My wild girl draws a picture. Or two. Or twenty.

 I have a little artist!  My self-proclaimed "wild girl" loves to draw things.  The Captain brings home lots of srap paper from work, so luckily she has a generous canvas.  And now, with my new camera, I can actually take good pictures of her creations.  Can you guess what this is?

Ah! I just LOVE the swirly arms and legs of her heart people.
This one happens to be a Heart Devil.  I'm not sure where she came up with that. . . .

Here are some of the 20+ turkey cards
Briar Rose made for our Thanksgiving guests to take home.
(No, we didn't have that many guests!)

My girls LOVE horses.  And ponies, and unicorns, and pegasuses (sp?).  Over Thanksgiving break, they chose to watch Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken two days in a row.  I could watch that movie again and again, so I didn't mind.  Afterward, my little artist went on a horse-drawing kick. 

Sorry this is sideways.  Do you like my funky toes?
I especially love the dappled gray horse on the top row,
or right row, depending on your angle.

There's a barn, and another dappled gray horse, and of course, she drew herself riding Lightning.

Here are my favorites, though.  She asked me how to spell Sonora and Lightning.

Sonora and her brave horse, Lightning,
running up the ramp and jumping off.

She does a good job illustrating movement, doesn't she?

Here's a close-up of Sonora grabbing Lightning's harness,
and both of them jumping off the ramp and into the pool below. 
Golly that would be fun to try sometime.

On a more humerous note, when I was in the fifth grade, I lost the spelling bee because I spelled "lightning" as "lighting" (withought the N).   Writing this post just brings that all back because I keep typing Lightnigh.  Ugh!

A Quick Update

The looks says it all.  Loving tools is in his blood.

This week he started saying Nana and Hi, and he has his own word for horses:  Ta!  As you can see from this post, he gets lots of opportunity to identify horses, too.  I think it's pretty wonderful.

All about the General

The General is a tease. 

 He's 18 months old today.

(Sorry this post is really disorganized in appearance. At least I'm posting!)

The General doesn't say much.  He did say "nana" the other day when he wanted a banana.  Usually he just uses, "Mama mama mammma!" with various inflections from sweet to musical to shrill that mean different things. One thing's for sure, he's on his way to live up to that name we gave him: even without using words, he lets you know what he wants and what he thinks.  He'll probably smile while he's bossing others around because he's certainly the happiest baby I've had.

Or he might sing at them.  We attended a local production of Savior of the World yesterday, and throughout the musical numbers, he would stand on my lap and rock back and forth, and when they weren't singing, he hummed a rough version of his favorite of the songs, "Come, Lord Jesus, Come."  He sings himself to sleep, he walks around the house humming, he mimics notes I give him.  The point is, I can usually tell what he's trying to sing, and for an 18 month old who doesn't speak, I think he's rock-awesome.

The General LOVES shoes.

The General loves wearing jackets, or pjs.

The General loves clothes and shoes.  Want to make him happy?  Ask him to bring you socks and then shoes. He always knows where they are.



 

Trying to wear one of my shirts.

He loves to wear jackets and try on other things over his clothes, like his pjs or my shirt, for example.

While wearing these wax lips, all he wanted to do was kiss.

He's a Mama's boy.  I took a two hour nap this morning, and when he saw me afterwards, he did a little "happy to see Mama" dance.  It made me feel special.  He also likes to give me kisses.

He loves hammers and mallets.

I allow him to help me with my projects.  He loves hammers.  He'll walk around hammering everything with that rubber mallet I have.



One thing's certain, I love this little boy.  He brings so much joy to our family.








And now for some random pictures I can't move around for some reason. . . .

On his way to church.

Blueberry oatmeal is a favorite around here.

 

He speared that apple by himself.

One of his three blankets he can't live without. 
He was Mario for Halloween.

Two years ago and Now

Looking back to find comparison shots makes me nostalgic.  It's true what they say, "The days are long but the years are short."  I'm glad I enjoy these times with my children while they are little.

Here is Briar Rose and her friend two years ago at a local pumpkin patch.  





