Christmas Card 2011

This year we were a little behind the ball on getting Christmas Cards out. We regret not sending them out a week ago and taking the electronic route. But here it is!! Enjoy!

Have you lost your marbles? No, we've got two extra actually.

We got a bag of marbles from our Home Preschooling Friend who does all sorts of fun things with her kiddos. With her marbles she let her kids paint with them in by rolling them around in a box with some paint. We intend to do that. But today we did something else. Like use them as a bribe to get Brady to clean the table happily.

After exploring them I suggested we count how many of each type we had. I ran and got a clip board, piece of paper and markers. Official tools for observing things.

We drew the different kinds we saw as we counted them out. We have 7 different types of small marbles and one "Bonus Super Shooter." We concluded that we got 53 marbles (including the shooter) in our bag that was labeled with 50. Score!!

Brady really enjoyed this. What I think made it more fun for both of us was going with his pace. I tried really hard not to get too ahead of him and push him to move on before he was ready. I also had to recognize when he was done with the activity and be okay with that. Stopping when he's lost interest is an important part to keeping learning fun in our home.

I am proud of Brady for coloring the marbles, writing some numbers, counting the marbles, helping make notations and drawing the "Bonus Super Shooter."

I thought your eyes were hazel...

One lovely summer day at the library we talked about Austrailia. The kids made this cute little kangaroo craft. This is Brady's. Note the eye. I think it was an omen.... Later that day I noticed him having a teary eye and rubbing it quite a bit. I was pretty sure he just had something in it.

After consulting with my Nurse Friend we went to the doc. Conjunctivitis affirmitive. Treat with eye drops for two weeks. Postpone Abbie's birthday party. Get well soon.

Are you KIDDING me?!?!

The answer you've been waiting for is below! I ask you, What is wrong with this picture????

I allowed 24 hours before I revealed to you what is wrong here. My good friend Stan came the closest in the least words (at least I think he did). Anjie was a VERY close second with the white carpet comment.

The problems with this picture are as follows:
1) A child under the age of two is using a sippy-less cup on carpet.
2) The cup is a GLASS cup. Who gives a baby a glass glass???
3) Do you see how FULL that glass is??? There's no way that kid is going to handle that without spilling.
4) The carpet is white. Please, I thought I was being smart getting beige carpet. I thought I would keep up with all the little black spots that mysteriously (and not to mysteriously) appear. That lasted until Brady was 6 months old. Anjie was right, no carpet is that white.
5) The reason the kid is smiling is because he knows he's going to make Mom lose it when he dumps the staining offender all over himself and the floor.

This was from an ad for Woolite Carpet cleaner. It says "Grape juice and carpet can finally coexist." I give the marketing department a B for effort. The graphics team a B-. But any REAL mom knows that the only way grape juice and carpet can coexist is in the hands of a mature and responsible person. And sometimes not even then.

Do you ever feel cheated by life? I sure do. We came out here thinking we were doing the right thing. We felt strong. We felt changed. We felt confident that things were gonna get better.

Just to update you, they haven't.

Rubby Dubby

Little Abbie in the "Big Girl Tub." We tried to give her a mowhawk like Brady would get, but it wasn't the same. It just curled over. I love her curls!!

A month later and she was braving the seas with Brady. Now they are Tub Buddies. She ever so patiently lets him dump water on her. At least a few times.

Crafty Me

I was feeling crafty and made this cute little hat and booties set for a friend having a baby girl. Both of them worked up fairly quickly. You just need to make sure you pay attention to what you're doing. I crocheting. I feel so smart and talented when I finish a project. Or when I come up with a solution to an issuse I've had with the pattern.

I want to thank Grandma Julie for making a hat for Abbie as my inspiration. Please forgive me, as I have found that I have no photos of her in it. Sorry, Mom. She looked super cute in it though.

I have also made a hat for two of my nieces. They are adorable. Both the girls and the hats.

Bathe your kid once in a while for goodnes sake!!

We were punished for skipping the routine Saturday night bath. Sunday morning we were getting the kids ready for a quick shower and found a tick on Brady's back. Ewww, I know. I have never experienced ticks before.

I ask Carl how to remove it and he suggests something hot to get it to back out. So I get a removal device nice and red hot. Brady is laying on our bed, whimpering because, well, he's 3 and this is kinda scary.

I ended up burning the tick to death and burning Brady once. Sorry, bud. That didn't work. Now I go to my handy-dandy What to Expect book and look up ticks. Note page 661, "Don't use home remedies such as petroleum jelly, gasoline, or a hot match- they can make matters worse." Huh, good to know. At least we didn't go for the gas can in the garage.

