Who ever said gardening isn't dangerous?

I had an adventure in gardening last night. I put the baby to sleep but Katelyn wouldn't go to sleep. So, I took her upstairs to hang out with grandma Marcia while I ran outside to use the last bit of daylight to pull weeds in my garden. The first little while went well, but then it started getting a little darker...I was having a hard time seeing what I was grabbing at...I even accidentally pulled a couple squash flowers. I'm so mad! However, there was enough light to see a monsterous black spider scurry toward my hand. I jumped up, flailing my arms, freaking out. I landed right on top of one of my gardening tools. It threw me off balance and I fell face first in to a tomato plant. (gives a whole new meaning to face plant). My face is fine, but I have a hole in my hand from the bamboo cage. That stupid spider probably got on me anyways and was laughing with all of his bug buddies about the stupid spaz girl. I'm sure I'm the laughing stock of the whole garden and I can never show my face there again.

Beautiful Babies and Funny Feet

Our wonderful miracle nephew Sam was baptized on the 10th. It was such a good day! I got to see my sister in law Katie and finally meet my beautiful niece Lily. She is so cute! We laid the two babies side by side and it was hilarious. Brooklyn is friggin huge, especially her head, and apparently her feet, which were almost twice as big as Lily's! Brookie is only 5 weeks older than Lily but holy crap she's huge. I almost chucked poor Lily right through the ceiling when I picked her up. She's so light compared to my big buddah baby! It was so nice to see Katie and Lily, we just wish Paul could have been there. We love you guys!

Whodathunkit?

Who thought that Steve and I could go from where we've been to where we are now. Like Steve, in this picture. Sitting by a kiddie pool with his wife and two girls, seemingly unaware of the love-filled gaze he's getting from Kate. I'm not sure why Heavenly Father thinks we're worthy of love like the kind that is coming from her eyes, but I'm sure glad he does.

What a Wonderful World

A reminder Kate has helped me with lately: gratitude. She is always saying "Thank you, Heavenly Father, for our beautiful world. Mom, what a beautiful day! I love you, Heavenly Father." Then she blows kisses up to the sky. This flower was blooming, all by itself, in the backyard amongst weeds. It was the most beautiful flower I've ever seen. Full, no sign of wilting. Absolutely perfect and flourishing. Rising above prickly, dense, dark weeds to show the world it's beauty that it was always meant to show. Becoming what it was always meant to be, despite the darkness placed in it's way. I know it sounds silly, but I have an immense love for that single rose.

I Promise I Don't Beat My Child

Steve and I have a new calling that requires us to be at the church every Saturday morning every three months. Our very first time doing this, Katelyn fell off the stage in the cultural hall, catching the edge of the stage under her chin on the way down. She came running to me, bleeding from her teeth. Her chin, throat, and bottom half of her face swelled up like that one kind of frog. It didn't even look like her. Of course, this happened the day before Steve blessed them. She's fine, but my heart broke every time I looked at her, she didn't even look like herself. She may or may not lose a couple of her teeth, and she's had a nasty bruise for a while. The worst part about the whole thing is how heart-breakingly sweet she was about it. Right after it happened, she cried to me "Mommy, make it stop hurting". That is the saddest thing I have ever heard in my life! Then she told Steve, "Daddy, I'm sorry I fell of the stage." She is the sweetest girl ever.

America's Next Top Toddler

I did not teach this to my child or tell her to do it. She just did it. I am a fan of America's Next Top Model. A big fan. Such a big fan that even my very manly husband knows who wins most of the cycles. It's not that cruel. He gets to sit and watch a bunch of beautiful girls pose for the camera, and I get to live vicariously through them for an hour. It's fair. But apparently, Kate likes the show too. She started posing and asking me to hurry and take a picture of her "fierce pose". She also did an impromptu five minute Cover Girl commercial in which she walks around saying "Lash Blast Mascara. Makes people smile! From easy, breezy, beautiful, Cover Girl!". I totally need to send it in to them! These are just a few of her poses...she is actually really, really good. It's kind of scary. She is so hilarious and is such a light in our lives. Thank you, Kate, for being my BFF!

A Long Time Coming

Steve and I have been down a road that has led us to some incredibly dark places. We have been through pretty much everything together. Financial hardship, alcoholism, drug addiction, separation, loss of family and friends. It wasn't all bad, but a lot of it was very, very bad. I don't know how we made it out of the depths of hell- together, no less. I think that most couples would have fallen apart faced with the challenges we've been through. There were times in the last decade that I thought I would never see happiness. I spent a long time feeling truly and alone and walked through life numbing myself with whatever worthless thing that came along. Now, after years of being surrounded by darkness and evil, we live in a world full of beauty, laughter, light, and hope. Our family has so much love for each other. Each day, Steve and I marvel at how far we've come and what a change we see in ourselves and each other. What a blessing it is that our lives now revolve around diapers, bottles, and bedtimes. This is the most stressed out we have ever, ever been. Our lives are so crazy busy. Steve works the graveyard shift. Not easy on any of us. He also is a full time student. I am a full time mother of two beautiful, wonderful, high maintenance girls. We have church callings and family obligations. This is also the happiest we have ever been. We laugh every day. We smile until our faces hurt. We are exhausted. And so very happy. I am so proud of Steve for everything he's taking on. Yesterday, Steve blessed Katelyn and Brooklyn. What an amazing day it was. Steve's blessing were perfect and so sweet. The only thing that could have made it better is if my grandma Kay and my little brother, and Paul and Katie and Lilly could have been there. Soon, we will be going through the temple and opening a new, beautiful chapter of our lives. Once I was lost, but now I am found. No longer does Satan have me bound! He should know his sad plight- I am now a soldier, ready to fight.