Aming Pamilya

Our wonderfully talented and sweet sister-in-law, Candace, recently took our family photos and I am in love. She was kind enough to do two shoots with us because Eva was so super sad during our first shoot. I'm talking, let's-cry-for-an-hour kinda sad, poor thing. Candace was awesome and still got some wonderful shots of us despite the crying.

One of the things that brings me joy are Steve's laugh lines around his eyes. 

This photo captures them perfectly! I may or may not have been grabbing his butt.

The only time E wasn't crying. Let's get outta here!

Joke was on us though...our battery was dead! Luckily we just jumped it and finally made it home.

Round two was much, much smoother. Too many to share, so here are few...

Ok, I have to share this one, haha. Her face is too small to fit all her excitement so it just explodes on her face. Just imagine hysterical laughing along with this and you've captured her perfectly!

 

Yellow Rock

We had a blast on our trip to Star Valley and Yellowstone (or Yellow Rock as Steve liked to joke.) In the past, we've had trouble travelling with Evie. In simple terms, she's not a huge fan. We're talking screaming, no sleep, and constipation to the max. But guess who was a d.r.e.a.m. this trip? Ok, well, she did start getting sick the day we left so the first two nights were fever-ridden and we were up every hour with her. But other than that, she was a dream, especially because she was sick. She loved our adventures together in strange and exotic lands like.....Afton.

We spent our first restless night and day in a small cabin in Afton, WY. Little Afton has the world's largest elkhorn arch and intermittent spring, as well as the cutest little chocolate shop with any kind of homemade chocolate/caramel you can think of, including some that would surprise you. I don't think we will try the curry chili caramel again. They are also home to a new temple! The temple has 4 walls but that's about it at this point. We're excited to see it again once it's completed! Since we've been married, Steve has wanted to take me up to Star Valley. He has fond memories of his family staying there when he was younger and his dad was working in the area. It was fun to be there with him and see him so excited!

What the temple currently looks like:

What it will look like upon completion:

 Intermittent Springs

From Afton we drove to Jackson, WY. By the time we reached Jackson, Eva had just decided to fall asleep for her nap in the truck so Steve and I did some exploring and drove down a small country road to let her sleep longer. The Grand Tetons appeared as we drove down the road and it was majestic. By the time we got to our hotel, Eva was covered from head to toe in Red Vines she's been eating earlier and was too excited to get her wiggles out. Luckily for us, our hotel room was upgraded for freeeeee so we got a huge room and a balcony, which Eva loved because she could watch the birds in the trees. We explored downtown Jackson the rest of the afternoon, and came back that evening for ice cream. I had been to Jackson when I was younger but only had vague memories of it. It was fun to be back!

The next day we explored Yellowstone and had a blast! During our trip we taught Evie the sounds of all the animals we were seeing. She especially loves to be an elk. She also learned what the geysers say: "Whooooosh!" It was lovely just being us, with no timetable, no one to impress, and doing what we love. I absolutely love our little family. It's fun to think that soon Eva will be able to hold onto memories of us that will last her lifetime. I want her to have wonderful memories like this!

That's a buffalo just above my shoulder, folks.

Eva wanted to climb over the wall into the raging river of death. 

We're mean parents and wouldn't let her.

Best investment on the trip: a box of straws. They kept her entertained for h o u r s, thank you!

Made it to Idaho Falls where we stayed the night and someone was zonked. This was our first full night's sleep, thank the heavens. I love how she twirls her hair while she's falling asleep.

Our final stop was Great-grandma Marian's in Logan! We love this sweet lady, whose heart and home if full of kindness. Evie couldn't get enough of her! They became fast friends and bonded over a day of pinwheels, toys, and peaches.

Splish-splash, just taking a bath...with the same toys dad played with in the tub when he was little!

We couldn't have asked for a better vacation! It's nice to be home with a full heart, fun memories, and the BEST husband who did all of the unpacking before I could even think about it! He knows how much I hate that part.

Ponderize

We enjoyed a most wonderful General Conference this weekend! Every 6 months, we are able to gather across the world as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to hear the words of the Prophet and our leaders. I was especially touched by some of the messages shared this conference that were centered on faith and allowing the Lord to shape you and place you on the path you are divinely meant to be on. I am sure to write more on these subjects later, but tonight I wanted to start a little project encouraged by Brother Devin G. Durrant, first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency. In his talk he expressed, "Many of the personal rewards I have received in life have come as a result of someone inviting me to do a difficult task." One of his invitations to us was to "ponderize" one verse of scripture each week. He explains that "ponderization" is a combination of 80 percent extended pondering and 20 percent memorization.

So, folks, for our first week of "ponderization" I give you:

This is a family goal of ours and we will be placing our weekly scripture to ponderize in places we will read it frequently each day. Often, when I set a new goal, I try to go at it too quickly or I expect immediate results and get discouraged if I don't clearly complete it, upon which my once very important goal gets pushed to the back-burner or forgotten. My current goal is not to give up on my goals. The scripture above reminds me that I am my Heavenly Father's. My goals are thus His goals, and His are mine. I am never placed on the back-burner or forgotten because I am engraved on the palms of my Savior, whom Heavenly Father sent to help me return home. The following words shared by Kim B. Clark during conference brought this comfort and hope to my heart: "We do not have to be perfect, but we need to be good and getting better." I know we can do that!

Hey, Murphy

Good ol' Murphy played us nicely today. Nice try, buddy, but you ain't got nothing on us. Things went wrong and things we weren't expecting to happen happened, but in each we saw the hand of the Lord and our faith was made stronger.

