A Whole Bunch of Stuff

I am falling way behind. I decided to just do a post and get it all out in one shot, so I can move forward with other thoughts and things. Over the past few weeks life has been a whirlwind of activity. My parents were here for two weeks, my brother's family came to visit, we had 3 birthdays, a stent removal, a baptism, ordination to the Priesthood, doctor's appointments, advanced choir tryouts, first day of Cub Scouts, recovering from leg surgery, and some other things. :) 

Needless to say, I just haven't taken the time to write as much. But I LOVE to write and record life and feelings, so I hope to be a little more regular again. I really want to keep better track of the normal day-to-day stuff, but sometimes my deep thoughts win out at the end of the day. I need to record both, so sometimes these post where I update seem to work well for me. 

This will be random, so bear with me... 

William was baptized on his birthday. It was a special day for him, and our family. My brother John came from Utah to baptize him, since Charles was otherwise occupied in the Spirit World. William made a special request for John to be the one to baptize him. It was a wonderful day, and many ward family members came to support our family -- I totally forgot to take a picture! But I was so happy so many were there. I did not invite anyone specifically other than family, but people came, and it was great. My Dad gave William the Holy Ghost, and it was a beautiful moment. He blessed him that despite his current shyness, that one day he would be a powerful teacher and missionary. I love it when people receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is so powerful. William is such a good boy. I sure love him. He really loved being baptized. We have talked a lot about it. 

Earlier that same day, Daniel received the Priesthood. Tyson Harlin was the one who gave it to him. Daniel specially requested him because he loves him. He was also Charles' best friend. This is something Daniel wrote about Tyson in an Autobiography at school: " Ever since my dad passed away, Tyson Harlin has stepped in to help in anyway he can. He is one of the greatest men I know, aside from my own father and Jesus and God. He has taken my siblings and me into his life like we are his own kids. I appreciate how much he has helped me on my way through my recent life. He has gotten me over halfway to Eagle in less than a year. He is a great inspiration to me." 

Tyson gave a lovely blessing, and it was very meaningful to Daniel. He blessed Daniel to have broad shoulders to be able to handle all that is placed upon him. Daniel said he felt his dad close during the blessing. It was a special and sacred moment. Daniel was so excited to pass the sacrament for the first time. He is also super excited to be in the Young Men's program. He watched his daddy as the Young Men's President for many years, and now he has his own chance to enjoy being part of the program. Watching Daniel pass the sacrament made my heart soar with joy. I am so grateful for him in our family. He is such a good, sturdy, wonderful boy. I am so grateful to have the Priesthood back in our home. I missed it. I mean, the influence was still felt, but it is special to have a Priesthood holder in the home. It is awesome. 

I forgot to take a picture of Daniel and Tyson, so here is one of Charles and Tyson being manly with beards and eating meat. What could be better? 

I am so proud of my boys. Hooray! 

Here is a picture of Sammi with her brothers and cousins... 

She is horribly outnumbered. But she is up for the challenge. 

My brother also blessed his baby on that same Sunday. It was a beautiful and special blessing. The baby was given the name of Charles Richard. He was blessed to look to his Uncle Charles as an example of how to live his life, and love and serve others. I felt the spirit really powerfully when my brother spoke of Charles in such a way. Baby Charles is an adorable baby. I got to smooch on him a lot. It made me miss babies.

Me and my brother, and our children.

John and Mom. He is the youngest child in our family, and he is my mom's favorite. He, he. :) 

My brother's cute family...

Baby Charles, he has the cutest cheeks!

Henry eating a cupcake for his birthday. I totally forgot to take birthday pictures! The boy's birthdays are 3 days in a row. This year Dan turned 12, William turned 8, and Henry is 3.

We packed 13 people into my small home for the weekend. It was crazy, but cozy. So many boys!

Cute Henry. He had the stents taken out after his kidney surgery. It went smoothly, except for when he woke up after the procedure, he was acting like the Hulk. The nurse could barely hold him down. He remembered the last time he was there and he wanted to get out! He ripped out his IV, and there was blood all over the place. It was a messy and crazy experience, but it did not last too long. They wanted to wait for him to pee before we left, but they gave up and let us go. He was not having any of it this time around. As soon as we left and got in the car to head for home he was fine, and he recovered like nothing had happened. All was well, after some craziness. Glad that is done. 

Baby Johnny and Baby Charles.

You just want to smooch his cheeks off! SO cute!

Daniel... he is my handsome awesome boy. I love this kid. I am so grateful Charles helped me make him.

In this house, we are conquerers.

And... a cute baby. :)

The boys wanted Legos for their birthday, what else? Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Johnny showered Legos upon them. They were, and still are, so happy about it.

My beautiful Sammi. Seriously... this girl is sunshine and wisdom. I love her so much. I could not make it without her. I really couldn't. Sometimes Henry calls me "mom" but most of the time he calls me "Sammi." It is a term of endearment.

We have spent a lot of time by the river. It just smells so amazing right now. We love to go there and skip rocks. It is so much fun and so relaxing.

A house full of people... we all sang, "Let it Go," at the top of our lungs -- all of us -- it was so hilarious to hear all the little boys belting it out.

William is ready for cub scouts. He is super excited. Daniel is going to be his mentor, since I am not too sure how it all works! I do wish Charles was here because he loved Scouting, but we will make do.

I have been running a ton. By some miracle, I have recovered super quickly and I am up and running better than ever.

Sometimes I run twice a day, just because I can. After not being able to walk for awhile, I have extreme gratitude for the ability to run, and I take advantage of my legs that work so beautifully now.

I love the sky, I have seen many beautiful sunrises and sunsets...

I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful place.

Here is a random Sammi selfie. She is showing her hair after she braided it...

Her hair is something else... so pretty. I just love it.

The kids are totally excited to go and see the Avengers. Daniel's favorite is Captain America. He likes him because he is a true superhero, and he has integrity. He even made himself his own cardboard shield.

The river during one of my runs.

I have been trying to beautify my yard, it is coming along nicely... I love to just sit in my front yard, and bask in the beauty of the days...

Putting the sprinkler under the trampoline is always fun... it has been warm enough to go for it! 

I love to soak in the light of the sun... it is so energizing. 

Cows. It is Idaho. :)

On Saturday I went for a 9 mile run. It felt amazing. This last month has been a struggle with the pain of the surgery I had done. But now, I am fully recovered with just some scars and bruising that needs to heal. I felt so free as I kept running and running. I plan to run and workout like crazy this summer. I am ready to become whole. I am ready to discover what I am capable of... anything is possible.