Friday, November 28, 2008

As Promised

Sarah and I finally took pictures together. Some turned out really cute and others we'll just leave those out for now :)!!!
This was the very last picture taken. We were walking through the park and saw that someone had raked up a pretty decent pile of leaves so we decided it would be fun to play in them... soooo we did. And it was fun!!

We call this the Peek-A-Boo picture. It turned out pretty cute.


This is one of my most favorite pictures. I really like the background.


And this in another favorite. Just so happens this was the first picture taken that day. I'm really glad that Sarah and I took pictures it was so fun and now we finally have pictures of us together for our blog :)!!!
--J



Wednesday, November 26, 2008

No Wonder

Sometimes I wonder why Sarah would be so tired after babysitting... after I saw these pictures all I have to say is NO WONDER!!!


What is up with my kids??? Eaton can't resist a dog pile and Emma can hold her own. You should see her with all of the nephews and uncles. She is one tough cookie.


Love how sweet and endearing this photo is. This is what happens when Jess goes out of town. Sarah comes to babysit my kids and then my kids go BONKERS!!! And who wouldn't with such a fun aunt hanging around.



That's my lil' Sis. One day I'll be as skinny as she is (again). She is my inspiration after having 4 kids. And she has such a fun personality. I love my family and love that we are all so close but Sarah and I have this awesome "Sista Bond" that we cherish. So I think we do more and get along more than with the other sisters. I'm so glad that my kids have such great relationships with all of my brothers and sisters too. Jess and I both feel it's so important to have those family bonds.




And then they go crazy :)!!! No really... I think this is my favorite picture. My next favorite is of Sarah looking like she is biting Jackson's ear off. I'll post that one later since I haven't figured out how to put more than 5 pictures on one post. If anyone knows the trick... please feel free to fill me in :)!! I love how Easton is upside down. He has more personality in his pinky finger than most kids I know!





Saturday, November 15, 2008

More Twilight

I can't get enough of Twilight. I love it :)!! We moved into a new ward in the spring this year and about a month ago the ward was split. Before the ward was split I met this amazingly sweet girl named Emily Tyndall. I found out today that she is in a band called Petal and they wrote a song based on the Twilight book. I have heard a little piece of it and it's amazing. Awesome Job Emily!!! And not only is it being recorded but they have a music video they are doing. She is Bella and there is an Edward (no it's not Rob P but he's just as good lookin') so check out her website at www.petaltheband.com the music video will post next week and there is a link on the website for their blog. It's great and you have to check out her dress...it's fabulous!!!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Holiday Season

This is my favorite time of year. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the holidays that wrap up the end of the year and the beginning of a new year. One thing that I am so grateful for is music. I am so grateful for the talents my Heavenly Father has blessed me with; especially singing and piano. I am so thankful for family. For my sweet husband and children. For my parents and my husband's parents. For my siblings, their spouses and their children as well as my husband's siblings, their spouses and children. I am so very close to my sister Sarah. I am thankful for her talents as well and that we work well together developing and perfecting those talents. One thing the Holidays bring on is Christmas Carols. Those are our favorites and so fun to sing..... we already have a few people asking us to sing. I'm nervous but I know this is one way to share my testimony of our Savior with others.

On my side of the family we celebrate birthdays once a month and have a Family Home Evening (FHE) tied along with it. December is our month to come up with FHE. Last year we had all the grandkids dress up and we re-enacted the Nativity story. It was beautifully done. I will post on my family post pictures and highlights from last year. This year I felt very impressed that we needed to sing the precious Christmas Carols. At first I thought we should have just a family sing along, now we are going Caroling to neighbors and friends. I'm so excited about this. Sarah and I are going to sing a few songs before we leave to get everyone in the spirit of singing. So I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes. I love Caroling and think it's almost a thing of the past so I'm challenging everyone to get out there this year even if it's only to your next door neighbor and spread some Christmas Spirit :)!!!

I am also a nurshery leader in our ward and I have decided that this year for singing time from now until the end of the year we are going to sing Christmas songs and learn a few. I have Senior Nurshery and these kids already know "I Am A Child of God" and "I Love To See The Temple" word for word. So I think they can do it. Now I just have to find bells or chimes and have some fun with it too since after all they are only three years old. They do love music time though and I think they could spend almost all of nurshery time singing....but I don't know if I can :)!!!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Halloween Pictures

This is my hunky, handsome, adorable husband and me on Halloween. We went as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Not exact impersonations but hey I thought it was close enough.
Jess and I have been married almost 8 years and still going strong. We still feel like we are newly weds too. We have experienced a lot during our 8 years. Jess was in the active duty army for 4 years...making me a full time army wife, and in the National Guard for 2 years....which now he is putting in his WO packet to fly helicopters for the army. He is already a pilot he just needs to build up flight hours and get paid for it. We have 3 beautiful children and we've been through a lot to get them here.

