Wednesday, April 30, 2008

My Heart Overfloweth with Gratitude


Gratitude for the wonderful friends, family, neighbors, and ward members who came to my rescue this week!

Gratitude for those who watched my children, cleaned my house, brought my family and I food. I love you all!!!

Influenza B is my enemy! Chills, aches, sheer misery! But throughout the past week, I have once again been blessed to see how many wonderful people I am surrounded by. People who jumped in to help when I was helpless to do anything. You are all such a great example to me!



p.s. Remember that post I recently wrote about running 4 miles? Well, now I can't even make it up the stairs without my legs shaking! Phooooey!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

It is 2 pm....

Me: Luke, it's time to take a nap.
Luke: It's not time for naps. The sun just came up.


Nice try Luke. Nighty-night.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Friend or Foe


My running shoes and I have a love hate relationship. For those of you who don't know, I am doing the Spudman this year. My husband talked me into signing up, assuring me I would be able to do it, but I must admit....I'm not so sure!

The day after I signed up, I started exercising. I rode the bike, jogged on the treadmill, or both. You have to understand this is a stretch for me, because my idea of exercising is a nice, brisk walk where I feel invigorated, not exhausted! But the fear of not completing drove me onward. I eventually started to gain a bit of confidence as I became more comfortable with biking and running.

Ahh....but with my confidence, my motivational factor (fear) went out the window. So for the past month, my exercising has been sporadic at best. When Monday of this week came around, I decided it was time for me to kick it in gear once more....and can I just say, it is downright depressing how quickly you can fall out of shape! Why can't it work the other way around?! Easy to get in shape, and hard to get out of shape--sign me up for that one!

After exercising (almost) every day this week, I decided to go for a run today....outside. I think to myself, "It will be way better running outside. You will enjoy the fresh air, the scenery, listening to your ipod, and you will have no distractions of the children sort." And I admit, it is better than running on the treadmill. BUT...not as easy as I had hoped.

I ran 4 miles (yeah for me!!), but only made it that far because of sheer determination. I was determined to finish without stopping. Also, I have to admit, running outside where people can actually see me, motivates me to keep going. I don't want to look like a wimp, huffing and puffing like I am going to die! I was winded, and my legs were tired, but I just kept going!! Never mind the fact that I probably look like an idiot when I run, and probably run slow as a turtle. All that matters is that I finished! Spudman...here I come!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Sydney's Big Day

Last Saturday, Sydney got baptized. She was SO excited for this day to come. Her Grandma Darla worked so hard to make her a beautiful dress, and then ran into complications a few days before the baptism. I told her no worries....I would be in Utah and could find her a dress while I was there. But Darla and dad went out searching and found this pretty dress. Darla added pearls and a bow, as Sydney requested, and Syd loved it!

She let me know days in advance that she wanted her hair in two french braids, just like her cousin Saydi did her hair when she got baptized. However, knowing that my french braiding skills aren't the best, she worried about me getting the task done. She mentioned a time or two that maybe Aunt Elise would come and help me. But I assured her that I was up to the task!

On the day of her baptism, Scott and Josh both had basketball tournaments.....shocker! So we got up early to get a few things done before we went to games. Syd wanted me to braid her hair first thing in the morning, so I wouldn't run out of time. I told her not to worry, we would get it done. She went up to Grandma and Grandpa Pillings to play with her cousins, but kept calling me, wondering when I was coming to get her. She was really worried that I wouldn't have enough time to braid her hair. I told her we would be there by 3:30 and she paniced! She thought for sure we would never get her ready in time.....OK, she thought for sure I would never get her hair braided in time.

But I am happy to report, I did get the braids done, the food prepared, and the house spiffed up. Oh yeah, we also had to throw together a musical number! The only thing I didn't manage to do was get all my kids outside for pictures. The only kids in the pictures are the ones that came out when I asked. I was out of time and didn't even try rounding them all up! Oh well....just know that Scott, Luke, and Ben were all there looking handsome as can be!







It was a wonderful day! It is such a wonderful experience to see your child get baptized. What a special time in their lives. I love my little Sydney and I am so proud of her and the choices she makes. She is such a great kid who loves life, loves her family, and wants to do what is right. Love you Syd!!

Just a few questions that crossed my mind yesterday

Do you think Luke needs a haircut, or is this just a case of bedhead??? Digital cameras are great. Luke lets me take pictures galore of him, knowing that he can run over and see himself on the screen when we're done!




Why can't we have beautiful 75 degree weather every day??? You know, the kind of weather that just makes you want to do everything outside. It's way more fun to read books under the shade of the trampoline than it is to read them in the house!






What the .......??? Is that artwork on my deck??? This is a first, even for my children! Does anyone know if marker washes off of Trex? I'm not too hopeful!






Is the sun bothering your eyes Scott???
Like father, like son. Brek can't stand to go out in the sun without sunglasses, and no matter how hard Scott tried, he could not open his eyes. Maddy also has a hard time with the bright sun, and so chose to hide behind her hair. And where, might you ask is Ben? Sound asleep in bed.





