Pretzels and Prophets

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . reading The Ensign as part of my scripture study today. It inspires me, and just plain puts me in a good mood.

. . . making pretzel treats with Joy.

. . . kissing Daniel's doughboy cheeks.

. . . seeing my husband's smile as he walked in the door.

Another Sunday Walk

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . strolling around the chapel for two hours with a tired baby who would not sleep. At least she's big enough for the Ergo carrier now, so my back and shoulders don't hurt.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Joy giving me a big hug when I dropped her off at Primary.

. . . taking a nap.

. . . hanging out with the fam at my parents' house.

Denzel and the Parrots

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting tons of things done while Phillip had the big kids up at my parents' cabin.

. . . enjoying the sights as I walked with Anna to run some errands. We saw colorful flowers blooming, noisy parrots nibbling seeds in the trees, little sparrows perched in a tree, and a sliver moon up in the sky.

. . . happening upon an old quote I had written down from a Reader's Digest interview with Denzel Washington. He said that "success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me." I thought about that several times throughout the day, and it did me good. It reminded me to take a deep breath and relax, but it also helped me see what I might be doing to prevent peace (i.e. stressing about something that doesn't matter, or looking for the negative in someone instead of the positive). Doing what's right is the moral thing to do, but it also tends to make us feel better.

Tomatoes and an Apostle

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . waking up tired.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Joy giving me a big hug when I dropped her off at school.

. . . browsing a garden center and daydreaming about what to plant this year.

. . . Daniel saying "I love you, too."

. . . listening to the words of an apostle as I watched a recent message from Elder Packer.

Manners, Visits, and Pancakes

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . hearing Daniel say "Thank you" and "You're welcome."

. . . visiting several families in our ward. I could have talked to any of them for hours.

. . . mixing up my favorite homemade, multigrain pancake mix, which keeps for months in the fridge. It's nice to know that on any given day I can whip up a meal everyone will love in just five minutes. "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

Hugs, Smiles, and the Big Bike

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . feeling very tired. Anna's been waking up a lot at night lately.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Joy helping me out and giving me lots of hugs while I was helping in her class this morning.

. . . watching Daniel play an electronic memory game we have. He's a smart little cookie.

. . . Anna smiling and snuggling against me when I got her up from a nap.

. . . Joy setting aside a video game to play with some neighbor kids outside in the courtyard. Very old school of her. I love that we have several friendly kids in our complex, and an enclosed place to play.

And another thing . . .

. . . Joy is probably the tallest child in her preschool class, so she rides the biggest bike in the bike yard. It makes her look twice her age to me.

Yogurt, Rice Cereal, and Drama at the Doctor

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . holding Joy down while she got a little prick for a TB test. The nurse had tried to put her mind at ease by explaining what would happen, but the more she talked the more nervous Joy got.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Anna actually swallowing little mouthfuls of food, rather than just dribbling it all down her chin. I was rather effusive in my praise after tonight's meal (if you can call a teaspoon of rice cereal and apple puree a meal--I guess everything's relative).

. . . making yogurt. It's a simple process and not terribly exciting, but for some reason I find it very satisfying.

. . . cuddling Anna.