Regular Life

Daphney, Demitri, and I are back to regular life and to prove it to myself we took a break from unpacking and getting the house back in order to go to our beloved Tuesday festivities. After a walk amongst Urbandale's parks and bike trails I noticed a peculiar acting man pacing near the front door of the library. He glanced at me like he loved children and was anxious to open the door for me. So obviously as a protective mother, I slowed my pace and hurriedly searched for something to delay my approaching destination. I found a nearby flower pot with draping flowers and talked to the children about everything I could concerning that pot, just short of counting every single flower. However, he was still there! I breathed a sigh of relief as a woman walked up, but she saw the man and began to busy herself in a phone conversation not too distant from where I stood. Man I thought to myself she is just as hesitant as I am to walk by this man. I slowly pushed the stroller over to another flower pot and busied myself there. (Not an easy task considering it was identical to the last one in which we fully discussed into boredom.)  After another woman came near the man and then turned around to go back to her car I felt validated  in keeping my kids away from that man. I wasn't quite sure what it was but this was just weird that nobody wanted to pass him. I was in the process of deciding what to do next like leave and get my kids out of there when I looked at a nearby sign that stated that the library was not yet open, and that is why everyone is waiting outside and acting strange as they themselves discovered the closed building.

So yes life is back to regularity where I am somewhat of a fool and people are actually wonderful and nice here in Iowa. Honestly Iowa has some of the nicest people that several times have made my day just a little nicer.

For example:

1.) The city lawn crew always stop on their lawn mowers every time we walk by. We will be far away or passing for the third time and they smile and patiently wait for us to pass. Just a sweet courtesy they provide by treating us as more important than the job to be done.

2.) One time I was leaving Aldi's and a lady who parked closer to the door than I did walked away from the store and to my car. My children were so over shopping and she knew it would be a struggle for me to put the cart away so she traded me her quarter and took my cart in for me. What a sweet lady to be thinking of me rather than how quickly she could accomplish the tasks on her list of to dos.

Idaho for the 4th

Summer fun began with our trip to Idaho.

 We were able to be there over the fourth of July and see the wonderful firework celebration in Idaho Falls. We also spent several days boating with four babies ages 1 and under; that is quite the adventure for Shane's younger siblings who are unaccustomed to babies. Daphney loved learning to tube and going bowling. This was Daphney's first time bowling and she was a hoot! Everytime someone would finish their turn she would run up and give them high fives and at the end of her turn she would give high fives all down the family line. Whenever the ball would come back through the machine she would cheer like that was the point to see if you could magically get your ball to return. Come to think of it maybe that was the point for her, because if it was not for Holly's help Daphney's bowling balls would have never made it to the pins where it could then be returned. 
It was a fun vacation for us all!

Baking Cookies!

Daphney and I baked cookies but we could not help but take some pictures of our excitement for the cookies while they cooked and finally cooled off. What a fun time with this sweet child!

This pictured reminded me of the following video, "Continue in Patience". Can we be patient and wait to watch the power of the Lord? 

Recently I was talking to someone who was concerned that when her friends made righteous decisions they might not quickly be able to see the blessings and fall away back into poor habits. She wanted to be able to promise them that they would see the happiness quickly. What a righteous and noble concern for others! While pondering this conversation I remembered a verse Mosiah 2:21. I love the part where it states that we are being lent breath that is not our own, and then what comes next is amazing.... "He is lending us breath that we might live and move and do according to our own will." It is amazing to me that our agency is so important to our Father in Heaven. We as God's children have all been blessed with blessings and the gift of salvation that we have not earned. Not just the righteous are blessed and not just the wicked are punished. The rain falls on all. I know that if people are immediately blessed for their righteous efforts then there would be no need for faith and I am grateful for God's mercy in allowing us to have to wait so that we might grow and continue to reach out in faith. 

My Subconsious

The irony of this post may only be understood by my closest friends and family.

I have to share the funny highlights of my dream:

1.) I found myself on a university campus and everything was a whirl until suddenly things came to a pause and I was able to run my fingers along a leather bound book in the library. I remember wanting to stay in that room forever and breathe in the quiet the peace. Of all the Utopias right?

2.)  Then I realized that I came to campus to be accepted into my master’s program but I had forgotten to make an appointment or do any paperwork… So who came to my rescue? Why my mother of course who else would help me pull off a shenanigan like that. She pretended to be my secretary while hiding in a closet.

Shane and I had a blast going to the movie “Divergent”. There is one part where the mom and daughter have to fight together and I thought to myself that is me and my mother. We may get into sticky situations that normal people wouldn’t but we have a blast fighting together to get out of it.

3.) Then in the end I decided it wasn’t for me at this time and that I wanted to go back to my life of taking care of two babies. I am so grateful that even in my dreams I am happy with the decisions I have made and even after a utopia away I get to choose to return to being a mom to the two best children ever!

"Come Fly With Me!"

We are on our way to Idaho! We flew out of Des Moines at 6 this morning and will be arriving in Idaho at 11 tonight. That is approximately a 14 hour lay over with two kids! Super Fun/Exhausting.

Teaching Demitri how to FLY!

Touring the Denver Airport