The Highlight of My Day: March 2009

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in March:

March 1, 2009: I introduced Scott and Emma to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Scott surprised me by sitting through the entire movie. Emma LOVED the music and wanted to watch it again.

March 2, 2009: We went to the library as part of FHE, then Amanda came over with her kids. Brad had a wonderful time introducing Amanda to U2's newest album, "No Line on the Horizon."

March 3, 2009: My mother-in-law is recovering well! She's walking up and down the stairs now, much to the relief of Emma. Emma has been worried and concerned about her grandma since the operation.

March 4, 2009: I went to my OBGYN appointment today. I ended up driving my mother-in-law's car, which scared me to death at first. The appointment itself went well. My baby is 25 weeks along; happy and healthy.

March 5, 2009: We had "Magic Wok" Chinese food for dinner. Yum yum!

March 6, 2009: Brad and I went to our marriage institute class tonight. The topic was on conflict management. I loved spending the extra time with my Bradley!

March 7, 2009: I went out to eat with Brad at Hires today. The food was great! We ran errands before picking up the kids in the evening.

March 8, 2009: Brad and I went 24 hours trying to be more positive and not criticizing others. Turned out well! It was a little harder than I thought it would be.

March 9, 2009: We had FHE with Bruce and Loralee's family tonight. We had honey-ham sandwiches for dinner, and we played a fun game (that has no name) with the kids. It was a charades/Clue/telephone type of game.

March 10, 2009: Brad and I took the kids to the library tonight. Brad's meeting in SLC was canceled (again), which meant he got to spend more time at home with us.

March 11, 2009: I got done my visiting teaching for the month! Hooray!

March 12, 2009: Scott and Emma got amazing grades this past term. Both are very good students and I'm so pleased with them.

March 13, 2009: I went on an awesome date to Leatherby's! I love my hubby!

March 14, 2009: Brad and I took Rosie to the dog park today for the first time. She was a little overwhelmed and overstimulated, but we could tell she loved it. We'll take her again soon.

March 15, 2009: Brad and I joined a choir for Stake Conference. We practiced for the first time today.

March 16, 2009: We went to the library for FHE tonight, then we dropped off some DVDs at Loralee's house.

March 17, 2009: I made green pancakes and green eggs for breakfast this morning. The kids loved that and ended up having a great St. Patrick's Day.

March 18, 2009: My belly is getting huge! I feel very pregnant!

March 19, 2009: I'm making updated 8x10 pictures for Brad's mom to put up in her hallway.

March 20, 2009: Today we had glorious spring weather on the first day of spring! Scott and Emma went to play outside with friends for the first time in a long while. Everything was beautiful!

March 21, 2009: We went to Ab's Drive In for lunch today, and later we went shoe shopping. I got some really nice shoes! I made chilli and cookies for the ward chili cook-off tonight. All four of us attended.

March 22, 2009: Today I gave my talk in Sacrament meeting with the YW Presidency. I did a great job and received many compliments. Also, today is the first day of my THIRD TRIMESTER! Hooray! Only 84 days left to Lizzy's due date!

March 23, 2009: My sick little Scott-boy stayed home from school today with a cold. To make things a little more fun, I offered a game of "Tomb Raider" for him to spectate, which he absolutely loves to do.

March 24, 2009: Brad and I took the kids to see my mother-in-law in the hospital. Emma was a little hesitant at first; worried that Grandma wouldn't be the same, but she was pleasantly surprised. Grandma is getting better! We want her to come home soon!

March 25, 2009: I had my mother-in-law's Lexus today, so I was able to run some much needed errands. It's nice having a little bit of freedom.

March 26, 2009: I made a yummy taco salad bar for our family dinner tonight. It was a huge success! Mm, mm!

March 27, 2009: Scott and Emma did not have school today, so I took them with me to get a cute baby bassinet, and then we played at a neighborhood park.

March 28, 2009: Brad finally got his haircut this morning, and I bought a maternity top and a new maternity swimsuit for my plump figure. Cute!

March 29, 2009: My mother-in-law came home from the hospital today! Brad and I spent an hour with her watching "All Creatures Great and Small."

March 30, 2009: Tonight we had a family home evening on honesty. Brad made up a scenario in which four children were telling the same story but had four different versions of it. The challenge was guessing who the liar was. Interesting.

March 31, 2009: Scott called me "Mama" when he came home from school today. That made me feel good.

