Media Card Memory Lane

So this thing happened.

I have a Blackberry (I know, I know. Blackberries are so not cool anymore, but you know what? I don't really care. It calls people, and that's all I really need out of a cell phone). The 'ole Blackberry has a camera, and sometimes I use it to take pictures.

(I'm so with the times! I take cell phone pictures! Woot!)

(But they are really blurry and low quality).

(Whatever).

So anyway... the thing...

The Blackberry has a media card where it stores pictures. Well, a while ago, the phone said, "Hey! Your media card is full, so I will now store pictures on the camera."

I was like, "Whatever you say, Phone."

And then lo and behold, all of my pictures were gone. Trapped in Media Card Land! And I don't know how to get to Media Card Land. I spent all of ten seconds googling solutions before I said, "Meh!" and moved on with my life.

That was about nine months ago.

Then on Sunday, I tried opening my photos to show my friend how Nicky got his leg stuck in his bike last week:

Well, the photo wasn't there, but all of the photos from the media card were!

And frankly, I have no idea how that happened, but I was so excited because, despite my "Meh!"-ing, I was really sad I lost all of those pictures.

But Britt, why didn't you just put those pictures on your computer to allow space on your media card?

Psht! As if I know how to do that!

So now all of my photos are back, and I did some voodoo work and figured out how to e-mail them to myself so I can save them for-evah and evah on the internets.

But Britt, how did you get that picture of Nicky's leg stuck in the bike when you specifically said it wasn't there?

It was on facebook.

So I'm thrilled to have those photos back, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, I am going to force you to look at some of my favorites. Consider this a walk down Media Card Memory Lane.

Oh, look! Here's the day Daisy started potty training (aka: August 9, 2011).

As you can see, she grasped on to the concept immediately.

Ahem...

Needless to say, she is still working on it... a year and a half later... 

Let's not talk about it.

Speaking of Daisy, it's amazing what that girl can do. Her artistic abilities surpass those of most children her age.

Or something like that.

Sometimes she can be really cute.

And sometimes she even sleeps!

And so does Nicky.

Sometimes I take my kids out in public. Like to the zoo.

 Or to the dentist.

 Or Bingham Copper Mine.

 Or Wheeler Farm.

Or even rock climbing.

When we're feeling really adventurous, Scotty and I take the kids to Disneyland. That means we give Daisy pretty much anything she wants to keep her from screaming her head off in the back seat of the car for 12 hours.

Often, there are huge catastrophes when we are out in public.

Hey Daisy, you have a little sumthin' sumthin' on your lips. What have you been eating?

Oh, worms from Walmart! No big deal!

We have a lot of fun when we're not eating invertebrates. We take baths in the back yard.

We play with balloons.

We play dress-up.

And we get breathing treatments when we have pertussis.

And now that we have another little sister, we put gel in her hair.

Okay, okay. So that last one isn't from Media Card Land, but I had to sneak Zoe in here somewhere.

Time's a Flyin'

Why does it go like this?

Baby in the womb = time draaaaaaags

Baby out of the womb = Oh my heck! I almost have a one-month-old!!!

I've been feeling rather antsy lately about getting things documented. This phase of sweet newborn-ness is so short, and I want to remember it. I started working on writing Zoe's birth story (my journal version, not the internet version which you can find here), and every beautiful moment flowed freely through my brain, but then I got about half-way, and I haven't had the time to sit down and finish it. I know that I've already lost some of it. My hormones are getting more and more settled each day, and the details of giving birth aren't as available. I also wanted to write, in detail, about the first two weeks of Zoe's life - how blessed and incredible that time was as well as how trying it was. Sick kids, water heater going out, gigantic snowstorms, sibling rivalry, psychotic emotional breakdowns - all that good stuff that only seemed survivable because I had a little baby looking up at me like:

 

Ugh!

And pictures? Oh my goodness! I haven't taken nearly enough - a true sign of having a THIRD child. Almost every snap shot I have of Zoe is a blurry cell phone photo. 

Since time is flying by, and chances are, I'm not going to get to write everything down that I want to, here are a few sloppy highlights.

Daisy loves Zoe so much that I fear for Zoe's safety. She is the most smothered little sister of all time. The novelty has not worn off! Daisy wants to feed her, clothe her, hold her, burp her, change her diaper, bathe her, and pay her hospital bills. (Okay, maybe not that last one). Daisy will lay on top of her, pick her up and carry her, and feed her anything she can get her hands on when I'm not looking. I have to keep the baby within arms reach at all times.

One of Daisy's favorite things to do for Zoe is to make sure that she has "friends."

Nicky adores Zoe, too, but in a much different way. Mostly from afar. He will wave to her, talk to her, and make sure she isn't cold. He is very sweet and very "hands off" most of the time. You can tell, though, by the way he looks at her, that he adores her. Nicky has made some of the most hilarious comments since we had Zoe. I wish I could remember all of them. "Why does Zoe hibernate?" is the one that comes to mind. Zoe wore jeans one day, and Nicky said that he didn't like her clothes because they made her look like a kid instead of a baby. He often asks me why Zoe has such a big head. Yes, her head is in the 90th percentile, but it doesn't really look that big, so I don't know where he gets that from. 