 








And here they are a few weeks ago, gathering junk at a house we were investigating.

And Briar Rose and Daffodil at three-years-old and 15-months-old, riding Sunny.

And a couple months ago.  They don't look much like sisters at all, aside from that slight dimple in the chin.  The General, however, is a good bridge between them. 

Two years ago, Briar Rose posed like this at the pumpkin patch.















We still catch her doing this.  I could only find one picture of it, but usually she peeks above the General's highchair when we're making a video.

This little boy is rather clever.  He can open the fridge by himself, which is normal, but he went even further: using a fork, he poked a hole in the carton top and continued to eat the whole thing by himself through that little hole, with the fork. (He loves forks and spoons and refuses to eat without them.)  I didn't take it away because I've always been proud of my children when they develop any sort of independence.  At least my children won't starve if I'm unable to feed them.  I did, however, put him in his highchair so he wouldn't get yogurt all over the carpet.

Did you know Daffodil delivered pizza at 15 months old.  She loves Little Caeser's!

 Yet another food shot, this time of him stealing his sister's apple.  He's giving an extra goofy grin here, but it shows the dominant eyebrows from my father's lineage.  Does his hair have a reddish tint?  Sometimes I think so. It's definitely not white like Daffodil's.









This is the only decent comparison shot I could find of Briar Rose at somewhere around 15 months. It doesn't really show how similar she may or may not look to the other two. It's not even that good of a picture.  Oh well!







And my favorite picture of the General. 

I can't do it!

This is a phrase I hear from my now 3-year-old almost every day. 

Before her, I was under the impression that children thought they could do ANYTHING-- and that only adults had these self-imposed limitations.  I was wrong.

Putting on socks, buckling herself into her carseat, putting on stretchy pants-- all these are hard things for any little child, but mine gets discouraged very, very easily.  I have to coax her very gently, all without enabling her.

She's currently learning to buckle herself into her 5-point harness carseat.  The top buckle she can do consistently, but the bottom buckles are very difficult for small hands.  I encourage and help her where I know she can't do it herself, but I make sure not to enable her by doing what she can do herself.  I know that the more she does herself, the stronger her hands will become, and it won't be too long before she doesn't need any help at all!


Today in Relief Society, I saw how my daughter's situation mirrors my own in many ways. Sometimes there are tasks that seem to be just too hard to do-- bearing my testimony to my non-member friends is one that comes to mind.  When I think of being in such a situation, my mind turns off as I think to myself, "That's too hard, it won't work!"  Meanwhile, I can feel Heavenly Father gently prodding me to do it, no matter the cost.

The following verse came to mind: Mosiah 24:15

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

Heavenly Father doesn't hate us for our discouragement. He knows we can do these things, we just have to practice. That practice will make us stronger, and pretty soon what was once impossible for us to do becomes routine.  In the meantime, He encourages us and somehow, makes up where we lack.

Soon, my daughter will have the independence to buckle herself into her carseat.  And with practice, when I take every opportunity provided me, I will find it easier to share my testimony with others, and that fire within me will burn all the stronger because of it.

Just because I love kid feet!

June so far

 The girls, learning about money.  They both had $4.00 of coins in their jars.

 After her ballet recital (she was part of the Magical Garden in Alice in Wonderland), we got her an icecream cone-- she picked the size and flavors at Baskin Robbins, and of course it ended up being way bigger than she could eat!  I love the Colonel Sanders moustache-thingy going on. :) 

 This little one always wants eggs and toast for breakfast.  I'm not sure, but I think she really liked the blackberry jam on her toast.

 This was my lucky find of the month!  This car was dumped on the side of the road for a couple weeks before I spotted it and picked it up.  The girls were so excited about all the spiders inside the trunk.  It's perfect for the little General!

He's not walking yet, but he loves to climb.  This windowsill is the perfect place for him-- he just can't get down.  You can't tell, but he's complaining about it here.

Thing's I've learned at age 27



After I had some veins surgically embolized.  The Captain told me to look concerned.

