Felicity turns 9!

Yesterday was Felicity's 9th birthday. We can't believe that she was baptized a year ago, time has flown by! She's growing so much, though. When you compare her pictures from six months ago, a year ago, and two years ago, it's amazing how she has changed. She's growing more mature and has been such a help to me as I get more waddle-y ;). She loves to make up games and projects for the boys, her room often is filled with three or four "stations" with different activities that the boys can rotate through. Our little cruise director! The boys (usually) love it, and Seth loves his "Yissy" and gives her big kisses. It's sweet to see their relationship.

The books she has been reading are getting more mature, too. She recently finished all the Narnia books (and wants to name the baby Lucy now--which isn't a bad idea, better than when she wanted to name Seth Strawberry Shortcake!) In school last year her teacher was reading "Summer of the Monkeys" (love that book) and was so excited about it she came home and we hunted up our copy so she could read ahead of her class. I remember doing that for "Incident at Hawks Hill" in 5th grade. I can't wait until we are exchanging books back and forth like my mom and sis/sis in laws.

She's so excited about the baby and she has to kiss her every night before bed (although by the second or third kiss I think she's just trying to push bedtime back a little). She always asks me how I'm feeling and if the baby is moving and even tries to help me out of chairs. That makes me laugh, she's like a little nurse. If she just knew how to take my temperature and time my heartbeat she'd be doing that, too.

She still loves horses and dancing and riding her bike. We're doing her second year of swimming lessons and even though she still doesn't like getting her face wet she thinks it would be wonderful to be a lifeguard. I don't think she's ever seen one have to dive off that tower into the water! She's a social butterfly and the best way to get her to clean her room is to tell her she can't visit with friends until it's clean. In school reading is her favorite, of course, and math was high on her list until they started into the multiplication tables! She'll be starting forth grade in a couple weeks, it doesn't seem possible that she's already old enough for that. Pretty soon she'll be learning math that I can't do and science that I don't remember and I'll have to work on memorizing State Capitols again so she won't be smarter than me!

We love our little Lissy and we're so proud of how she's growing and the choices she is making. She's a wonderful, strong person already and I can't wait to watch as she grows and learns more, even though I'm a little sad when I think of her as a baby I was packing around the USU campus or two years old and chasing our Rez dogs or four years old and "reading" books to Caleb and how many other memories I have from when she was really little. Happy birthday sweet girl and I can't wait for many more!

So it's Saturday afternoon and instead of mopping the floors, I'm filling out this questionaire from A Girl and A Glue Gun
http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/08/youre-so-vaini-bet-you-think-this-post.html
(Hers is more humerous than mine, but so are her crafts) Anyone else want to join in?

Making: Taggy baby toys for a new baby in our ward. Thinking about more hair stuff for Lissy. And something to put on the wall downstairs. we've been here for four years maybe it's about time. Of course, it has to be something unbreakable because that's where Farris throws balls at the kids. Don't tell the authorities. They like it. Really.

Cooking: Yes, I am. Oh, you mean that kind of cooking...does putting a Papa Murphy's pizza in the oven count? Actually, because we accidentally unplugged our freezer downstairs (oops) I made a few loaves of pumpkin bread and a few dozen muffins and two apple pies (in two days). And that's my excuse for why we enjoyed pizza last night.

Drinking: Water. Lots and lots of water. 90 degrees is a lot hotter this summer!

Reading: You caught me between books (I'm practically lost), right now I'm just reading the new IKEA catalogue. Any good ideas for books?

Wanting: To go to IKEA. And the library.

Looking: For the cute headbands I bought for Baby Girl Without a Name a couple months ago. My pregnancy brain is giving me a hard time.

Playing: Super Monkey with Seth. He brings his stuffed toy to me, I put the cape on, he giggles. He takes it off. Repeat. Better than Candy Land! Also flipping coins with Caleb. He laughs hysterically every time I guess wrong. Wow, as I write this I realize what a fun mom I am. My poor kids.

Wasting: Well, since I'm doing this, obviously time. It is kind of fun, though.

