Grass

I've thought of so many titles for this post and it ends up as "GRASS." Nice.

So I was calling around for a substitute teacher for my Primary class this weekend and one sister in my ward that I called answered cheerfully and, after I explained why I was calling, proceeded to tell me she wouldn't be able to because she's been diagnosed with lung cancer and has to go up to Salt Lake for some treatments the next few weeks. She sounded so cheery it was not at all like she had just told me she's recently been diagnosed with a very serious life-threatening illness and has started chemotherapy, but as if she had told me she couldn't sub because she had a family vacation planned for the weekend! When I commented on how optimistic and cheerful she was, she said, "Well, I just don't feel like it's my time to leave yet." After hanging up, I couldn't help thinking to myself, "if I am ever diagnosed with a life-threatening illness such as cancer, I want to be as cheerful and optimistic as her!" I know her outlook and attitude will make a big difference for her. And as a little sidenote, I just want to say how much I love the word "cheer." It's come to mean a lot to me. Cheerfulness is different than a happy-go-lucky kind of feeling. It's coupled with a deep peacefulness that comes from knowing I'm living on purpose. There are some great scriptures on cheerfulness that I love. I want to share a few:

"And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along." -D&C 78:18
"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." -John 16:33
"Be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you." -D&C 61:36
"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you;" -D&C 68:6

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Joseph is six months old! He is so much fun!

He has this little jumperoo that he LOVES to bounce in and that seriously is my greatest entertainment during the day! It is so fun to watch him bouncing and smiling!

He is also really close to holding his own bottle to feed himself.

I've been doing a few signs with him for a few months now. And I know for sure now that he recognizes the sign for "milk." Before I give him his bottle, when he can't see it, I'll ask him if he wants some milk and I do the sign and he becomes extremely excited. It makes me laugh. He is eating more solids now.

We gave him peaches yesterday and his face was so funny the first few times he tasted it. After those few times he really liked it and wanted more and more.

I had a fun day with Joseph yesterday. We went over to the temple grounds and hung out on the lawn. It was such a gorgeous day and really fun to be outside. Joseph enjoyed the feel of grass and liked grabbing handfuls of it. And he played with his first stick. haha! It's so fun to notice all of his "first" experiences! It helps me to pay more attention to the little things in life and think of how grateful I am for them.

He's also really enjoying his bathtime. He stayed a little longer in the tub today to play with the bubbles and splash in the water. He's sooooo close to sitting up all on his own now! He can do it for just a few seconds and then he topples over, but I was able to get some pretty cute pictures of him sitting up playing.

And then, there's Lambie. He loves his lambie.

He loves to have his lambie close to him when he's falling asleep. And he loves to wave it all around when he wakes up, sometimes even before falling asleep.

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On Memorial Day we dropped Joseph off at a friend's house and then we went hiking up at Kolob. Kolob is part of Zion National Park, but only accessible on the northwest end of the park. We hiked the Taylor Creek Middle Fork up to the double arches at the end and it was such a beautiful hike! It's basically following a river all the way up a canyon. The trail crosses the river back and forth more times than we could count. And the hike itself is not strenuous at all, which was nice because I felt like we could enjoy the beauty more and not wear ourselves out. Round trip, it was just over five miles long.

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And the last thing I want to share is about our vacuum. It's been retarded for a long time. A few days ago the belt was burning so bad that a little curl of smoke was coming out of it so I took it upon myself to clean out the vacuum and replace the belt. And I did what I thought was a darn good job. Then, feeling pretty good about myself that I had fixed the problem, I turned it on to start vacuuming again, only to smell that same rotten burnt rubber smell. Incredulous, I turned the vacuum over and opened it up again to discover that the brand new belt I had just put in was broken. Heaven only knows. So I called John to ask him to pick up a new belt on his way home from work. When he came home, he walked in the door with a large box and said, "here's your new belt!" It was a brand new vacuum. :)

Doodle for Google

Google has had a contest among school aged children to create a drawing of the "Google" logo that will be posted on their search engine. The theme was "What I Wish For the World." Well this week is the time to vote for the national finalists and the final winner's art will appear on google.com on May 21st.

