Count Your Many Blessings

It is easy to get bogged down with the mundane tasks of day to day life. It is easy to forget to look for God's hands in the intricate details of life. Sometimes it is nice to take a break and count your blessings. For me, counting my blessings helps shift my focus to God and it lifts my spirit. For the last week or so, I have been feeling particularly blessed for no reason at all. So, I thought it might be a good time to count my blessings.

• I have a home that keeps me safe, warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
• I am so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• I am grateful for my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and a beautiful son.
• We have enough money to make ends meet.
• I am able to be home with my son each day- it is both an honor and a privilege.
• Even though they live out-of-state, I have some really good friends.
• I have healthy food in my fridge and on my shelves.
• I have transportation.
• We have been blessed with freedom- speech, religion, etc. 
• I have a bountiful garden and four healthy chickens.
• I have clothes and shoes to wear.
• I have fresh water to drink.
• I am blessed to have a temple within driving distance. 
• I have been blessed with good health.
• I live in a relatively safe neighborhood.
• I have some really good neighbors.
• I live in one of the prettiest parts of the country.
• I am grateful for the firefighters who are working so hard to put out the wildfires that are currently burning nearby.
• I am grateful that I am able to seek medical care when needed. 
• I am grateful to those who touch my life for good.  
• I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the opportunity I have been given to repent and start anew each day.
• I am grateful for a living prophet who leads and guides with love.
• I am grateful for the beauty that surrounds me.

An Update On Life

A friend from church offered to take us out jet skiing and another friend offered to watch Bubba for us-- both offers were too good to turn down. The smoke from the nearby fires lifted enough that Andy and I were able to go on this much needed date.

The water on the lake was smooth as glass. Andy decided it would be fun to see how fast we could go on the get ski, he topped us out at 74 miles per hour! I'm sure glad we didn't roll, I think that would have hurt. He did almost throw me off the back though. It felt so good to be out in nature again!

As we were going around the lake we couldn't help but notice all of the fire fighter's tents setup around the shoreline. I could not do what those men do. I am so grateful that they are willing to put their lives on the line to help save the nearby homes and forests.

Bubba hasn't been doing very well with this sleep training thing, we think it is because he started cutting his second tooth. He has been up nearly every hour of the night this week and he has been exceptionally grouchy during the day. I feel really bad for him!

Future nerd in the making.

As far as development goes, he has been rolling like crazy! And he has figured out how to scoot forwards and backwards while sitting on his bum. Cheerios have recently become one of his favorite foods.

We participated in our local library's summer reading program. We spent a lot of time this summer reading books, singing songs and attending baby story time. Story time was something we looked forward to each week, I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, me or Bubba. We were thrilled when we learned he won one of the drawings. We were able to pick up his prize this weekend. His prize package included a bib, two pairs of Disney socks, several board books, four egg shakers (they make noises like a rattle- he loves them), a toy sheep, a book bag and a plush Ikea toy. We will definitely be participating in the summer reading program in the future!

We sure love Bubba and are so glad that he is part of our family!

The Sanctity Of Life

As we were walking through one of the buildings at the Oregon State Fair there was a very large booth that caused my heart to sink. This particular booth had a sign that said something about Oregon and abortion laws. As I briefly looked around I saw that the booth was being run by a group of senior citizens and there were all kinds of baby models on display. As I held my sweet little boy, all I could do was cringe as I turned and quickly walked away.

I was floored that the fair would allow a "pro-choice" booth be to setup. As we walked through the fairgrounds and drove home, Andy and I had a lengthy conversation about this booth we saw.

I believe that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. I believe that we are created in His image. I believe that our bodies are a gift from God. I believe that this Earth life, is a time for us to learn and grow and a chance for us to become more like our Father in Heaven. That being said, I believe in the sanctity of life. I know that there will forever be a great debate about when life truly begins, but I don't think that question will ever truly be answered in my lifetime. It is my personal belief that life begins with that first positive pregnancy test.

I remember taking a sex education class in middle school and more or less being taught that all it took was one time of having unsafe sex to get pregnant-- while that may be the case for some people, this was not the case for Andy and I.

