Noche de Hogar

Have I mentioned how much I love being in our little Spanish branch?

When they first called Dallin to be in the branch presidency, I admit that I was a little bit dubious due to a certain minor detail... I don't speak Spanish. I mean, I've lived in Arizona my whole life so naturally I'd picked up a little bit, but not much beyond a few words and simple phrases. I'm always game for a good adventure though, and decided to really make an effort to participate as much as I could (even with the language barrier), and I'm so glad I did. The people are great and there is always lots of fun to be had. Plus, I've really picked up a lot of Spanish in the past year and (almost) a half, so I don't feel so lost most of the time like I used to. They will probably keep us here for a while, and I'm really glad about that!

We have Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) once a month as a branch, and last month we went to the park to have a BBQ and go ice blocking. Here are some pictures!

The holding hands thing worked out well the first time... but that was just luck, apparently. Usually it went more like this:

And since this is my blog you better believe I'm just going to post the pictures from the run in which I managed to stay upright. I'm not even sorry.

Our esteemed branch presidency went down together once. They are awesome.

Dallin couldn't just slide down on his behind like a normal person, of course. If you don't believe me, keep scrolling...

What a nut I married. And I love it. 

Of course, there were plenty of less-than-smooth landing, but thankfully no one got more than a couple bumps and bruises.

Totally worth it, in my opinion. 

'Merica!

We had a great, laid back 4th of July!

I made Eli his 'Merica onesie, which was unfortunately a little too big. I think he still looks darn cute though! He looks so big in this picture, especially with those baby jeans, and I just can't even handle it.

I got to see Chelsey and Brynlee, which is always fun! Here we are this year...

...and here we are exactly three years before, before we both had our ginger husbands and ginger babies. Look how little we were!

It started dumping rain on us right before the fireworks were supposed to start, and after waiting an hour we started loading up to head home when all of a sudden the show began! 

And the boys slept through the whole thing. Goofs.

The pyro in me has always loved fireworks. We were only about a 150-200 yards from where they set them off, so we had a great view. Some of them were almost directly overhead, and we had pieces of fireworks falling on us too! There are probably still some in the bed of our truck. Some of the pieces were still burning, so my brothers kept running around stomping on them just to make sure they were out. 

I also had fun playing with the settings on my camera to get these shots of the fireworks. It was a little tricky without a tripod, but some of them turned out kind of cool, I think.

Happy birthday, America! I'm so thankful for this country and the freedoms I have because of the sacrifices made by countless people. I know I take it for granted too often.

Eli Thursday

19 weeks

It doesn't look very comfortable, but lately Eli has started sleeping like this, folded in half. And of course, he always has his hands over his head. Is there anything better than a peacefully sleeping baby?

Just some thoughts

Hot weather and myself do not get along very well. And to this mountain girl, hot weather means anything over 85º. I'm a wimp. 

Baby giggles are the best thing ever. The end.

My kitchen is clean still... but the rest of my house is kinda messy and it's making me anxious. Something needs to be done today before I go bonkers. Funny how now that I don't have much free time I actually want to clean...

I want to have my house painted and decorated all nice and purty, but I kind of stink at it. Too many choices for this indecisive woman.

Lately I've had the itch to hop on a plane and explore somewhere new and far away, but that's difficult because (1) plane tickets/hotels are 'spensive, (2) Dallin has this inconvenient but also very wonderful thing called a "job" and doesn't have much PTO that isn't spoken for already, and (3) I'm a leeeetle nervous to go on a major trip with a four-month-old. 

Speaking of said four-month-old, I just changed his second very poopy diaper of the day. It's 9:00am. Need I say more?

Yesterday I saw a bear in the wild. It was pretty dang cool. I'm glad I was in my car though, fo sho. 

"Gentle Ben, where's Bobby?" #namethatreference

Well, now that you know what's going in my head, how is your Monday morning going?

Eli Thursday

18 weeks

Eli sure loves his daddy. It makes me happy that they are buddies already, and that Dallin makes it a point to have "daddy time" frequently.

I'm a lucky lady to have these boys. Very lucky indeed.

This I Know

I've had a lot on my mind the last few weeks. Whether you are LDS or not, you've probably heard something about the Ordain Women group, its founder Kate Kelly, and everything that has been going on with that situation lately.

I don't think it is much of a secret that I don't agree with the aims of the members of the Ordain Women group. I tend to be pretty vocal about my feminist opinions (and yes, I do consider myself to be a feminist), but I don't want to talk about Ordain Women today. Maybe never, actually. I think there has been plenty of talk already, plenty of pointing fingers and choosing sides, and plenty of harsh judgements coming from all directions.

I don't know a lot of things. The older I get the more aware I am of that fact. I don't know Kate Kelly or any of the members of Ordain Women. I do not know exactly why it is God's will that only men hold the priesthood, although I do have my theories. I also don't know why people like shrimp, or why roaches exist, or why not everyone (my waistline especially) shares my opinion that cookies are an acceptable breakfast food. Sigh.

However, I do know this: the church is true. God lives. He lives, he loves all of his children, and he is aware of each one of us. That means you. Yes, you. This I know.

Because God loves us, and wants us to return to live with him, he has provided the way for us to do just that. He would not withhold anything from us that is necessary for our progression and salvation. This I know.

We came to earth to be tested, which means there will be times when our faith is challenged, but truth and goodness will prevail. This I know.

I love the gospel. I love it deeply. My religion is my rock and I am so thankful for the way it brings peace and strength to my soul. The gospel is pure and perfect, despite the imperfections of people. This I know.

I don't just believe this because I was born into the church. I had to gain that knowledge for myself, a process that took time and effort, and a process that continues every day as I try to fix my plentiful shortcomings. It is in my blood, and has been for many generations, but more importantly my faith is in my heart.

And even though I don't know everything, because I know God lives and what I need to do to return to him, I know enough for now, although I hope to continue to learn more each day.

Meanwhile, instead of looking for faults in each other, maybe we (myself included) should try to be more compassionate and kind, especially to those with differing opinions. We've got better, more important things to do with our time. Maybe we should serve our neighbors more. Maybe we should be less judgmental. And maybe we should talk more about Jesus.

Eli Thursday

17 weeks

He recently figured out how to pick things up, and even if you can't tell from his oh-so-serious face, he loves to sit in his booster seat and smack his toys against the tray. I love seeing him learn new things, plus it sure is nice that it keeps him entertained for a little while so I can get stuff done around the house!