Picture Catch Up

I really have no idea why I've been away from my blog for so long! It's nonsense! I am going to do better. I really do enjoy blogging. I have no idea why I've been slacking. So anyway, I am just loving loving loving the Christmas season. One of the biggest reasons is because MICHAEL IS DONE WITH FINALS! Just me, Michael, and Harlow spending time together for the next 3 weeks. Bliss. I have all kinds of fun stuff in mind for us to do while Daddy is home. And then... 1. MORE. SEMESTER. :)

So, since I've been away, we've been up to a lot of fun stuff!  We were the Flintstones for Halloween, Steph and I went to be in the studio audience of our morning show in SLC, we went to Colorado for Brookie Bear's wedding, we road tripped with Lindsey, Harlow learned to crawl, we had our annual white elephant party, we've enjoyed every day of playing with Harlow, and Michael and I have made some new goals involving scripture study and prayer and I can say with 100% surety that it has improved our lives.

Here is a bunch of pictures to give you an idea of our last couple of months. And I'll be back soon!

 Harlow and a few of her girlfriends, Evelyn and Ellie, at story time at the library.

 Brooke's family has a massive Nerts tournament every Thanksgiving and guess who won? Yep, Lindsey and I! I don't think we'll be invited back for any more Thanksgivings. 

 Sure thankful for these girls. We have so much fun when we get together :)

 4 corners!

 MOAB!

I just took this tonight before bed. She's climbing up on the couches now. Love that face. And those teeth!

I Believe

On Sunday mornings, there is a show on BYU TV called "I Believe". Michael and I watch it while we eat breakfast and get ready. I really enjoy it. At first glance, it looks boring. Just a man interviewing another person, every Sunday. But I've learned so much. Let me explain.

This show is an effort for all faiths to understand each other. Each week, the host interviews a leader of a different religion. It's really wonderful. The interviews are in no way mean or tricky. He is not at all trying to catch them in their words. He is a very kind man just searching for understanding. Something I have learned is that every faith has sacred rituals. Every faith has a core belief in kindness to mankind. Every faith is passionate about their beliefs. Every faith does good works.

So, this has had me thinking. Why, oh WHY can't that be enough for everyone? My faith is important to me. And your faith is important to you. Making negative and disrespectful comments about each others beliefs accomplishes zero good. If it offends one when people make rude and ignorant comments about their faith, then isn't it incredibly hypocritical to make rude and ignorant comments about the others faith? Why can someone make a rude joke about a Mormon and it's considered funny. But if someone makes a joke about Jews or Muslims, they're intolerant?  If we all, for the most part, believe in good works and helping our fellow man, then why do those beliefs so quickly fly out the window when someone engages in their sacred rituals?

For example, I was watching one of these episodes on Hinduism last Sunday. Their rituals are completely foreign to me. But what I was watching was beautiful. They were so passionate about their services and wedding ceremonies. I would never even THINK of disrespecting or degrading that, because I can relate to being so passionate about something so special to me. Yet there are some who are so quick to make fun of or question these things. I'm not perfect. We've all at one time or another made fun of something that's important to another. It's just getting so much worse I feel. Nothing is off limits. And it's heart breaking.

So, this show about religion, got me thinking about the political environment. I'm so sick of it. We live in a free country where we are free to think and feel and say whatever we want at that is a huge blessing. But, why must we use that freedom to bring others down? I am 100% for personal opinions. I have strong opinions of my own. And I think it's A-OK to disagree.  But, I by NO MEANS think it is appropriate to bully others in order to make your case. No matter your race, religion, economical background, ethnicity, it's NEVER ok to make fun of someone elses. I'm so sick of seeing people all over facebook talking about "those stupid liberals" or "those stupid conservatives". THESE PEOPLE HAVE FEELINGS. Just because they believe differently from you, it does not mean they are bad or that they should have to explain themselves. I truly pray that we can remember to be kind to one another. I feel deeply and strongly about my political and religious views. And I feel so hurt when they are mocked. So let's stop it. Stop mocking each other. Everyone's views are important. Hiding behind a computer and typing cruel things about people (candidates included) does not make a person any bigger. Quite the opposite actually, it makes a person a coward.