Sewing: Those taggy toys. I'm making balls, and maybe a dinosaur, depending on how I'm feeling. I did just finish my niece's scripture bag, here's the tutorials I used: http://threebears.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/little-boxy-pouch-tutorial/

(I doubled the measurements, and it fits the Bible and Triple with enough room for other stuff girls pack into bags.) For the lining I used: http://www.twelve22.org/2006/07/zipper_tutorial.html
(seriously the easiest way to put in a zipper. )

Wishing: For the Baby Girl Without a Name to be here instead of in there.

Enjoying: Popsicles. Cheap thrills.

Praying: Yes.

Waiting: And waiting. And waiting. That 8th month is so fun.

Liking: That my brother and sis-in-law and kids are living down here now. They rock. And that we're not moving. And big fans.

Wondering: Allyson? Maggie? Bryn? Hailee? Decided definitely against Annette.

Loving: Farris. He's washing dishes right now. My boys. They're helping. I'm loving Felicity too, who is representing our family at my niece's baptism. {Taylor, so sorry I couldn't come, four hours in a car at this point would make me cry. And that's only one way, so I'd cry twice.}

Hoping: For more rain. Sorry everyone, but I've enjoyed our Seattle-ish summer here in Utah. Wonderful.

Marvelling: At the different shapes my stomach can stretch into. Seriously, it's bizarre.

Needing: Not much. Maybe another Popsicle.

Smelling: The hand lotion a couple girls in the ward made. They're good.

Wearing: The biggest clothes I can find!

Following: Usually Seth. He is a busy kiddo.

Noticing: That Seth is quiet somewhere...hold on a minute...

Knowing: That I will not turn the water on in the bathroom for Seth no matter how much he whines for it--you see, he's wearing goggles, and he told me he wants to swim in there.

Thinking: It's going to be bad when he can turn the water on for himself.

Bookmarking: Stuff from the Someday Crafts Whatever Wednesday linky party. Like: http://www.cherishedbliss.com/2011/08/fabric-tea-party.html
and
http://purplestpecalin.blogspot.com/2011/07/chocolate-ooey-gooey-butter-cookies.html

Opening: Windows. And doors. Trying to get air circulating. Oh for A/C!

Giggling: At my kids. Joseph told me the other day that he had had "gobs of exercise" The phrases that kid finds...

Feeling: Tired and happy. It's been a good summer. Crazy, but good.

Questions about bumps

And the bumps I'm talking about are pregnancy bumps. As in my soccer ball sized stomach. And it actually is bigger than a soccer ball, I've compared. I'm a little afraid to compare it to a beach ball. Anyway, there are questions every pregnant woman gets, from both friends and relatives and from random strangers on the street:

When are you due? (and any day between June and August gets a sympathetic look and then is followed by "I'm so sorry, it must be hot." Yes-sir-ee-bob. I usually also get a look that says, "Your due date is that far way? Are you sure it's not twins, 'cause that stomach is huge." Yes, I have had the word Huge applied to my stomach. Y.W. can be blunt)

Is a boy or a girl? (With Felicity, we decided not to find out and be surprised. A lady in our ward asked that one, I said "Oh, it's a surprise." She looked at me like I was an idiot, and then said, "That happens sometimes, but do you know if it's a boy or a girl?")

