So as many of you know Aimee and Chris were finally married Saturday! Yay! It really was a beautiful and touching ceremony and they were both just beaming, it was great. Afterwards we all went out to lunch to celebrate the long awaited event. While there Matix and Emma had a chance to interact and i caught some cute pics. We also had the pleasure of a mini live performance of Matix doing his Yo Gabba Gabba beat box routine but i wasn't fast enough to get it on camera (sorry). It was great, he's such a fun little guy 
kisses!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Getting aquainted
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Restless Nights and Great Escapes
So, the past few nights Emma has been more fussy than normal and at the same time has discovered an incredibly high-pitched scream that gets mom and dad to come running every time. It has sounded like she's in pain, and we thought she might have gas, but I haven't been eating anything different, so we've been quite puzzled by these outbursts. Well, this morning while Brad was letting Emma chew on his finger like she usually does, he felt something pokey. Upon further investigation, it appears her first tooth is coming in. Poor baby! It's been a huge relief to me, though, because I knew something was wrong but couldn't figure out what. Thank goodness for a daddy who loves letting his little girl chew his fingers!
Look Katie she's wearing the baseball shoes you got her!Another funny first occured today, except both Brad and I missed it. Today after Emma's morning nap, I fed her and laid her on her play mat so I could get some things done in the kitchen. Well, for those of you who don't know, Emma is quite the thumb-sucker, and pacifiers are now just fun toys to play with. So I clipped her pacifier to the arch that goes over the play mat, figuring it would entertain her and that when she wanted it she'd pull it down for a good chew. Well she was busy babbling to herself when after a bit i realized she had gone quiet. I looked out the window space between our kitchen and living room, and to my surprise, Emma's missing. I thought, "She doesn't crawl yet and hasn't shown any desire to roll over any farther than her side." So I go out to investigate and sure enough she had rolled off her mat to just where I could no longer see her in pursuit of her pacifier. It was a most amusing sight, although I was bummed that I missed her first time rolling over.
How she was when I left her...
How she was when I found her!
Monday, February 18, 2008
A Beautiful Experience
So, yesterday was awesome. We were in Chapter 4 that covered the Book of Mormon. Well, the girl that taught this lesson (Shalayne) is always so prepared and just gives some great lessons. Today however, she invited her father to come and share a personal story and his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He started off by relating how when he was 12 (living in UT) he would often go on priesthood outings that involved camping and fishing and all that good stuff. Well, one Saturday they were playing baseball and this bishop comes out and asks the boys to throw him the ball. After they did he promptly put it in his pocket and asked the boys to follow him to the local chapel. Well, he was quite irritated by this--the fact that it was Saturday, and he was going to have to do "churchy" stuff instead of playing baseball.
As he sat in the chapel with his head down vowing not to get sucked into one of these tricks again, the bishop entered the room helping a very elderly fragile lady (he guesses she was probably in her late 80's). After she had made her way to the front, she began to speak and introduced herself as the granddaughter of Martin Harris. She then shared her story of when she was a little girl and Martin called the family together as he was about to pass on so that he could share his story and testimony of the Book of Mormon with them one last time. She spoke to them of how Martin had recalled thumbing through the gold plates that the angel held and hearing the voice of God testifying of their truthfulness. Martin Harris then testified how he knew the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. This sweet old woman then bore witness of how she too knew these things to be true and how those young men were now bound to the testimony that she bore as the granddaughter of Martin Harris to the divinity of that sacred work. Shalayn's father then shared how in that moment the Holy Spirit bore witness to him that what she had shared was true and that the Book of Mormon was truly the word of God. He then told us how we too were now bound to his testimony.
It was humbling and powerful to feel the spirit so strongly in the room again reaffirming my own testimony of the Book of Mormon. It was incredible to think how I was only two testimonies away from that of one of the three witnesses to the gold plates, who handled them and heard the voice of God himself testifying of the sacred book. At that moment the testimony of the three witnesses became so real and so tangible to me. I almost felt as if I were there beholding the sacred event...it seemed so real to me in my mind's eye--it still does even now. How grateful I am for that marvelous work and how much it has touched and shaped my life. I know that it truly is the word of God.
