On Things That Matter

"...women are like lionesses at the gate of the home. Whatever happens in that home & family happens because she cares about it & it matters to her. She guards that gate, & things matter to that family if they matter to her."

Julie B. Beck

 

 

 

 

Making our home a place where our children can always feel safe & happy has been heavy on my mind lately. I want more than anything for our home to be a safe haven from the outside world, where truth is consistently taught & my children can grow & thrive. I'm convinced this is no easy task & it will take work & intentional parenting. As I've been thinking about this & praying about this, I had the distinct impression that we needed to make family prayer a more significant part of our day each morning & night. I want my children to hear me pray for them & know that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them & they can always turn to. Today Noah started crying & while I sat & held him, Ruby came into the room to see what was wrong. With this look of concern on her face she said, "It's okay Noah, we can say a prayer & ask Heavenly Father to help you be happy." And with that, she closed her eyes & said a short little prayer for him. I realized then how true it is that if something matters to me, as their mother, it will matter to them.



This & That

Noah is becoming such a big boy & copies everything that Ruby does lately. He is sweet & wild & still so much fun. I still occasionally find him on my kitchen table or digging through my purse, but he also is such a good helper. He's always quick to help me empty the dishwasher or help me with laundry or cleaning his room. And if I've said it once, I've said it a million times: I love children who know how to clean!

 

My mom (and Tyler's mom!) have saved my skin lately. I've been so sick & they have come over & helped pick up the slack more times than I can count. It really does take a village to raise these kids & I'm so grateful for the amazing grandparents they have that teach them so much. And Ruby & Noah always are so happy to have them here. Those kids are awfully lucky.

 

Ruby changes her clothes about 5 times a day & often is in costume. She's obsessed with collections of little things & I often open random drawers to find various 'treasures" that she's stuffed in them. She just finished up her first year of preschool & it's been so fun to see her grow & learn so much.



Easter 2015

We've had a fun time the past several weeks as we've talked about & prepared for Easter. Noah loves to point to any picture of Jesus & excitedly say, "Jesus!" over & over again, & Ruby has been reciting the story of Easter on the regular. We made a conscious effort this year to make sure our Easter was Christ-centered & to help our children better understand why we celebrate this time of year. It never ceases to amaze me how bright their little minds are & how eager their spirits are to learn. Happy Easter!

 

 

 

 

Easter 2014. I can't believe how much they've changed in 1 year!



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Here's a little bit of what we've been up to lately...

Train rides

 

Evenings at the park

 

And  days at the park

 

Exploring downtown

 

Climbing on tables when nobody is watching!

 

Playing "Dr. Ruby" which somehow ended in me wearing various hats.

 

"Here mom, put this on your head & you'll feel all better."



Gotcha Day

We started a new tradition in our family this year on St. Patrick's Day. We celebrated "Gotcha Day" which is basically a big celebration of the day that we were sealed to each of our kids in the temple. St. Patrick's Day seemed like the perfect day to do it because we were sealed to Ruby & Noah around this time & it's a day that always reminds us of how lucky we really are to have them. We had a nice dinner together, ate cake, opened presents, & visited the temple. We talked about their adoption stories & how special they are & looked back over pictures that made me cry. I loved watching Ruby smile as she looked at pictures of herself as a baby & recite so much of her adoption story. She kept saying, 'I love Gotcha Day, mom!" And I loved seeing Noah smiling & content, asking to be held every so often & then wiggling free so he could run around the temple grounds again. As Tyler & I sat & watched Ruby & Noah run around he said, "Can you believe how blessed we are to have those two? We couldn't have gotten better kids." And even now with all the time that has passed, I still can't believe it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Growing Up

Yesterday I opened the car door to get the kids out of their car seats & Noah looked at me with this little smirk & said, "Hi Mom". He's starting to put multiple words together now & is always full or surprises, but something about the way he said it combined with his deep voice just made me realize how much he's grown up. That night as we played at the park & I pushed Ruby on the swing ,she looked back at me & said, "I love you Mom." And these two little things for some reason filled me with nostalgia & that familiar feeling of desperation to keep them little for as long as I possibly can. I want to permanently imprint on my mind & heart what it has felt like to be loved so well by these two. I have this habit of sneaking into their rooms once they've fallen asleep & checking to make sure they're breathing (paranoid!) & I can't help but stare at their perfect little faces & think how grateful I am for them. They grow up entirely too quickly but I never tire of watching the little people they're becoming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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