The Most Perfect Afternoon

No, seriously, though. It was the most perfect, glorious afternoon ever. Yesterday, we invited Megan Hebdon and Turner to come play outside with us, riding bikes and doing sidewalk chalk and such. It was so fun. Brooke and Turner loved playing together, Millie just walked around with the stroller almost the whole time (and got her hands, feet, and knees SUPER black), and Megan and I chatted. Amazing! Well, anyway, we had made plans to hit the park together today, but she ended up not being able to go. And I'd already told Brooke that we were going to the park, so she was, of course very anxious to go. So ... I couldn't back out. I sealed our fate the moment I told Brooke. :)

Well, after the girls got up from naptime/rest time, and after Megan said they wouldn't be able to go, we got ready and just went. It was beautiful outside today! Winter is the best season in Southern California. It was mid-70s this afternoon, but a little on the cloudy side, which meant it wasn't too bright. Brooke rode her Strider bike and I pushed Camille in the stroller. When we got to the park, I pulled the little toy stroller out and set it up for Camille to start walking around, which she did, happily. I took my phone out and started taking pictures (for Daniel -- now that it's busy season, he requires daily pictures of his girls) and then video. So, because I was doing this, I told Brooke to hop on her bike so I could get a good video of how well she's progressing on her little bike.

She rode around on that little bike for almost the whole time we were at the park, probably at least an hour. She rode the small loop around the playground area, and then she went and did parts of the big loop. And Camille walked around with her little stroller. She's getting to be a pretty confident walker with that thing, I'm surprised she hasn't just tried walking on her own. So, that's what we did -- Brooke biked, Camille walked, and I sort of followed them and kept my eye on everything. And it was so fun! Many times that we go to the park, we go with friends, which we love. Brooke loves playing with little kids, and I love having some contact outside of the house. But it was kind of awesome just going by ourselves. I loved watching the girls, and they really had such a great time. It was great to see them getting some good exercise in, too; their little cheeks were flushed and their eyes were bright.

It was a glorious afternoon! I was thinking, while I was watching them, how fun it is to watch my kids learn and progress. Brooke is doing way better on her bike and learning much faster than I expected her to. It's so fun to watch her confidence grow as she learns how to use the bike. She seems proud of herself and happy to be able to do something so cool and 'grownup'. And I'm proud of her, too. I keep telling her how awesome she's doing with it; I think it's pretty cool.

I said some silent prayers in my heart, thanking Heavenly Father for such a wonderful day!

The rest of our time at the park, I pushed Camille in the swings for a bit, Brooke and I played in the sand for a bit, and then we headed home, to make Nutella & Banana French Toast Roll-ups (which were delicious).

One more cute thing from yesterday before I close:

In the afternoon, after I got the girls up from naps, they started playing happily by themselves, and I thought that was the perfect chance to slip into my bedroom and read my scriptures for a few minutes. I was sitting in Grandpa's chair and reading, when Camille wanders into  my room to get the stroller. She didn't see me for some time, so I just watched her silently. She was in an odd position between the dresser and the stroller, and trying to turn the stroller around so that she could start walking. She struggled for a minute or so, and then started squawking (at which point she saw me). Brooke, after hearing her and seeing her struggle, came promptly into the room, also without seeing me, and began helping Camille. She pulled the stroller away from the dresser, put the fabric back onto the frame, and wheeled it in front of Camille so that she could go. Then, having helped her little sister, she turned and walked out of the room, back to whatever she was doing before. It was so cute and sweet to see. I have the best children on the planet! No doubt about it!

*From today -- I pulled out the 12 month clothes for Camille; she FINALLY grew out of the 9 months. I rediscovered these overalls, which, she looks far too cute in!

*Black hands, from crawling around out in the streets yesterday. She had a grand old time, and she got a bath immediately afterwards.*

Just Today

The girls and I had a pretty good day. We spent the morning at the park, after the girls got up and we all got ready to go. We always walk to the park. Lately, since Brooke got a bike for Christmas, I push Camille in the stroller, and Brooke rides her bike. She keeps getting better and better on her little Strider bike. Today she even started picking her feet up and gliding and balancing on her bike. It was so cool to see her progress to this point and learn it.