There's my vent that's been building up in me over the past year. Again, of course I've said things I regret and judged people that I regret judging. But, this is my pledge to do better. What our country and our religious congregations need are kind people willing to put their opinions aside and work together. So, I'm going to try harder.

A Beautiful Life

(You'll have to click on the picture to make it bigger. I can't make it any bigger because of my blog layout. I don't have any pictures of her and I when I was younger because that was before the digital age.)

My sweet Grandma Williams (my mom's mom), passed away last night. I feel such a feeling of happiness for her. She has been without my Grandpa since I was born... that's 25 years without her husband. I am so happy they can be together again and she must be filled with so much joy right now. What a blessing! I'm so thankful for the plan of salvation.

Though I am so happy that she is where she belongs, those of us here on earth are sad to lose her. She was one of those people who took things as they came, told it like it was, and made the VERY best of her life for almost 95 years. She just had a way of making things seem good. Nothing was ever that bad.  I think that must be because of how hard she worked her whole life, the loss she had experienced in her life, and the class she handled everything with. I never tired of hearing her talk about raising her kids and owning the flower shop and her mission, etc. It's such a beautiful thing when a person is able to live such a fulfilling life and then move on in peace. I will miss her humor and her sweetness dearly, but I am so happy for her.

Some of my favorite memories of my grandma are:

- Of course, eating her delightful cinnamon rolls! Mom would always tell us not to ask her to make them because she was getting too old and tired... but grandma always wanted to make them for us every time she visited and we milked that for all it was worth.
- One time she sat outside with my neighborhood friends and I and helped us make prank phone calls when we were younger...it was truly hilarious!
- She always wore a wig when I was younger. I remember seeing her take her wig off before bed and thinking that was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen in my life! I loved when she got older and embraced her beautiful white hair and had it done up every time we'd come to visit :)
- Many games of checkers. That woman did not mess around with her checkers. Hahaha! She may have used some strong words during a game or two... all in good grandma humor of course!
- She taught me how to play Flinch. A card game similar to Skipbo.
- Her and Grandpa owned the coolest/most unique house in existence, I'm certain.
- She always spoke her mind which provided a lot of laughs. My most recent experience with this was when I told her I named my daughter Harlow. She said she thought that would sound better if it started with a "C"...Carlow?? Sorry Grandma. Lol!
- She always sent birthday and Christmas cards. Always. She never forgot me. She has like a billion grand, great grand, and great-great grandchildren combined and yet, she always remembered me, and all of us.
- The woman was sharp as a tack to the very end. She could recall distant memories and tell me things I never got to know about my grandpa. She remembered details of my mom's life and I always loved hearing those things.
-I love reading her history and stories from her mission. She was such a faithful woman. Serving the Lord her whole life.

Those are just the first things that come to mind when I think of Grandma Williams. I truly feel so very blessed to be a part of her posterity.One of the many blessings during my grandma's last couple of days was that I was able to spend some time with her last week, along with my sister and my parents. I'll post on that great trip later :) She was a part in building a beautiful family and left quite a legacy. Love you, Grandma.

Do you want to share a peeve?

When there is something that bugs my parents, they say: "do you want to share a peeve?" I totally love it. Every once in a while, you need to share your pet peeves. So, here I go. I'm sure my husband is sick of hearing about them. And for some reason, I think typing them for the world to hear will make me feel better :)

1) LOUD CARS! We live right on the corner of a busy stop sign intersection. And like 3 houses down from the fire station. Worst. To all of you who rev your engines, peel out, drive RIDICULOUSLY noisy trucks or motorcycles, or run the stop sign and get in crashes...STOP IT! You're driving me crazy. The garbage trucks are crazy loud too, but I appreciate their service. And Harlow is terrified of the fire trucks and screams every time their sirens go off, but I also am thankful for their service, so that is not included in my pet peeve. I will just never buy a home next to a fire station.

