I Heart IKEA

After Christmas we bought this shelf from Ikea

And with the help of this boy, we put the toys in it

We used these bins and labels to help us organize.

And it made this mommy very happy.

*and of course, the toy room ALWAYS stays that neat and tidy...HA, YEAH RIGHT!

Priceless

Need I say more?

Weekend wrap up

Friday morning I hear two voices calling me:

"Mommy, we need you!!! Come click" (that's how Tyler says "quick"). So I venture into the living room to see what assistance might be required of me ('cause I'm that kind of mom you know...click to respond, slow to grumble). As I enter the living room I am pummled with nurf darts coming from the second story.

I look closer and see these two renegades giggling with delight. Glad I could provide some entertainment for the troops.

Saturday brought more fun with another bike ride to the pond. This time we remembered to bring our own rocks to throw in the water so as to not scavengar rocks from the pothole in the middle of the road. Tyler does great on his big boy bike...for the most part. John and I enjoyed a good chuckle when he took a dive onto the grass because he couldn't rember how to hit the brakes. But when I say dive...I literally mean dive. When he realized he might be headed for trouble, Ty spread his arms way out and dove for the soft landing of our lovely yellow grass (which thankfully didn't have any dog poop...once again, thanks neighbor guy!). Anyway, after his comical, yet heroic dive, Tyler stood up and said, "I want to walk now."

President Grodon B. Hinckley

I decided that since a portion of this blog is dedicated to my beliefs, I would take a moment to mention the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley. President Hinckley was the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as well as the 15th prophet since the re-organization of Christ's church in these latter days.

He passed away Sunday evening and will be greatly missed. His faith in God and love for mankind was inspiring. But most of us will remember him for his enthusiasm and quick wit. His mind was sharp and his energy seemed endless. We will miss our beloved prophet.

With his passing, my thoughts are turned not only to the legacy he left behind, but to the light of the days to come. I find comfort in knowing that sweet will be the reunion of President Hinckley and his precious wife who died nearly two years ago. How he missed her! But I also think of how unique these upcoming weeks will be as we witness how God organizes and leads His children and His church.

How blessed we are to live in a time in which we can benefit from having a living prophet on the earth, and how blessed we are also to witness that process that the Lord has in place as he continues His great work.

To learn more about Pres Hinckley, the reorganization of Christ's church in these latter days, and the restoration of the priesthood, visit http://www.lds.org/ or http://www.mormon.org/.

When the family gets together after evening chores are done...

Family Home Evening- A time set aside for families to gather for activities, instruction, and discussion.

That's not what typically happens at our FHE's, but that's been the goal for the past few years. This past Monday...SUCCESS!!!

Let me first back up and paint a picture for you so that you understand the magnitude of this triumphant victory. For the past several months, we had been diligently working on sitting in our chair (and staying there) during FHE lessons in hopes that Tyler would be more prepared for his upcoming move from nursery to primary. Several Sundays ago (before the big move to primary), I needed to drop something off to the nursery teacher. As I walked in the room, there they all were. Each child (there are about 15 of them) was quietly sitting in their seat. All the chairs where circled around their sweet teacher. I was impressed. All children in their chairs, all children sitting quietly, all children listening to the lesson....oh wait...all but one. Upon closer inspection, I realize that one of the children is sitting, yes sitting, upside down in his chair- head on the floor, feet in the air. Yes, you may have already guessed, that child was mine. I smiled, dropped off the item and walked out beaming with pride. You might be wondering to yourself, "why was she so proud?" Well...simply put, he was SITTING in his chair! Granted, we may have to work out a few kinks, but he was sitting and not running around or jumping up and down or climbing on furniture. Blessed day! That was how I knew we were starting to make some progress.

Anyway, Monday night was the product of all of our diligent work. Tyler sat in his chair, participated in the lesson, sang the songs, and gave a very lovely, simple prayer. And of course, made a mad dash to the kitchen when it was all over for his "home evening cookie." I was thrilled, and couldn't help the tears that filled my eyes when I listened to his sweet voice sing "I am a Child of God." Of course I giggled too at his interpretation of some of the lyrics...so sweet! Precious, simple moments.