Age 27 has been a year of maturation.  Here are a few things I've discovered this year:

• It's not okay to yell at those I love most.
• There are things worth saving up to buy.  I'm really tired of not having a bedroom set handed to me.  Time to take this matter into my own hands!
• My children will not always be little.  I've decided to make smiley-face sandwiches for them.
• I'm now more prepared to be disappointed by those I admire the most.
• Just because I look up to someone doesn't mean they like me.
• I choose to accept said people as human.
• I choose to let go of the hurt.  *Breath in* Goodbye bitter feelings! *Breath out*
• Positive affirmations work.  I love how I feel when I eat lots of fruit and vegetables!
• It's harder than I expected to glean through the many drawings my kids make.
• It's easier to gain weight than it was before I got pregnant two years ago, and I'm not as flexible as I was then, either!
• I choose how I feel.  I choose not to feel angry.
• Counting to ten and holding my breath works to calm me down when I'm angry, but then everyone will ask me why I've burst a vessell in my eye.
• I'm not very good at listening and understanding.  It's really important that I improve.
• I can't learn French if I don't try.
• It's worth doing the six dirty dishes in the sink.
• I love any food I don't have to make.
• My free time is less about entertaining myself than about doing something I love, like sewing, knitting, or writing.
• If I don't use my talents, I will lose them.  Slow and steady wins the race!
• If I want to keep my friends, I need to call them just for the heck of it.
• It's time I start taking charge and planning outings and activities with friends.
• I want to sleep more.

That's my cue!  Good night!

I originally wanted to make this about how I am the coolest wife ever, but I'm going to talk about my husband, instead. Because he's WAY more interesting.

This is my husband, CAPTAIN Fisher.  I gave him this bushido blade as a gift, when he was rather suddenly promoted from lieutenant to captain earlier this month. (That blade is the reason I'm the coolest wife ever!)  I used to call him my "saxy lootellan" (know the reference?), and I was sad about losing that term, until I realized I could now say I had my very own Captain Moroni.  More on that later.

Here is a picture of us on his promotion day.

He accuses me of leaning away from him on purpose when we take pictures, so we always have to have one where I REALLY lean away.

Ah, this is more like it. . .

Every couple needs a good kissing picture.  We're still working on it. See here, he's not really leaning into me, so THERE, Captian! I'm pretty sure this is illegal, though, because he's in uniform and he's technically not supposed to show any sign of affection (I can't even hold his hand!!). Oh well.  We kiss. Get over it, Army!

Now I'm going to acquaint you with some of the many reasons my husband is the coolest husband ever!

My husband LOVES his children.  He never hesitates to play or spend time with them.  I'm so blessed to be married to a man who unabashedly adores our children as much as I do. 

I'm married to a man who is committed to me as a wife and mother.  We can aim to be on the same page, and he defends me.  He also opens my doors.  Unless I'm irritated and beat him to it, but he still goes through the motions, and it usually makes me smile.

I'm grateful for a man who's willing to talk.  And we talk about EVERYTHING!   My husband has a gift for counselling, and trust me, he uses that gift frequently with me.

I'm grateful to be married to a man who is honorable, clean, and virtuous.  He sets the best example for our son, and I will be extremely happy if our daughters catch husbands like him.

I'm so blessed to enjoy spending time with the Captain.  We love talking, watching movies, playing board or video games, and especially reading together. 

Did you know that he's a MATH NERD, too?  I totally DIG math skills!

Importantly, my man works.  He works at a job that he likes but doesn't always love, and he does it so we can have a sufficient living.  I'm especially grateful to stay home with my kids.

The one thing I haven't mentioned is how very handsome my Captain is.  The first time I saw him without facial hair, I nearly fainted.  Eight years later, he's as handsome as ever-- well, more so because he's a MAN now.  My favorite of his features?  His smile wrinkles, his manly jawline, and his sexy, manly hands.  And, he smells good. 

Add to all this his faithful spirit. He truly is a man who can answer all my righteous desires.  These verses of Captain Moroni describe my husband perfectly:

11And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

12Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

13Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.