Do you have a name picked out?
This question has been the hardest to field lately. I know I'm due August 30th (sympathetic look coming from the computer screen) and that it's a girl, but the name...not so sure. I've had LOTS of suggestions, which I do like to get, but then what do I do when I detest the name? It's hard to shoot down some one's suggestion and then get the hurt look because it belonged to a beloved grandmother (yeah, Bertha is not an option. I'm sure she was a wonderful lady). Usually I nod, and say, "that's nice" or something. But I do like to bounce off different ideas from people, so here's a list of what we like (or me anyway. Farris hasn't really offered an opinion, except for a couple that his eyebrows shoot up and he gives me look like "Are you kidding me?" He likes to name them in the hospital. I just like to have a handy list of suggestions to bring to the hospital) and what people have suggested (and sorry Nicki, De-De is not one of them. Way, way not one of them).
Lily or Lilianna
Britton
Grace (cute little Gracie)
Annette (Kind of going back and forth on this one)
Olivia (but I have a couple little neighbors named Olivia)
Mazie (My grandpa's sister name, she was the coolest lady, but we have also had a cat named Mazie, I don't want my daughter to have an Indiana Jones complex--remember he was named after the dog and look at all he's had to go through)
Ellie or Ella
Maggie (I've been telling everyone that it means a Father's Treasure, but it doesn't, sorry, it means a pearl. Which is still good. Maggie of Great Price. Ha.)
Abigail (this one means a Father's joy. Really.)
Bryn
Alleena (One of the branches of our family tree comes from the Allens, so getting creative with genealogy)
McKay (everyone says that's a boys name. But I think it would be fine for a girls name, too)
Alison, or Alice
Hailee (liked it better before I knew it meant "a field of hay." Hay fever runs in our family, so it might not be the best choice)
Brooke
Annie (too much red headed orphan vibe though?)
Emily
Megan or Meghan
Adele (But she'll have a cousin named Adalie, called Addie, so there might be some confusion)

My family, ever being helpful, has also suggested Far-Dee, which... yeah, say it three times and you'll see why that is really, really wrong. No can-do, Chad. Felicity likes Marigold, but I have to admit I don't like marigolds. She also thinks it's hilarious when she tells Joseph we're going to name the baby Josephina. He doesn't think so.
So anyway, any more suggestions? Any votes for or way against? We're working against a (sort of unknown, but still) deadline.

It's already August 1st?

Wow, July went by fast. So catching up:
We just got back last night from a trip to Idaho to visit the family. Farris loves to go cut firewood with my dad, and since Dad's shoulder has been having lots of problems this summer he can't go by himself. So Farris volunteered and spent all Friday up in the mountains. I spent the day sewing on my mom's machine--Bernina that she bought forever ago, inspiration for me getting my Bernina, which I LOVE-- and then we took the kids to the Lincoln County Fair. Hmm, never heard of it? It's probably the least populated county in Idaho, but a wonderful place to grow up. The fair is much smaller than when I showed my heifers (no, I don't mean my legs, silly, for those not versed in Dairy, that basically means a cow a little bigger than a calf, but not big enough to be a full fledged cow) and showed off my early sewing projects (thanks to my mom, she made sure my projects weren't going to fall apart). It was still fun to go back, and the kids loved the horses and other animals. They had lots of fun with cousins, too.
Saturday we headed over to Burley to spend time with Farris' family. More cousin time! and Judy's raspberries were needing to be picked, which my kids happily obliged. I'm going to be spending some time with spray-n-wash today, they get a little crazy in raspberry patches.
My nephew Tanner gave his farewell talk on Sunday. He's such a great kid. It'll be exciting to see how he grows on his mission, I'm sure the people in Ohio will be blessed to have him, as much as we're going to miss him! After church we headed home. We were going to stay until Monday, but Felicity starts her swimming lessons today and I was about finished with not being home, even visiting with people I love as much as Farris' family. The drive to Idaho wasn't bad, but oh the drive home...I think the longest drive I'm going to go on before this baby is born is to the hospital. I'm done. Luckily, I'm due in four weeks, and my babies come early, so hopefully in two weeks we'll be holding this little girl. Oh, I can't wait!!

The sign is comin' down

We FINALLY heard from BYU-I, and...we're not moving! If we were moving, we'd be glad, too, but I am relieved that now the biggest decision we have to make now is finding a name for Baby #5. It's nice to be able to sign the kids up for swim lessons and soccer and make other plans for the summer and fall. I feel kind of silly about all the drama I've been cooking up for myself, but, hey at least I was preparing for all possibilities. And once again, I'm reminded to rely on the Lord and stop worrying so much about the future. Think I can remember that now?

Just a couple Joseph quotes

Joseph is always saying funny things. Most he says very innocently, so we have to laugh behind our hands at him. Oh, what a kid.