We waited a long time for Bubba to join our family. We hoped and longed for the day that we could be parents. We prayed daily that our little one would arrive safely. We have many friends and family members that have struggled with fertility problems and have longed for the chance to be parents. Some have even tried to adopt and haven't been successful in that endeavor yet.

A few months back while visiting with a dear friend and fellow blogger, this same topic of abortion came up. This friend is religious but of a different denomination than me. She told me that many of her friends are of the option, "My body, my choice." The phrase, "My body, my choice" is selfish. Your body was your own until you chose to have sex. One of the consequences/blessings of having sex is becoming pregnant. Once you become pregnant your body is no longer your own, it is home to your child. While you can choose what you do with your body, you don't get to choose the consequences of your actions.

I used to believe that the only scenario that warranted an abortion was in the case of rape. This belief changed when my sister became friends with a young man who was a rape baby. If this young man's mother chose to have an abortion this wonderful human being would not exist-- how tragic that would be!

To those who may be considering abortion, I beg and I plead with you not to. Give that child growing in you a chance at life. Put them up for adoption if you feel you aren't in a position to raise that child yourself. There are so many wonderful people out there who are longing to bring a child into their home and lives and for whatever reason are unable to.

As I was talking with a friend at church, she said that maybe the booth was a pro-life booth. Upon further investigation, I learned that that booth I saw that was so disturbing was indeed a pro-life booth.

I have since learned that more that 58 million abortions have occurred in the United States alone since 1979 when abortion was first legalized. In Oregon alone more than 3,800 abortions have already taken place this year.

As far as I am concerned, abortion is pro-meditated murder. Let's put an end to it!

A Weeks Of Milestones

I think it is safe to say that we reached a lot of milestones this week, Bubba. On Monday you turned 9 months old! How that is even possible is beyond me. It feels like it was just yesterday that you were born.

Monday was also Eclipse Day as it has come to be known. This particular eclipse traveled across the United States. We live about forty minutes away from the zone where you were able to see the eclipse in totality. From our house we could see 99.4% of the eclipse. You fell asleep right before the eclipse happened, so I watched it on our back porch by myself. Daddy watched it at work with his co-workers. We both noticed that the temperature changed, it got significantly colder outside. The lighting outside looked more like dusk than a sunshiny day. It was a really neat experience! If there is ever another eclipse while we live in Oregon, I think we will drive to the totality zone to watch it.

As I was watching the eclipse I couldn't help but think of God. Events like this are not happenstance they are works of the Master's hands. I'm so grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father who creates such magnificent works of art for our enjoyment.

On Saturday we took you to the Oregon State Fair. This was your first time going to the Oregon State Fair and probably the last time we will take you-- there was a really disturbing booth at the fair, but we can talk more about that in another post.

The toughest Oregon State Trooper.

At the fair we looked at the art and horticulture exhibits-- Mommy and Daddy both really enjoyed that. And then we found the animals. The animals were your favorite part of the fair, Bubba. You enjoyed looking at the chickens, geese, sheep, goats, lamas, horses, ponies and pigs. We loved watching the excitement on your face each time you saw a new animal!

We cooled off outside in some mist.

The car ride home was a rough one! You were really tired and cried most of the way home.

Saturday also marked our first anniversary as homeowners. I can't even believe it has been a year already! We have made so many improvements to our home, but we have a long way to go yet. We have painted the entire inside of the house, we put sheet rock, insulation and shelving in the garage, we put in new light fixtures, we have scrubbed the inside and outside of the house from top to bottom. We have also put in some garden boxes, built a chicken coop, pruned the trees and worked on the overall landscaping. Someday, we will have everything the way we want it to be.

Sunday was 40 weeks and 6 days since you were born, little one. You spent 40 weeks and 6 days in my tummy, so I am counting that as a milestone too!

This week we decided it was time to start sleep training you. This decision was something we had been thinking about, but one night after getting only four hours of sleep we decided it was time. The last few days have been a little rough, but we are started to see some positive changes take place.

We love you so much little one! I know words on a page can't express the depth of our love for you, but I hope that as you grow older you will feel that love. Our lives wouldn't be complete without you!

Bubba At 9 Months

9 months! Has it really been 9 months already? Somehow I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that you are 9 months old. Where has the time gone? It feels like you have been a part of our family for forever, yet at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday that you were born. With each passing day it gets harder and harder to remember what life was like before you were born.