I am so grateful for a man who is willing to serve not only his family, but our friends, too. He is a man focused on keeping his covenants with honor and perfection.  He is a true and devout follower of Christ, my very own Captain Moroni.

Your failure to plan is not my emergency.

We were having a family over for breakfast and games one Saturday when a girlfriend called and asked if we could babysit for her within the hour (it wasn't for an emergency).  I regretfully turned her down, and I felt guilty about it.  I like to be there for friends when I can.  When I told our guests about it, the husband said point blank, "Their failure to plan is not your emergency."

I am in no way being critical or passing judgement on my girlfriend.  His comment was brutally honest, but it got me thinking about planning.
Planning is so important that without it, life won't go where I want it to. 

• I can't teach my children without a thinking about what I want to teach them.
• I can't fulfill my visiting teaching assignments without calling my sisters and setting dates for visits.
• I can't fulfill my callings unless I plan ahead, making announcements and teaching others about dry-pack canning.
• I can't go to the temple without scheduling a baby sitter.
• I can't have a happy marriage unless I put a little thought into things, planning dates, writing letters, thinking about what my husband would like.
• I can't give gifts unless I think about the person I want to give a gift to.

Last year, I let life slip me by.  I planned and scheduled almost nothing, and thus, I got almost nothing accomplished that year.  I gave in to the misconception-- whether mine or from some outside influence, I don't know-- that it didn't matter when I got out of bed, whether or not I worked out or read scriptures or kept to a routine.  Because of that, I got lazy and developed habits that now I strive to break.  And it's challenging.

I don't want this year to be the same way.  It's already April, but it's gone by in record time.  I can say the only habit I've changed is working out-- I am now accustomed to working out five days a week for nearly an hour, and I've adapted to waking at 6am (I'm working to 5am) in order to do that. 

Here's another realization I had:  anything I do for myself during the daylight hours is taking time away from my kids.  So I want to work out and get ready for the day BEFORE my kids awake, so that I can focus on being a better mother for them.  (My problem now is learning to go to bed before 11pm.  Six hours of sleep is not enough!)

There are so many things I want to get done.  Now I just have to regiment my day so I can get them done.  Next year I want to homeschool our four-year-old, and in order to do that, I need to be structured.  I'd better start making progress towards that now!

I'm a ruby in the rough

Do you know Proverbs 31? Well if you don't, it's worth reading.  Suffice to say, I'm not a wife whose price is greater than rubies--but I try.

I haven't ever been very good about blogging.  I am not one of those uber-talented women who can decorate a home, be perfectly organized, blog every day, take perfect pictures, make creative desserts, sew, cook, AND home-school her children, all while working full-time, and volunteering with the local PTA, and baking homemade bread, and making/buying her friends awesome gifts for every major and minor holiday on the calendar.

In fact, I've come to think of myself as a nobody.  And nobodies don't put their thoughts out for others to hear.  And I've felt my brain shut down.  Thinking becomes something more and more foreign to me as I struggle to survive and just keep my house moderately sanitary whilst attending various social activities for my three young kids, balancing our budget, trying to clip coupons, and cooking homemade hearty meals from scratch, all the while hearing pleas from my four-year-old to "be a kid and play!"  WHEW! 

Proof I do play with my kids. 
Here, I'm posing while my four-year-old takes pictures of the donkey-bride,
Curly-Shirley, and me on her wedding day.

I do have thoughts running through my head.  I've just never considered them important enough to write down.  Lately, though, I see my fault.  Recently, I brushed away the thought to say something, and that one thing I didn't say affected the course of my week-- and my family's immediate future.

So I'm going to write.  And while I might not always say the most interesting or concise things, I do want to practice putting my thoughts into words in an entertaining and purposeful manner--something I sorely need to practice doing.  I'll be the first to admit my communication skills are more than rusty--they're rotty. (Is that a word?)  And I--a technical writing graduate of Utah State University!  I cannot let this be!

So here's to using my brain to think of creative ways to share my thoughts!