3rd Trimester: Ready for the Final Stretch!

I officially began my 3rd trimester a week ago! My belly is growing larger and my baby's acrobatic kicks are getting stronger and occur more frequently than they ever have before. I love sitting on the couch or lying on my bed and watching my stomach move and shift in all sorts of strange positions. Her sporadic kicks make me laugh and giggle, especially when she surprises me by giving me huge POWS when I'm not expecting it.

It's amazing how much my love for my little unborn daughter has grown. I knew I would love my baby, but I did not expect to care for her as much I do. My heart swells with love whenever I feel her move, and I thank Heavenly Father for allowing me to carry such a sweet and innocent life inside of me.

I'm anxious for the final stretch to be over! I can't wait to hold my baby daughter in my arms and see her little tiny face for the first time. I want to smell her, see her, hear her, and play with her little toes as soon as they're ready to come out. I'm anxious to be a mommy, but at the same time, I'm enjoying these last few weeks of pregnancy as well. I feel so much better physically than I did in my first and second trimester. I still get the achy muscles and fatigue spells regularly, but the morning sickness has finally gone, and food continues to taste better as time goes by. It's nice not feeling sick.

I have a lot of work to get done before June comes. My room is definitely not ready for a baby, so I've got a lot of cleaning and organization to do. We need to make room for baby!

I bought this cute little bassinet a couple of days ago.
Isn't it adorable?

Spring Has Come! Or Has it?

I love watching the signs of spring settling in! Daffodils and tulips are making their way out of the ground, buds are showing up on trees, birds are chirping at 7:00 in the morning, temperatures are slowly rising. . . It's all so lovely!

This is what our front yard looked like on the first day of Spring (March 20th):

This is what it looked like on the second day of Spring (March 21st):





And this is what it looked like on the fourth day of Spring (March 23rd):




Yes, those are the daffodils.

Gotta love Utah weather!

My Husband the U2 Fanatic

My husband has been a huge U2 fanatic ever since he was a teenager. I'd say he has owned every U2 album made available to the public at one point of time or another, and he has almost all of U2's songs memorized. He wears U2 t-shirts almost every day to work, and he's always going to u2.com to check up on band updates. He has a membership online as well, and gets discounts for various purchases, including concert tickets for when U2 plays in Salt Lake.


Needless to say, Brad has been ecstatic over U2's newest album, "No Line on the Horizon." As soon as they released the songs online, Brad has been listening to them over and over again and memorizing the lyrics. I've been listening to the new songs, too, of course. I'm not nearly as big of a U2 fan as Brad is, but I have learned to appreciate U2, and I do have my own favorite songs from the band. I've learned that many of U2's songs grow on you over time. My favorites are "Where the Streets Have No Name," "City of Blinding Lights," "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and their newest song, "Magnificent."


Brad keeps me entertained by his obsessive interest in U2. Sometimes he makes me laugh and I have to tease him about it. Overall, I think it's great that has something he's so interested in. He's obsessed with U2 the same way I'm nuts over animals (and babies, right now). We learn a lot of new things together by being interested in different things. I have come to love and appreciate U2 since we've been married, and he's come to enjoy animals and nature as well. It's all good!

The Highlight of My Day: February 2009

My Favorite Photo of the Month

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in February:

February 1, 2009: Today I gave my lesson on "Individual Worth" in Young Womens. I was very pleased with the results, and I absolutely loved the topic.

February 2, 2009: Tonight our family went to Jamba Juice for FHE. I loved getting out of the house and spending time with my family while drinking yummy smoothies. Mmmm!

February 3, 2009: Emma is doing a wonderful job reading her AR books! I'm so proud of her!

February 4, 2009: I spent a good part of my day curled up, reading a good book. I've finally made some time to read my "Brisingr" book from the library.

February 5, 2009: I'm learning how to crochet! Tonight I went to the YW activity and learned some basic crochet skills. Brad and I went to Walmart later tonight and bought me some yarn and a crochet needle.

February 6, 2009: I went to my 20 week ultrasound today and found out that Chili Pepper is a GIRL!

February 7, 2009: We had a great turnout at Young Womens basketball practice this morning. I enjoyed watching the girls play.

February 8, 2009: I love snuggling with Scott and Emma in church. They are so sweet and lovable.

February 9, 2009: For FHE tonight we talked about self-esteem and our individual worth. We read a good book called "You are Special," by Max Lucado. Then we went to the library.