Both Nicky and Daisy think that any day now, Zoe will be able to sit up, crawl, walk, or eat "real" food. I explain to them that she will learn to do those things while she's growing. They always think that means she will do those things tomorrow. 

Scotty is smitten by Zoe as well. Zoe made it eleven whole days before coming down with a cold, and Scotty has been very helpful taking night shifts holding Zoe upright to help her breathe.

Our car is certainly overcrowded. There is not an inch to spare! I dream of a mini van (no, really, I do) so the poor kids can have some space to breathe. BUT I love my car, and I'm going to keep it for a while longer. The biggest problem is that Zoe has to go in the middle, and that puts her next to Daisy, which is just plain dangerous. Daisy won't leave her alone in the car, and Nicky spends every drive we make yelling things like, "Mom! Daisy is covering Zoe's mouth!" "Mom! Daisy is touching Zoe's eyeballs!"

Seriously, folks? I should never leave the house. It's just not safe!

So... mini van. I needs one!

Well, that's about it for now. I didn't get to share everything I wanted, but I'm running behind in getting Nicky ready for school. Daisy is finger painting on the kitchen table with yogurt, and Zoe is laying in a pile of spit-up. 

I will leave you with my quick analysis of life with three kids:

There are always at least two that need you at any given time, and at least one of them is expressing that need in some form of screaming. 

Mothering and the Book of Mormon: Lessons from Lehi Part I

As I began reading the Book of Mormon near the end of my pregnancy, I found myself more caught up in the story of Lehi, Nephi, and their family than I've ever been. I've always known there is a lot to learn from their family, but in reading their story this time, I found myself more emotionally connected to their experiences. I even shed a few tears, something I'm usually far too hard-hearted to do. Because of some personal trials I've faced this year, I feel like I can sympathize (and maybe even empathize) a lot more with the emotions and struggles of Lehi's family (though, thankfully, I haven't been asked by God to leave my home and roam in the wilderness).

One thing that surprised me is how much there is to learn about mothering from Lehi. Sure, he never was a mother, but he worried over his children, he dealt with defiance and discontent, and he even spent a few moments murmuring (not that I would ever do that. Wink, wink!)

I noticed throughout Lehi's story that he always shared his personal, spiritual experiences with his children. As he prophesied, received revelation, and had dreams, he would gather his family together to talk to them about the things that he learned. 1 Nephi 1:16 mentions that Lehi "hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children..."

Because of this, Lehi's son, Nephi, desired to know for himself that the things his father taught were true. Through prayer and revelation, Nephi gained his own, personal witness of God the Father (1 Nephi 2:16).

Later in the Book of Mormon, Enos, like Nephi, gained a testimony of God through prayer. Enos was taught the nature of God and eternal life by his father, and those things "sunk deep into [his] heart" (Enos 1:4). When Enos poured his soul unto God, his faith "began to be unshaken in the Lord" (Enos 1:11).

This is a pattern that we can follow in our own families - a joint effort by fathers and mothers. In our most recent general conference, L. Tom Perry said:

I believe it is by divine design that the role of motherhood emphasizes the nurturing and teaching of the next generation. But it is wonderful to see husbands and wives who have worked out real partnerships where they blend together their influence and communicate effectively both about their children and to their children.

As women and mothers, we have the opportunity to experience many sacred things. While some of these experiences should be held private, it is often appropriate to share them with our spouses and children. Even though the scriptures don't mention it specifically, I am sure that Sariah, like Lehi, spoke to her children of sacred things. I think of when Sariah declared that she knew "of a surety" that the Lord had commanded her husband to take her and her children out of Jerusalem and into the wilderness and that He had protected her sons and provided a way for them to follow the commandments (1 Nephi 5:8). Certainly there were many other things Sariah knew of a surety and taught her children.

Right now my kids are quite young, but there are some small, tender experiences that I can share with them to help them see God's hand in our lives. I can tell them about answers I receive to prayers or about the times I am comforted by the Holy Ghost. As I point out these occurrences in my life, it will help my children to identify similar experiences of their own. Hopefully they, like Nephi or Enos, will eventually have the desire to seek after their own witness.

...Parents can share their testimonies often with their children, commit them to keep the commandments of God, and promise the blessings that our Heavenly Father promises to His faithful children.

-L. Tom Perry

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This post is part of my series, "Mothering and the Book of Mormon." To learn more about why I am writing this series, please read this. To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, check out Mormon.org or LDS.org.

Did you know you can request a Book of Mormon for free? No joke! See here.

I'll even send you one if you want. Marginalia included.

You can e-mail me: 

{fluentbrittish [at] gmail [dot] com}

I won't even try to baptize you!