2) UNKIND POLITICAL COMMENTS. I am totally cool with political opinions of course. I'm so thankful that we live in a free country where we can believe whatever we want. But I cannot STAND these comments "republicans are such IDIOTS" or "liberals are all morons" or worse. My goodness people, what happened to respecting each other? These "republicans" or "democrats" are PEOPLE. Not just a group of no named nothings. They are people with feelings and calling names isn't cool. Not even when it's in a political environment. Obviously we don't have to agree, but we really should stop acting like name-calling children and act like grown ups who know how to be kind to each other.

3) LOUD SWALLOWING. If you swallow loud enough that it can be heard across the room over the TV or other noises...remind me to be chewing something crunchy in your presence so the noise is drowned out.

4) UTAH ACCENTS. It is not dill, it's deal. It is not fumily, it is family. It is not sell, it's sale. Phewph, feels good to finally get that one out.

5) DISHWASHER SOAP DISPENSER. Mine doesn't open. My gosh. It drives me INSANE. Sometimes the soap comes out and cleans my dishes, and sometimes it doesn't. So, I have to wait to the end and see if the soap came out, and if it didn't, I have to run it again. Bahh it seriously sets me ON FIRE when it doesn't work!

That just felt wonderful. Now you all know. Those are the things that get under my skin. And I seriously think I'm going to sleep more soundly tonight now that I've voiced those things :)

In other news, things continue to go well for us here, so I truly have nothing to complain about. My mom and Dad and sister, Emily and her kids are coming to visit this week and I CANNOT WAIT A SINGLE BIT! More on that later!

6 Months Old and other news

Harlow is 6 months old! Lately, when I look at her, I just have flashbacks of my newborn baby snuggling me. When in reality, she is rolling all over the floor, sitting up, playing in her exersaucer, flailing all over the place, jabbering up a storm, and eating big girl food. Time has never moved faster. She is so much fun! She has her happy days and her cranky days, but she is truly a happy girl the majority of the time. She learns so much every day. Being her mom is so fulfilling and I love it so much.

I threw a baby shower for Lauren! She is due on October 3rd and I am so over-the-moon ELATED for her and Josh! They deserve the joy of being parents soooo much and they are going to be so wonderful and I love seeing her so pregnant. Isn't she beautiful?! I just can't wait to meet the sweet babe!

In other news, when we got back to Utah, it was just us and the Lances living her at the 4-Plex. It was AWESOME! I live in the top right apartment, and Steph lives in the bottom left. So, we don't share any walls. Since we have babies, that is so nice, so we don't have to worry about waking up any neighbors when our babies cry. WELL, that didn't last long. Two college boys moved in downstairs. All of my complaints are dumb. They're not even bad neighbors. I was just hoping to not have to share walls. The door slamming, cursing, full parking lot, and worry that Harlow is keeping them up at night is just annoying. Oh how I look forward to owning a home. 

And in THE BEST NEWS, my parents received their mission call!!! They will be serving in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Never heard of it? That's because it's just a small island of paradise located west of Fiji. They've had the call for a couple of weeks now and I can't keep quiet anymore! I'm so excited I have to shout it to the world!(I hope it's ok that I share this, mom!) I am so, very proud of my parents. They are sacrificing money, time with family, their home, and so much more to go and serve the Lord. I can't think of 2 more faithful servants. They are both such hard workers and so full of love, that I feel they are going to be Heavenly Father's hands in answering a lot of prayers over there. I cannot wait for the adventure to start for them and to hear all of the updates! And also, I am now saving every penny because seriously... have you seen this place??

Someday... SOMEDAY...

Late Night Date

Last night, I had a lovely late night with Harlow. Weirdly enough, I'm not being sarcastic... it was lovely.

Harlow went to bed at 8:15 and woke up whining at 11:45. My first thought was "come onnnnn, you're fine. Go back to sleep pleaseeeeeeeeeee". I checked on her, she was ok, just needed to calm herself down. I talked to Michael and we decided to let her cry. I've let her cry many times and usually I'm ok and she settles down quickly. But last night, I was a mess. I couldn't handle it. I stood in her doorway and watched her try to settle down for what felt like an eternity. She never did.