*Note: The picture above is Tyler at his nursery graduation/primary activity. He keeps asking me if they are going to have pizza at primary again. I've tried to explain the difference between Primary activities and regular Sunday primary...it's not sticking.

When did that happen?

Someone please tell me-

When did my cute little this

become my big this?

Oh well! Here are some of the perks of having such a cute big boy:

He makes a terribly cute Sherrif Woddy/Batman

He rides his big boy bike all the way to the pond (even though he has to wear his mom's $100 helmet- that little noggin is just a tad bit on the large side)

He can climb, jump, wrestle, and throw.

And yes, he still gives great cuddles!

Props to my peeps

Thought I'd take a second to give a shout out to a few of my peeps!

First to my pops:
Thanks a million for the ipod Shuffle you gave me for Christmas. It's helping me burn off the calories from the many wonderful dinners you took us out to.....mmmmmm....king crab legs.....mmmmm.

To Jen:

Thanks for taking the time to chronicle some of my life's events before I bought into this whole blogging thing. Thanks for your technical expertise, and thanks for the free publicity for my blog.

To Joleen:

What a dear soul! What more can I say?!? You inspire, you uplift, and you uncover....secrets...MY SECRETS! I hope you remain forever my #1 blog-stalking fan!

And lastly, to my neighbor guy three streets over:
Thanks for no longer letting your dog poop on my lawn! Love ya!

It's about love

As many of you know, we adopted our sweet Tyler three years ago, and we're currently in the "waiting stages" of a second adoption. My mind often ponders the unique blessing this is...there really are no words to describe it. For this reason, I love this month's Ensign article entitled "Why Adoption."
It is beautifully written and features several quotes from our very own Shanna Bake- who happened to be our caseworker for Tyler's adoption (She's amazing and now works at LDSFS headquarters).

I have found it interesting that my favorite part of the article is one that is the favorite of several other adoptive couples. It reads-

The Lord gives compensating blessings to those who sacrifice their will to His. Speaking messianically, the prohpet Isaiah proclaimed, "The Lord hath annointed me...to give...beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isaiah 61:3,1). In placing their faith in the Lord as they make a truly selfless choice, many birth mothers have found that from the ashes of their deepest pain, He has made something beautiful.

I think this scripture is so dear to many of us in the adoption community because we feel that along with our greatest joy came another's greatest sorrow. We feel the deepest debt of gratitude to these faithful and brave young women. This scripture portrays our most sincere prayer and desires for our birth mothers.

To birth mothers everywhere:

Thank you!

Hmmm...

So my sweet hubby set up this blog for me in hopes that I would stop blog-stalking all my friends and instead join in on some of the fun. I love the title he chose (he knows me so well). He knew exactly what was near and dear to my heart...

My BIKES

My BOYS and

MY BELIEFS

(and not in that particular order).

I Love my bikes. A number of years ago, John and I got into biking and it's something we're quite passionate about. Granted, with the addition of a third member to our biking team, we've had to lower our expectations, but we still try to keep it alive!

I love my boys. The two men in my life are wonderful. John is a great husband and father, and Tyler is the most fun little boy I've ever met. How lucky am I?!? Look at these two cuties!

My beliefs...that's what keeps me centered. What more can I say? Plus, what good would a blog be if I couldn't get on my soapbox every now and then?

Check out this article.

Just doin' what I'm told.

Hello blogging world!

For Christmas this year my sweet husband surprised me with a new camera and my very own, brand new blog. SWEET! Thanks, honey, for setting me on the path to blog-stalking recovery!

My new camera is pretty sweet too. Here are a few pictures from our trip to Utah:

We had a great time opening presents Christmas morning, playing in the snow, visiting temple square, going out to eat, and going bowling.