Swimming in Boise

We had lots of fun doing some fun activities while we were in Boise.  Paka took us to Dinosaur Land and we got to climb rocks and the boys had a blast!  We also went swimming at a new YMCA and it was awesome!  The kids had a great time and so did the rest of us.  They had a huge slide and Jacoby went down it all by himself and then of course Jace thought he needed to go down it to and would giggle the entire time.  Once I left him with Paka and didn't take him and he threw the biggest tantrum because he wanted to go.  He did not get the memo that he is a baby that is for sure!  Emma thought she looked beautiful in her new swimsuit and she did but it was so funny!  And Benson had his first dip in the water and wasn't sure what to think but it made for some darling pictures!! 
I think this is going to be our new swimming place when we go to town.  It was a lot of fun!

Sharing with Cousins

 We flew back to Boise for a much needed visit and had the best time!  The boys had so much fun playing and sharing with their cousins.  And what trip is complete without a few Sonic runs and then sharing with your cousin?
Benson and Jace really liked each other and had so much fun playing together and swapping germs!

 Jacoby and his side kick Jace!

 Grandma GG gave Jace his first ice cream cone and it was a hit!  He loved it!  Earlier that day he decided he needed a costume on just like his brother and they wore their super hero costumes all day. 

 Oh Blake... your rolls are heaven! 

 These two are hilarious!  They were watching a movie like this.  First they wanted to cuddle on the couch but Boden was insistent that they needed to share a blanket not have their own.  So they sat really close to each other and Jacoby leaned in and kissed Boden and said I just love you Boden and Boden said get your hands off me!  Then proceeded to hug Jacoby back.  They are too funny but really do enjoy each other!

 Jacoby loves going on bike rides with Paka.  I ran along side them it was a lot of fun!  I had three great runs while I was home.  One with these two, a really long one by myself and one with Lace.  I loved running with her and chatting the whole entire time.  Love her!

 These two had so much fun playing in the back yard with the balls and could they be any cuter.

and little Wesson had fun playing too!
My parents are in a new house a few doors down from Ty and it was awesome!  It was awesome being so close to the boys and having them run back and forth between houses and it was also nice to have a fenced in back yard where we could let them play all day long.  I was able to have some one on one time with each of my siblings and catch up with them along with my parents.  It was the best trip to Boise!

Giving up the inky

I have been struggling on when to take the inky away for a long time.  Finally I decided that it needed to be his decision and when he was ready.  A few months ago we took him in to Build a Bear to show him that he could put his inky in the stuff animal and still have it just couldn't suck on it.  I told him whenever he was ready to let me know.  I added it to our weekly conversation on Sunday night when we have our family counsel and one Sunday I asked him if he was ready and he told me yes.  I about fell off my chair.  I asked him how many more nights and he told me 4 because he is 4 so we made a paper chain and every morning he ran down and took one off.  On the big day, he was acting out like crazy and I finally took him upstairs in my room and laid down with him and talked to him.  I asked him if the reason he was being so naughty was because he was getting rid of his inky he said yes and started sobbing.  I felt horrible.  I told him we didn't have to do it unless he wanted to and he said he still wanted to.  We said our first of many prayers for comfort for both of us and asked that he would be brave.  Later that night when Jarod got home, we took him.  I am not sure who was more sad me or him.  It was so hard but I was so proud of him!  He did really well!  I was near tears the entire time but held it together.  When we got home, he was really excited until it was bed time.  He cried and I held him for about an hour.  We prayed, told stories and read books.  Anything to keep his mind of it.  Finally he asked me to take his horse, shooting star downstairs and he made him a bed with Jace's favorite stuff animal lamby.  Then we went back to bed and he told me when he looked at shooting star it made him sad because it reminded him of his inky inside the horse.  Then he wanted Jace to come and lay down with us and with all of us in bed, he told me he thought he could go to sleep now.  This was about an hour later and he did and has not looked back once since then but every night he prays or has me pray that he can go to sleep without his inky. 

