Filling My Lamp

I love to attend baptisms. This is the little epiphany I had today. Because of my service in Primary, I have had the opportunity to be compelled to attend many baptisms. Because of the number of siblings I have, I have been able to attend many more baptisms. Every time I go to one of these special services, I am overwhelmed by the spirit of the Lord that attends me. I am filled with His great love for me. Even though attending is sometimes a duty, I always benefit from being there. I love seeing the innocence and beauty in the eyes of the young children who are baptized at age eight. And I love to see the hope and joy in the eyes of the adults who are baptized once they learn the truth of the gospel. What a wonderful, beautiful ordinance that opens the door to salvation and eternal life with our Heavenly Father! I am so blessed by his Spirit and His love!

The Itch

I've got the itch, and I've got it bad! I'm itching for a new house and a new car. Neither of them are realistic at this point, but that doesn't stop me from wanting. Our house is an adorable 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath, with 1750 square feet. It's such a great place, and we've made so many wonderful memories here. But we really would like a house that has a living room and a family room. It would be so nice to have adult space separate from the kid space. And a real office--or at least an office area. And a storage room. And another bedroom. And a real yard where the kids can play. I'm sure you get the idea. I'm trying to keep myself satisfied right now by repeating the pioneer mantra "Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do, or do without."

Since I'm trying so hard to be content in a house that feels a bit too small, I'm getting the itch to get rid of STUFF. There's not too much we have that is excess at this point, but I'm willing to get rid of whatever excess is left. Now, according to Tobin that would include all of my craft and sewing things. But he just needs to wait until I'm out of school this summer. Oh, I've got projects planned already! In fact, I have a few up my sleeve that need to get finished by Father's Day, and I'm contemplating more for Mother's Day. . .

As far as a car, we don't really need a new one right now. We were hoping to get pregnant this past fall, so we would have needed a new car in the very near future. But alas, the pregnancy story doesn't seem to change for us . . . . It's a long, hard battle. I had my mind set on needing a new car for more kids, and now I can't seem to get rid of the itch to buy one. The thing that keeps me from seriously looking is the idea of another car payment. Yuck! I'll keep waiting until the time comes that we are actually pregnant with more babies. Or until we are independently wealthy. Whichever happens first.

Weddings Galore!

My brother Bruce was married in January and my sister Anna was married in March. I haven't had time to post about either of these events, so here they are together.

Tobin, the kids, and I all drove out for Bruce and Marissa's wedding. It was the first time we have met Marissa, and we love her! Upon arrival in Utah, we immediately joined in the wedding mayhem and madness. Have you seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? That's kind of what weddings are like with my family. We do everything from the decorating to the flowers to the pictures to the food. It's a lot of fun and a lot of work.

Maryam holding Marissa's bouquet (I was their florist.)

Mom and Aunt Mary -- Mom did parafin wax treatments on our hands after we were done with the work

Marissa made Bruce use parafin wax on his hands too!

I had been fighting a cold for about four weeks when we left for Bruce's wedding. So in the midst of all the mayhem, I was also getting all sorts of advice and remedies for colds. Unfortunately, I was not getting any extra sleep! :) I was pretty sure the cold had progressed to a sinus infection, but I figured it would be eaiser to wait and see the doctor when I got home, since there are no Kaiser facilities in Utah.

The wedding was beautiful. Bruce and Marissa were married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 17th. My younger sister Emily and our cousin Kyle were outside the temple with most of the young kids. Tobin's parents came down from Idaho to see us (really to see the grandkids), so they brought Peyton and Maryam to the temple. Everything was beautiful, and the kids loved going to the temple. It was a really long day, and by the end of the reception, Peyton was in full melt down mode. Sadly, so was I. We had to drive home the next day, and I was so sad to say goodbye to all of my family.

My parents, Marissa & Bruce, Grandma Walther

Cousins! Hope and Maryam

We made the drive home, which turned out to be an adventure because I was pretty sick by that point and Maryam was getting sick too. By Sunday morning, the day of our drive, I had a lot of pressure behind my right ear and was pretty sure that my cold/sinus infection had become an ear infection. The drive down from Reno to Sacramento confirmed my suspicions. That was painful! Poor Tobin and Peyton had to listen to Maryam and me crying for about two hours because our ears were hurting from the rapid change in elevation. Luckily, we were both able to see the doctor and get medicine the next day.