This morning he told me his nose was walking. Which confused me, I couldn't figure out what he meant. Then he looked all embarrassed and said "Oh, I mean my nose is running." It made me laugh because he was so embarrassed about it.

The next quote I wondered if I should share, but Farris and I laughed hard about it. If you have sensitive ears, you can skip it. First you should know that Joseph doesn't say his R's right, and sometimes just skips them, and he also has a hard time saying his "sh" sound, and usually says it plain old "ss." Seth had a diaper rash and was crying as I changed his diaper, Joseph felt bad for him, and shaking his head he said "Poor Seth, he has a bad [ahem]" Just take away a few letters in rash--r and the h, if you get my meaning. At least he didn't say Seth was a bad [ahem].

And, yeah, by the way, we still haven't heard from BYU-I. Mormon standard time is getting a little absurd.

Trying to let my Soul be Still

Last week my attitude was pretty bleak, I was worrying and stressing about things I couldn't change and couldn't do anything about yet. I know so many other people that are facing much more challenging situations, but I let myself sink in to my own problems. I felt far away from the Spirit and I was grumpy with my family and anyone else that showed their face to me (especially at nap time;)). Our house got messier--which never improves my mood--and I felt stalled in everything. I kept trying to keep up with my scripture reading and prayers, but I wanted to sulk and cry and wallow. My last post I could have made a lot worse, but I was trying to hide a lot of my feelings. But, thankfully, Heavenly Father still sent me some things that helped. I've been rereading John Groberg's book about his mission on Tonga (the movie The Other Side of Heaven is based on it, but the book is soooooo much better, read it!), and there were several small things he mentioned that sank into my hard head. Farris and I are reading the conference addresses for our scripture study together and no matter what the topic of the talk was, there was another assurance to let God handle things. The YW in our ward are getting ready for camp, and all of us leaders were supposed to write down our testimonies to give the girls throughout the week. In my present mood I have to admit it was a little tough, but bearing my testimony always helps strengthen my soul, so I wrote down some basic things that I know I do believe, even though I was struggling currently. I've also had some good friends reassuring me that everything will work out, they've seen it happen in their own lives. All these small things were adding together but I was still grumpy and stressed. On Sunday (after the usual haggling trying to get kids and self ready for 9:00 church, stress!!) I decided, well, really I think I was prompted to read the hymn "Be Still My Soul" during the sacrament. Farris noticed what I was doing, and he read it, too. Some of the lines that hit me were:

"Leave it to God to order and provide; In every change He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul; Thy best, thy heavenly Friend thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end." "Thy God doth undertake to guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last." "Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last."

Then in Sunday School and YW's there were more assurances. I guess while I slept all these things jelled in my heart and actually meant something to me because I woke up this morning feeling peace, finally. Before Farris left for work this morning, I told him I felt better, and he told me about a stake priesthood meeting he went to last night. Someone quoted a favorite scripture of his, one that he hasn't thought about for awhile:

D&C 123:17 "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, and with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for His arm to be revealed."

I've always had a hard time with letting Heavenly Father take over my life, I guess I'm too independent and hard headed--maybe hard hearted or stiff necked would be a better description, I want to do everything myself. If I can't see my path clearly I throw down the brakes and stress and bad feelings come pouring out. Maybe that's why Heavenly Father keeps putting me in these situations! When I thought we were going to live on the Rez the rest of our lives, I panicked and stormed, and then Heavenly Father reminded me that I promised Him I'd do whatever He asked. After a month of trying to align myself with that thought and finally feeling better about doing whatever He wanted us to do, He prompted us that it was time to move. He gave me that time to learn and now He's sending more lessons. Maybe I'll learn this time? I have a feeling this will be one of those things Heavenly Father has to teach me over and over again! I don't know, but I felt so peaceful this morning, I hope, pray, that I will be able to keep my soul still and CHEERFULLY let Heavenly Father take over. I'm not sure I can do it. But I'll be trying to let my soul be still.