Throwback Thursday

This time I decided to just do pictures from all our birthdays in 2007. We don't have any from my birthday that year.  It's really not uncommon because I'm usually the one taking the pictures.  But anyway, looks like it was a happy year. :)

 





Michael turned 1!  Here he is with Joshua and some new funnels to play with in the bathtub. (We still have them.) Remember those bandages on his hands? (He tripped and caught himself with his hands on a wood stove.  It was so darn sad.  But as soon as the doctor took care of it he went on playing like nothing had happened.  That's my boy!)

 

4 boys!  We printed them some cute hats with Michael's picture on them.  That was fun. :)

Joshua, Michael, Hyrum, Benji

 

Jeremy and I both turned 29. Jeremy prefers chocolate pudding for his birthday cake.  I think I forgot to get birthday candles, so we used the next best thing. ;)

 

Yummy! (Hyrum and Michael)

 

 

This wasn't from a birthday, but I wanted to share it anyway. Kimberly and Emmett came to visit, and Michael was checking Corwin out. Ha, ha!  Poor Corwin! He didn't like that very much.

 

Joshua turned 5!  We made hats again. :)

 

Present time! Michael, Benji, Hyrum, Joshua, and Joe.

 

Hyrum turned 7!

 

He and Thomas's birthdays are close together, so we decided to have a party at Jennifer's house to celebrate both birthdays.  Any excuse to get together. :)

And last but not least, Benji turned 4!

 

We got him this happy night light to stick on his wall.  It didn't last super long, but he liked it. :)

The end.

Wordless Wednesday

Well, this one won't really be wordless.  Today is Jeremy's 36th birthday! :D So I just need to say - I am immensely proud of him, and if given the chance I would pick him again. :) He is a good man and a caring husband.  I'm thankful for him.  I am a lucky girl!

 

Yeah, he's pretty much the greatest! And handsomest!

Thoughts on Tuesday

I was thinking just now, remembering a friend from high school. One day a few years ago we happened to be in St. Johns on the same weekend, and we ended up at the stake center, walking the halls with children at the same time. We stopped and chatted, and he told me about his family. He and his wife had lost one daughter to heart defects, and I at the time I saw him they were either still struggling with a second daughter's heart defects or had just lost her as well. It was touching to hear him talk about it. How could I not be touched? But another thought I had was that I wanted to tell him what I had been through as well. I didn't. I didn't think it would be an appropriate response. I wondered if it would have been comforting to him to know that he was not the only one experiencing something hard. But I think sometimes we get caught up in measuring our own difficulties against other people's, and I didn't want him to think I was being unsympathetic.

I have wondered sometimes how people would react if the deepest, hardest things I have gone through were suddenly revealed. I think that surely if we truly knew what demons and trials others are dealing with we would be slower to judge and quicker to be charitable. But it can't be that way. We just need to be slow to judge and quick to reach out in love anyway. Heaven knows, that is what we ourselves want of others.

And measuring our trials against someone else's is silly because their courses are specifically chosen just for them, just the same as ours are, and that means that they have to be different. What matters is not whether their trials seem big or small to us but how we nurture them in their trials or at very least be patient. Who knows what trials a person may be having that they just can't talk about?

But I also thought, well, we know that our Savior loves us with a perfect love. But don't you think He is even more sympathetic to us because He knows precisely (through personal experience) what we have been through, how it felt, and what it meant in our lives, and alao what else lies ahead? That is pretty neat. I am glad He knows. He knows my faults and weaknesses and struggles, but He also knows precisely how to help me. I am thankful for the knowledge that there are worlds without number that He has made with amazing creations on each one, and yet he still cares about the birds and the lilies of the field. And he still cares about little ol' me, even when I am petty or selfish or impatient or unkind. He still sees in each of us something that we can't see, so we just need to trust and hold on and help others hold on too.

Up late waiting for kiddos to fall asleep

So here I am. I'm nursing Brom and typing on my phone with one thumb. My other hand is holding Timmy's hand, and he's falling asleep on my legs as I sit here reclined in my recliner. It may take me all night to type this. Ha ha!

Ok, so biggest news first: last night (January 6) Jeremy took Benji and got him a puppy. Yes, we are crazy, but you already knew that! Here is a picture (at the bottom
)

He is such a cute, sweet doggie. He is really quiet too. I have yet to hear him bark, though he has whined a bit. His name is Buster.

Now before you think we jumped headlong into this, we have actually been talking about doing this for quite a long time. Just recently, though, we felt that it was time, and we found out about a few puppies that needed homes. (Also, I could mention that Benji has been praying for a puppy every night for like 6 months!) So anyway, yes, we have a puppy now. He is not hyperactive or loud. (Thank heavens!)