Michael and I had agreed to let her learn to sooth herself, but this wasn't normal for her, and I just felt that she needed her mama for some reason. I was just standing in the doorway, and seriously- I felt like someone shoved me over to her crib like... what are you waiting for?! So, I snatched her up. When she wakes up for no reason, I'm usually frustrated. But not last night. I was so happy to have her in my arms. I didn't put her back down. I took her out into the living room and we rocked and snuggled until 1:00 AM.

She was wide awake. Just snuggling me and staring at me. It was so wonderful. I was having flashbacks of when she was a newborn and just trying to enjoy that moment because she's already getting so wiggly that she doesn't snuggle me very often. Cheesy? Yes. But it made me emotional and I was crying at how much I love this girl and no matter why she woke up, tummy ache, bad dream, missing her mama... I was happy to help her calm down.

I swaddled her back up, put her in her crib and she woke up happy and smiling at 7:15 AM. It was super weird for her to wake up at that time, so upset. So I took advantage of it. I secretly think she needed me because I needed her :) We were missing each other.

I just wanted to document that moment, and unfortunately I'm terrible at writing in my journal lately, so here it is on my blog.

So thankful for my new job as a mom.

Transition Time Again

Goodness sake, Summer flew by! I have been slacking on my blog again because that's what I do when I'm off having lots of fun. We finished off our wonderful summer in Oregon by taking an anniversary trip to Diamond and Crater lake followed by a week at Horseshoe Bend with my parents. It was a truly wonderful time. It was so fun to show Michael my favorite places on earth and he loved it just like I knew he would. It was so nice to end our fun summer with mom and dad by spending a week laughing and swimming and playing games and hiking. Many wonderful memories made for sure!

After all of this fun...the end came. SAD. This summer has been especially wonderful because Harlow has been able to play with Grandma and Grandpa every day and Grandma and Grandpa have been a HUGEEE help to this mommy. Saying goodbye was something that we hoped would never come, but sure enough, it did. The only thing that makes it all better is the fact that we had the best time and we will be back :) So, happy thoughts only!

Now, we're back in Utah! There is so much I love about being in Utah, like spending my days with Steph and Evelyn! And getting to snuggle baby Emmaline! My computer is giving me problems with those pictures from my phone, so I'll have to post those another time soon. But Evelyn and Harlow are so cute together. They smile and giggle and play together and share toys and pull on each other. It's seriously cute. Emmaline Grace is PERFECTION and I could stare at her newborn beauty all day. There is also so much that I DO NOT love about Utah. I've been back for a couple of days and I'm quickly reminded of why I can't live here permanently. So, I just plan to stay at the 4 plex and play with my best friend and her baby. That way,the Utah drivers and crazy people won't bug me, right?

This is Michael's LAST YEAR OF SCHOOL! And even though there are things I don't love about it here, I am going to soak up every minute because I know I will be sad when we leave.  He is finishing his Masters in Accounting and I'm so very proud of how hard he has worked to get to this point. 

Here are some cute pictures of Harlow recently. She is SO much fun right now. Rolling all over the place, giggling and growing like crazy! That includes her hair haha! She gets more every day, I swear. We adore her. I thank my Heavenly Father for her every single day. What a blessing she is. 

I'll be better at posting :)

Call Me Maybe

My niece and nephew, Ben and Bella, are visiting this week and we have had SO.MUCH.FUN. I just love these 2. Obviously, I always have loved them, but now that they are getting a little bit older, we have so much in common because in my heart, I'm still about 15 years old. So, we spent our week joining the Call Me Maybe craze! We went all over town shooting our music video and it has been a blast! I am so thankful that I was here this summer to spend this week with them. We've made some great memories! So, enjoy. :)

Venting.

Well, I am sure that everyone has thoughts and feelings about the recent tragedy in Colorado. I am sure everyone has been saddened and has strong feelings about it. I do as well and I just need a place to express them. So, my blog is the place.