I'm Thankful...

...for THIS. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Thoughts

The other day, a friend and I were having some Thanksgiving conversation when I confessed to her that I am 28 years old and have never cooked a turkey. I picked the right friend to tell because she replied with, "So? I'm 38, and I've never cooked a turkey!"

(Phew! Apparently there are many of us!)

This year, I was determined to roast a turkey because I have this fear that someday the survival of the world will depend on my ability to do so.

While I am a fan of devouring large masses of Thanksgiving poultry, I haven't been looking forward to the preparation. I bought my bird on Friday, and following the "one day in the fridge for every five pounds" thawing method, I was scheduled to roast the thing today. I actually had this moment earlier where I thought, "Meh. I don't need to roast that stupid turkey!" But then I remembered that it cost about $15, and I'm a tight wad, so I couldn't just throw away fifteen bucks! But then I was like, "Britt? Would you pay $15 for the opportunity to sit on the couch for two hours and hold your baby and not cook?" and then I was like, "Heck yes, I would!" So turkey loss? Totally justified.

But I roasted the darn thing anyway, because THE WORLD NEEDS ME, and I had a few thoughts about it.

Thought #1: Turkey carcasses are freaky.

Thought #2: Fishing giblets out of turkey carcasses is freaky.

Thought #3: The turkey neck was more curvy that I expected, making me worry that I accidentally purchased and roasted a swan.

Thought #4: My entire kitchen is saturated in contaminated turkey fluids.

Thought #5: I don't like meat that still looks like the creature it came from.

But I survived, and the turkey was mostly awesome. I might even do it again someday.

Like, in a year. Or ten. Or when the world is hanging by a thread, and my turkey-roasting skills, alone, have the ability to save it.

Until then, I will be airing the smoke out of my kitchen.

(It helps to have a clean oven, I guess).

Evolution of a Collage

Last year I hung a photo collage in our family room. On my old blog, I did a Brittish Home Tour and took a picture of the collage. Earlier this year, I swapped out all of the photos. Then I went and had a new kid, so today I swapped out the photos again, and I was like, "I should totally take pictures before and after the swap so I can have a photographic progression of the photo collage!"

So I did.

And trust me, it was a lot cooler in my head.

But since I went through the effort, here is how the collage has changed in the past year and a half:

{April 2011}

{April 2012}

{November 2012}

Mothering and the Book of Mormon: What Motherhood Means to Me

Each time Heavenly Father entrusts me with another child, I feel an overwhelming desire to live up to the responsibility that I've been given. Approaching the birth of Zoe, my third baby, I felt a pressing need to step it up as a mother. President Gordon B. Hinckley, speaking specifically to mothers, said:

You have given birth and nurtured children. You have entered into a partnership with our Father in Heaven to give mortal experience to His sons and daughters. They are His children and they are your children, flesh of your flesh, for whom He will hold you responsible... You have nothing in this world more precious than your children. When you grow old... and meditate on the things of your life, nothing will be so important as the question of how your children have turned out. 

President Hinckley's words ring true in my heart. I want to do the best I can for the special spirits that He has placed in my care.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, we are taught that, "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection." (D&C 130:18) Sister Julie B. Beck expounded on this scripture and taught that "the value women place on motherhood in this life and the attributes of motherhood they attain here" are included in those principles of intelligence.

For me, raising children is not a casual duty. Though I am consistently imperfect at it, I take motherhood and parenting very seriously - it is the most important thing I have ever done. I don't have all of the right answers, but I am always learning and growing. In fact, I can't think of anything that has the potential to bring me closer to the Savior than fulfilling my role as a mother. Since the knowledge I gain through this experience will be with me eternally, I want to soak in as much as I can.

When I reached my 30th week of pregnancy, I took some time to write out some goals and dreams that I have as a mother. Some of my goals are character-based - habits, attributes, and behaviors that I want to have. Others are priority-based - things I want to invest more time and effort into. I also took some time to think about some of the challenges that my family was facing and how they would affect us as we brought a new baby into our lives. I had a lot of concerns, and I felt like I really needed an anchor. As I prayed about my goals and my worries, I felt prompted to turn to the Book of Mormon. At the time, I had been trying really hard to read the New Testament, and I felt like I couldn't stop my study and change courses, but the prompting kept coming back to me. I ended up marking my spot in the New Testament and setting it aside to read the Book of Mormon. As I did so, I decided to look specifically for lessons that pertain to motherhood. Nephi taught that we should liken the scriptures unto us for our profit and learning (1 Nephi 19:23). I thought this would be a good way to "liken" the scriptures and apply them in a way that I needed.

As I studied the Book of Mormon, I wrote a few blog posts about some of the things I learned (mostly for selfish purposes, because I know I will need to look back and re-learn these things over and over again). I'll be posting them throughout the next several weeks with plenty of Zoe, funny stories, and whining in between.