What do you think my favorite song is?

Today I feel like I have a broken heart: broken because sometimes I love the wrong things and not the right people. Broken not beacuse of something somebody else has done but by things I have left undone. I know this is an emotional risk putting this out there for all of you to read, but I know, especially after attending the Relief Society Birthday dinner last night, that we are here on earth to help one another and love even when somebody is acting in unlovable ways. And to those who love me most, I have been acting in unloving ways: not directly, but sometimes indirectly is just as hurtful.

To anybody else who has a broken heart today for whatever reason, I hope my song blesses you as much as it blesses me everyday. When I hear it, eventhough it has meant different things to me in the past 6-7 months, I know that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me in how to live my life. I know that my Savior Jesus Christ loves me perfectly and that eventhough I disappoint others, He knows my heart and knows how to succor me. This song is one specific example and how it always comes on the radio just when I need to hear it. Like on Sunday, the only time I usually turn on the radio is to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Music and the Spoken Word. But as I got into the car on Sunday afternoon, I felt impressed to turn the radio on, and "What Faith Can Do" was just beginning: it just makes my heart feel so joyful to hear those opening notes. Then later in the evening also in the car, I again had the impression to turn on the radio, and my song was on again: about a third of the way through. Because this song has meant so many things to me, and because it continues to take on new meaning and because I hear it on the radio so much, eventhough I also have the CD, I know that hearing it and allowing it to heal me is not a coincidence; it is a tender mercy from our loving Heavenly Father to me in my times of need, joy, heartache, questioning. May He bless you as you love it too:

"What Faith Can Do"

by Kutless

Everybody falls sometimes

You gotta find the strength to rise

From the ashes and make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache

You think it's more than you can take

But you're stronger, stronger than you know

And don't you give up now

The sun will soon be shining

You gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining.

I've seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn't ever end

Even when the sky is falling

I've seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That's what faith can do

It doesn't matter what you've heard

Impossible is not a word

It's just a reason for someone not to try

Everybody's scared to death

When they decide to take that step out on the water

But it'll be all right

Life is so much more than what you eyes are seeing

You will find your way if you keep believing

Overcome the odds

When you don't have a chance

When the world says you can't

It will tell you that it can.

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO Love today, Katie

Straws and Stick Figures

Who knew that juice box straws could be used as stick figure guys!? Today my nephew got to come over and ride bikes, swing on the swing set, fly the kite, play, build with play doh, hide and seek and eat lunch. During lunch, we had juice boxes, and he took his straw out and made it walk on the table like a stick person and he even gave it a voice. He has an amazing imaginaiton which I adore. At his home, he had some random multi colored creations and when I asked my sister what they were, she said they were Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales along with some other characters which my nephew had made with no prompting from her.
I want to save my special, most favorite song story for tomorrow.
Short today but so worth reading about the straw stick figure!!
Thanks today to MS, ES and JC for family history and LDS conversation while we stuffed Easter eggs for the children!!
Thanks most of all today to Mom for reading my blog!!!

Love, K

How can children be so gross?

This morning during breakfast (poppy seed muffins), D informed me that he knows what he wants to be for Halloween. (Ummm... how many months away is that?) He said, "I want to be the fart police." Those are truly his words, and we don't even use that word: "gas" is our preferred word of choice. Well, had I not been reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid with him the other day, I would have had no idea who the "gas police" even were. As it is, they arrest people who gas...even if it is a duck who makes the noise of gassing. Well, D topped off the whole plan with deciding to ask his friend to dress up as the "gas police" with him. I can just imagine what his friend will say, "Is it gross....then yes!" (Name that movie MG: "does it have sugar in it...then yes!)
Today I was holding something fragile, and M asked, "Mommy, can I look at it with my hands?" I loved how he thought to say that!! Later when he was eating some fruit snacks, he had one shaped like a bear, and he said, "Look, it's a cub scout bear." His brother is a Cub Scout, and M wants me to make him his own cub scout shirt...I think I will. I thought about making him the mascot of our pack, but maybe that would be disrespectful.
Today I am so grateful for wonderful family, friends and experiences that Heavenly Father has placed in my life. People who always remember special days and who are kind enough to take time from their day to bless my life. Thank you SW for the flowers and JC, SC and DC for the sweet cards. Heavenly Father surely blesses us with those around us.