I love everything google and so was excited to see the top finalists and cast my vote. I love the creativity of youth too and really enjoyed looking at all the pictures they've created and reading what it is that they wish for the world. I thought it was interesting how many of the drawings had to do with saving animals. I'm curious if it would have been that way 15 years ago. It seems, to me, that there is quite a push for "saving the animals" and "going green," more so now since the nation has been so well-informed by Mr. Gore. I do believe it's important to be mindful about how we use the resources we've been blessed with. My concern is that children are receiving the idea that the earth and the plants and animals on it are more important than they themselves are, for that is simply not true. And that's all. :) Now on to who I voted for!

K-3
Friendship Around the World

This drawing is by a 5 year old! So cute! She's from Tennessee and here's what she says she wishes for:
My wish for the world is that everyone would get along and treat one another in a nice and loving way. We could all be friends!

4-6
Learn, Teach, Reach and You Can Change

This is an excellent drawing by a 12 year old from Wyoming.
What I wish for the world is that every child and every adult have a chance to go to school and learn. If every person in the world could have the opportunity to go to school, it would make the world a better place, not only for the world, but for the people in it.

7-9
Stop to Smell the Flowers

I love this one! That ladybug is so stinkin' cute. This was by a 13 year old from Ohio. And I love what she says:
What I wish for the world is that people would slow down to see all the beauties of life of the earth around us. So many people rush on with their lives never stopping to say hello to a lady bug who's watching the world spin by.

10-12
From the Ashes

This drawing is just beautiful, but along with it, I really love all the thought that went into it by this 13 year old from Kentucky. Wait a sec. I just realized this is a 13 year old in the grade 10-12 category?? Must be a genius. Anyway, I love symbolism, so I really loved this:
The world will be reborn in peace, harmony and prosperity. Pheonix is reborn from ashes; blossoms and lotus symbolize peace. Earth is a prosperous place like an apple. Kois symbolize harmony. Wheat is celebrated as a prosperous crop. The clock represents time for the world to change. The butterfly carries it on its journey.

Now it's your turn! Go vote! :)

5 Months

Here's what Joseph's been up to lately. He is a very happy baby and smiles at anyone he looks in the eyes. He especially loves little children and I've seen him in fits of giggles when a little kid is playing with him.

He is so happy in the mornings. He's always excited to see my face peek over his crib when I come to pick him up in the mornings. He hardly ever cries and if he does it's because I'm a little slow getting his bottle to him in time. But even if he's crying for his milk and I hold him in my arms while I make his bottle so he can see what's coming, then he stops crying and patiently waits for it.

He is mastering his hand work and really enjoys grabbing for things. He can move things from one hand to the other.

He loves playing on his back and only has a little patience for staying on his tummy. He rolled over the first time back in mid-March, but he hadn't done it again until last week. And since then he's been rolling a few more times. He's even gone once from his back to his tummy.

He really loves to play with his daddy. John can get him into peals of laughter quite easily when he comes home from work.

He loves going for walks in the stroller, or strapped in the Snugli and usually falls asleep during them. We've been going for walks more often with one of my friends who has a little girl a month and a half younger than Joseph.

He is enjoying his baths more. I usually get in the tub with him, and it's been a while since he's cried. Occasionally he'll even smile while he's in there. I think it would be fun to try out swimming with him sometime soon.

He has tried "solids" twice so far, once in a bottle and once with a spoon, but he only took a little bit. When I fed him with the spoon I don't even know if he got anything down because he doesn't know he's supposed to swallow what goes in there on the spoon. But he swished it around in his mouth for a little new taste and didn't seem to mind it.

He is getting really close to sitting up on his own. He can do it for a little while if he's propped up against something, but if he tries it just by himself he folds over in half and starts grunting/crying uncomfortably.

He went through a mini phase of sucking on his pointer finger and is now on a little kick of sucking in his bottom lip, sticking out his tongue and blowing bubbles over and over again.

He loves to lay in his bed and if he is fussing while we're holding him because he's tired, all we do is lay him down in his bed and he stops fussing, smiles and settles down to go to sleep. He will fall asleep on his own, usually within just five minutes after laying him down. He takes two naps a day, and they can range all over the place, from one hour to three.

He enjoys watching the picture slideshow on our computer and usually smiles at pictures of himself, John or I. We are sure having a lot of fun with him and feel so blessed that he is a part of our little family!