I pulled the sucker out with some tweezers (yes I twisted it, as the book cautions not to.) Wash Brady's back and proceed to determine if it is a dreaded deer tick. I'm still not 100% sure, but I think we decided it was not. We are fairly certain we got the head though.

Our Sunday proceeded as normal, just a bit behind schedule. I learned two lessons that day:

1) Don't burn the dumb thing out. Chances are you'll just end up burning your kid.
2) Don't let your kid stay in the same clothes for more than 24 hours. Lazy day or not, he really does deserve a fresh set of jammies.

Do you know the Phonebook Man?

I do. Well, she's a woman. And there's a man. Their names are Stephanie and Carl. In January we had the fun and exciting opportunity to earn a few bucks delivering phone books. I don't remember how many we did, but it was A LOT!! Many, many more than you see here. We had to bag each one and deliver TO THE DOOR (on the hinge side of the door). It drizzled rain as we did so. The sun shone too. I'm thankful for the kind family in our Branch that watched Brady and Abbie as we pounded the pavement for hours on end.
This is a picture of Carl's brilliant contraption for quick bagging. We then took groups of 14 and looped a rubber band through the handles and attached a very high-tech link (thanks Abbie for allowing us to borrow them) so we could easily remove the rubber band. It was in whole a collaborative effort. See how thin the book is? I'm glad we didn't live in Salt Lake! Those books are HUGE!!

It was a fun experience. Would I do it again? Maybe. Would Carl? No. I got a thrill out of doing something that was hard and earning money. It felt great to get out and exercise. I might do it again............maybe.

Thank you Carl!

I want to thank Carl for all the work he did before he joined us on vacation. It was WONDERFUL to come home to a clean house. He bought and put together a bookshelf, which I have been asking for for a LONG time. He even put my books and other miscellaneous items on it. He definately earned him some brownie points. Thanks, dear.

Receiving the Holy Ghost

It's time for me to give a talk in church. It comes around a little quicker in a branch with around 55 active members. That includes children. In an effort to help me remember my own thoughts, I'm posting it here. I hope others may also find some good in my thoughts.

In a recent conference address (*1) President Uchtdorf told a parable of a man who scrimped and saved to go on a cruise. When he had saved enough money for passage, he packed extra suitcases with beans, boxes of crackers and bags of powdered lemonade. He lived on this the entire duration of the voyage. The man wanted to partake in many of the activities he saw others enjoying. He especially wanted to indulge in the lavish meals. But alas, he did not because he did not want to spend more money than was necessary. On the last night of the cruise, a crew member asked him which farewell party he was going to attend he learned that nearly all of the indulgent activities he so desired to join in on were included in the price of the passage. But it was too late. He realized he had been living far beneath his privilege while aboard the ship.

While President Uchtdorf relates this to the power of the priesthood, I would like to relate this to the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. In Doctrine and Covenants, Section 88, verse 33 it reads “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” Thinking back to the man on the cruise, sure he was happy to go on that grand venture and visit places he had always dreamed of, but part of him was still yearning for more. He wasn’t fully rejoicing in the experience he had paid his hard earned money for. Likewise, the crewmember was likely saddened upon hearing of the man’s situation aboard the ship.

Our Heavenly Father has given us an opportunity to obtain a wonderful gift. To each that is sincerely seeking is given the power of the Holy Ghost, as Elder David A. Bednar (*2) states it, the ability to acquire a conviction of the truthfulness of the Savior’s Gospel, of the Book of Mormon, of the reality of the Restoration, and of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. The gift I speak of is the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Gift comes after we are baptized by proper authority and by the laying on of hands by those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood.

How can we fully benefit and enjoy this precious Gift that is bestowed upon us? As stated in the confirmation prayer, we must “receive the Holy Ghost.” Elder Bednar days “The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are place upon our heads and those four important words are spoken. As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to see, to work and to so live that we indeed ‘receive the Holy Ghost’ and its attendant spiritual gifts.” So how do we receive the Holy Ghost? We are given three suggestions: (1) Sincerely desire to receive the Holy Ghost, (2) appropriately invite the Holy Ghost into our lives, and (3) faithfully obey God’s commandments.