Spinning

Occasionally we are lucky and Daddy works from home.  Actually it ends up that he doesn't get much work done because the boys play at his feet or on his lap all day long.  Jacoby likes to stay in the office when he is on a conference call and knows that he has to be really quiet.  He likes to listen in but Jace comes and hangs out with me during the calls.  Besides watching videos with Dad, Jace's favorite thing to do is spin in the office chair.  He laughs and laughs!  It is so cute!  And pretty soon he gets so dizzy that he lays down but still doesn't want to stop and grunts for you to do it again and again.  He loves it!! 
We all  love it when Daddy gets to work from home.  Jacoby asks Jarod every night if Dad has to work the next day and if he days he goes, awww I don't want you to.  If the answer is he is working from home, he gets really excited and usually wakes up early and crawls out of bed to go see Daddy upstairs while Jace and I sleep.  Jacoby asks every night how many more days until the weekend until Dad can be home all day.  We all love having Dad around all day!

An April Morning

The other morning we had just woken up and we were upstairs in Jace's room changing his diaper like we do every morning.  The sun was beautiful so I ran and grabbed my camera and tried to catch a regular morning in our lives and I love them!  No posing, just these beautiful boys being themselves.

Lately I have been trying to make the most of the days with these boys.  I had a moment a couple of weeks ago when I looked at Jacoby and realized just how big he is getting.  It hit me hard, really hard.  I realized that I really don't have that much longer of him with me every day all day long and it makes me sad, really sad!  I love him and I love being with him all the time.  I love being the one to teach him, to know everything that is going on in his life.  To know of his frustrations during the day and what made him happy that day.  I will miss the little things when he gets big and starts leaving me more often.  I will miss his snuggles and loves the most!  He is the best hugger and he always wants me to hold and cuddle him.  I know my days are numbered but I will enjoy them as much as possible because I know this will not last much longer and I will miss it so much when it is gone.

Then I look at Jace and think well at least I have this little one to kiss on and have around when Jacboy starts heading out more and he is really a fun one to be around.  He makes me laugh and loves to cuddle and kiss me.  He loves to nurse and giggles and laughs when he knows it's time for milky.  I love that he gets so excited!  But I look at him a little closer and realize that my baby is not so little any more and pretty soon he will follow in Jacoby's footsteps and leave the house more and that makes me sad, really sad.

So right now I am going to enjoy them, every part of them.  I am going to love them and cuddle them and tickle them tell they are laughing so hard they can't breathe and I am going to take in the moments like this morning where we spent the entire morning in our jammies playing, laughing and cuddling

 

My Talk

I was asked to speak on D and C Sect 90:24
This revelation was given March 8, 1833 in Kirtland.  It is given in the section when Joseph Smith is organizing the Bishopric and their duties.  It was also given about a week after the word of wisdom.  There is not a lot of information on this exact verse but Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith commented about this revelation by saying "This is information of the greatest importance and may have came through the prayer of the brethren."

The brethren were praying to know what the bishop was suppose to pray for and this may have been their answer.

Either way the scripture is powerful counsel!

This scripture has three things that we must do.
Search diligently, pray always and believe.
If we do those things we are given a promise that all things will work together for our good.

So today I am going to cover the 3 things and the promise starting with search diligently.
I believe this means the scriptures and modern day revelation but I also think it means to have a thirst for knowledge.  In a talk given by Pres. Gordon B. Hinkley called Seek Learning he says,
You have a mandate from teh Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands.  The Lord has said, "Teach ye diligently... of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of coutries and of kingdoms- that ye may be prepared in all things" (D and C 88:78-80)

We have been mandated to educate ourselves.  We must search diligently, ask questions and always be striving to learn more.

The second is prayer.  Prayer is a very powerful tool that has been given to all of us.  At any time during the say, we can turn to our father in heaven for guidance.  As a parent, I love this quote by Boyd K. Packer.