And here is the real shocker: we are housebreaking him. I never ever wanted an indoor dog, but if we move back to our house in Cedar City he would have to be an indoor dog. That is the rule for the HOA. So better to train him now than later. And he is actually doing quite awesome for a puppy! He even ran around and whined to let us know he needed to go out this evening. He is kind of a chicken,  though. He doesn't like the dark. Ha ha! And he likes to eat leaves.

Benji spent all day today taking care of him and was all worn out by bed time. But he sure loves Buster. Last night he sat and held him and cried about how he had taken Buster away from the two of his sisters that were left. Poor guy. We helped him out by telling him that the people couldn't keep him and he'd just go to the pound if nobody took him. But he will have a nice home and lots of love here. Benji felt better after a while. He slept in the living room with him last night. Buster's bed is a milk crate with old towels in it. Benji slept on the couch with the crate right next to him. And, boy, was he up early this morning!

Ok. One more thing and I'd better go to sleep.

I thought I had mentioned this before on here, but maybe not. I mentioned on Facebook a few weeks ago that Timmy finally called me Mama! He had called everyone else by name but even when we sat and looked at family pictures and practiced saying names he would say everyone's name but mine. Then one night out of the blue he came up to me as I was laying by Jill on her bed at bed time, and he said, "Mama. Mama." And he knew what he was saying too! He has said it a few times since. I am so pleased!

A while later I realized what probably brought it about.  Aw had watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and on that show one of the kids thinks "Zooee Mama" a funny thing to say. Timmy picked that up right away and started saying, "Zoomy Mama," in his matter-of-fact tone of voice. And then he shortened it.  So Zooee  Mama was a vehicle that for him to say and understand Mama. Well, I'll take it. :)

And here is a cute picture of Brom. He is still a little wobbly sitting in the shopping cart, but today was his first real time doing it, and he looked way cute and did great.


Oh goodness. One more.


One night everyone was in bed but Timmy and me. 
I had to go to the bathroom, and Timmy came and tried to open the door. 
I said no, and I heard him go away. I assumed he had gone to my bed as usual, but 
I cam out and didn't find him there. 
I found him on his own bed with his stuffed doggy! 
Miracle
!

Throwback Thursday

...And then the hamburger just came right down out of heaven!  It was a burger miracle!

(Rob gave Michael birthday money to buy a burger, and he was able to get a whole kids' meal. This was 2009.  Michael was 3.)

Little Jill at Grandma Badger's house at Christmas time (Awwww!)

 

Benji playing with Play-Doh during October Conference 2011. (Pretty sinkin' cute!)

Worldless Wednesday

Monday Meme

Sooo... I hoped those little daily themes would get me excited and help me blog at least every weekday, but I still never remember.  This morning, though, Kimberly reminded be to blog and said that since it is my birthday today (Yea, me!) maybe I should blog about my best and worst birthdays.  I think I could do something like that. The worst birthday I can remember I wrote about in an update back in 2012.  Here's what I said:

"My birthday was a bit of a bummer.  Jeremy and I have had sore throats all week, and it all kind of came to a head on my birthday.  Jeremy was throwing up and feeling awful.  And I had procrastinated or not found time or something so that I had a major shopping trip that needed to happen that day.  We were running out of a lot of things.  So I got my buns in gear and went on that shopping trip.  I had 3 kiddos with me, but when two of them are too big to be in the cart, it just gets interesting.  Technically, I would like Jill in the basket, but she thinks she’s too big.  She and Michael were both running every which way the whole time.  Oh, it was just oozing with funness.  And I knew that because Jeremy was sick I’d have to buy my own presents, and that is an absolutely miserable thing to me.  I feel horribly guilty and selfish buying birthday presents for myself.  I finally, cringeingly, bought myself a $5 movie (Julie and Julia), and then I got a movie for everybody else (Tangled) and some popcorn so we could eat it while we watched.  And that was that.  I figured we could at least have some party.

"So then after I had the cart loaded all full we made our way to checkout.  I found a line that wasn’t too long.  The guy in front of me didn’t appear to have anything, but I thought, “Well, at least he won’t take long.”  Then he turned to me and said, “Oh, here she comes.”  And then to his wife, who was like 5 lanes away with a cart that was heaped full he called, “Over here, honey!”  I was so hurt that he could see me at my wit’s end with 3 kids and a full cart and insist that he and his wife go first.  And on top of that my husband and I were sick and it was my birthday and I wasn’t getting any presents other than that one I bought myself.  You bet I turned my buns around and went to another lane and then cried all the way home.