The first suggestion, Sincerely Desire-

It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of our lives. In my home my day starts when a child awakes and needs breakfast. Soon after the child or children are settled, then start the daily chores of cleaning up breakfast, dishes, laundry, tidying up a room or two and possibly even a shower. Most days we rush out the door to an event that will entertain the children and provide social support for mom. When the children start getting fussy and irritable, it’s time to head home for lunch, followed by clean up and rotating of laundry. Then begins the pursuit of naptime. Having been fed, the children are a bit more pleasant by this point, but tiredness overtakes them. There is often weeping and wailing, and sometimes even gnashing of teeth before books are read, songs are sung and everyone is tucked in. One might be led to believe that naptime is the perfect opportunity to slow down, relax and ponder upon ones thoughts. I don’t know about other parents in here, but by the time naptime comes I am either so exhausted by the day’s events that I flop down and take a nap myself, or I’ve got a pile of tasks that need to be attended to. When the children wake up, dinner is usually in progress, or better be. Carl comes home and the excitement continues.

Elder Bednar reminds us of the disciples chosen by Christ in the Book of Mormon: “And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus…And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them” (3 Nephi 19:6, 9). He asks if we “remember to pray earnestly and consistently for that which we should most desire, even the Holy Ghost. Or do we become distracted by the cares of the world and the routine of daily living and take for granted or even neglect this most valuable of all gifts?” Even though the events that fill a typical day in my home are usually an effort to build my family, seeking the Holy Ghost as a companion gets forgotten about. Our first step to receiving the Holy Ghost is having the sincere and CONSTANT desire for his companionship.

The second suggestion – Appropriately Invite

The Spirit of the Lord is a tender thing. Often we are not spoken to in a blatant, harsh or rushed voice by the Holy Ghost. On the contrary, we are taught in the children’s song “through a still small voice, the Spirit speaks to me.” So must we invite Him into our lives. Elder Bednar teaches, “We cannot compel, coerce, or command the Holy Ghost. Rather, we should invite Him into our lives with the same gentleness and tenderness by which He entreats us.”

Upon studying his message, I instantly thought that praying is the way to extend such an invitation. But there are many more ways for us to petition His companionship. Such as, making and keeping covenants; praying sincerely as individuals and families; searching the scriptures diligently; strengthening appropriate relationships with family members and friends; seeking after virtuous thoughts, actions and language; and worshipping in our homes, in the temple, and at church. We are warned that casualness about or breaking of covenants and commitments, failing to pray and study the scriptures, and inappropriate thoughts, actions, and language cause the Spirit to withdraw from or to even avoid us altogether.

I was especially struck by the words to strengthen appropriate relationships with family members and friends. This is something that hadn’t really crossed my mind before as important when wanting to feel the Spirit. As I ponder it, it makes sense that when I strive to love my children and enjoy them and when I look for the good in my husband and show my appreciation for his efforts, the spirit of contention and irritability will be replaced with love in our home. And where love is, there God, and his Holy Spirit, is also.

I am coming to understand that this Spirit is a sensitive one. He will not, and cannot, tolerate that which is offensive. Just as we are counseled to exit a conversation, movie or party that has turned sour, the Holy Ghost will excuse himself when our actions or thoughts are not in line with gospel teachings.

The Third Suggestion – Faithfully Obey

Faithfully obeying God’s commandments is essential to receiving the Holy Ghost. Elder Bednar brought a new light to this topic for me. He says that “everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.” He goes on, “Consider the reasons we pray and study the scriptures. Yes, we yearn to communicate in prayer with Heavenly Father in the name of his Son. And yes, we desire to obtain the light and knowledge available in the standard works. But please remember that these holy habits primarily are ways whereby we always remember Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son and are prerequisites to the ongoing companionship of the Holy Ghost.”

You mean to say that we don’t read the scriptures just to know what is contained in them? To have mere knowledge of God’s commandments, Christ’s ministry and the teachings of past prophets? Prayer isn’t just to give thanks for our many blessings and petition the Lord for our righteous desires? And attending our weekly church meetings are more than worship, service and an opportunity to “enjoy righteous sociality we find among our brothers and sisters.” All of these things are not just separate items on, as Elder Bednar puts it “a lengthy gospel checklist of things to do.” No, he says “each of these righteous practices is an important element in an overarching spiritual quest to fulfill the mandate to receive the Holy Ghost.” We are taught to come unto Christ. And how do we know what we are being taught is true; know that we have a living prophet and feel of Christ’s love? Only through the Holy Ghost. All that we do is essentially meaningless unless we receive this great gift, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, every day.

We are promised the same blessings that the Prophet Joseph Smith described to Brigham Young years after Smith’s martyrdom, “[The Spirit] will whisper peace and joy to [your soul], and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from [your heart]; and [your] whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God…if [you] will follow the Spirit of the Lord [you] will go right.” (*3)

I have felt the confirmation of truth and the spirit of peace from the Holy Ghost. I am still growing to more fully receive this gift. I have felt that as I, and you, follow these inspired teachings we will be blessed. I am thankful for the restoration of the priesthood that has allowed us to have this wonderful power again on the earth. I close in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

(*1) Priesthood Session, April 2011 Your Potential, Your Privilege
(*2) Sunday Afternoon Session, October 2010 Receive the Holy Ghost
(*3) Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 98

Visit With Santa 2010

Good, he's not watching me pick my nose. I'll still get presents.

