Praying

A lot of it lately has been about this sweet one.

Her body just cannot handle
so much of what the rest of us use for fuel.

We got rid of the eggs,
and things looked up for a day or two.
Then we had a huge flair up eczema,
worse than before.
As I have been praying the answer kept coming: wheat.
Get rid of the wheat in her diet.

Well, it has been about a week now
of egg-free/wheat-free eating for our Goose,
and the eczema has been under control.

We'll keep praying.
We'll keep praying for the guidance that we need as parents.
And we'll keep praying to thank Heavenly Father
for giving us a trial that is within our abilities.
Sometimes I may run out of ideas as to what to feed Lucy,
but at least I have food to give her.

If nothing else, we are learning and growing!
And for that I am grateful.

a break from the rain.

We haven't seen much of the sun
in these here parts lately.

When it broke through last week
we ran outside to cheer!

Sunshine is always worth smiling about:)

beautiful bookworms

(enjoying a book with papa.)

(caught in the act!)

sisters

I don't say it enough.
I have INCREDIBLE sisters!!

These two ladies are some of my best friends.
These two ladies teach me all sorts of important things.
These two ladies make me laugh,
sometimes until I think I may wet my pants,
EVERY time I see them.

And yesterday,
my sister Kristi reminded me again
why I feel so fortunate to have these two to call my own.
(if you have a few minutes, treat yourself to her wisdom)

New project

I'm starting something new in the blogging world. Check it out here.

too cute.

Things are getting so cute around here
I can hardly stand it!

A mama and her new babies.
(hatched 4 days ago)

A birthday park trip.

Getting her OWN bowl of ice cream.

Enjoying the sunshine in her outfit of choice.

These girls love our laying ladies.

A mess.

I'm looking around my bedroom. To anyone else this place just looks like a mess.

There are books on every flat surface, piled up in unruly towers: library books, scriptures, project books, and more library books. An entire corner has been taken over by baby pictures of Dorothy that she and her sister tore out from the baby book, one-by-one. There are notepads and random piles of papers covered with notes: recipes, health and beauty tips, errands to run, etc. There are craft projects that I have started but not gotten back to and supplies for craft projects I completed but from which I haven't quite finish cleaning up. Let me not forget that constant basket of laundry--sometimes clean sometimes dirty. Yes, I suppose it is a mess.

However, I love it.

I love it because they are all reminders of life--OUR life. And I wouldn't have it any other way. (Yes, even that laundry basket)

I love looking around and knowing that I read books with my girls today, that they enjoy looking back at family memories, that I am ever thinking, learning, and growing, and that every day, with my little ones, I get the chance to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.

Yes. This mess can stay. Because I think this house would feel a little less like home without it.

*Sigh*

Well, we've hit a minor bump in our farm life road.

We're an egg-eating family. You kind of feel obligated to be that way when your chickens are laying a dozen eggs per day. I'm always scrambling (no pun intended) to find new egg recipes that we can use, especially dinner recipes where the egg can be our protein. And why not? It saves us money, gives us a good dose of our omega 3 fatty acids, and we all love them!

All of us, except poor little Lucy's tummy that is. We have now had several puke fests courtesy of eggs at the most recent meal. I think I kept hoping that it was just a fluke. Apparently not. She also has some pretty bad eczema that doesn't seem to quit no matter how much coconut oil I rub on her poor body. Hopefully an egg-free diet will help her skin as well as her tummy.

I'm sure that we'll still do eggs for the rest of us, but I'll have to start learning the ropes of egg-free living as well.

Anyone else in this boat with some suggestions?

Mothers.

I am grateful that our perspective becomes a little more clear every year that we grow and learn. I remember thinking (especially as a sassy teenager) that I would never do some of the things my mom did. Now I realize most of those things were being done as a sacrifice for ME. Talk about a good dose of humility!

I am grateful to have a most incredible mother, one whose example I strive to follow. I am grateful to have sisters that inspire me and make me smile. I am grateful to have married into a family with more fantastic women that teach me lessons and help me grow.

And, as I look into the eyes of my two little future mothers, I am most grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to be a mother myself. I only hope that I can live up to the examples I see all around me.

Thank you, mothers.

SomeONE

It is official.
We have a ONE YEAR OLD Goose!!

Oh, this sweet, precious girl has been nothing
but sweet and precious from the womb.

I will always remember her labor and delivery
and how RELAXING it was.
Seriously.
My contractions never got closer together than 3 minutes apart,
and I only had to push about 10 times.

I hope she always keeps her sweet demeanor.

Happy birthday, my beautiful baby!
You sure make me one happy mama,
and I love you.

Oh, that Frances...

My wonderful mother sent me a wonderful book for my birthday: To the Rescue--The Biography of Thomas S. Monson. I wish I had more time to devour it, but I have been getting nibbles in almost daily. Even in those nibbles, I have been finding gems to uplift me or make me think (now that is a book worth reading!).

About a week ago I was reading one part that mentioned how Frances, Thomas S. Monson's wife, was always up to make breakfast for her husband even if it was at 4:30am before an early flight. At first I chuckled to myself and thought, "good thing my husband doesn't expect that!" But then I started to think some more and concluded that just because my sweet husband doesn't EXPECT breakfast in the morning doesn't mean I shouldn't take on that responsibility.

So, a new week began, and I have actually been dragging my patoot out of bed somewheres around 6 (maybe closer to 6:30) and making breakfast for the family. Lo and behold, that sweet Frances was on to something. Our mornings, though still a little crazy, are filled with such a wonderful sense of family and cohesiveness. I love all being gathered together around the crumbs of a good meal to give sticky goodbye kisses when Marty takes off for work.

I think we have yet another family tradition, folks!
(except for maybe those 4:30am days--I don't know if I'm THAT good of a wife:)

"The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle--one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us--not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed."

~Dieter F. Uchtdorf~

Hooray! For daffodil day!

I am still feeling dizzy with springtime.

But how can you not when there are magical spots like this one?

I think we have another family tradition!