Family pictures

So Kenni and Chris were so super nice and took family pictures of us yesterday. Luckily, it was before my belly got any bigger since right now it looks on the tad bit "pudgy" side. I can't wait to get the pictures of Tyson throwing Josh in the air, those are some of my favorites. And Josh's curls were perfect yesterday!! So thank you a million Bunk and Chris, you guys are the bestest a girl could ever ask for!

I love how Tyson looks so incredibly sexy in this picture, and I am making the weirdest face ever. Hehe, I love our relationship.

Huzza for families and the cutest child and the handsomest husband in the world!

So it has been a little bit crazy lately, and I am really glad. I love watching Josh but he is old enough now that he doesn't need me full time and it can get kind of boring. So luckily a few moms needed me to watch their kids, just for a few hours during the past few weeks, but it really livens the place up. Then I have been doing some grading for one of the professor's at the school, which I absolutly love doing. I can't wait to be a teacher someday, either that or a writer, whichever comes first. Or maybe both. Anyways, then Tyson suggested that I work on Family history indexing, so I have been doing that and I love that too. Plus, I have read "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and the third book in the Princess Diaries triolgy, and two Junie B. Jones books. I don't know what it is, but I can't get enough of middle-school/high school fiction.

Besides, all that side stuff, I have been watching Josh of course, and my goodness he is growing up fast. He is totally opinionated now. He wants to feed himself and he wants to eat what we are eating. He wants to go outside and walk everywhere by himself, unless I get near another child, and then he must be carried by me and that child must not even look in my direction. Apparently, he finds that very offensive. :) He says cheese, book, ball (that is his favorite), b-ball (he loves his little basketball and net), dad, hiya (a very friendly hello), Mooooooom (only in his great moments of distress does he ever call me anything), and yesterday he even tried to say butterfly, but that doesn't go very well. Oh, and he always says "Cha" when he wants to go outside and visit his friend Chaz. He runs, pretends to put on my make-up, and stands there while Tyson gets ready and wants to do everything he does. So Tyson pretends to shave Josh's face and put deoderant on him, and combs his hair and brushes his teeth, it is really cute. This morning, they went on a walk together and brought me back a lilac. They just love hanging out together.

As for our other child, I'm pretty sure I will never allow it to have caffine. It is already kicking like crazy and the doctor can't get it's heart beat measurement because it moves around so much. So the doctor says it is doing good and at the end of May we will find out the gender hopefully. However, this whole paying for the baby is not as fun as the baby. Oh well, that is how life is I guess. I would probably vent some, but my hands are too tired from typing this massive post.

I am a Martha

So I have always loved Easter. I am one of those people that loves every holiday and freaks out and dances in the aisles of the store when they start putting out stuff for the next holiday. Well, this Easter was really weird because I was so excited for it and spent so much time making the dinner, that suddenly, Easter was over and I didn't really even think about the Atonement and I didn't listen in church, I didn't even make an Easter basket for Puggles. It was really weird and I'm really frustrated with myself, because I feel like I wasted a holiday, and a really important one at that.

I was thinking about this today and then I thought of the story of Jesus with Mary and Martha. I don't know if I have ever actually read it before, but I have heard lots of people tell the story, so this is what my imagination has turned it into:

Jesus comes to visit his friends, Mary and Martha (and their family I'm assuming). He sits in the living room and is talking and telling stories to this beautiful Mary. Then Martha, equally as beautiful, comes rushing in, covered in flour and holding a bowl and spoon and asks for Mary's help making this special feast for their special guest. Martha is thinking about how frustrated she is because no one ever helps her and it is really important for the house to be clean and the food to be perfect for this amazing person that has come into their home. However, Jesus tells her to come and sit, to listen to him with Mary, for that is the more important thing.

It may be odd, but all my life, I have kind of pictured myself being more of a Martha. I have often been the one cleaning and cooking, doing the "important" work while everyone else gets to sit around and enjoy themselves (remember, this is how I see myself, it is probably very far from the truth as Tyson is usually the one cooking in our home). I often felt bad for Martha in this story because she doesn't even get credit for all the hard work she is doing. But then yesterday, as I was thinking about my hallow Easter, I realized how very wrong I have been all my life. Yes, cleaning and cooking are important things, and everyone needs to eat and it is nice to be in a clean home. But sometimes, that is not the most important thing. As Tyson said, we could have had a crock pot dinner, or corn dogs and tater tots, and no one would have cared. But there I was, freaking out about making this perfect meal and I missed every opportunity to listen, learn, or even speak about the Savior.