February 10, 2009: Today I am grateful for the little blessings and miracles that occur in our lives, even when we don't realize it.

February 11, 2009: Brad and I went to a first time mommy and daddy class at the Intermountain Medical Center. It was a rewarding learning experience, and I enjoyed spending time with my Bradley.

February 12, 2009: My highlight of the day was helping Scott with his science homework tonight. It was nice solving questions together and learning new concepts. I loved spending one-on-one time with him.

February 13, 2009: Brad and I double dated with Bruce and Loralee, and we went to our marriage institute class. The lesson was on the divine roles of men and women. It was a great class!

February 14, 2009: We had a lovely Valentine's Day! Brad made heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, and I made a treasure hunt for Scott and Emma. Brad took Emma on a date and bought roses and chocolates for me and her, and he took Emma to Jamba Juice. We all went to the Draper Temple open house later in the evening.

February 15, 2009: My baby must be an athlete! I am convinced she's either a soccer player or a ninja. My highlight of the day was feeling her move inside me all day long. I've never felt her move so much before.

February 16, 2009: Scott and Emma had their cousins over all day long today. My favorite part of the day was playing the piano and singing with my eldest niece, Lindsey. She loves music and spending time with others.

February 17, 2009: I loved cuddling on the couch with my sweetheart while watching "All Creatures Great and Small." My Bradley is WONDERFUL! :)

February 18, 2009: We sang Happy Birthday to my dad over the phone tonight. He turned 60 today!

February 19, 2009: I taught Emma how to memorize words for her spelling test by making them into a story. She loved it! I'm confident she'll get a 100% on her spelling test.

February 20, 2009: I played a little of Tomb Raider 4 with Scott. It's something he loves doing together with me.

February 21, 2009: The weather was beautiful today. Brad and I took the kids to Wheeler Farm for a Taco Bell picnic lunch. We loved walking around, looking at the animals, and I took lots of photos of Scott and Emma.

February 22, 2009: Tonight we had a dinner at our house for Mom-North. We had the Bruce-clan over as well as Marilyn and James. All the Melchizedek priesthood holders gave Mom a blessing. It was beautiful seeing all of her men standing around her with their hands on her head. What a blessed mother she is.

February 23, 2009: I got my visiting teaching done today! Hooray!

February 24, 2009: Margaret had her surgery today. The best news of the day was hearing that Margaret's doctor believes he got all of the cancer removed.

February 25, 2009: Margaret came home today! She's feeling miserable, but I'm happy she's on her way to recovery.

February 26, 2009: I was nursemaid to Margaret, Brad, and Emma today. It was a very busy day! I was grateful to serve everyone.

February 27, 2009: Brad and I have been watching "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy together. Tonight we watched more of the "Two Towers." I love LOTR!

February 28, 2009: I enjoyed my Saturday time with Bradley. We ran errands together, visited with family, and watched more LOTR.

My Dad's 60th Birthday

My daddy in the early 1950s.

Yesterday was my daddy's 60th birthday. Brad, the kids, and I called him up on the phone last night to sing Happy Birthday to him. It was nice hearing the happiness in his voice after we sang to him. I miss him and the rest of my family in California.

I have always loved and admired my father. He has always been a fine example of faith, high morals, values, and unworldliness, which were all qualities I wanted to develop growing up. Whenever I thought about the man I wanted to marry I would always immediately think of my father.

My dad was an active part of my life growing up. He never failed to spend quality time with my sisters and I, and I have lots of fond memories of him playing with us and teaching us music and chess. He rarely ever raised his voice at anyone in our family, and he rarely became impatient with us. I admired the way he would remain calm when he disciplined us, which often calmed us down during the process. I appreciate the time he took to teach us gospel principles and to share his testimony with us.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you!

My daddy on his wedding day in 1978.

My daddy in 1980, right after I was born.

My daddy in 1999 when Susie graduated from Young Womens.

My daddy at Rachel's wedding
October 2008.

My Testimony

My ward is currently putting together a collection of testimonies from the Relief Society sisters this month. After writing out my testimony and emailing it to the enrichment sisters, I felt the desire to record my testimony in my blog as well. I want my family to know that I indeed have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is very important to me.

I was raised in a gospel-enriched environment. My parents were both adult converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and had developed very strong testimonies before I was born. My sisters and I constantly felt the love of the gospel in our home, mainly because my parents never took the church for granted.

