Lesson from a 5 year old

Last night while at my parents home for Sunday dinner we were hanging around the kitchen visiting when my 5 year old neice came up the stairs crying and almost in hysterics.  Kayt told us she had gotten a bad sliver from the firewood downstairs (my dad had lit a fire in the fireplace and the girls had helped out). 

Tweezers and needle were both found quickly, all the while my neice continued to get more hysterical at the thought of putting a needle in her finger.  Her mom and I, as well as my mom, all tried to reassure her and explain the process in different ways so she would realize things would be okay and the needle would actually help her.  Her cries only got louder. 

Once her mom was ready for action with needle in hand, she tried to hold Kayt's hand to get to work on the sliver but Kayt refused to give her hand up.  She pulled and squirmed like crazy, all the while crying and saying she had to do something first.  I was about ready to get up to help Kris hold her to get the sliver out when Kayt folded her arms and started to pray. 

"Dear Heavenly Father, please help get the sliver out of my finger and that I will be okay and that it won't hurt...." and she went on. 

When her prayer was done she gave her mom her finger, covered her eyes and started counting.  By the time she got to 10 her voice was noticeably calmer.  She continued counting until the sliver was out of her finger and was completely calm. 

Through the hysterics of life it can be easy to freak out and act irrationally.  It's also easy to lose patience with ourselves and others as well.  Sometimes when bad things happen we find ourselves working calmly and surely to manage and improve it, all the while learning and growing and letting our rough edges become more smooth.  Sometimes we crumble. 

Kayt's 5, actually I think she just turned 6.  She taught me a lot yesterday.  She showed that when bad things happen you can turn Heavenly Father, talk to him and ask for help, and then take a deep breath and do what you need to do to help your prayer come true.  I forget to apply this pure and simple principle more often than I'd like to admit, but am so grateful I have amazing neices who have helped me remember this and many other important things over the years.  I hope I can be the aunt and later, Mom, who can help these types of strong spirits to thrive. 

Telephone Charades

Over Christmas break Justin and I had my whole family over for dinner and games.  Both of my sisters were in town and, since everyone else wasn't as busy, it being the holidays, they were able to make it too! We had a BLAST!!

The night was filled with music and laugher as everyone took a turn playing different parts in the family band, nerf darts with the little girls, and showing our true side in charades. 

Though some were fighting colds, full stomachs, embarrassment or all of the above, how else can family help than doing things to help you relax and forget it all!

We played Telephone Charades as well as Clue Charades and both versions were way funny.  The following videos are from telephone charades as it travels through each member of the team.  See if you can quess what movie it is.

Kristen part 1

Kristen part 2

Brad

Scott

Jeff

Thanks everyone for such a memorable night!  Though we don't all live close, it's always an amazing time when we get together!  Love you all.

Yellowstone Woohoo

Today we went to Yellowstone with Justin's brother Nathan and his wife, April.  We didn't see many animals at all like we were hoping, but we did see some pretty sweet fall colors and got to spend the day with fun little girls, and Nathan and April who're pretty fun too :) We also heard some growling in the woods while Justin and I were taking a walk, I was oblivious and focusing on the pretty trees and water we were walking up to but Justin got pretty nervous.  We weren't too prepared today but will always be prepared with a gun and bear spray from now on. 

Here's some pics of our day...enjoy!

"This is a steamy hot pool, it got pretty steamy by it." -Justin (haha)

Old Faithful...classic

Mmmm...foot

Lesbian River...ask if you must know

Big Stuff!!!

Every time I'm not feeling 100% , whether due to being tired, having headaches, or anything else, I always seem to get the question, "Are you pregnant?!"

The time seems right to let everyone know about the changes and the BIG STUFF going on in our lives.

..................................................  

      We Bought A House!!                             We Moved!!               I got transferred to Rexburg! 

Our Appliances are almost ALL Here (and installed)!                     

                                      

                                                           Thanks to Justin, almost all our Pictures are Hung!!

        Justin's in school and dreaming of Alaska!!                   I'm a Brunette!! 

  And....WE'RE LOVING IT!!

Okay, so a baby is not in the big stuff we're announcing, but there's still exciting things going on.  Here's some pics of our new home and what's been taking up a lot of our time as of late....

A townhome but still OUR HOME!

Love our big stairwell

Half the living room heading to the kitchen

Our backyard! Yes, shared but still SWEET! (Favorite Aunt and Uncle secured, haha)

My big kitchen!! 1,000 x bigger than our apartment

My big Kitchen #2- see future post of us finishing that table!

It was great to stay with family while we moved, but sooooo nice to have our bed back! Comfy comfy!

Don't feel bad if you don't notice the difference, not too many did but it's way different to me!

Thanks to everyone who were able to help us move out and in, who housed us and fed us while we were homeless or without appliances for cooking food.  All I can say is that we have incredible families! 

Okay Okay, so don't be mad for thinking I was announcing a baby on the way by way of a blog post.  I guess I understand why everyone thinks I'm pregnant, or should be and am really not offended when people ask.  As they say, "my time is ticking." :)  But, I PROMISE we will be more forward in proclaiming that special announcement.  In the meantime, enjoy life and know that you're loved by us!

