Ode to Leilani...

Here are my thoughts for the day. Look at how great my plant is doing! She is getting so big. As is the little princess in pink that loves to hold her all the time. This plant sits on the window sill in the kitchen. She seems happy there. She reaches towards the sunlight. I have no clue how to take care of this plant but she doesn't seem to mind. She just keeps growing. My kids are like that. I had no clue what I was doing when I became their mother. I still have no clue. But I trust that if I nuture this plant and love it, regardless of how I think it should turn out, it will turn out. Will it ever be appreciative? Maybe not. That's ok. Would I nourish it anyway? Yes I would. Even if it thinks it doesn't need me, it does. Even if it thinks its being judged by me. I will wait. I will be patient. I will do service. Service saves. I will take care of my other plants while this one goes its own way. And I will wait. Someday it will need me again. Someday it will realize that I just wanted to love it and watch it blossom. Maybe the blossoming will take longer than I thought it should. Maybe this plant will need me later. We shall see....

"Hey mom! Isn't the water beautiful?"

No, I don't think I am an abusive parent. At least not until my youngest said ,"hey mom, isn't the water beautiful?" Marysa told me this weekend that this trip was the best day of her whole life. Believe it or not, my little girls have never seen the ocean until this past weekend. It was amazing. So much fun that I didn't want to come home. That is until I walked in the door to my sweet 15 year old announcing that she did in fact water my avacado plant (now called leilani) and it was certainly growing and thriving. For you green thumbs, I will soon post pictures of leilani. I am so proud of her! Back to the trip! White sand, blue water, no cell phone ringing. I was actually enjoying myself. Now it's back to real life. But we will never forget hunting for crabs on the beach as a family -minus our two older girls who had other commitments. Aloha to all and to all a good Monday night. Read scriptures as a family before bed. It's always a good idea.

Best Friends are the Bestest...

Today I am thinking that I have the most wonderful, fantastic husband ever created. I actually think this all the time. It's just time to share it. After ten years of marriage I still can't wait to see him at the end of the day and I want to spend as much time as possible with him. He won't let me go to bed angry. He let's me drink as much Diet Dr. Pepper as I want without giving me guilt and he totally supports me in my church calling. What more can I ask for? He's so darn cute too! He loves my family and respects them even though we get a little nutsy sometimes and he will do anything to help anyone. How in the world did I get so lucky? I have no clue. This morning we went to Sonic (my favorite drink place) and there was no Diet Dr. Pepper which to someone as addicted as I am is pretty tragic, and he offered to go to another one. Helllloooo! Perfect husband indeed. To top it all off, he's a REAL cowboy and looks awesome in his hat. Oh, I love that man of mine!

I went to London this last Spring. It was beautiful. So green and tons of flowers. I don't have a green thumb, but I can make killer Guacamole. So, while making the guacamole this summer, I decided I would try and plant the avacado pit. And just look, it sprouted. Its brown and ugly, but its mine. I am growing it. I look at it every day. And I absolutely love it! It trusts me. It needs me and it doesn't talk back.

It's a Thursday and all is well!

Perspective...That is the word of the day. I have been given a new perspective. So much in my life takes over every minute. Jobs, church, kids, caprpools, family, ect. SIMPLIFY doesn't quite cut it for me. How? In what way? How about new advice? Turn off the television and have scriptures as a family. There, time together. Precious time together. Then, decide it's alright for your little girls to change their clothes multiple times a day even if you have more laundry later. They are only little once. Build them a stage in their room and let them live it up for as long as they can. We live in Arizona. The hot part. Not much to do outside if there is no pool. So, we can dress up, put on plays and have a band. I will put some pics on here soon. Turn off the tv and have a band. Fall comes soon and then we will ride bikes. Perspective.....Go to Mexico and pray the whole time no one gets abducted my drug dealers. That is this Friday. That is my plan. To enjoy my little ones on the beach and pray no one gets taken. They have never seen the ocean and now is their chance. A wonderful friend has given us the opportunity to go with them and stay in their home. Yipee! I will go, have fun, and again, pray.