"No Father would send His children off to a distant, dangerous land for a lifetime of testing where Lucifer was known to roam free without first providing them with a personal power of protection.  He would also supply them with means to communicate with Him from Father to child and from child to Father.  Every child of our Father sent to earth is provided with the Spirit of Christ, or light of Christ (see D&C 84:46).  We are , none of us, left here alone without hope, guidance and redemption."
Ensign, Nov. 2009

The third thing we must do is believe.  I think that not only is believing having faith but also trusting our own personal revelation.  Every time we pray we may not receive an answer or the answer we were looking for.  Richard G. Scott in a talk called "Learning to recognize and answers to prayers" states

Heavenly Father sees the end from the beginning.  He knows the correct course for us to take even if it doesn't always feel like the most direct one.

And then there is the promise.  That all things shall work together for your good!
No matter how mant trials, speed bumps or hardships we endure we are promised if we keep our end of the bargain that everything will work out for our good.

When I studues and prepared for this talk, I kept being reminded of Jace's birth.  This is my own story of how I did my three parts and the reward that I was given that everything worked out for my own good. 

After Jacoby's birth, there was a few things I knew I wanted different the second time around.  When I found out I was pregnant again I truly feel that Heaven;y Father led me down a very direct path.  It is really hard to explain but every thing that I read or heard during this time seemed to point me in the direction of learning more about labor and delivery , especially unmedicated.

I have never in my life researched, read or had a thirst of knowledge more then I did at that time.  I could not get enough.  I probably read 15 books and countilous birth stories.  I found it inspiring, fascinating and incredible.  I soon found a doctor who supported unmedicated births and a doula and started planning my delivery.

During this time I prayed constantly for direction and knowledge as well as the safety for my baby and my soon to be big brother. 

As I approached my delivery I felt very much at peace with my plan but other worries weighed me heavily.  How was Jacoby going to do, would my mom get here in time.

Finally one Sunday, I asked for a blessing.  I don't remember much what was said but I can tell you that he told me numerous times that GOD WAS IN CONTROL and everything would be ok with my baby, Jacoby and me.  That was the resassurance I needed. 
A few weeks later, 48 hours after my mom got here my water broke and we headed to the hospital.  I had my support team with me and I had done everything that I could to prepare for this day with study and prayer and now it was in God's control.
To make a long story short my labor progressed very quickly.  Fast then any of us had thought possible.  I should have been thrilled with this but everything in me was telling me I needed to slow this down.  My doula and doctor were saying that this was great and I was going fast but I knew I needed to slow it down.
I knew from my study that an epdieral would slow it down but I really hadn't wanted one but as the pain got worse I thought that sounded like the best idea ever and I knew it would slow things down.
They actually gave me an epideral when I had already transitioned but I was not giving them an option not to give me one. 
When I finally got an epideral, things did slow down very breifly and then all of the sudden I knew that was all the time I needed to slow it down.  The idea came to me to turn off the epideral.  I had never heard of anyone doing this before in all my research and either had my doctor or doula. 
Who in the right mind turns off the pain medication to push and that's exactly how every one looked at me when I told them to turn it off about 25 minutes after getting it. 
I waited until I had feeling back in my legs and delivered my baby.  Even with my slowing it down from my first contration to him being born was 3 hours. 
I was lucky in this experience because I was given my reason on why I was inspired to slow things down almost immediately.  My little boy was black and blue and for him he had came too quickly.  He had horrible jaundice and we had to stay in the hospital for a few more days. 
Both my doctor and nurses commented that if he had came any sooner it could have been a lot worse. 
Even though it what not what I had planned, I believed in my own personal revelation and followed it.  I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for my entire experience and especially my sweet baby and that everything turned out for my own good and that my baby, Jacoby and me were all ok.
I hope all of us will remember to search diligently, pray always and believe so that all things will some together for your good.