We sure had fun in the park. We invited some of our friends to meet us there, and some of them did today. Brooke had great fun playing with some little boys from our ward.  And it's always a nice little break for me to visit with some adults. :)

I basically tried to keep feeding Camille constantly today, because, after their naps, Camille had a well-baby visit with the Doctor. I wanted her to weigh in as heavy as possible. I'm not sure it made any difference, really; but she did end up having gained about 2 and 1/2 pounds. The doc was very happy, and I was too. Oddly enough, she still wants to run some more tests and have us go to physical therapy because she's not walking yet. Will it ever end with these people? I mean, really. I like this doctor, she's really nice. But it's a little ridiculous. I told her that Brooke didn't start walking until she was almost 18 months, and yet, she wants me to take the girls to more appointments, even though Camille will likely start walking on her own any day? Louise!

Camille does walk with help, really well. She pushes our little play stroller all over the house, and she's fast! She also walks and pushes around boxes, stools, and other things around the house. I'm not at all worried about her walking. It'll happen any day now. I'm not in any hurry for her to learn, despite what our doctor is saying.

We ended the day doing a little tiny bit of shopping (so that we can get through the end of the month), some dinner, bedtime, and I worked out.

Camille's Stats:

Height: 27 inches
Weight: 17 lbs. 4 oz.

She's finally on the charts!!

A New Year

January is near over, so I suppose it's a little late for a post with this title. The older I get, the more I appreciate and enjoy the new year. When I was a kid, it was always sort of a let-down -- the excitement of Christmas and all of the fun in connection with that Holiday was over. And now, on to a dreary, cold winter. But now, I look at it as a clean page -- a new chapter -- a new beginning. It's wonderful!!

We haven't done anything out of the ordinary since our return home from Medford. Daniel went back to work and was in a bit of a funk for the first few days after we came back. I wondered if it was because of having to go back to work. He doesn't like his job yet, and it doesn't help that the firm is over-staffed and that they are not giving him much work to do. Poor fellow! We've been expecting busy season to hit since we got back, and I think today is the first real day of it for us. Daniel is still at work, as I'm writing this at almost 9 o'clock. Here we go.

I'm really enjoying being with the girls. We spent about a week and a half sick, the three of us. Someone from church got us sick with a mild cold our first Sunday back. Camille got the worst of it, poor thing. She had a really runny nose and was coughing a lot; she didn't sleep or eat too well for that week. I had the best of it; I was congested and had a runny nose, but that was it, and I was able to carry on with most of my usual activities.

As much as I carry on about the negatives of living in Southern California, I confess that I am enjoying the fact that we can still play outside and go to the park ... in January. The girls and I went to the park one day last week with some of our friends, and it was beautiful. Brooke rode her new little Strider Bike, which she is really enjoying and which she is slowing getting used to. She can get going pretty fast now, though she's not quite at the stage when she pushes off with her legs, picks up her feet and glides. It's fun to watch her learning.

Camille is getting more and more opinionated, and she's been rather clingy and needy at times. Not all day, but several times throughout the day. I don't really mind. I realize how short-lived these days are, these days that they are always wanting to play with me and be around me. I am enjoying them. And I love being around my little Camille. I love picking her up and holding her. She does the cutest thing -- if I'm busy, and she wants to be held, I will pick her up and hold her and talk to her for a minute or so. And then I tell her, "Okay, Camille, I have to (insert chore I am currently working on ... make dinner, for example), so I need to put you down. Can I put you down now?" She thinks about that for a few seconds, and then relaxes her hold on me and starts pushing herself down. It's so cute that even though she wants me to hold her, she understands what I'm saying and that I need to do something else, and she decides that time was enough.

We've been having pretty good days lately. Over the past few weeks, I can't remember a single truly bad day, although I'm sure there was probably at least one. The girls mostly play well by themselves, and they always love when I take some time to play with them. They usually let me get my work done, and they're almost always fun to be with. Brooke has stopped fussing so much, and she's learning to ask nicely for things. I'm still working on the patience thing with her, and the not-having-to-ask-mom-a-million-times thing, but that one's probably partially my fault anyway -- I rarely respond to her the first time, even though it registers in my mind, and I answer (in my mind) in the affirmative. Ah, well. We're all works in progress.

