Joy in the Journey

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”"

-President Thomas S. Monson

Homemade Tutu

So I really love the pictures of babies in tutus so I decided to try to make my own. Here it is. Paige loves it, when I put it on her she holds really still and rubs her hands across it. I can't wait for her pictures on Thursday. I am sure Annalee will be able to get way better shots than these candid ones of mine. Lets all pray that Paige will smile rather than the give the blank stare that i always get when I pull out the camera!

October Updates

We started out October with the 3rd annual girls reunion. It was a great time getting together with friends and just hanging out. Friday night we got together as just girls (NO KIDS) and spent the night eating dinner, talking, laughing, and eating some more! Saturday afternoon we had a BBQ with all our husbands and kids. It was fun to see these four together. They were all born within 1 month of each other and are very entertaining when they are together. As you can see getting them all to look the same way at the same time was IMPOSSIBLE! Paige was the most uncooperative, after the first few shots she refused to remain on her stomach any longer and would roll over the second that I put her back! STUBBORN, STUBBORN, STUBBORN!

Paige and Olivia are the closest in age, only 7 days apart.

All the girls! There were about 10 other cameras so none of us are looking the same way either!

Next this month, I FINALLY hung up the decorations for Paige's room. Yes, I know she is 6 months old but better late than never right? Anyways, this is my homemade contribution to the decorations.

This quilt was made for Paige by her Grandma Suze (Ryan's mom). She is so amazing! This quilt is handmade and absolutely gorgeous! I am in awe every time that I look at it. Although she insists that I use the quilt as a quilt, I just can't bring myself to put it anywhere but on display. It really adds the finishing touch to Paige's room and will be something that she will cherish forever!

And last but definitely not least: Paige has learned to roll from her back to her stomach! It is kind of funny actually. The other day she was laying on her back and I left her for about 15 seconds to throw away a diaper. When I came back into the room she was on her stomach! I was so mad because we had been trying all week to get her to do and and she showed absolutely NO interest, and then I MISSED IT! After that she again showed no interest in rolling. Then tonight I was laying on the floor next to her and all of a sudden she did it. Thinking that it was another one time occurrence I didn't think too much about it. Then she just kept going. Within the next 5 minutes she had rolled from one side of the room to the other. This continued for the rest of the night until she went to bed. I think we are in trouble with this girl. She is going to be a mover!