I attended Anna's wedding alone. I flew from Oakland to Salt Lake all by myself! That is the first time I have gone on a trip alone for a very long time. I stayed with Bruce and Marissa this time. The wedding mayhem was much more tame for Anna's wedding, since she already had a lot of things done from the first time she was engaged. We spent all day Friday decorating the church for the reception. We had a lot of fun. Anna and Kyle were married in the Bountiful Temple on March 14th. She was a beautiful bride, and we had a wonderful time again. (Have I mentioned that she looks alarmingly similar to me? Her engagement photos are surreal for me to look at. It's like looking at pictures of myself with the wrong guy!)

Decorating the Church

Anna & Kyle and Parents

Anna and Kyle didn't have a luncheon after the temple, so some of my siblings and I went to Gardiner Village. It's a little "town" of shops in the Salt Lake area (Murray maybe?). I love it! I want to live there! :) My sister Sarah introduced me to a shop called "Pine Needles." They sell things for quilting, cross stitch, and embroidery. Sarah and I are getting into embroidery, so we were like kids in a candy shop. I had fun spending time with my siblings, and especially getting to know Marissa more. It was really fun to get to stay with Bruce and his new wife. They are so cute together, and were so kind in helping to make me comfortable in their home. I wish my kids and husband could have come, but I did have a nice time by myself anyway.

The Walther Family - Can you identify who is missing?

Sibling Hug! (Are we clones, or what???)

Anna and Kyle love to swing dance, so she brought white pants to wear while dancing at the reception.

Sick Kids

I am home from work today with two sick kids. Maryam started with a fever on Saturday night. She was sick all day Sunday, still with a fever about 102 degrees. Her fever finally broke early Monday morning. We played with friends yesterday; then in the late afternoon her fever was back! I feel so bad that we exposed other kids. I thought once the fever was gone that she was well again. Late last night Peyton started with the fever. I was really hoping that we could contain the illness to just one person. I guess not! The difference between my two sick kids is amazing.

Maryam was very sweet and loving while she was really sick. She wanted to play and cuddle. She was really, really sweet, which is unusual for her. She is so full of spunk and spitfire, that it was a nice little change for us to see that side of her.

Peyton is a whiny, cranky sick kid. He is moaning and groaning, but can't tell me anything that will help him feel better. I feel so bad for him; he seems to be SO sick! When Peyton is well, he is generally very loving, sweet, loves to play; so it is strange to see him like this.

Needless to say, I hope we are done being sick very soon! I am supposed to teach preschool tomorrow and Friday. But we might have to cancel or postpone, at least for tomorrow's school day. Poor kids!

Still Behind . . .

Sorry, still no time for a proper post. But I'll let you all know that life is moving ahead quickly! I'm sure it is for you, too! Peyton and Maryam just turned 3! I don't know where 3 years has gone. I will try to post pictures soon. They are adorable and so smart. (Of course, I'm impartial, right?)

I have to brag for a quick minute . . . My hubby has been working really hard at diet and exercise since the start of this year. He has lost about 30 pounds already! I'm not going to post a picture yet, but I will eventually. I'm not even sure how he would feel about me posting this. But I'm so excited for him. He is doing such a good job staying motivated and committed. I'm really proud of him! And I've lost a couple of pounds by default. lol.

More later. Thanks for continuing to post on your own blogs, even when I am behind! :)

Too Little Time . . .

I have not had much time for blogging lately. Sorry to anyone who may be a faithful reader. ha ha ha! I promise I will post more soon. Two of my siblings have been married in the past three months, and I'm sure countless other things have taken place. I probably should have chronicled some of them, but I'm getting to bed between 11 and 12 every night as it is. Sorry, but that's not really enough sleep for me. So be advised, we are still here and are doing well. I'm just crazy busy with life. But who isn't, right?

You Know You're OCD When . . .

You know you're OCD when you have a certain way you "prefer" the dishwasher to be loaded. And you are willing to unload and reload dirty dishes just to make it so. You know OCD is heriditary when you find out a couple years later that your grandmother does the same thing!