Family is very important to us. It's our most valuable possesion. I was never 100% sure that I would be able to have babies since I have endometriosis (on a severe level). So for us having children is not only a blessing but a miracle. This is us and just a little snippette of our life. And I think this is the first year we both "dressed up" for Halloween.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Bella's Lullaby

I listened to the Twilight soundtrack and my most favorite song is Bella's Lullaby. I have heard two versions of it on the internet and love them both. Not that anyone hasn't guessed yet but music is a huge part of my life and has been since I was little. My mom sang to me all the time as a child and played the piano. My sisters all play the piano and so do I, maybe that is the reason it is my favorite instrament. I've had a few people comment that they can't believe my favorite song on the soundtrack is Bella's Lullaby...... I thought everyone would have had that pegged from the first 15 seconds of the song. I've been practicing Hymns and Primary Songs but I really need to branch out a little more and play a few other songs too. I guess that I'm nervous that someone is going to critique my playing and give me a failing grade. I get stage fright too and maybe that's why I haven't done more singing. I do have to say it's easier with someone singing with me...Thanks Sarah!!! And I'm pretty shy so I really only belt it out when I'm cleaning my house. If you ever want to hear me singing then you should stop by my house unannounced in the spring or fall when I've forgotten my windows are open.... then you can hear what I really sound like. If you listen for me at church... you won't hear me.... I've perfected singing quietly or at family birthdays... I sing Happy Birthday horribly on purpose. Only my husband and kids have heard me sing it right!!! So I guess one of my New Year's resolutions should be to get over it and just sing huh???

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Mountains and A Grain of Sand

I was listening to a song the other day on the radio and the words caught my attention. I often go through life, as I think we all do, rushing about trying to get our "to do" lists done. Making sure that everything in the house is spotless, the kids are fed and off to school or home from school and then it's off to work, home from work and put the kids in bed while packing lunches, reading scriptures and saying prayers. There's quite a few more activities packed in just one day but for the sake of carpel tunnel I'll just assume you get it. Sometimes I worry about all the wrong things. Or I get so caught up in a certain situation that may be going on in my life at the time that it completely consumes and swallows me whole. This is where I tend to forget important things. Sometimes this mountain that we are climbing seems so all encompassing and when we get finally "get over it" and look back it's actually just a grain of sand blowing away in the wind. But what is left behind can sometimes be a hole as big as a mountain.

These past several months I have really learned a lot about myself and patience and that even though there is some horrible thing happening right now... down the road it's going to seem so insignificant in relationship to what we could have focused on or where we are going. Sometimes I find myself being upset with a situation at work or with friends or extended family and I beat it to death in my mind and I pray about it over and over and over and over again until I think Heavenly Father wonders if I, Joleen, believes that He hears my prayers and in His time will answer them. I have to be patient and turn some things over to the Lord to finish taking care of in His time and in His way. But as I am thinking and beating it out trying to figure it out..... I'm missing out on opportunities I could be spending with my precious babies or my sweet husband or extended family.

So what I have learned is that trials will come and most of them are best handled head on and to do all I can do and then pray about it and talk to my Heavenly Father and leave the rest in his very willing and very capable hands. I am watching miracles happen in my life and my little families life at the moment and in due time I will share those with you. For now I will leave you with just a little taste of one such miracle. I miscarried another baby :( just a few weeks ago. While I am still a little tired and lacking a little energy I am feeling rather well. Jess and I thought that this time I would be able to carry the baby full term. Many don't realize just how many miscarriages I've had and when I tell them... people think I'm making it up. So it's huge for us to feel like this baby was it. Well we lost the baby but in all of my reflecting and reaching and praying and growing these past few months.... I was blessed with the knowledge that around this baby's due date there is something that will be going on in our lives that will make it much harder on us if I were to be pregnant or just have given birth. I think I know what will be going on in our lives but as I am not 100%sure I'm not ready to reveal our speculation.... but this I do know..... Miracles happen and I am so blessed.

--J