The one thing that I am really anxious to work on with Brooke is potty training. Oh, the dread! Daniel and I have talked with her about it, she has seen me go potty on the toilet, I've nagged her about it, asked her to tell me when she needs to go, put her on the toilet for a long time so that she can try ... all to no avail. She doesn't want to do it. She has said that many times. And I just don't understand, and I don't know how to change her mind. It would sure be an uphill battle if I tried to potty train her when she doesn't want to do it. I can see why most mothers say that this is the worst part of parenthood. But, boy! I am tired of changing her poopy diapers! They are ... really bad these days! What is truly frustrating to me is that she is a smart kid, she understands, and I think she could for sure learn how to do it so fast. She has the control and all of that. So why doesn't she just do it? We have about three-quarters of a package of diapers left for her, and I told her I wouldn't by anymore diapers after that and she would just have to start going in the toilet. I hope I don't have to eat my words. I better get going on my research. :)

As for me, I have some goals I'm working on. I've updated my planner for this year and have all of my deep-cleaning scheduled out, as I usually do. And I'm already done with January's list. There are some projects I will likely work on this busy season, while Daniel is away at nights. I'm looking forward to changing up my capsule wardrobe soon (I'm getting a little tired of my current capsule, ready to freshen it up!). And I'm working really hard at losing the last little bit of baby-related weight before we get pregnant again, which may be soon (Daniel and I have been talking about our next baby quite a bit, and I'm feeling a bit baby hungry; just about ready for another!). I've been counting calories again. That seems to be the only thing that works for me. And I've added quite a bit of strength training to my usual exercise regimen. So far ... little success. I feel thinner. My clothes are fitting better. But ... the number on the scale won't budge. It's awfully frustrating. I just have to remind myself that consistency is the key. If I give up after only 3 weeks (or however long it's been), I won't make any progress whatsoever.

Oh! I almost forgot one important change in my life! I have a new calling. And it's an exciting one. After 2 and 1/2 years of serving in the Relief Society Presidency (and secretary), I am now the Primary Pianist! My dream calling! It really is the best calling in all the church. No dispute whatsoever. Primary is the best place, and behind a piano is the best place. So far I'm loving it. And it's also really fun to see Brooke, new little Sunbeam that she is, in Primary with me. I love watching her. She's so cute! She sits quietly and reverently in her chair, listening to the lessons and singing the songs. People all marvel at her, and I tell them, "Oh, that's just Brooke. I had nothing to do with this." I love that girl. She really is the sweetest little thing, so kind and so even-tempered.

Well, I guess that's all I have to write about at present. We are ever so blessed! We are all healthy and happy, Daniel provides so well for us (and he's also the best husband in the world), and we're very comfortable and content. The Lord is so good to us.

*Brooke sitting so reverently in Primary*

*This little girl sleeps in very late these days; this particular day, it was almost 9:30 when she woke up!*

*A family day at the park, before busy season started*

*It was just one of those mornings. Both girls crying, This is how it went: Brooke says, "Mom, can I feed Camille?" and I say, "Sure" and give her the spoon. Brooke tries to feed Camille, and Camille breaks out crying, so I take the spoon away. And then Brooke starts crying. And that's when I snapped the pictures. :)

December Pictures

*Camille was trying to put dolls shoes on. It was very cute!*

*Lately, Camille has been taking to pulling things out of the trash can. One day, she found a mango peel and started chewing and sucking on it.*

*We had a beautiful rainy day once or twice in December. And we took a little wet trip to the duck pond. It was wonderful!*

*Our activity for the Family Home Evening before we left for our trip was making snowflakes out of paper. And we taped them up in the window. It helped us feel very festive.*

Christmas in Oregon

We left for Oregon a few days before Christmas and stopped for a night with David and Kira's family. Daniel was doing an inventory account in Bakersfield a couple of days before Christmas, so we had to wait until he was finished with that before we continued on our trip. We love staying with David and Kira, though, and Brooke and Aubrey were thick as thieves. She loved being with her cousins. And I love Dave and Kira; they're my kind of people. We agree on almost everything.