"After that, though, things were looking up.  When I got home Jeremy hurried out to help me carry stuff in from the car.  And it really made me laugh because he was wearing his bathrobe with his apron over it.  And this was not just any apron.  This is the kind made of space-themed fabric that he got for his birthday some time before I even met him.  I like that apron, and it just looked awesome with his bathrobe and slippers. :) He was wearing said apron because he had suddenly realized he hadn’t made me a cake.  So he hurried and made me a cake while I was gone, and he tried to get the boys to clean up and do their homework.  And then we watched those movies and made a big mess with popcorn and cake.  Good times."

There ya go. I still feel really sad when I think of that birthday. I felt so forgotten. Blargh!

OK, now for a change of gears. I don't have a favorite birthday ever, but I do remember certain birthdays more than others. Mostly I remember the presents I got!  I remember that when I turned 8 I got to have a birthday party, and that was fun. I remember that I got a tea set that I loved so much!  I still have two of the little cups.  It was a beautiful white porcelain set with roses.  I LOVED it.  A friend gave me a Pound Puppy that birthday, and I was so excited.  It was just what I wanted.  Oh, and I got a Care Bear.  I really loved that birthday because I got to get baptized.  I was so excited that it was my turn.  I told Mama that I wanted to do the baptism on my birthday and the party another day because getting baptized was more important.  It was definitely more important to me.  I was excited that my Peterson grandparents came for my baptism, and I made sure to ask Grandma Peterson to give the talk on the Holy Ghost so she could tell her story about the Holy Ghost. (Mental note: next week talk about that.  It's a cool little story.) I remember that when we went down in the water Daddy had his socks on.  I thought that was pretty funny.  I loved that it was my turn to wear the pretty white baptism dress Mama had made when Jennifer was baptized.  It was long and had a white fabric rose on the belly.  As we were getting in the car to go to the church, though, I climbed over a seat in the station wagon and popped the seam that attached the bodice to the skirt.  Mama and I ran back into the house to fix it.  If I remember right, I didn't have a slip on underneath that dress, and she made me go get one while she sewed.  Decency before all!  ;) Just teasin'.  I remember how special I felt being baptized and confirmed.  Not only did I feel pleased that it was my big day, my time in the spotlight, but it felt so good inside.  It was wonderful!  Yeah, that was probably my favorite birthday.

Another birthday I got some crystal clip-on earrings with yellow flowers on them.  Yellow is my favorite.  I loved those earrings!  For my 12th birthday I got a pattern and some yellow fabric to make a jumper.  (It's that kind of dress with no sleeves.  I wore a plain white t-shirt under it.  I had that dress until a while after I got married.  I loved it!  I still like wearing yellow.  It's a happy color.) Mama helped me sew that dress, and I was so excited about it!  That was the first dress I ever made, but it definitely was not the last. ;) I like sewing dresses. Another birthday I got netting to make a skirt for one of the dances I made up. (That was one of the best things about being in Mrs. Wing's dance classes.  She helped us make dances and let us perform them at our recitals.  It was such a blessing to me!) I think Mama made that skirt for me.  And speaking of dance skirts, for another of my dances Mama used her wedding veil to make me a skirt.  It's pretty and white with beads and stuff on it.  I love it a lot, and I still have it in my closet.  Another birthday I had wanted a camera, but I didn't get one.  Daddy asked me, "Did you get everything you wanted?"  I said, "No.  I wanted a camera."  So he went and got one of his own and gave it to me.  I felt kind of bad about that, like I was being selfish, but I loved that camera a lot.  I used it a lot too, and I was thankful to have it. :)

Jeremy came home from his mission not long after our birthdays in 1999, and he brought me a music box that's a little piano.  You open the lid to make it play.  Well, you have to wind it too, of course.  It's cute. :) On other birthdays he got me a ruby ring and necklace.  The stone on the ring is shaped like a heart.  And the necklace is shaped like a heart with little rubies here and there on it.  I am really bad about remembering to wear jewelry these days, but I really love these.  Once while he was commuting to school at ASU one of his friends sent a sack of yellow grapefruits home with Jeremy on my birthday.  It was an old feed bag.  That was a lot of grapefruit!  We ate it all.  It was the best grapefruit I have ever, ever had.  That was fun. :)

Another thing I like about my birthday is that Aaron has the same birthday.  It kind of makes me feel closer to him, and I like that.  He is a good friend and I'm thankful that he's also my brother-in-law.  Sweet! :D We've had some fun times celebrating together.  Sometimes it's been a little awkward, but even when we don't even get together on our birthday it's fun to share the day with someone I like so well. :)

And there you go. I'd better pick up my cute baby boy.  He does like to lay on the floor for a while.  He gurgles and kicks his legs and has a great time, but he's had enough, I guess.