Splish Splash...I was takin' a bath!

We gave Owen a bath the other day and he was sooooo funny! Here are some pictures and videos of my hillarious little one.

Having Fun!

We had a couple of really fun days lately. Just thought that I would post some pictures of our recent days. We went to the Cache Valley Fun Park for FHE last Monday (because it is free for kids under 18 months) and he was so cute and very curious and all these new toys. He did really good until he saw a way out and then he would bolt to go explore. He is soooooo fun!!!

Our second trip was to the mall, where Owen and I go sometimes so that I can let him run and get out some energy. He loves to look at everything!

A Great Message

I had the opportunity to go to a Stake Women's Conference this last weekend. Sister Jana Staples (of the RS General Board) spoke to us and I really felt like it was something I needed to hear. I love going to church events (without a little one) because I forget how much one good meeting can recharge your batteries and help keep you motivated to keep going.

She talked about a few different things, but there was one part that stood out to me. She talked about how life is made up of 3 different lists and how recognizing what goes on those lists is life changing. Here are the lists:

#1: The essential list-Scriptures, Prayer, and qualifying for a temple recommend.
#2: The necessary list-service, work, cooking, exercising, chores, laundry...
#3: The nice to do list-reading, sports, crafts...

And then she made this statement (roughly quoted): I have tried to live my life with putting the nice to do list first and I can promise you that in most cases, it does not allow you the time for the essential list.

Why this hit home to me:
Every week on Sunday night or Monday morning, I make a to do list for the following week. I have done this for over a year. I thought long and hard about the things she listed and talked about and I realized something. If I am accomplishing the essential list (and most of the time I am) then I shouldn't stress so much about anything else on any other list. What a blessing to know that if I give just that small portion of my time and effort, the Lord will bless me and allow me to feel peace about everything else.

One of the last things she said was; the moments that are the hardest are the best times to grow.
I can't help but think of the stupid things that I "struggle" with, like not getting rid of a little baby weight or Owen teething and being a little more fussy, or whatever it is. I am so blessed and if that is the least of my worries (in a general sense) that it is easy to see that every day brings a new set of blessings. I really feel like I have a lot to be grateful for and I really felt touched by this wonderful speaker.

A day at the park...

The weather was so nice a few days ago that we decided to head over to the park. It was so fun to watch Owen with the toys and watch what we got excited about. I love these first two shots, because this is what I see everyday...a child on the move. :)

They have this toy at the park that makes music when you hit certain notes. He loved it! He just kept laughing every time Zac would hit it and make noise.

We tried out the slide...

And he was very curious about the stuff on the ground.

And the swings...

This was actually pretty sweet. Owen kept running over to this toy and we had to keep stopping him, well this little girl offered to hold on to him if we wanted to go really slow for a minute or two. I wish I got a better picture. He was all smiles.

We also ran into a good friend of ours and her kids. This is Sam playing with Owen on one of the toys. What a fun day!!!

Mom's Banquet

My mom got an award for Teacher of the Year and we are so proud of her! We got to go to her banquet, where she had a wonderful tribute and a really nice frame. I was really glad we were able to go and support. Love you mom!!!

For Owen

So, I wasn't feeling very good this afternoon. And I was wondering if I should call Zac to come home and let me sleep it off, but then Owen woke up from his nap and gave me this great big smile and has just been sooooo happy! I just kept thinking...I am so lucky to have such a good son that I love more than anything. So, I started looking back at some cute pictures and I just thought I would post some old ones for fun. Love you Owen!!!!

Easter Events

We had such a great Easter weekend (technically week). Zac took a couple of days off to ski of course, and so we went to Driggs for a few days. First, we had a visit from my sister and her gorgeous boy Ethan who just started walking. :) What a cutie!!!As you can see, Owen was just as anxious for a vacation as we were! He had a lot of fun playing on my suitcase.

These are a few pictures of Owen and nieces and nephews while we were up at the cabin! We had so much fun!!! We celebrated a few birthdays while we were there and so the kids got to take a few swings at the pinata and Owen got a turn too. He was so intrigued! He just stared the whole time. We had a lot of fun!!!

Don't you love that look? Why are you kissing me mom? Oh well! I wished I would have got some pictures from when my parents came to our house for the rest of the weekend. I was sooo tired! I actually forgot to get out my camera. We had a blast with them and were so glad that they came. Owen loved it too!

Sorry for the long post, but I just thought I would add a little bit about Conference. What an amazing couple of days! I felt like a lot of the talks were aimed at raising and teaching children. I was so touched by the stories and suggestions for doing this effectively! Some days you feel like you are just losing your sanity a little at a time and wondering how important it really is, but I really felt a new sense of urgency to be a good mom who teaches my son how to treat others and just be a good person. There were some excellent talks about faith and patience and getting through trials. What a blessing to feel the spirit in those messages and have such straight forward directions. I always love Conference! What a great week!!!!

Girls Night

We had such a fun night! We had been attempting to plan a girl's night for awhile and so we got our butts in gear and planned a fun night together. Most of it was spent munching on good food and talking about our lives and families and circumstances. Sometimes you forget how much you appreciate people until you get to spend some quality time together. I had so much fun!!!

Of course, some of us got a little lost...thus the picture of one of the 4 or so phone calls to get everyone in the same place. :)

These pictures may need a little explanation...Lisa's house has a unique opening in one of the walls, and Amiee thought she would see if a person could fit in it and thus a lot of laughing and time spent in what appeared to be a comfy little hiding place.

A couple of group pictures! I thought that I would just mention a few things that I love about these wonderful women...

Lynae: She is just fun! She is one of those people that just accepts you and loves you for who you are. She just makes me smile. And what a crack up, she is hillarious!!

Janae: She has a heart of gold! Janae is one of those people that would be there for you no matter what is going on with her own life. Always happy and optimistic. She makes you want to be better.
Amiee: What can I say about Amiee? She is a load of energy. She is fun and happy and just makes you feel at ease. She is soooo easy to joke around with and still has a beautiful spirit that is easy to feel and she is just fun to be around!

Whitney: Always willing to listen and reach out to anyone who needs it. She has a lot going on and always makes time for others. She has always been there for me. I love that I can just talk to her for hours, and feel like she really cares.

Lisa: Such an amazing friend. She has a way of always making me feel important. She has such a good heart and sense of humor. I have always appreciated the kind of friend she has been to me. Always willing to love everyone and just take care of them. Oh, and what a loving mom!!!

My conclusion: I have truly been blessed with good friends! Being a mom is a learning experience, it gets easy to feel like I live in my own little world and then I take a step away from motherhood even for a night and realize how blessed I am as a mother and a woman. Thanks for the fun night!