If you chance to take a nap...

...do not let it be long. With my hypoglycemia I pretty much fall asleep after lunch every day. If I could help it I wouldn't, but I really have no choice in the matter. Usually my girls are really good about playing nicely together and staying out of trouble while I am unconscious. Today however, I woke up to the happiest laughter I have heard in a while. I thought to myself...they are having a bit too much fun. Sure enough, when I walked down the stairs there were about a thousand beads thrown around the entire downstairs. This little picture is just a glimpse of what the rest of the house looked like. It wasn't quite as funny as the diaper incident...probably because it isn't quite as easy to clean up, but who could I blame but my myself and my pregnancy problems. It took Reanne, Sierra, and I 40 minutes to clean up half the mess. The other half is waiting for the morning. You have to love motherhood.

Sick of the heat?

Lately the girls have been complaining that it is too hot. In all fairness, it might actually not be too hot for them, but it is too hot for me to go outside often and so the result is the same for the girls. They are inside a lot. When I came down stairs yesterday I found Reanne and Sierra covered with diapers. When asked what in the world they were doing, they said that they were making themselves into snowmen. Was it wishful thinking on their part? Who knows...but it was sure funny.

We love animals!

I remembered the other day that we haven't been to the pond to feed the ducks this year. So, we made a morning out of it and the girls had a lot of fun. They both love animals so much. It was fun to see how happy it made them to throw that moldy bread out to the eager wildlife.

Veteran's Dinner

I apologize for another patriotic blog entry, but I had to write about our experience tonight. Reanne, Sierra and I went to a dinner hosted by our stake for veterans and their families. Actually, there was only one other child present at the dinner besides mine which frustrated the girls and made it less pleasant for me...but I had determined to go before hand because of the effort the stake put into honoring those who have served in the military. The cultural hall of the stake center was filled with mostly elderly gentlemen and their wives who served during the WW11 and Korean wars. Of course there were a few younger guys too, but the older men were so cute wearing their uniforms, looking so proud, and telling all their war stories.

I was torn with leaving right after dinner and staying for the presentation afterward because I knew I would be in and out with the girls, but I decided to stay. The stake president began the night with the story about Washington at Valley Forge and how the picture reminds him of every person who has sacrificed for the country. He went on to let everyone know that the reason he decided to have this dinner was because of a certain person who was uncontrollably crying as he was trying his best to give a lesson on marriage to a certain ward. Yes, he even mentioned my name. I was glad at the time that he learned that it was because I was missing Jess while he was away and not because we had a broken marriage...but at the dinner I was cursing the fact that I had been in the front row of class so that he could see my breakdown. Really, it was touching that a whole event was planned because of me missing my husband.

The rest of the evening was great. A brother Knotts read a poem that he wrote called "Where are you now?" which I guess has been officially adopted by the navy. While Reanne and I were in the bathroom, they showed "American Soldier," a clip about the National Guard, which I am glad I only caught the end of because I'm sure I would have been in tears again. All the military theme songs were played and the men got to stand and sing as they heard theirs. To end they had the few of us who had family overseas right now stand and they gave us the flag pin shown in the picture. At the end, I wasn't quite sure how to feel. I was honored to be among all of the veterans there and I didn't quite feel like I belonged. At the same time, I know very well how much the families of the military also sacrifice and so in the end I just felt grateful to be a part of the evening.

4th of July

This has been an especially meaningful 4th of July for obvious reasons. I thought the girls deserved a special day so instead of being in the house most of the day like usual, we actually spent the day enjoying friends and some of the local events.

We went to the Freedom Parade in the morning which the girls loved. It was especially fun to watch how excited they got when the soldiers in tanks came by. "Mom!" Reanne said. "Those are dad's friends!" After the parade we accompanied friends from the ward to their family barbecue. I thought it was so nice of them to invite us and the girls had fun playing outside even though it was very hot for all of us. After dinner we walked down the street to I'm sure the biggest firework show outside of a paid event. One of our neighbors put on a show that lasted over an hour with nonstop fireworks. With a background of colors and sparks, our neighbor twirled and threw lit firecracker sticks. It was very impressive.

Reanne and Sierra just had an all around great day. I have always had fond memories of this holiday and I want them to as well. My appreciation for the 4th of July holiday has grown as it has taken on more meaning for me. I love America. I love the principles on which it was founded and for what we have done as a nation for others. This year I especially have an appreciation for those who have made this country what it is: all those, past and present, who have given of themselves to maintain the freedoms and liberty that we all enjoy. I thought of my wonderful husband all day. Even though I wished he could share the day with us, I knew he was where he should be and was proud that he is part of what we were celebrating.