Daniel finished his work thing around 4 in the afternoon, and we decided to do the rest of the trip in one shot. It was going to be a long day; but, actually, the girls handled it very well, and eventually crashed later on in the evening. We didn't get to Medford until almost 1 in the morning. And everyone was still up, waiting for us to come.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were wonderful! We hung out as a family; ate some good food -- some delish homemade tamales (mom even made this OH SO GOOD vegan one for me, sweet potato with black beans and corn); read a Christmas story before a crackling fire; watched A Christmas Carol; Daniel and I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, Christmas Eve night, helping Mom and Dad wrap presents. Brooke was so excited about Santa coming, she could barely contain herself. And after having a little spiritual thought, we went in to see what Santa had brought everyone. Brooke's big present was a little Strider Bike, which she was really excited about (though she spent most of that morning coloring with her new crayons), and Camille's big present was a nice set of wooden blocks, which Santa and an Elf had built into a magnificent castle. Daniel and I didn't buy any presents for each other and instead spent our money on a nice new camera, which I have yet to learn how to use. :)

Once Diane and Houston's family (they had spent the morning with his family) and Julie and Mark's family (they had done Christmas morning at their home) arrived, we proceeded to open presents under the tree, and we all had a wonderful time. Brooke was so excited about Makai and her other cousins being there, and I think Camille just liked a new place to explore and so many people holding her and loving her and giving her all kinds of attention.

We stayed in Medford another 9 days after Christmas and did so many fun things with the family. Julie and Mark stayed for almost as long as we did, and the house was crazy with people. But so good. The one really bad part of it was that someone brought the stomach flu home with them and it just traveled through the family. We watched one person at a time, every single day, drop. About half of us were affected, and the other half were watching, agonizing over when their turn would come. We were fortunately in the half that was not affected; but it was seriously agonizing, just wondering if we would get sick.

We spent the time: playing LOTS of games; watching movies; going to see the new Star Wars movie (some of us); going bowling as a family; having a Murder Mystery dinner (just for the adults; Christmas themed, Daniel and I were reindeers, and I ended up being one of 2 murderers); I visited with some old friends from high school, which was just the tiniest bit weird; Daniel and I went on a fun date.

The girls just loved being around their cousins and surrounded by people, playing and exploring, although I do think that Camille may have been a tiny bit overwhelmed. She was fussier than usual, though that could also have been because she was only taking one nap. Stinker.

We had a marvelous time with everyone, and we were sad to have to come home. It was fun, though, coming home, in that we stopped halfway to see Michael and Michelle's family and stay with them for the night. We love that we have people along the way that we can visit and stay with. It really helps to be able to break the drive up for the girls. And then, it feels like the trip takes almost no time, because we only drive 5-6 hours a day!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Our Christmas was so wonderful! I don't know what it is about Christmas, but I tend to have my most spiritual experiences of the whole year right around Christmas. This past Christmas, I had the wonderful opportunity to be in the Stake Choir for the Annual Christmas Program. We practiced for more than a month before the program, and we were singing the most beautiful music. It was hard for me to get through an entire practice without starting to choke up. I just love the songs about the birth of the Savior and the most tender and precious time that must have been for those who experienced it.

Another something that helped me to feel the Spirit more than usual this last Christmas season was that I taught the Presidency lesson the first Sunday in December. Mindy wanted a special little Christmas program or lesson for it, and I was having the hardest time coming up with a good lesson for it. A few weeks beforehand, I tried to pull together some musical numbers for it, but almost everyone I asked said no; no one was willing to do a number in Relief Society for Christmas, which really surprised me greatly. And irritated me, to some extent. And this made it all the more difficult to come up with something 'amazing' for my lesson. So, I pulled together what I thought was the best thing I could do with what I could work with. I based my lesson off the song "C is for the Christ Child", and had a scripture, quote and video/song for each letter of the word CHRISTMAS. I started out by playing that song, and then went through each letter, having some of the sisters read quotes for me after I read the scripture. We sang a couple of Christmas hymns, I showed a few videos, and then I bore my testimony of the Savior. It went rather better than I thought it would, and I got many compliments. But mostly I wanted the sisters to feel the Spirit and the true meaning of Christmas, which, I think they did.

