder I've fallen down the rabbit hole. I haven't been seeking peace or searching for answers in the one place that I could find it. I'm lost and have been for almost NINE MONTHS! Sheesh!

Ok, so there you have it. I have work to do. Actually a ginormous hole to climb out of. Hope you won't judge me.

In the meantime, I'll be strengthening mother-daughter bonds in the form of making s'more cookies with my girls. Spending quality time with them is a definite POSSIBILITY!

Jaymison turns 6!

Yes, it's been over a month now...but Jaymison had her 6th birthday on February 10th! It's amazing how time flies! It seems like just yesterday that she was born. She was so little and sweet and as I look back, I know that I tried to enjoy every second. I hugged and squeezed her so much that it's no wonder she took off running down the street in only her diaper when she was just 15 months old. Little saggy diaper bum just reveling in the joy of not being smothered!

She chose to go to Pizza Pie Cafe in Provo with the family. Dad was working in California, but McKenna came with us and Jordan and Britton stopped by for a few minutes.


She was so excited to have a party this year. She invited 9 friends and I think that they had fun decorating cookies, playing Musical Chairs and Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and dancing to music.

Jaymison is still so sweet and is very thoughtful and compassionate. She is so helpful and will often save a treat so that she can share with Zoe or Zach. She is a little fireball and knows what she wants, but she keeps us laughing every day!

Happy Birthday, Jaymison!

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Last Friday I took Zoe to see "Alice in Wonderland". After much anticipation on the part of the teenagers around here, I was pleasantly surprised by Tim Burton's version of the classic adventure. We had a grand time with a huge bucket of popcorn and enough treats to feed the rest of the movie theater. Then we went to Costco. There I let Zoe ride on the bottom of the cart, with her head nestled into a super cute towel/robe. It was exciting, let me tell you.

Since then I have been pondering some of the themes of the movie. I don't want to give anything away, but as one who tends to read between the lines, I think that it is a great story of self-discovery. And it is inspiring. At least for me...and now our blog.

In the movie, Alice recalls something her father once told her about dreams. As a child, she was afraid of sleep and wondered if her vivid imagination was a sign of insanity. A man of big dreams himself, he quieted her fears and assured her that she was normal by saying "sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast".

Ultimately, his gentle reassurance enabled her to believe in herself when the time came to face the fire-breathing Jabberwocky.

Don't we all have our very own Jabberwocky that we must face? What is it for you? These days for me it is one huge dragon made up of the strain of nursing school, the stress of parenting, the everyday tasks of laundry, cleaning, and bills, and trying to meet everyone's needs. Sometimes even the simplest of tasks can seem overwhelming and one little curve ball leaves me teetering on the edge of sure destruction!

But here's what I learned from Alice. And even though I know I've heard it a million times, something about Tim Burton's crazy artistry made it stick.

Strength comes from within.

You have to believe in yourself!

It's a easy as choosing...Do you want death and destruction? Or joy and triumph?

What we tell ourselves over and over affects our attitude. And every day we can choose whether we will conquer or be squashed.

For me I know that strength from within comes through prayer, scripture study, going to the temple, and self-reflection. All so important, but seem like daily impossibilities when combined with 50 million other things that have to be accomplished.

But the point of all this is to learn from Alice. So, here's to believing 6 impossible things before breakfast!

teach them principles that will bring them peace and joy...

Totally stole that line from one of the greatest friends that I have ever had...you know who you are! And I have decided it will be my goal this year, my New Year's Resolution if you will (it's still January after all).

I have recently been feeling mired in the muck of life. Deflated, downtrodden, maybe even a bit depressed. Do you ever feel that way? Maybe it's the weather, the cold. Or the endless, multiplying piles of junk in the office, and in the kitchen, and in the kids' rooms, and in the basement (don't even get me started on the basement!). Oh yeah, and let's not forget about the garage. Just thinking about tackling those projects sends me crawling back into bed.

We have all of these things in life that are supposed to make our journey here a little easier, right? All of this technology to help us be productive. But instead of being productive and carefree, I feel overwhelmed and over-stimulated. I go crazy all day long and get nothing done. And what am I teaching my children??? Life should more about just getting through each day.

So tell me what you do to feel like you have really done something. How do you organize your day so that every day tasks are accomplished AND your children know that you love them and that Heavenly Father loves them? How are you helping them to be the person that they are supposed to be? How do you teach them principles that will bring them peace and joy?

Any, and all suggestions welcome.

Beyonce and S'mores

Beyonce and S'mores you say? Those are two things most rational people wouldn't normally include in a single sentence, right? But just ask Jeff...he'll be the first to tell you that I'm not always rational!

Okay, so back to Beyonce and S'mores. I can't get these two things out of my mind. Well, the song "All the Single Ladies", to be exact. I think that someone is secretly playing it while I sleep. I keep waking up with this song stuck in my head. Frustrating and catchy, all at the same time. I'm guessing that same person is describing the melty, deliciousness of s'mores as the music streams into my subconsciousness. It's the only rational conclusion I can come to. It could happen. Or maybe this frigid Arctic weather we are having is forcing me into warm dreams of summertime campfires.

Who knows?

So I had to laugh out loud when, while perusing some my favorite blogs, I came upon posts about these two extremely unrelated subjects.

On my blog route, I always check in with NieNie and her sister, Cjane. Imagine my surprise to find this funny post (when is she not funny?) about her attempts to learn the choreography to Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies". You can link to the video there, as well.

Then another surprise. At Bakerella a post about s'mores! S'more cupcakes to be exact. I know there are millions of cupcake recipes out there, but these, on this day??? How can this be?

Don't you think someone is trying to tell me something? You do? Okay, then tell me when I'm sleeping...apparently that is the best way for me to listen!

Until then, you might just find me learning Beyonce's moves while the S'more cupcakes are baking. Both very rational!