The gospel seemed to be the theme of my home-life all throughout my childhood years. We had family prayer every day, we read scriptures together, we had Family Home Evening every Monday night, we visited the temple often, we never skipped church, and we always kept the Sabbath day holy. Unlike my parents, I basically learned to take the gospel for granted while I was growing up, mainly because it was always there for me whether I wanted it to be there or not.

I relied on my parents’ testimonies for much of my early years and did not feel too strongly about the church. Things began to change for me, however, once I hit my teenage years. When I was about 14 years old, my stake made a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon within a year. I did not think much of it at first, so I did not decide to read it until the very last moment. My motivation was not purely inspired or wholesome: I had a crush on a guy who had already read the B of M a few times, and I wanted to impress him, so I began reading immediately without stopping.

Despite my true motivation behind achieving the goal, reading the Book of Mormon for the first time was a real eye-opener for me. I felt in my heart that it was true, and I decided right then and there that I would continue to make the gospel a central part of my life. I made the choice to go to seminary all four years, to earn my Young Women recognition, to have high standards, to read the Book of Mormon regularly, and to always stay active in the church whether I was “feeling it” or not. My testimony continued to grow in little small leaps and bounds the more I committed to make myself better.

I carried my determination to live a clean, pure life when I entered young adulthood. Although I had good, strong intentions to choose the right, Satan knew my weaknesses and how to influence me to let my standards fall. I began down the sliding slopes of temptation, and during those times of sin and transgression I felt the Spirit withdraw from my life. At one point I felt I had hit rock bottom. My self-esteem was shot, and I felt lost and confused. It was extremely hard for me to believe in the power of the Atonement and that Heavenly Father could still love me despite all of the horrible things I had done. Luckily, I had been attending Institute regularly at that difficult time, and in my heart I knew I had to repent and put my trust in the Lord.

Repentance was the key to strengthening my testimony. During that difficult time of change, the Spirit bore witness to me that my Heavenly Father did indeed know me and had forgiven me for my mistakes. I felt the Spirit return to my life, and in consequence I received many remarkable blessings that I know Heavenly Father had been waiting to bestow upon me for a long time.

I know without any doubt that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I know that the Atonement is real, and that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins so that we have the opportunity to repent and become a little better each day. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that he is the only Begotten Son of God. I believe in the restored gospel. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, is also a true prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know these things because I have felt the Spirit witness the truth to my heart. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me.

We Love Our Doggy

The other day I downloaded a bunch of pictures off our digital camera and realized that more than half of the photos had our dog, Rosie in them. As I was glancing through the pictures I immediately began thinking how much our family loves our dog. Sure, Rosie can be a huge handful at times, but overall we love having our clutsy, goofy, over-sized poodle in our home. She brings energy, laughter, and love into our lives, and we love spending time with her.

Here are a few photos of Rosie with her family in January:

The Battle of the Bacon

My number one nemesis during the first few months of my pregnancy was Bacon. The smell of Bacon, the sight of Bacon, even the very thought of Bacon made me want to hurl every single time I encountered it.

It puzzled me that no one in my house seemed to share my passionate dislike for this evil food. Nearly every day the awful, lingering smell of Bacon would slither its way through the house, mocking me and daring me to exterminate it, and no one besides me seemed to mind. On the contrary, my mother-in-law as well as my step-daughter formed an alliance with this sworn enemy of mine, and in consequence I was forced to retreat to my bedroom every time a BLT sandwich was made. Sitting in my room only worked half the time, because unlike some other revolting smells, Bacon knew how to sneak its way through the cracks in my door, finding me alone and helpless inside.

The worst part about my battle with the Bacon was the way the smell would linger and stay in the house for hours and hours. If I needed to use the restroom an hour or two later, the smell of Bacon would still be hovering in my hallway, waiting to torment me and ambush my room. It truly was an evil food.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The good news is that my first trimester is over and I'm halfway through my second trimester. Bacon and I are finally beginning the slow process of healing and acceptance. Today when my mother-in-law made a BLT sandwich I surprisingly did not rush to close my door. I even found myself walking into the kitchen afterwards, looking for a snack to eat. Perhaps Bacon was not nearly as bad as I thought it once was. Maybe I will learn to like it again.

Chili Pepper is a...

GIRL!

Our little Chili Pepper is currently 21 weeks along and she's doing fine. I'm so thrilled that she's a girl! I can't wait to start buying cute little pink dresses and other girly things. I am very excited!