But in my preparation for my lesson, I was looking up wonderful Christmas videos, I was listening to beautiful Christmas songs, and I was doing a lot of research and study looking for suitable quotes and scriptures. And I sure felt the Spirit, and it was wonderful. Although I was initially irritated and unhappy, to say the least, when I was assigned to teach in December, especially when I realized how unwilling people were to help, it ended up being really good for me personally. And I am really glad that I was able to do it.

The last thing that helped me to get into the Christmas Spirit was that I started reading the New Testament sometime in October, following along in the New Testament Institute Manual. It has such wonderful commentary about verses and stories in the New Testament, and I really have loved reading about the life of the Savior with all of that additional insight. It made my study of the scriptures more meaningful. There was one part that I particularly loved, that talked about the Atonement:

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated that in carrying out the Atonement, the Savior faced great challenges:

“First, an enormous sense of responsibility, for He realized that except it be done perfectly, not one of His Father’s children could return to Him. They would be forever banished from His presence since there would be no way to repent for broken laws and no unclean thing can exist in the presence of God. His Father’s plan would have failed, and each spirit child would have been under the eternal control and torment of Satan. 

“Second, in His absolutely pure mind and heart, He had to personally feel the consequences of all that mankind would ever encounter, even the most depraved, despicable sins.

“Third, He had to endure the vicious attack of Satan’s hordes while physically and emotionally pressed to the limit. Then, for reasons we do not fully know, while at the extremity of His capacity, at the time the Savior most needed succor, His Father allowed Him to shoulder the onerous responsibility with only His own strength and capacity” (“He Lives! All Glory to His Name!” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 76–77).

And also this one:

Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy described some of what Jesus endured in Gethsemane and later on the cross in order to free all mankind from the evil one: “With merciless fury Satan’s forces must have attacked the Savior on all fronts. … The Savior pressed forward in bold assault until every prisoner was freed from the tenacious tentacles of the Evil One. This was a rescue mission of infinite implications. Every muscle of the Savior, every virtue, every spiritual reservoir that could be called upon would be summoned in the struggle. No doubt there was an exhaustion of all energies, a straining of all faculties, an exercise of all powers. Only then, when seemingly all had been spent, would the forces of evil abandon their posts and retreat in horrible defeat. … The Great Deliverer has rescued us—saved the day, saved eternity. But, oh, what a battle! What wounds! What love! What cost!” (The Infinite Atonement [2000], 130–31). 

It's hard to imagine or believe or comtemplate everything the Savior had to endure to truly pay the price of our sins. Further on in this same chapter of the manual, it talks about how hard Satan was tempting Him, even right at the very end, because he knew that if the Savior slipped up once, just a little tiny bit, until it was completed, all would be forever lost. I'd never thought about that before! There were ample opportunities for Jesus to exact revenge on His persecutors and torturers; He could have saved Himself, for He was God; He could have allowed His pride determine His actions. But then, He wouldn't have been perfect, He wouldn't have been able to save us. That would be a heavy price to pay, indeed. But even amidst all that He went through in the last hours of His life, He did what no one else could! How grateful I am!

Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy taught that the Atonement required the Savior to endure the abuses of the Jewish and Roman leaders without sinning: “The cruelties and indignities suffered by Jesus during the various trials represented a last-ditch effort by Lucifer to cause Christ to stumble. A single misstep—a cross word, an angry outburst, even a moment’s indulgence in self-pity or pride—and all was lost. Hence, every possible indignity was heaped upon the Savior: false accusations; blasphemous outbursts; a crown of thorns; the horrible scourging by bone-embedded whips; the mock robe of royalty; the spitting, taunting, and physical blows of the soldiers. The whole pitiable drama was masterminded by Lucifer in the hope that he might yet find a way to nullify the Redeemer’s triumph at Gethsemane” (The King of Kings [2000], 106–7). 

It was a wonderful Christmas, full of the Spirit. As with almost every Christmas season, I gained a greater insight into the Savior's life, I gained a greater sense of gratitude and love for Him and for what He has done, and I gained a more fervent testimony and a more fervent desire to do what He asks me to do.