You're little grin isn't toothless anymore, it's a sign that you are growing up and it makes me kind of sad. When I look back at "baby" photos of you, so much has changed. Your hair has gotten thicker and darker. You've put on weight and gotten taller. You're eyes has changed color. You've gotten so good at using your hands! You roll all over the place, it is getting harder and harder to change your diapers. If things when your way, you'd be a naked baby. And you talk, we have heard you say: "Yeah Dad", "I guess", "Yeah", "Dad" and lots and lots of "Dada."

There's that first little tooth.

We love you so much little one, our lives wouldn't be complete without you! Please stay sweet.

Our First Tooth & Hiking Mount June

It's been quite the week, Bubba! Monday night you were up three times in one hour and then about every two hours after that-- it was rough.

Someone decided to feed Gandalf some strawberries.

Tuesday morning while I was feeding you, you bit me! That was a first.

We went to the library for story time. You really enjoyed interacting with another little girl, the two of you kept trying to touch each other-- it was super cute! I tried making friends with a few other mom's but they weren't interested in talking with me-- it made me feel really sad. I'm grateful that God put you in my life so that I always have someone who loves me by my side.

This is what we call Goku hair and I love it!

Later in the afternoon we went to visit Barbara and you bit my nose and it really hurt! Barbara said it could only mean one thing and she was right-- you started cutting your first tooth! You tooth was barely poking through your gums. I'm guessing that tooth is the reason you were up so much the night before.

Getting ready to go for a car ride.

On Wednesday I felt like I needed to get out of the house. I called up my friend Sarah and we got together to hike up the backside of Mt. Pisgah with her and her little boy, Ike. Ike rode in the stroller and eventually the trail got too rough to push the stroller so we ended up turning back. One of these days we will make it up the backside of the mountain.

Saturday morning we woke up and did some chores before heading out to climb Mt. June. The mountain was relatively close to our home, but the road to get there was super windy gravel road. I'm surprised that we made it to the trail head without getting a flat tire or high centering the car. We only saw two other vehicles while we were on this treacherous road.

On our journey we came across some huckleberries which was both a welcomed surprise and concerning. We love huckleberries and typically when people find them they don't share the location so we were surprised when we found them. We were concerned though because huckleberries also mean bears.

We started out hiking through a pretty wooded area. As soon as we started hiking I sensed darkness and it made me feel very uneasy. I said some silent prayers that we would be safe and immediately started singing. Whether the danger was seen or unseen I will never know, but I'm glad we were kept safe.

The trail was very pretty! There were rhododendrons, wild raspberries and ferns all along the path. At one point the trail became very steep, but it didn't stay steep for too long. I'm glad that Andy offered to carry you, Bubba.

The view from the top was pretty! There is a wildfire burning in one of neighboring towns and we could see it from the summit. When the smoke started blowing our direction we decided we better head down the mountain. 

Another "clown outfit" by Dad.

That face!

I feel blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world! We are so fortunate that we don't have to travel very far to enjoy God's creations.

Is It I?

For the past week or so I have been struggling emotionally. I have felt incredibly lonely which in turn has caused me to feel depressed. I started reflecting on my life and I realized that all of my really good friends live out-of-state. Those people who live close to me that I thought were friends have really let me down.

Have you ever made plans with someone and then when it comes time to execute said plans they won't answer the phone or show up? Have you ever text or called someone and they never got back to you? This has happened to me more times recently than I would like to count.

While at the library this week for story time, I tried chatting it up with two other moms but the one made it very obvious that she didn't want to talk to me. I got in my car and was on the verge of tears, when I realized that Heavenly Father blessed me with a beautiful little boy who is always by my side.

Some days though I wish my sidekick could talk with me and say more than "Dada." Some days I wish I had a friend to hike with, laugh with and occasionally cry with. 

I started questioning myself- Is there something wrong with me that people don't want to be my friend? Do I smell bad? Do I have food in my teeth? Am I weird? I've been assured by those closest to me that there is nothing wrong with me that people are just flaky.

Needless to say, I am in need of some new friends. Hopefully I will cross paths with someone soon.