The man then pulled out a metal case and unlocked it. As he opened it he pulled out a very old book that was covered in a protective cloth. As he opened the cloth, it revealed an well-used original edition of the Book of Mormon. It had come from his grandmother, named Palmyra, who had been born in the Joseph Smith home and who, in 1950, was called to be a caretaker of the home. He showed us a typo that was found in the numbering of the book on page 112. This typo meant that this was one of THE very first copies published, as the typo was discovered after a few printings and then fixed. It made me wonder whose hands had touched it and whose voice had testified of that sacred work. It was truly a sacred meeting.
I would like to add my personal testimony of this book and its translator. My testimony is very precious to me, as it took me countless hours of sincere study, prayer, pondering, and pleading to know of its truthfulness. I feel blessed to add my testimony to the thousands of others, that I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God; that it was written by prophets of God for our day; that Joseph Smith was called to bring it forth and translate it for us; and that a man can truly get, "nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." I, too, am bound to that testimony and that sacred witness that was given to me by the Holy Spirit. I love the words found in that book. I love my Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, who came and atoned for our sins and suffered for our sorrows that he might know how to succor us and enable us to overcome all things. He lives! I know this and cannot denyit! What comfort this knowledge brings me! And how it causes every fiber of my being to rejoice! I know the Book of Mormon was written as another witness to the Bible to testify of its reality, and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for it. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
As he sat in the chapel with his head down vowing not to get sucked into one of these tricks again, the bishop entered the room helping a very elderly fragile lady (he guesses she was probably in her late 80's). After she had made her way to the front, she began to speak and introduced herself as the granddaughter of Martin Harris. She then shared her story of when she was a little girl and Martin called the family together as he was about to pass on so that he could share his story and testimony of the Book of Mormon with them one last time. She spoke to them of how Martin had recalled thumbing through the gold plates that the angel held and hearing the voice of God testifying of their truthfulness. Martin Harris then testified how he knew the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. This sweet old woman then bore witness of how she too knew these things to be true and how those young men were now bound to the testimony that she bore as the granddaughter of Martin Harris to the divinity of that sacred work. Shalayn's father then shared how in that moment the Holy Spirit bore witness to him that what she had shared was true and that the Book of Mormon was truly the word of God. He then told us how we too were now bound to his testimony.
It was humbling and powerful to feel the spirit so strongly in the room again reaffirming my own testimony of the Book of Mormon. It was incredible to think how I was only two testimonies away from that of one of the three witnesses to the gold plates, who handled them and heard the voice of God himself testifying of the sacred book. At that moment the testimony of the three witnesses became so real and so tangible to me. I almost felt as if I were there beholding the sacred event...it seemed so real to me in my mind's eye--it still does even now. How grateful I am for that marvelous work and how much it has touched and shaped my life. I know that it truly is the word of God.
The man then pulled out a metal case and unlocked it. As he opened it he pulled out a very old book that was covered in a protective cloth. As he opened the cloth, it revealed an well-used original edition of the Book of Mormon. It had come from his grandmother, named Palmyra, who had been born in the Joseph Smith home and who, in 1950, was called to be a caretaker of the home. He showed us a typo that was found in the numbering of the book on page 112. This typo meant that this was one of THE very first copies published, as the typo was discovered after a few printings and then fixed. It made me wonder whose hands had touched it and whose voice had testified of that sacred work. It was truly a sacred meeting.