I almost don't have the words to express my horror. I was up early feeding Harlow when I heard the news that there was a shooting in a movie theater and 12 people had died with dozens more injured. Tears instantly came. I felt as if I was in there. I felt as if someone I loved was in there. I felt like I knew those people. And unfortunately, I mostly felt anger and fear. I cannot really get over those 2 things yet. The evil in this world is quickly becoming more than I feel I can handle. Don't get me wrong, I realize that I live a blessed life and there is a lot of good and joy in the world. But, the evil in the world seems to be showing its ugly head a lot more than I can bare.

There is always terrible things on the news, and this was just the last straw. I now feel this terrible feeling in myself that something bad is going to happen and I'm just walking around waiting for it, trying to avoid it. I feel like I need to always be looking over my shoulder. I hate this. That is so not me. I am an optimist. The innocent people who were hurt in this awful incident were normal people like me. They were going to a MOVIE for heavens sake. I can't get it out of my head. What normal thing will I be doing when something unthinkable happens?

Luckily, deep down in my heart I do know that people are good. I know that there is so much good in the world and that I can cling to those things. I know that I can fight these feelings by trying to be a force for good in the world. But for now, it's all very fresh and for some reason, it has upset me so much.

Lastly, my knowledge that we have a Heavenly Father with a plan is the one thing that gives me peace. He does not make mistakes. I know that Jesus Christ has felt every single pain of those people who have suffered and every sorrow of those mourning.

Just typing all of this out helps. I have had a million thoughts flying around in my head. "Why do I care so much" being the main one. It feels good to sort it all out for a minute. But as I type this out I realize that I need to learn a lesson from this. Life cannot be taken for granted. We must be a positive influence on the world while we can.

What was I gonna' say?

Hello! I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. We sure did. We walked the Butte to Butte this year and had a great time with a picnic afterwards and a firework show from Michael at night. We are finally getting some sunshine around here and it feels wonderful. We're taking Harlow out on a picnic today so she can actually learn what the sun feels and looks like! All throughout the week, I think about things that I want to blog about and then I sit down to type... and it's all gone. I forget! Darn it, well- until I remember, here is some pictures of our recent happenings. 

  

 Harlow is rolling over now. SO CUTE! She is super into her toes and her hands and she is working reallll hard on getting her binky in her mouth all by herself. I never get sick of watching her learn and play every single day.

Decisions, Decisions

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I believe in modern revelation and that we have prophets and apostles today that receive that revelation for the whole church. I am FAR from perfect at following all of their council, though I do try. Michael and I have had to make some tough decisions, and we often turn to our Heavenly Father and the council of our prophets when making those decisions. This is one example of a talk given that rang crystal clear to me. I pray, honestly pray in my prayers that others can understand this philosophy and support us, as we have counseled together. Sometimes even things that we want and that are really great things, are not realistic at the time. I included the link to the talk if you're interested in reading it, and I included some of the quotes that provided answer to my dilemma. Hi-lights added by me. 

Provident Living  by Elder Robert D. Hales

"All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways. To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others."

"I have learned that the three most loving words are “I love you,” and the four most caring words for those we love are “We can’t afford it.”"

"There is an equally important principle underlying these lessons: we can learn much from communicating with our husbands and wives. As we counsel and work together in family councils, we can help each other become provident providers and teach our children to live providently as well."

Hello Again!

As expected, summer has brought us a lot of good times so far. The only word we can use to describe our lives is: BLESSED. Michael is working at his internship and loving it. I am staying home with Harlow and loving it. We're still up to the same ol' stuff. Visiting friends and family and getting really excited to make Oregon our permanent home. Time is flying and Harlow has been disobedient and keeps growing when I tell her not too. Naughty. 

Michael blessed our pretty little girl on June 3rd. Michael's parents, Darren & Jill, Marc & Connie, and Anessa came for the occasion. It was beautiful and wonderful. She wore a perfect dress made by her Grandma LeAnn and it was a very special day. We had a great visit with all of our family and are so thankful for their support. Shout out to my mom who was terribly sick and still managed to throw a great party and be a wonderful hostess. Love you mommy. 