Goodnight, K

Passing out my cards

So I am eating some delicious kettle corn that my Mom gave me: thanks Mom!! I wanted to share how it went today with passing out my "pass along" cards with my blog address. People at church were really excited for my new step in life: thank you everyone for your encouragement. But mostly, of course, thank you Michelle, again.
I get to teach the little children at church, and we have one new little girl who came up to me at church today and gave me a big hug right when she saw me... it made my day. I wish we could all be like that: happy to see each other, greeting with a hug. But alas, we all speak different languages (www.5lovelanguages.com). I guess if we all spoke the same language, thigns would be pretty boring anyway. But, children are amazing.
Like M tonight when we were driving in the car and he said, "Mommy what is my pacifier's name?" Here are some other funny things he has said recently that I forgot to write about the other day: Instead of "cookie crisp" he says "cookie piss", which I know in the adult world is kinda crude, but I cannot help but laugh. I have had the opportunity of getting a whole table full of people to laugh at that one... you know who you are!! And a couple of weeks ago, we were in the kitchen, and all of a sudden, he busted out with "Holy Christmas". I laughed forever because it was a cross between "Geeminy Christmas" (from my Mom) and "Holy Cow" (from me).
Just yesterday, Michelle and I were talking about how children repeat everything, boy is that true. So, in addition to watching what we all say, our tone of voice also makes a difference.

Bye for now, love you all, K

The first day of the rest of my life

Hi, I am Katie. Can you guess my favorite color? A very important first question upon meeting someone for the first time. So this is the first day of the rest of my life, which in this moment, means a big HUGE new step... Yes Michelle, I am BLOGGING (Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus). I know that you never really thought you would see this, but here it is, I am ready. So if you are not Michelle or an immediate member of my family, you may want to know that for at least a year or so, Michelle has been trying to get me to start this blog. Now I know my purpose, which is to testify of Jesus Christ and Family.
Two of the ways I want to do so are to #1 Share things I have learned in living the teachings of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. #2 As each day of my life is lived, I realize that my children say hilarious and profound things which I neglect to write in their journals. I want to record those things here so that they are not lost and so that all of you can share them with me also. I hope we all laugh and cry and love together as we share this time.
This blog is inspired by Michelle whom I love so very much. This blog is in honor of my family, which consists of my husband Don, and our children hereafter known as D and M. Also I choose to honor my Mom and Dad, my husband's Mom and Dad and Grandmother. I honor my two sisters and Don's two brothers. I honor our extended family. I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!! I honor my dear friends, wherever you are, you know I love you. Most especially, I honor and revere our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and my Father in Heaven for their eternal plan for my life. I know that they love me. I know that they care about me: in every single minute of my day, whether in joy, sorrow, triumph or temptation. That I know they love me brings daily comfort and security. And it is these things that I desire to testify of in my daily writings. So that you may come to know as I do.
I have been saving up a whole bunch of things that our children have said in the last couple of weeks that I have been seriously considering starting this blog... not that journal writing is new to me... my Mom knows about my volumes: I just never thought that sharing my personal thoughts with the whole world was my thing until I looked at it as a way to testify of all that I know to be true.
Here are the funnies and the profound:
3/10 M: "The water is good, I didn't pee in it." He was in the bath drinking the water, and I asked him to stop drinking it because...gross!! Well, he decided it was fine!!
3/11 D dressed up in funny costumes when he came home from school: the first one was an awesome scuba diver assembly; no shirt, camo shorts, a blue bathrobe belt tied around his waist then connected to his red goggles as if it were an air tank. Because his hair was so long, when he pushed the goggles up on top of his head, his hair stuck up, so I told him to look in the mirror becuase it looked so awesome. He came out and said "It looks like I have an ATROW." I tried not to laugh because he hates being laughed at, but I told him through giggles that he meant "afro."
3/12 Even as I start to write this one, I laugh out loud because it was so spontaneous and funny. As we were sitting down to breakfast, M said, "You sat on my Cockadoodle." then I said "what?" as I busted out laughing and he said, "You sat on my chicken." I have no idea where that came from... we do not have chickens printed on our kitchen chairs!!!
3/14 One of the new things M says is "Mom, I have to tell you something."
3/16 During prayer, M said, "Thanks for Grammy and Grandpa and Muffy."
3/17 To M, oatmeal is "obameal"
3/18 I was doing funny things with my hair today, including putting a small bit in a rubberband way up high on the top of my head and letting it fall crazily whatever way it would. M said, "Mommy, you look like Kerstie." She is one of our little friends who has the common Whoville ponytail on the top of her head.
3/25 Happy Anniversary D and W!!! M, who LOVES candy, out of nowhere today said, "I want to get some candy from Santa Claus for you and Wes AND FOR ME!!!" He did not know it at the time, but later his Daddy came home from work and announced that it is exactly nine months until Christmas!!
I have been writing for an hour, so goodbye for tonight. Until tomorrow on this wonderful new adventure!! K