Do you think my kids are excited for school to get out???
I found this taped to the side of my kitchen cabinets this morning. In case you can't read it, it says 'Days Left in School'. They are to cross off a number for every day they go to school with the handy dandy pen, which is so conveniently taped right next to the chart!

Ben rolls....or did he?!

Let it be known that on the 8th day of April in the year 2008, Benjamin Alexander Pilling rolled over. At least, I think he rolled over....I can't be too sure, since I didn't actually witness the act. But all facts point in that direction. I laid him on his back, left the room for a couple minutes, and returned to find him on his belly. However, he hasn't actually rolled since. He rolls all the way over onto his side/belly, and then gets so frustrated at himself for doing so. He definitely prefers his back.

So here is the difference between having your first baby and having your sixth baby. With baby number one, I was sure my baby needed to be rolling by about 4 months, since that's when my friend's baby was rolling. I was down on the floor trying to help him roll so he wouldn't be behind...heaven forbid! But now, I can't even hardly remember how many months old my baby is! When people ask me, I have to think about it for a moment! He is now almost 6 months old and (gasp) just barely rolling! But he is happy, content (as long as he gets enough food), and cute as can be!! What more could a mom ask for?!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

A True Prophet of God

Today we had the privilege of hearing our new prophet, President Monson, speak. As I listened to him speak, the spirit testified to me that he is indeed a true prophet, called by God. I felt an overwhelming amount of love for this man who has dedicated his life to serving others. Before watching conference, I knew that President Monson was a true prophet, but today, that knowledge was deepened and enhanced. How grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who loves us and watches over us.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Ravenous Wolf...El Pig-let-O...Starvin' Marvin...Little Pig, Little Pig


Just a few nicknames I've considered giving my baby who has developed quite the appetite! I think I can trace his desire to eat back to the day my dad gave him a taste of whip cream! Apparently my dad hasn't read those self-help books which explain the order you should introduce foods to a baby.....rice cereal, veggies, fruits, etc. Thanks a lot dad--now he won't touch his carrots! Just Kidding. And if it wasn't the whipped cream, I think it was definitely the lemon I let him suck on. You would think he'd pucker up and scream in protest, but he loved it!



I think I'll vote for Starvin' Marvin.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Happy Moments

Life is crazy, no doubt about it. But there are small moments each day that make me smile. Usually, life is so hectic, these moments come and go without much thought from me. Then they pass and are forgotten. So I am now writing down a few so someday when my kids are all grown up and there are no more huge piles of laundry or backpacks, coats, and shoes lying all over the floor, I will remember a few of those sweet little moments that make me so grateful for my wild and crazy family.

For example, yesterday as I picked up Sydney for violin lessons, I watched as she came out the front doors, saw my car, and started running. Actually, I would have to say it was more like bouncing. She is so light on her feet. She bounced right up to the car and hopped in with a huge smile on her face. It was so cute to see her enthusiasm for life just bubbling over. I think we outgrow this trait....running to get from point A to point B. But both of my girls are still in this "bouncing phase". When I drop Maddy off at school, she takes off running, hair bouncing up and down, often turning halfway around (while still running) to wave goodbye, or say something to her friends. She is usually laughing or has a huge smile on her face. I want to remember this mental picture, so common to me now, because I know things will change.

I want to remember the way my little Luke looks when he climbs into his big boy bed. He can barely get in on his own. He gets a foothold inbetween the box spring and mattress, then hoists himself up. I pull the covers up to his chin and can just see his curly head and big blue eyes poking out. Then he says to me in a whisper, "Sing me a song." He wants I am a Child of God, and he joins in singing with me. I kneel by his bed, my face close to his, and he pokes my nose, touches my cheeks, pokes my nose again, maybe goes for the eyes. I have to move my head to preserve my eyesight. When I am done I try to say goodnight, and he says, "Sing another song." It is so hard to refuse such a request. So one more song it is. Then he wraps his arms around my neck, gives me a kiss, and rolls over to go to sleep.

I want to remember scripture study....the good, the bad, the ugly, and mostly the funny! Luke is not exactly reverent during scripture study...in fact, he is a bit of a distraction. Tonight, for example, he was jumping on the couch. He would stand on the arm, jump onto the couch, lift his legs as he bounced high, and then land on his back. We kept trying to tell him to be quiet, but to no avail. However, all of a sudden it just struck us funny and we all burst out laughing. I love the sound of my kids laughing!

These are just a few moments....I'll save more for another day....another post....perhaps on a day when I feel like tearing my hair out....it would do me good to sit down and focus on the positive!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Lukeism of the Day

A couple nights ago, we were having tortilla soup for dinner. Luke wasn't too excited, but finally agreed to have a bite. He agreed to eat it if I fed him. He opened right up, in went the bite, then almost immediately it came trickling back out of his mouth.



Me (as I'm trying to stop the flow): Luke! What are you doing?
Brek (almost simultaneously with me): Luke! What are you doing?



Luke (with his nose wrinkled up and in a quiet matter-of-fact voice): It's a-gusting (that's 'disgusting' in Luke language).

Brek and I both had to turn our heads, because we couldn't contain the laughter. One thing about Luke....he always keeps us smiling!