Kenny's 2nd Birthday

I can't believe how much Kenny has changed over the last year. He turned two on April 5th, and I'm lame for not writing about it then. A few highlights from his life these days:

He loves to eat just about anything. He can shovel in food very quickly, though it means a huge mess for me. Always.

He has a very sweet, spirited personality. He won't take no for an answer, and he insists on doing things his way. Hmm, sounds like his mommy. He's my little shadow in the kitchen. No movie/toy can keep him from following me around.

He's a loving big brother and great snuggler. He often wakes up grumpy from his nap, but a few minutes of snuggle time, and he's ready to go bounce off the walls.

He loves water and bath time. He also loves learning his letters and already recognizes a bunch of them. Don't blame me; it was Super Why! (Joseph's reward for #2 on the potty).

Kenny can be a bit of an enigma for me, but I feel that his second year of life went much more smoothly than the first. I can't get enough of that big smile. I'm excited to see what the next year brings!

Sidenote: I bought him a cute pair of sandals for summer, but he refuses to wear them. The only thing he'll wear? His older brother's shoes that are too big for him and require socks. Oh well.

Visitors

The past week was a little crazy due to family stopping by. It was technically spring break for James on Thursday and Friday, which if you ask me, is a terrible rip-off of a spring break. (We always got a full week, plus a Friday!) The Heads arrived on Wednesday night. 3 of my siblings stopped by on Friday on their way to Rexburg. While everyone was here, our house was like a big slumber party.

We enjoyed our spring break...

making foil dinners and enjoying Dry Fork canyon

doing an Easter egg hunt for the boys

going (late) birthday shopping, in which I got new shoes

taking the kids to the park

doing a little yard work

going on a date for lunch

watching a few family videos that I finally got my hands on!

By the time everyone left, I was exhausted due to going to bed an hour late four days in a row. I spent Saturday doing nothing much at all, and it was great. That "nothing" includes not taking any pictures. I must get better at this.

Introducing...

My new blog!

Green M&M's

Please let me know if you have questions, etc. I am not a professional blogger. Haha. I will be adding lots of recipes in the next few weeks and a menu as well. Enjoy.

Stubborn

Every time I read through the Old Testament, I am astounded at the unwillingness of the Children of Israel to listen. It seems that they do nothing but complain and make demands. Especially as a child, I thought they were very undeserving of the title "chosen people".

The more I look at my life, I realize that they aren't so different from me. I've been trying hard to find a lesson in each chapter of scripture, down to the most boring sacrificial rite or genealogy. It's not always easy, but there is at least one lesson to be found in each chapter.

I thought I'd share of few gems from the "boring" chapters. Many themes keep popping up again and again, something that surprised me as I've kept writing them down.

1. God is always there. Whether it's a literal cloud or a quiet presence, his hand is always in our lives. He takes care of us, even when we don't ask.

2. Every commandment is important and brings us closer to God. Israel had a "lesser" law, but the purpose was the same - to point them to Christ. Many commandments were symbolic, and many laws had scientific reasons behind them that no one knew at the time (like their laws of purification).

3. God qualifies us for our callings. Moses didn't want to be a prophet, but he was able to lead the Israelites for more than 40 years.

4. The best way to be happy is to remember God always, worship only Him, and stop lusting for more. Israel's main faults were murmuring and turning away from God to worship idols.

I can do a lot better. I complain about my lack of time for myself, money, and fitness. I want more when I have enough. I don't feel like I'm cracked up to be a mom of one, much less three children. I forget that I have more than enough, that motherhood is my divine calling, and that I don't always needs reasons to live every commandment to its fullest. Since I am a member of the Church, I guess that literally makes me a "child of Israel". I don't condemn their actions in the wilderness. I've complained about many of the same things.

And now, I must take care of a complaining child. :)