Today Steve went into the doctor because he hasn't been feeling well for the past week. It's actually been a couple of months, but his abdominal pains kept getting worse so his doctor scheduled him for a CT scan in case it was gallstones or appendicitis. We were able to rule out both (phew!) We are relieved, but that puts him back to the drawing board and he'll be experimenting with a couple of medications recommended by his doctor to see if we can figure this out. We can deal with medication. I can't begin to tell you how relieved we are that surgery is not involved!

While Steve was at the hospital getting ready for the CT scan, Evie and I headed home for lunch (we were able to distract her for about 20 minutes with books and toys but I knew she wasn't going to last for the two hours it was going to take.) On our way home we got rear-ended while stopped at a red light. The woman who hit us spoke only a few words of English. Luckily, everyone was fine (Ev actually enjoyed the excitement,) and luckily we were driving our truck instead of the car. This may seem odd to say, but it was actually a wonderful experience. As soon as we were hit, I had a peaceful feeling rush over me and I was not concerned in the least. I knew Evie and I were okay, so I hopped out and ran back to make sure the other driver was okay. She had no injuries but was clearly distressed. I felt this overwhelming desire to comfort and care for her. We had to wait for 10-15 minutes for an officer to arrive, and during this time I was able to help calm her anxieties. In no way was I upset. And after all was said and done, I had to laugh when I called the auto body shop who ironically had our other car in just last week. (**Update / Blessing: We were able to get the truck into the shop and not one thing was wrong with it!)

Sunday Musing: Who You Really Are

Last night, Steve and I were able to attend the temple. With our hectic schedules we haven't been able to go as much as we would like (we have set a goal to do better!) The opportunities when we get to go together are treasured. During this most recent visit, I had the humbling opportunity to sit next to a young sister who had gone through the temple for the first time earlier this week, and the session we were attending together was her second time back. She leaned over to me and nervously told me this and then asked if I could help her. I was honored and was taught a great lesson by her example. I thought back to when I first entered the temple and remembered how I treasured it. I couldn't get enough of it! I remembered how excited I was about the Gospel and how eager I was to know everything. 

And I remembered it was in large part because of this feeling: 

"It is in the temple that we remember who we really are and see with clarity who we really can become." 

Throughout each temple experience, we are often reminded that man (and woman) was created in the image of God. "Each has a divine nature and destiny." We are reminded that we "accepted His plan by which [we] could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize [our] divine destiny as heirs of eternal life" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World.) It is by our Heavenly Father's divine plan of mercy and happiness that we can meet our divine potential and become our best selves. Knowing that He knows me gives me more energy in living the Gospel and adds greater life to my testimony. I am always trying to figure out where I fit into this plan and what He has for me to accomplish, and am so thankful for the sweet reminder that I am His and he has prepared me to gain all that He has in a uniquely individualized way.

Weekends Away

Soooo, we really needed a break and finally got to take a little one. It's nice to be able to come up for air once in a while and catch our breath.

We recently visited Dustin (Steve's brother,) Hailey, and Addison in St. George. The photos below are from our hike on Saturday after a night of very little sleep...I'm talking like 2 hours folks. Eva didn't travel well this time around. She sure loves her structure, and well, this through it off so she was a bit wackadoo.

It sure doesn't show in photos, though. She's a champ and loved the hike!

We sure love these guys and wish we got to see them more! Eva adores her cousin Addi.

Eva fell off a stool onto the kitchen tile Saturday evening and had a goose-egg the size of Pluto. No kidding, it was huge. Like Looney Toons kind of huge. Luckily she didn't show signs of a concussion, but we kept a close eye on her which led to another restless night. Waaaaait a second...aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing?

Sunday morning we enjoyed Sacrament Meeting with the fam. I actually heard more from the talks than I was expecting and really appreciated what was said. It gave me hope that things will come together in our lives, and I felt strongly that through it all we were going to be alright. Not just alright, but we are going to be great because our family is eternal. Being a parent to a toddler is sometimes hard. Being the wife of a working student is sometimes hard. And the idea of being the wife of a police officer is scary. But I am so grateful for my faith that leads me closer to Christ, who is my Light and my Guide.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Proverbs 119:105

After church we took a stroll around the St. George LDS Temple. If you want to learn more about temples and why they are sacred to us, click here! It is truly a place of love and beauty.

On our way home, we made a stop in Scipio at their fortuitous little petting zoo because someone needed to get a massive amount of energy out. Mom and Dad also needed a little break after the 37th time of singing "Book of Mormon Stories." I am pleased to report that Eva mastered the hand motions to this song during this trip. "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" is also a huge hit, but she's had that down pat for a couple months.

Eva loves animals and naturally loved the idea of the petting zoo, but once we were in she was not a huge fan of the hungry goat. She kept shaking her finger at him and telling him, "No, Nooooo!" It was, in all honesty, incredibly cute. However, she might be scarred for life.

I'll wrap it up short and simple: These are moments and memories we treasure.

Rainy Days

We love rainy days around here (few and far between,) but it means we have to come up with various forms of indoor entertainment besides screen-time. Since Ev was about 8 months old, she has refused to wear headbands or bows (to my dismay, having made a plethora of these during nap time.) So when this little lady came up to me today with not one, not two, but three hair bows, who could resist? She loves playing dress up!

She is also picking things up like crazy now and is our sweet little copy cat. We're really having to watch everything we do now! She loves helping me do my makeup each morning by handing me my foundation, my eyeliner, my mascara (her favorite) etc. Today she thought she'd try it on her own - with a sharpie, guys. Luckily she picked silver (to bring out her eyes, I'm sure) and thought she'd try putting it on her eyelids. She also decided to put it all over the bottom of her feet too, which I assure you, she didn't pick up from me.

 Here is the finished product, plus a boogie.