I don't ever want to miss another holiday, or another Sunday. Although, I am sure Martha was a good woman, I think I need to work on being more like Mary. I need to listen when my Savior speaks.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad! Sorry it is a day late, but I wanted you to know that I love you and that I so enjoy my many memories of you. You are such a happy, crazy person that I can't help but love you. Thank you for the many trips to Baskin and Robbins to get those double chocolate milkshakes. Thank you for all those late night talks, for coming to check on me in the middle of the night when I was up doing homework. Thank you for being so excited when I told you I was getting married and for being such a great Dad. Thank you for being MY Dad.

Conference

As always, I really enjoyed General Conference (www.lds.org). I have to say that I am so thankful for the internet because that way we could stay home and watch it while Josh took a nap so that we could actually watch it. When he was awake though, I tried to pay attention. I just have to say that I love the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. He is so sweet and funny. It is kind of weird in a way that so many of the apostles have died while I have been alive. I didn't actually learn the apostles until I was probably in high school, but even since then 7 new apostles have been called when others moved on to the other side of the veil. I am excited for the opportunity to get to know this new apostle, Elder Neil L. Anderson.

Anyways, my favorite quote from Conference was this:

"Fear not, be of good cheer, the future is as bright as your faith." -President Monson

This is what we do for fun...

There isn't much to do around here, and so we really have to find lots of things to entertain ourselves. Every spare minute while Josh is sleeping, Tyson and I watch Gilmore Girls, we are pretty hooked. Other than that, we stick stickers on our faces, hang out at airports in the cool kids sections (okay, that is only when we travel, like we did going to Utah), and dress up in each other's clothes, and take pictures really close to each other's faces with the flash on. So enjoy us doing what we do... :)

Sojourning in the Wilderness

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness." -1 Nephi 17:3

Lately, I have been reading in Exodus about Moses and the children of Israel and their journeys through the wilderness. Then last night as Tyson and I were reading in our study, we came across this scripture. Most of the chapter talks about the story I have been reading in Exodus, and I don't think it is a coincidence that I happened to be reading about them both at the same time.

Often I complain about my life. There is so much we don't have compared to "most people." Each month we really scrape by to get enough food and often I wonder how long it has been since I have even eaten fresh fruit or anything even relatively healthy. I wonder why we are here in the little town so far from both our families and why Tyson's job pays so little when he does so much. Sometimes I even find myself wondering how the Lord expects us to get by, much less to really save money and stay out of debt all our lives.

Then I read about the children of Israel and wonder, "why are they complaining, hello, they would have died slaves in Egypt? And didn't you just see water flowing from a rock a few minutes ago? Where is your faith?" Last night, I found myself asking the same thing about Laman and Lemuel, "what is your problem guys? Haven't you seen an angel? Why would you think Jerusalem is so much better than where you are now? Hello, you are going to the promise land, what more could you want?" But that is when it hit me. If someone read my story, they would probably wonder the same thing about me. So what if you have to have miracles happen to get you to be able to pay your bills each month? You are on your way to the promise land, deal with it.

I don't want to complain about my life. I am so rich. This sojourning isn't so bad. I have a nice warm apartment and a husband who loves me. Really I have it better than raw meat and manna. I have a little boy who obviously, from the chub rolls on his thighs, is not lacking in food. I know that Tyson and I are suppose to be here right now, that the Lord needs us here to learn something or to help somehow. I just need to keep following His commandments, and He will keep providing a way for us. It probably won't be the way I want. There probably won't be a raise, I might not publish a story, but maybe the price of milk will be cheaper or I will learn to cook without so much cheese. Maybe Josh won't need so many diapers. :)

It is just nice to know that even though where we are right now may seem like a wilderness to me, there is a promise land not so far away, and this wilderness will let me appreciate that promise land. And maybe right now is the promise land, at least in some ways. I am pretty happy, I have so much to be happy about. I mean, the wilderness is a lot better than slave driven Egypt right?