Moss Adams has assigned Michael to some clients in Portland, so he is spending a week at a time up there this month. Harlow and I went to join him for a couple of days last week and had tons of fun! We got to go to Caleb's pre school graduation, baseball games of Kellen and Caleb (SO ADORABLE), had an adventurous day downtown with Anessa, and stayed in a fancy pants hotel. It as a lot of fun!

 Immediately after that fun week, we went on to our family reunion in Rockaway Beach, OR. We lucked out and got 2 beautiful days on the Oregon Coast. It was so so much fun! I loved introducing Harlow to her extended family, people who are very special to me. We had a lot of fun eating and laughing and catching up with everyone. Harlow's favorite part was getting to spend time with cousin Ivy again. They miss each other terribly when they are away. It's so adorable to watch them do all the same things. Emily and I were quite a pair, always nursing and changing bums together all weekend haha!

 

 And that's HELLO from the Woodmansees for today.I love reading all of your blogs, so keep posting! Life is a constant adjustment with an infant. But it's an adjustment that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Fun Stuff

We've been loving life back in Oregon. Being here makes us so excited for this time next year when we will be permanently moving here! Michael loves to look at neighborhoods and dream about where we might buy a house. I miss my Utah friends (STEPH) very much, which makes me excited for the fall, but at the same time I don't want this summer to ever end because we're having so much fun. Life sure is bitter sweet at times, isn't it?! Here is some of the fun stuff we've been up to:

 I love my Oregon summers because I LOVE my time with Whitney. I love the fact that her and Harlow get to be buddies and I love just being able to see her whenever I want as opposed to twice a year like it used to be. We've been going to Zumba together twice a week and we totally love it!

 We went to see the Oregon Ducks scrimmage and it was a beautiful day to enjoy the weather at Autzen Stadium. Mom and I bet against Dad and Michael on which team would win. Girls won :) So boys took us out to dinner. Days like this are another reason we're loving it here. Fun outings with grandma and grandpa. Harlow LOVES it outside so she was a perfect angel as usual.

 I didn't want her head getting sun burned... so she was a little gangsta for the day :)

 We went for a walk around Hendrix park. Harlow loves her front pack, thanks Marc & Connie!! And Michael loves to carry her around in it.

 We've also got to spend some time with Aliya and her beautiful girls Lera and Veda. They are so cute and it's really fun to have some friends to get together with during the day. I could listen to little Lera talk all day long. It makes me excited to hear what Harlow will be sounding like.

 Mama and baby play all day long. We are the best of friends. I love her so very much and enjoy every moment of being her mom.

 Harlow LOVES her grandparents. She talks more for my mom then she does for anyone else and grandpa can really get her to smile. She eats breakfast with them and we like to say hi to grandpa while he's working in the yard. We are so grateful for them and all of their help.

 Most recently, Anessa came to visit us! YAY! She lives in Portland now and came to spend her days off with us. I LOVE HER FOR THIS! It was so fun to see her and we had such a great time. Come again SOOOON!

And my most favorite recent news. Harlow loves her hand. I mean... this is L-O-V-E. She stares at it all day and moves her wrist around and wiggles her fingers and she just looks amazed at how awesome it is. So, mom was smart and thought she might like a wrist rattle. We put it on and this is her first time with it. She was GRINNING at it! hahahahaha! She seriously loves it. SO CUTE! You can bet that if she's not eating or pooping or sleeping... she's looking at her wrist rattle. The joys of being 2 months old.

That's life! Michael has started his internship and is loving it again, which makes me very happy. I am back teaching aerobics twice a week at the church and I'm really enjoying it and being able to really exercise again. I'm hoping to get the energy soon to start working on some crafts or something. Having a baby is starting to feel normal and life is starting to flow somewhat smoothly. As always, we are constantly grateful for what a blessed life we have. 

Harlow is realllly excited to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Woodmansee next weekend. So excited that she hasn't been sleeping at night!