You're my prettiest girl.

Noah asked if I would hold him.

I said sure.

He sat in my lap and said, "You're my prettiest girl."

Then he kissed my cheek a bunch of times.

Made me smile.

Also, chatting with my husband today made me smile.

We got to go to the temple over the weekend.

Left the kids with Deric and Heidi.

I never thought I would ever be able to leave Asher but I did it.

Someone told me it was time to cut the umbilical cord. :)

Noah is very honest. He always tells the truth (Well, most always)

Asher is sweet and makes sure Noah always gets a chance to have what he's having.

He also likes to help me with everything.

Heath's in his last semester and feeling it.

Poor guy.

I can't believe this is almost over.

That "real" life (as I picture it) could be happening soon.

I have really been rejoicing in being a mother the last little bit.

I am determined to be better.

I feel happier trying.

It's true that if you're not as happy as you want to be you should increase your obedience.

We shouldn't be idle.

Seriously, staying busy even though I'm tired makes me happy.

Well, taking a nap midday makes me happy too. hum!

Anyway, random!

An oldie but a goodie!

Eternal address.

A lady spoke on Sunday about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
She was talking about missionary work and how we could help others "change their eternal address".

I loved it! Eternal address? I've never heard it put quite like that.
I started to think about my own eternal address and what I wanted it to look like.

Mother: Erin P.
A mansion prepared by my Father
Celestial Kingdom, Heaven

I thought about all the other possible "addresses" in our Father's kingdom.
Some don't seem so bad, some seem rather good and the best...well, makes me want to cry with joy.

Just recently I purchased a few book on being a mother. In one of the books the foreword is done by Sheri  Dew (which I found interesting because she has never married and never had children).
She says, " For mother is the word that will define a righteous woman made perfect in the highest degree of the celestial Kindom, a woman who has qualified for eternal increase in posterity, wisdom, joy, and influence."
I know that Sheri Dew rejoices in this too with the knowledge that everyone will have an opportunity.

That's what I am shooting for. I am a Mother and want to be forever!

Here's to eternal addresses and sharing the gospel to help others with their eternal address.

Help and Halloween

I was down stairs this morning when I heard a little cry from Asher (who was in my bed)
I went up and snuggled beside him to see if he would go back to sleep.
A few second later I hear him singing.
The only word I could understand was "help".
Later in the  morning as I was making muffins he was singing it again.
I recognized the "help" again and try to put the rest together.
I figured out he was singing I Am A Child of God.

This is what I could catch on video. A little hard to hear with Noah singing Bob the Builder in the background.

Stinkin' cute!

Here's a little bit of our Halloween.

Trick or treaters ready to go. 

 Asher loves tootsie rolls. 

We had a party on Wednesday for the youth. I was a witch and ended up with the bandanna from the hitting the pinata on my head.

It's true that I feel like this is the best of motherhood so far. Also true that I'm worried about Asher weight gain again. and true that Noah loves to "make concrete" (this would consist of water, soap, and whatever he can find in the kitchen).. not my favorite mess to clean up. Heath's out hunting this morning. Hope he gets one so he doesn't have to go out tomorrow.

Sometimes it's hard to see, but a blessing for sure.

As I write little Asher is asleep.
Asleep with no brace on his right arm and a mark on his forehead from falling yesterday and sacrificing his head to save his arm.
The occupational therapist came yesterday with news from the doctor.
We were to start being more aggressive with his range of motion exercises and he was to stop wearing his brace day and night. Originally he was suppose to wear it for 6 months at night.
I have been taking the brace off more and more but I wasn't expecting that.
During therapy we let him play most of the time then we had to stretch his little arm.
Push it down toward his side.
We were "being more aggressive".
He cried hard. I mean hard.
The kind of cry where there's no sound for a period of time and his lips turn blue.
When we finished I had tears in my eyes and Jessica, the occupational therapist, said, "Don't do that or you'll make me cry."
She teared up too.
She said it would be good if I tried to do an aggressive stretch 3 times a day.
What a hard thing to ask a mother.
To hurt her baby? man!
I stretched him this morning. The aggressive stretch.
He cried again, no sound, blue lips, and I thought he might pass out.
I held him hoping he wouldn't hate me when this was all over and hoping he wouldn't remember any of it.
He let me hold him and didn't act like he hated me.
He hasn't had the brace on since yesterday morning.
Today he actually walked some without holding his right arm but he was hunched over like a little old man.
This has been one of the hardest and longest trials of my life and it's not over which in a way makes it harder.
But please don't feel sorry for us because we have also received some of the best blessings.
I used to look at families with children that "weren't perfect" and think something like that would never happen to me and think it must be hard for them.
I only truly understand now what a blessing it is.

Determined and a personal watermelon.

De

ter

mined!

This is our little shed/barn thing in the back. 

Asher wanted in, squeezed through, got stuck for a sec., made it in by himself.

He knew what he wanted.

daddy's bike.

Asher likes to pick things from the garden. Things like unripened tomatoes, small watermelons (pictured here with Noah), and I stopped him just before he picked a pepper. We only had two. 

I like to call these our personal watermelons. They're small but ripe. When you open them up there red and sweet. Asher loves "melons". 

Noah starts school soon and seems to be excited.

He wants to be Boots off of Dora for Halloween at the moment.

Asher likes to dig. Just wanted to show you that he still uses that hand. He has to wear that splint at night for 6 months. 

My boys are silly.

The cast.

Everyday we get a little more comfortable with the cast.
Heath and I with picking him up and holding him.
Noah with being careful with him.
He is getting more comfortable walking with it. We found that if he falls he usually doesn't get hurt.
It's like body armor really.
He climbed the stairs today.
I was behind him for one of the times and the other time he was sneaky and made it pretty much
all the way before I caught him.
Today he was able to go from sitting on the ground to standing and pick something up without falling on his bum.
We went to Sister Bonks memorial service today. It was nice.
I didn't cry but almost had to keep myself from smiling.
There were pictures there that caught her personality and it made me happy.

My brother called yesterday. Said he felt impressed. Glad he did.

A sweet conversation -
Asher fell
Noah: Asher, you OK?
Asher: OK

It was simple and short and I think you had to actually be there or be the mother to understand all it's sweetness.

It's true that Asher gets called smash, smashy,  and smasher. He responds to all. Also true that my kitchen is a disaster and I have over 40 cucumbers that need to be pickled. Yep, good luck!

i am a mother.

Words cannot adequately express the feelings I have as a mother.
I am grateful that this is an eternal calling, an eternal joy
I am in awe at the knowledge that "We become co-creators with God in having family and posterity" (James E. Faust)

I am a mother!