I would like to add my personal testimony of this book and its translator. My testimony is very precious to me, as it took me countless hours of sincere study, prayer, pondering, and pleading to know of its truthfulness. I feel blessed to add my testimony to the thousands of others, that I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God; that it was written by prophets of God for our day; that Joseph Smith was called to bring it forth and translate it for us; and that a man can truly get, "nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." I, too, am bound to that testimony and that sacred witness that was given to me by the Holy Spirit. I love the words found in that book. I love my Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, who came and atoned for our sins and suffered for our sorrows that he might know how to succor us and enable us to overcome all things. He lives! I know this and cannot denyit! What comfort this knowledge brings me! And how it causes every fiber of my being to rejoice! I know the Book of Mormon was written as another witness to the Bible to testify of its reality, and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for it. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
To our sweet Aimee...(we're training her young)
Mazal tov! Pickles for everyone!
Nap time or play time...you decide
Saturday, February 16, 2008
It's Official!
Rheanna and Doug are officially engaged! Congratulations, guys! Welcome to the family Doug! We're so happy for you both! Keep July 19th open, everyone! (And yes, the excessive use of exclamation points was necessary.)
Friday, February 15, 2008
Emma's Wild Adventures
So last week Brad gets a call from BYU asking if Emma would participate in a study being done on infants the age of 5 months. It's a study to better determine how infants process information by recording their brainwave activities during a presentation of various sounds and visual images. Emma did great and the researchers where suprised at how little she fussed. She even seemed to like the cap. One piece that's supposed to be on her chin eventually made its way to her mouth. After they took the cap off it looked like she'd been attacked by an octopus. Anyways, fun was had by all. 
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Sunday's Insights
So Brad's job at bath time is to get Emma undressed while I make sure the water is at the right temperature. He loves it. He also loves turning her onesies into hats. Each night he does it, and each night it makes him giddy and laugh like a school girl. Those two love each other. You can see it in the photos. Gotta love Emmer's "deer in the headlights" looks.
So a friend of mine and I were talking a while back about adding Gospel insights to our blogs. I thought today would be as good as any to start that tradition (these thoughts aren't all mine, Brad has a hand in this one. ;) So yesterday in Relief Society, we discussed how everything points back to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Everything else we speak of are mere appendages to it. That's something that "Preach My Gospel" really hits on over and over. Nothing else really matters without that atoning sacrifice. Nothing else within the Gospel--it's principles, ordinances, anything we do, etc.--are worth anything without the Atonement. It makes me ponder with greater reverence the Sacrament. How blessed we are to have modern living apostles and prophets who can truly testify that "He lives!" and can truly describe His divinity and actions on our behalf. Sometimes I forget and take for granted the comforting knowledge of who my Heavenly Father is--that He's not just some mystical being that rules the universe and occasionally takes notice of me. He truly is a loving Father that is intimately involved in my life whether I realize it or not. And I'm grateful for those moments where my eyes are opened and see His hand in my life. He truly is a God of love.
We also hit on the notions of freedom, agency, and choice with regard to the Fall and Atonement and how there's a circular interplay between the three. Choices are placed before us allowing us the opportunity to exercise our agency and, if we choose wisely, an increase in freedom--opening up more choices and a greater chance to act and not be acted upon. Lehi talks about this when he says that all men are agents unto themselves and are free to choose the liberty and life afforded by following Christ or captivity and death by following the adversary. Commandments (choices) and the keeping of them (agency) brings greater and greater blessings (freedom) and the opposite is true when sinning against them. It creates either a continuous upward or downward spiral. Commandments, laws, rules, and regulations aren't confining, it's the breaking of them that leads to captivity. So be obedient and be free.
We also hit on the notions of freedom, agency, and choice with regard to the Fall and Atonement and how there's a circular interplay between the three. Choices are placed before us allowing us the opportunity to exercise our agency and, if we choose wisely, an increase in freedom--opening up more choices and a greater chance to act and not be acted upon. Lehi talks about this when he says that all men are agents unto themselves and are free to choose the liberty and life afforded by following Christ or captivity and death by following the adversary. Commandments (choices) and the keeping of them (agency) brings greater and greater blessings (freedom) and the opposite is true when sinning against them. It creates either a continuous upward or downward spiral. Commandments, laws, rules, and regulations aren't confining, it's the breaking of them that leads to captivity. So be obedient and be free.
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