May update

The view driving into Cincinnati, Ohio from Kentucky

I keep meaning to get this update written, but life keeps getting in the way. I just wanted to write about a few interesting happenings.

Our Easter basket

Our celebration of Easter was pretty low-key, although I really like the LDS Church's social media campaign #BecauseofHim. All the video messages, etc. helped us focus much more on Christ's life this year. I enjoyed my favorite Easter candy, Cadbury eggs and jellybeans, and Ethan has been enjoying sucking, biting, and throwing Easter eggs for the last several weeks. :)

Colsen being silly in the rain

Mother's Day included even more mothering than usual. Jason and I stayed with 3 children in our ward for about 24 hours while their parents were on a trip. Ages 8, 6, and 2, the kids were well behaved and fun to be around. Ethan enjoyed having different scenery and different toys to play with. He took naps and slept well at night, so we're crossing our fingers for the same results on our trip to D.C.

I had an interesting "first" experience a couple weeks ago. I bought some fresh salmon, and for the first time in my life, I cooked fish for dinner! I'm not generally a seafood lover and I really dislike the smell of seafood, but this salmon was amazing with no fishy smell! It tasted so yummy, I may have to try it again sometime.

One change that has made things a little easier lately is that Jason was released from the Young Men's and called as the Ward Clerk. Although this means more meetings for him, it also means Jason can take Ethan on Wednesday nights and during class on Sundays when I teach in Young Women's, which will be super helpful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Other than that, we're busy with the usual things...shopping, laundry, library visits, cooking, feeding and going out with missionaries, fellowshipping, visiting teaching, home teaching, book clubs, and doctor's appointments. Fortunately the weather has been really great, so we've also been able to go for walks at the park near our condo. Walking in the park is probably one of my favorite things to do. It's so quiet and beautiful in the mornings. I love it!

I love these two guys!!

Finally, if you're still reading, here's a neat experience I had a few weeks ago...

Saturday morning I felt prompted to write a note to a beehive, Lucy, in our YW that has been struggling. It was a little less busy today and I found some time to write a letter on a card for her. While I was writing the note, I felt prompted to give her a copy of one of my favorite picture books. I just happened to have an extra copy of it on my bookshelf in my room. I quickly wrapped up the book and put the card on the front.

I considered mailing it, but I wanted her to have it as soon as possible and I didn't want to bother with the post office since I was now including the book. I had the feeling that I needed to get it to her that day. I told Jason about it and suggested that we stop by her house on the way back from our big grocery trip in Cincinnati. He agreed. So after our 2 1/2 hour grocery trip, we took an extra 20 minutes to drive to Lucy’s house to deliver the package. Lucy's mom happened to be out in the front yard with their dog and approached us as we pulled into the driveway. I got out of the car and handed her mom the package and told her it was for Lucy. She immediately started crying and thanking me. I told her I just felt inspired to bring it.

A few minutes later as we were driving home I received a text message from Lucy's mom. It said: "Wow. Lucy squealed in delight at the book. I had never heard of it but Lucy said, 'no way. I have always wanted this book but I didn't know how to describe it to you!!' I am thrilled. So we have a date to read it together tonight before bed. Just can't thank you enough for caring. The letter was so beautiful and spot on too Julie. You really were inspired."

It was difficult to hold back tears as I read that text message and knew that the Lord knew and loved Lucy and let me be his messenger to deliver His love. I'm so grateful that I followed the prompting and could be part of that little love note from heaven for Lucy.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love this quote from Rachel Jankovic, quoted by Elder Neil L. Anderson in a recent General Conference.

 

http://www.brassyapple.com/2013/05/joy-of-motherhood-happy-mothers-day.html

It's pretty much how I feel about motherhood. I feel like I waited a LONG time to be a mother -- although not as long as some. Waiting was a very difficult trial for me. It's hard to describe the difficulty of it unless you've had to wait for something you wanted very much and didn't know if you'd ever get. I learned many lessons while I waited, some too personal to share on a blog. But I know the Lord did not leave me alone while I waited, and I know there was a purpose for why I was being asked to wait. Knowing those two things got me through many tough days, including Mother's Day.
 
Each mother has unique gifts and talents. One of my mother's gifts is music, and I'm so grateful that she shared that gift with me. She taught me to love and appreciate music. Because of my mom's patience and encouragement, I can sing and play the piano. I've come to appreciate that gift more and more the older I get.

I'm also very grateful to my mother for teaching me the true value of women. She has always loved and nurtured me, and I'm so grateful for her lifetime of service and sacrifice. I hope that I can live up to that example and teach my children to do the same. 

Another one of my favorite quotes is from Margaret D. Nadauld:

http://weseeitandmakeit.blogspot.com/2012/05/women-of-god.html

 I'm grateful that I personally know so many "Women of God," including my mom, mother-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, and close friends. Thanks to all of you for showing me what this looks like!

Ethan's 9 Month Milestone

Ethan is 9-months old today. It's hard to believe that it's already been that long! We had our well check visit and here are the stats:

Weight     20.2 lbs     47%
Height      29 in.        76%
Head Cir.  18 in.        64%

He is very happy generally, except when he's teething....which seems like a lot recently. He has 5 teeth now and two on the way. From personal experience I can testify that they are nice and sharp! He has also discovered the joys of rolling around. He doesn't do it constantly, but a couple times a day he'll happily roll all around the room. He hasn't made an attempt at scooting or crawling yet, but he's starting to get more frustrated when his toys are out of reach (usually because he threw them there) so we'll see if he has more motivation to get them. Ethan can also be quite the talker. He can say mamamamama and dadadadada along with several other sounds. He'll also usually respond to his name when called. His favorite food are those fruit puffs. I just introduced them yesterday and he gets really excited when I pull out the canister. Another favorite is being upside down, even just tilting his head back so it seems like he's upside down puts a smile on his face.

It's fun to see Jason interact and play with Ethan. We had everyone's attention at Costco the other day as Jason was making Ethan laugh and laugh. I think Jason and I will need to start talking about our discipline philosophies though. For example, Ethan started throwing his toys at the pews during the sacrament and started distracting everyone around us. Jason didn't even hesitate, he just poked Ethan right in the eye! It must have worked because Ethan stopped throwing the toys and started screaming really loud instead. They both made a speedy exit. Maybe we'll have to hold off on the poking punishment until Ethan gets a little older. : ) (Actually, Jason was trying to intercept a throw mid arm-swing and accidentally got Ethan's eye along the way. Ethan didn't cry nearly as long as I would have if someone poked me in the eye.)

One night last week Ethan must have been really bad because Jason fed him lemon juice with his oatmeal instead of a pineapple juice/apple sauce mixture. When I got home and discovered what happened I asked what Ethan's face looked like when he tasted it. Jason said he just took it like a man and ate a few more bites. I tried the lemon oatmeal concoction the next day and, boy, was it sour! I guess this just proves that a hungry boy will eat anything! I guess it also proves that I need to label my baby food jars a little better. :)