Halloween, in May.

I was lucky to find two bunny suits in just the right sizes at a consignment sale. A hand-made tutu and hand-me-down tie and church shoes finished the ensemble. Carl and I dusted off the graduation robes. No sense in wearing them just once, right?

The successes, in progress.

I am thankful to only have one child in diapers. That means less poopy bottoms. Great job Brady for learning to listen to your body and go on the potty!!

It's a rainy day

Today has been full of rain. We just stayed home. I put the kids and myself down for a nap at 12:00ish. It's now 3:30 and I'm the only one awake. Brady did come looking for me, said he needed to go potty but not in his diaper. I came to help him and he ran away from me, climbed up on my bed saying "I don't wanna go pee!" I left him there thinking he'd get up as I was making lunch, but nope. He's STILL sacked out on the bed. I think I heard Abbie playing in her bed. When I went to check, she was out too! *ps, Brady only uses diapers at night because we had just bought a whole Sam's Club box before we started potty training. (That was silly) He woke up dry this morning, used the potty but we didn't have access to the underpants in Abbie's room. Therefore, he was still in his DRY overnight diaper. I've taken care of a few things and have found but a moment to sit down. I'm on a new to us computer and don't have access to any of my recent photos. Okay, that's a lie. I do have photos on the camera, but 'm not going to take the time to transfer them and such. We inherited a nice PC, but transferring over the files has been a daunting and complicated task. Our old PC is getting cleaned out and should be back to us soon. Then maybe I'll get the new one personalized. Maybe. We've been very busy here at the Behunin house. I've started teaching sign classes again. I'm doing it out of a toy shop here in town. It's a full session. Well, 6 out of 8. Oh, here's Brady who, in his words, "I took a long, long, longer nap." Time to feed him. See what I mean about being busy??

My Favorite Spot

Is down at the park, so down to the park we go!

Abbie's First time in a playground swing. She Loooooved it!

October 27, 2010

Fashion Show

I thought I had more pictures than this. She has so many more cute outfits I wanted to remember. Here are the ones I did capture.

A lovely pre-loved dress from her cousins. September 26, 2010

I love this dress!! There are little bloomers with ruffles!
October 3, 2010

Sweet Little Polka Dot Cupcake

October 23, 2010

Sporting her new Christmas digs.

December 25, 2010

Cute Cute Cute!!!

January 30, 2011

Oh Goodness

It's Candy Apple Goodness!!

Don't move! I've caught you red handed!

Abbie just watches and learns.

This one is for you mom and Aunt Amy. Think chocolate pudding...

Don't step on a crack

Don't worry no one's back is injured. We're just at one of Brady's favorite places: Dr. Amy's Office!! She's a chiropractor here in town and we took our birthing class together. Thank goodness for her during the last part of pregnancy. My sacrum was outta place and causing some pain. She has an amazing at home birth story. Her son was having difficulty breathing. She adjusted his neck and back and he started breathing much better and wasn't blue anymore. It makes me wonder what would have happened at a hospital where they might not trust the skill or technique that a chiropractor has. I'm sure he would have gotten the care he needed, but would it have been more elaborate and much more of an "ado" than a simple adjustment could fix?

Anywhoo...I happened to have my camera with me on this visit so I took some pictures. Brady loves looking at the spine model. I think he's kinda amazed that he's got one of those in his body. He's a pro now at helping Dr. Amy use the adjustment table while mommy is getting her adjustment. He also likes to "get the popcorn out" of his body. Dr. Amy will do his back and then he'll turn himself over to get his neck done. He knows the drill.

Here Abbie is lounging in one of her favorite spots. She too loves going to the chiro. I noticed that she would always have her head going to one side. I can't remember which now. I would try to get her to turn it the other way and she'd resist. Dr. Amy said she was tight on one side. After getting adjusted the first time Abbie seemed much more comfortable and happier. I asked what does a baby do to need to be out-of-whack like that. I was answered "be born." Huh, that makes sense. Chiropractic had also helped Abbie "go" during those first few weeks. It has something to do with the sacrum being out of alignment and pressure in the wrong spot. That interferes with the baby's ability to recognize the need to push and "go."

Thank you to Dr. Amy for helping us keep our backs and bodies healthy!!