Just Fishin'

There's a tradition in my family that I don't think we often see as a tradition....fishing.  My brothers and sisters and I grew up hiking down to a river with our Mom and Dad to fish all summer long.  We'd do this on back packing trips, day trips, camping out and any time Dad wanted to get away.  He'll go a lot on his own or with friends, but he often took us kids and that hasn't changed.  Often we'd end up swimming in the water and scaring off the fish, running from the fish or sqeezing them too tight, knotting our lines up really bad or losing our flies so Dad would have to come save us.  But save us he did. 

Mom isn't so much the fishing type, though she will sometimes with a rod and commonly by calling "Hey...Fishy Fishy Fishy!"  Even when she doesn't fish she still comes and either explores the world around, reads on the bank or just enjoys the peace and quiet. 

I heard a song on the radio the other day by Trace Adkins called "Just Fishin'" that really made me think of my parents, and particularly my Dad. 

Some of the best times I know I've had with him, and I could guess my siblings have as well, were as we've been fishing.  Scott's a big fisherman like Dad and they go often and just soak it up, but he's taken us all on trips by ourselves with him, and those trips I cherish.  One particular was the week I left on my mission and I didn't even fish, just sat in the boat all day with him.  Then after I graduated and got my own fishing stuff, had taken a class, and can sometimes hold my own now :) 

The youngest in the family, Cassi, will be leaving for college next week and last night she and Dad took a fishing trip all their own.  Building memories.

There's so many pictures of our whole family fishing over the years, and now a lot with all my nieces as well (though these pictures don't show everyone).  Dad's even teaching Justin how to fly fish and he caught his first fish on a fly rod last weekend!

We enjoy the outdoors.  We enjoy the sport of fishing.  But we're never just fishing.  Spending time together, doing something wholesome, has helped my family to be as close as we are, and our relationships to be as strong. 

It's the little moments when you're not focused on building a relationship that relationships are built, and those little moments are a tradition in my family.  From "Hey fishy fishy fishy" to "Hold your tip up and let your line straighten out." 

I hope to keep this tradition of fishing....but not just fishing. 

Here's the song:  "Just Fishin'" By Trace Adkins

Rrrroooaaadddd Tttrrrriiiiipppp!!!

Somehow simply saying "road trip" it doesn't express the excitement of the experience enough.  Its got to be shouted from the rooftops, chanted in the car, and expressed on faces.  Hopefully with these pictures you get the point. 

Another free digital slideshow by Smilebox We had such a blast with my sister and her family!  Thanks for all the incredible food and fun times!!

Life is Precious

This afternoon while driving back to work from a meeting in Idaho Falls I got a call from my boss, "Hayley, I need you to go take care of things in Rexburg for the rest of the day and maybe through next week." I knew I was going to be taking over things there in a few weeks but hadn't even started getting familiar with how things ran there or the kids and their individual needs.  It turned out the woman who I was supposed to replace, who was due to have a baby in six weeks, had gone to the doctor this morning to find out there wasn't a heartbeat for her baby. 

After quite a day of running around getting to know the kids and their needs, taking care of paperwork and preparing for meetings tomorrow with parents of the kids I didn't know, I drove home, all the while the heartbreak of her situation hanging over my head.  While waiting for my husband to take a break off work for dinner I picked up a children's book that I had in my car (it was a gift for this same woman for her baby shower that was supposed to be that night).  It's a book I grew up with and will always read and sing to my own children.  It's titled "Love You Forever." 

It's the story of a mother who raises her son throughout the book.  As she raises him and throughout her frustrations and joys, as he's a sleeping baby, a crazy 2-year old, a playful 9-year old, a wild teenager and a grown man, no matter his age, size or location she crawls into his room while he's sleeping, picks him up and rocks him back and forth and as she rocks him she sings, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."  It's such a sweet and simple, short book full of the love of a parent and the child in return (you'll have to read it to find out the ending). 

I sat there thinking about the song the mother sang, how my mom sang it when I was young, and how my neices now sing it because their dad sings it to them as they go to bed.  But my mom and my brother changed the words.  They sing, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, Now and Forever my baby you'll be." 

Life is precious and eternal.  Sometimes in the midst of our plans with our loved ones we find out the Lord has other plans.  Like my friend, we're not always able to physically rock our babies or loved ones and sing to them or express how much we love them.  Sometimes they live far away and sometimes they pass on to the next life and aren't physcially with us anymore.  At these times the version my family sings is very appropriate, "NOW and FOREVER..."  Life is hard, period, and is harder when we can't see our loved ones and hold them tight and keep them safe.  But with the knowledge of the plan of salvation we can have hope that we'll hold them again, or for the first time and forever for my friend. 

I'm grateful for the people in my life.  They have made me who I am, and continue to shape me by their love, support, happiness and personalities.  Even though experiences like these are heartbreaking, I'm grateful for them because they cause me to hold my husband and other loved ones tighter (even though I may not sing to them).  I hope that I never get too busy, distracted or tired to show that their lives are precious to me, as they're here physically and when they're not. 

Love and family is NOW and FOREVER.